'My Name is Nobody'. Mariana Arroja releases fado album in the USA

This is also the first known instance of a Portuguese singer initially releasing her fado album in the United States, where she has lived for a year and a half.

"It makes sense to me, because I'm an artist who has been traveling a lot and this multiculturalism is present in my music," Mariana Arroja told Lusa. "Since the United States had a big impact on my growth in the musical field, it makes sense for me to present it here and bring together these two worlds, Portugal and the USA."

The launch is scheduled for The Freight, a Berkeley venue where other renowned Portuguese artists have performed, such as the fado singer Mariza.

It was nearby, during a performance in San Francisco, that Mariana Arroja met the non-profit organization CALuso, which liked the project and decided to support her in launching the album in North America.

"I decided it was the perfect place to launch my first album, also because of all the support that the community and institutions are giving me."

Arroja recorded the album between Brazilian Yamandu Costa's studio and the California Institute of the Arts.

The compositions are by the singer with lyrics by the poet Maria Manuel Cid, and the music is described as "a masterful blend of tradition and reinvention" and a fado imagined in the light of global sounds.

With 11 tracks, 'O Meu Nome é Ninguém' was recorded with the sounds of João José Pita Júnior on the viola (who he also produces), André Dias on the Portuguese guitar, Fernando Dalcin on the mandolin and Walter Areia on the double bass. It also features Bebê Kramer on the accordion, on two songs, and Manel Ferreira on the viola for "Saudade é como areia".

The launch event will feature a performance by Mariana Arroja, which will be filmed for inclusion in a documentary and is part of a ten-concert tour in the United States. The event is also supported by TAP Air Portugal and Evaton, a company in the Sogrape group.

The singer had already produced the short documentary 'A Calçada Portuguesa Conhece-te', which was shown in Los Angeles last year and used to support the Portuguese pavement's candidacy for UNESCO World Heritage status.

Also in 2024, Mariana Arroja received an honorary mention at the Tribuna Portuguesa Awards, in the category of Musical Artist of the Year.

An emigrant since the age of 18, Mariana Arroja began singing fado when she lived in Scotland and found here the continuation of her connection to Portugal.

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