By Joana Patacas*, on August 10, 2024
Nani Medeiros is a name that has been increasingly shining in the Portuguese-Brazilian music scene. With an engaging voice and a mesmerizing stage presence, this young singer has won hearts and ears wherever she goes. Her career is marked by an unwavering passion for music and a constant search for artistic improvement and diversity.
“ Nani Medeiros is that full voice that we all need to hear. The one that comforts us when it seems like love is the end and shows us that it is just the beginning .” – Noize
From an early age, Nani demonstrated a talent for singing. Growing up in a family environment full of musical stimuli, he absorbed diverse influences, which shaped his eclectic and versatile style, with influences from samba-canção, choro, bossa nova and MPB.
Her professional career took off in 2012, when she decided to dedicate herself entirely to music. Two years later, in 2014, she released her first original EP, which revealed to the public an artist with a very unique and captivating musical identity. But it was with the album "Valentia", released in 2017, that Nani Medeiros truly established herself as one of the great promises of Brazilian music. The album, filled with new songs by renowned composers, demonstrated the singer's artistic and interpretative maturity.
"Nani Medeiros is an artist. She is more than a singer. She is more than an actress. More than a performer. She is more." - Artur José Pinto (actor, theater director and playwright)
In addition to her own projects, the singer from Rio Grande do Sul also shone in large-scale musical shows, such as "Lupi - O Musical, Uma Vida Em Estado de Paixão", "O Maestro, O Malandro & O Poeta" and "Estação Brasil - A Música Brasileira na Era do Rádio". Her vocal versatility and stage presence won over audiences and critics, consolidating her as a complete and multifaceted artist.
But Nani Medeiros' career was not limited to Brazil. Her encounter with Portuguese fado opened up new horizons and artistic possibilities. Conquered by the depth and emotion of this musical genre, she dove headfirst into the world of fado, earning the respect and admiration of the Portuguese community, both in Brazil and Portugal.
"With a moving voice and a captivating presence, Nani Medeiros brings Brazilianness and musical versatility to the stage." - GZH
Moving to Lisbon in 2019 was a decisive step in Nani’s career. She embraced the opportunity to delve deeper into fado and expand her musical horizons. Even facing the challenges of settling in a new country, Nani remained steadfast in her purpose and continued to enchant audiences with her art.
In this exclusive interview, Nani Medeiros shares details of her musical journey, revealing the behind-the-scenes of a career that is constantly on the rise. With contagious authenticity and passion, she invites us to enter her artistic universe and understand what drives a singer who has music as her reason for living.
How did your passion for music begin?
My passion for music came about naturally and from my family. I am the youngest of four siblings, with a significant age difference between us – my oldest brother was born in 1973 and I was born in 1985 – and I grew up surrounded by musical influences. My parents loved playing vinyl records at home, but it was my brothers who really immersed me in the world of music. They listened to everything: movie soundtracks, orchestral music, classical music, rock and roll and, of course, a lot of Brazilian music. At school, I took music and choir classes. Although I never had formal singing lessons, I was always encouraged to explore my musicality. From an early age, music was a part of my life, both at home and at school.
How did you get started in the world of arts?
My first artistic experience came from my interest in theater classes at the age of 15, at TEPA (Teatro Escola Porto Alegre), in an attempt to overcome my shyness. I was a very shy girl; at home I wasn't shy, but outside, with family and friends, I was extremely shy. Musically, I started taking piano lessons at the age of 11, encouraged by my mother, who found a private teacher in the same building where my parents had a law office. I took piano lessons for three years. Despite family encouragement, I never thought that music could be a profession. I played around a lot with singing and lip-syncing , but always naturally and without pressure. My mother let me follow my own rhythm, without imposing any obligations.
At this point, was singing already a part of your life?
I always sang at home. My brother, who played the guitar and took choir lessons, would invite me to sing with him, saying, "Come sing with me, come do this duet." He always pointed out that I was very in tune, and people wanted to hear me sing. But I took it as a joke, without seriously considering studying music. In fact, when I started thinking about pursuing an artistic career, it was initially through theater. I continued taking theater courses, but only recently, about five years ago, did I decide to take guitar lessons. However, I didn't continue for long; I only did it for five months and then I stopped. It was an experiment. I don't play any instrument; my instrument is my voice.
Can you tell us about your first professional steps in music?
The first time I sang in public was when I was still at school, when I was 16 or 17. I was invited to sing in tribute to my parents, and that was my first stage experience. Although I didn't yet think of singing as a profession, I began to flirt with the idea of making it my career. However, I started working professionally with voice-overs and jingles when I was still at university. A classmate encouraged me to participate in a talent festival at the Alliance Française, and to do so, I had to record a song in the studio. I ended up taking third place. With this recorded audio material, without any guidance, I approached all the audio production agencies in my city. I wrote to them, saying: "I'm a law student, I have this voice type, I really like singing". I sent it with the intention that if they liked my voice, they would want to work with me. It was a very natural, genuine thing, and very much my own idea. Through these email contacts, some agencies started calling me to go to production companies to do more voice recordings, and that's how I started working with my voice. In 2009, I graduated in Law and started working at my father's office, but I continued to do voiceovers and jingles during my lunch breaks and after work. In 2012, when the work at the office was reduced, my father encouraged me to pursue a career in music, because he saw that it was what really made me happy. I then decided to dedicate myself completely to music. I started creating projects, such as the tribute show "Essa Mulher – Nani Medeiros canta Elis Regina", for example, and my career took off quickly. During that time, I met many musicians and composers and started to get involved in the music scene in Porto Alegre. Since then, I have worked exclusively with music.
And about two years later, in 2014, he recorded his first original EP, which includes the tracks “Amor Magoado” and “Valentia”. Were these two very intense years?
The EP was released through the audio production company Loop Reclame, with whom I had already worked on voiceovers and jingles. They launched Loop Discos, an independent label for artists, and these recordings were made with them. Since 2012, I had already started to form some partnerships and spend time with musicians who worked with choro and samba, the genres I most identified with. Since I don't compose, I'm just a performer, it was essential to meet people who composed what I liked. This created a bond of identification and the desire to record. Many musicians take a while to find this place, but I was lucky enough to find it relatively quickly. So, the next step was to release my first EP with the tracks "Amor Magoado" and "Valentia". The latter would later become the name of my first album.
Did this approach to the world of traditional Brazilian music lead to other projects?
These influences were already present, but I became more familiar with traditional Brazilian music when I decided to dedicate myself exclusively to singing. This, together with my training in theater, led to an invitation to participate in the musical about the life and work of Lupicínio Rodrigues, a great composer from Rio Grande do Sul who played samba-canção, choro and seresta. I made my acting debut in "Lupi, o Musical – Uma Vida em Estado de Paixão" in 2014, at Theatro São Pedro, in Porto Alegre. That same year, I participated in the musical "O Maestro, o Malandro e o Poeta – Tom, Chico e Vinícius". A year later, in 2015, after releasing the EP, I was in the musical "Estação Brasil – A música brasileira na era do rádio". All of these musicals were written and directed by Artur José Pinto. In addition to these projects, I worked for a year as a presenter on the OCTO channel of RBS TV, an affiliate of Rede Globo. Working in television was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had. I would love to work on a similar project again.
Has being a television presenter had an impact on your music career?
It had a very positive impact. Working on the channel gave me visibility and allowed people to get to know my work better. I had a musical segment where I invited an artist from my city to be interviewed and at the end we sang together. This helped boost everything I was already doing musically. It was a very impressive experience, especially because it was live, which helped me develop my timing and ability to improvise. It was a very good showcase for me and complemented my musical career.
However, in 2017, you released your first album “Valentia”. What was the creative process like?
The songs on this album are mostly by two composers: Mathias Pinto and Alexandre Susin. I already knew Mathias, because he was the one who did the musical direction for the three musicals I participated in. He is also a highly respected composer in the samba-canção, choro and chorinho genres. When we started working together, he was very excited to have a singer to perform his compositions, and I really liked what he wrote. The song "Valentia", which gives its name to my first album, was first recorded on the self-titled EP “Nani Medeiros” in 2014, with a different arrangement, with wind instruments and a still shy and immature vocal interpretation. In 2017, the same song was reintroduced on the album, with a new version with a much more rhythmic beat, which includes Fernando Leitzke's incredible piano and a much firmer and more conscious voice. The person who also produced this album with Mathias was my partner, music producer and guitarist João Pita, whom I met in 2015, when he came to perform in Porto Alegre and I was one of the guest singers. João had always worked with samba, and also with fado in São Paulo, due to his Portuguese roots. He knew Mathias, which facilitated the collaboration between the three of us to make the arrangements and compositions for the album. In addition to Mathias' songs, the album includes compositions by other great names, such as Paulo César Pinheiro, a great poet and composer whose songs were recorded by Elis Regina. We decided to release the album through Loop Discos, the same label that had released my EP. We used all of Loop's rooms to do a live recording, which is quite different from the usual method of recording each part separately. We went into the studio and recorded everything in one week. The songs are all new and were specially designed for my voice by Mathias and Alexandre.
