Early years
Formed in Cascais (a coastal city of the Lisbon metropolis) … Read Full Bio ↴Early years
Formed in Cascais (a coastal city of the Lisbon metropolis) in 1997, Santamaria are the brainchild of producers Luís Marante and Tony Lemos and lead singer Filipa, Lemos' sister. At the time, Lemos was already an experienced studio man, having first emerged on the music scene in a duo with Filipa called Tó & Marlene, playing in county fairs during the summer seasons. Later, Filipa joined the short-lived act Taitibitileus, which managed to score a minor novelty hit with the song "O Meu Abião." Longing for a change of pace, the siblings, joined by common friend Marante, started dabbling with Euro-dance, all of them inspired by widely popular acts like Ace of Base, Whigfield, and Corona.
Recording enough songs for an album, Santamaria recruited two background singers and dancers, former model Dina Real and Yolanda. They shopped their demo CD around, and independent Portuguese label Vidisco took an interest. Consisting of re-recordings of all the tracks on the demo in more professional settings, debut album Eu Sei, Tu És... was released in early 1998. Boosted by the popular title track, the album went triple platinum in a year, even in the face of terrible reviews and a lack of airplay by the biggest radio stations in the country, their exposure mainly consisting of constant appearances in TV variety shows. Further hits with "Não Dá P'ra Viver Sem Ti" and the ballad "É Demais" consolidated Santamaria's success, leading to a successful spring and summer tour.

First change in line-up
As promotion was rolling on, Yolanda quit the group under acrimonious circumstances. A replacement was found in Magda Monteiro, thus forming a lineup that still remains unchanged. The group released its second album, Sem Limite, in 1999. This record marked the appearance of Rui Batista, who became the group's main songwriter (the first album had its lyrics written by Filipa) from that point forward, although he never became an official member. Keeping the formula of the debut, Sem Limite expanded on Santamaria's success by going platinum four times over in a year and becoming their most successful album to date, bolstered by hit singles "Tudo P'ra Te Amar," "Falésia do Amor," and "Quero-me Mais."

Globos de Ouro Award
Maintaining their one-album-a-year schedule, Voar arrived in 2000. Boasting a sound with similarities to the Vengaboys, it went triple platinum. In 2001, the fourth album Reflexus was released. This CD marked another arrival, this time in the guise of Brazilian songwriter/producer Luís Jr., who like Batista also became a permanent side collaborator with the group. Even though Reflexus sold less than its predecessors by going double platinum, Santamaria nevertheless managed to grab an award for Best Musical Act at the prestigious Portuguese arts and entertainment awards show Globos de Ouro.
With the release of fifth album 4 Dance in 2002, Santamaria made their first attempts at attaining an international following, in particular by recording their first completely English-sung track, "I Want You Anyway." Aside from not achieving their export ambitions, Santamaria saw a dip in popularity. Where previous albums had gone multi-platinum, 4 Dance only managed a single platinum plaque. Signaling the end of their contract with Vidisco, the group released a greatest-hits album in 2003, Boogie Woogie. They promoted the album by touring for almost two years straight. Even so, Boogie Woogie only managed a gold certification, suggesting that Santamaria's popularity was on the wane.
Breaking their album-per-year workload, Santamaria began their liaison with new label Espacial by releasing 2 Beat in 2005. It scored double platinum, returning some of their popularity. Returning to their typical album release schedule, 8 was issued in 2006 and Elements arrived in 2007.

Meu Lugar
Santamaria Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Longe daqui é o meu lugar
Fogo de amor, nascente de paixão
Mundo liberto de sedução

Longe daqui é o meu lugar
Fogo de amor, nascente de paixão
Mundo liberto de sedução

Meu lugar, meu lugar
É um lugar qualquer
É partir, é ficar
Dar e receber
Começar, acabar
Delirar, amar
Flutuar, sempre a flutuar
Quero ir, quero ir
Para o meu lugar
Divertir e p'ra ver musas a dançar
Desfazer histórias e chegar ao céu
Delirar, sempre a flutuar

Longe daqui é o meu lugar
Fogo de amor, nascente de paixão
Mundo liberto de sedução

Longe daqui é o meu lugar
Fogo de amor, nascente de paixão
Mundo liberto de sedução

Meu lugar, meu lugar
É qualquer lugar
Que me diz o porquê de receber
Que me dá o saber,
O saber viver
Acordar, sempre a flutuar
Quero ir e mostrar
Que no meu lugar
Não há mau, não há bom
Não há meu nem teu
Há o sim e a razão de poder ser eu
Delirar, sempre a flutuar

Longe daqui é o meu lugar
Fogo de amor, nascente de paixão
Mundo liberto de sedução

Longe daqui é o meu lugar
Fogo de amor, nascente de paixão
Mundo liberto de sedução

Longe daqui é o meu lugar
Fogo de amor, nascente de paixão
Mundo liberto de sedução

Longe daqui é o meu lugar
Fogo de amor, nascente de paixão
Mundo liberto de sedução

Longe daqui é o meu lugar
Fogo de amor, nascente de paixão
Mundo liberto de sedução

Longe daqui é o meu lugar

Fogo de amor, nascente de paixão
Mundo liberto de sedução

Overall Meaning

In "Meu Lugar," Santamaria describes the beauty of his ideal world, contrasting it with the seductive and complicated world he currently lives in. He longs for a place where love is pure and passion flows like a fountain. To him, the perfect world is free from seduction, a place where he can exist in harmony with himself and others. His "place" may be anywhere, as long as it embodies the ideals he cherishes. He wants to experience everything life has to offer, from starting and finishing projects to delirious moments of joy and love.

Santamaria's lyrics suggest that his "place" is an idyllic concept. The perfect world he describes is not a physical place but a state of mind, characterized by his ability to see the good in everything. He knows that he cannot escape the real world, but he will always strive for the better place he envisions.

"Meu Lugar" reflects Santamaria's desire for a simpler, more authentic life. His lyrics convey a longing for a place without social masks or labels, where everyone can be themselves, and love flows naturally. The song embodies a sense of hope and freedom that appeals to people of all ages and cultures.

Line by Line Meaning

Longe daqui é o meu lugar
My place is far away from here, away from the seductive world of passion and desire.

Fogo de amor, nascente de paixão
It is a place of intense love and passionate emotions, where love and passion are like flames that never die.

Mundo liberto de sedução
A world free from seduction, where one can be true to oneself and experience life without the false allure of temptation.

Meu lugar, meu lugar
My place, my place

É um lugar qualquer
It is any place

É partir, é ficar
It is leaving, it is staying

Dar e receber
Giving and receiving

Começar, acabar
Beginning, ending

Delirar, amar
Delirious, in love

Flutuar, sempre a flutuar
Floating, always floating

Quero ir, quero ir
I want to go, I want to go