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Carminho Raw, unbridled passion defines the essence of Carminho, Portugal’s brightest new star. The 29-year-old singer’s first album, Fado, was a burning statement of intent and a celebration of the powerfully emotive music of her homeland.

Coming from a family of musicians, she listened to her parents’ records and witnessed the gathering of fado singers in her house from a very early age. Then, as a teenager, she began to sing in the Taverna do Embuçado – essential grounding for her eventual 2011 debut recording, named album of the year by Songlines magazine which said that she “has a voice both beautifully translucent and stunning in its emotional charge…it’s impossible not to break when in the presence of this remarkable performer.”

After Carminho starting performing concerts all over the world, the release of her second album Alma (which means “soul” in Portuguese) portrayed a woman growing in spirit and talent. Critics have hailed her interpretation of this genre, as though “each word has the weight of a lifetime attached to it, each verse pulled straight from the gut.” Combining traditional fado songs, resurrected from dusty old tavernas, with her own compositions and new arrangements of works by such greats as Fernanda Maria and Vinicius de Moraes, and perfectly complemented by her tender, emotive voice which soars over the feisty tunes of acoustic Spanish guitars.