RTP, the Portuguese national broadcaster, plans to reveal the names of the 26 competing candidates at the forthcoming  Portuguese Eurovision national selection – Festival Canção 2018 – according to local media reports.

Portuguese newspaper DN.pt has revealed that RTP will reveal the names of the 26 acts who will battle for the golden ticket to Lisbon 1 month before the Portuguese national selection kicks off, namely on 18 January.

Nuno Galopim will be the man behind the Portuguese Eurovision national selection yet again, as was the case in 2017; together with Henrique Amaro, he has defined the concept of the 2018 Festival da Cançao (FdC).

They have extended an invite to 22 musicians to compose a song for FdC 2018. Three composers have been selected via a special contest on Antena 1 Radio, whilst the 26th composer was selected by Salvador Sobral.

The 26 composers have already been announced and include celebrated Portuguese composers such as: Capicua, Aline Frazão, Jorge Palma Fernando Tordo, Paulo Flores, Tito Paris and Júlio Resende.

Nuno Galopim sheds more light on the concept:

It is important that the song that represents Portugal  is a reflection of the good music that is being made by us and not a song that is tailor made for Eurovision, because we are automatically thinking about a recipe and not about the music we deal with every day.

If we take the records and singers we hear on the radio and we see on stage to Eurovision, we are showing the best of ourselves and if we show the best of  ourselves we are doing a favor to Portuguese music.

Going to Eurovision is not the goal, it is the consequence of this. In other words, it is also the Festival’s objective to show the best of Portuguese music today.

Festival da Cançao 2018

The 2018 edition of Festival da Cançao (FdC) will consist of 3 shows which will be aired on 18, 25 February (semi-finals) and 4 March (Grand Final).

The first 2 shows of FdC 2018 will be held at the RTP studios in Lisbon, whilst the grand final will be travelling outside the Portuguese capital, namely to Guimarães.

We will be heading to the north of Portugal in order to select the 2018 Eurovision hopeful who will follow Salvador Sobral’s footsteps.

A total of 26 composers will participate in the forthcoming 2018 Portuguese national selection Festival da Cançao 2018. Each composer will be selecting the singer/singers to sing his/her own entry in the Portuguese national selection.

18/02: Semi-final 1

• Benjamim
• Diogo Clemente
• Fernando Tordo
• Jorge Palma
• José Cid
• JP Simões
• Júlio Resende
• Mallu Magalhães
• Francisca Cortesão
• Nuno Rafael
• Paulo Praça
• Janeiro
• Rita Dias

25/02: Semi-final 2

• Aline Frazão
• Armando Teixeira
• Bruno Cardoso
• Capicua
• Daniela Onís
• Diogo Piçarra
• Francisco Rebelo
• Isaura
• João Afonso
• Miguel Ângelo
• Paulo Flores
• Peter Serrado
• Tito Paris

Festival da Cançao 2018 agenda

• 18/02: Semi-final 1 (13 participants, 7 finalists)
• 25/02: Semi-final 2 (13 participants, 7 finalists)
• 04/03: Final (14 finalists, 50/50 combined vote to deliberate winner)

The 2018 Eurovision Song Contest will be held on 8, 10 and 12 May at the Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal