Portuguese music includes many different styles and genres, as a result of its

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

. These can be broadly divided into classical music, traditional/

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

and

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fu ...

and all of them have produced internationally successful acts, with the country seeing a recent expansion in musical styles, especially in popular music. In traditional/folk music,

fado Fado (; "destiny, fate") is a music genre that can be traced to the 1820s in Lisbon, Portugal, but probably has much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar Rui Vieira Nery states that "the only reliable information on the history of fado was ...

had a significant impact, with

Amália Rodrigues Amália da Piedade Rebordão Rodrigues GCSE, GCIH (23 July 1920 – 6 October 1999), better known as Amália Rodrigues () or popularly as Amália, was a Portuguese '' fadista'' (fado singer) and actress. Known as the 'Rainha do Fado' ("Queen ...

still the most recognizable Portuguese name in music, and with more recent acts, like

Dulce Pontes Dulce José Silva Pontes (; born 8 April 1969) is a Portuguese songwriter and singer who performs in many musical styles, including pop, folk, and classical music. She is usually defined as a world music artist. Her songs contributed to the 1990s ...

and

Mariza Marisa dos Reis Nunes ComIH (born 16 December 1973), known professionally as Mariza (), is a Portuguese fado singer. Mariza was born in Lourenço Marques, Portuguese Mozambique, to a Portuguese father, José Brandão Nunes, and a Mozambican ...

. The genre is one of two Portuguese music traditions in the

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...

, with the other being Cante Alentejano. Regional folk music remains popular too, having been updated and modernized in many cases, especially in the northeastern region of Trás-os-Montes. Some more recent successful fado/folk-inspired acts include

Madredeus Madredeus () are a Portuguese musical ensemble formed in 1985, in Lisbon. Their music combines traditional Portuguese music, fado and folk music. Madredeus are one of the most successful music groups from Portugal, having sold over 3 million alb ...

and

Deolinda Deolinda () is an acoustic Portuguese "neofado" group, whose music often deals with social and political commentary. Founded in 2006, their first album was released in 2008, which went double platinum. Their second was in the top ten in Portugal ...

, the latter being part of a

folk revival The American folk music revival began during the 1940s and peaked in popularity in the mid-1960s. Its roots went earlier, and performers like Josh White, Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Big Bill Broonzy, Billie Holiday, Richard Dyer-Benn ...

that has led to a newfound interest in this type of music. Salvador_Sobral_RedCarpet_Kyiv_2017

In popular music, there is a significant number of popular genres. These include rock, with popular acts including

Xutos & Pontapés Xutos & Pontapés () are a Portuguese rock band. The band was founded in 1978, in Lisbon, by the late Zé Pedro, Zé Leonel, Kalú and Tim. Their current lineup consists of Tim (vocals, bass), João Cabeleira (guitar), Gui (saxophone, keyboards) ...

, The Gift (alternative rock),

Fingertips "Fingertips" is a 1963 hit single recorded live by "Little" Stevie Wonder for Motown's then Tamla label. Overview Written and composed by Wonder's mentors, Clarence Paul and Henry Cosby, "Fingertips" was originally a jazz instrumental recorde ...

(pop rock), Blasted Mechanism (experimental electro-rock), Noctivagus ( gothic rock) and Wraygunn (rock, blues). Also hip-hop, with acts such as Boss AC, Da Weasel, Ithaka, Mind Da Gap and Sam the Kid. Acts such as

Moonspell Moonspell is a Portuguese gothic metal band formed in 1992. The group released their first EP, ''Under the Moonspell'', in 1994 and followed up with their debut album, ''Wolfheart'', a year later. They quickly became the most recognizable metal ...

(

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

) and

Buraka Som Sistema Buraka Som Sistema was an electronic dance music project from Portugal, specializing in a fusion of techno beats with the African zouk and kuduro genre. It is generally credited with creating the "zouk bass" and "progressive kuduro" variant and ...

( electro/

kuduro Kuduro (or kuduru) is a type of music and dance from Angola. It is characterized as uptempo, energetic, and danceable. Kuduro was developed in Luanda, Angola in the late 1980s. Producers sampled traditional carnival music like soca and zouk bé ...

/ breakbeat) have had significant international success. Other popular modern genres in Portugal include dance, house, kizomba, pimba, pop,

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

and

zouk Zouk is a musical movement pioneered by the French Antillean band Kassav' in the early 1980s. It was originally characterized by a fast tempo (120–145 bpm), a percussion-driven rhythm and a loud horn section. The fast zouk béton of Martini ...

