A mere couple of days ahead of the first semi-final of Festival da Canção 2019, RTP have revealed the seven experts who will make up the jury for both semi-finals. Among them are a former press centre host and one half of Portugal’s 2018 host entry!
Before you acquaint yourself with the jury, be sure to acquaint yourself with the 16 entries of the selection. This article also features the split and running order for each semi, with the first starting tomorrow (February 16th).
VIP (Very Important Portuguese)
Check out the full list of jurors below:
- Álvaro Costa– A veteran radio presenter, currently working at Antena 3 alongside RTPMemória’s “Tráz p’ra frente”, so he’s no stranger to RTP.
- Isaura– Also not a stranger to RTP, Isaura wrote and composed the winning entry of Festival da Canção 2018 – O Jardim. She also sang it alongside Claudia Pascoal at the Grand Final in Lisbon. She has since released her international debut album – Human.
- Júlio Isidro – Another Portuguese radio veteran with an extensive career in TV also. This marks his third consecutive appearance on the expert jury for the semi-finals of Festival da Canção.
- Maria João – A celebrated Portuguese jazz singer with a long and illustrious career. Her most recent release was the 2015 album Plástico.
- Pedro Penim – Portuguese actor and presenter, who you may recognise as one of the presenters of the Eurovision press conferences and opening ceremony in Lisbon last year. He has expressed his love for the contest on multiple occasions.
- Rita Redshoes – Singer-songwriter who previously composed Deolinda Kinzimba’s “O que eu vi nos meus sonhos” from Festival da Canção 2017.
- Selma Uamusse – Mozambican singer who has lived and worked in Portugal since the late 1980s. Her most recent release was her 2018 album Mati.
With a range of experiences and previous experience with RTP content, the Portuguese music industry and Eurovision itself, this is an excellent line-up to judge the entries this year! We’ll see them in action tomorrow, when they will form 50% of the result that will determine the finalists of Festival da Canção 2019!
Are you happy with the jury members? Who are you rooting for in Festival da Canção? Let us know! Be sure to follow @ESCXTRA on Twitter and like our Facebook page for the latest updates!
