Second-generation Portuguese of Cape Verdean descent, she composed African-, Portuguese- and North American-influenced world music.

[4] Tavares showed great musical promise from a young age; in 1994 she won the national television song contest Chuva de Estrelas [pt],[5][6] performing Whitney Houston's "One Moment in Time".

[6] That same year, she won the Festival da Canção, that earned Tavares a slot in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest[4] at the age of 16.

[citation needed] Tavares named Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin as her favourite childhood artists.

[3][14] The song Pé de choro by Huca, which is set to compete in Festival da Canção 2024, is a tribute to Tavares.