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
Quando Por Fim Amanhece
Joana Amendoeira Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E Lisbosa se desperta
É que os teus olhos perfeitos
Batem às janelass dos meus
Os dedos finos ainda não voltaram
E como o fado está à minha espera
Uso as metáforas do povo
Permaneço por isso distante
Longe de ti, longe dos maus
Bem perto do coração do vento
De toda a alegria da minha canção
Sim, porque no Tejo de todos
E nos lábios dos amantes
Navega um barco do pensamento
Feito em fogo, desfeito em luz
In "Quando Por Fim Amanhece," Joana Amendoeira sings about the beauty of Lisbon at dawn and her longing for her lover. The song starts with a description of the city awakening and how her perfect eyes knock on the windows of her heart. But her lover is not there yet. He hasn't returned, and she feels the sadness and loneliness creeping in. She turns to her art and uses the metaphors of the people to express her emotions and lets her tenderness rhyme. She keeps herself distant from the world, still close to her heart and the wind, and allows the joy of her song to keep her company. She believes that in the Tejo River and the lips of lovers, there is a boat of thought, made of fire and light, navigating towards her.
The song is a powerful portrayal of longing and loss, and Joana's voice conveys the emotions perfectly. The lyrics use beautiful imagery and metaphors to express complex feelings, and the melody supplements the poetry with its melancholic yet uplifting vibes. Though the song is in Portuguese, the emotions it conveys are universal, and one can appreciate its beauty without understanding the language.
Line by Line Meaning
Quando por fim amanhece
When dawn finally breaks
E Lisbosa se desperta
And Lisbon awakens
É que os teus olhos perfeitos
That's when your perfect eyes
Batem às janelass dos meus
Strike the windows of mine
Os dedos finos ainda não voltaram
The slender fingers have not yet returned
E como o fado está à minha espera
And as the fado is waiting for me
Uso as metáforas do povo
I use the metaphors of the people
E deixo a ternura rimar
And let the tenderness rhyme
Permaneço por isso distante
I therefore remain distant
Longe de ti, longe dos maus
Far from you, far from the bad
Bem perto do coração do vento
Very close to the heart of the wind
De toda a alegria da minha canção
Of all the joy of my song
Sim, porque no Tejo de todos
Yes, because in every Tejo
E nos lábios dos amantes
And on the lips of lovers
Navega um barco do pensamento
Sails a boat of thought
Feito em fogo, desfeito em luz
Made of fire, undone in light
Contributed by Nolan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.