Official site (with long song extracts): www.carminho.net

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

Malva-Rosa
Carminho Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sacudida e toda airosa
Ainda mal rompia a alva
Saía de casa a Rosa

O esvoaçar do seu xaile
Trazia o povo intrigado
E a pobre Rosa, afinal
Ia à missa e ao mercado

A rosa que abrisse na sua roseira
Não tinha a maneira daquela morena
Ligeira, brejeira, formosa
Parecia uma pena pequena
Essa Rosa

Dizem que desde criança
Aquele xaile a compunha
A ponto da vizinhança
À Rosa pôr essa alcunha

Essa alcunha graciosa
De que já ninguém a salva

Chamavam-lhe a Malva-rosa
Com seu xaile verde-malva

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Carminho's song Malva-Rosa are a poetic description of a woman named Rosa, who is characterized as a dazzling figure that stands out in the ordinary crowd. The song opens with the image of Rosa leaving home in the early morning, with her shawl fluttering in the wind, drawing everyone's attention as she walks towards the church or the market. The second verse introduces the metaphor of Rosa being like a rose, but not having the same characteristics as the flowers in her own garden. Instead, she is compared to a light, playful, and beautiful feather, emphasizing her delicate nature.

The chorus of the song reveals the reason behind Rosa's nickname, which translates to Malva-Rosa - a name given to her by the community from a young age. The moniker stems from the color of her shawl, which is described as "green-mallow" in the lyrics. Although the name may seem harmless, the lyrics suggest that it stuck to her and became her permanent identity, despite being a slightly derisive term. Overall, the song portrays Rosa as a unique and fascinating individual, someone who breaks free from the monotony of everyday life.

Line by Line Meaning

Sacudida e toda airosa
Rosa was shaken and cheerful as she headed out early in the morning.

Ainda mal rompia a alva
It was still early when she left home.

Saía de casa a Rosa
Rosa left her house to go about her day.

O esvoaçar do seu xaile
Her shawl fluttered in the breeze.

Trazia o povo intrigado
The people around her were curious about her.

E a pobre Rosa, afinal
Poor Rosa, in the end

Ia à missa e ao mercado
Was going to church and the market.

A rosa que abrisse na sua roseira
The rose that bloomed on her bush

Não tinha a maneira daquela morena
Was not as elegant as that dark-haired woman.

Ligeira, brejeira, formosa
Light, playful, and beautiful, she seemed like a little feather.

Parecia uma pena pequena
She looked like a small feather.