Portuguese singer says that Lisbon is the home of fado Carminho. “You must experience it yourself when you are there.”
Carminho has recently worked with Rosalia to create the song “Memória“, who released her album “Eu Vou Morrer de Amor or Resistir” in 2025, is well-versed in the Portuguese music genre known as fado. “I started to practice while in my mother’s belly—she’s a singer, and she owned a fado house in Lisbon, and my brothers and sisters and I were all surrounded by fado.” Carminho was 12 when she gave her first performance, but according to her mother, Carminho began singing at age 4.
It’s best to experience the melancholic sounds of this genre in a cozy, unplugged fado-house or fado-bar, where singers sing without any amplification. The songs often deal with lost love or nostalgic feelings and are very moving, even for guests who do not understand the language. Carminho claims that Fado is its own language.
The popularity of fado in Portugal has been up and down, but a younger generation is finally embracing its sound. When I first started performing, the people around me didn’t care about it, and even generations before them were less interested. In some ways fado was tied to the old Portugal—with political issues, with the dictator—but about 15 years ago, people began to understand that the music itself was stronger than the preconceptions people had about it.”
Carminho says that the 2008 financial crisis was what sparked this change. Carminho says, “People tried to figure out how to survive after they lost their job or didn’t get enough money to pay the mortgage. They started small businesses that were based on their Portuguese identity.” It was a way for us to regain our pride. The fado became a part in this boom. We realized the gold within our culture.
Suffice to say, if you’re headed to Portugal and spending any time in Lisbon, listening to fado in a dimly lit taverna is a special experience to be had—one that embodies the spirit of Lisbon past and present. Some fado homes are more formal. They serve a full dinner on white linen tablecloths with a carefully orchestrated show. Others are more spontaneous, marked by close quarters, low ceilings, Portuguese comfort food, and the possibility that a famous singer may drop by unannounced—or even invite a member of the audience up to sing. Carminho reminds us that there are a few rules to follow wherever you go: First and foremost, “you don’t talk when a Fadista sings.” It’s best to book in advance, especially for the well-known and popular spots. But there are many low-profile fado homes where you can show up without a reservation and just have a few drinks. It’s always a good idea to call your hotel concierge and ask if you need a reservation. Some smaller houses only accept cash.
Below, Carminha shares her favorite places to experience fado in Lisbon—from the informal to the buttoned up, with a few trips down her own nostalgia lane.
R. dos Remédios 139, 1100-453 Lisboa
“Mesa de Frades, the fado-house where I have spent the longest singing. Before I began my career, I sang in this fado-house for about eight or nine years. The most beautiful nights I spent there were when I was a mere amateur. It is in the Alfama neighborhood, one of Lisbon’s most distinctive neighborhoods.
