Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 explained

Year:2020
Country:Portugal
Preselection:Portuguese: [[Festival da Canção]] 2020
Preselection Date:Semi-finals:
22 February 2020
29 February 2020
Final:
7 March 2020
Entrant:Elisa
Song:Portuguese: [[Medo de sentir]]|italics=no
Final Result:Contest cancelled

Portugal originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Portuguese: [[Medo de sentir]]|italics=no" written by Marta Carvalho. The song was performed by Elisa. The Portuguese broadcaster Portuguese: [[Rádio e Televisão de Portugal]]|italics=no (RTP) organised the national final Portuguese: [[Festival da Canção]] 2020|italics=no in order to select the Portuguese entry for the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. After two semi-finals and a final which took place in February and March 2020, "Portuguese: Medo de sentir|italics=no" performed by Elisa emerged as the winner after achieving the highest score following the combination of votes from seven regional juries and a public televote.

Portugal was drawn to compete in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 14 May 2020. However, the contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background

See main article: Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest. Prior to the 2020 contest, Portugal had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fifty-one times since its first entry in 1964.[1] Portugal had won the contest on one occasion: in 2017 with the song "Portuguese: [[Amar pelos dois]]|italics=no" performed by Salvador Sobral. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004, Portugal had featured in only five finals. Portugal's least successful result has been last place, which they have achieved on four occasions, most recently in 2018 with the song "Portuguese: [[O jardim]]|italics=no" performed by Cláudia Pascoal. Portugal has also received French: [[nul points]] on two occasions; in 1964 and 1997. The nation failed to qualify to the final in 2019 with the song "Portuguese: [[Telemóveis]]|italics=no" performed by Conan Osíris.

The Portuguese national broadcaster, Portuguese: [[Rádio e Televisão de Portugal]]|italics=no (RTP), broadcasts the event within Portugal and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. RTP confirmed Portugal's participation in the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest on 19 August 2019.[2] The broadcaster has traditionally selected the Portuguese entry for the Eurovision Song Contest via the music competition Portuguese: [[Festival da Canção]]|italics=no, with exceptions in 1988 and 2005 when the Portuguese entries were internally selected. Along with their participation confirmation, the broadcaster revealed details regarding their selection procedure and announced the organization of Portuguese: Festival da Canção 2020|italics=no in order to select the 2020 Portuguese entry.

Before Eurovision

Festival da Canção 2020

Portuguese: Festival da Canção 2020 was the 54th edition of Portuguese: [[Festival da Canção]] that selected Portugal's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. Sixteen entries competed in the competition that consisted of two semi-finals held on 22 and 29 February 2020 leading to an eight-song final on 7 March 2020. All three shows of the competition were broadcast on RTP1, Portuguese: [[RTP África]]|italics=no and Portuguese: [[RTP Internacional]]|italics=no as well as online via RTP Play.[3] The shows were also broadcast on RTP Acessibilidades with presentation in Portuguese Sign Language.[4]

Format

The format of the competition consisted of three shows: two semi-finals on 22 and 29 February 2020 and the final on 7 March 2020. Each semi-final featured eight competing entries from which four advanced from each show to complete the eight song lineup in the final.[5] Results during the semi-finals were determined by the 50/50 combination of votes from a jury panel appointed by RTP and public televoting, while results during the final were determined by the 50/50 combination of votes from seven regional juries and public televoting, which was opened following the second semi-final and closed during the final show.[6] Both the public televote and the juries assigned points from 3-8, 10 and 12 based on the ranking developed by both streams of voting.

Format

Sixteen composers were selected by RTP through three methods: fourteen invited by RTP for the competition, one selected from 320 submissions received through an open call for songs and one selected from the Portuguese: [[Antena 1 (Portugal)|Antena 1]]|italics=no radio show MasterClass featuring composers without any published work.[7] The composers, which both created the songs and selected its performers, were required to submit the demo and final versions of their entries by 31 October and 31 November 2019, respectively. Songs could be submitted in any language other than Portuguese.[8] The selected composers were revealed on 7 November 2019, while the competing artists were revealed on 15 January 2020.[9] [10]

