A Naifa

A Naifa (Portugal, 2004-2014), was a Portuguese musical project that combined the classic languages ​​of fado with pop-rock.

The group was founded by Luís Varatojo, Maria Antónia Mendes, João Aguardela and Vasco Vaz. The group’s songs were created based on poems by several Portuguese authors, such as Adília Lopes, Eduardo Pitta, José Luís Peixoto and José Mário Silva.

In 2004, the debut album, Canções Subterrâneas, was released. 3 Minutos Antes de a Maré Encher, released in 2006, was the group’s second album.

The album Uma Inocente Inclinação Para o Mal was released in 2008. The lyrics were by João Aguardela, under the pseudonym Maria Rodrigues Teixeira.

The band’s bassist João Aguardela died on January 20, 2009, from stomach cancer, at Hospital da Luz in Lisbon. A book was then released which included a live DVD. The book sought to portray the universe of A Naifa, seen from the inside and outside. The DVD contained a show, recorded on the 2008 tour, and a documentary, produced in 2006.

After João Aguardela’s death, the group continued with new members: Sandra Baptista (bass) and Samuel Palitos, having played at the Womad Festival and given several shows on the African continent: in Namibia and Botswana. Don’t lie with me, obedient hearts was A Naifa’s first album without João Aguardela, released in 2012.

The band ended in 2014.