The Scoop🇵🇹 Portugal

🇵🇹 Salvador Sobral shares regrets about previous Eurovision comments

"Today I know how important that was, for my country, but also for Europe."

Since his landslide victory in 2017 and his infamous comments thereafter, Salvador Sobral has attracted much criticism from Eurovision fans around his attitude towards the contest. However, in a recent interview, he has clarified his feelings and has shared where he is at now regarding the contest.

In Salvador’s winning speech, he infamously said “we live in a world of disposable music; fast-food music without any content… Music is not fireworks, music is feeling. So let’s try to change this and bring music back which is really what matters.” In a later interview, he called his Eurovision stint “his personal prostitution”. Both of these incidents attracted a fair about of criticism from fans of the contest.

However, he has now clarified his respect and gratitude for the contest and what it did for him and his career.

“I said some nonsense after winning the Eurovision”

In an interview with German site Augsburger Allgemeinen, Eurovision 2017 winner Salvador Sobral has expressed his regret about previous comments he made about the contest.

A lot of people…thought I was an arrogant snob. Later, on a talk show, I [said] the line that the ESC was my personal prostitution. I shouldn’t have done that. I wanted to be funny and come across as a little rebellious. Today I know how important that was, for my country, but also for Europe. For example, when you come to Iceland and hear people singing “Amar pelos dois” in Portuguese, that moves you a lot.

Salvador Sobral to Augsburger Allgemeinen

You can read the full interview here.

About Salvador Sobral

Salvador gave Portugal their first win in their Eurovision history back in 2017. After winning Festival da Canção, he represented Portugal in Kiev with “Amar pelos dois”. He went on to win the contest with a total of 758 points. In 2019, he released his second album Paris, Lisboa. In promoting the album, he shared how his health troubles and subsequent recovery had inspired the creative process.

Despite his comments about the nature of the contest, he has continued to remain in the bubble, performing in the interval for the 2018 Grand Final and even making a cameo in the Netflix movie “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga”.

His participation in Festival da Canção and subsequent victory continues to impact the trajectory of Portugal’s relationship with Eurovision and how artists in the country view the festival and the contest. This was a sentiment shared by fellow FdC alums we have interviewed, including The Black Mamba, Carolina Deslandes, Fabia Maia and Karetus & Romeu Bairos.

What do you think of Salvador’s journey regarding the contest? 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 in the run up to the 2022 national final season!

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