Cuca Roseta facts for kids

Cuca Roseta (born Maria Isabel Rebelo Couto da Cruz Roseta on December 2, 1981) is a famous Portuguese fado singer, songwriter, and model. She is known as one of the most important fado singers of her time.

Fado is a special type of music from Lisbon, Portugal. It often sounds a bit sad and thoughtful. But Cuca Roseta brings a fresh twist to fado, mixing in happier sounds from world music. She has released seven studio albums and performed all over the world. Cuca has also worked with many different artists and appeared on TV shows as a judge and competitor. She cares about important causes like road safety and protecting the environment. In 2021, she even sang concerts in hospitals to thank healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her Music Journey

How Cuca Started Singing

Cuca Roseta began her musical journey singing in her church choir. When she was a teenager, she joined a rock band called Toranja.

At 19, Cuca discovered fado music. She started singing in fado clubs in Lisbon's Alfama area. Important fado musicians like Mário Pacheco, Carlos Zel, and Ana Moura encouraged her to become a fado singer. In 2006, Cuca took part in a music contest called Festival da Canção. The next year, she appeared in the movie Fados by Spanish director Carlos Saura.

In 2009, Cuca Roseta recorded a TV advertisement for the Portuguese supermarket chain Pingo Doce.

Her Albums

Cuca Roseta's first album came out in 2011. It was produced by Gustavo Santaolalla, a famous music producer.

In 2013, she released her album Raíz, which means "Root." Cuca wrote most of the songs on this album herself.

For her third album, Riû (2015), Cuca worked with Brazilian producer Nelson Motta. This album was very special because it mixed many different music styles. It featured famous artists like Bryan Adams, Djavan, and Jorge Drexler. Riû created a new "world fado" style, making fado sound more cheerful and positive.

In 2017, Cuca released her fourth album, Luz (meaning "Light"). It included new songs written by Cuca and other talented artists.

Her fifth album, Luz de Natal (2018), was a Christmas album. It had Portuguese versions of classic Christmas songs like "Jingle Bell Rock" and "White Christmas." In 2019, Cuca also published a book of her own poems.

In 2020, Cuca released Amália Por Cuca Roseta, an album honoring the legendary fado singer Amália Rodrigues. Later that year, she released Meu (meaning "Mine"). All the songs on Meu were written and composed by Cuca, which was a first for a fado album.

Her latest album, Rayana, came out in 2023. She made this album with Spanish guitarist Daniel Casares.

Live Shows and Concerts

Cuca Roseta has performed in over 30 countries around the world. She has sung at big music festivals like MEO Sudoeste. In 2015 alone, she gave more than 120 concerts!

She has performed with other great artists, like Niña Pastori at a flamenco and fado festival in Spain. In 2019, she sang in Havana, Cuba, to celebrate the good relationship between Cuba and Portugal. In 2020, she sang the Portuguese national anthem at the start of the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix car race. In 2021, she sang "Lisboa inspira," the official song for Lisbon European Sports Capital.

TV and Other Appearances

Cuca Roseta has been on many TV shows in Portugal. She was a judge on Got Talent Portugal and an expert on Rising Star: A próxima estrela. She also competed on Dança com as Estrelas (the Portuguese version of "Dancing with the Stars").

In 2014, famous photographer Bryan Adams took pictures of Cuca and other Portuguese singers for Vogue Portugal magazine.

Cuca has also been a brand ambassador for companies like Mitsubishi Motors and Guess clothing. She has appeared in commercials for eyewear, jewelry, and health products.

Cuca's Singing Style

Cuca Roseta's music mixes traditional fado with sounds from jazz, bossa nova, and world music. She keeps the pure, simple feeling of fado but adds her own touch. Cuca loves to try new things and has sung with artists from different countries. She has even sung in other languages, like on the song "Bésame Mucho" with Julio Iglesias. In her concerts, Cuca sings both old fado songs and more modern pop and Brazilian-style tunes.

People often say her performances are very emotional and elegant.

Her Life Outside Music

Cuca Roseta is the daughter of Miguel da Cruz Roseta and Maria Natércia Rebelo Couto. Her uncle, Pedro Roseta, used to be a Minister of Culture in Portugal.

Cuca has a son named Lopo and a daughter named Benedita, who was born in 2016. Her husband, João Lapa, proposed to her during one of her concerts! They got married in 2017 in Obidos. João Lapa works as a coach for the football team Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C..

When she's not singing, Cuca enjoys painting, yoga, and meditation. She also has a black belt in taekwondo! She first studied law in college, then changed to psychology, and later got a degree in marketing.

Helping Others

Cuca Roseta cares deeply about helping others and protecting the environment. She worked with the Automóvel Clube de Portugal to release a song about road safety.

In 2019, she became an ambassador for the Mirpuri Foundation, an organization that focuses on environmental sustainability. In 2021, Cuca gave a series of "Music with hope" concerts in hospitals across Portugal. These concerts were a way to thank the healthcare workers who were fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. She also helped with a project to replant trees in the Serra de Monchique area after it was damaged by fires.

Her Music Albums

Studio albums

• 2011 – Cuca Roseta
• 2013 – Raíz
• 2015 – Riû
• 2017 – Luz
• 2018 – Luz de Natal
• 2020 – Amália por Cuca Roseta
• 2020 – Meu

Other Songs

• 2007 – Fados – "Rua do Capelão"
• 2014 – Nelson 70 – "Apaixonada" (with Ed Motta)

Songs with Other Artists

• 2011 – "Fado de los Barcos" (with Pierre Aderne)
• 2012 – "Apelo – Soneto de Separação" (with João Braga)
• 2012 – "É Lisboa A Namorar" (with 3JS)
• 2013 – "Canción Negra" (with Karl Jenkins)
• 2014 – "Sí Aún Te Quieres Quedar" (with David Bisbal)
• 2014 – "Tristes Pássaros" (with Cristiana Águas)
• 2014 – "Mouros" (with Stewart Sukuma)
• 2017 – "Yaadon Mein" (with Jonita Gandhi, Mohammed Irfan, and Arjun Chandy)
• 2018 – "Vamos Fugir" (with Djodje)
• 2023 – "Rayana" (with Daniel Casares)

See also

In Spanish: Cuca Roseta para niños