Newspaper Clippings...

#1 on Lusobeat!!

Madrugada da Alfama has been #1 on Lusobeat.com for 2 weeks!!

THIS WEEK'S LUSOBEAT 10 - COUNTDOWN

1. NATHALIE PIRES - MADRUGADA DE ALFAMA

2. ELYZIUM – UM NOVO DIA

3. ELYZIUM – NA DISCOTECA

4. DAVID DEMELO - ESPERO POR TI

5. GILBERTO CIMBRON – NATAL E TODAY

6. MAURICIO MORAIS - VEM LINDA TRANSMONTANA

7. MAURICIO MORAIS - YESTERDAY

8. NELIA – ERREI POR TE AMAR

9. SONHOS DE PORTUGAL – QUERO ACENDER TEU FOGO

10. DAVID DEMELO – MANDA VIR

Thank you to the Lusobeat community, Jimmy "Jam" Ferreira, and a very special thank you to everyone that voted!!

Happy Holidays!!

Nathalie is the French spelling of the name Natalie, meaning the girl of Christmas.

It's Christmas time and the year is almost over. I've accomplished so much in one year... I've visited so many places I had never gone before, met so many people and made respectable friendships, and performed in locations I will never forget.

Some of my most memorable performances include my first time in Ontario, Canada, which turned me into an "international" artist, Massachusetts State House in Boston where I performed for Dr. Guilherme Silva, Vice-Presidente da Assembleia da República de Portugal, W Hotel-Union Square in New York City where I represented Portugal for a Starwood Hotels promotional event of Spain and Portugal, also a performance at the United Nations in New York City where I was invited by João Salgueiro, Ambassador of Portugal for the UN, to represent Portugal in front of many other ambassadors from different countries amongst many other performances.

I have also recorded my first album Corre-me O Fado Nas Veias in Digital Wave Multimedia Studio with Rob Leonardo in Fall River, Massachusetts in May and released it on September 22nd in my hometown of Perth Amboy in New Jersey. The album includes 11 of my most favorite Fados, 3 original Fados written by my father, Telmo Pires, and 2 guitarradas interpreted by Viriato Ferreira who played the classical guitar and Jose Silva who played the 1st and 2nd guitar and the bass throughout my whole album. The album has been a huge success and I have already sold more than 500 copies since its release, solely during my performances.

I also launched my website in the beginning of the year created by my father to help me connect with my audience and to let them know a little about myself. Which reminds me... Check out my website www.nathaliepires.com. We've included a special Christmas surprise for the remainder of the holidays.


I've come a long way... In 2006 I only had 4 performances, this year I've had 24! Therefore, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has helped me have such a successful and surreal year. Thank you...

• Gloria Melo, for being the one responsible for my return to Fado and was also my guest of honor at my cd release party.

• Peter Pacheco, who's responsible for most of my performances in Connecticut and with whom I have developed a friendship with.

• Enca Melo, who's responsible for inviting me to the most memorable performances to date and for taking a chance with me!

• Jose Carlos Azevedo, who's responsible for the majority of my performances in the New England area and made me an international artist by also inviting me to Ontario, Canada. He also sang and awed everyone at my album release party and I hope he knows I will be forever grateful for all he has done and continues to do for me. Thank you for spoiling me!

• Rob Leonardo for recording my album in roughly one week with high quality in your studio Digital Wave Multimedia and for giving me great additional opportunities like the upcoming project LusoOnline.com.

• Viriato Ferreira and Jose Silva, I'm thankful for all of your exceptional and hard work during the recording of my album and also during all of our performances together. However, I am truly blessed to have you and your friendship in my life. I will always appreciate all the advice, support, and encouragement you have given me. You are family to me now. I really can't thank you both enough! You have taught me so much about Fado and life; lessons I will never forget.

• Vivian Francisco, for your tireless support, all of your help on my album and album release party (along with Paulo and the rest of the direccao from the Portuguese Sporting Club), and for being my #1 stalker, I mean fan.

