Célia Maria Fernandes Lawson, known as Célia Lawson, was born on June 9, 1974, in Angola and is a Portuguese singer. She began her musical journey at age 15, performing with Portuguese hard rock and cover bands. In the early 1990s, she sang with the heavy metal band V12 before transitioning to pop music. Lawson's breakthrough came in 1997 when she won the Festival da Canção with the ballad "Antes do Adeus", earning her a spot to represent Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 in Dublin, where she finished last with zero points. Following this, she returned to rock music under the name Ira and released several albums, including Faith (2002). In 2017, Lawson participated in the fifth season of The Voice Portugal, performing "Still Loving You" by Scorpions during her blind audition.
