Known for the beautiful voice not just in Portugal, the popularity of Aurea has been heard even in Goa. Now, she will be performing right here for her fans and music lovers at a concert this Sunday. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution of Portugal, the Consulate General of Portugal in Goa and CLP-Camões will present the musical concert by Aurea on April 28 at 6 pm at Sunset Lawns, Taj Cidade de Goa Heritage, Dona Paula. Goa’s very own Sonia Shirsat will also present a guest performance.
Originally from Santiago do Cacém, Alentejo, Aurea grew up in Silves, Algarve and made her debut in the world of music in 2008 with her English single ‘Okay Alright’. Aurea released her debut album, Aurea, in September 2010. The album entered at number 21 at the Portuguese Albums Chart, but quickly reached number 1. Since then, Aurea has dedicated her life to her passion of music. She has not only been a performer but has also been guiding young, budding talent to make a strong standing in the world of music in Portugal. Aurea’s discography comprises of more English singles than her own native language, Portuguese.
This concert will be Aurea’s first destination outside her home country, Portugal, on this tour. Speaking about her maiden trip to India and that too her performance in Goa, she says, “It’s a great, great pleasure to able to play in Goa, an amazing ancestral city, filled with tradition and historically connected to Portugal. I always wanted to travel to India and discover the different ways of living and facing life. This trip to Goa is a dream come true. I just hope I will be at my best to entertain the audience.”
She hopes to soak in a lot of experiences too as she further adds, “There’s so much I would like to soak up in India. From the culinary to the music, I’m sure there are lots of stimulation to my senses. I’m also particularly interested in discovering the Portuguese influence in the streets and daily life of Goa.”
Aurea has a great repertoire of English songs and she shares what her fans can look forward to at this concert, “I will be singing several songs from my repertoire, in English and in Portuguese. I’m also singing one or two songs to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution in Portugal. I’m sure you can expect me to sing some of my favourite songs in English, like ‘Busy for me’, ‘I didn’t mean it’, ‘Scratch my back’ or ‘OK Alright’. But I’m also singing in Portuguese. Let’s see if I can teach the audience to sing in Portuguese.”
Post the concert in Goa, Aurea will be travelling to more international destinations in her itinerary before heading back to Portugal on her concert tour. “I’m happy to receive more invitation to play in India. Nevertheless, I have some requests to play in Hong Kong and Toronto. When back to Lisbon, I will be focusing on my new album and in particular on a new single to release later this year,” says Aurea.
Aurea has released five studio albums in a span of 13 years which include ‘Aurea’, ‘Soul Notes’, ‘Restart’, ‘Confessions’ and her latest album ‘Moods’ which was released in 2023. Elaborating on the success of the album, Aurea says, “I had great reactions in Portugal and it takes more time to promote the album abroad. So, we are still receiving feedback from fans in other countries.”
Besides her exciting career as an artiste, Aurea has also been a coach on the famous The Voice show for Portugal. She was a coach for the singing show, The Voice Portugal from 2015 to 2022. In 2023, she joined the fourth edition of the Voice Kids Portugal as a coach. Speaking about her experiences on the show, she says, “It was an exciting experience. I’ve been working 8 years with the team and I had the chance to meet amazing artists and TV professionals. Being part of The Voice Kids was more difficult since it’s harder for me to evaluate kids and deciding which ones are the ones to coach.”
However, while still working on the shows, she effortlessly managed to release almost three albums. How did she make time for the albums? “It’s a natural process, it’s all about discipline and motivation. While on the road, new ideas pop up and new songs take place. Autumn and Winter are usually great periods to go on holidays and record new songs,” she explains.
What genre of music does she enjoy working with for your albums? “I’ve been discovering different music genres during the past 10 years. I’m a fan of low tempo songs and Soul music tunes. In my previous album, I had the chance to create an album in Portuguese, solely with great Portuguese authors. It has a different musical atmosphere, but it answers to some requests from fans and followers, who have been asking for songs in Portuguese,” she says.
Over the years, Aurea has collaborated with various artistes and musical groups including Nikolas Takács, Paulo Sousa, The Black Mamba, Enoque, Marco Rodrigues, António Zambujo and Marisa Liz. But with did she enjoy working the most? “I’ve been so lucky to have the chance to sing with so many talented artists, but probably, the most exciting project of collaboration was to participate on the album, ‘Viva Elvis Collection’, which includes a duet with Elvis Presley on the song ‘Love Me Tender.’”
Though Aurea is coming on a very short trip to Goa, she certainly is interested in feeling the musical pulse of the state. “I would love to meet Goans artistes or at least, to listen to some traditional live music while in Goa. I don’t think I’ll have much time for sightseeing, but at least, I would like to visit the old centre of the city,” she informs.
To conclude, when asked if Aurea plans on any of her singles to have any Indian influence in the future, she says, “You have to wait and see! Let’s see how it goes in Goa and what musical influences I will absorb. Who knows!”
Passes will be available at CLP-Camões, Panjim, between 10 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 5.30 pm. One pass admits two. Limited seating on first come, first served basis. Be prepared to be mesmerised by this singing diva on Sunday.
