Our editor Matt spoke to Jonas who’s competing in this years Festival da Canção

Hi Jonas. Congratulations on being chosen for this year’s Festival da Canção! How did you first get into music?

I really don’t remember. I was always into the performative arts since I was a child. I used to say poetry, sing and make theatre plays for the family. I started to sing in the Catholic Choir and Gospel Choir since the age of five. At the age of eighteen years old I was already earning my
salary as a performer in the musical theatre, and since then I have the blessing of living my life only as a performer.

How were you chosen for Festival da Canção?

It was an invitation from Fábia Rebordão, the composer of the music and Jorge Fernando the Producer. The three of us are very connected with Fado and we’ve worked together for more than a decade.

What’s your song about?

The song talks about the end of a relationship that was finished with alot of issues to solve. The title “Pontas Soltas” is a very common Portuguese expression and literally translated, it means a rope or a string that was not well attached and it as is loose ends.

The song arrive to us also with a certain mysticism and shadow qualities connected with Fado and Portugese culture.

What inspires your music?

The complexity of love between two human beings and a power end wait of an end of cycle, a goodbye…

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

Actually I’m not a fan of any art competition. I am trembling as green bambu in the wind with this idea of being constantly compared with other people. I have a very bad self esteem. But, God please help me and let’s face this.

You were a backing vocalist for Vânia Fernandes’s song in 2008. Do you have any backstage gossip to tell us?

What’s your favourite Eurovision song?

“Amar pelos Dois” de Salvador Sobral. In my point of view that song and that performance was a phenomenon because of all of it’s fragility, simplicity and uniqueness that in the end touched the world more than all the fireworks that we are used to see in Eurovision. Even his name!
Salvador means the saviour. He is a very special person.

What’s been your favourite Portuguese song?

I have also a strong connection with “Senhora do Mar” of Vânia Fernandes that represented Portugal in Eurovision in Serbia in 2008 because I was with her as a backing vocalist and I have alot of god memories about this moment in our lives.

You took part in Operação Triunfo in 2007. What was the experience like?

The show was very popular in Portugal at that time and for me to deal with fame at the time was not easy at all. I am still afraid about this happening again.

It’s hard to resume myself in a few lines. I hate instagram, I’ve lived in a camper with my lover for two years. With my boyfriend I run a Dance Company as a Choreographer, which I’ve done since 2011. At this time I realised my first Fado album, “Fado Mutante”.

I live in Sintra the most beautiful and mystical place in Portugal. Recently I have just premiered “Bate Fado” a show that awoke the extinguished dance of Fado, the traditional song of Portugal.

In the art field I have done and I do a lot of different things such as circus, theatre, musical theatre, cinema, music composition, dance, ceramics and above all I am a Fado singer. And more much more.

What’s your favourite non Eurovision song?

I have so many favourite songs, it’s very hard to answer to this question…but one of them is Nina Simone with the genius Sinnerman

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

I hope that this is the beginning of a path that we make together and I hope that my music and my art will be also yours and make part of your lives. Let’s go together. You are the single reason that I do what I do. This is my very personal jewelry presents, for me to you, and I do it with
all my truth,mind body and soul.

Thanks Jonas. Wishing you the very best of luck!

You can vote for Jonas in our poll below

[democracy id=”93″]

You can also find out more about the history of Fado by clicking here.

You can hear Jonas’s song below: