Portugal amongst Eurovision favourites with Salvador Sobral
After a few years of missing out on the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, the delegation of Portugal decided last year to skip a year. This year they are back however and for the first time in ages they even belong to the favourites. Portugal’s best result in the history of the contest was their 6th position back in 1996, but according to the bookmakers, Salvador Sobral has a good chance of topping this and might finally give Portugal its first top 5 finish. But what is so special about his song ‘Amar Pelos Dois’?

The betting odds say that Portugal is on track to finish in 4th position at this year’s contest with the unique and traditional ballad ‘Amar Pelos Dois’. The quietly orchestrated song brings back the cinematic music from the 30s with hints from Charlie Chaplin’s ‘Smile’ and other famous soundtracks from way back when. Needless to say Salvador’s song is the only one in this style in the contest this year and that might do wonders for Portugal. Salvador’s quirky performance will be a moment of peace and serenity in the fast paced shows and although ‘Amar Pelos Dois’ certainly is some sort of hate it or love it moment, it is hard not to sympethize with Sobral’s endearing performing skills. Although this is not necessarily my cup of tea, I would love to see this moving song do well in the contest. It is always admirable when a country sends something unique, authentic and in their own language. Hurray for diversity at Eurovision!

UPDATE – Review on semi final performance:
‘Amar Pelos Dois’ is radically different than anything else we see this year on the Eurovision stage. This quietly orchestrated ballad sounds like it comes straight from a 1930s movie and is a beautiful moment of serenity. Salvador has a quirky performing style, but I for one was listening breathlessly to his intense delivery of this song. Needless to say this qualified and will for sure be one to watch on Saturday!

UPDATE – Review on final performance and result (1st):
Everything about Salvador’s performance on Saturday night screamed winner to me. As always he managed to tell the story of the song beautifully. Vocally it was spot on and all together moving, even if you do not speak Portuguese at all. The reprise where he performed with his sister, who wrote the song, was an absolutely gorgeous moment. It is not often that I feel emotional after a Eurovision performance, but Salvador did that! And I am sure that Artsvik from Armenia wasn’t the only one crying after watching ‘Amar Pelos Dois’ live on stage. A worthy winner and Portugal deserved it after all those years!

Check all Eurovision 2017 reviews: Albania – Armenia – Australia – Austria – Azerbaijan – Belarus – Belgium – Bulgaria – Croatia – Cyprus – Czech Republic – Denmark – Estonia – Finland – France – FYR Macedonia – Georgia – Germany – Greece – Hungary – Iceland – Ireland – Israel – Italy – Latvia – Lithuania – Malta – Moldova – Montenegro – The Netherlands – Norway – Poland – Portugal – Romania – San Marino – Serbia – Slovenia – Spain – Sweden – Switzerland – Ukraine – United Kingdom