Marcus Vaz

John "Marcus" Vaz (born 26 April 1956) is an Indian singer, playwright, theatre director, and actor who works on the Konkani stage.

Early life His parents were Jose Lawrence Vaz, better known as Master Vaz, a Konkani singer and playwright from Aldonã, Goa, and Marianin Vaz from Utorda, (Goa then being part of Portuguese India during the Portuguese Empire). He grew up with eight siblings, consisting of three sisters and five brothers. Vaz's paternal grandparents, Benjamin and Maria Vaz, were popularly known as Mr. and Mrs. Vaz. Their stage names were derived from the characters they portrayed in a tiatr production. They were active in the tiatr tradition and performed in tiatrs as early as the 1930s in Bombay, British India.

Career Around the age of 7-8 years, Vaz, along with his sister, would sometimes sing in tiatrs staged in Goa, usually for village performances. Starting his professional career as a child artist, he first sang for C. Alvares in his tiatr Kednam Udetolo To Dis (1967). In this tiatr, his father, Master Vaz, gave him a song "Janta Bombaichi Ghaddi Voita," through which Vaz gained fame. After this initial tiatr, he went on to perform in several more tiatrs. Around the age of 20, Vaz moved to Kuwait where he discovered many professional and popular tiatrists like Xavier Gomes. Vaz only sang songs composed by his father initially, although he didn't sing many of his father's songs. After moving to Kuwait, he began composing his own songs and learned the art of songwriting. Vaz also sang songs written by others. In 1980, Vaz, Xavier Gomes, and Cajetan de Sanvordem formed a trio in Kuwait known as Cajetan-Marcus-Xavier.

Vaz's involvement as a trio member helped him gain fame in Kuwait, where he lived for several years. In 1998, he retired from his job in Kuwait and returned to his home state of Goa.

Personal life Vaz worked as a welder for a company in Kuwait. He initially moved to Kuwait to work before 1979 and then retired in 1998, returning to his home state of Goa. He maintains a close friendship with Konkani singer Xavier Gomes, his fellow trio member from the Cajetan-Marcus-Xavier fame. Vaz prefers road trips and avoids attending parties or public events like weddings. During his time in Kuwait, Vaz met his future wife, Maria Assumpta Goretti Vaz (née Pereira), who was also based there.

Vaz's sisters Felez and Maxie are also involved in khell tiatr productions as stage actresses. As of 2012, Vaz resides in the village of Utorda, Goa, his mother's hometown.