Fado is a music genre traced back to the 1820s. They are folk songs sung by fadistas (fado singers) and was brought to Goa by the Portuguese.
Dying tradition
Due to advent of modernity and modern day music (EDM, Pop, rock etc.), we are losing our traditions. We are so engrossed in the present trends and predicting future trends, that we are forgetting our origins and traditions that shape us individually. Like the good old fado.
Sonia Shirsat
Though it is a rarity to see fadistas nowadays, a bubbly singer from Ponda, Goa has sung in 13 languages, and is taking the world by storm through fado. She has spread her love for the genre in several countries including Portugal, Luxembourg, Macau and Kuwait. Sonia Shirsat is rated as ‘the best fadista in India’ and she is often compared to the legendary Amelia Rodrigues (a renowned singer in the same category).
This passionate singer believes that Fado is a style that exists all over the world under different names, in different languages. She has also created a fusion, by singing fado and playing Indian instruments like the sitar and tabla
Other promising artists
Although the number of folk singers are depleting, Sonia isn’t the only one left. Other fadistas include Miguel Cotta, Chantalle Marie Cotta E Viegas and Nadia Rebello who are striving to make their mark on the world, through their soulful melody, the way Sonia has done.
If you want to spend your evenings listening to some beautiful fados, hop in to Cidade de Goa hotel on the first Tuesday of every month. I guarantee you the ambiance, cuisine and the music will take you on a blissful journey to Goa during the Portuguese era.
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