• Carlos Velazquez and Kelly Gilbride for the 10,000 beautiful pictures, motivation, and also for giving me a big head :)

• Thank you to all of the guitarists that have accompanied me throughout the year. Irmaos Lima! Tony and Abel, thank you for everything! Every time we perform together I always have so much fun with you guys. I hope that we'll have many many more! Thank you for your friendship and for the music!! Manuel Leite and Fontes Mota, thank you for all of your advice and kind words. I'm so glad to have met you this year. Francisco Chuva and Alberto Resende, thank you for the countless years of support! I learned the essentials of Fado from you guys and I will never forget it. I'm glad we had the chance to catch up once again this year.

• I also want to thank the media that has supported me so much this year! Sr. Martins, Joao Machado, and Luso Americano, Francisco Resendes and Portuguese Times, Jornal da Bairrada, Luis Pires and SPT, RTPi, Ricardo Farias, Dinisio Garcia, and Radio Globo, Radio Norte, Radio Bom Dia, Radio Horizonte, Radios in Connecticut, and any other media outlets I may have missed.

• Thank you to my fellow "Fadista friends" especially Jeremias Macedo, Tania, Elizabeth Maria, and Jorge Queresma for your support and encouragement.

• Mom and Dad. Without you two none of this would've been possible. Thank you for all of your support. Especially you Dad. Thank you for everything you have done for me. Without you, I wouldn't be on this crazy journey. You're responsible for the creation of my website, my album, and so much more. It's because of you that I have this love for Fado. I owe you everything. I'm so lucky to have you and it's because of you that I have gotten this far. Thank you so much for everything and I love you!!

And finally, thank you to everyone who has come out to see me perform and to everyone who has bought my album. Thank you for your support and for motivating me to continue with my passion for Fado... I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

October 13 - 20...

This past week was pretty hectic for me... Between performances and midterm exams this has been one of my most stressful yet exciting weeks ever!

Sunday, I started off my week driving back from my performance in Bradford, Ontario, Canada which took me 10 hours each way!! The trip was worth it though. Not only did I get to perform in Canada for the first time (my first contract out of the USA), but I also got to visit family. It was great but too short of a stay...

On Monday I had a midterm exam for my Accounting class which is 25% of my final grade.

On Tuesday I performed at the UNITED NATIONS in New York City for the "Recepcao de Abertura da Quinzena Gastronomica de Portugal" where Jose Silva, Viriato Ferreira, and I performed 2 hours straight!
I met many different ambassadors from many different countries such as Russia, Norway, Zimbabwe, and others who showed great interest in Fado. I owe this wonderful experience to Joao Salgueiro, the Portuguese Ambassador, who invited me to perform at this event and of course Enca Melo, a representative for icep, who made it happen! Since we where already in the city I took Viriato and Silva on a mini 1 hour NYC site-seeing trip around Central Park, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Radio City Music Hall, Times Square, and the World Trade Center. We all had so much fun.

On Thursday I had my Social and Legal Environmental Business Law midterm exam first thing in the morning worth 30% of my final grade.



Friday I left for Lowell, Massachusetts for my first performance ever in this city where
I was warmly welcomed by everyone involved in organizing the event and also the audience. I did the show with Jose Carlos (who is always a pleasure to perform with) and we were accompanied by the "super guitarristas" Viriato Ferreira and Jose Silva. I ended my performance with "Povo Que Lavas No Rio" sung without a microphone as someone in the audience suggested during intermission and it was a huge hit and a great way to end the night. I owe the night to Marco Bettencourt who invited me to perform and also is responsible for putting my album on the surrounding radio stations. I had a lot of fun on Friday night and met a lot of great people.

Finally Saturday I had a performance in the beautiful town of Gloucester. The other Fadistas that sang for the event included Tania DaSilva, Jose Carlos, Jose Ribeiro, and a surprise performance by Michelle Pereira who has a background in Broadway and has also performed in Fado houses in Lisbon. We all had the pleasure of performing with 4 guitarists; Tony & Abel Lima, Jose Mota, and Manuel Leite.

This week was tough for me because I had to juggle one of the most demanding weeks of school with the busiest week on my Fado agenda to date. I feel great and extremely satisfied... After this week, I feel I am capable of any challenges that may come way. I am both a student and a Fadista.

A estudante universitaria Nathalie Pires passou na disciplina do Fado

Newspaper Clippings for September...

