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
Estrelas Sem Sentido
Joana Amendoeira Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No sorriso da paixão
Nos olhares compreendidos;
Quem quiser delas cuidar
Tem mais luz no coração
E na vida, outros sentidos
A coragem duma estrela
A brilhar p’la madrugada
Os que dormem sonham vê-la
Deslizar na chuva pura
Entre as ondas, recortada
Quando o estrela cai no mar
Ao céu não pode voltar
Faz-se negra á luz do dia
Condenada á eternidade
Ela chora de saudade
A gritar por companhia
The lyrics to Joana Amendoeira's "Estrelas Sem Sentido" evoke the beauty and mystery of the stars shining over the sea. The song explores the idea that those who appreciate the stars and their light have more love and understanding in their hearts, and that experiencing the stars can give new meaning to life. The courage of the stars in traversing the dark night and shining through to the morning is celebrated, along with the way they are viewed with wonder and longing by those who dream and sleep under their light.
The lyrics also touch on the idea that stars have a destiny, and that sometimes they are doomed to fall into the sea, unable to return to the sky. This haunting image is contrasted with the joy and companionship that the stars bring, and the sense that their light can help us to connect with something greater than ourselves.
Overall, "Estrelas Sem Sentido" is a beautiful and poetic meditation on the power of nature to inspire and transform us, and on the way that the stars can bring meaning and beauty to our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Estrelas brilham sobre o mar
Stars shine above the sea
No sorriso da paixão
In the smile of passion
Nos olhares compreendidos;
In understood gazes
Quem quiser delas cuidar
Whoever wants to take care of them
Tem mais luz no coração
Has more light in their heart
E na vida, outros sentidos
And in life, other senses
A coragem duma estrela
The courage of a star
Atravessa a noite escura
Crosses the dark night
A brilhar p’la madrugada
Shining through the dawn
Os que dormem sonham vê-la
Those who sleep dream of seeing it
Deslizar na chuva pura
Sliding in pure rain
Entre as ondas, recortada
Outlined between the waves
Quando o estrela cai no mar
When the star falls into the sea
Ao céu não pode voltar
It cannot return to the sky
Faz-se negra á luz do dia
It becomes black in the light of day
Condenada á eternidade
Condemned to eternity
Ela chora de saudade
It cries from longing
A gritar por companhia
Screaming for company
Contributed by Colin F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.