Ramana Vieira
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- 1 de Abril, 2023
Ramana Vieira is a North American from California of Portuguese descent. Her parents emigrated from Portugal to the United States, where her grandfather was a well-known musician and composer from Madeira Island. Ramana’s work captures traditional Fado and influences from Portuguese communities in a mix of American classics and jazz blues. She is a proficient pianist and talented composer, having written and composed her own original Fados, several of which were nominated at the International Portuguese Music Awards.
At the age of 59, you are one of the most renowned fado voices among the Portuguese community in the United States of America. At what point in your life did you realize that your future would be through music?
At a very young age I immersed myself in the Arts. I was always in a theatrical play or in choir growing up. I went into the Arts because of necessity to escape a challenging home environment. I think I always knew my world would be the performing arts.
You were born in California, into a family of Portuguese immigrants with a great talent for music. By the way, your grandfather was a musician and composer. Do you feel that your passion for music came largely from this legacy?
I am not sure where one’s passion comes from, but I do think it’s passed down in the DNA gene pool. I also feel that passion comes from the soul. And that is a gift from God.
You grew up listening to American pop, along with Portuguese popular music and fado. How did fado gain space in your life and in your soul?
Through osmosis! My mother while cleaning or cooking in the home played the classic fado artists, Carlos Do Carmo, Amalia of course, and Alfredo Marceneiro. She also was a closet fadista. My grandfather played music in his home and would have us join in. I was exposed to this genre from the time I was born through my young adult upbringing. It was part of our household.
Do you consider your style “contemporary fado”, where the old world meets the new, where whispering ballads meet American classics and jazz blues. What are your main musical influences?
Lol, that was written by my publicist at the time. If you attend one of my more current concerts you will see us break into a Prince song or play a Fado with a Jazz feel. It depends on our show and the audience. One show we had last year someone actually asked us to play, “Freebird.” And we did! You have to be so diverse, flexible, prepared, skilled and ready for anything! I think the reason we bill this as contemporary is because we have adapted the classics of Fado in particular, Amalia’s music and we have added some experimental instrumentation, such as violin, piano, percussion as opposed to the traditional way Fado has been done typically. The typical Fado is with guitarra, violas and viola baixo and usually no microphone or amplification.
In addition to being an excellent singer and a proficient pianist, you are also a talented composer, having already released four albums: “Sem Ti”, “Despi a Alma”, Lágrima de Rainha” and Fado da Vida”. Where do you find the inspiration you need to compose?
That is an excellent question! There is a long answer and a short one. The short answer is from God. The long answer is from: life experiences, my travels, my struggles, my love for humanity and for my family and friends, community, my culture and my saudade. Songs come from the human heart. It’s a huge mystery and can be a glorious and cathartic experience to compose.
Some of yours original fados were nominated at the International Portuguese Music Awards. Do you feel an added responsibility for representing one of the most identifiable elements of Portuguese culture?
Not sure I understand this question Terry. Let me try to answer and also I want to clarify if I may, that the song that was nominated for best world music song in 2015 was, “Cabo Verde” which I was the composer of the written works by Portuguese-Canadian author, Euclides Cavaco. The two Fado nominations were “Ai Mouraria” and “Nem As Paredes Confesso.” I also feel a level of responsibility to everything that I am involved in. So yes to answer your question;)
In April you will release a new CD. What can you tell us about this latest project?
We are hoping for a May 15th release with “Tudo De Mim.” The new album is a highlight of my love for Hawaiian Culture, Portuguese culture and we have a hint of Brazil on this new album. So it’s really about covering the Portuguese Diaspora and my travels. I have also taken a further step on going out on a limb and writing about my spiritual studies with a song called, “Mother Mary.” We also have a single we are calling our urban Fado, “Fado La La La.” There is a video which I created with snippets of Fado, Portugal, Love, Nature and our youth dancing in the streets. you can catch it here:
Fado is making a resurgence in the Portuguese-American communities of California and fado singers of Portuguese descent want to show it to North Americans, expanding knowledge of the musical genre they consider to embody the Portuguese language and culture. Can we say that fado is in fashion?
I would love to say that Fado is in fashion. I never have gone by the latest fashions or trends of anything. I am not a jump on the bandwagon type of gal. I haven’t even watched “Stranger Things. “I just go by my own barometer of what I love. However, for the sake of answering your question, is it cool to sing or to watch Fado? Always! The more the merrier for people performing it! I have always wanted to have a local event of all the fado artists in California to perform. Maybe one day we could have that kind of inclusive experience together.
Do you consider it important not only to show Portuguese culture and music to the world, but also to show the next generations that this musical genre is ageless?
Yes. Of course. However, fado is progressive with different artists from the last few generations. Dulce Pontes was my inspiration with her modern arrangements of the classics of Amalia Rodrigues. Her live album, “A Brisa do Coracao” was jaw dropping, incredible and mind blowing. It was very well received in Portugal. It was a pivotal moment for me. I was validated for taking the music on a progressive level with her demonstration of this. I never looked back.
Em 2023, onde poderemos apreciar a bela voz de Ramana Vieira?
Oh, very kind. You can sign up to receive all upcoming show dates, CD releases and news on my website:
www.ramanavieira.net
And you can also find me on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/RamanaVieira
A message to all artists in the world.
Pursue your dreams! If you encounter challenges, know that overcoming them will make you more resilient and keep you strong. Stay on task and stay focused. Nothing worth having comes easy. It’s worth fighting for it. Don’t ever live a life of regret or I should have…. Don’t let anyone tell you that you are not good enough. Be prepared if you are in the limelight for some ridicule, it comes with territory UNFORTUNATELY.
Lastly, be prepared! When opportunity knocks, open the door and trust the process! Boa sorte!
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Ramana Vieira - Descendências Magazine
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