Portugal’s national selection is pretty much Western Europe’s answer to Albania’s Festivali i Këngës: really long, hard to pay attention to, and often with disappointing results. The song is always in Portuguese, and people complain that RTP is at least a decade behind the ESC’s music trends. This year they’ve sent something more modern and something that should show up on radio stations other than ESC Radio, with Leonor Andrade and her song “Há um mar que nos separa.”
Well, it’s not fado. And it’s a good thing this year due to all the ballads that cancel each other out. I do miss the original more rock-oriented national final version though. The new (final) version’s intro sounds kind of weird with the electronic intro from The Sex is in the Heel/Still in Love with You, and while the backing vocalists seem to take the power away from Leonor. Still, it’s pleasantly flowy, and her outfit preserves a bit of the rocker attitude.
And it’s definitely better than this:
Barfuss.Evrovizija 