Amendoeira was born in Santarém, Portugal in 1982, making her the youngest singer from Portugal performing fado around the world today. Her singing style is classic and traditional, yet her unique vocals bring a bright, new glow to fado.
In 1994, a young Amendoeira participated in the Lisbon Grand Fado Gala, where she received enthusiastic praise from the jury and the audience. In the following year, she won the “Female Interpreter Award” at the Oporto Gala. From that date on, she has been performing non-stop around Portugal and the world. Some of her favourite experiences include travelling to Budapest to perform in front of a remote Portuguese community, performing with fado legend Carlos do Carmo at the Radio Alpha Auditorium in Paris, and her first time in the Americas as a headliner at the Commemorations of the 500th Anniversary of the Discovery of Brazil.
Four years later her first album was released: 1998’s Olhos Garotos (Playful Eyes), thereby giving her the honour of being the youngest fado singer with a published CD. Her second CD followed shortly thereafter in 2000, when Aquela Rua (That Street) was released to outstanding reviews. This was also the year that Amendoeira began singing regularly at Clube de Fado (The Fado Club), one of most renowned fado houses in Lisbon.
Her growing international acclaim brought the fadista to more corners of the world, receiving invitations to sing in Japan, Moscow and Holland (at the prestigious Muziekcentrum Vredenburg). Meanwhile, back in her homeland of Portugal, Amendoeira was asked to take part in some of the top fado anthologies, such as Novas Vozes, Novos Fados (New Voices, New Fados) and Nova Biografia do Fado (Fado’s New Biography). She also contributed to the Moniz Pereira homage album, as well as the soundtrack to the TV series Jóia de África (African Jewel).
In 2003, her third CD, the self-titled Joana Amendoeira, received enthusiastic praise from fado devotees, reviewers and audiences alike. The album’s promotional tour sent Amendoeira once again through Europe, this time performing in Spain, France and Austria, to name a few. The tour also brought her to Canada for the first time, where she performed at Montreal’s Strictly Mundial.
Amendoeira achieved further success when she received the 2004 Revelation Award from Casa da Imprensa (The Portuguese Press Association). That same year she presented her first solo show at one of Lisbon’s oldest and most illustrious stages—The São Luiz Theatre. This performance would later be turned into her first live album, Ao Vivo Em Lisboa (Live in Lisbon), released in July 2005.
The complete biography and more info about this singer can be found on www.joanaamendoeira.com
Alta Noite
Joana Amendoeira Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Meus olhos mais longe vão;
Haja neles tristeza ou pranto
Tudo se esvai por encanto
No som da minha canção
Meus olhos que tristemente
Longe te veêm tão perto
Porque cantando, somente
Os abro mais e me liberto
Meu amor, vou-te cantando
A canção que canto ao céu
Meus dedos vão-se moldando
Meus versos vão-te tornando
Mais perfeito e menos meu
Certas noites, ao cantar
Caminho num mundo estranho
Mais branco fica o luar
Mais perto perece estar
Tudo o que quero e não tenho
The song Alta Noite by Joana Amendoeira speaks about the power of music to transport and heal the soul. The singer shares her experience of performing at night, where her eyes can see farther and her emotions are more intense. She notes that even her sadness and tears disappear like magic when she sings. She also observes that when she sings, she sees things differently. Perhaps, seeing things from a new perspective allows her to free herself from her emotional shackles.
The song also touches upon the theme of longing for a love that is perfect yet unattainable. The singer talks about how singing about her love makes it more perfect but less hers. Perhaps, she is referring to how singing about love turns it into something universal, rather than something personal. It is interesting to note that the singer uses the word "moldando," which means shaping or molding, when talking about her fingers while singing. It is almost as if she is describing the songwriting process as a way to sculpt her emotions and ultimately create something beautiful.
Overall, the song Alta Noite speaks to the transformative power of music and how it can help one see things in a new light. It is a beautiful tribute to the magic of music and its ability to bring people together.
Line by Line Meaning
Alta noite, quando canto
Late night, when I sing
Meus olhos mais longe vão;
My eyes go farther;
Haja neles tristeza ou pranto
Whether there is sadness or tears in them
Tudo se esvai por encanto
Everything disappears by magic
No som da minha canção
In the sound of my song
Meus olhos que tristemente
My eyes that sadly
Longe te veêm tão perto
See you so close from afar
Veêm de um modo diferente
See in a different way
Porque cantando, somente
Because only singing
Os abro mais e me liberto
I open them more and free myself
Meu amor, vou-te cantando
My love, I sing to you
A canção que canto ao céu
The song that I sing to the sky
Meus dedos vão-se moldando
My fingers are shaping
Meus versos vão-te tornando
My verses are making you
Mais perfeito e menos meu
More perfect and less mine
Certas noites, ao cantar
Certain nights, when I sing
Caminho num mundo estranho
I walk in a strange world
Mais branco fica o luar
The moon becomes whiter
Mais perto perece estar
Seems to be closer
Tudo o que quero e não tenho
Everything that I want and don't have
Contributed by Alyssa H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.