Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Encyclopedia
Vânia Fernandes
Vânia Fernandes is a Portuguese singer from Funchal, Madeira .Known for her powerful stage presence, as well as her prominent and versatile voice, Fernandes has participated in several singing contests and performed in public in both her home island of Madeira and on the mainland of Portugal since...
with the song "Senhora do mar (Negras águas)
Senhora do Mar (Negras Águas)
"Senhora do mar " is a song performed by Portuguese singer Vânia Fernandes, which was chosen to represent Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia...
", being the forty-second Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
appearance at the yearly contest.
Fernandes was selected by the national public broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal
Rádio e Televisão de Portugal
Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, S.A.,commonly known as RTP, is Portugal's public service broadcasting organization. It operates four terrestrial television channels and three national radio channels, as well as several satellite and cable offerings....
(RTP) as a result of her victory at the Festival da Canção 2008, the Portuguese national final, held on 9 March 2008, at the Teatro Camões
Teatro Camões
Teatro Camões is a concert hall in Lisbon, Portugal which opened in 1998 for the International World Exhibition Expo 98. It began being used by the Lisbon Symphony Orchestra, and is currently stage of the Portuguese National Ballet Company....
, in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
. Ten acts entered the competition to represent the country at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008...
in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, with the winner being selected through SMS and televoting.
The Portuguese song, composed by Andrej Babić
Andrej Babic
Andrej Babić is a Croatian songwriter who has written many Eurovision songs since 2003. He is one of the few songwriters who has written for four countries, having written entries for Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and Portugal....
and Carlos Coelho, was performed last in the second semi-final on 22 May. It received a total of 120 points, coming second out of 19 competing countries and thus qualifying Portugal to the final, for the first time since the semi-final format was introduced in 2004
Eurovision Song Contest 2004
The Eurovision Song Contest 2004, was the 49th Contest and it was held in the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. This was the first occasion in which the contest was held in Turkey after they had won the competition in 2003 with Sertab Erener singing "Everyway That I Can"...
. Performing 13th in the running order, Portugal received a total of 69 points and placed 13th in a field of 25 countries.
After Eurovision, Fernandes remained involved with Eurovision, attending the 2008 convention of the Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
ish brand of OGAE
OGAE
OGAE is one of the 2 major international fan club networks of the Eurovision Song Contest. It has branches in 37 European countries.Although the Eurovision Song Contest started in 1956, OGAE began only in 1984 in Finland. All countries that take part or have already taken part in the Eurovision...
, a Eurovision fanclub.
Background
Portugal has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 41 times since its debut entry in 1964Eurovision Song Contest 1964
The Eurovision Song Contest 1964 was the ninth Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark after the Danish victory the previous year. Sweden did not participate because of a boycott by singers. They did however broadcast it...
. It achieved its best result in 1996
Eurovision Song Contest 1996
The Eurovision Song Contest 1996 was the 41st Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 18 May 1996 in Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway. The presenters were Ingvild Bryn and Morten Harket. Harket, lead singer of a-ha, opened the show with a performance of his single "Heaven's Not For Saints". Eimear...
, when Lúcia Moniz
Lúcia Moniz
Ana Lúcia Pereira Moniz is a Portuguese singer and actress. Moniz represented Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 and has released three music albums to date. She has also acted in several films, including Love Actually....
came sixth with "O meu coração não tem cor
O Meu Coração Não Tem Cor
"O meu coração não tem cor" was the Portuguese entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996, performed in Portuguese by Lúcia Moniz.Composed by Pedro Osório and with lyrics by José Fanha, the song is a moderately up-tempo number...
", getting the maximum 12 points a country can give from both Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and receiving 92 points in total. Portugal's least successful entries have been in 1964
Eurovision Song Contest 1964
The Eurovision Song Contest 1964 was the ninth Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark after the Danish victory the previous year. Sweden did not participate because of a boycott by singers. They did however broadcast it...
, 1974
Eurovision Song Contest 1974
The Eurovision Song Contest 1974 was the 19th Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in the seaside resort of Brighton on the south coast of the United Kingdom...
and 1997
Eurovision Song Contest 1997
The Eurovision Song Contest 1997, was the 42nd Eurovision Song Contest and it was held at the Point Theatre Dublin, Ireland, on 3 May 1997. Boyzone member Ronan Keating and Carrie Crowley were the presenters of the show....
when Portugal placed last.
The Portuguese national broadcaster, Rádio e Televisão de Portugal
Rádio e Televisão de Portugal
Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, S.A.,commonly known as RTP, is Portugal's public service broadcasting organization. It operates four terrestrial television channels and three national radio channels, as well as several satellite and cable offerings....
(RTP) broadcasts the event each year and organizes the selection process for the its entry. Many different selection processes have been used, however the most common is the Festival da Canção competition, having been held almost every year since Portugal joined the contest. At Festival da Canção, members of the public vote for the performance they want to represent them at the Contest. RTP again chose to use this format to select the 2008 Portuguese entry.
Planning
RTP announced that the Portuguese entry for the 2008 Contest would be again decided through the Festival da Canção contest, revealing that they had given invitations to many established singers in Portugal to compete.In a change from the last two contests, RTP would be the sole decider of who would perform in the contest. In the past, the producers of the songs, invited by RTP, would decide themselves who would perform their songs in the contest.
A meeting was held between the board of directors and the producers of RTP to decide how Festival da Canção 2008 would be planned. The most important issue during the meeting was to find talented artists within Portugal with experience to compete in Festival da Canção, but not ruling out the possibility of new names competing as well. It had been rumoured that artists from the then-running Portuguese talent show Operação Triunfo
Operação triunfo
Operação Triunfo is the Portuguese version of the original Star Academy...
would be invited by RTP to take part in the contest.
The final details of the 2008 Festival da Canção were planned during a decisive meeting within RTP in December. However rumours arose that the contest would be cancelled due to the resignation of Nuno Santos, the person responsible for Portugal's participation at the Eurovision Song Contest. With his resignation, it was deemed that it would not be possible to plan the contest in time for Eurovision. Despite this, RTP confirmed that Portugal would still be in the contest, and that the possibility of an internal selection was being considered. RTP announced in January 2008, however, that the 2008 edition of Festival da Canção would be held, with the preliminary date of the contest set at 9 March 2008.
Producers
RTP invited 10 Portuguese producers to compete in Festival da Canção 2008. They would, in most cases, write or co-write the song that would be performed by the artist RTP would choose. The first five producers were revealed by RTP on 24 January, and included both experienced and new producers to Festival da Canção. They included Jan Van Dyke, writer of the Portuguese entry of the Eurovision Song Contest 1990Eurovision Song Contest 1990
The Eurovision Song Contest 1990, the 35th in the series, was held in Zagreb, Yugoslavia on 5 May 1990. The presenters were Helga Vlahović Brnobić and Oliver Mlakar. Toto Cutugno was the winner of this contest with the song "Insieme: 1992"...
"Há sempre alguém
Há Sempre Alguém
"Há sempre alguém" was the Portuguese entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1990, performed in Portuguese by Nucha.The song is a ballad, with Nucha reminding her listeners that "There's always someone/Who still doesn't have as much as we do" but who also dreams the same dreams that the better-off...
" by Nucha, Fernando Martins, Nuno Feist and Ramon Galarza, who came second, third last and last in the Festival da Canção 2007, and new producer to the contest Carlos Coelho, who had, however, written entries for the Lithuanian finals in 2004 and 2005.
The rest of the producers include newcomer to the festival Carluz Belo, Elvis Veiguinha who composed the winner of Festival da Canção 2006 "Coisas de nada
Coisas De Nada (Gonna Make You Dance)
"Coisas de nada " was the Portuguese entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, performed in Portuguese and English by Nonstop....
" by Nonstop, comedic songwriter Gimba, Ménito Ramos, composer of one of Rita Guerra
Rita Guerra
Rita Guerra is a Portuguese singer.-Biography: Born and raised in Lisbon, she has been very successful in her home country of Portugal. She has long competed in the Portuguese national pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. She first participated in 1992, making it to the national final...
's entries in Festival da Canção 2003, and Renato Júnior who composed the second-placed song in the Festival da Canção 2006.
Artists
Once the producers were announced, RTP began to announce the artists that would participate in Festival da Canção 2008. Many of the artists revealed by RTP were from the popular show Operação Triunfo. These include Joana Melo, Alex Smith, Ricardo Soler and winner Vânia Fernandes. However other artists popular in Portugal competed in the contest, such as fadoFado
Fado is a music genre which can be traced to the 1820s in Portugal, but probably with much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar, Rui Vieira Nery, states that "the only reliable information on the history of Fado was orally transmitted and goes back to the 1820s and 1830s at best...
singer Marco Rodrigues and Vanessa, who came third in Festival da Canção 2007. The groups Blá Blà Blá (composed of Ana Gomes, Ana Ferreira and Francisco Andrade (runner-up at Festival da Canção 2004)) and Big Hit (composed of Pedro Mimoso, Luís Pacheco, Gonçalo Medeiros and Carlos Coincas) also participated in the contest. The final two artists were literal unknown Carluz Belo and Tucha.
