Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eurovision Song Contest 2015
Country Portugal
National selection
Selection processFestival da Canção 2015
Selection date(s)Semi-finals:
3 March 2015
5 March 2015
Final:
7 March 2015
Selected entrantLeonor Andrade
Selected song"Há um mar que nos separa"
Selected songwriter(s)Miguel Gameiro
Finals performance
Semi-final resultFailed to qualify (14th)
Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2014 2015 2017►

Portugal participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Há um mar que nos separa" written by Miguel Gameiro. The song was performed by Leonor Andrade. The Portuguese broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) organised the national final Festival da Canção 2015 in order to select the Portuguese entry for the 2015 contest in Vienna, Austria. After two semi-finals and a final which took place in March 2015, "Há um mar que nos separa" performed by Leonor Andrade emerged as the winner after receiving the most public televotes.

Portugal was drawn to compete in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 21 May 2015. Performing during the show in position 7, "Há um mar que nos separa" was not announced among the top 10 entries of the first semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Portugal placed fourteenth out of the 17 participating countries in the semi-final with 19 points.

Background

Prior to the 2015 contest, Portugal had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest forty-seven times since its first entry in 1964.[1] The nation's highest placing in the contest was sixth, which they achieved in 1996 with the song "O meu coração não tem cor" performed by Lúcia Moniz. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004, Portugal had featured in only three finals. Portugal's least successful result has been last place, which they have achieved on three occasions, most recently in 1997 with the song "Antes do adeus" performed by Célia Lawson. Portugal has also received nul points on two occasions; in 1964 and 1997. The nation failed to qualify to the final in 2014 with the song "Quero ser tua" performed by Suzy.

The Portuguese national broadcaster, Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP), broadcasts the event within Portugal and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. RTP confirmed Portugal's participation in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest on 29 July 2014.[2] The broadcaster has traditionally selected the Portuguese entry for the Eurovision Song Contest via the music competition Festival da Canção, 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 Festival da Canção 2015 in order to select the 2015 Portuguese entry.[3]

Before Eurovision

Festival da Canção 2015

The logo of Festival da Canção 2015

Festival da Canção 2015 was the 50th edition of Festival da Canção that selected Portugal's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. Twelve entries competed in the competition that consisted of two semi-finals held on 3 and 5 March 2015 leading to a six-song final on 7 March 2015. All three shows of the competition took place at RTP's Studio 2 in Lisbon and were broadcast on RTP1, RTP África and RTP Internacional as well as online via the broadcaster's official website rtp.pt.[4][5]

Format

The format of the competition consisted of three shows: two semi-finals on 3 and 5 March 2015 and the final on 7 March 2015. Each semi-final featured six competing entries from which three advanced from each show to complete the eight song lineup in the final.[3] Results during the semi-finals and the final were determined by a jury panel appointed by the competing composers in their respective semi-finals and public televoting. In each semi-final, the songs first faced a public televote from which two advanced to the final. The jury then selected an additional qualifier from the remaining entries to proceed in the competition. In the final, the songs first faced a public televote from which two advanced to a second round of voting, the superfinal. The jury then selected an additional qualifier from the remaining entries to proceed to the superfinal, during which a public televote exclusively determined which entry would be the winner.[6]

Competing entries

Twelve composers were invited by RTP for the competition. The composers, which both created the songs and selected its performers, were required to submit the final versions of their entries by 5 February 2015. Songs were required to be submitted in Portuguese.[7] The selected composers were:[8]

The competing artists were revealed on 19 February 2015. Among the competing artists were former Eurovision Song Contest entrants Simone de Oliveira, who represented Portugal in 1965 and 1969 contests, and Adelaide Ferreira, who represented Portugal in the 1985 contest.[9]

