Portugal has chosen a band named after a heraldry symbol, Flor-de-lis to represent the country at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. Will their act be as symbolic?
The call for songs held by RTP for the Festival da Canção 2009 was open to the public. However, only songs by Portuguese composers were allowed, and all of the songs had to be performed in Portuguese. A total of 393 entries were received, from which an expert jury selected the best 24 songs. From 19 to 30 January people from around the world voted for their favourite songs on the competing 24 songs over the Internet, twelve entries qualified for the grand final.
During the final, the voting was decided by a mixture of televoting and jury voting, with a 50% share in the outcome for both groups. The votes were awarded from each region of Portugal.
In the end it was Flor-de-Lis with the song Todas As Ruas Do Amor winning the three-hour spectacle. You can see their entry below.
Based on popular Portuguese music
The beginnings of Flor-de-Lis are closely linked to Pedro Marques´ participation as a percussionist in the "Adufe” project, first conceived by José Salgueiro as an attraction for Expo-98, and which focussed on traditional Portuguese instruments.
The current repertoire consists not only of original lyrics by Pedro Marques and Daniela Varela, but also poems by many other. The sound is based on popular Portuguese music, from fado to folk, but the end result also stems from the fusion of music from other continents, with a strong popular flavor.
The vocals of Daniela Varela can be heard alongside Pedro Marques on percussion, Jose Camacho on guitar, Jorge Marques on cavaquinho, Paulo Pereira on flute and Ana Sofia Campeã on accordion.
Portugal will perform sixteenth in the first Semi-Final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow. You can read more about them here.
Will their unique sound astonish Europe? Tell us below!
