According to some studies, up to 93% of the population listens to music, illustrating just how deeply this art form has permeated our lives. If Portuguese is one of the 10 languages most commonly spoken in the world - so what kind of music can you listen to in order to learn Portuguese?
Music is a significant part of the Lusophone cultural heritage, whether it is folk or traditional music or Brazilian beats. In this article, we won't be focusing on instrumental pieces - obviously, since you want to learn Portuguese through music - but on some of the most inspiring popular Portuguese songs.
Old Portuguese Songs that Defined Generations
1. Portuguese Ballad: Amalia Rodrigues - Fado Português
Amália da Piedade Rebordão Rodrigues was a Portuguese actress and performer who died in 1999. A true icon of Portuguese music, she was called "the Queen of Fado", mostly because of the nostalgic character of her melodies. Her song Fado Português is one of her most emblematic pieces and perfectly represents the spirit of traditional fado. She had an enormous impact on Portuguese music and fado music.
2. Portuguese Canto: Dulce Pontes - Canção do Mar
If you are a fan of French chanson and love Hélène Segara's Elle, tu l'aimes? you will love this Portuguese song, which has become a classic. Cançao do Mar is nothing more or less than the Portuguese version of the French song. Proof that even French vocal music can be influenced by famous Portuguese songs. All of Portugal is bundled into one song: love, poetry, ambiance, lyricism, and a beautiful voice to convey it. Far from gospel or children's rhymes, this song includes many of the distinctive aspects of Portuguese music.
3. Voice of Portugal: Amália Rodrigues - Uma Casa Portuguesa
Uma Casa Portuguesa is one of the most emblematic songs in her repertoire and a true cultural anthem of Portugal. This song celebrates the simplicity of the Portuguese home, hospitality, and the small pleasures of everyday life. Amália's unmistakable voice conveys with sweetness and strength the spirit of a home where bread, wine and affection are never lacking. Far from superficial glamour or commercial lyrics, Uma Casa Portuguesa offers an authentic image of Portuguese identity.
4. Classic Portuguese Song: Pedro Abrunhosa - Beijo
A music hinting at saudade, but somewhat more festive and rhythmic, more modern - like this classic of Portuguese music. Beijo is a melancholic tune, simple, without unnecessary embellishments, the vocals accompanied by (almost) nothing but an acoustic piano with just a touch of electronics - that's the type of music Abrunhosa delivers.
Pedro Abrunhosa was born in Porto in the 1960s and is well known in the Portuguese music scene today. Among other things, he founded a school of jazz. His songs tell stories that speak to all of us, whether happy, sad, dramatic or joyful. This local artist makes you eager to learn Portuguese and enter a whole new musical world.
5. Rua da Saudade: Susana Felix - Canção de Madrugar
Canção de Madrugar is a song full of joy and the Portuguese spirit, sung by Susana Félix. A classical folk music song, with its pleasant musical style sung by a female voice in the Portuguese tradition, it is a wonderful way to learn Portuguese.
Far from anything ever sung by Johnny Hallyday, Françoise Hardy, Edith Piaf or Jean Jacques Goldman, the album Rua da Saudade offers a new view of Portugal's singing heritage, both traditional and resolutely modern, allowing you to learn to speak Portuguese in an easy and pleasant manner.
6. Portuguese Songs: João Pedro Pais - Mentira
Again, it's all of Portugal's sensitivity anchored in our time and modernised. Between chanson full of saudade and a large, popular voice that - most notably - produced one of the most successful albums in the history of the Portuguese music industry, João Pedro Pais represents Portugal in all its splendor, emotional and lyrical, sweet and engaging at once.
Some hits, but more than that - Pais' music paints a portrait of Portugal, his home country which propelled him to stardom thanks to the television show Chuva de Estrelas. Accompanied by piano as the sole instrument, there are no unnecessary embellishments, just the Portuguese language and the accents and intonations it brings to a strong music.
7. Portugal Music: Salvador Sobral - Amar pelos dois
Music as a vector for emotions, beautiful lyrics and intense musicality - this is the Portuguese music of today. Born in Lisbon in 1989, Salvador Vilar Braamcamp Sobral is mostly known outside of Portugal for his appearance (and victory) at the Eurovision Song Contest of 2017. His song, Amar pelos dois, has become a real YouTube and streaming hit in Europe, and even earned a record amount of points at Eurovision.
Far from electronic music, afro or funk, this song is a hymn to sweetness, a musical voyage borne by the voice of a true virtuoso of Portuguese music, now a true star of the world music scene. With Sobral, you talk, live and feel Portuguese with sayings as though you were born and raised on the Iberian Peninsula.
Discover Fado: The Soul of Portuguese Music
1. Portuguese Ballad: Amalia Rodrigues - Fado Português
Amália Rodrigues' song Fado Português is the archetype of Amália's Lusophone music. A melancholic and melodic tune worthy of the best of folk fados, text that represents the best of saudade, it is one of the best Rodrigues songs you will ever hear while listening to the radio or your "Portuguese Repertoire" Spotify playlist. In short, "Fado Português" represents the best of the music of Portugal or Brazil, combining soulful melodies with beautiful lyrics. A good way to practise your Portuguese vocabulary and discover the musical tradition of the fado.