"Fado Season"

I'm back from Portugal, the summer's over, the fall semester has begun, and "Fado Season" is in full affect! I have my schedule full with school assignments and Fado outings. Check out my Fado agenda for the fall...

September:
9/08: Hudson, MA
9/22 : Perth Amboy, NJ

October:
10/03: Roselle Park, NJ
10/06: Newark, NJ
10/13: Bradford, Ontario, Canada
10/16: New York, NY (United Nations)
10/19: Lowell, MA
10/20: Gloucester, MA
10/27: Waterbury, CT

November:
11/10: Peabody, MA
11/17: Danbury, MA
11/24: Hartford, CT
11/30: Newark, NJ

December:
12/1: Newark, NJ

My album is finally complete and ready to be released!! I'm currently preparing my CD release party which is NEXT WEEK!! My closest friends and my whole family will be there which means the pressure is on.

Mariza conquering the world!!

Mariza has accomplished a lot these past few years but what's to come is probably going to be her most memorable yet!!

She was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award for her album "Concerto Em Lisboa" in the category of 'Best Folk Album'. The award ceremony will be broadcast on November 8 at 8pm on Univision! The first Portuguese artist EVER to be nominated for a Latin Grammy!

She will perform live on The Late Show with David Letterman on October 11 on CBS at 11:30pm.

Architect Frank Gehry will design a set for her performance on October 28 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall that will resemble a Lisbon tavern and also design her dress!

She will begin recording her next album in January 2008! When does this woman sleep? Rock on Mariza!!



UPDATE:
Watch Mariza's performance from the Late Show with David Letterman...

My First Photo Shoot!

Remember picture day at school when you would have to "fake a smile" at a photographer in an awkward pose and hope for the best? Well that was a lot easier than what I had to do yesterday.

Modeling is definitely not my thing. I don't know what my problem is! I can sing in front of hundreds of people and feel confident but I shy away from a camera. But still, I got a lot of amazing pictures from it. The last picture I had taken was my high school graduation picture which was so terrible we didn't even buy any prints. I am blown away by the outcome of yesterday's photo shoot. We took pictures in front of a screen and at the beach. It was funny because there was a wedding party and a sweet sixteen being photographed there at the same part of the beach and at the same time. The people walking by must of been wondering why I was wearing all black and looking so sad. They were probably like, "what occasion is that girl celebrating?" Hahahahaha!!
I also got to meet two of the coolest people alive, Kelly and Carlos Velazquez, the photographer, who were extremely patient with me and always thinking outside the box which is exactly what I wanted! But I owe this whole experience to Vivian Francisco, who not only recommended the photographer but also made me look beautiful AND happens to be my #1 fan! Thank you, thank you, thank you Vivian, Kelly, and Carlos! You guys are awesome!

Guess Where I'll be August 11 & 12...

Um Porto De Fado
Casa De Musica
Porto, Portugal

Ricardo Parreira
Ana Moura
Raquel Tavares
Carlos do Carmo

Don't be jealous!

"Corre-me O Fado Nas Veias" - DONE!!

WooHoo! My album is done, I have the master!! The recording is over, the mixing is done, the pictures were taken, and the layout is complete!! All that's left to do is wait for Disk Makers to slice it and dice it and then I'll have the hard copy in my hands.
Thank you Rob Leonardo (Digital Wave Multimedia), Sr. Jose Silva e a sua esposa, Viriato Ferreira e familia, Tania DaSilva (for keeping me company in the studio!), Ricardo Farias (Radio Globo), Fransisco Resendes (Portuguese Times), Jose Carlos Azevedo & Jeremias Macedo (for ALL your help and support), Vivian! Vivian! Vivian!, Carlos and Kelly (the photographer), O direccao do clube de Perth Amboy, mom, and most importantly, Dad! Papa! My Hero!

W Hotel - Union Square, NYC!

What an experience! I will never forget this event. It was like a scene right out of a movie. This event was so important to me that I even got my make-up done! I felt like a star.

