Photos: Pedro Pina

Portugal’s Festival da Canção 2022 concludes tonight. As always, the highly anticpated final will see modernity clash with tradition, while embracing diversity and uniquely Portuguese sounds. To make things easy, we’ve compiled this ultimate guide to help you traverse the almost four hours long show, including show times, links, fan reactions, a Wiwi Jury ranking and more.

But first, our Portuguese correspondent Bernardo sets the scene from Lisbon:

Bernardo: My god, what a feast we have at Festival da Canção this year. Such a strong final. Very eclectic in style, mood and vocal servings. From the frantic Pongo & Tristany to the commercial SYRO, the musical theatre inspired FF and Inês Homem de Melo and the quite storm of Aurea. Broadcaster RTP’s production has improved every single year. Remember 2014, 2011, 2015? Tales of the past. Festival da Canção has its eyes set on the future. A future where authenticity is key for a great song at Eurovision, where copying formulas from other countries will be less and less common. The mood at the venue for both semi-finals was one of celebration. Yes, it’s a competition, but all acts are looking at it as a celebration of Portuguese-made music and that translates on the screen beautifully.

Watch Festival da Canção 2022 online

Grand Final — 12 March

Time: 22:07 CET to 01:50 CET

The show will be live-streamed on RTP’s website.

Click to Watch Festival da Canção 2022 Grand Final

Running Order and Fan reaction

The running order was revealed shortly after the second semi-final earlier this week. The songs are listed below in the order in which they will perform. We’ve also included some reader comments, to give a feel of how the Eurovision community feels about the ten entries.

1. Pongo and Tristany “Dégrá.dê”

Songwriter:DJ Marfox, Pongo and Tristany

Reader comments after semi-final two:

  • L’oiseau: Go go go Pongo and Tristany!!! I was not sure if they were my favs, but last night dissipated all my doubts! What a performance!
  • Ninikiwini: Pongo is amazing, to be honest she could have carried the song by herself, the guy wasnt needed.
  • Roro31: OMG OMG OMG !!!!!!! My winner for Portugal its a risk but I love risks !!! Incredible !! Its very good and catchy !!! Its different especially for Portugal
  • Sabrina: Pongo & Tristany would be a revolutionary pick. Would Portugal dare to make it? She carried him though.
  • Marina: The only entry I enjoy but needs a big revamp is De. Gradê which is also an important song (lyrically) it talks about the desire of overcoming the gradation of black skin colour (Tristany is from Cape Verde more “mulatto” and Pongo from black Africa). Very cool. Kudos to them but the guy needs to relax and sing the keys right.

Our Bernardo writes: Disruptive, intense, genuine, representation. So many words can be used to describe Pongo & Tristany’s entry this year but none on its own can perfectly define what’s being presented to us. Channeling African sounds and culture, “DÉGRA.DÊ” presents itself as a frontrunner for this year. Experimental but more accessible than Conan Osíris, the duo would be the perfect representation of a diverse and inclusive Portugal.

2. Syro “Ainda nos temos”

Songwriters: Syro, Ariel and Gonzalo Tau

Reader comments after semi-final two:

  • Tibor: Syro had some trouble with his head voice. Otherwise he was great, but he will have to crank it up a notch to beat his competition from the first semi.
  • Alex: Syro was amazing
  • Roro 31: OMG SYRO is amazing !!! This voice !!! Lack of staging…
  • L’oiseau: Syro has to step up his game vocally. He was too nervous and ruined what could be a great entry
  • Jonas: SYRO reminds me of Irama.

3. Milhanas “Corpo de mulher”

Songwriter: Agir

Reader comments after semi-final two:

  • Sabrina: Milhanas was tonight’s FF: excellent performance, beautiful lyrics, exquisite outfit, too bad the melody of the song is so depressing.
  • Jonas: I hope Milhanas wears something different on Saturday. I kept thinking of Carola at Melodifestivalen 2006, which didn’t really fit with the mood. I imagine that was just me, though.
  • Jonkonfui: Corpo de Mulher was nice, specially last 2 minutes but why she wearing that curtain??
  • Roro 31: Milhanas is good but not my cup of tea.
  • Tibor: Milhanas was vocally really good. 

4. Inês Homem de Melo “Fome de viagem”

Songwriters: Pedro Marques and Galileu Granito

Reader comments after semi-final two:

  • Roro 31: Ines its very Barbara Tinoco and finally I like it’s fresh.
  • Tibor: Inês Homem de Melo had the most consistent vocal, unfortunately I do not like this style of music at all.
  • Colin:Ines is simply adorable! I am totally sold, and if Portugal picks her, they’d stand out in any selection. Her crew from the official video was with her on stage too, and they all feel in-sync with the song.
  • Sabrina: Inês was adorable and her entry is very old school (which is good and bad depending on how you see it).
  • L’oiseau: No real surprises except for one shocker: Inês Homem de Melo passing. I think this a real scandal. Her singing ability is ok, I give her that. But the song is a disaster… Something to do with her name?