Songs
The songs of the contest were not revealed until the contest was broadcast on RTP, and were all performed entirely in PortuguesePortuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
.
The first artist to confirm her place in Festival da Canção 2008 was Joana Melo, contestant on Operação Triunfo. For the contest she sang the song "Porto de encontro", as lead singer of the group 'Lisboa não sejas francesa'. The song is a fado
Fado
Fado is a music genre which can be traced to the 1820s in Portugal, but probably with much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar, Rui Vieira Nery, states that "the only reliable information on the history of Fado was orally transmitted and goes back to the 1820s and 1830s at best...
-like song, which includes Portuguese guitar
Portuguese guitar
The Portuguese guitar or Portuguese guitarra is a plucked string instrument with twelve steel strings, strung in six courses comprising two strings each. It is one of the few musical instruments to use Preston tuners. It is most notably associated with fado.-History:The origin of the Portuguese...
, drums and accordion. the chorus of the song is up-tempo. The song was written by its producers Miguel Majer and Ricardo Santos, who had performed with Joana Melo in the band Donna Maria.
Marco Rodridgues' song is called "Em água e sal", composed by Tiago Machado, written by Inês Pedrosa and produced by Elvis Veiguinha. It is a fado song, featuring some pop elements, and features drums, Portuguese guitar and violin.
Alex Smith of Operação Triunfo performed "Obrigatório ter" at Festival da Canção 2008, composed and produced by Jan van Dijck, with lyrics by Pedro Malaquias. It is a pop song, featuring backing vocals and some tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
. The winner and runner-up of Operação Triunfo, Vânia Fernandes and Ricardo Soler, were also present in the contest, performing "Senhora do mar
Senhora do Mar (Negras Águas)
"Senhora do mar " is a song performed by Portuguese singer Vânia Fernandes, which was chosen to represent Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia...
" and "Canção pop" respectively. "Senhora do mar" was composed by Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n songwriter Andrej Babić
Andrej Babic
Andrej Babić is a Croatian songwriter who has written many Eurovision songs since 2003. He is one of the few songwriters who has written for four countries, having written entries for Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and Portugal....
, and was written and produced by Carlos Coelho. It is a ballad which includes backing vocals, drums and some use of violins. Ricardo Soler's song, "Canção pop", was composed and produced by Renato Júnior, and was written by Nuno Markl. The song is a rock song, but includes some elements of jazz music, such as the use of saxophone. It also featured electric guitar and female backing vocals.
The group Blá Blà Blá (sometimes written without the accents) performed "Magicantasticamente" at the contest. The song was written by Gimba and Luís Miguel Viterbo, and was produced by Gimba as well. The song is a fast-paced pop song, inspired by the 60s. Big Hit, another group, also performed at Festival da Canção 2008 with the song "Por ti, Portugal", composed by Fernando Martins and Alexandra Valentim, written by João Baião and produced also by Martins. Their song, however, was a modern rock song that included electric guitars and drum kits.
The final three songs were performed by Carluz Belo, Tucha and Vanessa. Belo's song, "Cavaleiro da manhã", was composed, written and produced by Belo. The song is a pop song, and includes male and female backing vocals and the use of bagpipes
Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
. Tucha's song for Festival da Canção 2008 was "O poder da mensagem", composed, written and produced by Ménito Ramos. It is a pop-rock song that features female backing vocal, guitar and drums. Vanessa's song was "Do outro lado da vida", composed by Nuno Feist, written by Nuno Marques da Silva and produced by Nuno Feist as well. The song is a modern pop-ballad, beginning slowly and quietly before becoming louder towards the end.
The final
Festival da Canção 2008 was held on 9 March 2008 at the Teatro CamõesTeatro Camões
Teatro Camões is a concert hall in Lisbon, Portugal which opened in 1998 for the International World Exhibition Expo 98. It began being used by the Lisbon Symphony Orchestra, and is currently stage of the Portuguese National Ballet Company....
in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, hosted by Sílvia Alberto, host of Operação Triunfo. All ten songs were performed, with the winner being decided through televoting, not just of the Portuguese public but also through the votes of those watching RTP in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, with televoting beginning at the beginning of the show.
