From Lisbon to Paris (in a Week!)

October was supposed to be a calm month… until a last-minute concert came along and turned my schedule (and my nerves!) upside down.

The challenge? Singing with backing tracks only — 10 French songs and 10 Portuguese ones.

I had sung in French once before — just four songs, for a Portuguese audience — but this time was different.

Little did I know that the audience would be mostly French, and that the event was none other than the Gala celebrating the 80th Anniversary of the Alliance Française in Portugal!

In the space of just one week, I had to:

Choose the repertoire

Find high-quality backing tracks

Learn melodies and brush up on my French accent (I hadn’t studied the language for over 20 years!)

Pick an outfit worthy of such an elegant event

I sweated, worked hard, and gave it my all — and in the end, the result met all expectations. The audience’s response was wonderful, and the event organizers even asked if I could sing the French national anthem at the Embassy! (An invitation I politely declined — I love a challenge, but not a heart attack! )

Some of the songs I chose:

Alors on Danse · La Vie en Rose · Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien · Champs Élysées · Je Veux · Dernière Danse · La Bohème

This experience made me grow as a performer — rediscovering a forgotten language and diving into the emotion of French music.

I stepped out of my comfort zone, but I also walked away with a full heart… and slightly better French!