Portugal | First Seven Artists To Qualify To The Final Of Festival da Canção 2018
Last night was the fist semi-final of two of RTP's Festival da Canção 2018, Portugal's national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. The show was televised from RTP's Studio 1 in Lisbon where 13 artists performed but only 7 were chosen forward to go to the Grand Final that will be on March 4th.
The 7 artists qualifying to the Grand Final were Peu Madureira with 22 points, Janeiro with 16 points, Catarina Miranda with 16 points, Beatriz Pessoa with 11 points, Anabela with 13 points, Joana Barra Vaz with 8 points and Joana Espadinha with 7 points. José Cid and Rui David also had 7 points each but as Joana Espadinha had highest jury vote out of the three she was the one to qualify.
The qualifiers were chosen by the Portuguese public and the jury as it was a 50/50 division of voting. The jury panel is the same one that will be for semi final two and the Grand Final but it is formed by 9 individuals: Júlio Isidro, Ana Bacalhau, Ana Marko, António Avelar Pinho, Carlão, Luísa Sobral, Mário Lopes, Sara Tavares and Tozé Brito.
The hosts for the night were Jorge Gabriel and José Carlos Malato, a very light and animated duo and taking care of the greenroom was the jolly Inês Lopes Gonçalves. For an interval act they had a medley of Carlos Paião's songs who you might remember from the Eurovision Song Contest 1981 as he represented Portugal with the song Play Back.
Other participants of the night were:
Rui David - "Sem Medo"
José Cid - "O Som Da Guitarra É A Alma De Um Povo"
JP Simões - "Alvoroço"
Maria Amaral - "A Mesma Canção"
Bruno Vasconcelos - "Austrália"
Rita Dias - "Com Gosto Amigo"
Next semi final will be next Sunday, February 25th, where the next 13 artists will perform and try to get their place in the Final.
Are your favourite on their way to the Grand Final of Festival da Canção? Let us know in the comments below!
