Carminho

Maria do Carmo Carvalho Rebelo de Andrade^[5] was born in 20 August 1984, in the city of Lisbon, Portugal.^[6] She was introduced to fado music at an early age,^[7] largely due to the influence of her mother, Teresa Siqueira, a well-known fado singer.^[8][1] During her childhood, the family relocated to the Algarve, where her parents regularly hosted informal fado gatherings at their home.^[9] These early experiences contributed to her familiarity with the musical and expressive nuances of the genre.^[9]

At the age of 12, Carminho made her first public performance at the Coliseu dos Recreios in Lisbon.^[10] The family later returned to Lisbon when her father, a civil engineer, left his profession to support Siqueira's initiative to open a fado venue, Taberna do Embuçado.^[7][9] Through this establishment, Carminho was introduced to prominent figures in the fado tradition, including Amália Rodrigues, Beatriz Conceição, and Celeste Rodrigues, and was exposed to the performances of artists such as Camané.^[9]

Although she maintained a strong connection to music, Carminho initially pursued academic studies and completed a degree in marketing and advertising.^[7][1] Following graduation, she spent a year traveling abroad, participating in humanitarian missions.^[1][7] She has cited this period as formative in shaping her personal and artistic identity.^[7] Upon returning to Portugal, she decided to pursue a professional music career, believing that her experiences had given her the emotional maturity required to interpret fado.^[7] Carminho has been married to music producer João Gomes since 2018. Two years later, it was reported that she became pregnant, and on 26 May 2020, she announced the birth of her first daughter.^[1]

Carminho performed at WOMADelaide in 2014. Carminho performed on 23 June 2016 at the Gibraltar World Music Festival in St. Michael's Cave.^[11]