With Festival da Canção starting tonight with its first semi-final, further information about Festival da Canção 2022 has been revealed. Portuguese broadcaster RTP has revealed everything from the stage, the guest performers for each round of Festival da Canção, and the jury for the semi-finals.
The guest performers for tonight…
The guest performers for the first semi-final are:
- The Black Mamba
- Rita Redshoes
- Rui Pregal da Cunha
- Expensive Soul
The Black Mamba were Portugal’s Eurovision representative in 2021. Rita Redshoes was one of the writers on 2017 Festival da Canção entry “O que eu vi nos meus sonhos”. Rui Pregal da Cunha was one of the songwriters for 2020 Festival da Canção entry “Agora”. Expensive Soul meanwhile are a successful Portuguese hip-hop group from Leça da Palmeira.
…and the guest for the second semi-final…
The guest performers for the second semi-final are:
- Chanel
- The Legendary Tigerman
- Capitão Fausto
- Lena D’Água and Samuel Úria
Chanel is this year’s Spanish representative and winner of Benidorm Fest. The Legendary Tigerman is the stage name of massively popular singer-songwriter Paulo Furtado. Capitão Fausto are a Portuguese rock band with multiple number ones to their name. Finally, Lena D’Água and Samuel Úria meanwhile return to Festival da Canção, having previously also performed as an interval act in 2020. Lena has also competed in Festival da Canção in 2017, with the song “Olá Cega Rega”. That same year, Samuel was one of the writers on Festival da Canção entry “Para Perto”.
…And the intervals for the final!
The guest performers for the final are:
- Bateu Matou
- Lura, Blaya, and Sara Correia
- B Fachada, Benjamim, Selma Uamusse, and Tiago Bettencourt
Bateu Matou had already been confirmed for the final. Lura was the writer of 2019 Festival da Canção entry “O Meu Sonho”. Blaya is perhaps best known for her number 1 hit “Faz Gostoso,” which went double platinum in Portugal. Sara Correia is a highly successful fado singer. B Fachada is a popular singer and multi-instrumentalist. Benjamim was the songwriter of 2018 Festival da Canção entry “Zero a Zero”. Selma Uamusse is a highly respected Mozambican singer living in Portugal. Tiago Bettencourt meanwhile has had success as a solo artist and with the band Toranja. He also has recorded a song with fellow guest Lura in 2012.
Who will be judging?
The first and second semi-final will have the same jury team. The jurors are:
- Dulce Pontes (Portugal 1991, finished 8th with “Lusitana paixão”)
- Dino D’Santiago (writer of 2020 Festival da Canção entry “Diz só”)
- Surma (Competed in Festival da Canção 2019 with “Pugna”)
- Teresa Salgueiro (singer, former member of influential band Madredeus)
- Pedro Granger (press conference and Opening Ceremony presenter for Eurovision 2018)
- Miguel Cadete (music critic)
- Tatanka (lead singer of The Black Mamba)
What we know about Festival da Canção
Festival da Canção will consist of two semi-finals and a final. The first semi-final will take place March 5, with the second on March 7 and the Final on March 12. This year’s Festival da Canção will take place at the RTP Studios. Jorge Gabriel and Sónia Araújo will host this year’s edition of the national final. Five acts will qualify from each semi-final, leaving ten acts in the final on March 12th. Festival da Canção will use a 50/50 televoting and jury system to decide Portugal’s act for Eurovision 2022. RTP has announced that the contest will also air in Spain on TEN TV, TV Galicia and RTVE. The running order for the first semi-final is:
| Order | Artist | Song Title |
| 1 | Os Quatro & Meia | “Amanhã” |
| 2 | TheMisterDriver | “Calisun” |
| 3 | Diana Castro | “Ginger Ale” |
| 4 | FF | “Como É Bom Esperar Alguém” |
| 5 | Norton | “Hope” |
| 6 | Aurea | “Why?” |
| 7 | Kumpania Algazarra | “A Minha Praia” |
| 8 | Maro | “Saudade, saudade” |
| 9 | Valas & Os Astronautas | “Odisseia” |
| 10 | Fado Bicha | “Povo Pequenino” |
You can find the running order of the second semi-final here.
Portugal’s Eurovision Journey
In 1964, Portugal made their debut in the competition with António Calvário and the song “Oração”. Since then, they have participated in the competition 52 times, 43 of which were in the Grand Final. They have also won the competition once in 2017 with Salvador Sobral and the song “Amar Pelos Dois”.
Portugal’s recent participation saw them being represented by The Black Mamba with the song “Love Is On My Side”, which is the first song Portugal sent in the English language. Their participation saw them qualify for the Grand Final, where they finished 12th, after receiving 153 points from the Jury and Televoters.
Are you excited for Festival da Canção 2022? Who do you think should represent Portugal in Italy? What guest performance are you looking forward to most? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Be sure to follow ‘THAT Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
News Source: RTP
Photo Source: RTP
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