Portugal participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, Netherlands with the song "Love Is on My Side", performed by The Black Mamba. The Portuguese entry for the 2021 contest was chosen through the national selection Festival da Canção, organised by the Portuguese broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP), which consisted of two semi-finals on 20 and 27 February, and a final on 6 March 2021.
| Eurovision Song Contest 2021 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  Portugal | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Festival da Canção 2021 | |||
| Selection date(s) | Semi-finals: 20 February 2021 27 February 2021 Final: 6 March 2021 | |||
| Selected entrant | The Black Mamba | |||
| Selected song | "Love Is on My Side" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) | Tatanka | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Semi-final result | Qualified (4th, 239 points) | |||
| Final result | 12th, 153 points | |||
| Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
This was the first Portuguese entry in the Eurovision Song Contest to be performed entirely in English.
Background
Prior to the 2021 Contest, Portugal had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fifty-one times since its first entry in 1964.[1] Since semi-finals were introduced into the contest in 2004, Portugal has failed to reach the final eight times. Portugal held the record for the most appearances in the contest without a win until 2017 when they won in Kyiv, Ukraine, with Salvador Sobral's entry, "Amar pelos dois". In 2019, Portugal was represented by Conan Osíris and the song "Telemóveis". The country failed to qualify to the final, ending in fifteenth place in the semi-final with 51 points. In 2020, Elisa was set to represent Portugal with the song "Medo de sentir" before the contest's cancellation.
Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) broadcasts the contest in Portugal and organises the selection process for its entry. Portugal has most commonly selected their entry through the national final Festival da Canção except between 2003 and 2005 when the broadcaster used internal selections and the talent competition Operação triunfo to select their entry. RTP will organize the 2021 edition of Festival da Canção in order to select the Portuguese entry for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest.[2]
Before Eurovision
Festival da Canção 2021
Festival da Canção 2021 was the 55th edition of Festival da Canção, the music competition that selects Portugal's entries for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Format
The format of the competition consisted of three shows: two semi-finals on 20 and 27 February 2021 and the final on 6 March 2021, all taking place at RTP's studios in Lisbon.[3] The competition featured twenty competing songs written by composers selected by RTP through various methods. The composers both created the song and selected the performer for their entry. Each semi-final featured ten competing entries from which five advanced to the final from each show.[4] Results during the semi-finals was determined by a jury panel appointed by RTP and votes from the public, with the jury panel having the deciding vote in the event of a tie. In the final, the winner was determined by the votes from regional jury panels and public voting, with the public having the deciding vote in the event of a tie.[5]
For the fifth consecutive year, RTP abolished the language restrictions, so that artists may submit songs in any language(s), even without Portuguese. On 4 December 2020, RTP revealed the names of the twenty participating composers: eighteen invited by RTP and two selected from 693 submissions received during an open call for songs.[6] The competing artists and songs were revealed on 20 January 2021.[7]
| Artist | Song | Composer(s) | Selection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ana Tereza | "Com um abraço" | Viviane, Tó Viegas | Invited by RTP |
| Ariana | "Mundo melhor" | Virgul, Alex D'Alva | Invited by RTP |
| Carolina Deslandes | "Por um triz" | Carolina Deslandes | Invited by RTP |
| Da Chick | "I Got Music" | Da Chick | Invited by RTP |
| EU.CLIDES | "VOLTE-FACE" | Pedro da Linha, Tota | Invited by RTP |
| Fábia Maia | "Dia lindo" | Fábia Maia | Invited by RTP |
| Graciela | "A vida sem acontecer" | João Vieira | Invited by RTP |
| IAN | "Mundo" | IAN | Invited by RTP |
| Irma | "Livros" | Irma, Pity | Invited by RTP |
| Joana Alegre | "Joana do mar" | Joana Alegre | Invited by RTP |
| Karetus & Romeu Bairos | "Saudade" | Karetus, Romeu Bairos | Invited by RTP |
| mema. | "Claro como água" | Stereossauro, mema. | Invited by RTP |
| Miguel Marôco | "Girassol" | Miguel Marôco | Open call winner |
| Nadine | "Cheguei aqui" | Anne Victorino D'Almeida, Tiago Torres da Silva | Invited by RTP |
| NEEV | "Dancing in the Stars" | NEEV | Invited by RTP |
| Pedro Gonçalves | "Não vou ficar" | Pedro Gonçalves | Open call winner |
| Sara Afonso | "Contramão" | Filipe Melo, Teresa Sequeira | Invited by RTP |
| Tainá | "Jasmim" | Tainá | Invited by RTP |
| The Black Mamba | "Love Is on My Side" | Tatanka | Invited by RTP |
| Valéria | "Na mais profunda saudade" | Hélder Moutinho | Invited by RTP |
