From my Expats Portugal 'Carl's Column'...
(Click the link to watch the videos of songs mentioned)
Last time, when I kicked off this column with ‘Things you would never know until you get here’, one of my tip-offs was ‘Prepare to PARTY!’, whereby I suggested we “forget ‘early nights’ and instead start training for a social strategy that starts after 10pm and often doesn’t finish until the early hours of the night (or often next morning)”. I was preparing you for life in what I think is the world’s most intensely social country, and a vital part of that scene is of course music, which you may hear rattling your windows when it’s festa time in your town, when you realise I wasn’t joking.
In this expat public service announcement, I’ll be giving you a brief introduction to Portuguese music, which is made up of much more than fado, and treating you to ten tunes to tune your ear and body for your life ahead in Portugal. In this country, music in its many forms, as I hope you’ll begin to appreciate here, is part of a cultural ‘holy trinity’ that starts with food and drink, evolves into some infectious foot-tapping and can so easily conclude on an improvised dance floor at the town square.
1. Amália Rodrigues
So let’s begin our musical journey, our adventure into the Portuguese sonic psyche, which must begin with the profoundly significant ‘Queen of Fado’ (Rainha do Fado), Amália Rodrigues, born in 1920, and known as Portugal’s greatest ‘fadista’. A Lisbon native from humble beginnings, her passionate and somewhat haunting voice earned her international acclaim, putting fado on the map worldwide too.
You may have heard the phrase ‘Casa Portuguesa’ courtesy of Ei!’s Gilda Pereira, and you’ll understand when you hear this song, and see the collage of images of the inimitable Amália, why she was so inspired to give her home-finding service this classic name, and why Rodrigues remains the best-selling Portuguese artist in the history of recorded music…
2. Zeca Afonsõ
Listening to Portuguese music is not only a great way to soak up the language and pick up vocabulary, it can also be a great way to learn about the culture. A supreme example is our second musical choice in the form of Zeca Afonso who is synonymous with the Carnation Revolution. This, literally, ‘revolutionary’ singer-songwriter whose song “Grândola, Vila Morena” became the spark for the 1974 uprising, was born in José Afonso in Aveiro.
Imagine the scene twenty minutes past midnight on the 25th April 1974, when the song was played on Rádio Renascença in Lisbon as a signal to the leaders of the coup to initiate their plan, burning this song into the Portuguese psyche as an enduring motif of freedom, resistance, and hope…
3. Carlos do Carmo
We began with the Queen, so how about we take a look at the ‘King of Fado’ next? And the man responsible for modernising the genre – Carlos do Carmo. Also known as ‘The Gentleman of Fado’, he was born into a fado family, and went on to blend the tradition with innovation, as you can experience with his ground-breaking ‘Um Homem No País’ album, considered a ‘love letter to Portugal’.
I have a personal weakness for the era in which he made his name, where men with smooth voices and sharp suits ruled live and TV stages, evoking a sense of wholesome romance and hope that our cynical and turbulent age can lack. Try ‘Lisboa Menina e Moça’ for a taste of those ‘happier times’, where his love from the Portuguese is all too clear.
4. António Variações
By way of a complete contrast, let’s take a look next at the hairdresser-turned-rocker António Variações, who some might say is the ‘Portuguese Bowie’, another ground-breaker, this time in the 80s. A pop and new wave artist, his eclectic style that blended pop, rock, and electronic music has him remembered as a cultural icon.
He took Portuguese folk and fado themes and blended them with new wave, synth-pop, rock and punk influences (see the hit cover ‘Povo Que Lavas No Rio’, a fado classic popularised by Amália), defying conservatism up to and beyond the revolution as an openly gay artist. Sadly, he died at 39, leaving an enduring legacy as Portugal’s pioneer of ‘pop’, and a fondness you can see in this vintage performance on Portuguese television.
Let’s investigate a sound now that you’ll inevitably encounter on your Portuguese musical adventure. Nightmarishly frivolous to some and beloved by many, it’s the ‘pimba’ genre that, to me, epitomises hot summer nights infused with the fumes of booze and truck food in Portugal.
