20 Jul Cristina Branco Wins PLAY Award for Best Traditional Music Album
Following her recent José Afonso Award 2026, Cristina Branco has received another major distinction for her album Mulheres de Abril, which has won the PLAY – Portuguese Music Awards for Traditional Music 2026 in the category Best Traditional Music Album. The award was announced during the second edition of the ceremony, held at the Royal Cloister of the Batalha Monastery as part of the Artes à Vila festival.
With this latest accolade, Mulheres de Abril further establishes itself as one of the most significant Portuguese music releases of the past year, reaffirming the enduring relevance of José Afonso’s work today.
The tour “Mulheres de Abril — Cristina Branco Sings José Afonso” will continue over the coming months, with new dates to be announced soon.
Following Abril (2007), Cristina Branco returns to the work of José Afonso with Mulheres de Abril, a project that places the women inhabiting the songwriter’s creative universe at its heart. Through a fresh interpretation of his repertoire, the album revisits the stories, emotions and resilience of the women portrayed in José Afonso’s songs, highlighting the deeply humanist and progressive vision that shaped both his work and his perspective on a society in transformation.
By revisiting this repertoire, Cristina Branco offers a contemporary interpretation of Portugal’s traditional musical heritage, preserving the poetic and musical strength of José Afonso’s compositions while bringing them a renewed artistic and interpretative dimension. The album features eight iconic songs: Endechas a Bárbara Escrava, De Não Saber o Que Me Espera, Canção do Desterro, Teresa Torga, Canção da Paciência, Mulher da Erva, Verdade e Mentira and Verdes São os Campos. The album was also nominated for the PLAY Award for Best Reimagining of Traditional Roots Music.
On this project, Cristina Branco is joined by Ricardo Dias (arrangements, production and piano), Alexandre Frazão (drums), Bernardo Moreira (double bass), Mário Delgado (guitars) and Tomás Marques (saxophone).
