Nininho Vaz Maia

Avelino Vaz Maia (born 25 February 1988), better known as Nininho Vaz Maia or Nininho, is a Portuguese singer and composer.

2013–2020: Career beginnings
In 2013, Vaz Maia began to rise to prominence as a musician and composer. He began to compose his first musical themes inspired by pop music and flamenco. Firstly, he recorded a video performing a song to send to his sister. After seeing it, she showed it to her cousin who later shared it on the platform YouTube. After its release, the number of views on YouTube began to grow and an increasing number of fans began to follow the videos and songs he was composing and sharing. In the following years, Vaz Maia released eight singles, which continued to grow his success as a musician.

2021: Raízes
In 2021, Vaz Maia released his debut album, Raízes (Roots). As a whole, the album blended traditional flamenco music with pop elements. Vaz Maia worked with other prominent Portuguese musicians on the album, such as Rodrigo Carmo (Stego). In 2021, after the release of Raízes, Vaz Maia performed live, promoting singles from the album. Vaz Maia performed for the first time in Beja and Almeirim.

2022–present: Continued recognition, Aparentemente - Vol 1, The Voice Kids and The Voice coach
In 2022, during a concert in Lisbon, Vaz Maia was presented with the recognition of Platinum level for Raízes. Additionally, one of the tracks in Raízes, "E Agora", was used by football player Cristiano Ronaldo on his social media. Ronaldo and Vaz Maia have since become friends, with Vaz Maia performing for Ronaldo at his events.

In 2023, Vaz Maia released Aparentemente - Vol 1, which contains seven tracks.

In January 2024, Vaz Maia was confirmed to be a coach on the fifth season of The Voice Kids Portugal alongside Carlão, Bárbara Tinoco, and Cuca Roseta. On 7 July 2024, Victória Nicole, an artist from his team, won the season making Vaz Maia the winning coach in his first season. In June 2024, he was announced to be a coach on the twelfth season on the main version of the show, The Voice Portugal, alongside Fernando Daniel, Sónia Tavares, and Sara Correia.

Artistry
Vaz Maia is regarded as an important figure for the flamenco pop genre in Portugal, as the genre is based in neighbouring Spain, with singers such as Rosalía representing it.