History

Portugal has had a history of receiving different musical influences from around the Mediterranean Sea, across Europe and former colonies. In the two centuries before the Christian era,

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

brought with it Greek influences; early Christians, who had their differing versions of church music arrived during the height of the Roman Empire; the

Visigoths The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is ...

, a Romanized Germanic people, who took control of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...

following the fall of the Roman Empire; the

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

and

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

in the Middle Ages. Hence, there have been more than two thousand years of internal and external influences and developments. Its genres range from classical to popular music. Portugal's music history includes musical history from the medieval Gregorian chants through

Carlos Seixas José António Carlos de Seixas (; 11 June 1704 – 25 August 1742) was a pre-eminent Portuguese composer of the 18th century. An accomplished virtuoso of both the organ and the harpsichord, Seixas succeeded his father as the organist for Coimbr ...

' symphonies era to the composers of the modern era. The musical history of Portugal can be divided in different ways. Portuguese music encompasses musical production of the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern eras, especially from

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

with Kizomba. Portugal has very good dancing clothes making Portuguese dancing famous.

Classical music

Portuguese music gets its rich history and privileged geographical location. These are evidenced in the

music history of Portugal Being one of the most ancient nation-states in Europe, Portugal has a long music history, which accompanied and strongly contributed to the development of the music history in Europe. Medieval music Liturgical repertoire In the early days of the ...

, which despite its firm European roots, nevertheless reflects the intercontinental cultural interactions begun in the Portuguese discoveries. A short list of past and present Portuguese musicians with important contributions must necessarily include the names of composers Manuel Cardoso, Duarte Lobo, Filipe de Magalhães,

, Pedro de Escobar,

Diogo Dias Melgás Diogo Dias Melgás (often ''Melgaz'') ( Cuba (Portugal), 1638 - Évora, 1700) was a Portuguese composer of late-Renaissance sacred polyphony. Life Diogo Dias Melgás was born in Cuba, Alentejo, on 14 April 1638. He was a choirboy at the Colégio da ...

, João Domingos Bomtempo, Marcos Portugal, José Vianna da Motta, Luís de Freitas Branco, António Fragoso, Joly Braga Santos, Fernando Lopes-Graça, and Emmanuel Nunes; organists such as António Carreira and Manuel Rodrigues Coelho; singers Luísa Todi, Elisabete Matos and José Carlos Xavier; pianists Maria João Pires and

Sequeira Costa José Carlos de Sequeira Costa (18 July 1929 in Luanda, Angola – 21 February 2019 in Olathe, Kansas) was a Portuguese pianist who is especially renowned for his interpretations of the Romantic repertoire. As a child, Sequeira Costa showed e ...

; violinists

Elmar Oliveira Elmar Oliveira (born June 28, 1950) is an American violinist. Early life The son of Portuguese immigrants, Elmar Oliveira was born in Naugatuck, Connecticut. Oliveira was nine when he began studying the violin with his brother John. At age 16 h ...

and

Carlos Damas Carlos Damas (born 1973) is a leading Portuguese classical violinist and recording artist foDux RecordsBrillia ...

; and cellists such as Guilhermina Suggia.

Traditional Music

Fado

Fado is a musical style, which arose in Lisbon as the music of the urban poor. Fado songs are typically lyrically harsh, accompanied by a wire-strung acoustic guitar or the

Portuguese Guitar The Portuguese guitar or Portuguese guitarra ( pt, guitarra portuguesa, ) is a plucked string instrument with twelve steel strings, strung in six courses of two strings. It is one of the few musical instruments that still uses watch-key or Presto ...

. It is usually sung by solo performers, with the singer resigned to sadness, poverty, and loneliness, but remaining dignified and firmly controlled. In 2011, Fado was inscribed on Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. It is claimed that fado origins are older, going back to the 15th century, when women cried with longing for their husbands that sailed to the never-ending seas. Late in the 19th century, the city of

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto, and Braga, it is the largest cit ...

developed a distinctive scene. Coimbra, a literary capital for the country, is now known for being more refined and majestic. The sound has been described as "the song of those who retain and cherish their illusions, not of those who have irretrievably lost them" by Rodney Gallop in 1936. A related form is the guitarradas of the 1920s and 30s, best known for Dr. Antonio Menano and a group of virtuoso musicians he formed, including

Artur Paredes Artur Paredes (10 May 1899 – 20 December 1980) was a Portuguese guitar player in the city of Coimbra. He was the natural son of Gonçalo Rodrigues Paredes and Maria do Céu."Artur Paredes."Museu Do Fado March 2009. Accessed October 18, 2018. ...

and José Joaquim Cavalheiro. Student fado, performed by students at Coimbra University, has maintained a tradition since it was pioneered in the 1890s by Augusto Hilário. Starting in 1939 with the career of

, fado was an internationally popular genre. A singer and film actress, Rodrigues made numerous stylistic innovations that have made her probably the most influential fadista of all time. A new generation of young musicians have contributed to the social and political revival of fado music, adapting and blending it with new trends. Contemporary fado musicians like

Carminho Maria do Carmo Carvalho Rebelo de Andrade (born 20 August 1984, in Lisbon), better known as Carminho (), is a Portuguese fado and popular music singer. She comes from a family of musicians, since her mother, Teresa Siqueira, was a famous fado si ...

