Sónia Tavares: Up Close
The vocalist of The Gift, Sónia Tavares not only gives voice to one of Portugal’s best-known alternative bands, but also uses it to speak out about the issues that matter to her. Away from the stage, she talks about feminism, life with fibromyalgia and the causes she believes deserve more attention, from animal welfare to the future of Portugal.
Featured Artist Sónia Tavares
Creative Direction & beauty
Antonia Rosa using Clarins
Photographer Arlindo Camacho
Styling João Telmo
Assisted by Maria Ribeiro
Supported by Priscila Vieira
Hair Rui Lanca at Griffehairstyle
Nails Sandra Luz at Dez Studio
Makeup assistant Sofia Araújo
Production Danna Löwenberg
Words Priscila Vieira
Special Thanks to Teja House for Location.
For more than three decades, Sónia Tavares has been the voice of The Gift, one of Portugal’s best-known alternative rock and synth-pop bands, formed in 1994. But beyond the stage, the music and the spotlight is a woman who refuses to be defined by labels: thoughtful, independent and unafraid to challenge both herself and the world around her.
In this conversation with ZOOT, Sónia opens up about living with fibromyalgia, feminism, the responsibility that comes with speaking out, and the issues she believes Portugal can no longer afford to ignore. From animal welfare and domestic violence to environmental responsibility and the country’s future, she shares her views with honesty and conviction.
Captured in intimate black-and-white portraits by Arlindo Carmacho, and stripping away the noise and keeping styling to a minimum, Sónia appears beyond the persona audiences know so well: an artist driven by her beliefs and by the idea that real change begins with individual responsibility.
This week, we caught up with Sónia again to hear her thoughts on the protests and ask what kind of Portugal she wants her child to grow up in.
As a mother, I want my son to grow up in a place where he can speak his mind, stand up for others and challenge those in power without being afraid. A country where his rights are respected, even when what he has to say makes people uncomfortable. We raise our children to care about the world around them and to speak up when something is wrong. We cannot then expect them to stay silent when they see injustice. Peaceful protest is a fundamental right, and the police have a duty to protect the people exercising it. I want my son to trust that the institutions meant to protect him will listen to him, too.
SÓnia Tavares
ZOOT: For readers discovering you for the first time, who is Sonia Tavares?
Sónia: I’m an Alcobaça girl, born and raised under the shadow of 13th century Gothic monastery, in the middle of Portugal, where I still live with my husband and our teenage son. I have a band for 33 years now, called “The Gift”. I’ve traveled the world and the seven seas with them. It’s been a wonderful journey. I love my pets and I admit I can be a little misanthrope sometimes.
I’m also a person who kind of hates to talk about herself. Honestly , I’m the one always trying to figure out by myself the answer to that question.
ZOOT: You’ve spent decades in the public eye. What has changed most about who you are, beyond the music?
Sónia: All and nothing. It’s like that scientific principle of Lavoisier, the French scientist, we learned in high school: Nothing is created, nothing is lost; everything is transformed. It does sum up my life well. But mostly, I don’t have anything to prove anymore, so I guess I’m a dangerous person.
ZOOT: You’ve never stopped evolving as an artist. What excites you most about the music you’re making today, and what can we expect from your latest releases?
Sónia: The Gift was already born under the hope of being better and push on artistry. I respect the past, we had a great time, but I’m always more excited about the idea of making new lyrics and music with my partner Nuno (Gonçalves). Our last album Coral was a huge musical enterprise for us as navigated between experimental electronics and vocal music. We added 50-piece chorus of Wien, Austria to our own vocal and aesthetic roots. I loved every minute of that adventure. Perhaps I’ll do exactly the opposite in my next album. I’m free, and that’s the best part.
ZOOT: What’s your beauty ritual before stepping on stage—or simply on a day when you want to feel your best?
Sónia: A cigarette and a latte
ZOOT: What does being a feminist mean to you in 2026?
