Cristina Branco is one of the most important Portuguese artists of recent decades, with a total of 17 albums released and countless concerts all over the world. Her most recent work, Eva (2020) has won over the public and critics alike and confirmed Cristina as one of the most versatile performers on the Portuguese music scene.
She began her career in Holland, with the album Cristina Branco in Holland (1997), which became a huge success in that country. In the following years, Cristina’s name exploded throughout Europe, with sold-out dates in countless venues and cities. Her following works, Murmúrios (1998) and Post-Scriptum (2000) reinforced the success of her first album, and Cristina was awarded two Prix Choc, the prestigious prizes given by the French magazine Le Monde de La Musique.
Despite her accomplishments abroad, it was only at the turn of the millennium, with Corpo Iluminado (2001), O Descobridor (2002), a double-platinum album, Sensus (2003), and Ulisses (2005), that Cristina Branco finally began to be discovered and acclaimed by the Portuguese public and press. Comparisons with Amália Rodrigues were recurrent and inevitable.
This was followed by Abril (2007), an album with cover versions of songs by José Afonso, Kronos (2009) and Fado Tango (2011), her tenth studio album, which features collaborations with renowned authors and composers such as Mário Laginha, Carlos Tê, and Pedro da Silva Martins. The album shows the first signs that Cristina’s music could have another guise and foreshadows Cristina’s artistic rebirth that would arrive a few years later with Menina.
Considered Best Record of the Year by Sociedade Portuguesa de Autores (SPA), Menina (2016), is the first chapter of a trilogy that includes the jovial and kaleidoscopic Branco (2018) and Eva (2020). In these works, Cristina brings together unusual collaborations, which cross styles, genres, cultures, and geographies. The result is an innovative and spontaneous interpretation of the traditional musical expression of Fado.
Eva, released in March 2020, reveals Cristina Branco’s depth in ten intimate songs. We find one of the singer’s most personal work in the stories of Eva Haussman, the protagonist of the record. The album has been presented all over the world, accumulating sold-out shows in countries like Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Holland and France.
In 2022 – the year she celebrates her 25th career anniversary – Cristina Branco released Amoras numa Tarde de Outono, a new album in collaboration with the pianist João Paulo Esteves da Silva, which seeks to record the work the duo has been developing live over the last 20 years.
PRESS QUOTES
“Cristina Branco is a fundamental name in Portuguese popular music of this century” VISÃO
“One of the most beautiful voices of Portuguese music” TIME OUT
“Cristina Branco gives a new life to Portuguese folklore and enriches fado with jazz and world music” FRANCE MUSIQUE