At the age of 33, David Fonseca is one of the most charismatic Portuguese voices. He is a writer, composer, musician and performer. His first band Silence 4 imposed itself as the biggest and most astonishing phenomenon on the recent years of Portuguese music. Their debut record, entitled “Silence Becomes It” (1998) sold more than 240.000 copies, which represents six platinum records, supported by a long tour that lasted for 2 years. “Only Pain Is Real” (2000) was the second record for Silence 4, which sold 100.000 copies. They wrapped up their tour in December 2000, with two memorable sold out concerts at the most famous venue in Lisbon: the Coliseu dos Recreios. During 2001 Silence 4 went on their last tour and, in 2002, they stopped their activities. “Sing Me Something New” (2003) was the title of David Fonseca’s debut album as a solo artist, playing nearly all instruments and exploring his composer and performer sides more than ever. Produced by David and Mário Barreiros, this record was mastered in New York, at the Sterling Sound Studios, by George Marino, the man responsible for mastering records of artists such as Coldplay, Rollins Band, Marc Ribot, Dandy Warhols or Sepultura. “Someone That Cannot Love”, the first single, was a #1 hit on airplay for several months. The second single, “The 80’s” was chosen by VODAFONE to be the song for their Summer advertising campaign and became an instant hit. A successful tour followed for 2 years and the album reached #2 on the Sales Chart and certified PLATINUM. “I’m a big fan of great songwriters like Jeff Buckley or Tom Waits, but there’s something amazing about those classic bands like The Cars or Roxy Music that still inspire me to do music after all these years. I’m interested in songs, classic and plain songs that you can sing or dance to but, if I can, I’ll try to surprise you along the way. “ David Fonseca In 2004, he joined a Portuguese supergroup called Humanos, giving his voice to never before heard songs from the mythical António Variações, a loved gone composer and singer from the 80’s. This tribute album was multi-platinum (+120.000 units) and stayed in #1 for weeks. In 2005, David was ready to release his second solo album, “Our Hearts Will Beat As One”. The first single, “Who Are U?”, reached #3 on the airplay charts and confirmed David as one of the greatest Portuguese songwriters. The following single, “Hold Still”, showed the crooner side of David in a duet with Rita Redshoes, becoming a MTV favorite for its ground-breaking video. Directed by David himself, it won several awards, including “Best Video Of The Year” on the Vimus international music video festival. The 3rd single, “Our Hearts Will Beat As One”, became a musical revolution all around and set a different tone for David’s career. The arty and film-like video, one of the most amazing videos ever done in Portugal, went straight to #1 on MTV Hit List and remained in the chart for months. “Our Hearts Will Beat As One” went straight to #1 on Sales Chart and reached Gold Status on the first week of sales. It was critically acclaimed by all media and was considered POP ALBUM OF THE YEAR in Portugal even before the year-end. IN 2007 - DAVID’S NEW ALBUM “DREAMS IN COLOUR” WAS RELEASED IN OCTOBER AND WENT STRAIGHT TO #1 ON SALE CHARTS, CONFIRMING HIS STATUS AS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PORTUGUESE ARTISTS TO DATE. THE FIRST SINGLE (“SUPERSTARS”), AN UPBEAT SONG WITH A CONTAGIOUS WHISTLE, BECAME A SUMMER HIT AND SET THE TONE FOR THE NEW RECORD, LEADING THE RADIO CHARTS FOR WEEKS. THE VIDEO WAS DIRECTED BY DAVID ONCE AGAIN ACHIEVING AN IMMEDIATE ONLINE SUCCESS. A STRONG MIXTURE OF MELANCHOLIC LYRICS AND JOYFUL SOUNDS, TURNED DAVID’S INDIE AND 80’S INFLUENCES INTO MAINSTREAM ANTHEMS. SONGS LIKE “KISS ME, OH KISS ME”, “4TH CHANCE” OR “SILENT VOID” ARE ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND WHY CRITICS AND MEDIA POINT “DREAMS IN COLOUR” AS DAVID’S FINEST MOMENT EVER. ON TOP OF THAT, DAVID’S OWN VERSION OF THE ELTON JOHN 1972 CLASSIC “ROCKET MAN” WAS AN UNEXPECTED AND PLEASANT SURPRISE FOR EVERYONE, BECOMING A RADIO FAVORITE THE MINUTE IT GOT OUT. “DREAMS IN COLOUR” is a whole new experience for me, I never thought that my music could sound so optimistic and well lit. Not that I lost the melancholic and lost kid in me, I think he’ll be there for a long time, but I found out that even the darkest moments carry some kind of ironic and hopeful meaning waiting to be untied...and sometimes i’m lucky to pull the right strings.” David Fonseca David is permanently touring and has played all the major Portuguese festivals and events. He shared the stage with international names like PJ Harvey, Portishead, Placebo, Tindersticks, Rufus Wainwright, Fatboy Slim, Beth Orton, N.E.R.D, Prodigy and many others. “I play a lot of different venues, from small places where I can hear the audience breathe to open air festivals with thousands of people, so these songs have to survive all the different moods that are set in each place I go. I love playing live, it’s great to see these songs transform itself according to different audiences and venues, it’s always different every time I play it.” David Fonseca HE’S ALSO KNOWN FOR HIS OUTSTANDING ONE-MAN-SHOW PERFORMANCES, WHERE HE PLAYS SEVERAL INSTRUMENTS AND TAKES HIS AUDIENCE THROUGH HIS SONGS IN A MORE PERSONAL WAY. After the massive success achieved in his home country, David is reaching out to other markets and audiences all over the world. Due to the constant international demand and curiosity over David’s work, he plans to expand his music across the borders and he’s looking for the right partnerships.
http://2008.sxsw.com/music/showcases/band/62525.html
