Ana Sofía Varela was born in Lisbon, although she grew up in the countrysid… Read Full Bio ↴Ana Sofía Varela was born in Lisbon, although she grew up in the countryside (Serpa, Alentejo), where she lived until a few years ago, when she returned to the capital.

Her first contact with fados came as she listened to songs by Amália, at the age of 10. By the time she was 14 years old, she had become an increasingly popular fixture at local fado clubs and schools.

Her commitment to and contact with traditional Alentejo music has been a constant factor since her childhood. She created her own repertoire from fados by Amália and Nuno de Câmara Pereira and the lyrics of Rui Veloso, Vitorino and Resistência.

She then took part in a number of local fado competitions, and reached the finals of the Portuguese TV programme "Selecçao Nacional" as “the most beautiful and interesting voice of the Music Festival 95”. In 1997 she was invited to sing at a fado club in Lisbon, and on that occasion Carlos Zei introduced her to the famous Portuguese guitarist Mário Pacheco, with whom she later sang at many concerts (Macao, Japan, Italy etc.). She was subsequently invited to join the team of permanent artistes at "Clube de Fado", where she is a regular fixture.

Another important connection was her relationship with António Chaínho, who invited her to guest on a CD, " A guitarra e Outras Mulheres", with Marta Dias, Teresa Salgueiro (Madredeus) and Filipa Pais. This subsequently evolved into a European tour.

At Expo 98 she took part in "De Sol a Lua- Flamenco & Fado", a tour of Spain, Germany, Holland and Switzerland. In 1999 she accepted João Braga’s invitation to sing at a number of concerts, and this produced another CD, "Cem Anos de Fado".

The launch of the "Ana Sofía Varela" CD in 2002 marked the beginning of a new direction in her career: the public discovered “the fado they had been waiting for for so long”. This album arose from the "De Sol a Lua- Flamenco & Fado" tour, during which two of the composers, João Monge and João Gil, introduced her to Manuel Paulo Felgueiras de Alas dos Namorados, who produced the CD.

"I was given the chance to sing what I wanted to sing, all the songs I love to sing: classical fados, new songs, experimental songs influenced by flamenco … of course, everything I sing sounds like a fado, because that’s what I am – a fado singer."

Nor did she forsake her origins: "My childhood in Serpa gave me so much contact with music in Alentejo and Spanish music. João Monje is from the same area, and while we were working on the CD we would chat about local traditions, and I asked him to write a poem about all these things ("Ducados"). Manuel Paulo was then inspired by flamenco and Alentejo music for the musical arrangements with Pedro J'oia on flamenco guitar ... this became a homage to my musical and personal relationship with Serpa.”

On the poetry side, the great Vasco Graça Moura heard her singing "Las Letras do Fado Vulgar" live, and offered her a book of poems based on the fado. Mário Pacheco also features on two songs in the album.

She claims that "Ana Sofía Varela" is a dream come true, at the right time, with the right people. Songs about Love, Passion, Hope – these are the deepest emotions that anyone can ever feel ..."

Deve Ter Sido Por Graça
Ana Sofia Varela Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

picaste o olho e sorri
deve ter sido por graça
virei a cara e fingi
que só estava a ver quem passa
e só reparei em ti
porque dançavas com raça
piscaste o olho e sorri
deve ter sido por graça

pus um xaile adamascado
para ver passar Alfama
e se vinhas destacado
é porque andavas em fama
com o teu olhar de fado
quando olha já chama
pus um xaile adamascado
para ver passar Alfama

deste-me o braço ao passar
deve ter sido por graça
e levaste-me a marchar
do Marquês até à Praça
Santo António no altar
dá o nó a quem enlaça

deste-me o braço ao passar
deve ter sido por graça

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Deve Ter Sido Por Graça" by Ana Sofia Varela describe a chance encounter between two people in the streets of Lisbon. The singer initially notices the other person because of their enthusiastic dancing and alluring presence. Although the singer tries to play it cool, they eventually engage in a flirty exchange that leads to a night of dancing and walking the streets of the city. The lyrics suggest that this encounter was unplanned and occurred by chance, but there is a sense of destiny in the way the two people are brought together.

The song captures the essence of a romantic encounter that is spontaneous, unexpected, and playful. The use of the traditional Portuguese music style known as fado lends a sense of longing and nostalgia to the lyrics, as if the encounter was a fleeting moment of joy that will never be repeated in quite the same way. The line "pus um xaile adamascado para ver passar Alfama" (I put on a damask shawl to watch Alfama pass by) is particularly evocative, suggesting that the singer was hoping to have a moment of beauty and elegance in an otherwise mundane day.

Overall, "Deve Ter Sido Por Graça" is a beautiful and poignant song that captures the spirit of Lisbon and the magic of chance encounters.

Line by Line Meaning

picaste o olho e sorri
You caught my eye and smiled

deve ter sido por graça
It must have been for fun

virei a cara e fingi
I turned my head and pretended

que só estava a ver quem passa
That I was just watching people go by

e só reparei em ti
But I only noticed you

porque dançavas com raça
Because you were dancing with passion

piscaste o olho e sorri
You winked and smiled

pus um xaile adamascado
I wore a damask shawl

para ver passar Alfama
To watch Alfama go by

e se vinhas destacado
And if you stood out