Dulce Pontes

biography Dulce Pontes is a Portuguese singer and composer, considered one of the most popular and recognized interpreters of fado and world music. Born on April 8, 1969, in Montijo, district of Setúbal, she had contact with music from an early age, learning to play the piano at the Lisbon Conservatory and studying contemporary dance between the ages of 7 and 17. His uncle Carlos Pontes, fado singer and bullfighting aficionado, was one of his influences on the fado tradition. Her professional career began in 1988, when she was selected to participate in a musical comedy at Teatro Maria Matos, in Lisbon. In 1990, he performed at Casino Estoril, in a variety show. In 1991, he won the Festival RTP da Canção with the song "Lusitana Paixão" and represented Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest, placing 8th out of 22 countries. That same year, he participated in the OTI Festival, in Mexico, where he came in 5th place with the song "Ao Sul da América". In 1992, he released his first album, "Lusitana", with pop songs that did not yet reflect his full artistic potential. In 1993, he released his second album, "Lágrimas", where he explored new sounds and influences from fado, Arabic, Balkan and Brazilian music. The biggest success of this album was "Canção do Mar", a fado classic that Dulce Pontes recreated with a breathtaking interpretation and which became one of the biggest hits in Portuguese music. This song was used as the opening theme of a Brazilian soap opera and as part of the soundtrack for the American film "As Duas Faces da Lei", with Richard Gere and Edward Norton. In 1995, Dulce Pontes recorded her third album, "Caminhos", where she collaborated with several Portuguese composers and poets, such as José Afonso, Sérgio Godinho, Pedro Abrunhosa and António Lobo Antunes. On this album, Dulce Pontes showed her vocal and musical versatility, singing in Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and English. In 1996, he released his first live album, "Brisa do Coração", recorded at Coliseu dos Recreios, in Lisbon. From then on, Dulce Pontes began a successful international career, working in several countries in Europe, America and Asia. He collaborated with artists such as Ennio Morricone, Andrea Bocelli, George Dalaras or Caetano Veloso. In 1999, he released the album "O Primeiro Canto", where he sang in Portuguese, Galician and Mirandese. In 2003, he released the double album "Focus", with songs composed by Ennio Morricone and lyrics written by Dulce Pontes. In 2006, he released the album "O Coração Tem Três Portas", a tribute to traditional fado recorded live at the Church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo and the Convento da Ordem do Carmo. In 2009, Dulce Pontes released the album "Momentos", a compilation of her best songs and some new ones. In 2012, he released the album "Peregrinação", where he sang in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian. In 2017, he released the album "Best Of", with some of his biggest hits and two new songs. Dulce Pontes is an artist who stands out for her powerful and emotional voice, capable of singing different musical genres with authenticity and sensitivity.