Mísia Mísia (born Susana Maria Alfonso de Aguiar, in 1955 in Porto, Portugal) is a Portuguese fado singer. Mísia is a polyglot. Despite singing mostly fado, she has sung some of her songs in Spanish, French, Catalan, English, and even Japanese. ...

and

Camané Camané (born Carlos Manuel Moutinho Paiva dos Santos Duarte, 20 December 1966 in Oeiras) is a male vocalist and a forerunner of the new generation of fado male singers. "The greatest fadista since Amália Rodrigues and Maria da Fé," is how B ...

have introduced the music to a new public. The sensuality of Misia and other female ''fadistas'' (fado singers) like Maria Ana Bobone,

Cuca Roseta Maria Isabel Rebelo Couto da Cruz Roseta (born 2 December 1981), known professionally as Cuca Roseta, is a Portuguese fado singer, composer, and model. Roseta is considered one of the most important fado representatives of her generation, appe ...

Cristina Branco Cristina Branco (born 28 December 1972 in Almeirim, Ribatejo, Portugal) is a Portuguese musician. She was drawn to jazz and styles of Portuguese music before settling on fado, a choice made after being introduced to the music of Amália Rodrig ...

Ana Moura Ana Cláudia Moura Pereira (born 17 September 1979), known as Ana Moura, is a Portuguese fado singer. An internationally recognized singer, she was the youngest fadista to be nominated for a Dutch Edison Award. Early life and career Ana Mo ...

Katia Guerreiro Katia Guerreiro (born February 23, 1976) is a South African-born Portuguese fado singer, who has released eight albums and has received several awards, including Order of Arts and Letters, Chevalier rank, from the French government and the Order ...

, and Mariza has walked the fine line between carrying on the tradition of

and trying to bring in a new audience.

and

Carlos do Carmo Carlos Manuel de Ascenção do Carmo de Almeida ComIH (21 December 1939 – 1 January 2021), better known as Carlos do Carmo, was a Portuguese fado singer. The son of Lucília do Carmo, a well-known ''fadista'', do Carmo began his career in fad ...

are also well-known fado singers. Ricardo Ribeiro and Miguel Capucho are one of the best male fado singers of the new generation. It was included in the

in 2011.

Regional folk music

Recent events have helped keep Portuguese regional folk (''rancho folclórico'') traditions alive, most especially including the worldwide

roots revival A roots revival (folk revival) is a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. Often, roots revivals include an addition of newly composed songs with socially and politically aware ly ...

of the 1960s and 70s. Cante Alentejano, from the Alentejo region, was included in the

in 2014. The people of the

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

islands maintain some distinct musical traditions, such as the traditionally fiddle-driven ''

chamarrita ''Chamarrita'' can refer to two different types of music and dance, one from the Azores in Portugal and one from the Rio de la Plata littoral region in northern Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil. Azorean ''Chamarrita'' The ''chamarrita'' fro ...

'' dance. Music in Madeira is widespread and mainly uses local musical instruments such as the

Machete Older machete from Latin America Gerber machete/saw combo Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas, Oaxaca">San_Agustín_de_las_Juntas.html" ;"title="Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas">Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San ...

, rajao, Brinquinho and Cavaquinho, which are used in traditional

Folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

dances like the Bailinho da Madeira. Famous performers of contemporary music include Max, Luís Jardim and Vânia Fernandes. Trás-os-Montes' musical heritage is closely related to the music of Galicia, Cantabria, and Asturias. Traditional

bagpipe Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, ...

s (''gaita-de-fole transmontana''), a cappella vocals and a unique

musical scale In music theory, a scale is any set of musical notes ordered by fundamental frequency or pitch. A scale ordered by increasing pitch is an ascending scale, and a scale ordered by decreasing pitch is a descending scale. Often, especially in the ...

with equal semitones have kept alive a vital tradition. (''Miranda de I Douro''), some artists such as Galamdum Galundaina sing in Mirandese language. Also, the Pauliteiros folk dance is popular. Some residents sing in both Portuguese and Mirandese. Traditional Musical Group (136308082) edited

Traditional Musical Group (136308082) edited

Folk/traditional music acts include:

Dazkarieh Dazkarieh was a traditional Portuguese music band that began in 1999. The alternative rock and neofolk band consists of musicians Joana Negrão, Rui Rodrigues, João Campos and Vasco Ribeiro Casais. They have released a total of seven albums. Swi ...

