Portuguese broadcaster RTP has now revealed the running orders for the semi-finals of Festival da Canção 2023. Twenty acts will compete across two semi-finals, with ten acts qualifying for the grand final of the competition for the chance to represent Portugal at Eurovision in Liverpool.
The competing songs in Festival da Canção 2023 are:
These are the competing entries in the first semi-final on the 25th of February:
| Running Order | Artist | Song Title | Translation | Songwriter(s) |
| 1. | MoYah | “Too Much Sauce” | “Too Much Sauce” | Moyah, Kensaye, Miguel Gutierrez |
| 2. | BOLHA | “Sonhos da Libertade” | “Dreams of Freedom” | Jacinta, Joana Gil |
| 3. | April Ivy | “Modo Voo” | “Flight Mode” | Mariana Gonçalves, João Maia Ferreira, Francisco Santos, Manuel Morgado, Ricardo Moreira, Matheus Paraízo, Francisco Andrade |
| 4. | Churky | “Encruzilhada” | “Crossroads” | Churky |
| 5. | Cláudia Pascoal | “Nasci Maria” | “I Was Born Maria” | Cláudia Pascoal |
| 6. | SAL | “Viver” | “To Live” | Sérgio Pires, SAL |
| 7. | Mimicat | “Ai coração” | “Oh Heart” | Marisa Mena, Luís Pereira |
| 8 | You Can’t Win, Charlie Brown | “Contraste Mudo” | “Contrasting Change” | Afonso Cabral, David Santos, João Gil, Pedro Branco, Salvador Menezes, Tomás Sousa |
| 9. | Neon Soho | “Endless World” | “Endless World” | Neon Soho |
| 10. | Esse Povo | “Sapatos de Cimento” | “Shoes of Cement” | Quim Albergaria |
The songs competing in the second semi-final on March 4th are:
| Running Order | Artist | Song Title | Translation | Songwriter(s) |
| 1. | Edmundo Inácio | “A Festa” | “The Party” | Edmundo Inácio |
| 2. | The Happy Mess | “O impossível” | “The Impossible” | João Pascoal, Afonso Carvalho, Miguel Ribeiro, Paulo Mouta Pereira, Bruno Vieira Amaral |
| 3. | Teresinha Landeiro | “Enquanto é tempo” | “While There’s Time” | Pedro de Castro, Teresinha Landeiro |
| 4. | Bandua | “Bandeiras” | “Flags” | Bernardo Adário, Edgar Valente |
| 5. | Bárbara Tinoco | “Goodnight” | “Goodnight” | Bárbara Tinoco, Mateus Seabra |
| 6. | Inês Apenas | “Fim do Mundo” | “The End of the World” | Inês Apenas |
| 7. | Ivandro | “Povo” | “People” | Ivandro |
| 8 | DAPUNKSPORTIF | “World Needs Therapy” | “World Needs Therapy” | João Guincho, Paulo Franco |
| 9. | Lara Li | “Funâmbula” | “Tightrope Walker” | André Henriques |
| 10. | Voodoo Marmalade | “Tormento” | Torment” | Voodoo Marmalade |
Fifteen of the competing songwriters were invited by RTP to participate. Edmundo Inácio, Inês Apenas, Mimicat, MoYah and Voodoo Marmalade were selected through an open call for entries.
You can listen to the competing songs here:
About Festival da Canção 2023
The first semi-final will be held on February 25th, with the second semi-final being held on March 4th. Ten songs will qualify from the two semi-finals to make it to the final on March 11th. Once in the final, a 50/50 combination of a national jury and televote will decide the winner. The winning song will then go on to represent Portugal in Liverpool in May. Following the semi-final allocation draw, the winner will perform in the first half of the first semi-final at Eurovision.
Portugal’s Eurovision journey
Portugal debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest with António Calvário’s “Oração” in 1964. Since then, Portugal has participated in the competition 53 times – appearing the final 44 times. Their only win in the competition came in 2017 with Salvador Sobral, performing his heart-wrenching song “Amar Pelos Dois”.
Portugal’s most recent participation was with MARO with the song “saudade, saudade”. MARO managed to qualify for the Grand Final and once there, she finished 9th, after receiving 207 points from the jury and the televote.
What do you make of the songs competing in Festival da Canção 2023? Which of the songs is your favourite? Do you think there is a Eurovision winner in the selection? As always, let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for all the news regarding Festival da Canção 2023!
News Source: RTP
Photo Credit: RTP
