Mariza

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Mariza, 2004

Mariza Reis Nunes (pron. IPA: [mɐ.'ɾi.zɐ]/) (born December 16, 1973 in Mozambique) is a fado singer. She moved to Portugal when she was three, and was raised in one of the most traditional quarters of Lisbon, Mouraria - Alfama, where she learned how to sing fado.

She has a Portuguese father but her mother hails from Mozambique (the song "Transparente" is a tribute to her African grandmother).

Growing up, and until she became a fado singer, Mariza sang in a wide variety of styles, including gospel, soul and jazz.

Released in 2001, Mariza's first album, Fado em Mim, was an instant success in Portugal, selling more than 30,000 copies. This led to her recording company launching the disc internationally and taking advantage of the good reception that Portuguese music was enjoying at the time in Europe and in other countries, such as Mexico and Japan.

At the 2002 FIFA World Cup she performed the Portuguese national anthem at the game which pitted the home team (South Korea) against Portugal.

When Mariza's second album, Fado Curvo, was released in 2003, she was already considered as one of the best singers of what some call the new Fado movement. Mariza's voice, which harks back to the grand divas of the musical form, like the eternal Amalia Rodrigues, and her impassioned interpretations of Fado standards brought her great international recognition in a short amount of time, leading to her being the recipient, in March 2003, of BBC Radio 3's award for Best European Artist in World Music.

For the Olympic Games of Athens 2004 she sang a duet with Sting in the song "A thousand years", released on the official pop album of the Athens Olympics, Unity, on which fado is sung in English and Portuguese.

Mariza is considered as a more contemporary follower of Amália Rodrigues.

Her third album, Transparente, was recorded in Brazil and released in 2005.

Mariza was also one of the artists who performed at Live 8; she sang at the Eden Project in Cornwall. Since that time, Mariza has been invited to a large number of concerts and events to promote Portuguese culture around the whole world, from Australia to Finland, the United States and Argentina.