AMANDA PORTELA
If Amanda Portela were a cocktail, she’d be that smoky mezcal with a twist of lime—smooth, sultry, and packing a punch you never saw coming. A world-class vocalist, musician, and performer, Amanda has been a San Diego staple for over a decade, shaping stages with a voice that drips jazz elegance and pulses with raw indie energy.
Her journey began in the dimly lit corners of San Francisco’s open mic scene, where she transformed coffee shops like Brain Wash and Coffee to the People into makeshift concert halls. Each performance was a masterclass in intimate connection—lush, smoky vocals weaving through jazz, Latin jazz, Cumbia, Americana, R&B, and pop like threads in an intricate tapestry.
When she landed in Southern California, Amanda didn’t just keep the rhythm; she set it. She lent her voice to the Mesa College Big Band and founded Hillcrest’s unforgettable Jazz Jam at the Wine Lover—a hotbed for raw musical chemistry and impromptu brilliance.
But Amanda’s story doesn’t stop with jazz’s cozy corners. She stretched her artistry with Bateke Beat, a Congolese band lighting up Ocean Beach institutions like Winston’s and 710 Beach Club. Then came her indie-rock brainchild, Viva Apollo, where she lived out her Debbie Harry fantasies with gritty, blues-driven sets that stuck to your ribs like a good whiskey.
Amanda Portela isn’t just a singer; she’s a chameleon of sound, shape-shifting through genres and scenes while never losing her signature fire.
