Maria João Monteiro Grancha was born in 1956, in Lisbon. Whilst growing up, Maria never thought about becoming a singer. In her teenage years she used to practice Aikido and she swam a lot in order to get rid of some of the overwhelming energy she possessed. Her passion for sports began at age 17, when she had already been expelled from 5 different schools. Her love for sports gave her a black belt at Aikido and she also becomes a swimming teacher. Aged 27, when she was training to be a lifeguard, she realised that she had the potential to become a professional singer.

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