2. Contemporary Fado: Mariza - Chuva
Chuva is one of the most representative songs by Mariza, one of the most recognized voices of contemporary fado. This emotional ballad retains all the classic elements of fado - the melancholy, the saudade, and the vocal depth - but with a modern production that has brought the genre to new audiences inside and outside Portugal. With a powerful voice, Mariza interprets Chuva as if each word carries the weight of a lived story, the sadness and desire of what is lost and not forgotten.
3. Portuguese Canto: Dulce Pontes - Canção do Mar
Canção do Mar is one of Dulce Pontes' most emblematic songs and one of the best-known pieces of modern Portuguese music, which fuses traditional fado with contemporary orchestral arrangements. Canção do Mar has become an obligatory reference for those who wish to discover the essence of Portuguese singing beyond classic fado.
4. Modernised Portuguese Music: Amalia Hoje - Gaivota
Amalia Hoje is a Portuguese artist who decided to expand her repertoire to reflect the most typical music of Portugal. In fact, she decided to create a new album that was a compilation inspired by icons such as Amália Rodrigues. To be influenced by Amália Rodrigues' musical style is one thing, but Hoje took it further: this vocalist took well-known songs, such as Gaivota, and modernized them to reflect the tastes of a pop audience.
As a way to popularize Portuguese history and the Portuguese language, referencing well-known Portuguese figures that people know and love, which stay in people's minds. When history merges with the present, a beautiful composition ensues - such as this song, an example typical of vocal superstar Amalia Rodrigues.
5. Madredeus - Haja O Que Houver
Madredeus is a group that takes its name from a neighbourhood in Lisbon east of the Alfama. First performed in 1997, the vocals of this song are sung by a woman who takes us far, far away…
A mixture of fado, folk music, and popular music, Haja O Que Houver is a perfect accord between vocals, guitar, and various string instruments, including guitar, cello, and accordion. Language in the service of emotion - that's what this song is about.
6. Deolinda - Mal por mal
Female singers play an important role in Portuguese musical traditions, for example in fado. A new generation inspired by fado and other classical Portuguese musical traditions, transposed into pop and alternative music and carried by a dynamic, feminine voice - impossible? Not with Mal por mal, a resolutely modern song full of harmony, with Portuguese lyrics and a Portuguese guitar accompaniment.
The lead singer's strong voice is perfect for a fusion style that integrates classical guitar, Rock & Folk, with a little more rhythm - a symphony combining several musical eras and as well as Portuguese and ethnic instrumental sections… A true voyage through time and space!
Popular Portuguese Songs Topping the Charts
Here is a quick look at some of the songs that have topped the charts in Portugal recently:
2017
🎤 Salvador Sobral - Amar pelos dois: Eurovision winner, soft and emotional ballad.
2019
💃 Blaya - Faz Gostoso: Urban pop with Brazilian flavor.
2020
🎧 Barbara Bandeira - Como Tu: Youthful pop with great streaming reception.
2021
🕺 David Carreira - Anda Comigo: Mix of Portuguese pop and reggaeton.
2022-2024
👑 Dino D'Santiago, Carolina Deslandes, Diogo Piçarra have dominated with ballads and acoustic or electronic collaborations.
Where to Listen to the Best Portuguese Songs Today
🎧 Spotify and Apple Music - Canadian playlists
Platforms like Spotify Canada include playlists like Portugal Top 50 or Fado Essentials. You can follow Portuguese artists or explore community curated playlists.
📻 Portuguese-language Radio Stations
In cities with a strong Portuguese presence such as Toronto and Montreal, there are radio stations that play Portuguese music:
- CHIN Radio (Toronto) - Has programming in Portuguese with traditional and contemporary music.
- Radio Camões (Montreal) - Broadcasts Portuguese music, news and culture.
- Sauga 960 AM - Includes segments from the Portuguese community in the GTA.
📺 YouTube channels and popular artists
From Canada you can easily follow artists like Carminho, Dino D'Santiago or Diogo Piçarra on YouTube. Some even offer subtitled versions or bilingual interviews.
🎉 Portuguese-Canadian cultural festivals.
- Portugal Week (Toronto): An annual event with live music, fado and guest artists from Portugal.
- Festa de São João (Montreal): Celebrates Portuguese culture with musical performances.
- Canada Portuguese Day: Held in various cities, it includes concerts and traditional dances.
Portugal is not lacking in beautiful songs to showcase its fascinating language and show exactly what it can do. It can be old-fashioned or modern, soft or strong, lyrical or powerful. Look for these songs in your usual streaming sites or download them from iTunes or Amazon. Or look at Portuguese films and videos of concerts on YouTube, try out online Portuguese radio stations, or even go old-fashioned and by a CD.
Discover the rich diversity of interesting facts about Portuguese culture, beyond what you might imagine. No flamenco or gypsy music, just the intangible strains of a beautiful canto or the haunted melodies of fado. And if you ever make it to Portugal itself, why not attend a music festival to discover small orchestral pieces or unusual and diverse vocals, and all of the best music Portugal has to offer.
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