Orlanda Guilande was born in 1974 in Lisbon, to a Portuguese mother and a Mozambican father. She later moved to Santarém, where she began her singing career at the age of 16 while in high school. From that point on, music became her chosen path.
Throughout her career, Orlanda has participated in various musical projects, touring extensively across Portugal and performing at both public venues and private events for high society. Her talents have led her to numerous studio sessions, television appearances, and jingles, collaborating with some of the most notable artists in Portugal.
In 1997, Orlanda gained recognition by participating in the television show "Chuva de Estrelas," where she imitated the band MPEOPLE and was selected as a finalist. This led to her inclusion in the "Chuva de Estrelas" 1997 CD, featuring that year’s talent.
The following year, after witnessing her performance, the only Portuguese Acid Jazz project at the time, "Blackout," invited her to become their lead singer. This role allowed her to showcase her talent on an intercultural television program that featured Portuguese and Brazilian artists, where she performed a duet with the renowned Brazilian musician Ed Motta. This highly acclaimed show was broadcast by a prominent national television channel, and Orlanda toured with "Blackout," performing at significant venues throughout Portugal.
In 1999, she took on lead vocals for two of Portugal's leading musical projects: Funky Messengers and the only Lusophone Gospel Choir, Shout!, with whom she toured the country. The Portuguese music community widely regards Orlanda Guilande as one of the finest female voices in the nation.
In 2000, under the guidance of Theo Pas’cal, who was then the musical director for Sara Tavares, Orlanda began working with Tavares as a singer and percussionist. This collaboration led to tours in Luxembourg, the Netherlands at the "Dunya on Stage Festival," and in various African countries, including Cape Verde, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, where she performed at the International Festival HIFA in Harare. She also appeared at the Europaisches Festival in Recklinghausen, Germany, and the World Music Conference WOMEX in Rotterdam, where her performance garnered acclaim from critics and fellow musicians, including Lokua Kansa.
At the start of 2002, Orlanda departed from Sara Tavares’ project to focus on recording albums for Funky Messengers and Shout!, the latter of which was recognized as Record Talent of September 2002 by FNAC Portugal. Both singles featured in soundtracks for Portuguese television series and received significant airplay on various radio stations. By late 2002, Orlanda was performing on nearly all television shows in Portugal with Shout!'s Christmas album.
In 2003, she collaborated with DJ Jay Daniel, a Portuguese DJ based in London, to produce a house track that the London media outlet M8 praised as one of the best deep house tracks released in the UK at that time. Additionally, she was invited to sing a ballad duet with the lead singer of the legendary Portuguese rock band UHF, which became the first single from their album "La Pop end Rock."
Orlanda then began to work on her own compositions for a solo project. In 2004, she performed several solo concerts, showcasing her original songs in preparation for her debut album. One of her songs, "Homem Musica/Music Man," was included in the compilation "Alarga tua vida - New Portuguese Music," released by EMI Portugal.
She also collaborated with Mr. Tea, a composer for Mariza, to record a new version of the fado classic "Barco Negro" for the compilation "Amália-Revisited," which was distributed worldwide and received critical acclaim for featuring some of the most notable talents in contemporary Portuguese music. Orlanda's interpretation of Amália’s work gained traction in playlists outside of Portugal.
Additionally, she recorded the song "Restless Night," which was featured in three different Brazilian soap operas and appeared on the international soundtrack "Da cor do pecado," as well as on the soundtracks for "New Wave" and "Diário de Sofia," released by the major label Som Livre.
In 2005, Orlanda collaborated with Beto Medina, a former member of Blackout, contributing four songs to his solo album "Break up to Make up," released by Som Livre. She also lent her vocals to the latest album by Cape Verdean singer LURA, "Di korpo ku Alma," which received worldwide distribution by Lusafrica, and made guest appearances on Theo Pas’cal's second solo album, "Motive."
Throughout this time, she has performed live with Theo Pas’cal and Cape Verdean artist Carmen Souza at various festivals, including Womad Festival in Reading, UK. While her African heritage may lead to some confusion, Orlanda is fundamentally Portuguese, singing in Portuguese and infusing her music with a blend of global influences. She belongs to a generation of Portuguese artists that includes renowned figures such as Madredeus, Dulce Pontes, Cristina Branco, Sara Tavares, and Mariza, all of whom have contributed to placing Portugal on the global music map. Her voice is characterized by a unique blend of passion, reminiscent of fado, the power of soul and gospel, the improvisation associated with jazz, and the rhythms of Africa, making her a versatile performer capable of taking audiences on a captivating musical journey.
