Today the rehearsals for Eurovision 2024 start/continue in Malmö. Countries rehearsing on Day 2 include Iceland, Slovenia, Finland, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Australia, Portugal, and Luxembourg. The seventh to rehearse today is Portugal’s iolanda.
iolanda’s first rehearsal
The next to take to the Eurovision 2024 stage at Malmö Arena in Malmö was Portugal’s iolanda. Iolanda will be competing in this year’s competition with she entry “Grito” following victory at Festival da Canção 2024.
Following iolanda’s first rehearsal a clip of what went on was posted on the official TikTok account of the Eurovision Song Contest. The clip showed them before and after she took to the Eurovision stage for the first time, as well as giving us some insight into how well her first rehearsal went.
Once the official Eurovision TikTok has been uploaded, you can watch it here.
What did we learn about iolanda’s staging?
iolanda is sticking with the white theme that won her a big win in Festival Da Canção, she’s kept her dancers despite causing some fans a scare around April Fools around them, and looks to have adapted well to the bigger stage. She’s utilising the overhead LEDS, lowering the central one to create a more intimate atmosphere. There also appears to be a wind machine, a change from her FdC performance.
What we thought of iolanda’ first rehearsal
After Portugal’s first rehearsal, Rory gave his initial thoughts on the snippet that we saw.
As soon as our reaction to the first rehearsal is up, you can watch it 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 Journey
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 you think of “Grito”? SECOND SENTENCE? Let us know your thoughts! Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok as we prepare for Eurovision 2024!
News Source: That Eurovision Site / Eurovision.tv
Photo Credit: Sarah-Louise Bennett / EBU
That Eurovision Site 
Rory Gannon
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