If you've never heard of Fado, it is a Portuguese folk tradition born out of the Moorish influence in Lisbon, Portugal and Brazilian love songs called modhinas. Since fado songs are usually about heartbreak and loss, (some call it the Portuguese blues), the tradition was actually subverted by the country's dictators in the 1930s and turned into a political tool, encouraging the unhappy lower classes to focus on nostalgia and romantic love as a distraction, so the genre carried a negative association for some time, until it became popular again in the 1980's. Largely due to the late great Amália Rodriguez (1920-1999), and the success of other modern fadistas, fado has become the most popular Portuguese music outside the country. more ›

Out of taverns and streetcorners in poor sections of Lisbon, the mournful music, that tells emotional tales of longing and loss, was born. Since then, fado has become Portugal's most famous music. With a Mozambican background and a love for the Portuguese fado singing, Mariza has become one of the world's most famous singers. Her first album went quadruple platinum. After a 2002 visit to Lisbon, famed architect and creator of the Walt Disney Concert... more ›