The first semi-final of Portuguese national selection for Eurovision 2023, Festival da Canção is taking place this Saturday 25th of February. A total of 10 acts will be competing for a chance to qualify for the final. One of them is BOLHA, a Portuguese bend which consists out of: Hugo Torres, Ana Gomes and Cristiano Martins. They will be performing a song “Sonhos de Liberdade”. We had a chance to talk with Ana about their participation.

Hello BOLHA, first of all I would like to congratulate you for being selected for the Festival da Canção 2023. How does that feel and what made you decide to take part at the show?
Hello! Thank you so much for your kindness. We are so happy for been part of Festival da Canção 2023. Actually this is a dream for all of us. We are that kind of musicians that grow up to see all the years the best of the music in Portugal in the Eurofestival so, it’s like a dream come true. When Jacinta, the composer, said “you are the perfect band for my song”, we do a lot of happiness and try to do our best with our musical identity.

All of you joined forces in 2020 in the middle of pandemic, how was that experience to form a band at that time?
It was an strange,really strange experience, because we were alone our in home. But I think this time is important to composed and be kind with ourselves too. In this pandemic time we are sad, we don’t have any concerts, so in the part of that time the creativity happens. At this time we do our first song together like Bolha band, “Bailarina”. It’s a song how speaks about the loneliest and beauty girl dancing in the stage,and do their best, and do the other people happy, but actually she’s always alone. In Portuguese we translate this word to “solidão” and we have a new song speaks about it, it’s “Aurora” and speaks about “solidão”.  And I think this is the kind of think we feel in that time. And we decide to be BOLHA, like a bubble, like a powerful bubble with a lot of good vibes and hope, like a love music bubble for all people.

Can you tell us a bit about “Sonhos de liberdade” what does the song mean for you?
This is a different song for us because “Sonhos de Liberdade” talks about a message of freedom, a message of do what you need and what you reallywant to do to be yourself, your truly self. It’s a positive song, and I like one part particularly, when the lyric says, from the pass just take the peace “…do passado leva a paz”. I hope we can do it well in 25^th February, and you can see all this feelings in our performance.

What can we expect from your performance? Can you give us a hint?
You can expect a lot of colors, we love to paint our life’s and music with a lot of colors, a lot of love, a lot of fantasy and a lot of happiness. You can see a mixed by modernity, Portuguese tradition and “Allice in wonderland” 😊With an very big instrumental mixing we can entry in a place of happiness and when your dreams finally can come true.

Your debut single “Bailarina” won the traditional category of the International prize for Portuguese music in the USA. How did that feel?
This is the most amazing sensation in my entire life. I think it’s because “Bailarina” it’s so beautiful and simple song at the same time, that we connected with the people from the EUA and they feel the vibration of that artist girl, the BOLHA soul, who always sing, writing, playing and dance for the others. We can stay in that stage together forever, just for feeling that amazing sensation happen again. The announcement, the heart beating really fast and the congrats for all that people.

Do you watch Eurovision regularly, if so would you like to share a memory which you have of it or a favourite song from the contest?
I have a lot of memories form Eurovision. Obviously when Salvador Sobral won we were so, so proud of him, his sister, Portugal and the Portuguese music, it was an amazing sensation. But In a few times, Barbara Pravy take me to the tears, the emotion that feelings in the stage, OMG, I’m crying a lot and love that song too.

Where do you find inspiration for the music you create?
Oh this is a special question 😊 But I find in life obviously, in the heart broken (me and in the other people) in the quotidian situations, in the feelings so grounded that I never think I can have before. And I like to do one thing in my songs, I like to mixing, my history, the others histories and the fantasy histories. Actually I truly believe the life was never boring if we stop and look at our side, but you need to do it, and there you have the inspiration. Loke at the stars at the night and look how they shine, they don’t stay there at the present time, you look to the pass when you look at the sky today, so you can do what you want to that fantasy.

What do you do when you are not singing? Any hobbies?
Oh I love to sing, but I love the nature too. I love to swim and to do paragliding. The silence in the sky is the best place to do music.

What are your plans after Festival da Canção 2023?
Doing a tour in Portugal,EU and Canada. I hope we have a tour in other European countries next hear. And we are going to recording a full album until the end of this hear.

Thank you so much for your time BOLHA. We wish you the best of luck at the Festival da Canção. Do you want to share something else or you maybe have a message for readers of escbubble?
Thank you and all the best for you and your team. I´m feeling so good know 😊

You can listen to “Sonhos de Liberdade” by BOLHA below:

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