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"...

Fogo Sem Fumo
Aldina Duarte Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Que seja a voz que não tenho
Que cante tudo por mim
Meu coração maltratado
Se tivesses outro engenho
Eu não cantaria assim

Mas foi nas voltas da vida
Que descobri a razão

Na voz de um vento qualquer
E ao procurar a saída
Com a minh'alma na mão
Descobri que sou mulher

Seja qual for o desfecho
Desta viagem sem rumo
Agora não vou parar
E o Fado que aqui te deixo

É o meu fogo sem fumo
Que eu só te dou a cantar

Overall Meaning

The first line of the song, "Que seja a voz que não tenho" can be translated to "Let it be the voice that I don't have." The singer is expressing a desire to have someone else sing for her, as she feels her own voice is too worn and exhausted from heartbreak. She continues on to say that if she had another way or skill, she wouldn't even choose to sing for herself. However, through the winding path of life, she discovers the reason for her pain and instead finds empowerment through her femininity.

The lines "Mas foi nas voltas da vida/Que descobri a razão/Na voz de um vento qualquer" mean "But it was through the twists and turns of life/That I discovered the reason/In the voice of any wind." This can be interpreted as the singer's realization that the hardships she has faced in life have led her to her purpose as a woman and as a singer. She continues on to say that she found her way out of her struggles while holding her soul in her hands.

Overall, the song seems to be about resilience and finding strength through adversity. Despite the pain and difficulty she has faced, the singer is determined to continue on her journey and leave her mark through her music.

Line by Line Meaning

Que seja a voz que não tenho
I wish for a voice to speak for me

Que cante tudo por mim
That sings all of my thoughts and feelings

Meu coração maltratado
My heart has been mistreated

Se tivesses outro engenho
If I had another way

Eu não cantaria assim
I wouldn't have to sing like this

Mas foi nas voltas da vida
It was in life's twists and turns

Que descobri a razão
That I discovered the reason

Na voz de um vento qualquer
In the sound of the wind

E ao procurar a saída
As I searched for my way out

Com a minh'alma na mão
With my soul in my hands

Descobri que sou mulher
I realized that I am a woman