5. Roberto Leal
A ‘daddy’ of the style and creator of one of its all-time classics is Roberto Leal, a much-loved Portuguese-Brazilian singer and ultimately cultural ambassador, who sold over 17 million albums, earning 30 gold and 5 platinum records during his Portuguese and global pop career. ‘Bate o Pé’ is my personal favourite, a solid gold party floor-filler that has Leal honoured eternally since his death in Brazil, which became his home at the age of 11.
6. Quim Barreiros
Staying with the cheap (make that ‘good value’) and cheerful vibes of Pimba, we linger light-heartedly with the Portuguese cheeky chappy veteran of the festa scene – Quim Barreiros. I can confirm that Quim is still rocking strong at the age of 78, having seen him at my hometown’s summer festa in the company of our very own Filomena.
Filomena, who, with me, was surrounded by giggling old Portuguese ‘avos’ had me blushing as she translated the lyrics of his classics including ‘Bacalhau à Portuguesa’, in which the Pimba King asks to smell his neighbour Maria’s codfish. A Portuguese Benny Hill, perhaps, he began playing the accordion at 8, and has made 20 albums since featuring his care-free bawdy lyrics that celebrate everyday life and the simple pleasures of rural Portugal. A living legend.
7. Savador Sobral (Eurovision winner)
Let’s step away from the ridiculous (in a good way) to the sublime sound of Salvador Sobral, the baby of this bunch, and a jazz-influenced vocalist who bagged the Eurovision crown for Portugal in 2017 with the unlikely, minimalist and soulful ballad ‘Amar Pelos Dois’.
Earning the contest’s highest-ever score, he had a heart transplant in the same year and continues to wear his heart on his sleeve – in song and as a political commentator – mixing up jazz, bossa nova and pop, in a way the Portuguese seem to appreciate. Check out his Eurovision smash here…
8. Xutos & Pontapés
If we are making comparisons, I don’t think it’s unfair to call our next act the ‘Portuguese Stones’. They are Xutos & Pontapés, founded in 1978 in Lisbon (originally called ‘Almada Roots’), and are Portugal’s most enduring and beloved rock band. Pioneers of post-Revolution Portuguese rock, drawing together raucous rock ‘n’ roll, punky energy and poetic Portuguese lyricism.
Their name translates literally as “kicks and punches” and they’ve filled stadiums for decades, and will do so throughout 2026 at a festival or stadium near you. Get a sense of their raw power and deeply loyal following in this video featuring one of their biggest hits, ’Para Ti Maria’…
9. Ús Sai de Gatas
Not as well known, yet, as many of the legends featured here, I’m including Ús Sai de Gatas is a fun Portuguese party band that many ska and 2-Tone fans will enjoy, who fuse that genre with the Portuguese party vibe celebrated here. Known for their lively, joyful ‘catita’ style, blending ska and pimba with on-stage antics, they came my way through Filomena, originating from her hometown of Miranda do Corvo.
They’ve been entertaining a loyal local fanbase for over 15 years, have appeared on Portuguese TV and are steadily becoming reliable party-starters on the Portuguese festa circuit. They are a band to look out for and enjoy this Summer, spreading feelgood vibes as can be seen in this video (which I had the pleasure to take part in at Filomena and the band’s invitation!)…
10. Mariza
To conclude this by no means definitive list, we return to Fado and Mariza, a modern Queen of the Portuguese genre, born in 70s Mozambique. One of Portugal’s foremost contemporary fadistas (see also Ana Moura, Carminho and Camané), she revitalizes the uniquely Portuguese musical artform with powerful vocals, jazz, flamenco and ‘world music’ influences.
She has recorded with international stars such as Sting, Gilberto Gil and Lenny Kravitz; legendary world music advocate Charlie Gillett said of her: a short Mariza performance could “change people’s view” of music entirely. An international, platinum-selling favourite, Mariza is truly a global fado ambassador, exuding top-draw star quality, which can be enjoyed in this performance of her hit ‘Chuva’…
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Whilst it’s impossible to sum up any country’s musical legacy and talent in ten tunes, especially a nation so diverse in its historical and contemporary make-up as Portugal, I trust I have given you an amuse-bouche for the ears that leaves you wanting more.
Let’s talk further about the music, and the artists, at our next Premium Lounge get-together, and please share some of your new favourites with me and friends in the Expats Portugal community.