How did you come to know Portuguese Fado, which is currently a very important part of your career?
Fado was not new to me, as I first came into contact with it very early, when I was around 12 years old. This happened through my uncle, who has lived in Portugal since the 1990s and is a musician. On a visit to Porto Alegre, he brought a Dulce Pontes record for my mother, who is his sister. I was a child who loved music and I remember listening to "Canção do Mar", recorded by Dulce Pontes, a lot. At the time, I even played at imitating the Portuguese accent. Later, when I met João and we started to get along, there was an exchange of musical influences. He introduced me to artists such as Amália Rodrigues, Ana Moura and Carminho. I loved listening to it, but I never thought about saying: "Look, this is great! It makes me want to sing." I simply liked listening to it.
And how did you start singing Fado?
The opportunity came about unexpectedly when I was finishing my work at the OCTO channel on RBS TV, a Globo TV affiliate in Rio Grande do Sul, and I had decided to go with João to São Paulo and visit fado houses, as I was increasingly interested in this musical genre. Meanwhile, a friend of mine from Goiânia called me to say that he was going to open a Portuguese bistro with his family and wanted me to sing fado at the opening because he had seen a video of me singing fado at a concert in Porto Alegre, which was filmed by a Portuguese woman who was in the audience and who tagged me on social media. I explained to him that it had been an experiment and that I didn't sing fado. I already understood that fado was a very unique genre and not something that could be sung just any old way, especially since I had already worked with specific genres such as samba-canção, choro and seresta. But he insisted a lot and said: "You don't need to answer now. Think about it. If you accept this challenge, we'll schedule the opening for when you feel ready." I was impressed, thinking: "Imagine, leaving the opening of the house up to me."
But did you accept the challenge?
Yes, and I saw it as a commission, like a painter who receives a commission and says, "Okay, I'm going to work on it." I took on this challenge with that mindset, and not as if I were deciding that I was going to become a fado singer. I'm really very concerned about these things and I take them very seriously, and at no point did I think I was a fado singer. For me, that was unknown territory. This was in June 2016, and the inauguration was at the end of that year. At that time, I was just reading fados; I still didn't have a sense of what it was like to live fado, which is something very particular, very unique, a popular and urban language, very intense.
And what was that experience like? How did you prepare?
It was a very intense experience. It is a very emotional and visceral genre, and very different from anything I had done before. When I decided to take on this challenge, I realized that I needed a solid foundation to understand this very distinct style of singing. To do this, I relied on great singers such as Elizeth Cardoso and Dalva de Oliveira, who sang on the radio and in musical theatre. My experience with samba-canção and seresta helped me understand the sustained notes and the pain required for fado. However, there is no specific course to learn how to sing fado; you need to be in Portugal, in fado houses, take risks and experiment. So I used my experience with these historical musical genres that share some similarities with fado. I also noticed that I could not sing fado without a Portuguese accent, as there is a specific metric in the way the Portuguese sing and speak, where the vowels are almost imperceptible. I realized that in order to interpret fado authentically, I needed to adopt this accent. For me, this was essential for the music to sound authentic. However, I only use the accent when singing; I don’t speak with a Portuguese accent in my daily life, as it would be strange. This experience, together with the time I spent in São Paulo visiting fado houses and singers, made me “bitten by the fado bug” and I began to truly enjoy singing and listening to this musical genre.
Did this coincide with the release of your first album "Valentia"?
Yes, it was exactly at that time. After opening the bistro, I started to get to know the Portuguese community in Brazil. In São Paulo, I discovered “Fado Vadio”, a place where Portuguese people would gather to sing. I started to integrate into that community and realized that it was something new to have a young person interested in fado, a music traditionally associated with older people. “Fado Vadio” was mainly made up of older gentlemen, so having someone younger involved was seen as a positive thing for the continuation of this tradition. I started to become known in São Paulo and started to receive invitations to perform shows singing fado. Interestingly, 2017 ended up being a year in which I worked more with fado than with my own album. My father noticed this and offered me a trip to Portugal so that I could explore this music further.
