Fado is a traditional urban form of song, and has its origins in the early 19th century. This popular art form, which continues to evolve today, has met several changes throughout history. With the various waves of emigration, fado has found its way into many countries where Portuguese communities reside. Notably in Paris, where fado has been thriving for several decades and has been performed in a number of renowned venues that have hosted great singers and musicians.

“We play and sing to tell the stories that linger by the waves. We continue to bring to life the words and poems of a country bound to the sea, for they stir our souls and remind us of where we come from.

This is how I am swept away by the experience of my origins. I want to understand and make this culture my own – a culture in which I feel like a stranger, even though I have been steeped in it. Musicians Philippe De Sousa and Nuno Estevens share this feeling, but on a different scale. Portuguese in France, and French in Portugal, they are strangers in their own land. So there is this search for a place of our own, made up of hybrid elements linked to the land, to our shared musicality, to time and to experience. »

Zoë De Sousa

© Sylvain Arrivé