MARO

In the organizer's words:

A fresh scene of young musicians has established itself in south-western Europe in recent years. It is a very international musical language that has grown in Portugal and is causing a stir overseas. With her admirable songwriting power and her beguilingly breathy voice, Mariana Brito da Cruz Forjaz Secca, MARO for short, is one of the most exciting protagonists of this young Portugal. After leaving school, MARO flirted with a career as a biologist and veterinarian, but at 19 she dedicated herself entirely to music on a professional basis at the renowned Berklee College in Boston. In 2018, she moved to Los Angeles and began her career as a singer - with an impressive start: She recorded a whopping five EPs with sophisticated acoustic pop gems in one year, and the great jazz and soul eminence Quincy Jones signed her to his agency. With this remarkable "starter kit", MARO not only attracts the attention of the press, but also the admiration of young colleagues - above all that of British jack-of-all-trades Jacob Collier, who integrates her into his "DJESSE Vol.2" touring band: During the lockdown years, MARO establishes the online format "ITSA ME, MARO!" and duets in more than 100 clips with international celebrities such as Eric Clapton, Mayra Andrade, Lennon Stella, The Paper Kites, Lizzy McAlpine, Sílvia Pérez Cruz and Lionel Loueke. In 2022, she followed in the footsteps of her compatriot Salvador Sobral and represented Portugal with her gentle anthem "Saudade, Saudade" at the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, where she took 9th place. With the album "Can You See Me?", she expands her stylistic spectrum into rap, folk and trap.what is the secret of MARO's music, which is celebrated from Portugal to the USA, from Mexico to Spain? There is a voice that plays with the breath in a sophisticated way, does not want to be virtuosic, but rather focuses on restrained, dreamy emotion. There is the almost unbelievable songwriting creativity: it is expressed in cleverly winding melodies that are memorable but not simply catchy tunes. And then there is MARO's ability to shine in every conceivable setting, with a wide variety of partners - be it jazz, pop or R&B - and always leave her own unmistakable mark.she is now touring Germany with her latest work "Hortelã", recorded in Barcelona. After her richly arranged pop works, she now celebrates the nakedness of her voice with two guests on acoustic guitars. The classically trained Darío Barroso and his counterpart Pau Figueres are among the absolute luminaries on the six strings beyond their Catalan homeland. Inventive and very sensitive, they build a gentle nest around the melodies. This time, MARO has decided to interpret these intimate and breathtakingly beautiful miniatures almost exclusively in Portuguese. They often last no longer than three minutes, but - as always in a good song - everything can be said in these three minutes, and many of the pieces have a contemplative character, such as the calmly breathing "Fui Passo Calculado". Now and again, a little rumba or flamenco character comes into play ("Há-de Sarar", "Oxalá"). And "Juro Que Vi Flores", the tightly entwined duet with Catalan colleague Sílvia Pérez Cruz, brings you to your knees with emotion when two of the most beautiful voices on the Iberian peninsula join forces. "Hortelã" is the Portuguese word for mint - and it fits these new songs really well. Even more than usual, MARO's timbre hardly ever leaves the pianissimo, is sometimes more of a gentle breeze than a sound. And hits our senses like a cooling, fragrant breath of mint in the hot summer air.

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