Aurea | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Aurea Sousa |
Born | Santiago do Cacém, Portugal | 7 September 1987
Origin | Alvalade do Sado, Portugal |
Genres | |
Occupation | Singer |
Instrument | Vocal |
Years active | 2008–present |
Labels |
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Áurea Isabel Ramos de Sousa (born 7 September 1987), known professionally as Aurea (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈawɾi.ɐ]), is a Portuguese soul singer originally from Santiago do Cacém, Alentejo, who grew up in Silves, Algarve.[1] She debuted in 2008 with her single "Okay Alright", which was included on the soundtrack of the Portuguese television series Morangos com Açúcar. At the end of 2008, she performed the song live at the Morangos Live Festival, along with two other cover duets. This concert was released on DVD in 2009. Aurea released her debut album, Aurea, in September 2010. The album entered at number 21 at the Portuguese Albums Chart, but quickly reached number 1.[2] It features the number "Busy for Me", which was released as the album's lead single.
In December 2010, Aurea made a special live TV broadcast to promote some of her songs. It was transmitted by RTP2 and SIC Notícias. Her single "Busy for Me", released in August 2010, became her first number one single; it topped the Portuguese iTunes chart. This has been credited with firmly establishing the singer's career and is now considered her signature song. Critical reviews noted similarities between the song and releases by Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield and The Supremes, as well as contemporaries such as British singer Amy Winehouse or Duffy. During the following year (2011), Aurea made a concert tour around the country to promote her debut album. She sold out all the major national venues and the album remained on the top Portuguese charts for 71 weeks. From 2015 to 2022, she was a coach on The Voice Portugal. In 2023, she was featured as a coach on The Voice Kids Portugal.
Aurea sings in English. As of 2016, the only songs she has released alone in a language other than English is the theme song of TVI's telenovela A Impostora (The Impostor) (2016–17), and Frágil (Fragile), which she recorded in her native Portuguese language.[3]