Biography

So, eventually, he got right back into it. In his late teens by then, Camané knew he had the voice but also knew he wanted to establish himself as a serious artist, erase all memories of his "early years". He decided to pay his dues as all good Fado singers should: singing live as much as he could, learning the so-called tricks of the trade, performing as guest artist in theatrical revues (directed by Portugal's leading theatre director Filipe La Féria), doing the Fado club circuit… And he has never looked back.

It was during this period that he met José Mário Branco, one of the most respected and prestigious singer-songwriters in Portugal - and one known for his remarkably intelligent and modern approach to musical traditions. The two men hit it off instantly and vowed to work together.

In 1994 Camané signed with EMI. By then he'd been singing Fado for 20 years, professionally as an adult since the mid-eighties. With Branco as producer, he decided to use his first album as a sampler, recording it live as if he were singing a set in a fado club. And so it was, with an improvised club and a portable recording studio at the Lisbon offices EMI was working out of at the time. "Uma Noite de Fados" was released to critical acclaim in 1995, proving the prodigy had matured beyond everyone's expectations. Camané was no flash in the pan; in him, Fado, then an ailing niche song, found the perfect rejuvenator, a torchbearer ready to take it to the next level.