Portuguese broadcaster RTP held a press conference today to announce some details about Festival da Canção 2023 and to release the competing songs.
We also discovered who will host the three shows this year. Semi Final 1 will be presented by Tânia Ribas de Oliveira and José Carlos Malato, while Semi Final 2 will see Jorge Gabriel and Sónia Araújo take over hosting duties. The Final of FdC will be hosted by Vasco Palmeirim and Filomena Cautela (ESC host 2018) with Inês Lopes Gonçalves in charge of the green room.
Six songs will emerge from each semi final, leaving a 12-song Final set for Saturday 11th March.
Semi-final 1 (25th February 2023)
April Ivy – “Modo Voo”
Mariana Gonçalves (stage name April Ivy) is a singer-songwriter and actress. She was nominated for Best Portuguese Act at the 2016 MTV EMAs, and she was nominated for Best Newcomer in the 2017 Portuguese Golden Globes. In 2019, she released her first album, Game of Love.
BOLHA – “Sonhos de Liberdade”
The band formed in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic and fuses traditional accordion sounds with pop and smooth jazz. The group consists of three former solo artists, who came together to form BOLHA: Ana Gomes, Hugo Torres and Cristiano Martins.
Churky – “Encruzilhada”
Churky is the stage name of Diogo Rico, a 30-year-old singer, songwriter and instrumentalist born and raised in Alcobaça. In 2019, he released his debut album, É, and played the EDP Cool Jazz Festival. In 2021, he went on a tour that took him across Portugal and to São Tomé and Príncipe.
Cláudia Pascoal – “Nasci Maria”
Pascoal participated in the talent show Ídolos in 2010 and 2015, in 2013 she was part of the first season of Factor X, and in 2017 she took part in The Voice of Portugal. Then in 2018 she won Festival da Canção and represented Portugal at Eurovision in Lisbon, coming in last place with the melodic song “O jardim”.
Esse Povo – “Sapatos de Cimento”
Mimicat – “Ai Coração”
Marisa Isabel Lopes Mena (stage name Mimicat) is a pop and soul singer-songwriter from Coimbra. She has a mature, warm and strong voice that has been compared to Shirley Bassey and Adele.
MoYah – “Too Much Sauce”
Originally from Mozambique, MoYah came to Lisbon at a young age during the civil war in Mozambique. His sound is described as an amalgamation of positive, uplifting and hard-hitting rap lyrics with the high energy of afrobeat, trap and alternative sub tempo rhythm sounds. He has performed in concerts in Europe, the United States, South America and Africa, sharing stages with artists like Nas, Africa Bambaataa and Talib Kwelia along the way.
Neon Soho – “Endless World”
Neon Soho is a band known for its alternative electronic pop music. The trio from Lisbon includes Ana Vieira, Ricardo Cruz and Vera Condeço. Their sound that brings together influences ranging from synth-pop to dance and soul. They released their first album, Proof of Love, in 2021.
SAL – “Viver”
Formed in 2019, SAL is a rock band comprising João Pinheiro (drums), Sérgio Pires (vocals and viola braguesa), João Gil (bass), Daniel Mestre (guitars) and Vicente Santos (keyboards). SAL also make a bridge with electronic music through elements such as sonic voice manipulation, the use of electronic beats and the use of synthesizers.
You Can’t Win, Charlie Brown – “Contraste Mudo”
The group formed in 2009 and includes Afonso Cabral (vocals, keyboards), David Santos (keyboards), Pedro Branco (guitar), Salvador Menezes (guitar, bass), João Gil (keyboards, bass), and Tomás Sousa (drums). Their third album was their first to hit number one on the Portuguese charts. They were invited by RTP to participate in Festival da Canção 2023.
Semi-final 2 (4th March 2023)
Bandua – “Bandeiras”
Bandua is a duo featuring Bernardo Lopes Addario and Edgar Valente. The group was born in 2018, when Bernardo was looking for organic electronic sounds with Portuguese roots. It was in this process that the desire and need arose to create something based on Berlin’s downtempo electronic sound but with roots in Portuguese folklore from the Beira Baixa region.
Bárbara Tinoco – “Goodnight”
Bárbara Tinoco is a singer-songwriter from Lisbon. Her debut single from 2019 quickly garnered more than 10 million views on YouTube. Then in 2020, she came painstakingly close to winning won Festival da Canção, coming second with “Passe-Partout”. She went on to release her debut album in 2021 and she has become a mentor on The Voice Kids.
DAPUNKSPORTIF – “World Needs Therapy”
DAPUNKSPORTIF formed in 2004 in Peniche. The group is made up of Paulo Franco (voice and guitar), João Guincho (guitar), Fred Ferreira (drums), Vicente Santos (keys) and Filipe Brito (bass). This rock groups’ debut album Ready! Set! Go!, received an excellent reception from national and foreign critics. They have gone on to release three more albums and are competing at their first Festival da Canção in 2023.
Edmundo Inácio – “A festa”
Edmundo is 22 years old and comes from Portimão. He is a recent graduate in Cinema Studies at Coventry University. In 2021, he took part in The Voice of Portugal and got to the final gala. Videos of his performances have more than four million views on YouTube. Inspired by Portuguese, Spanish and Middle Eastern music, Edmundo both respects and modernizes his roots at the same time while mixing in some rock, alternative pop, electronic music, traditional music and even fado.
INÊS APENAS – “Fim do Mundo”
Inês Oliveira da Costa is a pianist, singer, and composer, known for her music that mixes elements of pop, electronica, jazz, soul and alternative, among others. She began writing her own music during the covid lockdowns. Last year, she released an EP with six songs entitled Um Dia Destes. She will make her Festival da Canção debut in 2023.
Ivandro – “Povo“
Born in Angola, Joaquim Ivandro Paulo, better known as simply Ivandro, is a 23 years old singer-songwriter. He is known in Portugal for his appearances on Ídolos and Portugal’s Got Talent Portugal. More recently he done some work with renowned artists such as Instinto 26, Waze, Gson, Valdo, and Goblin, among others. Last year, he reached the top of the Portuguese charts with songs like Moça, Lua and Como Tu, by Bárbara Bandeira.
Lara Li – “Funâmbula”
Lara Li is a jazz and pop singer from Portugal, who has been part of Portugal’s music industry since 1975. She’s back in the game after a long absence – her last album Levemente was released in 2010.
Teresinha Landeiro – “Enquanto é tempo”
Teresinha is an emerging Portuguese fado singer and composer. Despite being very young, she has a notable resume with the Mesa de Frades house in Lisbon where she sings every week. She has performed at festivals all over Portugal, and even the International Fado Festival in Colombia.
The Happy Mess – “O Impossível”
The Happy Mess is a well-known indie pop bands from Lisbon. The group includes Afonso Carvalho, Hugo Azevedo, João Pascoal, Paulo Mouta Pereira, and frontman Miguel Ribeiro. They recently celebrated the band’s tenth anniversary and released their first album that was entirely in Portuguese. For this, they invited many famous singers from Portugal to feature on the album. The group once represented Portugal at a song contest, but it wasn’t Eurovision – it was at the Eurosonic festival in the Netherlands.
Voodoo Marmalade – “Tormento”
Voodoo Marmalade is a Portuguese band from Lisbon. Their sound typically includes ukuleles, singing and percussion. They write their own music, but also perform covers in the band’s unique style. Voodoo Marmalade claim to be a “mesmerizing musical odyssey through the most diverse musical styles. No barriers, labels or borders.” We will see what that means soon when they make their Festival da Canção debut in 2023.
Which artist or song would you like to see represent Portugal at Eurovision in Liverpool? You can let us know by voting in the polls below and by commenting in the space below or on our social media @escbubble!
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