Saudade, one of the most well-known words in the Portuguese language, gives the title to the song that represents Portugal in the 2022 edition of Eurovision, the traditional –and kitsch– musical contest of European countries (and aggregates).
With verses in Portuguese and English, “Saudade, Saudade” was composed by Maro, the stage name of Mariana Secca, who is also responsible for interpreting the song, with the support of an all-female choir.
The 27-year-old is considered one of the new revelations of Portuguese music.
Winner of this year’s Song Festival in her country, Maro wrote the song in honor of her grandfather, who recently died.
Born in Lisbon, Maro is the daughter of musicians and started studying piano at age 4. The desire to become a professional, however, only reached 19. The decision came after listening to the song “Cais”, by Brazilian Milton Nascimento, as revealed in an interview in 2020.
A graduate of Berklee College of Music, in Boston, the artist also lived in Los Angeles and Paris, in addition to spending a season in Brazil.
While still in college, he started posting music videos on Youtube, attracting the attention of international artists.
In 2020, at the height of the confinement caused by the coronavirus, he created a series of musical duets made at a distance. In the series, Maro played the famous “Tears in Heaven” in partnership with Eric Clapton.
Responsible for Portugal’s only victory in Eurovision (2017), singer Salvador Sobral also performed a duet with the young woman as part of the project.
Maro performs this Tuesday (10), in the first semifinal of the festival. The event is broadcast in Brazil from 4pm on TVE and the official Eurovision channel.
On online betting sites, “Saudade, Saudade” is well-rated to advance to the final of Euriovision, played next Saturday (14th). The favoritism for the victory, however, belongs to the band Kalush, from Ukraine.
