Sounding like a voice out of a fairy tale or a déjà vu, Canadian-born, Portuguese-raised singer-songwriter Nico Paulo’s compelling, textured intonation drives longing through your heart upon first listen. What is that reminder rippling just below the surface? Were you a child or a soul in transit? In any case, you recognize this journey her lilting, hypnotic voice takes you on as a shared odyssey of human existence: home, family, love, memories made and unmade. After growing up in Bomborral, a small town near Lisbon, Paulo arrived in Toronto in 2014 to join its lively arts community before heading east. Her relationship with Tim Baker (Hey Rosetta!) eventually led to her recording her self-titled first full-length album, released in April of 2023 and co-written with Baker, in a lakeside cabin on Nova Scotia’s South Shore. There was a lot of chemistry in music, love and location for Paulo; the debut was longlisted for the Polaris Music Prize.
Biography by Mary-Lynn Wardle