Finally, it happened! On February 22, 2025, Portugal’s long-standing national selection, Festival da Canção, once again set the stage for the country’s bid at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. Held at RTP’s studios in Lisbon and hosted by Jorge Gabriel and José Carlos Malato, the first semi-final featured ten diverse acts battling for a coveted spot in the grand finale. The acts were a mix of traditional Portuguese and modern songs.
The performances spanned a wide range of musical styles and thematic expressions. Acts such as Marco Rodrigues with “A Minha Casa,” Margarida Campelo with “Eu sei que o amor,” Josh with “Tristeza,” Bluay with “Ninguém,” and Jéssica Pina with “Calafrio” emerged as direct qualifiers from the combined vote. Adding an extra twist to the night, Peculiar’s “Adamastor” secured the wild-card entry through the all-important second round of public voting. This wild-card selection highlighted the dynamic appeal of Peculiar’s performance and injected an element of suspense and excitement into the proceedings. Ultimately, the six qualifiers from this semi-final will join the acts from semi-final 2 to compete for the honour of representing Portugal on the international stage in Basel, Switzerland, in May 2025.
If you want my opinion, here it comes. I was really impressed by Josh’s song “Tristeza”. I thought it was magical, melancholic and vulnerable. I will definitely toot for the song