Having conquered charts in Portugal, taken the vibrant sounds of fado to audiences across the globe, and earned the admiration of artists including Prince and The Rolling Stones, Ana Moura stands as one of fado’s most iconic voices. Last year, inspired by her own Angolan family heritage, she infused her fado roots and collaborated with contemporary Portuguese producers on her critically acclaimed seventh album, ‘Casa Guilhermina’.
The album’s success leading to a sold-out headline UK show at London’s Islington Assembly Hall and a European tour as guest to Stromae.
Now, Ana Moura dives deeper as she shares the brand new single ‘Lá Vai Ela’. Created in collaboration with emerging talents from Portugal’s hip-hop scene. Ana co-wrote the track with producer Herlander and co-produced it alongside Kidonov and Mílian Dolla.
It marks Ana’s continued exploration of novo fado, where its rich heritage is reimagined and enriched with influences from other genre touchpoints: including African Semba, Morna & Kizomba, alongside Brazilian Samba and Chora. The lyrics, which translate as ‘There She Goes’, offer a snapshot self-belief.
Says Anna, “’Lá Vai Ela’ is about the power of creative self-expression. I am no longer searching for the validation of other people, or to conform to their ideas of who I should be. I’m surrendering only to my truth, and with that comes a beautiful inner peace/ In the chorus of the song I sing,
“Because for me, every street is a red carpet”. This says that I’m going to keep walking forward with confidence, my chin up, and that there is a space for everybody on this street, without fear of judgement. Those who judge can stay at their window, watching us pass by in confidence.”
Raised by an Angolan mother and a Portuguese father, Ana Moura has become one of her nation’s biggest artists since debuting in 2003 with ‘Guarda-me a Vida na Mão’.
Her previous three albums have all topped the charts in Portugal, making her the nation’s most popular female artist, as well as earning a constant array of the country’s most prestigious awards , including Best Female Artist, Best Album & Critic Award at this year’s Prémios Play. Her current album has been streamed more than 15.4 million times alone.
Ana Moura famously collaborated with Prince, not only performing with him at the Super Bock Super Rock festival, but also visiting him for sessions at Paisley Park which resulted in him co-writing ‘Dream of Fire’ from her 2012 album ‘Desfado’. Ana’s features on saxophonist Tim Ries’
The Rolling Stones Project’ resulted in Mick Jagger and Keith Richards inviting her to perform with them after seeing her play in a jazz club in Lisbon, and she has also collaborated with the multiple Grammy Award-winning producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock).