The interval act for the show involved the artists from the show singing a medley of Eurovision winners, both together and solo. Three Eurovision winners were sung by all 10 of the artists; "Waterloo" by ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
, "Making Your Mind Up
Making Your Mind Up
"Making Your Mind Up" is a song by British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was the winner of the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and a UK Number-one single...
by Bucks Fizz
Bucks Fizz (band)
Bucks Fizz are an English pop group who achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and...
and Hallejulah by Gali Atari
Gali Atari
Avigail "Gali" Atari is an Israeli actress and singer.-Career:She first appeared on the international scene in 1971, when she represented Israel at the World Popular Song Festival in Japan with the songs "All free" and "Give love away"...
and Milk & Honey. As well as these three medley songs, each artist performed one song on their own; Ricardo Soler performed "Ne partez pas sans moi
Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi
"Ne partez pas sans moi" is the Swiss winning entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1988, performed by Céline Dion. It was released as a single in Europe on May 6, 1988...
" by Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, Big Hit performed "Hold Me Now
Hold Me Now
"Hold Me Now" is a song composed and performed by Irish singer Johnny Logan. It became the winner of the 1987 Eurovision Song Contest. Logan had previously won with "What's Another Year?" in the 1980 Contest and would go on to write the winner of the 1992 Contest - Overview :The song was...
" by Johnny Logan
Johnny Logan (singer)
Johnny Logan , is an Australian-born Irish singer and composer. He is regarded as "Mister Eurovision", having participated in the Eurovision Song Contest many times since the 1970s, and, since 1992, has been the most successful artist in Eurovision history.Logan has won the international contest on...
, Vânia Fernandes performed "Non ho l'età
Non Ho L'Età
"Non ho l'età" was the winning song in the Eurovision Song Contest 1964, held in Copenhagen. It was performed in Italian by Gigliola Cinquetti representing Italy. Like all previous Italian Eurovision entries, the song had also won that year's San Remo Music Festival...
" by Gigliola Cinquetti
Gigliola Cinquetti
Gigliola Cinquetti is an Italian singer, TV presenter and journalist.-Biography:At the age of 16 she won the Sanremo Music Festival in 1964 singing "Non ho l'età" , with music composed by Nicola Salerno and lyrics by Mario Panzeri...
, Joana Melo of Lisboa não sejas francesa performed "Puppet on a String
Puppet on a String
"Puppet on a String" is the name of the Eurovision Song Contest-winning song in 1967 by British singer Sandie Shaw. It was her thirteenth UK single release....
" by Sandie Shaw
Sandie Shaw
Sandie Shaw is an English pop singer, who was one of the most successful British female singers of the 1960s. In 1967 she was the first UK act to win the Eurovision Song Contest...
, Carluz Belo performed "L'oiseau et l'enfant
L'Oiseau Et L'Enfant
"L'oiseau et l'enfant" was the winning song in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977 performed in French by the Portuguese singer Marie Myriam, who represented France...
" by Marie Myriam
Marie Myriam
Marie Myriam is a French singer of Portuguese origins...
, Marco Rodrigues performed "Après toi
Après Toi
"Après toi" was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1972 performed in French by Greek singer Vicky Leandros, representing Luxembourg. The song was co-written by Leandros' father Leandros Papathanasiou, also known as Leo Leandros, under his pseudonym Mario Panas. This was Vicky...
" by Vicky Leandros
Vicky Leandros
Vicky Leandros is a Greek singer with a long international career. She is the daughter of singer, musician and composer Leandros Papathanasiou...
, Vanessa performed "Everyway That I Can
Everyway That I Can
"Everyway That I Can" is the winning song of the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest sung in English by Sertab Erener.-Everyway That I Can:"Everyway That I Can" was written by Demir Demirkan in early 2003 and produced and arranged by Ozan Çolakoğlu, famous for his works with pop idol Tarkan...
" by Sertab Erener
Sertab Erener
Sertab Erener is a Turkish pop music singer and also a cross-over soprano with a vocal range that extends to high F. She is one of the most successful female Turkish pop singers in her homeland, and is considered one of the divas of Turkish pop music...
