Festival da Canção is coming real soon and we had the opportunity to talk to Norton, indie rock band from Portugal. The band was invited by RTP to compete in the selection and they are trying their luck with the song “Hope”. Norton are no newcomers to the public, the band have released five albums, toured in Europa and Japan but new among the Eurovision bubble, we can get to know them better with their first attempt in Festival da Canção.
Hello Norton and thank you for taking you time for ESCBubble! First of all, how was your reaction when you heard you will compete in Festival da Canção 2022?
Hello! You’re welcome. Thank you so much for your interest.
Well, we don’t really know how it works in other countries, but here in Portugal, since 2017, the selection for “Festival da Canção” changed and now most of the contest spots for composers are through invitation.
We received a call from Nuno Galopim, one of the masterminds behind the “new” Festival da Canção, inviting us and, honestly, we couldn’t say no.
You guys have released lots of albums, toured around Europe and Japan, what made you decide to accept the invitation by RTP to compete in the selection?
RTP’s invitation was a light we were needing. We released our last album in the summer of 2020, but it was really difficult to play it live because of the circumstances we are all aware of. So, this challenge gave us focus and a new goal to accomplish.
We accepted mostly because of the attention the Festival has, especially after the 2017 change. It has a quality stamp that’s unique and, being part of it, is a great opportunity for artists to show their songs to people from all around the world – which is amazing!
At the end of the day, that’s what every musician wants: to share their music and that more and more people can listen to it.
Your song for Festival da Canção is called “Hope”, what’s the story behind it and your biggest hope for the competiton?
“Hope” is a song about love and, of course, hope. That love that so often enlighten us, when we think we can no longer get back on track, and that hope that we seek and need at some point in our life. We are true believers that music can save lives.
Our biggest hope for the competition is to have fun and to get more people to listen to our music. We can’t wait for March!
Portugal sent last year their first song ever entirely in english, does that give you extra hope that Portugal is ready to continue sending songs in english?
We believe that music is universal and that it can be sung in any language. Everyone should express themselves in the way they feel more comfortable with. It was a big step when The Black Mamba won last year. We hope it made people more open to change and diversity.
What can we expect from your performance at Festival da Canção?
You can expect an honest and true performance. These last days, since all the songs were released, have been awesome. It’s been a pleasure to be part of this beautiful community. We want to bring that energy into our performance. And we are going to do our best!
Are you guys following Eurovision? What’s your favorite song from the contest?
We usually only see the Eurovision final when we can. Unfortunately, we don’t follow the national contests. Salvador Sobral’s “Amar Pelos Dois” is one of our favorites, of course. But, in the Eurovision’s last edition, there was a song that really touched us: “Voilà” by Barbara Pravi (France).
Any other plans for 2022? Can we expect new music from Norton?
Yes, we really want to release more new music this year. But, mostly, we want to get back on the road and play live. Being close to people, without masks and distance between everyone, is our greatest desire.
In the end, I want to thank you for your time and please, if you have a message for your fans and our readers here on ESCBubble?
The pleasure is all ours! We would like to invite you to listen to “Hope”. If you like it, please try our other songs which are available online. We promise you won’t regret it!
You can vote for Norton in our poll for the first Semi-final of Festival da Canção.
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