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
Cancao grata
Joana Amendoeira Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Inquietação, cuidado
Um pouco de ternura
É certo mas tão pouco
Noites de insónia
Pelas ruas como louca
Obrigada, obrigada
Por aquela tão doce
Embora nunca mais
Depois que a vi desfeita
Eu volte a ser quem fui
Sem ironia aceita
A minha gratidão
Que bem me faz agora
O mal que me fizeste
Mais forte, mais serena
E livre e descuidada
Sem ironia amor
Obrigada, obrigada
Por tudo o que me deste
Por aquela tão doce
E tão breve ilusão
Embora nunca mais
Depois que a vi desfeita
Eu volte a ser quem fui
Sem ironia aceita
A minha gratidão
The lyrics of Joana Amendoeira's song Cancao Grata talk about gratitude towards someone who has caused both pain and tenderness. The singer thanks this person for everything they have given her, even though it was not always easy. She acknowledges that she has experienced sleepless nights and felt like a crazy person walking the streets, but still is grateful for the moments of sweetness and tenderness. And even though those moments were short-lived, the singer is thankful for the illusion that they created.
The next part of the song mentions the fact that the illusion is now gone, and the singer can never go back to who she was before. However, she accepts it with an open heart and deep gratitude. The overall sentiment of the song is one of acceptance and appreciation for everything that has come before, even the pain, as it has made her a stronger and more serene person. The use of the word "ironia" (irony) adds a layer of complexity, as it suggests that the singer is aware that life is not always fair, but she still chooses to be grateful.
Line by Line Meaning
Por tudo o que me deste
I am grateful for everything you have given me
Inquietação, cuidado
Your concern and care made me restless
Um pouco de ternura
I received a little bit of tenderness from you
É certo mas tão pouco
Although it was true, it was very little
Noites de insónia
I couldn't sleep at night
Pelas ruas como louca
I wandered the streets like a crazy person
Obrigada, obrigada
Thank you, thank you
Por aquela tão doce
For that sweet moment
E tão breve ilusão
And such a short-lived illusion
Embora nunca mais
Although I will never again
Depois que a vi desfeita
See it broken
Eu volte a ser quem fui
I can be myself again
Sem ironia aceita
Without being ironic
A minha gratidão
My gratitude
Que bem me faz agora
How much it helps me now
O mal que me fizeste
The harm you did to me
Mais forte, mais serena
Made me stronger, calmer
E livre e descuidada
And free and careless
Sem ironia amor
Without irony, my love
Obrigada, obrigada
Thank you, thank you
Contributed by Landon M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Morganaelvira
muito linda...pena é os jovens perderem o interesse no nosso fado...
maria fernanda Costa
Versos de Carlos Queiroz e não Florbela Espanca, a quem já vi atribuída ...