Artist Song Songwriter(s)
Adelaide Ferreira "Paz" Adelaide Ferreira
Diana Piedade "Maldito tempo" Carlos Massa
Filipa Baptista "A noite inteira" Augusto Madureira
Filipe Gonçalves "Dança Joana" Héber Marques
Gonçalo Tavares "Tu tens uma mágica" Gonçalo Tavares, José Cid
José Freitas "Mal menor (ninguém me guia à razão)" Churky
Leonor Andrade "Há um mar que nos separa" Miguel Gameiro
Rita Seidi "Lisboa, Lisboa" Sara Tavares, Kalaf
Rubi Machado "Quando a lua voltar a passar" Sebastião Antunes
Simone de Oliveira "À espera das canções" Renato Júnior, Tiango Torres da Silva
Teresa Radamanto "Um fado em Viena" Fernando Abrantes, Jorge Mangorrinha
Yola Dinis "Outra vez primavera" Nuno Feist, Marques da Silva

Shows

Semi-finals

The two semi-finals took place on 3 and 5 March 2015. The first semi-final was hosted by Joana Teles and Jorge Gabriel while the second semi-final was hosted by Sílvia Alberto and José Carlos Malato. In each semi-final six entries competed and three advanced to the final. The competing entries first faced a public televote where the top two songs advanced, with an additional qualifier selected from the remaining four entries by a jury panel.

In addition to the performances of the competing entries, Portuguese Eurovision 1964 entrant António Calvário and Portuguese Eurovision 2014 entrant Suzy performed as the interval acts in the first semi-final, while Eládio Clímaco and Portuguese Eurovision 1996 entrant Lucia Móniz performed as the interval acts in the second semi-final.[10][11]

  Public vote qualifier   Jury qualifier

Semi-final 1 – 3 March 2015
Draw Artist Song Place Result
1 Rita Seidi "Lisboa, Lisboa" 6 Eliminated
2 Leonor Andrade "Há um mar que nos separa" 1 Advanced
3 Filipa Baptista "A noite inteira" 3 Eliminated
4 Yola Dinis "Outra vez primavera" 2 Advanced
5 Gonçalo Tavares "Tu tens uma mágica" 5 Advanced
6 Adelaide Ferreira "Paz" 4 Eliminated
Semi-final 2 – 5 March 2015
Draw Artist Song Place Result
1 Rubi Machado "Quando a lua voltar a passar" 6 Eliminated
2 José Freitas "Mal menor (ninguém me guia à razão)" 5 Advanced
3 Teresa Radamanto "Um fado em Viena" 1 Advanced
4 Simone de Oliveira "À espera das canções" 2 Advanced
5 Filipe Gonçalves "Dança Joana" 3 Eliminated
6 Diana Piedade "Maldito tempo" 4 Eliminated

Final

The final took place on 7 March 2015, hosted by Júlio Isidro and Catarina Furtado. The winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, the six competing entries that qualified from the two preceding semi-finals first faced a public televote where the top two songs advanced to the second round, the superfinal, with an additional qualifier was selected from the remaining four entries by a jury panel. In the superfinal, the winner, "Há um mar que nos separa" performed by Leonor Andrade, was selected solely by a public televote.[12] Agir and Portuguese Eurovision 1974 entrant Paulo de Carvalho performed as the interval acts.[13]

  Public vote qualifier   Jury qualifier

Final – 7 March 2015
Draw Artist Song Place Result
1 José Freitas "Mal menor (ninguém me guia à razão)" 6 Eliminated
2 Yola Dinis "Outra vez primavera" 4 Eliminated
3 Leonor Andrade "Há um mar que nos separa" 1 Advanced
4 Simone de Oliveira "À espera das canções" 3 Eliminated
5 Teresa Radamanto "Um fado em Viena" 2 Advanced
6 Gonçalo Tavares "Tu tens uma mágica" 5 Advanced
Superfinal – 7 March 2015
Draw Artist Song Place
1 Leonor Andrade "Há um mar que nos separa" 1
2 Teresa Radamanto "Um fado em Viena" 2
3 Gonçalo Tavares "Tu tens uma mágica" 3

