Joana Araujo

I am a singer-songwriter with over twenty years of experience creating and performing music across different countries and cultures. I am currently a PhD student in Artistic Creation at the University of Aveiro, where I am developing my authorial project in music, performance, and songwriting. During my residency as a musician at Sofitel Dubai Downtown, I had the opportunity to apply vocal technique refined through years of singing lessons, strengthening my artistic confidence and stage presence in a professional setting. Later, as a guest artist at Lycée Français Jean Mermoz, I led a workshop that inspired an educational project bringing songwriting into the classroom as a playful and collaborative process. In this project—currently being implemented in Aveiro—children participate in storytelling and lyric creation, discovering music as a form of self-expression and shared creativity.

As a musician, I draw on personal influences in hard rock and metal, with ongoing engagements with bands such as Dream Theater, Circus Maximus, Mr. Big, and Journey. I have also collaborated on educational and community projects that merge narrative writing with performance, and I continue to explore self-expression through song, storytelling, and collaborative creation.

With a Master’s degree in Portuguese Literature and currently pursuing a PhD in Artistic Creation (both in Portugal) , my doctoral project merges music, poetry, and narrative writing into an original performance exploring the process of self-discovery. Throughout my career, I have written and performed songs that combine lyrical depth with emotional authenticity, drawing from my experience as a journalist, writer, and performer.