In 200… Read Full Bio ↴Official site (with long song extracts): www.carminho.net
In 2009, Carminho sang "Fado". This was her fado, the one she owned since an early age, when she listened to her parents’ records, when she witnessed the gathering of fado singers in her own house and when, still a teenager, she began to sing in the Taverna do Embuçado. This "Fado" was the title of her first album, which was one of the most awaited albums in the new generation of fado singers: for those who had already heard Carminho, her talent was obvious, but they had to wait – until she finished her graduation, until she travelled the world, until she knew who she really was.
And her "Fado" became one of the most acclaimed albums in 2009. It went Platinum – an enviable outcome for a debut album. With "Fado", Portugal surrendered to Carminho’s voice and the doors of the world opened to her talent. It was considered best album 2011 by Songlines magazine, she had shows in European capital cities, in Womex 2011 (Copenhagen) and in the UNESCO headquarters, in Paris, within the scope of Fado as World Heritage candidate. Then came the invitation to participate in Pablo Alborán’s album, which became a phenomenon of popularity in both Portugal and Spain.
It was about time that “Fado” had a worthy successor. And it's just around the corner. On 5th March, Carminho reveals her "Alma" (Portuguese word for soul) with 15 new songs, an album again produced and directed by Diogo Clemente, again wisely combining cover versions and originals (in the special edition, the album has 17 songs and a DVD with Carminho live in concertin May 2011 at Lux Frágil, Lisbon.
The cover versions are less evident. Some not so well known songs by Amália ("Cabeça de Vento"), Maria Amélia Proença ("À Beira do Cais") or Fernanda Maria ("As Pedras da Minha Rua"), but also from Chico Buarque ("Meu Namorado", de "O Grande Circo Místico") or Vinicius de Moraes ("Saudades do Brasil em Portugal"). The original songs are by Diogo Clemente ("Bom Dia, Amor", about poet Fernando Pessoa), Mário Pacheco ("Talvez", lyrics by Vasco Graça Moura), and Vitorino ("Fado Adeus"). And there are also some new lyrics for traditional fado tunes – one of them, "Folha", written by Carminho herself, and another one, "Impressão Digital", a poem by António Gedeão.
And it is this mixture of past and present that allows us to unveil the future of Fado, in the unrivalled voice of Carminho. A voice which, in her second album, sustains all that Carminho sings in "Talvez": "I might not know who you are, but I know who I am”.
In 2017, she released a Tom Jobim covers album, titled "Carminho Canta Tom Jobim".
Official site (with long song extracts): www.carminho.net
Folha
Carminho Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Às mãos que nem tu mereces
Às mentiras do poeta
Toda a negrura dos traços
Descreveram mil abraços
Histórias de uma porta aberta
Só tu sabes, folha branca
Essa seiva da verdade
Contou-me histórias de amor
Esse pobre fingidor
Fez-me crer que tem saudade
E tu, oh folha rendida
À mão que na despedida
Diz adeus sem ter partido
Vai dizer a toda a gente
Que finge o que deveras sente
O meu poeta perdido
The lyrics to Carminho's song Folha reflect on the concept of deception in poetry and how it can be recorded on paper as black ink, creating a sense of negativity and darkness. The song describes a paper that is obedient to the hands that write upon it, even if they are not deserving, and to the lies of the poet. The paper has witnessed a thousand embraces and stories of an open door.
The white paper, on the other hand, has the power to make the truth stagnant and has been told stories of love by the same poet who deceives with his words. The poet is portrayed as a poor faker, who convinces others of his nostalgia even though he does not really feel it. The song ends by addressing the paper again, asking it to tell everyone that the poet is lost.
The song reflects on the power of words, and how they can be used to manipulate or create a false reality. The lyrics suggest that while a poet may be able to deceive others with their words, it is ultimately the paper that reveals the truth. Carminho's voice, accompanied by the guitar and piano, adds a haunting feeling to the song that captures the melancholy mood conveyed in the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Folha maldita, obedeces
Cursed leaf, you submit to those unworthy hands
Às mãos que nem tu mereces
Submitting to hands that don't deserve you
Às mentiras do poeta
Submitting to the poet's lies
Toda a negrura dos traços
All the darkness in his writing
Descreveram mil abraços
Describing a thousand embraces
Histórias de uma porta aberta
Stories of an open door
Só tu sabes, folha branca
Only you know, blank page
A arte de tornar estanque
The art of making stagnant
Essa seiva da verdade
The truth's sap
Contou-me histórias de amor
Told me stories of love
Esse pobre fingidor
That poor pretender
Fez-me crer que tem saudade
Made me believe he misses me
E tu, oh folha rendida
And you, oh yielding leaf
À mão que na despedida
To the hand that says goodbye
Diz adeus sem ter partido
Saying goodbye without leaving
Vai dizer a toda a gente
Go tell everyone
Que finge o que deveras sente
That he pretends what he truly feels
O meu poeta perdido
My lost poet
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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