Born in Funchal (Madeira) in 1978.
Joana started her musical journey by taking piano lessons at the age of six.
At 17, she moved to Lisbon and took classical singing lessons for a year. Later, in 1998, she entered Hot Clube's Jazz School. In the year that followed she was referred to as "New Voice Revelation”. At the same time she completed a degree in Industrial Design.

In 2002 she moved to New York to go to school at The New School University's, where she majored in Jazz & Contemporary Music Program with a Scholarship.

She has a Masters in Music Performance from ESMAE (IPP, 2012) and a PHD in Performance Arts from FBAUL (Universidade de Lisboa, 2025).

She has studied with Buster Williams, Connie De Jongh, Doug Weiss, Joanne Brackeen, Jeannie Lovetri, Lúcia Lemos, Luciana Souza, Reggie Workman, Sheila Jordan, Steve Coleman, Theo Bleckmann, Vic Juris, among many others. She participated in Meredith Monk's Company Member Workshop "Singing Body/dancing Voice".

Her resumé includes performances alongside renowned artists such as Abe Rábade, Bernardo Sassetti, Chris Strik, Edu Lobo, Gary Bartz, Jamey Haddad, Jane Ira Bloom, Jesus Santandreu, Paulo Braga, Perico Sambeat, Reggie Workmann, Rembrandt Frerichs, Sara Serpa, Toon Roos, among others.

She has equally performed with Jazz Orchestras such as Lehigh Valley Jazz Repertory Orchestra , directed by Bill Warfield; New School University's Jazz Orchestra, directed by Charles Tolliver; European Jazz Youth Orchestra, directed by Pedro Moreira.

Besides her own recordings: "Crude" (2006), "A Casa do Óscar" (2009), "Travessia dos poetas - Rosapeixe" (2010) “Blame it on my Youth” (2014) and "Lifestories" (2016) she has participated in Abe Rábade's "Aloumiños de Seda" (2008), Amílcar Vasques Dias' "Desnudo" (2011), Ricardo Pinheiro's "Song Form" (2013), Septeto do Hot Clube de Portugal volume II (2016) Septeto do Hot Clube de Portugal volume III (2018), Elas e o Jazz “Elas e o Jazz” (2020), “Calíope” various artists (2023), Rodrigo Correia’s “Promessa” (2025).

She's Faculty at Faculdade de Arquitectura e Artes of Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa, teaching Jazz & Modern Music.