, Cornalusa, Gaitúlia, Strella do Dia, Fausto, Notas e Voltas, Roberto Leal, Ronda dos Quatro Caminhos, Terra a Terra,

Tonicha Tonicha (born Antónia de Jesus Montes Tonicha on 8 March 1946) is a Portuguese people, Portuguese pop-folk singer. She represented Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 1971, with the song "Menina do alto da serra" ("Girl from the country mo ...

Cândida Branca Flor Cândida Branca Flor (12 November 1949 – 11 July 2001) was a famous Portuguese entertainer and traditional singer whose career spanned four decades. Biography Cândida Branca Flor was born on 12 November 1949 in Beringel, Beja municipality, Al ...

, Óióai, Janita Salomé, Uxukalhus, Frei Fado D'el Rei, Gaiteiros de Lisboa, Roncos do Diabo, Dâna,

, Sangre Cavallum,

Teresa Salgueiro Maria Teresa de Almeida Salgueiro OIH () is a Portuguese singer. She is best known as the lead singer of Madredeus from 1987 until 2007. She also appeared in Wim Wenders' film '' Lisbon Story.'' Career Salgueiro joined Madredeus after other ...

, Vitorino and Xaile.

Pop music

Famous artists and bands included in the past are José Afonso,

Fausto Bordalo Dias Fausto (), OL, born Carlos Fausto Bordalo Gomes Dias; 26 November 1948 in Atlantic Ocean, registered in , Trancoso, is a Portuguese composer and singer. Biography Although he was born aboard the ship Pátria when traveling between mainland ...

, José Mário Branco, Manuel Freire,

Paco Bandeira Francisco Veredas Bandeiras better known as Paco Bandeira (born 2 May 1945, Elvas, Portugal) is a musician from Portugal. He is known for representing his country in the second edition of the OTI Festival in 1973 which was held in Belo Horizon ...

Clã Clã is a Portuguese pop rock band of a mixed nature in terms of style, ranging from moments of pure balladry, through jazzy details, to enthusiastic pop songs. Biography The band was formed in November 1992 in the city of Porto, consisting of ...

, Paulo de Carvalho, José Cid,

Linda de Suza Teolinda Joaquina de Sousa Lança, better known as Linda de Suza, (22 February 1948 – 28 December 2022) was a Portugal, Portuguese Lusophone and Francophone singer, actress and best-selling author. She was described by Portuguese President of ...

, Madalena Iglésias, António Variações,

Duo Ouro Negro Duo Ouro Negro (also known as The Black Gold) was a kwela music group consisting of Raúl Indipwo and Milo MacMahon, formed in 1959. The music group was first a trio, but when Jose Alves Monteiro left, the band became a duo. Personal History ...

, Roberto Leal (singer), Peste & Sida and

Ornatos Violeta Ornatos Violeta are a Portuguese rock band from Porto. The band, often referred to simply as Ornatos, consists of vocalist Manel Cruz, bassist Nuno Prata, guitarist Peixe and drummer Kinörm, with Elísio Donas at the keyboard. Their main period ...

. Nowadays some of the most popular acts are Virgem Suta, HMB, Aurea, Amor Electro, GNR,

, The Gift,

David Fonseca David Fonseca (, born on 14 June 1973, in Leiria) is a Portuguese musician, singer-songwriter and photographer. As a musician, he plays several instruments, including acoustic guitar and organ. He is recognized for his successful music career a ...

, Diogo Piçarra, Os Quatro e Meia and Capitão Fausto. Portugal has been participating in the Eurovision Song Contest since 1964; its best result before 2017 was the 6th place achieved by Lucia Moniz's folk inspired song " O meu coração não tem cor" in 1996, penned by Pedro Vaz Osorio.

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

gained no further Top 10 place until Salvador Sobral's first place in the 2017 contest with the song Amar Pelos Dois, which gained a record 758 points.

Folk-Pop

In 2019, contemporary folk singer-songwriter Ana Mariano from Aveiro was featured on the compilation ''Novos Talentos FNAC 2019'' (New Talents of

Fnac Fnac () is a large French retail chain selling culture, cultural and consumer electronics, electronic products, founded by André Essel and Max Théret in 1954. Its head office is in ''Le Flavia'' in Ivry-sur-Seine near Paris. It is an abbreviati ...

