Luciana Abreu Sódre Costa Real, known as Luciana Abreu, is from Massarelos – Porto (Portugal) and was born on May, 25th, 1985 (Gemini). Nowadays she lives with her mother and sister in Cascais. Luciana as a child always showed having artistic qualities that everybody that surround her could see and her natural beauty and amazing voice. She spent hours in front on the mirror, singing, dancing, acting and even hosting. Still, she was just a child, but everything she idealized was from her true calling. It was in 1999, on the TV show (Sic – TV Channel) “Cantigas na Rua” (Literally: Songs in the Street) that Luciana Abreu, showed us with her voice for the first time, already by that time very powerful, but with the sweetness only she could transmit! Right there the showed all her talent to Portugal since she won, singing the song “Lusitana Paixão” from Dulce Pontes in the Porto city and the song “Papel Principal” from Adelaide Ferreira, in the final in Guimarães. Always persistent and a fighter, she didn’t give up on her dream...
In 2002 she showed she could also perform, being part of that cast of the Theatre play “O Casamento”, from Seiva Trupe, one of the most famous theatre from the North of Portugal. In the next year she performed the leading role in the musical “Cabaret Carioca”, from Carlos Leça, one of the greatest dancers from Broadway, inspired by the song of Chico Buarque.
Although her talent, she saw her dream being delay many times, because the necessity of helping her family back home, took her to put her job in front of her musical carrier. She was close to reach fame when she sign up for “Operação Triunfo”, but she had to replace her casting for her first job in a clothes store. Since 2002 until 2005, Luciana has taken part of a series of karaoke competitions, which was common getting the first place. Finally, in 2005, Luciana saw the success knock on her door when she participate in the TV show “Idolos” (the Portuguese version of “American Idol”), in which she was known as “Borboleta” (Butterfly). Even tough she has always been one of the favourites by the viewers and applauded by some members of the jury, she left on the 5th program, choking everyone. In the competition she sang a lot of songs like “Falling” (Alicia Keys), “Povo Que Lavas No Rio” (Dulce Pontes), “Run To You” (Whitney Houston), “I Will Survive” (Gloria Gaynor) abd “Sympathy For The Devil” (The Rolling Stones). She was even compared, by Luís Jardim (Portuguese producer winner of a Grammy, jury of the competition), to some of the best singers of the world, like Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. In the same year she represented Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev, with the song “Amar” (Love), with Rui Drummond, as the band 2B. The song with lyrics in both wrote in Portuguese and English was the 10th Portuguese song, taken to this event, which achieved more votes since the first Portuguese participation in 1964.
The big jump on her career, happen in the soup opera, “Floribella” (The Portuguese version of the soup opera “Floricienta” who passed by several countries and with a huge success in all of them including the original version Argentina) in 2006, in which she got the leading role. The success was enormous and she continued to give life to her character for another year (2007) in the 2nd season. The soup opera, launch 3 albums, with most of them sang by Luciana. The first record sold 200.000 copies, reaching the 2nd platen in just 24 hours. The album was a success, reaching the 11th platen and was considerer the success of the year, staying in the first place in all the tops for several months. The second album, dedicated to Christmas songs and with the name “O Melhor Natal” (The Best Christmas), reach the double platen (43.887 copies) and the third and last album of the soup opera also reach the double platen. Two karaoke DVD’s and a video game were also sold as a whole bunch of merchandising with the soup opera brand. Still regarding the soup opera, was develop the musical “Ri-Fixe”, which was sold out 3 time in the “Coliseu de Lisboa” and had also been passed to DVD since the audience of the soup opera asked, besides the shows of the band of the soup opera the so called “Showtógrafos” – a concept made by SIC (TV Channel) that puts together a concert and an autograph session. Luciana travel all over the country taken her joy to thousands of people and bringing crowds to see the shows.
Still in 2006, Luciana was invited to be the Queen of the Parade from the Portuguese community in Newark – New York which attracted thousands of people, showing Luciana as a Portuguese icon.
At the end of 2006, Luciana gave her voice to the animated character Selénia, in the movie “Arthur and the Invisibles”. After several invitations to participate in events, Luciana, amazed the audience with her part in the Disney Christmas show on TV, singing the song “Longe do Mundo” (Portuguese version of the song “God Help The Outcasts” from the Disney movie “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”), sang (in the Portuguese version) by the singer Sara Tavares.
Already in 2007, she as nominated for two categories of the Portuguese Golden Globes, winning one of them and taken her first Globe home. In May, she was invited to participate in a discussion on the Republic Assembly, to talk about how to prevent child abuse at all levels. It was the first time a Portuguese artist was invited for just a thing and it proved the courage and determination of Luciana Abreu.
On Setember, 2007 she was invited to see the premiere of the movie “High School Musical” in London. Also during 2007 Luciana had her first experience as a host, presenting several fashion shows. She was also invited to participate in the Portuguese version of TV show “Dancing with the stars” which she won. Because of that she was invited to participate in the especial Christmas show. After all this years doing some photo shots to some magazines, in February 2008 she was the cover of FHM ( a very prestigious male magazine), that hit her record achieving 65.000 copies sold national wide and also 15.000 more sold to collectors. This photo shot was very commented by the people and the media and showed her ability to transform herself, to adapt to any job she needs.
In March 2008, she came back to the USA, Newark, at the city of Elizabeth to be more precisely and also to Washington where she gave an autograph session and sang some of her soul songs of several singers known world wide.
After the surprising photo shot for the male magazine and being the name more researched in the internet by the Portuguese people she was elected in May by the readers of the magazine the most Sexy Woman of 2008. In a world competition she conquered the 2nd place as one of the 100 sexiest women of the world.
On June 2008, she fulfilled a dream, helping children to see their dreams come true, dedicating her time to a project of the SIC TV Channel for the Child’s Day. So, in June 1st, Luciana hosted for the first time a show during 7 hours, live, “O Melhor do Mundo” (The Best of The World), presenting the show in the afternoon and through the night.
The show took many people to the city of Porto where she showed all her effort, dedication, talent and professionalism, all qualities in her and where she also showed her control, humbleness and humanity.
Luciana Abreu went to the city of Luanda, in Angola, during the moth of June for two shows, where she took thousands of people, again.
During her career she was invited to represent several brands. Also she was invited to participate in some publicity videos.
Currently she is fulfilling one of her dearest dreams. She is hosting her own show, during weekends in the morning. Her show “Lucy”, is dedicated to children or as she call them “little friends”, with games, curiosities, plays and music. She dances hosts, and sings some original songs written especial for her and also songs known world wide. She helps children to fulfill their dreams and to light the day of the people she conquered with her honesty and heart.
Her official website: http://www.lucianaabreu.pt/index_in.php
Source: http://artists.letssingit.com/luciana-abreu-tj9g6/biography
