Leonor Andrade fights her inner demons in “Strong for Too Long”

If you need a proof of life after Eurovision, then turn to Leonor Andrade. She kicked off her post-Vienna career nicely with the innovative “Já Conheci”. She followed that up with “Strong For Too Long” and the audio astonished us: she makes pain beautiful and makes torment feel so good. The theme of perseverance comes through loud and clear: “Keep your head up, keep you heart strong,” she says. But there’s more to it, especially if you take a look at the official music video which Leonor released on November 27.

“Strong for Too Long” — Leonor Andrade (VIDEO)

https://youtu.be/f0rVHknMtLI

In the video Leonor battles the multiple personalities inside her head. As they push and pull and drag her into an abyss of insecurity and fear, she’s living a nightmare in which she’s both villain and victim. It could inspire the script of a horror movie — and a good one at that. She starts off in mime makeup and proceeds to wander around a series of hotel rooms that each hide an aspect of her past, which is riddled with scars and torment: we see her hands and feet bound and Leonor looking like a corpse bride. Throughout the video she wipes away her mime make-up, suggesting she’s peeling off the many burdens she’s carried thus far.

Such a creepy and introspective atmosphere wouldn’t be possible without Leonor’s ability to act and emote. She’s improved dramatically since her previous clip for “Já Concheci”, and this has a dark authenticity to it. Kudos to the incredible production, makeup and lighting team as well: such a scary ambience takes not just money, but also vision and drive.

Leonor has left us open-mouthed with her second music video — and if she keeps up this momentum, who knows what will follow. Do you guys think she’s going to become Portugal’s Next Top Music Star? We have a feeling she’s well on her way…

LEONOR AT EUROVISION 2015

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