Her greatest mystery is the definition of her soul as a Fado singer, given … Read Full Bio ↴Her greatest mystery is the definition of her soul as a Fado singer, given she grew up away from the "family" of Fado. That soul is revealed in her intelligent voice, in her rare timbre, in the way the words sound so organic, syllable by syllable, note by note… The poems, the music set a mood for the story that is being sung; the instrumental accompaniment further underscores the intuition of the Fado singer, shaping the voice to the meaning of the words, to the musical improvisation. Together, these elements make the Art of Fado. It only appears when there is a soul. If there is a soul. Aldina's personality is entirely within her performing abilities. Everything in her art becomes immediately original, in a shockingly simple way. Aldina Duarte believes. Aldina Duarte makes us believe. Aldina Duarte began working at 20 in a newspaper. Then she worked in radio. She was a backing singer in an art school band. She performed in a film, Manuel Mozos's Xavier, where she sang the only Fado she had ever known, Rua do Capelão, one of Amália Rodrigues' greatest hits. Later, she started listening to Fado in a venue where she first came across Beatriz da Conceição, one of the genre's classic divas. They spoke of Fado, of life as a Fado singer. Aldina became enamoured of all she heard; asked for her advice, heard her speak of everything that means anything in Fado. She wished to sing Fado. She spent her days listening to records, her nights listening to singers, her months reading and memorizing poems. She sang in a stage play. Later she sang live during Lisbon's June celebrations; then she accepted an invitation for a TV variety show where she only lasted three programmes, realising it wasn't the road she wanted to take. It all suddenly fit into place when she sang, in a residency at a prestigious Lisbon theatre. Once a month, they would invite their favourite Fado singers and actors who would do poetry readings. The residency was often favourably mentioned in the press, audiences flocked.
Then Aldina was invited to sing nightly in a Fado venue; it was as if she had passed a tough entrance exam into a Fado school. She respected and maintained the rituals she had always found distinctive and beautiful about Fado: a black shawl, a black dress, silence, diffuse lighting. Everything she had ever loved about Fado. Her success led to invitations to sing in other Fado venues, to guest in concerts. One day she was invited to sing abroad, in the Piccolo Teatro of Milan; to sing Fado in a play about poet Fernando Pessoa, written by novelist and essayist Antonio Tabucchi and directed by lead actor Giancarlo Dettori, director Lamberto Puggelli and the Master, Giorgio Strehler. The experience helped shape what was to become her attitude towards Fado, leading her to be more careful about what she sang, and how she sang it. Besides singing professionally at the Senhor Vinho venue, Aldina has worked in the the Portuguese Cinemathèque - Cinema Museum and is currently a researcher at EMI Music Portugal where she is organizing the company's immense archives of Portuguese music - much of which is made up of Fado recordings. Beginning 2004, Aldina Duarte released her debut album “Apenas o Amor”. Since then she has been performing concerts in Portugal, Spain, France, Morocco, Italy, Belgium, Austria and The Netherlands. “Apenas o Amor” since its release has been referred as one of the best albums of 2004 by the Portuguese press. Her second cd "Crua" was released in January of 2006.The album was produced by João Monge who was also responsible for writing the lyrics... And now, 2008, the third album "Mulheres ao Espelho"...

Antes De Quê?
Aldina Duarte Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Antes da chuva no rio
Antes de ser primavera
Antes do corpo vazio
Nunca estive á tua espera
Antes do corpo vazio
Nunca estive á tua espera

Antes da areia quebrar

Nas ondas da maré alta
Senti o cheiro do mar
Não senti a tua falta
Senti o cheiro do mar
Não senti a tua falta

Antes do mal que passei
Antes do bem que vivi
Nunca de ti me lembrei
Nem nunca pensei em ti
Nunca de ti me lembrei
Nem nunca pensei em ti

Antes da estrela cadente
Riscar o céu doutras luas
Antes do quarto-crescente
Não tive saudades tuas
Antes do quarto-crescente
Não tive saudades tuas

Não sei como, nem porquê
Antes *não sei* de que instantes
Meu amor antes de quê
Antes fosse como antes

Meu amor antes de quê
Antes fosse como antes

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Aldina Duarte's song "Antes De Quê?" talk about a person who never waited for someone to come into their life. They had never felt the need to be with someone before the arrival of this person. The person describes how they never missed the one they are referring to before they arrived. They talk about how they could smell the ocean before the person arrived, but they did not feel the absence of their partner. The lyrics indicate how the person did not think or remember their love before their appearance. Similarly, the person talks about how they did not feel the need to have the presence of their partner before some specific events had occurred, such as a falling star or even the first quarter of the moon.

The song's lyrics suggest that this person never anticipated anyone's arrival and that their life was not necessarily incomplete without that person. The person never thought of love or a relationship before their love interest arrived. They never experienced any form of longing or felt that something was missing from their life. This song highlights a different perspective on what it means to wait for someone, anticipating a relationship or love. The uniqueness in this song lies in the artist's description of love and relationships, which encourages people to reflect on how they view relationships.

Line by Line Meaning

Antes da chuva no rio
Before the rain fell in the river

Antes de ser primavera
Before spring came

Antes do corpo vazio
Before feeling empty

Nunca estive á tua espera
I was never waiting for you

Antes da areia quebrar
Before the sand broke

Nas ondas da maré alta
In the high tide waves

Senti o cheiro do mar
I smelled the ocean

Não senti a tua falta
I didn't miss you

Antes do mal que passei
Before the hardships I faced

Antes do bem que vivi
Before the good moments I experienced

Nunca de ti me lembrei
I never thought of you