Duarte, born in Évora, lived his childhood and adolescence in the village of Arraiolos. He began to sing fado as a joke, but in 1997 Duarte assumed a committed relationship with “a fado, as a space par excellence of his musical expression”, developing research works of letters and songs of traditional fado, beginning, in parallel, to write and composing themes that are currently part of his repertoire, a path of construction and search is being defined has a singer-song writer.

In 2004 he presented his first record work “Fados Meus” and, shortly after, the theme “Dizem Que o Meu Fado é Triste” is published, his lyrics for José Joaquim Cavalheiro Jr.'s minor fado in Porto, which is part of a record collection “100 Anos do Fado”, produced by the newspaper Público.

In October of that year, invited by Maria da Fé and the poet José Luís Gordo, he joined the cast of the typical Senhor Vinho restaurant where he continues to sing.

During 2005, he participated in several radio and television shows and programs, and in November 2006 he was awarded the Amália Rodrigues Prize - Male Revelation. The jury stressed that the young fado singer “has qualities that support a career”.

In 2007, the Arraiolos City Council distinguishes Duarte with the Municipal Merit Medal - Cultural Section. That same year he participated in the opening show of Arena d'Évora, in the commemorative show of 50 Years of RTP, among others.

At the end of this year, he performs at the invitation of the composer Evanthia Reboutsika and the singer Elli Paspala, a season of nine concerts at the Polis Theater in Athens.

In 2008 he performed at the Portugal Day Celebrations in Guinea-Bissau and returned to Hellenic lands to perform at the 1st Chios Mediterranean Music Festival.

Invited by the filmmaker José Fonseca e Costa, he composes the theme that serves as the soundtrack to the film “Mistérios de Lisboa” that was presented in 2009, as well as his new album “Aquelas Coisas da Gente” from which the theme “Mistérios de Lisboa” was removed as the first single.

Duarte presented his work at the Fado Museum and on a tour in Portugal, Africa, Asia and Europe.

After being nominated for 3 consecutive years, in 2009 he won the Mais Musica Award by Mais Alentejo Magazine, being the most voted by the readers of this magazine.

In 2014 he started the project for his work “Sem Dor Nem Piedade” published the following year. The album was released in May 2015 and was received with great praise from critics and enthusiasm by the public. Presenting, among others, at the Centro Cultural de Belém (CCB) in Lisbon, France, Spain, Poland etc.

"I am married to psychology but fado is my lover"

“… In this confession of Duarte, the new fado star, echoes this ambivalence of the Portuguese soul, always in search of that longing in which those who let themselves be enchanted by the sirens of the melancholy of absence sink. However, Duarte is no longer a fado singer, one of those who claim to be among the best of his generation. Its uniqueness begins in an assumed double activity. Others before him, like Fernando Machado Soares, the last fado singer from Coimbra, judge of the court of Almada, on the other side of the Tagus, experienced this reality. But, for Duarte, it is also a status of singer and songwriter, rare among fadistas…. ”
by Antonio Mafra

On February 20, 2016, Duarte edits the CD in France that he presents at the Théâtre des Abbesses and then goes on touring all regions of France, apart from his concerts in Portugal.

“If we let ourselves be diluted with the rain
We can still reach the sea at night. ”

Considered by some as “the Prince of Melancholia” or as “the most contemporary of fado singers”, Duarte presents (or presents himself) “Só a Cantar”.

After singing the end of a relationship, in four acts of “Sem Dor nem Piedade”, Duarte now sings stories that overcame loneliness. A record that praises being able to be alone, being able to leave alone.

In 2018 a new work is released, with production by João Gil, “Só a Cantar” consists of eleven themes. The artistic orientation is by Aldina Duarte who contributes with his authentic and significant work experience in the matter of fados, pointing out which are the best melodies of traditional fado that would serve Duarte's lyrics.

In “Só a Cantar”, in addition to the original theme composed by José Mário Branco, five traditional fados are reinvented, four unpublished themes by Duarte and a theme by Cancioneiro Popular Alentejano.

The registration of the greys, the countercurrent attitude and the lack of importance given to the mainstream are factors that mark the path of the singer/writer that confirm “Só a Cantar” as the object of its own space, in Duarte's artistic expression.

“Because doing it again is taking care of the contents, without getting lost in the illusion of the effects.”

This work was distributed in Portugal and France. It was presented at Salle Gaveau, Paris, Opéra-Théâtre de Clermont-Ferrand, Opéra Comédie,Montpelier,, and at the event “Lisboa Na Rua” in Lisbon, among many others.

At the end of 2020, beginning of 2021, a new work “No Lugar Delas” will be released.