Semi-final 1
The first semi-final took place on 20 February 2021, hosted by Jorge Gabriel and Sónia Araújo. In the first semi-final ten entries participated, and of these ten, five advanced to the final. The qualifiers were determined by a 50/50 combination of votes from jury members made up of music professionals and a public telephone vote.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Televote | Total | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Black Mamba | "Love Is on My Side" | 10 | 12 | 22 | 1 |
| 2 | Valéria | "Na mais profunda saudade" | 6 | 10 | 16 | 3 |
| 3 | mema. | "Claro como água" | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 4 | Nadine | "Cheguei aqui" | 1 | 6 | 7 | 9 |
| 5 | Miguel Marôco | "Girassol" | 3 | 5 | 8 | 8 |
| 6 | Fábia Maia | "Dia lindo" | 8 | 2 | 10 | 5 |
| 7 | Irma | "Livros" | 5 | 3 | 8 | 6 |
| 8 | Karetus & Romeu Bairos | "Saudade" | 7 | 8 | 15 | 4 |
| 9 | Sara Afonso | "Contramão" | 12 | 7 | 19 | 2 |
| 10 | IAN | "Mundo" | 4 | 4 | 8 | 7 |
Semi-final 2
The second semi-final took place on 27 February 2021, hosted by Tânia Ribas de Oliveira and José Carlos Malato. In the second semi-final ten entries participated, and of these ten, five advanced to the final. The qualifiers were determined by a 50/50 combination of votes from jury members made up of music professionals and a public telephone vote.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Televote | Total | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Da Chick | "I Got Music" | 1 | 5 | 6 | 10 |
| 2 | Tainá | "Jasmim" | 4 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
| 3 | Ariana | "Mundo melhor" | 6 | 1 | 7 | 7 |
| 4 | EU.CLIDES | "VOLTE-FACE" | 10 | 3 | 13 | 4 |
| 5 | Joana Alegre | "Joana do mar" | 7 | 8 | 15 | 3 |
| 6 | Pedro Gonçalves | "Não vou ficar" | 3 | 7 | 10 | 5 |
| 7 | Ana Tereza | "Com um abraço" | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 |
| 8 | Carolina Deslandes | "Por um triz" | 12 | 10 | 22 | 1 |
| 9 | Graciela | "A vida sem acontecer" | 2 | 6 | 8 | 8 |
| 10 | NEEV | "Dancing in the Stars" | 8 | 12 | 20 | 2 |
Final
The final took place on 6 March 2021, hosted by Filomena Cautela and Vasco Palmeirim. In the final ten entries competed, and the winner was determined by a 50/50 combination of votes from seven regional juries and a public telephone vote.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Televote | Total | Place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Points | ||||||
| 1 | Karetus & Romeu Bairos | "Saudade" | 29 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 6 |
| 2 | Joana Alegre | "Joana do mar" | 44 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 7 |
| 3 | Fábia Maia | "Dia lindo" | 19 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 4 | Valéria | "Na mais profunda saudade" | 28 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 5 |
| 5 | Carolina Deslandes | "Por um triz" | 67 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 2 |
| 6 | NEEV | "Dancing in the Stars" | 38 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 3 |
| 7 | Pedro Gonçalves | "Não vou ficar" | 16 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| 8 | Sara Afonso | "Contramão" | 55 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 4 |
| 9 | EU.CLIDES | "VOLTE-FACE" | 47 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 8 |
| 10 | The Black Mamba | "Love Is on My Side" | 63 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 1 |
| Detailed Regional Jury Votes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Song | Central | Lisbon Area | Alentejo | Algarve | Madeira | Azores | North | Total | Points |
| 1 | "Saudade" | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 29 | 4 |
| 2 | "Joana do mar" | 10 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 44 | 6 |
| 3 | "Dia lindo" | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 19 | 2 |
| 4 | "Na mais profunda saudade" | 4 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 28 | 3 |
| 5 | "Por um triz" | 7 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 67 | 12 |
| 6 | "Dancing in the Stars" | 3 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 38 | 5 |
| 7 | "Não vou ficar" | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 1 |
| 8 | "Contramão" | 8 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 55 | 8 |
| 9 | "VOLTE-FACE" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 47 | 7 |
| 10 | "Love Is on My Side" | 12 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 63 | 10 |
At Eurovision
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big 5" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete in the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. For the 2021 contest, the semi-final allocation draw held for 2020 which was held on 28 January 2020, will be used. Portugal was placed into the second semi-final, which was held on 20 May 2021, and was scheduled to perform in the second half of the show.[8]
Once all the competing songs for the 2021 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Portugal was set to perform in position 12, following the entry from Albania and preceding the entry from Bulgaria.[9]
Portugal performed 7th in the grand final on 22 May 2021, following Malta and preceding Serbia.
