The Portuguese National final ended only hours ago, with eight acts all competing to be the next Portuguese Eurovision act, and hopefully break the longest non-winning streak in Eurovision. The show was hosted by SÃlvia Alberto & Catarina Furtado, and it was a special edition as it is the 60th anniversary of the Portuguese broadcaster RTP.
The eight finalists included:
- Jorge Benvinda –Â Gente Bestial
- Pedro Gonçalves – Don’t Walk Away
- Lena d’Agua – Nunca Me Fui Embora
- Salvador Sobral –Â Amar Pelos Dois
- Fernando Daniel –Â Poema a Dois
- Celina Da Piedade –Â Primavera
- Deolinda Kinzimba –Â O que Eu Vi nos Meus Sonhos
- Viva La Diva – Nova Glória
The voting was decided by both the jury and televoting, each with 50% weight. The highest points from the jury went to Salvador Sobral, followed by Jorge Benvinda and Celina da Piedade both with 10. From the Portuguese public vote, the 12 points went to Viva la Diva, followed by Salvador Sobral and Pedro Gonçalves. With all the points combined together, the winner was Salvador Sobral with the song Amar Pelos Dois.
The song is a family affair, as Salvador’s sister LuÃsa Sobral wrote the song with her brother in mind. She is one of the brightest Portuguese composers and singers of the new generation, and is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music. When asked about why she didn’t choose to sing the song herself, she commented ‘I never thought about singing this song myself because when I wrote it I already had my brother’s voice in mind. I was very fond of seeing him playing my song, because I think he is an extraordinary singer and because it gives me great joy to see him at the song contest and also that it turned out to be a family thing’ The praise was reciprocated, with Salvador commenting on his sister’s talent, ‘It’s an opportunity to sing a beautiful song from an excellent songwriter, and show it to the world’
Salvador released his debut album last year, called Excuse Me, and it represents his style through collaborations with Venezuelan composer Leonardo Aldrey and with influences of Jazz and Brazilian music. Both LuÃsa and Salvador are confident in the song, and are glad to be representing Portugal with a song that represents their artistic personalities and is also performed in their mother tongue.
Listen to the song down below, and if you are loving Portugal’s entry, make sure to vote for Salvador in our Eurovision 2017 poll!