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 ..."

Quem Canta Na Minha Voz
Ana Sofia Varela Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Quem me chama pelo nome
Além daquela janela
Que estranha voz é aquela
Que até meus sonhos consome
Nem à noite se revela
Quem me chama pelo nome

Quem soa na minha escada

Quem me responde: sou eu
Alguém que sabe e que deu
A batida combinada
Sabe de mim mais do que eu
Quem soa na minha escada

Quem me persegue na rua
Pisando o eco dos passos
E nem quando cruzo os braços
Numa esquina se insinua
Sabe onde vão os meus passos
Quem me persegue na rua

Quem canta na minha voz
Quando me entrego a cantar
E está em todo o lugar
E está por dentro de nós

Tem o dom de me encontrar
Quem canta na minha voz

Overall Meaning

The song "Quem Canta Na Minha Voz" by Ana Sofia Varela is a hauntingly beautiful melody with lyrics that convey a sense of mystery and intrigue. Throughout the song, the singer is questioning the identity of the voice that seems to be following her everywhere she goes. The lyrics are imbued with a sense of longing and desperation as the singer tries to make sense of this otherworldly presence in her life.

The opening lines of the song set the tone for the rest of the lyrics: "Who calls me by name / Beyond that window / What strange voice is that / That consumes even my dreams / That doesn't reveal itself even at night?" The singer is clearly disturbed by the mysterious voice that seems to be following her, and she can't understand why it's there or what it wants from her.

As the song progresses, the singer describes how the voice is with her everywhere she goes: "Who sounds on my staircase / Who answers me: it's me / Someone who knows me and who gave / The agreed beat / Knows more about me than I do." The voice is a constant presence in her life, and she can't escape it no matter how hard she tries.

The chorus of the song is perhaps the most poignant: "Who sings in my voice / When I surrender to singing / And is everywhere / And is inside us / Has the gift of finding me / Who sings in my voice." These lines suggest that the mysterious voice is perhaps a part of the singer herself, something that she can't escape or deny.

Line by Line Meaning

Quem me chama pelo nome
Who is calling my name

Além daquela janela
Beyond that window

Que estranha voz é aquela
What strange voice is that

Que até meus sonhos consome
That even consumes my dreams

Nem à noite se revela
Does not reveal itself at night

Quem soa na minha escada
Who sounds on my staircase

Quem me responde: sou eu
Who answers me: it's me

Alguém que sabe e que deu
Someone who knows and who gave

A batida combinada
The agreed beat

Sabe de mim mais do que eu
Knows more about me than I do

Quem me persegue na rua
Who follows me on the street