2019) with her

Folk-pop Folk-pop is a musical style that may be 1) contemporary folk songs with large, sweeping pop arrangements, or 2) pop songs with intimate, acoustic-based folk arrangements. Recording production values created a unblemished style that appealed to ...

debut single "Ordinary View", (written and performed in the

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...

.) In February 2020, she released her debut e.p. Everything I Touch which included the songs, "Insomnia" and "Plastic Wings" (featuring Ithaka), among others.

Electronic music

In electronica, Underground Sound of Lisbon with their 1994 progressive house remix of the 1992 Spoken word song So Get Up by Ithaka Darin Pappas (lyrics/vocals), was a musical project that brought international attention to Portuguese DJs, namely Rui da Silva (the only Portuguese musician to reach #1 on the UK charts), DJ Vibe and Pete tha Zouk. Some other important names in the genre are

, Branko, Conan Osiris, Micro Audio Waves and KURA, with this last one being the highest-ranked Portuguese of all time on the annual's Top 100 Dj's by

Dj Mag ''DJ Magazine'' (also known as ''DJ Mag'') is a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Lat ...

. In Porto, the hometown of numerous talents such as Nuno Forte, Drum n' Bass styles are immensely popular, and the city has hosted various important international names in the genre such as Noisia, The Panacea and Black Sun Empire. Also, in the Psychedelic Trance genre there is a worldwide famous project:

Paranormal Attack Paranormal Attack is a psychedelic trance group formed by Rui Oliveira (Xangaii), Gonçalo Miranda and Lucas (trance artist), Lucas, originally from Portugal. They have been producing psy-trance since 2001. Discography

Albums: * Phenomenon ...

. In February 2020, internationally recognized DJ-producer-musician, Armando Mendes, from northern Portugal released ''Parallel Universe'' on cd and a double-vinyl 12" set for Turquoise Records (one of the only full-length albums by any Portuguese electronic artist), collaborating with several worldwide vocalists/lyricists.

Experimental and Avantgarde

Portuguese music has a striving experimental underground music scene since the '80s, with some exponents attaining international attention. Notable groups and musicians in this genre are Osso Exótico, Ocaso Épico,

Telectu Telectu is a Portuguese experimental, avant-garde music duo formed in 1982 by Vítor Rua (former member of GNR) and Jorge Lima Barreto, a jazz musician and musical essayist. Their music incorporates a variety of elements from free jazz, rock, el ...

Carlos Zíngaro Carlos Zíngaro (or Carlos "Zíngaro" Alves, born 15 December 1948 in Lisbon, Portugal) is a Portuguese violinist and electronic musician active in free improvisation. Biography Zingaro studied classical music at the Lisbon Music Conservatory fro ...

, Pedro INF, Favela Discos, If Lucy Fell and Life Theory.

Heavy metal

The biggest exponent of heavy metal music in Portugal are the bands

Ava Inferi Ava Inferi was a musical group formed in Almada, Portugal, by Norwegian guitarist and songwriter Rune Eriksen (a.k.a. Blasphemer, Mayhem). Their debut album, '' Burdens'', was released in January 2006. In the spring of 2007, vocalist Carmen Sim ...

, Ramp, Heavenwood, Corpus Christii,

Reaktor Reaktor is a graphical modular software music studio developed by Native Instruments (NI). It allows musicians and sound specialists to design and build their own instruments, samplers, effects and sound design tools. It is supplied with many r ...

, W.C. Noise, Tarantula and Attick Demons, which have achieved international recognition, and have signed record deals with some of the most important international Heavy Metal Labels such as Century Media and

Napalm Records Napalm Records is an Austrian independent record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock. Originally, Napalm focused on black metal bands, such as Abigor and Summoning, and folk metal bands, such as Falkenbach and Vintersorg. The label l ...

for

Massacre Records Massacre Records is an independent record label based in Abstatt, Germany, that specializes in bands of the heavier genres of metal. The label was founded in 1991 by Torsten Hartmann. Connected to Massacre Records is the marketing and music wh ...

and

Listenable Records Listenable Records is an independent metal label originally founded in 1990 in France. The label specializes in metal, with a focus on extreme metal music. The company has published albums from many acclaimed extreme metal bands, such as Immo ...

for Heavenwood, Season of Mist for

Pure Steel Records Pure Steel Records is a record label based in Germany that focuses on heavy metal music. Pure Steel produces CDs and LP album, LPs. Founded by Kay Anders and Andreas Lorenz in 2006, the main interest of Pure Steel is to spread the true and inde ...

for Attick Demons, Candlelight Records for Corpus Christii, Nuclear Blast Records for

and

AFM Records AFM Records GmbH is a music label based in Schwalmstadt, Germany. They focus on the heavy metal musical genre, signing bands such as U.D.O., Doro, Lordi, Kotipelto, Masterplan, Nostradameus, and Annihilator. In 2005, Candlelight Records si ...

for Tarantula. Heavy metal made by Portuguese bands is sold in all major records / music shops in all European countries such as

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

, Heavenwood and Attick Demons achieved markets such as East Europe / Russia, Asia, North, and South America, furthermore Attick Demons achieved recognition in Japan by being the only Portuguese heavy metal band to have a Japanese release to date, through a Japanese label. Others bands like Miss Lava, Holocausto Canibal
Thirdsphere

Sirius Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbreviated Alpha CM ...