Was it at this time that you started to consider Portugal as a possible base for your musical career, especially compared to other cities in Brazil?
Yes, it was at that time. We lived in Porto Alegre. In terms of music, in Brazil, the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are the artistic hubs. We thought about moving to São Paulo, because in Porto Alegre I felt that I had already reached my artistic ceiling. I had already participated in musicals, worked on television and done many projects that I wanted to do. We thought about moving to São Paulo, because the cultural axis “Rio-São Paulo” has a market with greater diversity and artistic opportunities, as far as Brazil is concerned. But the city of São Paulo, João Pita’s hometown, was already showing signs of having a very inflated and absurdly competitive market. When we came to Portugal, it was the year I released my album. I took advantage of the trip and Loop Discos scheduled several shows to promote it. We didn’t come with the intention of “ touring ”, but to spend more time in Lisbon and get to know the city. At a time when we were having doubts about where to base ourselves to continue our careers, Portugal emerged as an alternative to Brazil, where we could explore new artistic and cultural opportunities.
Did being in Lisbon deepen your relationship with fado?
Without a doubt! Exactly! When I had the opportunity to go to Lisbon, I thought: "Now I'll be able to be in the place where fado originated." I had already been following many local artists, such as Teresinha Landeiro, Raquel Tavares, Ana Moura and Carminho. So, I was going to be in the city of these people, and I could hear fado sung where it was born. I was in Lisbon for 40 days and dedicated myself almost exclusively to fado, as my main goal was to immerse myself in this musical universe. Of course, I took the opportunity to promote my album with João. I did shows in some FNAC stores and even a concert in Óbidos with Ricardo Araújo, a Brazilian guitarist who specializes in fado. But, during that time, I hardly listened to any Brazilian music – I was totally immersed in the atmosphere of fado.
Was it well received?
A lot! On the second day, we were already starting to integrate with the Fado crowd, starting to meet musicians and fado singers that we had already followed when we lived in Brazil. We stayed with these people and enjoyed the trip from start to finish. It was a true Fado intensive. We had the opportunity to listen to and meet people like Celeste Rodrigues (Amália Rodrigues' sister), Maria da Nazaré, Ana Sofia Varela, Camané, Ricardo Ribeiro, Pedro Moutinho, among many others. If it hadn't been so incredible, I might not have even wanted to come and live here. Lisbon could be a place I would always like to visit, but what happened was different. I left after those 40 days crying, not wanting to leave, and with the feeling that I wanted to live in this place. And I had never lived anywhere else other than Porto Alegre. So, when we returned from Lisbon to Brazil, we decided that we wanted to live in Portugal.
And how was this change process?
It was a decision that required a lot of courage, because my life in Brazil was very stable: I had my family and a lot of work. But I also had this desire to live new experiences and expand to other places. My partner is a Portuguese citizen, and being in Portugal would strategically allow us to have more opportunities to perform in neighboring countries, something that would probably be more difficult if we stayed in Brazil. We didn't come on impulse. We planned the move between 2018 and 2019, knowing that it might not work out, although I didn't feel that pressure, because I had somewhere to go back to. It was a well-thought-out and considered decision. And I wasn't thinking about working with fado in Portugal; I wanted to continue my work as a Brazilian singer of samba, canção and choro. My goal was not to be a fado singer.
What was it like arriving in Portugal and how did the pandemic impact your career?
I arrived in Portugal in November 2019 and went straight to do a show at Super Bock Em Stock. Preparation was essential because I maintained the contacts I made on my first trip with producer friends, and that really saved my stay here, since I had channels to work with. With the pandemic, everything stopped, but we had emotional and financial support that helped us get through that period. I came financially prepared for this, although obviously I needed to work for things to start happening. With the pandemic, there was nothing I could do, but the key was to have this support. We had friends who welcomed us, my uncle who lives in the Algarve, and I was very well surrounded in Lisbon. I learned that a Portuguese friend is the kind of person who will do anything for you! In addition, I received support from my family, who encouraged me to stay, saying that this was the place for me and that things would soon return to normal. In fact, things returned to normal sooner in Portugal than in Brazil. After going through that, I can go through anything!
Tell us about your projects in Portugal.
