Lula Pena

Lula Pena is a Portuguese singer, guitarist, composer and poet, born in Lisbon on 15 May 1974. Working from fado's emotional core, she pulls in chanson, flamenco, blues and strands of Mexican, Greek and Italian song, singing in six languages and often setting her own texts alongside other poets. Her guitar playing is spare and idiosyncratic, her delivery hushed and intensely intimate. Across three decades she has released only three albums — Phados, Troubadour and Archivo Pittoresco — each separated by long silences, live performance carrying her reputation instead. She has appeared at WOMEX and WOMAD, admired for stretching fado's borders while keeping its melancholic core intact.