Eurovision in Malmö is now less than a month away. In the lead-up to the start of rehearsals, we will get to know a bit more about this year’s artists, their discography, and their Eurovision 2024 journey so far. Next up, we will preview Portugal’s 2024 representative, iolanda.
iolanda’s Eurovision Journey So Far…
iolanda was selected to represent Portugal with “Grito” after winning the Portuguese national final Festival da Canção. At the end of March, it was determined that iolanda will perform fourteenth in the first Eurovision semi-final in Malmö on May 7th.
She performed at Pre-Party ES in Madrid on March 30th. That was her only pre-party performance.
What do we think of “Grito”
The team at That Eurovision Site have reacted to Portugal’s entry for Malmö. Tim gave his thoughts on “Grito”, which you can check out below. You can also check out our written review here.
Who is iolanda?
iolanda, whose full name is Iolanda Costa, was born in 1994 in Figueira da Foz, on the west coast of Portugal. She took an interest in music as a young child, going on to study at the British and Irish Insitute of Modern Music at the University of Sussex in the UK. She was a co-writer for “Mar no fim”, which competed at Festival da Canção in 2022.
Outside of Eurovision-related events, iolanda took part in The Voice Portugal in 2014, though failed to advance past the blind audition rounds. She released her first and to date only EP in 2023 called “Cura”. It was written during the COVID-19 pandemic. The EP features 7 songs, including the title track “Cura”.
“Grito” was written by Iolanda Costa and Alberto “Luar” Hernández. Costa also composed the song.
Portugal’s Eurovision History
Portugal debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest with António Calvário’s “Oração” in 1964. Since then, Portugal has participated in the competition 54 times – appearing the final 45 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 Mimicat with the song “Ai, coração”. Mimicat managed to qualify for the Grand Final and once there, she finished in 23rd place. She received a total of 59 points, of which 43 points came from the jury and 16 points came the televote.
What do think about “Grito”? Are you excited for Portugal’s participation at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest? Let us know in the comments or on social media! Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2024!
News Source: iolanda / That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: RTP
Rory Gannon