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| Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eurovision Song Contest 1998 | ||||
| Participating broadcaster | Radiotelevisão Portuguesa (RTP) | |||
| Country |  Portugal | |||
| Selection process | Festival RTP da Canção 1998 | |||
| Selection date | 7 March 1998 | |||
| Competing entry | ||||
| Song | "Se eu te pudesse abracar" | |||
| Artist | Alma Lusa | |||
| Songwriter | José Cid | |||
| Placement | ||||
| Final result | 12th, 36 points | |||
| Participation chronology | ||||
| ||||
Portugal was represented at theEurovision Song Contest 1998 with the song "Se eu te pudesse abraçar" written byJosé Cid, and performed by the group Alma Lusa. The Portuguese participating broadcaster,Radiotelevisão Portuguesa (RTP), organised the national finalFestival RTP da Canção 1998 in order to select its entry for the contest. The competition took place on 7 March 1998 where "Se eu te pudesse abraçar" performed by Alma Lusa emerged as the winner following the votes from a five-member jury panel. Songwriter José Cid representedPortugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 with the song "Um grande, grande amor" which placed seventh in the competition.
The song competed in the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 9 May 1998. Performing during the show in position 14, it placed twelfth out of the 25 participating songs from different countries, scoring 36 points.
Prior to the 1998 contest,Radiotelevisão Portuguesa (RTP) had participated in theEurovision Song Contest representing Portugal thirty-three times since its first entry in1964. Its highest placing in the contest was sixth, achieved in1996 with the song "O meu coração não tem cor" performed byLúcia Moniz.[1] Its least successful result has been last place, which it has achieved on three occasions, most recently in1997 with the song "Antes do adeus" performed by Célia Lawson. The Portuguese entry has also receivednul points on two occasions; in 1964 and 1997.[citation needed]
RTP has traditionally selected its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest via the music competitionFestival da Canção, with an exception in1988 when it selected its entry internally. The broadcaster organizedFestival RTP da Canção 1998 in order to select the 1998 Portuguese entry.[citation needed]
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Festival RTP da Canção 1998 was the 35th edition ofFestival da Canção that selected the Portuguese entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1998. Eight entries, selected from 29 submissions received through thePortuguese Phonographic Association, the Independent Phonographic Association and individual composers invited by RTP, competed in the competition which took place at theTeatro São Luiz inLisbon on 7 March 1998, hosted by Carlos Ribeiro and former Eurovision Song Contest entrantLúcia Moniz, who representedPortugal in the 1996 contest, and broadcast onRTP1 andRTP Internacional. The winner, "Se eu te pudesse abraçar" performed by Alma Lusa, was selected based on the votes of a jury panel.[citation needed] The jury that voted consisted of Maria do Rosário Domingues, João Filipe Barbosa, Nuno Galopim,Paulo de Carvalho andSara Tavares. In addition to the performances of the competing entries, among the artists which performed as the interval act includedPortuguese Eurovision 1985 entrantAdelaide Ferreira andPortuguese Eurovision 1993 entrantAnabela.[2]
Alma Lusa were a short-lived Portuguese musical group, set up specifically to participate inFestival da Canção 1998. The group consisted of vocalist Inês Santos and musiciansJosé Cid, Carlos Jesus, Henrique Lopes, Carlos Ferreirinha and Pedro Soares; Cid representedPortugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980.[citation needed]
| Draw | Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sofia Barbosa | "Uma lua em cada mão" | José Fanha, Jorge Quintela | 29 | 3 |
| 2 | Carlos Evora | "Saudade que eu sou" | José Fanha, João Balucio | 25 | 5 |
| 3 | Teresa Radamanto | "Só o mar ficou" | Nuno Gomes dos Santos, João Mota Oliveira | 32 | 2 |
| 4 | Ana Isabel | "O encanto da sereia" | José Fanha, Eduaro Paes Mamede | 27 | 4 |
| 5 | Ana Ritta | "Basta só um olhar" | Carlos Soares, José Orlando | 8 | 7 |
| 6 | Janot | "Aqui ou além" | Pedro Malaquias, Janot, Carlos Maria de Carvalho | 7 | 8 |
| 7 | Axel | "Só à tua espera" | Carlos Soares, Jorge do Carmo, Fernando Correia Martins | 17 | 6 |
| 8 | Alma Lusa | "Se eu te pudesse abraçar" | José Cid | 50 | 1 |
| Draw | Song | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Uma lua em cada mão" | 8 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 29 |
| 2 | "Saudade que eu sou" | 6 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 25 |
| 3 | "Só o mar ficou" | 4 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 32 |
| 4 | "O encanto da sereia" | 5 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 27 |
| 5 | "Basta só um olhar" | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| 6 | "Aqui ou além" | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 7 | "Só à tua espera" | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 17 |
| 8 | "Se eu te pudesse abraçar" | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 50 |
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the eight countries which had obtained the lowest average number of points over the last five contests competed in the final on 9 May 1998. On 13 November 1997, an allocation draw was held which determined the running order and Portugal was set to perform in position 14, following the entry fromIreland and before the entry fromRomania.[3][4] The Portuguese conductor at the contest was Mike Sergeant,[citation needed] and Portugal finished in twelfth place with 36 points.[5]
In Portugal, the show was broadcast onRTP1 andRTP Internacional with commentary by Rui Unas.[6][7][8] The Portuguese spokesperson, who announced the points awarded by the Portuguese televote, was1996 contest entrantLúcia Moniz.[citation needed]
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Portugal and awarded by Portugal in the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points in the contest to Israel.[9]
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