She’s topped the singles chart fourteen times; won a Golden Globe and two MTV Europe Music Awards. She’s been a mentor on The Voice since 2015 and even sang with Elvis. It’s been a remarkable career, and it all started here in the Algarve.
Áurea Isabel Ramos de Sousa was born in Santiago do Cacém in the Alentejo in September 1987. Since the age of two, however, she has lived here in the Algarve – in Silves. In fact, it was in the village of Armação de Pêra in the municipality of Silves where she first took to the stage in amateur fado nights. Singing came naturally to the young Aurea – she’s said that her love of music developed even before she was born. Her father sang and played the guitar to her pregnant mother.
While studying for a degree at the University of Évora, Aurea kept performing. She caught the eye of music impresario, Rui Ribeiro, who introduced her to Blim Records. It was the start of a friendship and collaboration. Riberio wrote nearly all of the songs on her 2010 debut album, the self-titled Aurea, which topped the charts here in Portugal.
In the last 13 years, she’s recorded a total of seven albums, all of which have made the Top 10, with three reaching the coveted number one spot. Her vocal performances have featured in movie soundtracks and television shows, including the long-running, Morangos com Açúcar. On the Portuguese version of ‘Viva Elvis,’ her vocals were added to that of the King on Love Me Tender. Since 2015, she’s been a mentor on The Voice and this year, she’s also mentoring on The Voice Kids, which airs Sunday evenings on RTP1.
If you haven’t yet ‘tuned in’ to Aurea’s music, then the singles Volta, I Didn’t Mean It, Starman, Busy (For Me) are a great place to start exploring her work. It’s probably best described as Soul, with a Jazz / Blues influence. She’s performed most of her songs in English, stating, “I think singing in English is better than singing in Portuguese because Soul music was born through English words.” She’s famous for singing barefoot. She states that when she’s performing she feels most comfortable.
With such a successful and prolific career, it’s hardly surprising that she’s one of the most followed Portuguese figures on Facebook and Instagram. Her beauty and distinctive look have led to her being the face of numerous brands, such as Mary Kay cosmetics, Dr. Wells, C&A, Seat, and Clarins. And yet, despite all her success, Aurea has never lost contact with her roots. She reportedly celebrates New Year’s Eve in the Algarve. Indeed, her parents still live here, and she’s known to visit as often as she can.
Aurea’s latest album, Moods, was released just a few weeks ago. Sold-out concerts in Lisbon have followed. There’s a tour scheduled for later in the year, which includes a December concert back here in the Algarve, where Aurea’s remarkable career first started.
Aurea will be performing in Portimão on Saturday, 17 December. More dates are likely to be added, including ones in the Algarve. Check out www.aurea.pt for more details.