, Alex Smith performed "My Number One
My Number One
As Greece had finished the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest in third place, the song was pre-qualified for the final in 2005. Thus, it was performed nineteenth on the night, following Croatia's Boris Novković and Lado with "Vukovi umiru sami" and preceding Russia's Natalia Podolskaya with "Nobody Hurt...
" by Elena Paparizou
Elena Paparizou
Eleni "Elena" Paparizou , usually referred to abroad as Helena Paparizou, is a Greek-Swedish singer and occasional songwriter, who was born and raised in Sweden by Greek parents. She began her career there in 1999 as a member of the duo Antique, while she also worked briefly as a model for a...
, Tucha performed J'aime la vie
J'Aime La Vie
"J'aime la vie" was the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1986, performed for Belgium by Sandra Kim. Belgium had finished the 1985 Contest in last place, and thus achieved the rare turnaround from last to first in the space of one year...
by Sandra Kim
Sandra Kim
Sandra Caldarone , better known as Sandra Kim, is a Belgian singer of Italian descent who won the Eurovision Song Contest 1986 held in Bergen, Norway, on 3 May 1986....
and Blá Blà Blá performed "Save Your Kisses for Me
Save Your Kisses For Me
"Save Your Kisses for Me" was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1976, performed for the United Kingdom by Brotherhood of Man in The Hague, Netherlands. The lyrics and music were written by Tony Hiller, Lee Sheriden, and Martin Lee, the latter two being members of the band...
" by Brotherhood of Man
Brotherhood of Man
Brotherhood of Man are a British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s, most notably by winning the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with "Save Your Kisses for Me"....
. As well as this, the band 'Be-Dom' and a hip-hop group also performed during the interval.
Performances
Marco Rodrigues performed first on the night, with the song "Em água e sal". Rodrigues was joined on stage by a guitarist, and also a female violinist and three drummers. The second song was Carluz Belo's "Cavaleiro da manhã". Three backing singers, two female and one male, were also present on stage, as well as a bagpipe player. A dancer was also on stage during the performance. Big Hit was next on stage with their song "Por ti, Portugal". The four members of the group were accompanied on stage by two female drummers. Lisboa não sejas francesa were next on stage. The group was made up of lead singer Joana Melo, as well as an accordion player, a keyboardist, a drummer and a guitarist. The fifth song of the night was "Senhora do mar", performed by Vânia Fernandes. She was featured on stage in a black dress, and was accompanied by five backing dancers/singers, two male and three female, all dressed in white.Vanessa was next on stage with her song "Do outro lado da vida", and was accompanied on stage by five male backing singers. Pyrotechnics were also featured at the end of the song. Ricardo Soler performed seventh with the song "Canção pop". On stage with him was a male pianist, saxophonist and guitarist, as well as two female backing singers. Alex Smith performed next, with his song "Obrigatório ter". He was present on stage and was accompanied by five backing singers/dancers on stage, three female and two male. The penultimate artist was Tucha with her song "O poder da mensagem". She was present on stage along with two female backing singers and three backing dancers, two male and one female. The final song was "Magicantasticamente" by Blá Blà Blá. The group were present on stage in colourful 60s-inspired outfits, and were accompanied on stage by two backing singers, one male and one female.
Results
The winner of the contest was Vânia Fernandes with "Senhora do marSenhora do Mar (Negras Águas)
"Senhora do mar " is a song performed by Portuguese singer Vânia Fernandes, which was chosen to represent Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia...