Sónia: It’s hard because feminism has been an essential part of everything I do, but my stand is still rooted upon not being better than men, but to have equal opportunity, compensation and recognition. What I want to pass to my son, is an understanding of how it is walking in a woman’s shoes. That’s the most important and the true fight. And, a few times, it gets lost in translation. Everyone can be a feminist, even a man. What has to change is the notion and the reach to balance this “equality in difference” but we have to keep pressing on.
Everyone can be a feminist, even a man. What has to change is the notion and the reach to balance this “equality in difference” but we have to keep pressing on.
SÓNIA TAVARES
ZOOT: Violence against women remains a serious issue. Beyond legislation, what still needs to change?
Sónia: Legislation comes from a dominant mentality, and that is what it definitely needs to change.
ZOOT: You’ve been open about living with fibromyalgia. What was it like navigating a chronic illness when many healthcare professionals didn’t believe what you were experiencing?
Sónia: Seeing is believing and one must go way beyond words, techniques and beliefs. This is a very personal process and even sharing it is painful. I did it and sometimes I regret it, this disease humbles us and besides the everyday pain, there’s also that suspicion and it hurts, but having love and respect in your life and home; and a stage to sing your songs, helps a lot.
ZOOT: You’ve received countless messages from women who identified with your journey. Is there one that has stayed with you?
Sónia: Like I said, this is a very individual condition, and stories are all different, person upon person, so to highlight one of the many messages I got would be unfair, as they have all touched me in different ways. But the phrase I hear time and time again is: “Only those who live with it truly understand the suffering.” I wish them all the best of luck.
ZOOT: You’ve never been afraid to speak out. Have you ever questioned whether taking a stand could come at a professional cost?
Sónia: I guess I’m too spontaneous for that. And it does come with a cost. Sometimes, I felt I should keep my big mouth shut but the fact I couldn’t do it, that it was stronger than me, tells me everything I need to know.
I’m an independent artist, I gained that space, inch by inch so I fear not as I always depend on my talent and hard work and nothing else to get to places. I’m my own label, agent and manager so there’s no control damage or previous scrutiny involved, which is quite rare for an “artist” these days.
ZOOT: Portugal feels increasingly polarised. What conversations do you think we’re still avoiding?
Sónia: Portugal is becoming embarrassing for a lot of us who truly love and pay tribute to our country through our work. It’s like people have decided to ignore important needs in our common life like being righteous, empathic, debating under civilized terms and in fact just being the people we can and should be.
It seems that we have lost common sense and were replaced by a narcistic need to be right, to express an opinion, I don’t know, it feels we just lost control.
It seems that we have lost common sense and were replaced by a narcistic need to be right, to express an opinion, I don’t know, it feels we just lost control.
SÓNIA TAVARES
ZOOT: Many young Portuguese people all over the country are protesting on the streets because they cannot afford to live independently or build a future in their own country. Do you worry that Portugal is losing a generation of young people who no longer see a future there?
Sónia: Yes, it worries me deeply. A country cannot ask its young people to study, work hard and do everything expected of them, and then fail to give them the means to move out of their parents’ homes. For years, they were told they would be the generation with the most opportunities. Today, many have better qualifications but fewer chances to build a life. Emigration should be a choice, not a requirement for having a future. And I’m equally concerned about those who stay, working while putting everything on hold: a home, a family, their independence. When young people take it to the streets, they are saying they want to be able to live in their own country. That should be a political priority.
ZOOT: We live in a world where people are increasingly disconnected from the origins of their food. Has that distance made it easier to ignore the realities of intensive farming?
Sónia: Well, my diet is basically milk and coffee, bread and butter so I take little from the world. But I grew up with ties to the countryside and I do know where things come from and Alcobaça has a very rural part where thankfully we can still connect with the origin of things.
ZOOT: Captive dolphins, elephants and other wild animals are still promoted as tourist attractions around the world. Do you think there is still a place for zoos and marine parks in 2026, or is it time to rethink our relationship with wildlife?
Sónia: I spent a lot of time at the Lisbon Zoo watching monkeys and taking notes for my University, when I studied and still had hopes of being a primatologist, so I know that there is also room for protection, study and safe keeping, well-intended.
