We are sad to report the death of Ondina Veloso. Under her stage name Dina, the Portuguese singer represented her country at the Eurovision Song Contest 1992 with “Amor D’Água Fresca”. She was aged just 62 years of age.
A fruitful career
Dina was born back in 1956 in the Viseu District in central Portugal. She started her musical career as an 18 year old by composing songs for several artists. Her first attempt at Festival da Canção came in 1980 with “Guardado Em Mim”. Despite finishing only eighth, broadcaster RTP recognised her talent and gave her a prize for being the revelation of the show.
It led Dina to keep trying in Festival da Canção. She returned in 1982 and again in 1992. On that final attempt, her uptempo “Amor D’Água Fresca” took the crown. The song was full of references to fruits, to which she compared her lover, who reportedly had a tang of orange in their skin and a black berry mouth. The lyrics, written by Rosa Lobato de Faria, have managed to get a place in the collective memory of the entire country. At the Eurovision Song Contest 1992 in Malmö, Sweden, Dina only managed to finish in 17th.
After the contest, Dina kept her status as a beloved artist in Portugal. She continued to release albums and celebrated thirty years as a singer back in 2009 with an anniversary concert.
Dina died of pulmonary fibrosis in a Lisbon hospital earlier today. The thoughts of the entire ESCXTRA.com Team are with Dina’s friends and family in these difficult times.
