Portuguese fado singer Katia Guerreiro performs at COEX in Seoul, Wednesday. /Korea Times Photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Yoon Won-sup, Staff Reporter on The Korea Times writes...

"Fado, translated as destiny or fate, is infused by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor. It expresses a kind of longing, along with nostalgia, sadness, pain, happiness and love. Fado's origins probably flow from African slave rhythms mixed with the music of Portuguese sailors and Arabic music."