First of all, I love New York! Any trip to New York is automatically a great one. When I arrived at the W Hotel, I couldn't believe that places like that really existed... The hotel had grass inside; Yes, grass! 5 estrelas! A "standard" hotel room was more luxurious than any other hotel room I have ever seen before. I met with so many wonderful people. I owe this night to Sra. Enca Melo, who took a chance on inviting me without ever having heard me before. She made me, Sr. Viriato and Sr. Silva (the guitarists who came to New York from Massachusetts and Rhode Island and missed a day of work just to accompany me) feel at ease throughout the whole event. This event was a "Starwood Hotels" promotion for Spain and Portugal and I represented Portugal. I met with people from Tap Airlines, various reporters, the Portuguese Ambassador for the United Nations, and many other people who were simply fans of Fado. I sang for about 40 minutes and it flew by so quickly. I couldn't believe it was all over. But when it was I received an invitation to sing at the United Nations in October! I was blown away. I was smiling so hard the whole night, my face started to hurt. After the event, I went up to Sr. Jose Silva's room to change clothes and I climbed out the window to see the view of Park Avenue (from the 19th floor) and it was beautiful with all of it's lights (from the buildings and traffic) and lightning behind the buildings from far away. It was the perfect way to end the evening. I had the time of my life. I will never forget this performance.

Provincetown!

On Friday night, after 8 hours on the road I finally arrived in Provincetown, Cape Cod, Massachusetts for their Portuguese Festival! It was about 2am and even though the whole town was asleep, it was beautiful. All you could see were dunes and stars. (I also saw 2 shooting stars!)

The next morning I woke up early, had breakfast outdoors and rented a bicycle to discover the town on my own. I stopped at The Pilgrim Monument were I ran up 60 ramps and 116 steps to see the breathtaking view of all of Provincetown. It was so great because I could hear the "castanholas" from the "rancho" dancing on one of the streets and I could see all of the Portuguese flags waving around the town and of course all of the boats and the ocean. I spent the rest of the afternoon going to shops and watching the Provincetown Portuguese Parade. At 7:30 it was time for the Fado event of the festival where the audience can enjoy a free performance and some wine on the waterfront. The performers included Celia Maria, Daniel Guerra, Tania DaSilva, Jose Carlos, Jorge Ramos, and I as fadistas and Manuel Leite, Jose Silva, and Viriato Ferreira on the guitars. Ricardo Farias of Radio Globo presented the show and of course it was thanks to Liliana De Sousa who organized the event that I participated in the festival. The event attracted a big audience of around 600 people and lasted about 3 and 1/2 hours. It was a wonderful evening.

After the show, I enjoyed the Bossa Triba and the Berkshire Bateria Samba who performed on the street and it was a great way to end the night. The musicians were amazing and had the whole crowd dancing. I've never seen anything like it. The trip was so much fun and I definitely recommend Provincetown to anyone that is looking for somewhere to escape to from their daily routine.

It's All In Your Head!!

Has anyone ever video taped you while you spoke and then when you watched it back you were surprised at how you sounded? You think to yourself, I don't sound like that! Well guess what: You Do!! That's kind of the dilemma I'm in at the moment. Yesterday I heard the final mix down of the 14 tracks I recorded a month ago. The guitars are beautiful, just perfect, and the sound quality is the real deal, and then I hear that thin, bright voice -- MY VOICE! I know I'm no Ana Moura or Norah Jones, but I would give my left pinkie for a little more depth in my voice. When I'm actually singing, I don't hear myself like I do when I hear it played back. I researched it and this is why...

According to Dan Berger, a MadSci Administrator, "when you hear your own voice, it's not being transmitted to your ear in the same way as it is to someone else's ear. When you hear someone else speaking, the sound -- after being shaped by the resonating cavities in the person's head -- travels through the air to your ear, where it is collected and focused onto your eardrum. The eardrum vibrates, vibrations are transferred to the middle ear, and from there to the inner ear where they are converted into electrical signals that travel to your brain. But when you hear yourself speak, most of the sound doesn't pass through your eardrum and may not pass through your middle ear. Instead, the sound is conducted through your skull bones and reaches the ear by direct transfer to either the middle or the inner ear. Furthermore, the sound you hear from your own voice is not shaped by the cavities in your head because it is transmitted directly by the bones of the head and never passes through the air in those cavities."