Cuca Roseta facts for kids

Cuca Roseta is a famous Portuguese singer, composer, and former model. Her full name is Maria Isabel Rebelo Couto da Cruz Roseta, and she was born on December 2, 1981. She is known for her beautiful fado music.

Fado is a special type of music from Lisbon, Portugal. It often sounds a bit sad or thoughtful. However, Cuca Roseta adds her own twist. She mixes in happier sounds from "world music" to make her style unique.

Cuca Roseta is seen as one of the most important fado singers of her time. She has released seven studio albums and performed in many countries. She has also been a judge on TV shows like Got Talent Portugal and The Voice Kids Portugal. Cuca Roseta also cares about important causes, like road safety and protecting the environment. In 2021, she even sang concerts for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cuca Roseta's Music Journey

Starting Out in Music

Cuca Roseta began her singing journey in her church choir. When she was a teenager, her friend Tiago Bettencourt invited her to join a rock band called Toranja.

Later, at age 19, she discovered fado music. She started singing in fado clubs in the Alfama area of Lisbon. Important people in the fado world, like Mário Pacheco and Ana Moura, encouraged her to become a fado singer.

In 2006, Cuca Roseta took part in a music competition called Festival da Canção. The next year, in 2007, she appeared in the movie Fados, directed by Carlos Saura.

Her Albums

Cuca Roseta's first album came out in 2011. It was produced by Gustavo Santaolalla, a famous producer who saw her sing in a fado club.

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

Her third album, Riû, was released in 2015. For this album, she worked with the Brazilian producer Nelson Motta. This album mixed different music styles and featured many famous artists. It brought a new, happier "world fado" sound, moving away from the traditional sad fado.

In 2017, Cuca Roseta released her fourth album, Luz, meaning "Light." This album included her own songs and songs by other artists.

She released a Christmas album called Luz de Natal in 2018. It had Portuguese versions of popular Christmas songs. In 2019, she also published a book of her own poems.

Her 2020 album, Amália Por Cuca Roseta, was a tribute to the legendary fado singer Amália Rodrigues. Later in 2020, Cuca Roseta released Meu, which means "Mine." All the songs on this album were written and composed by her, which was a first for fado music.

In 2023, she released the album Rayana with Spanish guitarist Daniel Casares.

Live Shows and Performances

Cuca Roseta has performed in over 30 countries. She has sung at big music festivals like MEO Sudoeste in 2011. In 2015 alone, she gave more than 120 concerts.

She has performed with other artists, like Niña Pastori at a 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 April 2021, she sang "Lisboa inspira," the official song for Lisbon European Sports Capital 2021. She also performed with Spanish musicians Daniel Casares and Jorge Pardo. In May 2025, she opened the 4th Estremoz Fado Festival.

TV, Modeling, and Commercials

Cuca Roseta has appeared on many TV shows in Portugal. She was a judge on Got Talent Portugal and The Voice Kids Portugal. She also competed on Dancing with the Stars Portugal.

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

She has also worked as a brand ambassador for companies like Mitsubishi Motors and Guess. In 2022, she partnered with a Portuguese coffee brand, Kaffa, and hosted a podcast called Kaffa com Alma (Kaffa with Soul).

Cuca Roseta's Musical Style

Cuca Roseta's music mixes traditional fado with sounds from jazz, bossa nova, and world music. She keeps the pure and simple feel of fado, focusing on the story and meaning of the songs.

She has shown her talent by singing in different languages. For example, she sang "Bésame Mucho" with Julio Iglesias and "Tum Hi Ho" from a Bollywood movie. In her live shows, she sings both old fado songs and more modern pop and Brazilian-style tunes. Critics often praise her emotional performances and elegant style.

Her Life Outside Music

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

She 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 Óbidos. João Lapa works as a coach for a Premier League soccer team, Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.

Outside of music, Cuca Roseta enjoys painting, yoga, and meditation. She is also a black belt in taekwondo. She first studied law, then psychology, and later marketing.

Helping Others

Cuca Roseta uses her voice to help different causes. She supports improving road safety and protecting nature. In 2013, she released a song called "We'll all safely get home" to promote road safety.

In 2019, she became an ambassador for the Mirpuri Foundation, which works on environmental sustainability. In February 2021, she gave a series of "Music with hope" concerts for healthcare workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in hospitals across Portugal. In April 2021, she helped with a project to replant trees in the Serra de Monchique area after it was damaged by fires.

Discography

Studio Albums

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

Other Albums and Songs

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

Collaborations

• 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