Festival da Canção 2021 will start on 20 February and as we are waiting for that, we managed to have a chat with some artists. We had the chance to do a written interview with one of the potential representatives of Portugal in Eurovision 2021. We are talking about Nadine.
About Nadine
Nadine is 30 years old and lives in Lisbon. She started singing at a really young age and she has totally fallen in love with Fado. She will participate in Festival da Canção 2021 in the first semi final. The song she will sing is called “Cheguei Aqui”.
Interview
- Can you introduce yourself?
I’m just a Fado singer and a human being in constant evolution and learning. I like to sing the truth with “my heart in my mouth”.
- When did you start your career as an artist and how did you fulfil the ambitions?
I have always been a very musical and very curious child. Early on I asked my parents to study music and ended up doing a Bachelor’s degree in Music. So, it was a very natural process. I’ve just moved out a little of the area of my education (classical music) and I invested more of my time and dedication to Fado because it is, without a doubt, my greatest passion.
- How did you end up in the Fado music style and why is this music style so special for you now?
I always sang from a young age but sang other musical genres. Later, around the age of 13, I started to discover poetry and writing. At the same time, I learned a fado to impress my father on a festive date. In the meantime, my father signed me up for a Fado contest and I started to discover that musical genre. I realized that fado is a very poetic song and that it emotionally serves a text. And a great passion was born! Fado is the best of both worlds: poetry and music.
- Your passion for Fado brought you to Brazil, what do you remember from that period and what did you learn there?
I loved the tour to Brazil. It was very intense but very pleasant. We did 6 shows in a week.
I really liked the affection and curiosity of Brazilians with fado. They were very attentive and very receptive to our art. That was fantastic!
Some older people went to the shows because they had Portuguese family connections or had lived / studied in Portugal and wanted to satisfy their “homesickness”(saudades). That was very beautiful and touching!
- What are your future plans in your music career?
My plans are open and constantly under construction. The only thing I want is to be able to live off my art, which is what I love to do most in my life.
However, I can say that after my participation in the Festival da Canção I will release my EP. I am very excited about what is coming!
- What is your relationship with the Eurovision Song Contest?
I have always watched Eurovision since I was a child. My parents had a lot of video tapes from various editions of the Festival da Canção and Eurovision. And I loved to see them and sing with the artists. They animated many afternoons of my childhood.
- How did you end up competing in Festival da Canção and what do you expect from it?
An unexpected invitation came from Anne Victorino D’Almeida and ended up being the fulfillment of the desire that we both already had to work together on a song. It was very beautiful and unexpected as it emerged.
In reality, I did not set expectations because I am already gaining a lot with my participation. I was able to work with people I admire a lot and what I do starts to have more visualization and a wider audience. I am very happy!
- What inspired you to take part with “Cheguei Aqui” and what is the story behind the song?
I worked with Anne in 2015 and at the time she showed a desire to create some songs but there was no one to write the lyrics and I also didn’t know anyone at the time. However, in 2020 with the pandemic and the lockdown I ended up focusing on projects that had been on standby. I remembered Anne’s songs and I already had the solution to the lyrics problem. I sent her a message on that subject. I did not know that ate the same moment she had been invited to Festival da Canção and was not sure who to invite as an interpreter. At that moment, it made sense to her to see my name on the phone and she invited me. I accepted and this whole adventure started!
- How is your staging going to look like in Festival da Canção?
You will have to wait for the semifinal. But we can guarantee a show with a lot of soul and truth.
- Why do you think your song is the ideal entry for Portugal in Eurovision 2021?
Because I think that “Cheguei aqui” is a very successful topic. Good composition, good lyrics and good musical arrangement and execution. Because it addresses a transversal and even current theme for the whole world. It speaks of resilience and hope for a new day to come. In the desire that we have to be happy again and without other people’s concerns. Because it is a matter of truth and heart. And that should be enough.
What’s your opinion on “Chegueni aqui” by Nadine? Let us know in the comments below and on social media. You can follow ESCXTRA on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
