Mariza facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mariza
Mariza in 2007
Background information
Birth name	Marisa dos Reis Nunes
Born	(1973-12-16) 16 December 1973 (age 51) Lourenço Marques, Portuguese Mozambique
Origin	Lisbon, Portugal
Genres	Fado world music adult contemporary music
Occupation(s)	Musician songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1997–present
Labels	Warner Music

Mariza, whose full name is Marisa dos Reis Nunes, is a very well-known fado singer from Portugal. Fado is a traditional Portuguese music style, often sad and soulful. Mariza was born on December 16, 1973, in Lourenço Marques, which is now Maputo, Mozambique. Her father was Portuguese, and her mother was Mozambican.

When Mariza was three years old, her family moved to Lisbon, Portugal. She grew up in old neighborhoods of Lisbon called Mouraria and Alfama. From a young age, she loved singing many types of music. These included gospel, soul, and jazz. Her father really wanted her to sing fado. He believed that singing this traditional music would help her fit in better with the Portuguese community. Mariza has sold over 1 million records around the world.

Mariza's Music Journey

Starting Her Career

In 1999, a very famous fado singer named Amália Rodrigues passed away. Many people remembered and mourned her, and fado music became popular again. Mariza was asked to sing a tribute to Amália Rodrigues on TV. This made her friends encourage her to record her own fado album.

In 2001, her first album, Fado em Mim, was released. It sold an amazing 100,000 copies. For a fado album, selling 4,000 copies was already considered a big success! Because of this, her record company released the album worldwide. It eventually sold over 140,000 copies. One of her popular songs, Transparente, is a special tribute to her African grandmother.

Mariza sang the Portuguese national anthem at the 2002 FIFA World Cup football game. This was when the home team, South Korea, played against Portugal.

Becoming Internationally Known

By 2003, when her second album, Fado Curvo, came out, Mariza was seen as part of the "New Fado" movement. Her voice reminded people of classic fado singers like Amália Rodrigues. Her way of singing traditional fado songs quickly made her famous around the world.

In March 2003, she won the "Best European Artist in World Music" award from BBC Radio 3. She also appeared on British TV for the first time on a show called Later with Jools Holland. For the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, she sang a song called "A Thousand Years." She sang it as a duet with the famous musician Sting. This song was on the official pop album for the Athens Olympics, called Unity. In the song, fado is sung in both English and Portuguese.

Mariza performing in Cambridge, England in 2004

In 2004, Mariza won an EBBA Award. These awards celebrate new artists who become popular outside their home countries.

Her third album, Transparente, was recorded in Brazil and released in 2005. She performed at Live 8, a series of concerts to raise awareness about poverty. She sang at the Eden Project in Cornwall, England. After this, she was invited to concerts and events all over the world. She helped promote Portuguese culture from Australia to Finland, and from the United States to Argentina. That album became a Top Ten hit in countries like the Netherlands, Spain, and Finland. Mariza has received awards from many countries, including Denmark, Australia, Canada, Germany, and the UK.

She has performed in many famous places around the world. These include Carnegie Hall in New York, the Royal Albert Hall in London, and the Sydney Opera House in Australia.

Roberta Sá and Mariza

Her 2007 album, Concerto em Lisboa, was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album. The next year, her album Terra was also nominated for the same award. This album mixed different music styles. It combined fado with jazz, flamenco, and sounds from Latin and African music.

In 2010, Mariza was featured in a TV show called Sound Tracks: Music Without Borders. She sang her popular song "Minh' Alma." Also in 2010, Mariza released the album Fado Tradicional. This album went back to the original roots of fado, but still with Mariza's unique singing style.

In 2011, Mariza was part of a campaign for the airline TAP Portugal. She starred in a music video with Brazilian singer Roberta de Sá and Angolan singer Paulo Flores. They sang a song called "Arms Wide Open."

In 2018, Mariza performed with another fado singer, Ana Moura, at the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. This big music competition was held in Lisbon, Portugal. They sang a song called "Barco Negro."

In May 2024, Mariza released a new song called "Desamor." It features the artist GSon and is from her upcoming album, Amor.

Mariza's Personal Life

Mariza was married to António Ferreira. They have one son named Martim, who was born on July 6, 2011. He was born two months early and was later diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Mariza has said that her Catholic faith became stronger after she made a promise to Our Lady of Fátima when her son was born.

Mariza's Albums

Mariza at the Zelt-Musik-Festival in Freiburg, Germany, 2015

Here are some of Mariza's studio albums:

Images for kids

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  Mariza at the Zelt-Musik-Festival in Freiburg, Germany, 2015

See also

In Spanish: Mariza para niños