Marta Dias


Marta Dias is a São Toméan Portuguese singer of jazz, world music and fado who has recorded several solo albums and has additionally recorded and toured extensively with guitarist António Chainho. She has also appeared on several hip hop releases, including the Ithaka song, Escape From The City Of Angels, which appeared in Columbia Pictures's feature film release, The Replacement Killers in 1998.

Early life

Marta Dias was born in São Tomé, the capital city of the Central African island nation of São Tomé and Principe, to a Portuguese mother and a São Toméan father. Her paternal grandmother was from Goa, India. Her father, Nuno Xavier Dias, is credited as the person who proclaimed the liberation of São Tomé from colonial rule. The family relocated to the Lisbon area of Portugal when Marta was a young girl.
She sang for the first time as a teenager at the Teatro de Animação de Setúbal in Setúbal, Portugal. Later, while briefly living in Germany, she studied vocals in Cologne with the Brazilian singer Marta Laurito.

Early career

Marta Dias' first professional recordings were with the pioneering, Lisbon-based Hip hop tuga artist General D,. She was featured on his songs "Amigo Prekavido" and "Raiz Desenraizadao" for the album Pé Na Tchôn, Karapinha Na Céu, one of the first hip hop releases in Portugal. The recording with General D led to more acquaintances within the Lisbon music community. She soon recorded the song, "Bairro De Lata" with the jazzy hip hop band, Cool Hipnoise and also recorded the songs "Goodcookies" and "Escape From The City Of Angeles

Recent career

Marta Dias released the album "Quantas Tribos" in 2016. The album is a tribute to five of the greatest poets from São Tomé and Príncipe; Maria Manuela Margarido, Alda Neves da Graça do Espírito Santo, Francisco José Tenreiro, Fernando de Macedo and Conceição Lima. The album uses these classic poems as lyrical content, intertwining Marta's vocals over instrumental compositions provided by the classical guitarist, Oswaldo Santos. Vocalist Carmen Souza participates on the song in "Os Rios Da Tribo" and Angolan poet/vocalist appears Kalaf on the song, "Humanidade".
In 2018, Marta Dias and Goan pianist Carlos Barreto Xavier collaborated on the album, "Bandida", consisting of twelve tracks, using both traditional Portuguese music blending with more modern urbans sounds. The album also features percussionist Ruca Rebordão and Yuri Daniel on electric bass.

Albums

  • 1996 Marta Dias – "Y.U.É" – Label: União Lisboa Label: União Lisboa
  • 1999 Marta Dias – "Aqui" – Label: Farol Música
  • 2003 António Chainho & Marta Dias "Ao Vivo No CCB" Label: Movieplay
  • 2016 Marta Dias "Quantas Tribos" Label: Bigbit
  • 2018 Marta Dias and Barreto Xavier "Bandida"

Singles

  • 1996 Marta Dias "Gritar" – Label: União Lisboa
  • 1996 Marta Dias "Mouraria" – Label: União Lisboa
  • 2006 Marta Dias & António Chainho "Fado Tão Bom" – Label: Movieplay

Appearances on compilations

  • 2005 LJS & Marta Dias "Barca Bela" Album: Composto De Mudança Label: Som Livre
  • 2006 Marta Dias & António Chainho "Fado Tão Bom" – Label: Movieplay

Guest appearances

  • 1995 "Amigo Prekavido" General D feat. Marta Dias – Album: Pé Na Tchôn, Karapinha Na Céu – Label: EMI
  • 1995 "Raiz Desenraizadao "General D feat. Marta Dias – Album: Pé Na Tchôn, Karapinha Na Céu – Label: EMI
  • 1995 "Escape From The City Of Angels" Ithaka feat. Marta Dias – Album: Flowers And The Color Of Paint
  • 1995 "Goodcookies" Ithaka feat' Marta Dias – Album: Flowers And The Color Of Paint
  • 1995 "The Umbilibus"Ithaka feat. Lince & Marta Dias – Album: Flowers And The Color Of Paint
  • 1995 Ithaka feat. Marta Dias "Escape From The City Of Angels" Album: Flowers And The Color Of Paint
  • 1995 "Bairro de Lata – Cool Hipnoise feat. Marta Dias – Album: Nascer Do Soul – Label:NorteSul/Valentim de Carvalho
  • 1997 "Ekos Do Passado" General D feat. Marta Dias & Ithaka – ALbum: Kanimambo – Label: EMI
  • 1997 "Ursula Of Ithaka" Ithaka feat. Marta Dias – Album: Stellafly – Label: Nortesul/Valentim de Carvalho
  • 1997 "Nobody Knows" Marta Dias and African Voices
  • 1997 "Nada Mudou" – Santos e Pecadores
  • 1998 "Fadinho Simples" – António Chainho
  • 1998 "Só Há Tempo P´ra Viver Agora" Fernando Cunha feat. Marta Dias – Label: BMG
  • 1999 "Silent Night" – Herman José
  • 2011 "Luminoso" Fernando Alvim – Album: Fados & Canções – Label: Universal Music Group
  • 2012 "Fadinho Simples" António Chainho feat. Marta Dias – Album: Entre Amigos – Label: Movieplay
  • 2017 O Homem do Fraque" Dizzy – Album: O Homem Invisível

''The Replacement Killers''

In 1998, three years after its release, the Ithaka song "Escape From The City Of Angels" was used in the soundtrack of director Antoine Fuqua's feature film debut Replacement Killers released by Columbia Pictures. The song played during a critical getaway scene that involved the actors; Chinese superstar Chow Yun-fat, Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino and Screen Actors Guild Award "Best Actor" winner Clifton Collins Jr. Other musical artists on the soundtrack included; The Crystal Method, Talvin Singh, Tricky, Death in Vegas, Hed PE, and Brad.