Today, Portuguese broadcaster RTP has revealed the 20 composers behind the competing entries of Festival da Canção 2021. Along with the names, the dates of the selection have been confirmed – the final will take place on March 6.
The names of the 20 composers behind the songs taking part in next year’s Festival da Canção have been revealed. It has become somewhat of a tradition for the composers to featured heavily in the promotion behind the selection. Although, some of these composers may also be singing their own songs at the selection.
In alphabetical order, the composers are:
- Anne Victorino d’Almeida
- Carolina Deslandes
- Da Chick
- Fábia Maia
- Filipe Melo
- Helder Moutinho
- IAN
- Irma
- Joana Alegre
- João Vieira
- Karetus
- Miguel Marôco
- Neev
- Pedro da Linha
- Pedro Gonçalves
- Stereossauro
- Tainá
- Tatanka
- Virgul
- Viviane
Of these 20 composers, 18 were invited to participate directly by RTP. Meanwhile, Miguel Marôco and Pedro Gonçalves were selected through a public selection out of 693 submissions. This is notably the highest number of submissions yet.
The semi finals of the selections will take place from RTP Studios in Lisbon on the 20th and 27th of February. Five of the ten competing entries will qualify from each semi final. The final will take place on March 6 in a not-yet-announced location (likely outside of Lisbon). The winning entry will go on to represent Portugal in Eurovision.
Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest
Portugal was once seen as one of the most unlucky Eurovision countries, holding the record for the longest period of participation without a win (49 attempts). Of course, this ‘curse’ was broken in 2017 when Salvador Sobral won the contest with “Amar Pelos Dois”. Not only was this their first win, but it was also their first and only top 5 placing in the contest to date.
In 2020, Portugal was set to be represented by Elisa with her song ‘Medo de Sentir’. Unfortunately, the 2020 contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with the return of Festival da Canção for 2021, she was not internally-selected by the broadcaster.
Which composer are you most excited about? Who do you want to see represent Portugal next year? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to see our reactions to the news in the upcoming months.
