PORTUGAL 2025

The Portuguese song and act were selected on March 8th using their long running national final "Festival da Canção". Prior to the final there were two semis with 6 songs qualifying from each. In the final, the ranking of the televote was added to an equivalent rank of regional juries. This, however, resulted in a tie for first place and the entry with the better televoting score was declared the winner of the competition. Going to Basel is the group NAPA with the song "Deslocado" (Out of place)

NAPA is composed of Francisco Sousa (guitar), João Guilherme Gomes (vocals and guitar), João Rodrigues (drums), Diogo Góis (bass), and João Lourenço Gomes (piano). They formed in 2013 on the island of Madeira under the name "Men on the couch" which is the name they released their first album with. The band changed their name to NAPA in 2023 before the release of their second album which saw them move towards more acoustic and classical instrumentation and use of choirs and more acoustic intonations and collaborations. Last year they undertook a national tour and made a concert film called "Teatro Maria Matos" where the band played in a big band style. Most of their output is in an indie pop style.

On paper this entry feels like a very straightforward but the song is much more complex. The start of the song comes in very quietly with an interesting piano line which almost sounds Japanese. Over the top there are some interesting harmonies before the guitars start up which gives it a loungy Beatles energy. The structure is just verse, chorus, verse chorus although each verse and chorus is slightly different in length than the other and have slight changes in tune and rhythm. The group are dressed very casually in a range of beigey, muted outfits and they are spaced out around the stage giving many of the band members room to move about a bit. The backdrop is full of glowing colours - more vibrant than pastel but dimmer than primary and secondary colours - which gives it a hazy summer feel. The ending kind of gently steers out just like it gently crept in.

The song ended up being a bit of an 'accidental' winner not only because of the tie for first place but also because the jury and televote scores really did not correlate. Even for Portugal this is not really the archetypal Eurovision entry, which could be its strength or its weakness. In a final or semi-final full of busyness, this song could easily fall through the net or could stick out as an idyll of calm in a sea of unpredictability. There is scope for a rethink in terms of the staging, costuming and camera angles to sell the story, which is kind of missed if you don't speak Portuguese. The lyrics are poignant (about missing where you come from and not feeling at home in a big city) and almost provide a sentimental follow up to Baby Lasagne's song last year. It slightly reminds me of Azerbaijan's 2023 entry which was a subtle retro pop song but just didn't go anywhere and ended up forgotten. NAPA's position may well be more effected my other acts doing badly and losing votes than more people voting for them. Unless the whole of the Portuguese diaspora vote for this wholeheartedly in the semi-final I just can't see this getting much further.

ARTIST - NAPA

SONG - Deslocado

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - D Góis, G Gomes,  J Gomes, J Rodrigues, A Santos, F Sousa 

PORTUGAL 2024

The Portuguese act and song was chosen on March 9th through their established selection process "Festival da Canção". Before the final there were two semi-finals. Each semi consisted of two rounds of voting: in round one 5 songs qualified through a mixture of public voting (50%) and jury voting (50%)  then an extra finalist was voted for solely by public televoting. In the final the winner was selecting by a 50/50 mix of jury and public votes. The winning act was Iolanda singing "Grito" (Shout)

Iolanda Costa showed a great passion for music as a young child and as a result her parents sent her to study music at Tecnimúsica, a school in Pombal. She then moved to Lisbon where she graduated in Communication Sciences from ISCSP then moved to London, where she studied songwriting at the British and Irish Institute of Modern Music, at the University of Sussex. She also participated in a number of talent shows including the Portuguese versions of Pop Idol and The Voice. In 2022, she took part in Festival da Canção as the co-author/composer of the song "Mar no fim", performed by Blacci. Then last year she unveiled her debut EP "Cura" which was mostly written during the COVID pandemic lockdown.

The song starts acapella with the first two lines just voice alone. It very much grabs your ears but also your eyes. Iolanda is all in white, as are her dancers whose faces are also obscured by white lacy head coverings. The backing track overall is rather minimal and apart from some guitar parts and strings most of the song is driven by the drumming. The song flows nicely from verse to pre chorus to chorus and back again. The final chorus is elongated with the main refrain being repeated before a final reprieve. Just like the start, the backing track fades out so all you can hear is voice. Curiously, the title of the song does not appear in the song text. I guess the name "Grito" (Shout) reflects the anger or release of stress that the song deals with. There is also a moment when Iolanda elongates the end of one of the words to sound like a shout.

