Mafalda Arnauth, born in Lisbon, Portugal, in October of 1974, was at the t… Read Full Bio ↴Mafalda Arnauth, born in Lisbon, Portugal, in October of 1974, was at the time one of the latest revelations in fado. She started her career in 1995 when invited by João Braga (an important fado singer) to participate in a concert at S. Luis's Theater. What initially seemed to be a single experience, turned out to be a way of life.

Today her value is recognized, not only in Portugal but also in many foreign countries, where her presence is regularly requested.

Mafalda Arnauth, her first album released in 1999, was immediately acclaimed by specialists and won the Prize for Best Upcoming Voice by the weekly magazine Blitz, a sign that new generations are back into fado.

After a year filled with concerts and important invitations, that took her to the most important concert halls in The Netherlands, the Louisiana Centre (Denmark) and to Italy, to perform in the festival Sete-Sois, Sete-Luas, an important Mediterranean folk event, she sang at Centro Cultural de Belém (Lisbon), where she was warmly acclaimed by the press.

Mafalda's second album, Esta voz que me atravessa (This voice that goes through me) was reelased in 2001 and it was produced by Amélia Muge and José Martins. Her album Encantamento was self-produced. She feels it "leaves fatality, disgrace, and nostalgia behind. Hope is fed on sadness; inspiration on suffering; strength and courage on diffculties."

Pode Lá Ser
Mafalda Arnauth Lyrics

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Troca esse fado, dá a volta à alma
E faz um canto menos só
Troca essa dor por algo melhor
Mesmo que seja em tom menor.

Sacode o medo
Que trazes preso à alma
E atrasa o teu andar

Tens onde ir que esse teu canto
Ainda tem tanto para dar.

Pode até ser
Um dia sem sol e a noite sem lua
Mas Lisboa sem o Tejo fica nua
Podem dizer
Que o fado perdeu a cor dos seus pais
Mas o fado, meu país, não morre mais.

Será defeito
Não ter o jeito ou por feitio
Fugir da tradição
Será tão diferente? Quando se sente
Só tem voz o coração.

Canto outra história
Faço a memória à minha medida
Mas tudo é tão igual

Que importa o tempo, se é sentimento
Senhores, é tudo Portugal.

Overall Meaning

In "Pode Lá Ser," Mafalda Arnauth encourages listeners to exchange traditional Fado music for a fresher, less isolated sound. She urges the listener to abandon pain for something better, even if it’s on a smaller scale. Arnauth also encourages letting go of fear, as it can weigh down one's soul and slow their journey. She believes that there is always somewhere to go, and one's voice has the power to tell a story, regardless of whether it conforms to tradition or not.

Arnauth asserts that even if the sun doesn’t shine or the moon doesn’t rise, Lisbon is naked without the Tejo. The Fado genre may have lost its original colors, but Portugal’s heart will continue to beat with it. Arnauth ends her song by saying that the story she tells—no matter how unique it may be—ultimately intertwines with Portugal’s larger narrative.

Line by Line Meaning

Troca esse fado, dá a volta à alma
Change that fado, turn your soul around

E faz um canto menos só
And sing a less lonely song

Troca essa dor por algo melhor
Replace that pain with something better

Mesmo que seja em tom menor.
Even if it's in a lower key.

Sacode o medo
Shake off the fear

Que trazes preso à alma
That's holding your soul captive

E atrasa o teu andar
And slowing down your pace

Tens onde ir que esse teu canto
You have a place to go where your song

Ainda tem tanto para dar.
Still has so much to give.

Pode até ser
It may even be

Um dia sem sol e a noite sem lua
A day without sun and a night without moon