, Sacred Sin, Factory of Dreams, Ramp, Decayed, Filli Nigratium Infernallium, Morte Incandescente, Gwydion, Switchtense,

Grog Grog is a term used for a variety of alcoholic beverages. The word originally referred to rum diluted with water (and later on long sea voyages, also added the juice of limes or lemons), which British Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon introduced ...

Bizarra Locomotiva Bizarra Locomotiva is a Portuguese industrial metal band. Its history dates back to 1993, when Armando Teixeira (vocals and machinery) and Rui Sidónio (vocals) started a band to participate in Modern Music Competition of the city of Lisbon. Aft ...

, Thee Orakle, More Than a Thousand and Oratory also achieved some international recognition.

Hip hop

Hip hop began in Portugal in the early 1990s. The first artist to sign a major record deal was

General D General D is a rapper, Hip hop tuga and World music artist. Being the first rapper in Portugal to sign a major record deal, he is considered the ''Godfather Of Portuguese Hip Hop''. Although largely influenced by big name U.S. rap acts such as ...

with EMI Records. Other important artists from the

Hip hop tuga Portuguese hip hop (''Hip hop português''), more commonly called hip hop tuga ("tuga" here being a slang for "Portuguese"), is the Portuguese variety of hip hop music. It differs from mainstream hip hop because it has strong influences from A ...

genre include; Sam the Kid, Slow J, Papillon, Da Weasel, Dealema,

Valete Keidje Torres Lima is a Portuguese language political hip hop artist, known professionally as Valete.Regula, Boss AC, Mind the Gap, Bob Da Rage Sense, Dillaz.

Jazz

People such as Mário Barreiros, Mário Laginha, Carlos Barretto, Carlos Bica, João Paulo Esteves da Silva, António Pinho Vargas and the singer Maria João have long and noteworthy careers in the field, despite experimenting, sometimes with notable success, other genres of music, and a more recent generation is following their footsteps, notable the pianist

Bernardo Sassetti Bernardo da Costa Sassetti Pais (24 June 1970 – 10 May 2012) was a Portuguese jazz pianist and film composer. Sassetti was born in Lisbon. He was a great-grandson of Sidónio Pais, President of the First Republic. He initially played guita ...

, Júlio Resende (músico), Carlos Bica, João Paulo, and the singers Salvador Sobral, João Barradas,

Jacinta The given name Jacinta is the feminine form of old European masculine name known across the West as * Jácint in Hungarian language * Jacenty in Polish * Jacinto in Spanish and Portuguese. Variants in English or other languages include Hy ...

, Vânia Fernandes and

Luísa Sobral Luísa Vilar Braamcamp Sobral (; born 18 September 1987) is a Portuguese singer and songwriter. She came to prominence in 2003 after finishing third in the first season of '' Ídolos'', the Portuguese version of '' Idols'' television series. Aft ...

Latin

Although it is an Iberian country, Portugal never had clear influences from Latin America, though Portuguese musical traditions have had an influence on Latin American music, particularly in Brazil and through instruments such as the cavaquinho and its descendent instruments like the

cuatro Cuatro is Spanish (and other Romance languages) for the number four. Cuatro may also refer to: * Cuatro (instrument), name for two distinct Latin American instruments, one from Puerto Rico (see Cuatro) and the other from Venezuela (see Cuatro) ...

. Nonetheless, the

Latin music Latin music ( Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Spain and Portugal) and the Latino United States inspired by Latin Amer ...

industry sometimes includes music sung in Portuguese from Portugal. This style came to the country in the 1990s, following a Spanish and world trend. Examples of Latin music singers in Portuguese are Ana Malhoa and Mil i Maria. The Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, the organization responsible for the

Latin Grammy Award The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been ...

s, encompasses music from Portugal and has voting members who live in the country.

became the first Portuguese artist to win a Latin Grammy award upon receiving the

Lifetime Achievement Award Lifetime achievement awards are awarded by various organizations, to recognize contributions over the whole of a career, rather than or in addition to single contributions. Such awards, and organizations presenting them, include: A * A.C. ...