Out of all the songs in the national final this one probably had the most interesting, artistic and visual staging. The dancers' movements are rather exaggerated - almost mimelike - and the tableaux they make behind Iolande are almost reminiscent of songs like "Rhythm Inside". The backdrop pulsates from white to black and back again: sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes very slow. The song itself is very Portuguese, and that isn't just to do with the language. This kind of folky, artistic ballad is the kind of thing we have become accustomed to during "Festival da Canção". This song definitely tells a story and Iolanda has an amazing connections down the camera. I might have been tempted - in past years - to suggest this song may have had almost no chance of qualification. However, between all the brashness and weirdness, songs like this could well stand a chance. I also feel that if it were to qualify, this would be another song whose points would probably increase with the jury score. 

ARTIST - Iolande

SONG - Grito

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Iolanda Costa, Alberto Hernández

PORTUGAL 2023

The Portuguese final "Festival da Canção 2023" was held on March 11th at the RTP TV Studios in Lisbon, hosted by long standing presenters Filomena Cautela and Vasco Palmeirim. Before the final there were two semi-finals where 6 songs qualified from each. However due to a technical problem in semi 1 an extra wildcard place was awarded. The winner was chosen by a 50-50 mix of jury and televoting. Going to Eurovision is Mimicat  singing "Ai Coração" (Oh, heart)

Marisa Isabel Lopes Mena - aka Mimicat - has been singing and writing since very young. Aged just 15, under the stage name Izamena, she participated in Festival da Canção 2001 but did not make it to the final. In 2009 she graduated in Sound and Image from the Escola Superior de Artes e Design das Caldas da Rainha. Her debut album "For you" came out in 2014 and this also produced her first single.  She has 2 studio albums and 6 singles under her belt, mostly in the English language. She has performed at many Portuguese and Brazilian festivals and has been affectionately named “The Amy Winehouse of the Tagus". Her style is described as pop, R&B and soul.

Mimicat is joined on stage by four dancers and a leather sofa. She is wearing a black dress with a red detailing on the back and front while the dancers are wearing Latin American inspired outfits with a slight nod to flamenco. The backdrop chops and changes between black, blue red and pink but most noticeably there is a heart shape with moving cogs on the inside. The song starts with a slow dramatics first verse sung on the sofa and uses some nice 'from above' camera angles. The backing starts off intermittently and more as punctuation but then comes in full throttle at almost breakneck syncopated speed. This continues into the chorus and out the other end with an elongated instrumental. Then follows another verse and chorus followed by a less frenetic instrumental break. The final chorus starts off just with a flamenco style guitar but soon builds up to the big finish and the lights going out.

This song really oozes personality. Mimicat, and her band of dancers, do a great job of bringing attitude, sass and the Sally Bowles energy. The song has a pounding beat which is also very waveable and clapable. There is certainly nothing like this this year. It feels Portuguese but not overly so. Without the words one might think this Spanish and with the instrumental it seems a little bit French. Mimicat's voice has a distinct timbre and although one may not understand what she is saying she is extremely emotive and has a great chemistry down the camera. It is a simple yet effective show that people may find an affinity with.

There is, however, a lot going on - one may even say too much. Between the different camera angles, the constant movement and the ever-changing lighting, it feels rather in your face. I feel that changing the background colours so they are not the same as the colours of the costume would help. As much as I love the dancers' outfits, I like Mimicat's less. I feel like the shape of the outfit either needs to be smaller and more fitted or be totally over the top. I also wonder if the larger space in the arena will help differentiate everything on stage more, even though I quite like the small, tight nature of the setting. Also, I wish they would make more use of the overhead camera angles as it really does give the act a distinct look and feel. My instinct tells me this will stand out, especially in the voting recap, but as to if the song compels people to vote - I am unsure. For those who get to the end and feel the need to bravo, they will vote for it. I feel that is this did get to the final, the jury will bump up its places.

