The Portuguese word fado means fate. Fado songs have a reputation for being mournful and full of tragic stories about destiny -- a kind of Portuguese folk music that many people liken to American ...

Ramana Vieira of Vacaville, an internationally known singer of fado, a kind of Portuguese folk song, usually melancholic and nostalgic, calls the music “a window into the soul” of Portuguese people.

Fado, sometimes called the Portuguese blues, is a centuries-old folk style traditionally used to express saudade–nostalgic melancholy. It’s an ideal vehicle for the kind of voice that makes people ...