Lula Pena is a Portuguese singer, guitarist and interpreter of fado and related songs, born in Lisboa, Portugal in 1974. She teaches herself guitar while listening to pop, rock, soul, jazz and Portuguese music.

At 22, she moves to Barcelona, Spain, and performs in many of the city’s jazz clubs. Her first album, Phados, appears on the Belgian label Carbon 7 in 1998. It presents her own versions of Brazilian and Portuguese songs, including work associated with Caetano Veloso and Chico Buarque, as well as fados made famous by Amália Rodrigues, whom she regards as a mentor.

Pena works from traditional fado but extends it with instruments not usually linked to the style, creating arrangements with added depth. Since 2001, she performs with a live band that includes the Arabic string instrument qanun and the percussion instrument bendir. Alongside her voice and guitar, the group features Jan de Haas on vibraphone, udu drum and bongos, and Osama Abdulrasol on qanun, alaúde and bendir. Abdulrasol also works with her on Profissão de Fé.

Her singing is marked by a smooth delivery and a strong sense of intensity, with the melancholic character associated with Portuguese music remaining central to her style.