You have just released your latest album, “Desert of Fools,” which you describe as your most mature album yet. What can you tell us about this work?

It is an album that combines 11 songs written throughout 2023 and 2024. It was recorded in Australia and produced by fellow singer-songwriter Tim Hart. The title and concept of “Desert of Fools” came from one of the songs on the album that shares the same name. This song reflects a duality that is very present in my life, which results from the decision to make music professionally from the Azores. This choice brings with it a constant need to travel to work, and the feeling of never being completely in one place comes from this. When I am in the Azores, I always feel the urge to leave, because it is outside that my career takes place. Still, when I am away, I think the desire to return, because it is in the Azores that my family, my friends, the sea, nature, and everything that defines me as an Azorean are. I like to think of albums as time capsules that capture who I am at a given moment, and I feel that, in recent years, this duality has been an essential part of my life and my artistic identity.

How has your music evolved since you launched your solo career in 2016 to this “Desert of Fools”?

Every day I learn something new, but it’s inevitable to look back at my first album, “Hopes&Dreams,” and realize how much I’ve matured since then, not only as an artist and composer, but also as a person. I was very young, and it was an album where I took on practically all the reins of production, which made it a huge learning experience. I made a lot of choices that I might make differently today, but the whole process was fundamental in helping me understand what worked and what didn’t. I worked with very experienced musicians and learned a lot at every stage. On the second album, produced by Tim Hart, this time remotely, with him in Australia and me in Portugal, I grew a lot again. I felt I had matured as a songwriter on that albumand developed a more critical eye on my work. Over the years, I have always been very demanding of myself, and I believe that every song I have written and every album I have recorded has been another step on that path of growth. “Desert of Fools” is a natural reflection of that journey: a more mature album, in which I approached the songwriting with a completely different background, more aware of what I wanted to say and how I wanted to express it.

The album was recorded in Australia. How did this opportunity come about and what did you get out of the experience?

In 2017, I opened for two Australian artists in Portugal, Stu Larsen and Tim Hart. During those days, we talked a lot about producers, albums, and favorite artists, and we realized we had a lot of tastes in common. Tim, also the Australian band Boy & Bear drummer, had already worked with some of my biggest production references, such as Ethan Johns and Joe Chiccarelli, so the conversation flowed naturally. At the end of those three days, the idea, still quite remote, of one day recording an album of mine with him as the producer had already emerged. Two simple concerts gave rise to two great friendships. A year later, Stu Larsen invited me to be the opening act on a European tour, and Tim became a close friend with whom I talk almost daily, and ended up recording my last two albums. The experience of recording in Australia was a dream come true. I took only the rough drafts of the songs with me and decided to finish them there, precisely so that this energy and context would be reflected in the sound and direction of the album. Working in person with Tim Hart was incredible, and I feel I learned a lot from the experience.

The album was produced and mixed by Australian musician Tim Hart. How did this partnership come about?

The partnership with Tim was already in place. When I recorded “Songs On a Wire” in 2021, our intention was already to work together. Still, as we were in the middle of a pandemic and Australia had closed its borders, we had to work remotely, inspiring the name of that album. Doing that project with Tim only increased my desire to record an album in person one day. As soon as I had a set of songs that was cohesive enough to record a new album, I wanted to get on a plane and go to Australia so we could work side by side on the production and mixing of the album.

After Porto and Lisbon, you will present this new work at the Teatro Angrense on the 24th, in a show that is already practically sold out. Is it good to perform at home? Do you feel the recognition of the Terceira audience?
Performing at home is always very special, no matter how many beautiful venues I’ve been lucky to play in. I feel that presenting my albums at Teatro Angrense has become a tradition. I love our theater and consider it one of the most beautiful in the country. I have always felt great support and a special affection from people since the beginning of my career. These are memorable nights that I experience with a great sense of responsibility and with the mission of continuing to deserve the support of all those who take a little of their time to accompany me whenever I have something new.

You have performed in several European countries, such as France, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and Belgium. Do you hope to consolidate this international career with this new album?
This is a path I have been following every day since the beginning of my music career. My current record label is Dutch, and I started playing in Central Europe in 2013. I want to take this album to those countries; we are actively working towards that.

We thank the Luso-American Education Foundation for its support.

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