At Eurovision

Leonor Andrade during a press meet and greet

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. In the 2015 contest, Australia also competed directly in the final as an invited guest nation.[14] 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.[15] On 26 January 2015, 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 21 May 2015, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show.[16]

Once all the competing songs for the 2015 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 7, following the entry from Norway and before the entry from Czech Republic.[17]

In Portugal, the three shows were broadcast on RTP1 and RTP Internacional with commentary by Hélder Reis and Ramon Galarza. The second semi-final and the final were broadcast live, while the first semi-final was broadcast on delay.[18] The Portuguese spokesperson, who announced the Portuguese votes during the final, was 2014 contest entrant Suzy.[19]

Semi-final

Leonor Andrade during a rehearsal before the second semi-final

Leonor Andrade took part in technical rehearsals on 13 and 16 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 20 and 21 May. This included the jury final where professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries.[20]

The Portuguese performance featured Leonor Andrade dressed in a black leather outfit with flowing trains performing at a microphone stand with a wind machine special effect. Four backing vocalists were lined up on Andrade's side also dressed in black: Pedro Mimoso, Ricardo Quintas, Tânia Tavares and Carla Ribeiro.[21] The LED screens displayed images of a large city which transitioned to waves in blue, black and white.[22][23]

At the end of the show, Portugal failed to qualify to the final and was not announced among the top ten nations.[24] It was later revealed that Portugal placed fourteenth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 19 points.[25]

Voting

Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding points from 1-8, 10 and 12 as determined by a combination of 50% national jury and 50% televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who were citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury was asked to judge each contestant based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury could be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member were released shortly after the grand final.[26]

Following the release of the full split voting by the EBU after the conclusion of the competition, it was revealed that Portugal had placed thirteenth with both the public televote and the jury vote in the second semi-final. In the public vote, Portugal scored 24 points, while with the jury vote, Portugal scored 23 points.[27]

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Portugal and awarded by Portugal in the second semi-final and grand final of the contest, and the breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two shows:

Points awarded to Portugal

Points awarded to Portugal (Semi-final 2)[28]
Score Country
12 points
10 points
8 points
7 points
6 points   Switzerland
5 points
4 points
3 points  Azerbaijan
2 points
1 point

Points awarded by Portugal

Detailed voting results

The following members comprised the Portuguese jury:[26]

Detailed voting results from Portugal (Semi-final 2)[30]
Draw Country R. Júnior A. Ferreira G. Tavares I. Santos N. Feist Jury Rank Televote Rank Combined Rank Points
01  Lithuania 15 15 14 14 15 15 7 12
02  Ireland 9 13 8 7 14 12 14 15
03  San Marino 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16
04  Montenegro 10 6 5 6 8 5 9 6 5
05  Malta 6 5 13 5 7 6 13 11
06  Norway 2 3 2 3 3 2 5 3 8
07  Portugal
08  Czech Republic 12 2 12 10 6 9 10 10 1
09  Israel 4 7 3 1 2 3 1 2 10
10  Latvia 3 9 10 4 12 8 4 4 7
11  Azerbaijan 11 4 6 12 5 7 11 8 3
12  Iceland 5 12 7 11 11 10 15 14
13  Sweden 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 12
14   Switzerland 14 14 15 13 10 14 8 13
15  Cyprus 8 10 11 9 9 11 3 5 6
16  Slovenia 7 11 4 8 4 4 12 7 4
17  Poland 13 8 9 15 13 13 6 9 2
Detailed voting results from Portugal (Final)[31]
Draw Country R. Júnior A. Ferreira G. Tavares I. Santos N. Marques da Silva Jury Rank Televote Rank Combined Rank Points
01  Slovenia 5 20 4 12 13 12 21 16
02  France 20 19 23 19 16 19 13 15
03  Israel 11 11 11 1 1 5 6 4 7
04  Estonia 7 8 20 13 6 13 8 10 1
05  United Kingdom 17 26 21 16 19 20 22 22
06  Armenia 19 24 22 21 24 24 27 27
07  Lithuania 26 27 24 25 25 26 16 21
08  Serbia 23 21 27 24 18 25 15 18
09  Norway 1 1 2 2 3 1 10 5 6
10  Sweden 2 2 1 3 4 2 5 3 8
11  Cyprus 10 7 6 15 8 8 14 12
12  Australia 15 17 13 10 14 15 11 14
13  Belgium 8 4 5 14 12 7 7 6 5
14  Austria 18 16 18 18 21 18 24 23
15  Greece 24 22 19 22 23 23 17 19
16  Montenegro 13 9 7 6 7 6 19 13
17  Germany 16 13 15 20 20 17 26 24
18  Poland 22 14 17 26 27 21 18 17
19  Latvia 3 18 12 7 11 10 9 9 2
20  Romania 14 3 10 11 15 11 4 7 4
21  Spain 12 23 8 8 10 14 2 8 3
22  Hungary 27 25 25 27 26 27 20 26
23  Georgia 9 6 16 9 9 9 12 11
24  Azerbaijan 21 10 9 17 17 16 25 20
25  Russia 4 15 3 4 5 3 3 2 10
26  Albania 25 12 26 23 22 22 23 25
27  Italy 6 5 14 5 2 4 1 1 12

