Inês Santos, the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest participant for Portugal talked to esctoday.com and shared her memories from almost ten years ago and also her most recent projects.

What do you recall from your participation at the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest ?

On a professional level, it was a wonderful experience, all in all. The organisation and the working conditions were very good. On a personal note, I had the opportunityto represent my country and mingle with the delegations of 25 countries and journalists from all over the world. It was, undoubtedly, one of the best experiences I have ever had. And I owe that to my profession as a singer.

Portugal ranked 12th that year and it was a good result. Looking back, what do you think that helped you achieve that result?

I think that being relaxed on stage helped (it was such a well organised week that I could only have been in a good mood on stage). Also the friendliness of the portuguese delegation was a factor, (we made friends with the other teams from day one). The main factor was that our song showed a bit of our culture. I think we should bare in mind that previous songs with that traditional appeal had good results.

Would you consider give it a go a second time at Eurovision Song Contest if you were invited by RTP?

Only if the Eurovision Songcontest went back to be what it was: an interchange of songs and cultures and not a display of vanity, political quarrels and disputes!!