Portuguese Eurovision legend and Festival da Canção favourite Simone de Oliveira says that if she wins tonight, she will consider giving the ticket to Vienna to a younger performer. First Germany, now Portugal – does anyone want to go to Eurovision this year? We get to the bottom of this latest drama.

In an interview after the second semifinal, Simone de Oliveira revealed that if she won Festival da Canção, she would consider letting a younger performer go in her place. She said she would have no problem to give the ticket to whoever finishes second. The Portuguese probably don’t like hearing that: Simone – who won the Festival and sang at Eurovision twice in the 1960s –  is one of the favourites to win and still a huge superstar in Portugal.

Picture: RTP
Picture: RTP

However, we must not expect the same level of Drama (yes, that capital D is correct) that Andreas threw over Unser Song für Österreich. Simone merely wants to give the chance to a younger singer – and she’s being upfront about it ahead of the final. As for the composer of Simone’s song, Renato Junior, he was mostly glad he could convince her to participate again in Festival da Canção 2015.

You can listen again to Simone’s song here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T586U78226o

Picture: RTP
Yola Dinis (Picture: RTP)

Festival da Canção 2015 – grand final tonight

The expected favourites to win tonight are Yola Dinis, Leonor Andrade or Simone de Oliveira.  Yola Dinis was the winner of our poll.

The show will start at 22:25 CET. The final will be aired on this live stream (RTP1), RTP África and RTP Internacional (with delay). Julius Isidro en Catarina Furtado will present the final.

Read here and here what our ever professional Wiwi Jury had to say about the six Portuguese finalists.

Follow all of our Portuguese Eurovision new here.

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Alex
Alex
9 years ago

why does she take part then?? Stupid!

RTP should take actions.

YoungsterJoey
YoungsterJoey
9 years ago

SemiFinal 2, IMO, is the strongest semi final. Portugal will have a tough time passing to the final. Half the songs I’m supporting overall at ESC are 80% in the second semi.

Charles
Charles
9 years ago

If anyone has more brains than balls …it would be quite easy to understand her position and the true essence behind the Festival da Canção. Yes, NOT every national final is built and made intentionally to send a winning song to Eurovision but to open gates for career starting and building music opportunities in their own country. And since Eurovision is not necessarily the most reliable music outlet today but more a TV celebration of everything else but true music (ask Australia who has been watching us for 31 years!)… why would anyone like Simone in her 70s with more… Read more »

D
D
9 years ago

Portugal isn’t going to the final no matter who they send. And in Simone’s case I can completely understand where she’s coming from. Festival da Canção is a notable contest in its own right in Portugal, like Festivali i Këngës in Albania, Skopje Fest in Macedonia, Sanremo in Italy, and Melodifestivalen in Sweden. Many artists in those contests care more about winning the selection than actually going to Eurovision (not so much in Sweden considering ESC is very popular). In Andreas’s case, he competed in a show created purely to select Germany’s representative, and left his decision to the last… Read more »

Alex
Alex
9 years ago

Regardless, Simone shouldn’t go to ESC with that song anyway. I really have no problem with this. People know about it, and with the overall low quality of the songs in this selection it’s not obvious to me that she took the place of a better song or performer in the final.

davved
davved
9 years ago

bloody woman.. dont participate if you dont want to win… stupidity at its purest form….

disrespectful.

Bronson
Bronson
9 years ago

She better be kidding. Not this again.