". She received a total of 17617 votes, gaining 35% of the total vote, beating second place Alex Smith by over 10000 votes. She would go on to represent Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, held in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Composer - Lyricist | Producer | Votes | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marco Rodridgues | "Em água e sal" | Tiago Machado, Inês Pedrosa | Elvis Veiguinha | 5944 | 3 |
| 2 | Carluz Belo | "Cavaleiro da manhã" | Carluz Belo | Carluz Belo | 2049 | 8 |
| 3 | Big Hit | "Por ti, Portugal" | Fernando Martins and Alexandra Valentim, João Baião | Fernando Martins | 2934 | 6 |
| 4 | Lisboa não sejas francesa | "Porto de encontro" | Miguel Majer and Ricardo Santos, Miguel Majer | Miguel Majer, Ricardo Santos | 1974 | 9 |
| 5 | Vânia Fernandes Vânia Fernandes Vânia Fernandes is a Portuguese singer from Funchal, Madeira .Known for her powerful stage presence, as well as her prominent and versatile voice, Fernandes has participated in several singing contests and performed in public in both her home island of Madeira and on the mainland of Portugal since... |
"Senhora do mar" | Andrej Babić Andrej Babic Andrej Babić is a Croatian songwriter who has written many Eurovision songs since 2003. He is one of the few songwriters who has written for four countries, having written entries for Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and Portugal.... , Carlos Coelho |
Carlos Coelho | 17650 | 1 |
| 6 | Vanessa | "Do outro lado da vida" | Nuno Feist, Nuno Marques da Silva | Nuno Feist | 2622 | 7 |
| 7 | Ricardo Soler | "Canção pop" | Renato Júnior, Nuno Markl | Renato Júnior | 4736 | 4 |
| 8 | Alex Smith | "Obrigatório ter" | Jan Van Dijck, Pedro Malaquias | Jan van Dijck | 6928 | 2 |
| 9 | Tucha | "O poder da mensagem" | Ménito Ramos | Ménito Ramos | 626 | 10 |
| 10 | Blá Blà Blá | "Magicantasticamente" | Gimba and Luís Miguel Viterbo | Gimba | 4616 | 5 |
Promotion
RTP announced that they would be holding a promotional tour for Fernandes and "Senhora do mar". Fernandes would be travelling to countries around Europe, promoting her song on various TV and radio shows. Despite an English language version of the song being written for the promotional tour, it was decided by RTP that the song would be sung at the contest entirely in Portuguese by Fernandes.Fernandes' promotional tour began in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, where she appeared on many TV shows and sang a duet with the Bulgarian representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006
Eurovision Song Contest 2006
The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...
Mariana Popova
Mariana Popova
Mariana Popova is a Bulgarian singer. She is known for representing Bulgaria at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006.- Biography :...
. From 27 to 30 April, Fernandes visited Malta, appearing on various radio and TV shows, giving interviews and singing "Senhora do mar". In Turkey, she performed a duet with Şebnem Paker
Sebnem Paker
Şebnem Paker is a Turkish guitarist and singer.-Biography:She attended the Department of Classical Guitar at Istanbul University State Conservatory during 1992-1996. Later, she studied singing at Marmara University Music Department....
, the Turkish representative at the 1996
Eurovision Song Contest 1996
The Eurovision Song Contest 1996 was the 41st Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 18 May 1996 in Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway. The presenters were Ingvild Bryn and Morten Harket. Harket, lead singer of a-ha, opened the show with a performance of his single "Heaven's Not For Saints". Eimear...
and 1997
Eurovision Song Contest 1997
The Eurovision Song Contest 1997, was the 42nd Eurovision Song Contest and it was held at the Point Theatre Dublin, Ireland, on 3 May 1997. Boyzone member Ronan Keating and Carrie Crowley were the presenters of the show....
contests. Finally, after arriving in Serbia for the contest, Fernandes performed a duet with the Beauty Queens
Beauty Queens
Beauty Queens are a Serbian girlband, formed in Helsinki, Finland, in May 2007, after Marija Šerifović's victory in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. The girls sang the backing vocals, and became very popular. They also reached third place at Beovizija 2008....
, the group that accompanied Serbia's winning singer Marija Šerifović
Marija Šerifovic
Marija Šerifović is a singer from Serbia. She won the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Molitva". Šerifović was born in Kragujevac, Socialist Republic of Serbia, Yugoslavia and is the daughter of Verica Šerifović, also a notable singer...
at the 2007 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
, performing both "Senhora do mar" as well as "Zavet", the Beauty Queens' losing entry at Beovizija 2008
Beovizija 2008
Beovizija 2008 was the 6th Beovizija music festival. The semi-finals were to be held on February 19, 2008 while the finals were to be held a day later. However due to unilateral declaration of independence of its southern province Kosovo, the festival was delayed until March 9 when the semi-finals...
, the Serbian Eurovision selection for the contest.
Promotion of the song was also made through an English version of the song being written, called "Lady of the Sea", as well as a promotional video being made of both the Portuguese and English versions of the song. The video shot on Fernandes' home island of Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
, commissioned by the Madeiran government in order to promote the island.