Pimba

Pimba music is the Portuguese version of the euro Schlager or the Balkan

Turbo-Folk Turbo-folk (sometimes referred as pop-folk or popular folk) is subgenre of contemporary pop music with its origins in Serbia, that initially developed during the 1980s and 1990s, with similar music styles in Bulgaria (chalga), Romania (manele ...

. It's named after the 1995 hit ''Pimba Pimba'', by Emanuel. Some of its biggest names are Emanuel, Ágata, Suzana, Micaela, Ruth Marlene and Quim Barreiros. This genre mixes traditional sounds with accordion, Latin beats and funny or religious (mainly ''kitch'') lyrics.

Folk and Political (''Música de Intervenção'')

During the Estado Novo authoritarian regime, music was widely used by the left-wing resistance as a way to say what could not be said, singing about freedom, equality, and democracy, mainly through metaphors and symbols. Many composers and singers became famous and persecuted by the political police, some of them being arrested or exiled, such as José Afonso, Paulo de Carvalho, José Mário Branco, Sérgio Godinho,

Adriano Correia de Oliveira Adriano Maria Correia Gomes de Oliveira, GCIH, ComL, or just Adriano (April 9, 1942 – October 16, 1982) was a Portuguese musician, born to a conservative Roman Catholic family in Porto. His family moved to Avintes after his birth. He went to ...

, Manuel Freire, Pedro Barroso, Fausto, Vitorino, Júlio Pereira and some others. Their music was (and remains) mostly based on Portuguese folk music and elements of European-style singer-songwriter genres. José Afonso began performing in the 1950s; he was a popular roots-based musician that led the Portuguese

. With artists like Sérgio Godinho and Luís Cília, Afonso helped form nova canção music, which, after the 1974 revolution, gained socially-aware lyrics and became canto livre. The biggest names in canto livre were Banda do Casaco and Brigada Víctor Jara, groups that seriously studied and were influenced by Portuguese regional music. The poet-singer-songwriter was also a significant contributor to the modern romance genre, can be compared to

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

. After the Carnation Revolution, that same music was used to support left-wing parties. Political ideas and causes, like the agrarian reform, socialism, equality, democratic elections, free education and many other were a constant presence in these songs lyrics, often written by well-known poets like José Barata-Moura, Manuel Alegre or

Ary dos Santos José Carlos Ary dos Santos, GCIH or just Ary dos Santos ( Lisboa, December 7, 1936 – Lisboa, January 18, 1984) was one of the most relevant names of the Portuguese popular poetry of the 20th century. Born of a bourgeois family, Ary dos Sa ...

Reggae and Ska

More underground but very prominent are Portuguese

and

. Unregarding some 2 Tone and reggae-influenced singles in the late 70s by bands like Roquivários or early 80s mod outfit Táxi, it was only in the early 1990s when the first Portuguese roots reggae band, Kussondulola reached the mainstream public. Best known Portuguese reggae singers include Richie Campbell, Mercado Negro, Prince Wadada and Freddy Locks, while some of the more famous bands of these types include Terrakota, Primitive Reason, Sativa, One Sun Tribe, One Love Family, Arsha, Three and a Quarter, Purocracy, Chapa Dux and Souls of Fire. This music is popular among young people, with its main roots based in Lisbon and the surrounding areas. Earlier ska bands in Portugal included Despe&Siga and Contratempos, while The Ratazanas can be considered the best known Portuguese Early reggae and Rocksteady band. They recorded for German label Grover Records and toured throughout Europe on their own right as well as backing Jamaican singers like

Susan Cadogan Susan Cadogan (born Alison Anne Cadogan; 2 November 1951) is a Jamaican reggae singer best known for her hit records in the 1970s. Biography Cadogan is the daughter of singer Lola Cadogan, who released several 78rpm singles of devotional music ...

. Skarmiento, Skalibans, and Skamioneta do Lixo are other Portuguese ska bands.

Rock

Portuguese rock was born in the 1980s, with acts like Rui Veloso and Jorge Palma. An example of a popular Portuguese rock band, having a long history, is

who've been playing for over 30 years and are known widely throughout Portugal, as well as Mão Morta, a unique and controversial group with 25 years of existence. Well known solo singers include Rui Veloso, Jorge Palma, and

Pedro Abrunhosa Pedro Machado Abrunhosa (born 20 December 1960) is a Portuguese singer, songwriter, musician and composer. Trained in jazz music, Abrunhosa started his career in the 1980s playing in jazz bands and teaching in music and art schools in Porto. He ...

