In Memory of Singer Sara Carreira

Sara Carreira was born on 21 October 1999. Sara was the daughter of acclaimed Portuguese singer Tony Carreira and Fernanda Antunes. Unfortunately, this rising star passed away Saturday 5, in a car crash on the Portuguese A1 highway.

She was only 21 and had started a musical career like her father and two brothers Mickael and David.

Her musical debut happened in December 2018, when she released a song with David.

Afterward, in February 2019, came her first single, Vou ficar, followed by Para não Chorar, and Sentimento. In November 2019, these songs were then released in the singer’s first EP, Metade.

Sara had been very active during the COVID-19 pandemic, composing and released Sem ninguém saber, in April 2020.

The singer was also expanding her interests, and besides being a notorious influencer, she started her fashion brand, Éssê, alongside renowned Portuguese stylist Micaela Oliveira.

Sara was the youngest descendent of the Carreira clan; hence she was always a little princess in her father’s eyes.

Back in 2012, Tony wrote a song for his beloved little angel, “Hoje, Menina, Amanhã, Uma Mulher” (“Today, a Girl, Tomorrow, a Woman”).

In 2014, Sara and Tony performed a duet of that theme on stage in Pavilhão Atlântico (Altice Arena). The mesmerizing interpretation made that moment unforgettable, and the daughter/father chemistry was overwhelming. The audience was ecstatic during those passionate minutes.

In the lyrics, Tony looks at the natural order of things, and how his teenage daughter would one day grow wings and fly away:

"Today, a Girl, Tomorrow, a Woman"

«Today a little angel

Tomorrow a woman

Your way

You’ll walk alone

But when you leave

With you too departs

A father’s heart

A father’s heart

I’ll remember your words

And never forget

What I learned from you

You are forever my guardian angel

Who looks after me

Look out for me

Even after I’m gone

Now just a girl

That tomorrow will grow

But a child

For me you’ll remain

But when you leave

With you too departs

A father’s heart

A father’s heart

I know we’ll be together forever

And our farewell

Doesn’t mean goodbye

And when you need me, I swear

I swear to God, I swear to God

Wherever you are, that’s where I’ll be»

Tony could never have guessed it, but years later, the lyrics to the song would gain a tragic meaning and leave a nation in tears while sharing Sara’s family’s overwhelming suffering.

The song went viral on YouTube and has now more than 4 million views and growing. The comment box has become a place for grief and condolences, as everyone can follow the unforeseeable tragedy of a father losing a child at such a young age.

Sara Carreira’s wake should occur this Tuesday, 8 December (once Mother’s day in Portugal), and the funeral should occur on Wednesday.

In a statement sent to the Lusa, Sara Carreira’s family thanks the messages of support she has received and asks “humbly to everyone, above all to the media” privacy to say goodbye to the artist. “There must be few moments of pain that resemble the loss of a daughter, a sister, a girl, a princess.”

At the family’s discretion, no further details about the funeral ceremonies are disclosed.

Whom the Gods love die young, it’s a proverb of ancient wisdom. Indeed, imagination, which creates new worlds, and Art, which portrays them in works, are the great signs of this divine love. Gods do not grant these gifts so that we are happy, but to turn us into their peers.

Whoever loves, loves only an equal because we make others our equals by loving them. We cannot be rivals to the Gods because Destiny separated them; neither human nor God ascends by divine love.— Publ. in “Athena,” nº 2. Lisbon: Nov. 1924.

Rui Carneiro is a graduate of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto. A teacher and life-coach specialized in strategic communication and self-development.

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