ARTIST - Mimicat

SONG - Ai Coração

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Marisa Mena, Luis Pereira

PORTUGAL 2021

The Portuguese Final (Festival da Canção) was held on March 6th at the RTP TV Studios in Lisbon, hosted by Filomena Cautela & Vasco Palmeirim. Before the final there were two semi-finals selecting the top 5 from each semi-final The winner was chosen by televoting (50%) & 7 regional juries (50%) However, there was a tie at the end of the voting, the televoting portion of the vote took precedence. Going to Eurovision is The Black Mamba with "Love is on my side"

The band is spread out on stage, which may or may not be due to COVID planning. As we look at the stage, the singer is front and centre with two guitarists either side, a pianist on out left and a drummer on the right. They are all dressed rather smartly in shirts, ties and some of them suit jackets too. The lead singer is also porting a rather fetching hat. The setting is made more memorable by use of a black and white film filter during the first minute. There are also small montages of old clips on the back screen which gives it a slightly retro and laidback feeling.

The tune and feeling of the song is akin to "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera as well as Justine Pelmelay's Dutch song from 1989. The start is very melancholic and atmospheric and has a nice orchestral feel. This fades out to just piano as the first verse starts, however the transition from verse to chorus is a little awkward especially as the chorus is so repetitive. There is then another verse and chorus which leads into a guitar led part which has the backing singers carrying on with the chorus the song then winds down to the last line of the chorus which the lead singer sings.

The band has been around for just over a decade and have three albums to their name, each released in 2010, 2014 and 2018. Their style of music seems to have international appeal and they have travelled extensively on tour through Europe, the USA, South America and Africa. The majority of their songs are in English although they have recorded some tracks in their native tongue.

This song really stand out from the crowd, whether you like the song or not. It's feel is a bit bluesy, jazzy sometimes a bit country and I feel like certain jurors and general viewers will enjoy this song a lot. It has a lot of repetition which helps it get in your head and the lead singers voice and presence on stage is also very memorable. I also think this will sound very much at home on any adult contemporary radio station in the world.  I feel that the backing track could be made a little more full to make those transitions more flowing. This is the very first time Portugal have sent a song totally in English and I don't think this fact should be taken lightly. In a country where they have real pride in their national song traditions, for a song like this to get jury and televote support means the song must be well thought of. I hope this does well purely on the basis that this is something different to a lot we've seen up to now.

ARTIST - The Black Mamba
SONG - Love is on my side
WRITING CREDITS - Tatanka

UPDATE 6

MOLDOVA - Zdob şi Zdub have released the video of their entry "So Lucky". It was filmed at a theatre in Tirana and so has that concert type feel. The video has a lot of atmosphere in it and the tone is very much different to their live performance during the Moldovan final.




PORTUGAL – Homens de Luta have finally produced their official video. Most if the video was filmed during the recent unrest and demonstrations regarding the current political situation in the country. Not exactly the view of a country that want the contest next year!




SLOVENIA – Maja Keuc presented the new version of her winning Eurovision song this weekend. The song, now entirely in English, is called “No One” The song, although mimed shows that her accent is not bad, but could be better. The presntation on the night will be alot different.

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PORTUGAL

The Portuguese Final was held on March 5th at Teatro Camões in Lisbon. Initially 24 songs were in the running for the ticket to Düsseldorf. The songs were placed on the RTP website and voted on for one week. The top 12 were then given a place in the televised final. The overall winner was chosen by a combination of 20 regional juries (50%) and televoting (50%).

1) Sete Saias - Embalo do coração
The all female group is all dressed in traditional clothing and playing interesting instruments. This is a very typical Portuguese folk song in the style of the 2009 entry and the girls seem to be doing their fair share of the singing. The visuals of this song are very striking and would look good on the ESC stage. The song is pleasant enough but not at all catchy.

2) Carla Moreno - Sobrevivo
Carla is backed by 3 female and 2 male backing singers/dancers. This is an electro up beat number, not normally seen in Portuguese finals which also has some English words.. Carla is wearing a very bright blue dress which is very noticeable. She also gets involved in the dancing too. Looks and sounds very polished. An English version could do very well.

