Portuguese singer Mariza celebrates the twentieth anniversary of her career and the centenary of the late Queen of Fado, Amália Rodrigues, with Mariza Sings Amália, her first full album of classics, now available on vinyl, following its CD and digital release, here on Nonesuch Records in the US. 

“The ten covers of songs once sung by Amália on this regal tribute are utterly glorious," exclaims Songlines in a five-star review. "Backed by gorgeous orchestral arrangements by Brazil’s Jaques Morelenbaum, she invests these classic fados with a rich and characterful wisdom that is somehow reverential and innovative at the same time.”

Mariza and Rodrigues have a lot in common, beyond their origin. With her residencies at legendary venues such as the Paris Olympia and Carnegie Hall, Mariza swept global audiences off their feet in the early part of this century, like Rodrigues had done in the 1950s and 1960s. Through her critically acclaimed recordings and unexpected collaborations, Mariza expanded what fado could be, just like Rodrigues had done in the 1960s and 1970s. Mariza became the most celebrated ambassador of Portugal’s music in the twenty-first century as Rodrigues had been in the twentieth century.

Since her early days, Mariza has always sung pieces from Rodrigues’ repertoire, on stage or in the studio; it is almost a rite of passage for any fado singer. But never before had Mariza taken the step of recording an entire album of Amália Rodrigues’ classics. “This is the best way I can find to pay my tribute to Amália, and to thank her for the legacy and inspiration she gave us,” says Mariza.

For this new album, Mariza invited an old friend: Brazilian musician and producer Jaques Morelenbaum, a regular collaborator of Ryuichi Sakamoto and Caetano Veloso. Morelenbaum produced Mariza’s triple-platinum 2005 album Transparente; here, he creates a series of orchestral arrangements, simultaneously classic and innovative, that allow Mariza to delve into these ten well-known songs. The album was recorded between Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro.

The Town Hall has long been significant to these two fado stars: Mariza made her New York headlining debut there in 2002, the year she released her first album, Fado em Mim. The genre’s history at the renowned venue stretches back to midcentury concerts with artists such as Maria Marques and includes Amália Rodrigues's legendary 1990 performance and recording there.

Mariza, whom Uncut calls “the greatest contemporary singer of fado,” has sold more than a million copies of her recordings worldwide and has more than thirty Platinum awards. Her albums have been released all over the world; each of the albums has reached #1 in Portugal and has made top-ten lists in many other countries.

Mariza has worked with producers such as Morelenbaum and Madredeus keyboardist Carlos Maria Trindade. She has performed live or recorded with colleagues like Sting, Kiri Te Kanawa, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and Miguel Poveda. Mariza has won the BBC Radio 3 Award for Best European World Music Artist three times and has been twice nominated for a Latin Grammy Award. In addition to performances at nearly all major international concert venues—including London’s Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall; New York’s Carnegie Hall; L.A.’s Walt Disney Concert Hall; Paris’ Salle Pleyel, Olympia, and Théâtre de la Ville; Barcelona’s Palau de la Música Catalana; Vienna’s Opera House; Sydney’s Opera House—Mariza has also performed at pop-oriented festivals such as WOMAD and the North Sea Jazz Festival. Nonesuch released her album Mundo in 2016.