A Singer of the World

One woman – Five continents

“I went abroad with a guitar and a fado guitar, and I made an international career. It was not my Portuguese, nor my lack of spectacle. It was my authenticity that won.”

No one would say that in a poor neighbourhood of the Old Lisbon would be born the Portuguese singer the most known of all times. The voice that carried the tears, the soul, and the longing of a people, traveled through the 5 continents, more than 68 countries illustrated further down this page, becoming the first truly international Portuguese artist.

Talking about her journey is accepting the difficulties in mentioning every single one of all the concerts, all the cities, or all the tours she gave. Maybe fado gave us Amália, but Amália gave fado to the world. From the popular marches to the typical fado houses passed two years, from these to the boîtes and dance clubs were another two. From Portugal, she went to France, and from France to the rest of the world.

She performs for the first time abroad at 23 years old in Spain. Then, she travels to Brazil and Mexico. She performs in the celebrations of the Marshal Plan all over Europe. After that, she goes to New York, to the Olympia in Paris, to Israel, to Mozambique, to England, and to Italy. In the early 60s, she is acclaimed by Variety (magazine) as one of the five best voices in the world. She goes to Russia, to Japan, to Romania, to Holland. She leaves a deep brand image in the stages of Teatro Sistina, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Hollywood Bowl. In 1973, only in Italy, she gives more than 80 concerts. Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Australia, Tunisia, and Venezuela…

Amália lived on stage… it is more than 50 years dedicated to music, and, above all, to her public.

“What remains from this all, from all this work, that deep down was a lot and enormous, but what remains from this all, were the claps, was the audience, was the love of people. It is that that has been feeding me.”

Autograph session, 60s decade

INFORMATION TAKEN FROM THE WORK AMÁLIA, UMA BIOGRAFIA BY VÍTOR PAVÃO DOS SANTOS AND THE CATALOGUE AMÁLIA: CORAÇÃO INDEPENDENTE, 2009.

Canada

USA

Mexico

Cuba

Jamaica

Honduras

Nicaragua

Colombia

Venezuela

Brazil

Peru

Chile

Argentina

Uruguay

Scotland

England

Belgium

Luxemburg

Germany

Czech Republic

Switzerland

Italy

San Marino

Croatia

Hungary

Romania

Georgia

Azerbaijan

Armenia

Bulgaria

Greece

Cyprus

Portugal

Ireland

Spain

France

Monaco

Netherlands

Denmark

Norway

Sweden

Russia

Poland

Algeria

Tunisia

Egypt

Cape Verde

Angola

Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Tanzania

Mozambique

Zimbabwe

Ancient Rodhesia

South Africa

China

India

Thailand

Indonesia

Timor

Turkey

Lebanon

Israel

Jordan

Iraq

Japan

South Korea

Australia

New Zealand