ArtistSongSongwriter(s)Selection
Bárbara Tinoco"French: Passe-Partout|italics=no"Tiago NacaratoInvited by RTP
Blasted Mechanism"Rebellion"Blasted Mechanism, Stego, Guerra
Cláudio Frank"Portuguese: Quero-te abraçar|italics=no"Cláudio FrankMasterClass winner
Dubio feat. +351"Portuguese: Cegueira|italics=no"Rui Azevedo, Pedro Azevedo, Hugo AzevedoOpen call winner
Elisa"Portuguese: [[Medo de sentir]]|italics=no"Marta CarvalhoInvited by RTP
Elisa Rodrigues"Portuguese: Não voltes mais|italics=no"Elisa Rodrigues
Filipe Sambado"Portuguese: Gerbera amarela do Sul|italics=no"Filipe Sambado
Ian Mucznik"Portuguese: O dia de amanhã|italics=no"João Cabrita, Ian Mucznik
Jimmy P"Portuguese: Abensonhado|italics=no"Jimmy P
Jjazz"Portuguese: Agora|italics=no"Rui Pregal da Cunha
Judas"Portuguese: Cubismo enviesado|italics=no"Hélio Morais
Kady"Portuguese: Diz só|italics=no"Dino d'Santiago, Kalaf Epalanga
Luiz Caracol and Gus Liberdade"Portuguese: Dói-me o país|italics=no"Luiz Caracol, António Avelar de Pinho
Meera"Portuguese: Copo de gin|italics=no"Meera, Isaura, João Bota
Throes and the Shine"Portuguese: Movimento|italics=no"Throes and the Shine
Tomás Luzia"Portuguese: Mais real que o amor|italics=no"Pedro Jóia, Tiago Torres da Silva

Semi-finals

The two semi-finals took place at RTP's Studio 1 in Lisbon on 22 and 29 February 2020. The first semi-final was hosted by Jorge Gabriel and Tânia Ribas de Oliveira while the second semi-final was hosted by José Carlos Malato and Sónia Araújo.[11] In each semi-final eight entries competed and four advanced to the final based on the 50/50 combination of votes of a jury panel consisting of Anabela, Capicua, Conan Osíris, Héber Marques, Isilda Sanches, Miguel Ângelo and Rui Miguel Abreu, and a public televote.[12]

Semi-final 1 – 22 February 2020
DrawArtistSongJuryTelevoteTotalPlace
1Meera"Portuguese: Copo de gin|italics=no"5387
2Filipe Sambado"Portuguese: Gerbera amarela do Sul|italics=no"125173
3Ian Mucznik"Portuguese: O dia de amanhã|italics=no"4488
4Bárbara Tinoco"French: Passe-Partout|italics=no"812202
5Blasted Mechanism"Rebellion"68145
6Elisa"Portuguese: [[Medo de sentir]]|italics=no"1010201
7Jjazz"Portuguese: Agora|italics=no"3696
8Throes and the Shine"Portuguese: Movimento|italics=no"77144
Semi-final 2 – 29 February 2020
DrawArtistSongJuryTelevoteTotalPlace
1Dubio feat. +351"Portuguese: Cegueira|italics=no"47116
2Luiz Caracol and Gus Liberdade"Portuguese: Dói-me o país|italics=no"76135
3Judas"Portuguese: Cubismo enviesado|italics=no"64107
4Kady "Portuguese: Diz só|italics=no"128202
5Elisa Rodrigues "Portuguese: Não voltes mais|italics=no"85134
6Cláudio Frank"Portuguese: Quero-te abraçar|italics=no"3368
7Tomás Luzia"Portuguese: Mais real que o amor|italics=no"510153
8Jimmy P"Portuguese: Abensonhado|italics=no"1012221

Final

The final took place at the Coliseu Comendador Rondão Almeida in Elvas on 7 March 2020, hosted by Filomena Cautela and Vasco Palmeirim.[13] The eight entries that qualified from the two preceding semi-finals competed and the winner, "Medo de sentir" performed by Elisa, was selected based on the 50/50 combination of votes of seven regional juries and a public televote. In addition to the performances of the competing entries, Portuguese Eurovision 2019 entrant Conan Osíris, Joana Espadinha, Lena d'Água, NBC, Samuel Úria together with Alex D'Alva Teixeira, and Surma performed as the interval acts.[14]