At Eurovision
Since Portugal had come in 11th in the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2007Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
, Vânia Fernandes was obliged to perform her song in one of the two semi-finals of the 2008 contest. The EBU split up countries with a friendly voting history into the two different semi-finals, to give a better chance to other countries to win. On 28 January 2008, the EBU held a special draw which determined that Portugal would be in the second semi-final, held on 22 May 2008. The draw for the running order allowed three countries in each semi-final to select their positions in the running order. Portugal was selected as a wild card, and were allowed to select their position in the semi-final. As such, the Portuguese delegation for the contest selected to perform 19th (last) on the night of the semi-final.
Although only being allowed to vote in the second semi-final, RTP broadcast both semi-finals on RTP. The first semi-final was broadcast on a time-delay, 3 hours ahead of the live showing. The second semi-final, which Portugal was competing in, was broadcast live on RTP.
At the contest the commentator for RTP was Isabel Angelino, who also hosted a series of shows for RTP on Fernandes, her preparations in Belgrade and the rehearsals in Belgrade. The spokesperson for Portugal, announcing the results of the Portuguese televote for the contest, was Sabrina, the Portuguese entry at the 2007 contest.
Semi-final
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
's Ani Lorak
Ani Lorak
Karolina Miroslavivna Kuiek, , popularly known as Ani Lorak , born 27 September 1978, Kitsman, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union, is a famous Ukrainian pop singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur, and former UN Goodwill Ambassador...
. She received 3 points from Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
and Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, 4 points from Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, 5 points from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, 6 points from Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, 7 points from the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, 8 points from Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
and the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, 10 points from Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, and the maximum 12 points from Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
— receiving no points from Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
. She qualified for the final on 24 May for the first time in Portugal's history since the semi-finals were introduced in 2004
Eurovision Song Contest 2004
The Eurovision Song Contest 2004, was the 49th Contest and it was held in the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. This was the first occasion in which the contest was held in Turkey after they had won the competition in 2003 with Sertab Erener singing "Everyway That I Can"...
. The semi-final received 1.45 million viewers, the second-most watched show that day.
Final
Fernandes sang a repeat performance of "Senhora do mar (Negras águas)" in the final, performing 13th on the night, following Turkey and preceding Latvia. This time she received only 69 points, placing 13th in a field of 25. She received the most points, 10 points, from AndorraAndorra
Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
and Switzerland, as well as receiving 8 points from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, 6 points from Iceland and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, 5 points from San Marino
San Marino
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, 4 points from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, 3 points from Croatia and the Ukraine, and 1 point from Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. This was Portugal's best placing at the Eurovision Song Contest since 1996
Eurovision Song Contest 1996
The Eurovision Song Contest 1996 was the 41st Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 18 May 1996 in Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway. The presenters were Ingvild Bryn and Morten Harket. Harket, lead singer of a-ha, opened the show with a performance of his single "Heaven's Not For Saints". Eimear...
. The show received 2 million viewers in Portugal, and was the most watched program that day.
After Eurovision
After Fernandes came 13th in the final, disappointment arose in Portugal over her result, with the Portuguese population and media expecting a higher result in Belgrade. With this, there were talks within RTP over a new selection method for Festival da Canção, with the possibility that anyone can enter songs to RTP, and not just the selected producers.Fernandes benefited from her Eurovision appearance, however. She starred in a new advertisement for the Portuguese branch of the Spanish bank Banco Santander
Grupo Santander
The Santander Group is a banking group centered on Banco Santander, S.A., the largest bank in the Eurozone and one of the largest banks in the world in terms of market capitalisation. According to Forbes Magazine Global 2000, it is the 13th largest public company in the world...
. She also made a number of Eurovision-related appearances, appearing at a Eurovision party in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany, as well as appearing at the annual convention of the Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
ish branch of OGAE
OGAE
OGAE is one of the 2 major international fan club networks of the Eurovision Song Contest. It has branches in 37 European countries.Although the Eurovision Song Contest started in 1956, OGAE began only in 1984 in Finland. All countries that take part or have already taken part in the Eurovision...
, the official Eurovision fan organization, appearing with Eurovision winner Corinne Hermès
Corinne Hermès
Corinne Hermès is a French singer.She represented Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest 1983 where she won with "Si la vie est cadeau" with music by Jean-Pierre Millers and words by Alain Garcia.-External links: * at Bide et Musique...
and Luxembourgish entrant Marion Welter
Marion Welter
Marion Welter is a Luxembourgish singer.When she was 15 years old, she became part of the band Quo vadis. She has studied music in a music academy and has worked in several styles of music, such as classical music, pop and jazz....
. She was also interviewed on the Portuguese language radio station Radio Latina in Luxembourg.