Earlier today, RTP ran the semi-final allocation draw for Festival da Canção 2023. Run by Head of Press Maria Ferreira, the draw determined which of the two semi-finals each composer’s songs will perform in, as the artists and song titles are yet to be revealed.
The full breakdown, in alphabetical order, is:
Semi-final 1 (25th February 2023)
- April Ivy
- Churky
- Cláudia Pascoal
- Jacinta
- Mimicat
- Moyah
- Neon Soho
- Quim Albergaria
- Sal
- You Can’t Win, Charlie Brown
Semi-final 2 (4th March 2023)
- André Henriques
- Bandua
- Bárbara Tinoco
- Dapunksportif
- Edmundo Inácio
- Inês Apenas
- Ivandro
- Teresinha Landeiro
- The Happy Mess
- Voodoo Marmalade
The artists, many of whom may be different to the composers, and songs will be released at a press conference on 19th January 2023. Eurofans should recognise a few of the released composer names, notably Bárbara Tinoco, who finished second in 2020 with Passe-partout, and Cláudia Pascoal, who represented Portugal at a home Eurovision in 2018 with the Isaura-penned O jardim. Former writer Ivandro is also returning to the festival.
Fifteen writers were invited to compete by RTP, while the other five were chosen through an open song submissions process run by the broadcaster in October of this year. Five songs will qualify from each Semi-final for the Grand Final on 11th March 2023, with the winner being decided by a 50/50 regional jury-public vote system.
Yesterday, the visual design for this year’s festival was released on FDC’s Instagram account. It continues from last year’s ‘concert poster’ theme, but includes greater emphasis on lighting and electronics.
View this post on Instagram
The reigning champion of Festival da Canção is Maro, who won with the self-penned song Saudade, saudade in March of this year, and went on to finish 10th in Turin. Her most recent album, can you see me?, was released back in August, and now has tens of millions of streams on Spotify.
Who would you like to see perform at Festival da Canção 2023? Which composers are you most excited about? Remember to follow ESCBubble on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter for more exclusive Eurovision content!
