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Michelle Pereira Music

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Moments in Time

Stephen Brooks from The Washington Post describes Fado as “The traditional Portuguese music known as fado is not for the timid. Passionate and uninhibited, it revels in drama, diving recklessly into the dark pathos of the human heart. In the hands of its best interpreters, fado's power can be primal and almost overwhelming -- and it's starting to catch on with audiences around the world”.

"Growing up with a last name Pereira pronounced PARAYDA, meaning Pear Tree, wasn't easy. Nobody knew how to spell or pronounce it. I am first generation American, my mother is from Portugal. Yet, like many first generation Americans, I knew so little about my heritage. I didn't realize they even had songs there! What I found was that few people knew anything about the most western country in Europe and even sadder, could point to it on a map."

On September 2005 Michelle boarded a plane for Lisbon without knowing a soul or speaking a word of Portuguese to see if this music was still alive and being sung.

"Two days after I arrived, I was walking down a cobblestone street in The Bairro Alto on a warm September evening. What I heard stopped me in my tracks. I followed the music until it brought me to this small taberna. I peeked through the wooden shudders and I was blown away. Through the layer of cigarette smoke I could see wooden tables and faces, old and young, practically sitting on each other. Not a sound was heard except for the guitar players and this woman with a black shawl, eyes closed, screaming out words I didn't understand."

Because this style of music has never been written down Michelle went to every Fado house she could find in Lisbon with a recorder in hand and set out to learn this music called Fado. With a dictionary in hand, she would write out the words phonetically and then translate the poems into English. In May 2006, Michelle was invited to be the first foreigner to sing professionally as a house singer in a Casa do Fado in Lisbon.

"My dear friend Ana Lucia Macedo asked me or rather told me that I would be singing in her restaurant. I looked at her and told her she was crazy that I only knew two songs. You'll learn more, she replied. And I did."

Michelle learned by watching and listening to other fadistas. She has been invited to sing in many houses in Lisbon like Tasco Do Chico, Casa Do Algarve, Nobre Vadio, Canto do Camoes, Caldo Verde, and LUSO, as well as many Nights of Fado throughout Portugal.

“I don’t consider myself a Fadista, but rather a singer with a love and respect for the Portuguese culture and it most characteristic manifestation, The Fado. Coming to Portugal was a challenge to uncover another truth of myself, I am Luso Americana. Like so many other First Generations, we have one foot in our native country and another in our parents’ customs and traditions. That should be celebrated. I can’t express how happy I am to finally be able to speak Portuguese with my family.”

Michelle brings to Fado music a different and fresh perspective and sound. The warmth of her voice breathes life into this traditional genre of music sung rarely by foreign voices.

"I wanted to record my journey here in Portugal. IN MY LIFE is more than just a CD, it is an opportunity for me to share with the world this beautiful music from my point of view. IN MY LIFE is dedicated to my family and my Lusitanian Heritage. There are so many people who have helped me during this journey and I am forever thankful for their support".

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