Only 24 years old, the Alentejan singer, musician and composer has conquered the hearts of the Portuguese people throughout the country. Stepping on stage with his band, composed of another five talented musicians, some of them long-term friends of Buba, everyone was excitedly waiting for what would become an unforgettable “spectacle of sensations” – as Buba himself described.

Speaking to The Portugal News, a few hours before his second concert in Lagoa, Buba Espinho mentioned how “it was an amazing sensation to perform here last night”, adding that “it was a really important day and concert for me”, as it was the birthday of his mum, who sadly passed away last December. “We had a moment to celebrate what she was and what she represents to me, so it had that special emotional component”, he explained.

Still, he made sure to emphasise that on that night’s show, 15 February, besides the success of the previous concert, they were ready to “leave everything on stage, by spreading the most truthful and realistic message possible to transmit our tradition and our identity to the public”, complementing the Algarvian people for being “always receptive, caring and acceptors of our Alentejan culture.”

Alentejo roots

Born in Beja, in Baixo Alentejo, Buba’s songs reflect his passion for tradition and his Alentejan roots “the simple fact of me stepping on a stage has a lot to do with what Alentejo has given me, my at ease comes from singing with my friends and with my family since my childhood.” We must remember that Buba grew up in a family of musicians, where he was always surrounded by music – mainly Cante Alentejano – a traditional music genre from the Alentejo region.

At the end of the concert, Buba surprised the audience by singing a Cante Alentejano song together with two of his band colleagues who are also his friends from Alentejo - “with no instruments or microphones, as it should be” - he emphasised. Before the concert, during the interview, Buba had already manifested his love for the Alentejo, expressing that “the fact of being Alentejan and living the Alentejo at its fullest is what truly makes the difference.”

Credits: TPN; Author: Sara J. Durães;

Eurovision 2024

Buba was also invited to take part in this year’s edition of Eurovision, as a guest artist. When asked about how it feels to be chosen to participate in Europe’s biggest music competition he replied, “the Festival da Canção (Eurovision) is an extremely memorable event, it is something which I wanted to do for a long time.” This happens, mainly because his father also participated in the same festival years ago and Buba has revealed that he has “the habit of trying to follow his steps, and as soon as this opportunity arose, I saw a way of honoring him.”

‘O Farol’, which translates to ‘The Lighthouse’ in English is the title of the song which Buba Espinho is taking to competition and which has his father as a source of inspiration, “ ‘O Farol’ is the biggest tribute to my father, not only as my father, but as this lighthouse which is always guiding me”, he revealed adding that “to me it’s already a victory to sing to my father, and to show what he means to me, to the whole country, and who knows, perhaps to the whole world if everything goes well.”

Buba’s songs and music collaborations

Besides his outstanding own career, Buba Espinho has also been sharing the stage with another famous Portuguese band - D.A.M.A. “It is always very special to perform with them, they have a different energy from mine, and when our energies combine, there’s a lot of chemistry, a lot of love mainly”, he announced. Together, they developed ‘Casa’ (House), that honours the Cante Alentejano in a more contemporary way, a theme which has not shied away from compliments. “It combines the rural and the urban world, of four friends who love each other, and this unique performance only happens on that specific moment, when we are all together on stage”, Buba shared.

Credits: TPN; Author: Sara J. Durães;

On the 15 February concert, besides ‘Casa’, and a variety of Cante Alentejano major themes, such as ‘Verão, O Alentejo e os Homens’, ‘Olhos de Mel’, ‘Roubei-te um Beijo’, Buba Espinho also played ‘Ao Teu Ouvido’, a popular song from his latest album ‘Voltar’, featuring Bárbara Tinoco. On top of the Cante Alentejano, Buba’s songs and performances are also influenced by the emblematic Portuguese music genre Fado, which translates into a singular combination.


Apart from this year’s long list of concerts and the Eurovision festival, Buba is also launching a new celebrative album, which has per base the Cante Alentejano, that celebrates in 2024, 10 years since it was considered Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO. “Being myself one of the standard-bearers of the Cante Alentejano, of course, I had to mark down this important date, which leaves us all very proud”, he stated. The long-awaited album will be released at the end of 2024.

Author

After studying Journalism for five years in the UK and Malta, Sara Durães moved back to Portugal to pursue her passion for writing and connecting with people. A ‘wanderluster’, Sara loves the beach, long walks, and sports. 

Sara J. Durães