MARIZA

The 48-year-old Portuguese-Mozambican artist is currently considered one of the greatest ambassadors of Portuguese culture; she is not only an excellent fado singer, but also a diva of the world stage. Her unique music is rooted in fado, but in addition to classical and contemporary pieces her repertoire comprises the morna music of Cape Verde, as well as Brazilian and Spanish classical tunes. She burst onto the world music stage in 2001, since when she has performed in almost all of the major venues around the world, playing music with legends such as Gilberto Gil, Lenny Kravitz and even Sting. She has been nominated for several Latin Grammy Awards, while BBC Radio 3 has recognised her talent by giving her the Best European Artist in World Music award three times.