Born in
Coimbra, Mimicat participated in
2001 with the song "Mundo colorido" under the name Izamena, aiming to represent Portugal in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2001, but did not advance beyond the semi-finals. In 2014, she joined the band The Casino Royal, for whom she was the lead singer and songwriter. In the same year, she released her first album as Mimicat, "For You". The lead single from the album, "Tell Me Why", was featured in the Portuguese telenovela . She entered Festival da Canção again in
2023 with the self-composed song "
Ai coração". The song won both the jury and popular vote in the contest, earning the right to represent Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. She qualified from the first semi final for the final, in which she placed 23rd. She returned as
Portugal's jury spokesperson the
following year. Mimicat has described her musical influences as including soul music, but also "pop hits on the radio". ==Personal life==