Voting
Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with a diversity in gender and age represented. The judges assess each entry based on the performances during the second Dress Rehearsal of each show, which takes place the night before each live show, against a set of criteria including: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act.[10] Jury members may only take part in panel once every three years, and are obliged to confirm that they are not connected to any of the participating acts in a way that would impact their ability to vote impartially. Jury members should also vote independently, with no discussion of their vote permitted with other jury members.[11] The exact composition of the professional jury, and the results of each country's jury and televoting were released after the grand final; the individual results from each jury member were also released in an anonymised form.[12][13]
Points awarded to Portugal
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Points awarded by Portugal
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Detailed voting results
The following members comprised the Portuguese jury:[12][13]
- Dino d'Santiago
- Dora
- João Reis Moreira
- Marta Carvalho
- Pedro Penim
| Draw | Country | Jury | Televote | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juror A | Juror B | Juror C | Juror D | Juror E | Average Rank | Points | Rank | Points | ||
| 01 |  San Marino |
8 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 11 | ||
| 02 |  Estonia |
9 | 3 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 13 | |
| 03 |  Czech Republic |
13 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 14 | |
| 04 |  Greece |
6 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 05 |  Austria |
12 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 12 | |
| 06 |  Poland |
15 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | ||
| 07 |  Moldova |
11 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 1 | 12 | |
| 08 |  Iceland |
4 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 7 |
| 09 |  Serbia |
10 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
| 10 |  Georgia |
7 | 15 | 16 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 8 | 3 | |
| 11 |  Albania |
2 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 1 |
| 12 | Portugal |
|||||||||
| 13 |  Bulgaria |
1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 6 | 5 |
| 14 |  Finland |
3 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| 15 |  Latvia |
14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 14 | 15 | ||
| 16 |  Switzerland |
5 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 8 |
| 17 |  Denmark |
16 | 16 | 11 | 3 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 4 | |
| Draw | Country | Jury | Televote | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juror A | Juror B | Juror C | Juror D | Juror E | Average Rank | Points | Rank | Points | ||
| 01 |  Cyprus |
16 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 23 | 16 | 19 | ||
| 02 | Albania |
18 | 17 | 17 | 21 | 13 | 19 | 24 | ||
| 03 |  Israel |
8 | 8 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 16 | ||
| 04 |  Belgium |
9 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 18 | |
| 05 |  Russia |
5 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 1 |
| 06 |  Malta |
4 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 15 | |
| 07 | Portugal |
|||||||||
| 08 | Serbia |
11 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 17 | 13 | 20 | ||
| 09 |  United Kingdom |
25 | 16 | 21 | 24 | 21 | 24 | 25 | ||
| 10 | Greece |
17 | 22 | 22 | 15 | 22 | 22 | 9 | 2 | |
| 11 | Switzerland |
2 | 15 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| 12 | Iceland |
3 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 3 |
| 13 |  Spain |
15 | 19 | 19 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 12 | ||
| 14 | Moldova |
19 | 24 | 23 | 13 | 16 | 21 | 3 | 8 | |
| 15 |  Germany |
22 | 12 | 25 | 23 | 15 | 20 | 17 | ||
| 16 | Finland |
6 | 13 | 20 | 22 | 3 | 11 | 6 | 5 | |
| 17 | Bulgaria |
1 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 13 | |
| 18 |  Lithuania |
20 | 20 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 14 | ||
| 19 |  Ukraine |
21 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 19 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 20 |  France |
7 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 12 |
| 21 |  Azerbaijan |
14 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 21 | ||
| 22 |  Norway |
23 | 21 | 24 | 18 | 24 | 25 | 11 | ||
| 23 |  Netherlands |
10 | 4 | 5 | 19 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 22 | |
| 24 |  Italy |
12 | 3 | 16 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 25 |  Sweden |
13 | 23 | 13 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 7 | 4 | |
| 26 | San Marino |
24 | 25 | 15 | 17 | 12 | 18 | 23 | ||
References
- ^ "Portugal Country Profile". EBU. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- ^ Jiandani, Sanjay (Sergio) (17 September 2018). "Portugal: RTP confirms participation in Eurovision 2019". Esctoday.com. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- ^ Herbert, Emily (20 January 2021). "Portugal: Festival da Canção 2021 To Be Held With No Audience at RTP Studios". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
- ^ Christou, Costa (4 December 2020). "Portugal to select their Eurovision 2021 entry on March 6". escXtra. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ "REGULAMENTO FESTIVAL DA CANÇÃO 2021". RTP (in Portuguese). 10 March 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ "São estes os autores do Festival da Canção 2021". RTP (in Portuguese). 4 December 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (19 January 2021). "Portugal: Festival da Canção Songs Will Also Be Revealed Tomorrow". Eurovoix. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ Groot, Evert (17 November 2020). "2020 Semi-Final line-up to stay for 2021". eurovision.tv. Eurovision Song Contest. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ^ "Semi-Final running orders revealed". Eurovision.tv. 30 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- ^ "Voting–Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ "Fairness–Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Juries in the Second Semi-Final of Rotterdam 2021". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Juries in the Grand Final of Rotterdam 2021". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ a b c "Results of the Second Semi-Final of Rotterdam 2021". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- ^ a b c "Results of the Grand Final of Rotterdam 2021". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.