Final – 7 March 2020
DrawArtistSongJuryTelevoteTotalPlace
1Filipe Sambado"Portuguese: Gerbera amarela do Sul|italics=no"124163
2Jimmy P"Portuguese: Abensonhado|italics=no"86144
3Tomás Luzia"Portuguese: Mais real que o amor|italics=no"38117
4Elisa Rodrigues "Portuguese: Não voltes mais|italics=no"4378
5Throes and the Shine"Portuguese: Movimento|italics=no"75126
6Kady "Portuguese: Diz só|italics=no"57125
7Elisa"Portuguese: [[Medo de sentir]]|italics=no"1010201
8Bárbara Tinoco"French: Passe-Partout|italics=no"612182
DrawSongNorthCentralLisbon AreaAlgarveAzoresMadeiraAlentejoTotalPoints
1"Portuguese: Gerbera amarela do Sul|italics=no"12 12 12 12 12 10 67612
2"Portuguese: Abensonhado|italics=no"7 5 10 7 5 7 12538
3"Portuguese: Mais real que o amor|italics=no"3 3 3 6 3 3 3243
4"Portuguese: Não voltes mais|italics=no"5 4 5 3 8 8 4374
5"Portuguese: Movimento|italics=no"8 7 6 8 7 5 5467
6"Portuguese: Diz só|italics=no"10 6 8 4 10 4 7435
7"Portuguese: Medo de sentir|italics=no"6 10 4 10 6 12 85610
8"French: Passe-Partout|italics=no"4 8 7 5 8 6 10446
Members of the jury[15]
  • North: Né Ladeiras, Fábia Maia, and Catarina Miranda
  • Central: Afonso Rodrigues, Moullinex, and Roberto Caetano
  • Lisbon Area: Teresa Colaço, Noiserv, and Pedro Tatanka
  • Algarve: Miguel Valverde, Tó Viegas, and Alexandra
  • Azores: Flávio Cristovão, Catarina Carvalho, and Diogo Lima
  • Madeira: Ricardo Vasconcelos, Sofia Lacerda, and Mariana Camacho
  • Alentejo: Nuno Figueiredo, Maria João Caetano, and Johnny Valas

At Eurovision

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for 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. On 28 January 2020, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Portugal was placed into the second semi-final, to be held on 14 May 2020, and was scheduled to perform in the second half of the show.[16] However, due to 2019-20 pandemic of Coronavirus, the contest was cancelled.

During the Eurovision Song Celebration YouTube broadcast in place of the semi-finals, it was revealed that Portugal was set to perform in position 15, following the entry from Armenia and before the entry from Georgia.[17]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Portugal Country Profile. 20 November 2014. EBU.
  2. Web site: Granger. Anthony. 19 August 2019. Portugal: Festival da Canção 2020 Rules Published. 8 November 2021. Eurovoix.
  3. Web site: 9 March 2020. Festival da Canção 2020 foi um "êxito" a todos os níveis. 8 November 2021. Eurobec. pt.
  4. Web site: 6 March 2020. A FINAL DO FESTIVAL DA CANÇÃO É JÁ AMANHÃ!. 8 November 2021. Tudobem-Alentejo. pt.
  5. Web site: Tudo sobre o Festival da Canção 2020. 8 November 2021. RTP.pt. pt.
  6. Web site: 7 March 2020. Festival da Canção 2020: Quem vai suceder a Conan Osíris?. 8 November 2021. tv7dias. pt.
  7. Web site: Granger. Anthony. 7 November 2019. Portugal: 320 Song Submissions Received For Festival Da Canção 2020. 8 November 2021. Eurovoix.
  8. Web site: Eurovision 2020 - Elisa (Portugal). ESCKAZ.
  9. Web site: Pereira. Bernardo. 6 November 2019. Portugal: Dino D'Santiago, Blasted Mechanism and Jimmy P among Festival da Canção 2020 composers. 8 November 2021. Wiwibloggs.
  10. Web site: 15 January 2020. Portugal's Festival da Canção 2020 artists announced!. 8 November 2021. eurovision.tv.
  11. Web site: 15 January 2020. Portugal: Conheça os apresentadores do Festival da Canção 2020. 15 January 2020. escportugal.pt. pt.
  12. Web site: Luukela. Sami. 18 February 2020. Anabela and Conan Osiris among the jurors for Festival da Canção 2020 semifinals. 8 November 2021. escXtra.
  13. Web site: 15 January 2020. [OFICIAL] ELVAS RECEBE A FINAL DO FESTIVAL DA CANÇÃO 2020]. 15 January 2020. escportugal.pt. pt.
  14. Web site: Pereira . Lia . 8 March 2020 . Elisa venceu o Festival da Canção . 8 November 2021 . blitz.pt . pt.
  15. Web site: 8 March 2020. FC2020: Recorde a votação dos júris regionais do Festival da Canção 2020. 17 March 2022. escportugal.pt. pt.
  16. Web site: Groot. Evert. 28 January 2020. Which country performs in which Eurovision 2020 Semi-Final. 28 January 2020. eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union.
  17. Web site: Eurovision Song Contest. 14 May 2020. Part two of Eurovision Song Celebration. 3 June 2020.