5. Aurea “Why?”

Songwriters: Aurea and Rui Massena

Reader comments after semi-final one:

  • Tibor: Now I know what you mean by “Aurea is an artist who can elevate her songs live”. That was stunning. And it sounded more jazzy and less musical theatre than in the studio cut. I’m impressed.
  • Pedro g:Aurea composed a meh song but she is unbelievably good.
  • L’oiseau: Áurea is by far the most competitive of this lot.
  • Sebastian:Aurea FTW! What an interpretation!
  • Sabrina:She’s a fantastic performer. I still don’t think she should win with this so-so song, but if there’s someone who can do it in Portugal it’s Áurea.

6. Os Quatro e Meia “Amanhã”

Songwriter: Tiago Nogueira

Reader comments after semi-final one:

  • Sabrina: Their vocals were as good as Áurea’s and I prefer the song.
  • Tibor: Os Quatro e Meia sounded great. A really great start.
  • Alex: I think fans are sleeping on Amanhã. I’m not Portuguese but I think it has a very strong appeal for locals and it could really surprise.
  • TB98: Portuguese person here. ‘Amanhã’ is the third most streamed song from FDC on Spotify, so I wouldn’t say we are sleeping on it. Considering The Black Mamba won out of nowhere last year, I wouldn’t rule out a possible ‘Amanhã’ upset. The staging was also quite good, so anything is possible really.

7. FF “Como é bom esperar alguém”

Songwriter: FF

Reader comments after semi-final one:

  • Dalí Barreiros: Couldn’t care less for Aurea and that Harry Styles wannabe, sorry, I meant FF. Boring melodrama alert.
  • Pietro: From a native portuguese speaker perspective i really think FF and Aurea will make it very hard for Maro to win. Both are really strong vocalist and they really deliver emotion in the most compelling way.
  • Tibor: He was absolutely perfect, vocally. And he looked fantastic, great styling. I don’t care for the song, unfortunately, but this has to be in the final.

8. Diana Castro “Ginger Ale”

Songwriter: Joana Espadinha

Reader comments after semi-final one:

  • Dalí Barreiros:Diana Castro, aside from the wording of Ginger Ale and MultiTasking (o clássico sotaque beto a falar inglês) was a real nice surprise. Not a full blown one considering it was from one of the best contemporary portuguese acts, Joana Espadinha.
  • Tibor: Apparently Diana Castro is a “The Voice” star. But please don’t send her to Eurovision. This song reminds me of that other song that didn’t qualify. What was she called? Suzy?
  • L’oiseau:It is really good to see that FdC has grown in a solid event. No real surprises on the finalist except for Fado Bicha not making it through and the inclusion of Diana Castro, which for me was a good surprise.
  • Jake: I had a sinking feeling that Diana would push someone out. So sad for Fado Bicha—they would’ve been a worthy finalist.
  • Jack: Felt like people were sleeping on ‘ginger ale’ but it’s amazing. 

9. Maro “Saudade, saudade”

Songwriters: Maro and John Blanda

Reader comments after semi-final one:

  • Ttorres: Saudade saudade (Maro) is the ultimate example of the word exquisite in music. She could be on an empty stage, just singing for us with her guitar, and we’d be truly happy.
  • The Voice of Reason: Salvador Sobral had VERY LITTLE staging and won…if he can do it…Maro can…and I strongly believe she has the spirit of Sobral in her.
  • Sabrina: Maro has my favorite song in the semi (and maybe in the competition), but with that presentation she won’t win, so she’ll need to come up with something very different next Saturday.
  • Bandar Seri Begawan: Maro has my absolute favourite song, that I’ve had on repeat especially on the most stressful moments during the week, but I expected so much more from her staging :/ maybe she should have the choir, or contemporary dancers. The leds were really amazing though!
  • Anita: Dear Maro, if you read this, take some of your choir people with you on stage, let them sing live as well and interact with each other. Your song has so much potential, but you need to do some staging, please.

Our Tom writes: So good she said it twice. “Saudade, Saudade” feels like I am on a summer holiday and riding gentle waves on a boat. I really enjoy this, there’s a lot to like. Maro is really likable and her relaxing and gentle voice is a joy. I love her look, smart yet kooky, she’s just doing her own thing, she is her own person. It just feels authentic – Maro is an artist. (I am very excited if you couldn’t tell). I would love this to go to Turin.

