Cristina Madeira

Cristina Madeira is a Portuguese singer and songwriter and Fado is her
main reference.
For some years now, she has been a promising voice of Fado, that
collective current which represents the essence of the Portuguese identity
and soul, recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
Her intimacy with Fado came very early. When listening to Amália
Rodrigues, Cristina felt a mix of both joy and sadness, but could not
discern what had prevailed in this emotional outbreak. This little girl born
in the heart of Bairro Alto has always been aware that music was her
destiny.
Owner of a voice that stood out at an early age, she did her professional
debut in 1978, at 8 years old. She sang for the first time at Santos
Populares folk shows, in Lisbon, for the City Festivals until she was invited
to sing Fado for the elderly at parties organized by Bairro Alto Parish in
1979. At the same time, she was also involved in classical singing, in the
Nossa Senhora de Bonança Chapel Choir, in Largo do Rato.
When she sings she joins another universe because, for Cristina, Fado
means in-depth and very special engagement born from the inner purity
of the soul, involving her facial and gestural expression with the audience,
who despite not understanding Portuguese, feel her Fado melody.
Actually, the richness of these two languages, verbal and non-verbal,
manage to deeply penetrate into Cristina Madeira's audience.