(pop rock), Grupo Novo Rock (pop rock and rock),

, (pop rock), Blasted Mechanism (electro-rock and dub/reggae fusion), Suspiria Franklyn (punk-rock/new wave),

Linda Martini Linda Martini are a Portuguese rock band based in Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon' ...

(post/noise rock), peixe : aviao (post-rock),

(indie rock), A Book in the Shelf (grunge rock), Dream Circus (grunge rock), Decreto 77, (punk rock), or Mazgani (alternative), are other important acts. The indie and alternative rock movements are also popular in Portugal. Some indie and alternative bands and artists from Portugal are Os Pontos Negros, Memória de Peixe,

, The Glockenwise, Capitão Fausto, Frankie Chavez, Stereoboy, Quelle Dead Gazelle, B Fachada, Noiserv, Golden Slumbers (band) as well as the Luso-Brazilian group Banda do Mar.

Romantic

The highest exponents of this kind of music in

are

Tony Carreira António Manuel Mateus Antunes (born 30 December, 1963), known professionally as Tony Carreira, is a Portuguese singer and musician. Born in the small rural locality of Armadouro, Pampilhosa da Serra, he moved to Paris at age 10 with his emigrant ...

and Marco Paulo (both, and even other performers, have a certain level of overlap with the Pimba genre, even partial or just in certain songs).

Singers of Portuguese-descent

There are several popular musicians of Portuguese descent. Luso-francofonic artists include

(Portuguese born and later an immigrant in France) and

Marie Myriam Marie Myriam (born Myriam Lopes, 8 May 1957, Luluabourg, Belgian Congo, (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) is a French singer of Portuguese descent. Career Representing France, she won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977 with '' L'oise ...

, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977.

Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado (; ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Furtado has sold over 40 million records worldwide making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired deb ...

reflected some of her Portuguese origins, especially in lesser-known songs in her first albums (songs like "Scared" sung by Furtado in English and Portuguese, "Nas Horas do Dia" and "Força"). Portugal-born

Nuno Bettencourt Nuno Duarte Gil Mendes Bettencourt (born September 20, 1966) is a Portuguese-American guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer, and businessman. He became known as the lead guitarist of the Boston rock band Extreme. He has also recorded ...

's heritage is also reflected in the title of Extreme's 2008 album '' Saudades de Rock''.

Steve Perry Stephen Ray Perry (born January 22, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the rock band Journey during their most commercially successful periods from 1977 to 1987, and again from 1995 to 1998. He also wrote/co ...

, former lead singer of rock group

Journey Journey or journeying may refer to: * Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations ** Day's journey, a measurement of distance ** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road Animals * Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...

is American of Portuguese ancestry, as is Aerosmith's Joe Perry (both their original paternal family names being Pereira). The lead singer from

Jamiroquai Jamiroquai () are an English funk and acid jazz band from London. Formed in 1992, they are fronted by vocalist Jay Kay, and were prominent in the London-based funk and acid jazz movement of the 1990s. They built on their acid jazz sound in th ...

Jay Kay Jay Kay (born Jason Luís Cheetham; 30 December 1969) is an English singer and songwriter. He is best known as the co-founder and lead vocalist of the acid jazz and funk band Jamiroquai, which was formed in 1992. Early life Jay Kay was bo ...

has Portuguese descent through his father. Ana da Silva, a founding member of the cult

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad music genre, genre of Punk Music, punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde s ...

band

The Raincoats The Raincoats are a British experimental post-punk band. Ana da Silva (vocals, guitar) and Gina Birch (vocals, bass) formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art in London. Signed to the label Rough Trade, the ...

is also of Portuguese origin. Also Mia Rose, which has collaborations with Portuguese artists and even songs in the Portuguese language, was a juror at The Voice Portugal. Others include Katy Perry,

Shawn Mendes Shawn Peter Raul Mendes (; born August 8, 1998) is a Canadian pop singer. He gained a following in 2013, when he posted song covers on the video sharing platform Vine. The following year, he caught the attention of artist manager Andrew Gert ...

, Mishlawi and DEV and

Carlos Melo Carlos Bolívar Melo (born September 22, 1982) is a Panamanian former professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the bo ...

References

*Cronshaw, Andrew, and Paul Vernon. "Traditional Riches, Fate and Revolution". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), ''World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe, and the Middle East'', pp 225–236. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books.

External links

*
Audio clips: Traditional music of Portugal.
Musée d'ethnographie de Genève. Accessed November 25, 2010.
Portuguese Music Information Centre

Fado Music in Alfama Neighborhood of Lisbon

Folk and Trad music and dance
News, interviews, reviews, photos and music

By Gina Modesto in Accessible Portugal Online Magazine
Portuguese Composers Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Music Of Portugal