3) Nuno Norte - São os barcos de Lisboa
This is a folk inspired number with what seems to be quite a large story telling quality to it. As the song progresses it has more dramatic rock qualities to it. Nuno is backed by 5 instrumentalists Nuno’s voice is a little thin at times and can be difficult to focus on. He is very passionate during the song. The song is very difficult to remember and has no typical structure.

4) Rui Andrade - Em nome do amor
This is a slow, moody, dramatic ballad and has does have echoes of “Senhora do mar” about it. Rui is alone on stage. His is the only person you see and hear on the track, which in itself is brave. However he is able to keep ones attention to the very end. The song progresses very well and he is putting a lot of passion and effort into his singing. A very strong ending too.

5) Henrique Feist - Quase a voar
Another folky song with strange instruments and dancers on stage. Henrique has an accordion player and 4 dancers onstage. They are all dressed in a kind of peasant way. The start of the chorus has more of a “Zorba” feel with the seed increasing as it goes. There is quite extensive choreography which the singer also does.. This set up to would also fit the ESC stage

6) Wanda Stuart - Chegar à tua voz
Another slow dramatic ballad. Wanda (who is no spring chicken) has blue hair and a very ‘uplifting’ top shall we say! She is backed by 5 others who are dressed in a kind of Medieval military way which lots of props. The song has a decent progression although is a little tricky to remember and follow along. Shame that there is not much movement in the song.

7) Tânia Tavares - Se esse dia chegar
Tania is backed by 4 backing singers, dressed in the same way as her, plus one male dancer. The dancer interacts quite a bit with the dancer but they also move together as a group and this mirroring makes the performance quite strong and memorable. The song is a dramatic ballad but does not seem to progress anywhere once it starts. Nota bad song.

8) Inês Bernardo - Deixa o meu lugar
Inês sings a slow song reminiscent of a rumba tune. She is joined by a male and female dander, 2 backing singers and a park bench. Inês has a strange voice that doesn’t seem to project well. This song feels like the type of muzak you might hear in any Mediterranean bar or restaurant. The whole song, performance and feel of the song do not fit together

9) Filipa Ruas - Tensão
This a dance type number. Filipa is dressed in a military style leotard dress with golden shoulder pads. She is supported by a band and 2 female singers/dancers. Filipas starts the song by sounding like she is shouting. She then sings most of the chorus badly as it is far to low for her. The choreography for the song is also quite strange and the whole thing does not fit together.

10) Homens da Luta - Luta é alegria
This group is all dressed in 60/70s hippy clothing and are all holding banners relating to the song. The songis very chanted and goes on and on. It feels like a really bad song from a failed musical from the time. I feel like this song needs to have a lot more movement and oomph rather than them just standing in a line. This looks promising but is a disappointment.

11) Axel - Boom Boom Yeah
Sounds like this should be a really fast up tempo number is more a medium paced drummy song. He has a DJ and accordion player behind him as well as three drumming backing singers. Axel moves around the stage in his sliver suit. The song feels a bit of a damp squib as you just feel that the song and backing have no oomph, which befits the title

12) Ricardo Sousa - O mar, o vento e as estrelas
The final song is medium tempo song with a very orchestral background. Behind the singer, 2 backing singers and 3 instrumentalists appear. The song is very Portuguese sounding. The tempo of the song is quite fast, and at times a little garbled which makes the song not very memorable. The backing track sounds much more interesting than the words.

The phone lines open.
After the odd recap of the songs, Glen Vella from Malta is introduced to the aduence. After a brief intro he sings an acappell verion of the chorus of"One Life" with audeicen clapping away to the beat. This boy is getting around - you got to give him some props for that! Then the audience is entertained by a dance troups dancing to "Waterloo" but in number of styles - the original version, a tango style, then a hip-hop version, samba version and elctro-disco style.

The voting window is now closed! So, the 20 regional juries now share their votes.
Before we hear the results of the televote we have last year's Portuguese entrant Filipa taking the stage. She also helps read out the votes.

The winner with a total of 6 points rom the juries and 12 from televoting is... "Luta é alegria" by Homes da Luta.
This win is not recieved well by the crowdin the hall

SINGER – Homes da Luta
SONG – Luta é alegria (The struggle is joy)
MUSIC – Vasco Duarte
WORDS – Jel