Our editor Matt spoke to FF who’s aiming to represent Portugal at this year’s Eurovision.

How did you first get into music?

I was 11 when I first stepped foot on a stage to sing to a large audience. It was on a television contest called ‘Bravo Bravissimo’. A few years later I graduated from theatre (at the age of 18).

Music has been a part of my life since a very young age. Luckily for me, my parents listened to all kinds of music (especially sung by great vocalists, such as Amalia Rodrigues and Freddie Mercury) and that clearly influenced the music that I make nowadays.

Alongside that early exposure to all those kinds of music, I started taking lessons that later on I would find to be crucial to start composing my own songs.

That experience refined the way I’d perform a song by understanding what it wants to tell, rather than just sing it. I started to really connect to the message of each particular song.

How were you chosen for Festival da Canção?

RTP invited me to be one of the composers. You can then decide to perform the song you wrote or invite someone else to do it. I felt that singing this song was almost inevitable as the inspiration for it holds such a dear place in my heart. 

What’s your song about?

It’s a love letter. Probably the most personal I have ever written to this day. Even though it feels a bit melancholic, the message itself has nothing to do with any sad feelings.

It portrays the feeling of waiting for someone who is also waiting for you and, above everything else, who wins your heart with no intention of changing who you are. 

What inspires your music?

Feelings such as love, kindness, pain, empathy… Also the people that surround me and their stories. Life in its simplest form. That is what inspires me to sing and compose. 

How will your song be staged?

I can’t give away any details yet but i can tell you that it will have a strong and intimate approach – like love should feel. 

Are you fan of Eurovision? When did you first start watching it?

Of course I am. I remember being a kid and watching it with my parents at home.

What’s your favourite Eurovision song?

As a proud portuguese I’d have to say ‘Amar Pelos Dois’. Both Salvador’s performance and win were unforgettable.

What’s been your favourite Portugese song?

Simone de Oliveira’s ‘Desfolhada’ in 1969.

 Thanks so much for your time. Do you have any messages for your fans?

I wrote this song with my heart full of love. And since its release I have received many beautiful messages that already made this moment a very important milestone in my career. And I would really like this song to be some sort of a soundtrack to many people’s stories.

Thanks for talking to us FF! Wishing you the very best of luck in the competition.

You can hear FF’s song below: