Born in Porto, Portugal, Mariana Root grew up among her sisters, mother, aunts, and grandmother, who were all singers and share the last name Rute, which is the origin of the latter part of the artist’s name – Root. She has been exploring voice from a young age, having lived several years in South America reconnecting with indigenous ways of life and the traditional music of the Andean culture.

Returning to Portugal, to her ancestral roots, it was in a place named Beiras she first connected with the musical traditions and melodies of the “adufeiras” (Portuguese women drummers) of Monsanto and Paúl. There she lived amongst them and got to learn the wonders of the Adufe, the square drum, which is an instrument she has been playing ever since in her own peculiar way.

Her latest album, Lusitana, weaves with the Lusitanian Portuguese roots on a deeper level, honoring the culture and sound that may seem to be forgotten but still live strongly in the stones and landscapes of Portugal.