Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019
Portugal participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv, Israel with the song "Telemóveis", performed by Conan Osíris. The Portuguese entry for the 2019 contest was chosen through the national selection Festival da Canção, organised by the Portuguese broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, which consisted of two semi-finals on 16 and 23 February, and a final on 2 March 2019.
Background
Prior to the 2019 Contest, Portugal had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fifty times since its first entry in 1964. Since semi-finals were introduced into the contest in 2004, Portugal has failed to reach the final eight times. Portugal held the record for the most appearances in the contest without a win until 2017 when they won in Kiev, Ukraine, with Salvador Sobral's entry, "Amar pelos dois". In 2018, Portugal was represented, in the contest also hosted by Portugal, by Cláudia Pascoal and the song "O jardim". The country ended in last place in the final with 39 points.The Portuguese broadcaster for the 2019 Contest, who broadcasts the event in Portugal and organises the selection process for its entry, will be Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. Portugal has most commonly selected their entry through the national final Festival da Canção except between 2003 and 2005 where the broadcaster used internal selections and the talent competition Operação triunfo to select their entry. The broadcaster will organize the 2019 edition of Festival da Canção in order to select the Portuguese entry for the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest.
Before Eurovision
''Festival da Canção 2019''
Festival da Canção 2019 was the 53rd edition of Festival da Canção, the music competition that selects Portugal's entries for the Eurovision Song Contest.Three live shows were broadcast during a two-week period: two semi-finals on 16 and 23 February and the final on 2 March 2019. The semi-finals took place at RTP's studios in Lisbon, while the final took place at the Portimão Arena in Portimão.
The competition featured sixteen songs written by professional and amateur composers, who were also responsible for choosing the performer for their entry. Each semi-final featured eight songs from which four advanced to the final. Results during the semi-finals were determined by the sum of the votes from a room jury panel and public. In the final, the winner was determined by the sum of the votes from regional jury panels and public. For the third consecutive year, the competition had no language restrictions.
On 5 December 2018, RTP revealed the names of the sixteen participating composers: fourteen directly invited by RTP, one selected by Antena 1's radio show MasterClass, and one selected from an open call.
| Artist | Song | Songwriter | Selection |
| Calema | "A dois" | Calema, Nelson Heleno | Invited by RTP |
| Conan Osíris | "Telemóveis" | Conan Osíris | Invited by RTP |
| Ana Cláudia | "Inércia" | D'Alva, Ben Monteiro | Invited by RTP |
| João Campos | "É o que é" | D.A.M.A | Invited by RTP |
| Filipe Keil | "Hoje" | Filipe Keil | Open call winner |
| Ela Limão | "Mais brilhante que mil sóis" | Flak | Invited by RTP |
| Soraia Tavares | "O meu sonho" | Lura | Invited by RTP |
| Matay | "Perfeito" | Tiago Machado, AC Firmino | Invited by RTP |
| Lara Laquiz | "O lugar" | André Tentúgal | Invited by RTP |
| Madrepaz | "Mundo a mudar" | Frankie Chavez, Pedro Puppe | Invited by RTP |
| Mariana Bragada | "Mar doce" | Mariana Bragada | "MasterClass" winner |
| Dan Riverman | "Lava" | Miguel Guedes | Invited by RTP |
| NBC | "Igual a ti" | NBC | Invited by RTP |
| Mila Dores | "Debaixo do luar" | Rui Maia, Mila Dores | Invited by RTP |
| João Couto | "O jantar" | Pedro Pode | Invited by RTP |
| Surma | "Pugna" | Surma, Tiago Félix | Invited by RTP |
Semi-final 1
The first semi-final took place at RTP's studios in Lisbon, on 16 February 2019. It was hosted by Sónia Araújo and Tânia Ribas de Oliveira.Semi-final 2
The second semi-final took place at RTP's studios in Lisbon, on 23 February 2019. It was hosted by José Carlos Malato and Jorge Gabriel.Final
The final took place at the Portimão Arena in Portimão, on 2 March 2019. It was hosted by Festival da Canção 2018 and Eurovision Song Contest 2018 co-host Filomena Cautela, alongside RTP and Rádio Comercial host Vasco Palmeirim.At Eurovision
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big 5" 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. The European Broadcasting Union 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. On 28 January 2019, 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 first semi-final, to be held on 14 May 2019, and was scheduled to perform in the second half of the show.Once all the competing songs for the 2019 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 15, following the entry from Estonia and preceding the entry from Greece.
Semi-final
Portugal performed fifteenth in the first semi-final, following Estonia and preceding Greece. At the end of the show, Portugal was not announced among the top 10 entries in the first semi-final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Portugal placed fifteenth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 51 points: 43 points from the televoting and 8 points from the juries.Voting
Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry 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 was permitted to 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 as well as the nation's televoting results will be released shortly after the grand final.Points awarded to Portugal
Points awarded by Portugal
Split voting results
The following five members comprised the Portuguese jury:- Ana Lúcia Fernandes Paulo – Chairperson – artist manager
- Helder Renato Teixeira Coutinho Lopes da Silva – composer, music producer
- Ana Cláudia Lopes Gonçalves – singer, musician
- Rúben Matay Leal De Sousa – singer, entertainer
- Paulo Azevedo Vaz Do Castelo – radio producer