Cristina Clara

"There’s an infectious radiance and joie de vivre about her music and presence on stage." (Simon Broughton, Songlines)

Cristina Clara is a singer, songwriter, and traveler between musical traditions that span the Portuguese-speaking world. Her songs emerge from encounters, stories, and sounds that she collects during her travels – from Fado houses in Lisbon to Cape Verdean rhythms to Brazilian melodies. Everything flows into one another, old forms meet new paths, languages merge, and rhythms open up spaces.

On stage, this sound comes to life. Together with musicians who are at home between jazz and oral folk music, an open, organic sound is created. Cristina's voice moves between intimacy and expansiveness; her shows are improvised dialogues between poetry and music, between tradition and her own compositions.

The repertoire ranges from Portuguese Fado to Cape Verdean Morna to Brazilian Choro – always with modern arrangements, vibrant rhythms, and a subtle lightness that makes the space palpable.

Her performances include WOMEX in Manchester, the NOS Alive Festival, Teatro da Trindade in Lisbon, Atlantic Music Expo in Cape Verde, Casa de Portugal in São Paulo, Centre Culturel des Arts Pluriels in Luxembourg, and the Azores International Festival.

Cristina Clara - vocals, Pedro Loch - guitar