Portuguese singer Mariza, one of the divas of world music who offers her listeners a musical journey, is set to perform in Istanbul's Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) and Ankara's CSO Ada complex as part of the Beyoğlu and Başkent Culture Road Festivals. The gigs will take place on Oct. 2 and 3, respectively.

Mariza is a Portuguese Mozambican singer who nourished her soul in the Mouraria town of Lisbon. Receiving the Portuguese State's title of the artist who best represents the country's culture abroad, Mariza was declared the "Voice of Fado" in 1999 by the foundation named after the legendary fado singer Amalia Rodrigues.

Three words sum up Mariza and her singing, which adds a contemporary interpretation to the fado tradition and has been included in UNESCO's Cultural Heritage List: Passionate, elegant and sensual. Mariza says that fado is not just music, it is a feeling. "I didn't choose this music, it was my destiny," she added.

Mariza will meet her fans in Istanbul and Ankara thanks to the editions of the Turkish Culture Road Festivals, organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in these cities.

Türkiye's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has been preserving and maintaining cultural heritage as a whole with its tangible and intangible efforts that are showcased to the world through the many important strategic events throughout the year. Among these events, the Culture Road Festivals aim to draw attention to the cultural, architectural and historical heritage of the cities where they are organized and to introduce different cultural experiences. The first of the Turkish Culture Road Festivals was organized for the first time in Istanbul last year under the name "Beyoğlu Culture Road Festival." The Beyoğlu festival kicked off its second edition at the beginning of this year with the Başkent Culture Road Festival held simultaneously in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Both the Beyoğlu and Başkent festivals will be held at the same time between Oct. 1-23 in Istanbul and Ankara once again. More than 6,000 artists across 46 different venues will meet with art lovers in more than 1,000 events during the Beyoğlu Culture Road Festival. The AKM, the heart of the festival, will host the people of Istanbul on their cultural and artistic journey with all its halls. The Başkent festival will also offer a rich array of culture and art. Ankara residents and locals in the surrounding cities will be treated to a unique culture and art experience for 23 days with various events from concerts to exhibitions, sports competitions and interviews.

Mariza will revive both festivals with her spellbinding concerts where she will perform some of her most popular songs along with material from her most recent album.

Voice of Fado's career

After her first album, "Fado Em Mim" ("Fado in Me"), which was released in 2001, reached platinum record sales four times in Portugal, Mariza started to attract attention on international platforms and won first place in the category of "Best Performance" at the Quebec Summer Festival in 2002. In the same year, she gave sold-out concerts in New York's Central Park, the Womad Festival, London's South Bank and Lisbon. Mariza, who became the new fado star of the new generation with the "Best Artist" award at the BBC Europe World Music Awards in 2003, says that she finds herself through fado.

Mariza gained worldwide fame with her bestselling fado album of all time "Fado em Mim." Then, she won the German Critics Awards 2001-2003, the European Breakers Award 2003, Portugal's Personality of the Year Award 2003, and Coup de Coeur Mirror Award-Canada 2003 awards. In her second album, "Fado Curvo," she described fado as music that is not flat like life but has passion, love, and ups and downs.

Mariza has been described by foreign journalists in Portugal as an artist who introduces Portuguese culture to large audiences, with consecutive concerts in Europe and North America and performances in the most prestigious concert halls from the Royal Hall in London to the Alte Oper in Frankfurt. In 2004, the artist performed the song "A Thousand Years" with the famous artist Sting in the official album recorded for the Olympic Games.

Mariza's third studio album "Transparente" was released in more than 35 countries all over Europe, Latin America and America. Dedicating her songs to fado legends such as Fernando Mauricio, Carlos do Carmo and Amalia Rodrigues, Mariza tried new songs with other rhythmic forms in this album.

The first Portuguese artist to be nominated for Grammy Awards, Mariza's album "Terra" also won the Latin Grammy Awards for Best Folk Music and Best Producer. The Lisbon Symphony Orchestra accompanied the artist in her live album "Concerto em Lisboa," which she released in November 2006. Playing the leading role in Carlos Saura's film "Fados," Mariza shared the nomination in the "Best International Artist" category at the Emma Gala awards in Finland in 2007 with names such as Robbie Williams, Andrea Bocelli, Basshunter, Iron Maiden and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Having a huge fan base in Türkiye as well, Mariza made the album "Mundo" with Grammy award-winning producer Javier Limon and interpreted the songs of Amalia Rodrigues and Tango's phenomenon Carlos Gardel with her voice. Mariza has met with her fans in prestigious concert halls around the world on four continents.

The number one representative of fado with the sales of more than 1 million albums all over the world, Mariza introduced another album bearing her own name in 2018. In the same year, she released the duet "Pideme" with Vanesa Martin and the singles "Quem Me Dara" and "Trigueirinha."

Mariza also celebrated the 20th anniversary of her career and the centennial of the birth of the late "Queen of Fado" Amalia Rodrigues with her album "Mariza Sings Amalia" in 2021. She most recently introduced the single "Mae" to fans in 2021.