Earlier today the participating artists and composers of this year’s edition of ‘Festival da Canção’, along with the jury members, were announced by RTP.
At this morning’s press conference, the Portuguese broadcaster RTP revealed the 26 artists who will compete to represent Portugal at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, along with the 9 jury members who will determine half of the overall votes in the contest. It was also revealed in which of the two semi-finals each artist would compete in. These are as follows:
Semi- Final 1 (18 February)
- Peu Madureira, with composer Diogo Clemente; this will be the first time that both will be competing in the festival.
- Anabela, with composer Fernando Tordo; Anabela represented Portugal in Eurovision in 1993, and Fernando represented the country as a soloist in 1973 and as part of the group Os Amigos in 1977.
- Joana Barra Vaz, with composer Francisca Cortesão; Joana is a director and screenwriter, and Francisca has worked as a composer for several Portuguese artists.
- Janeiro, as a singer and composer; Janeiro has been invited as a composer by Salvador Sobral and will perform his own entry.
- Rui David, with composer Jorge Palma; Jorge participated in ‘Festival da Canção’ in 1975.
- José Cid & Gonçalo Tavares, with composer José Cid; José and Gonçalo have participated in the festival several time in the past. José has also represented Portugal at Eurovision in 1980 as a soloist and in 1998 with the band Alma Lusa.
- JP Simões, as a singer and composer; he is a singer, songwriter and actor, who will debut in the festival this year.
- Emmy Curl, with composer Júlio Resende; this will be both the singer and composer’s debut in the contest.
- Joana Espadinha, with composer Luís Nunes (Benjamim); Luís has released albums in Portuguese and English, and worked in London and Portugal.
- Beatriz Pessoa, with composer Mallu Magalhães; this will be both the singer and composer’s debut in the contest.
- Bruno Vasconcelos, with composer Nuno Rafael; this will be both the singer and composer’s debut in the contest.
- Maria Amaral, with composer Paulo Praça; Maria was a contestant on the most recent edition of The Voice in Portugal, and her entry will be composed by debut composer Paulo.
- Rita Dias, as a singer and composer; Rita is a singer and composer, who will debut in the contest this year
Semi-Final 2 (25 February)
- Susana Travassos, with composer Aline Frazão; Aline is an international singer, musician and composer who has already released 3 albums. It will be her’s and Susana’s debut at the contest.
- Lili, with composer Armando Teixeira; Armando is a composer, singer and producer, particularly famed for electronic music. He previously participated in the contest as a composer in 2012, penning the song “O Mundo Passa” for Vânia Osório.
- Sequin, with composer Bruno Cardoso (Xinobi); Xinobi is a DJ inspired by disco, house, electronic and techno music. This will be his and Sequin’s first participation in the Festival.
- TAMIN, with composer Capicua; Capicua and TAMIN are both hip-hop artists who will debut at the contest this year.
- Daniela Onís, as a singer and composer; Daniela is an actress and singer who has recently taken to songwriting. By participating and winning the contest MasterClass, she earned a spot in ‘Festival da Canção’.
- Diogo Piçarra, as a singer and composer; Diogo won the contest ‘Idols’ in 2012, winning a course at London Music School. Since then he has released two albums and worked with several artists. He will debut in the Festival this year.
- David Pessoa, with composer Francisco Rebelo; Francisco has worked as a sound technician and producer, and created the bands Cool Hipnoise and Spaceboys. In 2017 he worked as the musical director of the medleys presented in the intermission of ‘Festival da Canção’.
- Cláudia Pascoal, with composer Isaura; Cláudia participated in The Voice in 2017. Meanwhile Isaura, who made her debut in 2014 on YouTube, has been nominated for the “Revelation” award at the Portugal Festival Awards. This will be her’s and Cláudia’s debut in the contest.
- Rita Marques, with composer João Afonso; João is a singer and composer who has worked with a variety of artists from Portugal and across the world. This will be his and Rita’s debut in the contest.
- Dora Fidalgo, with composer Miguel Ângelo; Miguel Ângelo last participated as a composer in the festival in 1985, with the song “A Casa da Praia” performed by Delfins. This year he will be working with Dora, who is debuting in the contest.
- Paulo Flores, as a singer and composer; Paulo has been active in the music business since 1989, and is influenced by Angolan music. This will be his debut in the contest.
- Peter Serrado, as a singer and composer; Peter is a Portuguese-Canadian singer and songwriter. His song was selected for the festival through a contest promoted by Antena1.
- Maria Inês Paris, with composer Tito Paris; Tito is a musician and composer with over 30 years of experience. This will be his debut in the festival.
Along with the 26 competing artists and composers, the jury members for this year’s contest were also announced this morning. They are as follows:
- Júlio Isidro
- Ana Bacalhau
- Ana Markl
- António Avelar
- Pinho Carlão
- Luísa Sobral
- Mário Lopes
- Sara Tavares
- Tozé Brito
For the second year running, Júlio Isidro will act as the head of the jury for the festival. Amongst those joining him will be Luísa Sobral, who composed the winner of last year’s Eurovision Song Contest “Amar pelos dois”, and Sara Tavares who represented Portugal at the contest in 1994.
Following the 2 semi-finals of this year’s ‘Festival da Canção’ the grand final will take place on 4 March. The winner of the contest will go on to represent Portugal on home soil at the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest in May. This will be the first time that Portugal will host the Eurovision Song Contest in their 50-year history of participation.
Source: eurovision.tv ; escportugal.pt