In 2021, at the invitation of Hélder Moutinho, we were invited to participate in an online music festival called “MUP – Música Urbana Portuguesa”, for which we created the show “Travessia”, with a repertoire of songs that illustrate what I am experiencing singing from Brazil to Portugal, and which ends up portraying my musical experiences. The show was recorded live at the Namouche studio, in Lisbon, in the way I like best, that is, without edits. The material was so good that we decided to use it to make the EP “Travessia”. In 2023, I performed the show in Seville, and this year in 2024 at the Nos Alive Festival, on the Fado Stage. It was a great pleasure. At the same time, I am working on my next album, which already incorporates the language of Fado, with Portuguese guitar and bass guitar. Since I do not compose, I am only a performer, I have had the joy of receiving compositions made especially for me. One of them is called “Mil Pessoas” and is a “Choro half Fado” – in fact, the lyrics play on this. It has music by the great composer and guitarist Maurício Carrilho and lyrics by Roberto Didio. Didio, knowing about my relationship with Fado, has increasingly composed Brazilian songs that “talk” to Fado. Very soon, I should release two singles by the incredible composer and pianist Cristóvão Bastos and also by Roberto Didio. These two songs were recorded at Casa do Choro, in Rio de Janeiro, with the participation of Cristóvão, Miguel Rabello and João Pita. Afterwards, I intend to go into the studio and record all the tracks for the album in one place, to have unity. I already have many songs that I have been studying, but the repertoire is not yet finalized. There is the possibility of including a Fado written especially for me. The incredible composer and friend Tiago Torres da Silva offered, with great kindness and affection, which made me very happy and honored. I would be very happy to record a new fado, made especially for me. I want to make this album slowly. I want to have contributions from Portuguese composers and a result that reflects my entire career and the influences that I bring with me. Fado is always with me, it cannot be left out, it is no longer possible to take it away from me. I will continue working with samba-canção and choro, but this upcoming work has the essence of fado, even if it does not yet include any of them as such. The idea is to continue with the second album, taking advantage of the release of the EP "Travessia", without rushing, to arrive at an album that represents my musical journey.
What has been the biggest challenge since moving to Portugal?
I feel like I still get asked a lot about fado. People want to know if I’m a Brazilian fado singer, they try to “label” me. But I consider myself a singer, and fado has changed me a lot and contributed significantly to my development as such. I have a lot of respect and happiness for having discovered this music. One thing that surprised me is that fado houses started inviting me to work, something I didn’t expect to happen. I always make sure to make it clear that I like working with fado, but I’m not going to make it my main activity. It influences me and I enjoy singing it, and I’ll continue as long as it’s true for me. A challenge and a joy was João Braga’s invitation to participate in his 55-year career at the Teatro São Luís. I was the only Brazilian on stage, singing fado with him and also a samba-canção. It was a nervous moment, but also a moment of flattery, because I don’t know any other Brazilian who has experienced this. The recognition of being invited by someone like this or to sing at the fado club is significant. Furthermore, being able to use the fado environment, which requires silence and attention, to sing the samba-canção is rewarding.
My biggest challenge is to continue to perpetuate this work that I have been doing, which gives me the most pleasure, always being careful about where and with whom I sing. The quality of things is more important than quantity, and this continues to be very consistent for me.
What is music to you?
It is a reason to live and exist. Even though I am still young, I believe I have already learned some important things. To maintain this meaning, you have to be very careful, because I have made music my profession. As in a relationship, you have to be careful not to wear things out, and treat everything with great care. I feel that music is what I have to do in this life. It is what dazzles me and makes me happy. When I perform, I get goosebumps on stage thousands of times. For me, that is transcendental. When I make someone feel emotional, I change their day. Since I lived with fado in Brazil, I saw people who traveled from far away to watch me sing, people who knew fado through me, who were moved and cried. I believe that this gives meaning to our lives. For me, music gives meaning to my life. So, I need to take good care of it to continue having a reason to live.
What do you like to do when you're not singing?
In my free time, I like to exercise, which is great for me. I have always been very active and have practiced many sports and physical activities. I also love spending time with my friends and family – one of the things I find hardest is being away from them. Traveling is another passion, and my job allows me to visit many places, which is something I love doing.
What advice would you give yourself when you were starting your career?
The advice I would give myself is to not be afraid and keep moving forward. Keep looking for opportunities and don’t hesitate, like I did when I sent recordings to audio production companies early in my career. I believe the universe conspires in our favor when we move towards our goals. I would tell myself to keep listening to my instincts and follow the path that I believe is right.
* Joana Patacas - Communication and Content Consulting
Photography by Nani Medeiros by Alípio Padilha
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