The first semi-final of Festival da Canção 2022 took place tonight. Ten acts competed for five places at the Grand Final. A professional jury and the Portuguese public decided the first five finalists based on a 50/50 system. The last set of finalists will be chosen on Monday, and will join tonight’s qualifiers on the Grand Final to take place on March 12th.
Tonight’s show was took place in RTP Studios in Lisbon and was hosted by Sónia Araújo and Jorge Gabriel, with Inês Lopes Gonçalves hosting the green room. The night saw RTP continue to showcase Portuguese talent alongside charismatic presenters and guests, excellent visuals and efficient sequencing of the artists. In addition, Festival da Canção 2021 winners The Black Mamba returned to the stage to perform.
The results
Just like in previous years, the power was equally divided between the expert jury and the public at home. While regional juries will help decide the overall winner on March 12, for the semi-finals, the jury is composed of the following:
- Dino D’Santiago (composer)
- Dulce Pontes (Portugal 1991)
- Miguel Cadete (music critic)
- Pedro Granger (press conference and Opening Ceremony presenter for Eurovision 2018)
- Pedro Tatanka (The Black Mamba, Portugal 2021)
- Surma (Festival da Canção 2019)
- Teresa Salgueiro (singer)
Here was tonight’s running order, with the five qualifiers in BOLD:
- Os Quatro E Meia – “Amanhã”
- The Mister Driver – “CaliSun”
- Diana Castro – “Ginger Ale”
- FF – “Bom Esperar Alguém”
- Norton – “Hope”
- Aurea – “Why?”
- Kumpanhia Algazarra – “A Minha Praia”
- Maro – “saudade, saudade”
- Valas & Os Astronautas – “Odisseia”
- Fado Bicha – “Povo Pequenino”
Semi-Final Two
The second semi-final will take place on Monday 7th, again at RTP Studios in Lisbon. The show will take place on the 65th anniversary of RTP’s first regular broadcasts, and will be hosted by Tânia Ribas de Oliveira and José Carlos Malato.
The running order is as follows:
- Os Azeitonas – “Solta a Voz E Canta”
- Cubita – “Uma Mensagem Tua”
- Inês Homem de Melo – “Fome de Viagem”
- Syro – “Ainda Nos Temos”
- Pepperoni Passion – “Código 30”
- Milhanas – “Corpo de Mulher”
- Vampiro Submarino – “Ao Lado de Mim”
- Jonas – “Pontas Soltas”
- Blacci – “Mar No Fim”
- Pongo & Tristany – “Dégrá.dê”
Did the right acts make it through? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify and YouTube to see our reactions to the news from Turin 2022!