References

  1. ^ "Portugal Country Profile". EBU. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  2. ^ Jiandani, Sanjay (29 July 2014). "Portugal: RTP confirms participation in Eurovision 2015". ESCToday. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  3. ^ a b Jiandani, Sanjay (17 January 2015). "Portugal: RTP opts for national selection- NF in March". ESCToday. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  4. ^ "FC 2016 a 2008". OGAE Portugal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  5. ^ Dee, Daphne (6 March 2015). "Festival da Canção 2015: Results of the second semi-final". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Regulamento: Festival da Canção 2015". RTP.pt (in Portuguese). 30 January 2015. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Leonor Andrade (Portugal)". ESCKAZ. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  8. ^ "Intérpretes e compositores revelados". RTP.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Meet the participants of Portugal". eurovision.tv. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  10. ^ Costa, Nelson (3 March 2015). "Portugal: Esta noite, semifinal 1 do Festival da Canção 2015". ESC Portugal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  11. ^ Diogo, João (5 March 2015). "[DIRETO] Portugal: Semifinal 2 do Festival da Canção minuto-a-minuto". ESC Portugal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  12. ^ Escudero, Victor M. (8 March 2015). "Leonor Andrade to represent Portugal in Vienna". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  13. ^ Carrilho, Nuno (7 March 2015). "[DIRETO] Festival da Canção 2015, Grande Final". ESC Portugal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  14. ^ Siim, Jarmo (10 February 2015). "Australia to compete in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  15. ^ Brey, Marco (25 January 2015). "Tomorrow: The semi-final allocation draw". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  16. ^ Escudero, Victor M. (26 January 2015). "Allocation Draw results: Who's in which Semi-Final?". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  17. ^ Siim, Jarmo (23 March 2015). "Running order of Semi-Finals revealed". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  18. ^ Diogo, João (16 May 2015). "Portugal: Ramon Galarza acompanha Hélder Reis nos comentários ao ESC2015". ESC Portugal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  19. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (23 May 2015). ""Good evening Vienna" - Voting order revealed". eurovision.tv. EBU. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  20. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (20 May 2015). "Time for the juries to make up their minds". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  21. ^ "Leonor Andrade: Há um mar que nos separa". eurovisionartists.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  22. ^ Brey, Marco (13 May 2015). "Portugal: Between Romance and Heartbreak". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  23. ^ Escudero, Victor M. (16 May 2015). "Powerful emotions from Portugal". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
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  31. ^ "Full Split Results | Grand Final of Vienna 2015". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2021.