10. Pepperoni Passion “Código 30”

Songwriters: Pepperoni Passion, António Santos, Pedro Ferreira and João Reis

Reader comments after semi-final two:

  • Anoni: As much as I did enjoy Pepperoni Passion, I don’t think they shoud’ve gone through instead of Jonas…
  • pastel de nata: Pepperoni pizza, anyone? ? They were so cute to besurprised and overwhelmed!
  • Roro 31: Pepperoni Passion what ??? No no no sorry… Not good…
  • Colin: Pepperoni Passion feel like they are having fun on stage. Yet, I feel like they don’t really get that 20-year-olds are young adults who most often provide for their families, and some are even married. Fun, but a bit (cringey?) too. And I’m saying that as a really childish 30-year-old.
  • MariaCD: The lyrics are brilliant!!

The following acts were eliminated in the semi-finals:

  • Semi-final one
    • TheMisterDriver “Calisun”
    • Norton “Hope”
    • Kumpania Algazarra “A minha praia”
    • Valas and Os Astronautas “Odisseia”
    • Fado Bicha “Povo pequenino”
  • Semi-final two
    • Os Azeitonas “Solta a voz e canta”
    • Cubita “Uma mensagem tua”
    • O Vampiro Submarino “Ao lado de mim”
    • Jonas “Pontas soltas”
    • Blacci “Mar no fim”

How the final will work

The grand final will broadcast live from RTP’s Studio 1 in Lisbon. Eurovision 2018 host Filomena Cautela will present the show, along with Vasco Palmeirim. The result will be determined by a mixture of televoting and a regional jury. The latter will be made up of representatives from the seven statistical regions of Portugal — Lisbon, North, Central, Alentejo, Algarve, Madeira and the Azores. The public vote will take precedence in the event of a tie for first place. There will be guest performances from a number of musical acts, including Bateu Matou and Lura, Blaya and Sara Correia.

Portugal’s Festival da Canção 2022 final: The Wiwi Jury Ranking

The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — has assembled and listened to all ten contenders. We’ve ranked our top songs in Eurovision fashion and combined our scores to determine our absolute favourites.

  1. Pongo & Tristany “DÉGRÁ.DÊ” — 50 points (🥇Bernardo, Luis, Pablo, 🥈 Padraig)
  2. Maro “saudade, saudade” — 38 points (🥇 Tom, Padraig)
  3. Syro “Ainda nos Temos” — 33 points (🥈 Luis, 🥉 Pablo)
  4. FF “Como É Bom Esperar Alguém” — 32 points (🥈  Bernardo)
  5. Aurea “Why?” — 31 points (🥉 Bernardo, Luis)
  6. Inês Homem de Melo “Fome de Viagem” — 29 points (🥈 Tom, Pablo)
  7. Os Quatro e Meia “Amanhã” — 25 points (🥉 Tom)
  8. Diana Castro “Ginger Ale” — 21 points (🥉 Padraig)
  9. Milhanas “Corpo de Mulher” — 16 points
  10. Pepperoni Passion “Código 30” — 15 points

Are you excited for the final? Who is your winner? Let us know in the comments.

8 Comments
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Colin
Colin
2 years ago

Thanks for quoting me twice. Today, it’s first Melfest, then FdC for me. Two interesting, unpredictable selections. In Portugal, I can see most of these songs as winners. Based on the pre-contest hype, I’d say that it’s probably between Syro, Maro, Aurea, and Pongo & Tristany, but if 2021 has learned us anything, it’s that the Portuguese voting can be unexpected. So, Ines, OQeM, FF, PP, Diana Castro, and Milhanas are not out of the game. I guess that PP or Diana winning would be the most surprising for me, but it’s not impossible. P&T, Ines, and Maro would instantly… Read more »

Last edited 2 years ago by Colin
L’oiseau
L’oiseau
2 years ago
Reply to  Colin

I have a hunch and a fear about Inês…

Sabrina
Sabrina
2 years ago
Reply to  L’oiseau

You say Inês winning? I would be shocked. My hunch (but not necessarily a fear, though I wouldn’t look forward to they getting exaggeratedly negative reviews from the fandom just like The Black Mamba) is that Os Quatro e Meia will be in the top 3 with both televote and jury, giving them a considerable chance to win.

L’oiseau
L’oiseau
2 years ago

Waw! Thank you for using my comments for this piece.! Very nice to have been a contributor. Paying any copyrights? Just kidding!!! 😀

Last edited 2 years ago by L’oiseau
Sabrina
Sabrina
2 years ago
Reply to  L’oiseau

It’s always an honor when they pick our words to contribute to an article or video, right? And I always blush like a fool when it happens. 😀

On a less personal note, Wiwi and the readers are clearly on the same page, pushing Maro, Pongo and Tristany. Which makes me a little nervous, because I don’t know if the regional juries will side with us on this one.

The Voice of Reason
The Voice of Reason
2 years ago

I liked how you took some of our comments and highlighted them for each artist! Nothing more than I can say, says it in a different way.

georgeesc
georgeesc
2 years ago

My winner is saudade, saudade.

Michael Green
Michael Green
2 years ago

I can’t wait. For the first time I’m changing my favourite almost every day. Now it’s Maro and Saudade, Saudade