RTP have aired a documentary about Simone de Oliveira.
Simone competed in Festival da Canção six times, winning in 1965 with “Sol de Inverno” and again in 1969 with the song “Desfolhada”. Simone has achieved huge success in Portugal, both as a singer and an actress.
In the documentary, Simone talks about how she fled to her parents’ house after her first failed marriage. In a very fragile emotional state, she begun to attend the Preparation Center for Artists of the Radio. After a month she then begun singing on a program broadcast on RTP.
In 1965, the year of the song “Sol de inverno” (Winter Sun), Simon realised singing was her destiny.
Speaking about her song in 1965 Simone talks about how nervous she was at her first rehearsal. The documentary shows an interview given by Simone de Oliveira when she arrived in Portugal after Eurovision : Despite the bad result (13th) there was a “sea of people” waiting for her. In that interview she said:
“I tried to do the best I knew and I did not forget the audience that has cherished me so much. If I did not give my best, I only apologise on the certainty that at another opportunity I will try to do better.”
Simone de Oliveira would have another opportunity in 1969 with the song “Desfolhada Portuguesa”. Although the song came 15th at the contest, the song was a great success in Portugal.
After this, Simone was asked to represent Portugal at the 1980 OTI Festival in Buenos Aires with the song “À Tua Espera” (waiting for you) (you can see this below)
After 1980 Simone acted in the film “A estrangeira”. She then became a judge on “Chuva de Estrelas” (The portugese version of Stars In Their Eyes) She then acted in a number of telenovelas such as “Roseira Brava”“Morangos com Açúcar”
Aswell as the documentary RTP aired a tribute to her at this years Festival da Canção which you can see below
