Festival da Canção 2022 songs to be revealed on 21st January, first semi-final hosts revealed!
After 2 and a half months of knowing the composers for the 56th edition of Festival da Canção, RTP’s official FDC Instagram posted this an hour ago:
View this post on Instagram
Reminding us to “save the date” for a day of “lots and lots of music”, we can expect to find out on 21st January what the songs will sound like, and whether each of the composers will perform them or not.
In the last hour, it has also been revealed that veteran FDC hosts Sónia Araújo and Jorge Gabriel will host the first semi-final, due to take place on Saturday 5th March, Araújo making her 7th appearance in this position since 2001, and Gabriel his 9th since 2006.
The full list of composers, as was released by RTP and its sister radio station Antena 3 on 4 November 2021, is:
Invited by RTP
Agir
Aurea
Blacci
Cubita
DJ Marfox
Fábia Rebordão
Fado Bicha
FF
Joana Espadinha
Kumpania Algazarra
MARO
Norton
Os Azeitonas
PZ
Syro
Valas
Winners of online submissions process
Pedro Marques
Pepperoni Passion
The Mister Driver
Tiago Nogueira (of Os Quatro e Meia)
There has already been talk about this year’s edition in the Portuguese press. Yesterday, Portuguese magazine TVGuia published an interview with FF (Fernando Fernandes) about the show, in which he hinted at the idea he will be performing his own self-penned song.
Throughout the week, we’ve been getting to know the composers a bit better. The Festival da Canção Instagram account has been running stories in which the composers answer questionnaires about their musical influences, hobbies, guilty pleasures and Eurovision memories.
Festival da Canção has run every year in Portugal on RTP1 since 1964 (apart from 2002 and 2016 when Portugal didn’t compete at Eurovision), and has been used primarily as a national institution and celebration of Portuguese music from all different genres as well as a Eurovision selection process.
Past competitors who have gone on to international success include Dulce Pontes, Sara Tavares, Lucia Moniz and Anabela, as well as, more recently, 2017 Eurovision winner Salvador Sobral.
Last year’s winner, The Black Mamba, won with the first ever non-Portuguese language song in the show’s history, with their stripped-back lounge jazz number Love Is On My Side. They went on to place 12th at Eurovision in Rotterdam, earning 7th place from the juries in the Grand Final.
Which acts are you looking forward to seeing at Festival da Canção 2022? Will you be saving the date on 21st January? Let us know in the comments and on social media!