But that’s very special and exceptional. In a perfect world, animals shouldn’t serve as entertainment for us, we shouldn’t even interact with wild animals and that should be a golden rule. Circuses in Portugal do not have animals anymore so hopefully there’s room for progress too.
ZOOT: Our food choices have become one of the biggest environmental issues of our time. Has your eating habits changed over the years, and do you believe individual choices can make a real difference?
Sónia: No. I eat like a picky teen. I don’t like meat. To be honest, I hate everything about food and all the ritual and culture around it. I hate to sit at a table for hours, the foodie culture and I don’t identify myself with the Portuguese obsession about food.
I try to make conscious choices whenever I can, not because I think I can save the planet on my own, but because I believe change begins with personal responsibility. Small actions may seem insignificant, but together they become a movement
ZOOT: Portugal is rapidly changing its landscape in the name of the energy transition. How do you think we can balance renewable energy with protecting the country’s natural and cultural landscapes?
Sónia: I hope Portugal fulfills its immense potential and honors the investment made on it. We could lead by example, and I sincerely hope it does as there is no planet b. We have done many wrong things to our territory in the name of progress but, in all honesty, our politicians have short views and decide upon immediate gratification and profit and forget what our kids and grandkids will inherit. That worries me the most.
We have done many wrong things to our territory in the name of progress but, in all honesty, our politicians have short views and decide upon immediate gratification and profit and forget what our kids and grandkids will inherit. That worries me the most.
SÓNIA TAVARES
ZOOT: Portugal’s coastline is part of its identity. How important is it to keep beaches and natural spaces accessible to everyone while balancing tourism, conservation and development?
Sónia: Very important. We can’t sell our country by the pound. We need to find a balance between the natives of Portugal, whoever we are, people arriving to our country in search of better conditions of life, and tourists which a big part of the income of our country. I know it’s hard, or at least, not that easy to govern yet what I see happening worries me as, again, we are looking for easy ways and not a long term plan considering all the factors you mentioned.
ZOOT: Is there a cause you wish received more attention than it currently does?
Sónia: Actually, two. Domestic violence against women and animal causes. Those two causes and the improvement of solutions and resolve would help a lot to save the face and the destinies of our country.
ZOOT: Across Portugal, some university courses that once attracted around 10,000 applicants now receive only a few hundred. What kind of society do you think we’re creating if fewer people choose—or are able—to pursue higher education?
Sónia: The problem is not only education, which is the root of many evils in our country, but also the outlets that you have once you complete higher education. There’s a huge brain drain in Portugal, and young people feel desperate and hopeless as they see our generation wasting opportunities and resources that they could build upon and get to a better world than what we have now. I always feel we failed then, somehow.
ZOOT: If future generations looked back at our time, what do you hope they’d say we got right?
Sónia: We could, at least, start by apologizing.
ZOOT: What small action would you encourage everyone to take that could genuinely make a positive difference?
Sónia: Adopt a pet.
ZOOT: Finally, what are you most looking forward to—on stage, in the studio and in life?
Sónia: I’d say peace and the privilege of being free, and being myself with all my flaws.
Thank you Sónia!
To boot…
SÓNIA TAVARES, lead singer of “The Gift”
@soniatavaresofficial
Spotify The Gift
Youtube The Gift
The editorial was photographed at
TEJÁ House
@tejahouse
FASHION REFERENCES
ANA DE VASCONCELOS @anadevasconcelos
BESTA DE ESTILO ARCHIVE @archivebestadeestilo
For
@bestadeestilo
FILIPE FAISCA @filipefaisca
LEITÃO & IRMÃO @leitaoeirmao
SHOWPRESS@showpress.pressoffice
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LUIS DE CARVALHO @luiscarvalhoofficial
SEASIDE @seaside.oficial
STIVALI @stivali_boutiques
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KHAITE @khaite
MUGLER @muglerofficial
RICK OWENS @rickowensonline
