Gisele João, Portugal’s most widely acclaimed fado singer to emerge in this decade, headlined the NY Fado Festival this past weekend at the Schimmel Center. Jon Pareles of the NY Times had this to say:

“From her first song, “Madrugada sem Sono” (“Dawn Without Sleep”), Ms. João summoned a full spectrum of fado’s tempestuous passions, from hushed melancholy to eruptive, rough-edged, tearful peaks to aching resignation. Each of her ballads was its own drama, a white-knuckled journey through seismic emotions.”

Read the full review here.

Riot Artists is pleased to welcome Portuguese singer, Gisela João, to our touring roster! After a successful showcase at Womex 2016, in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, she will be presenting her Fado program in New York in February.

Her 1st album, “Gisela João,” received awards from the Portuguese media (Expresso, BLITZ, Público, Time Out, GQ …), who praised her for her range of emotion, authentic Fado soul, and for, at the same time, incorporating the contemporary sound of urban music. She was also honored with two prizes of enormous prestige (Amália Rodrigues and José Afonso). Her 2^nd album “Nua” was just released in November.