This weekend the first semi-final of Festival da Canção will kick off, getting us one step closer to knowing the next artist representing Portugal at Eurovision.
One of the artists set to compete in this semi-final is producer, singer, songwriter, and self-proclaimed statementer LEFT., who is competing for the very first time with his self-penned song “Volto a Ti”. Thankfully, despite preparing for the show, we were able to sit down with him to talk about his journey, music, and much more!
Hi LEFT., it’s great to have the chance to chat with you. To start off, can you give us a quick introduction of who you are for those who might not be familiar with you?
Hello y’all, thank you for having me! My name is António, I’m from Lisbon, and I’m an artist, songwriter and producer. I have a hard time defining my predominant music genre, since I’m constantly experimenting with different styles.
Now, the name LEFT. is certainly intriguing! Would you mind sharing the inspiration behind this unique name choice?
Surprise surprise, I’m left-handed, like 10% of the world population.
It means direction. To choose one way over the other. I’m not doing the RIGHT thing, I’m doing the LEFT thing. Hence the final stop, it’s a statement. It also means leaving or being left. It has a lot of possible interpretations, and I love that.
You mentioned that you can’t really define your genre, but how would you describe your musical style and sound? And which artists have influenced and inspired your sound as it in today?
As I said, hard question. I started with a more indie-folk approach towards songwriting (listen to Antony Left), but started playing with electronic music at a very young age as well. Progressively the R’n’B / Pop universe drew me in, and nowadays I would say I am a big mix of all of these influences. In that sense ‘Volto a Ti’ is a step back towards my origins.
Speaking about your song “Volto A Ti” for the upcoming Festival da Canção, is there a particular message that you aim to convey with the song?
The message is very non-filtered, and vulnerable. It comes from grief, from losing a dear person, and the visceral feeling of wanting it back no matter the cost. At the end of the song though, there is hope and self-love. Life goes on without that person, so it’s time to move on.
You must have quite a busy schedule during the preparation for Festival da Canção. Can you describe what your average day consists of at the moment?
I’ve been mostly practicing the song, getting my voice in shape, preparing for the live performance, and promoting the song. I’m preparing my album, and managing other projects I’m involved with while trying to maintain a social life hehe.
Have you given thought to the possibility of representing Portugal at Eurovision Song Contest 2024? What would this mean to you and your career?
Yes, of course, although I’m not over-focusing on that, to not pressure myself too much. The goal is to have a solid performance at Festival and promote my song, Eurovision would be a dream, but my mind is not there.
Let’s say you had the opportunity to collaborate with a current or former Eurovision artist/band on a single. Who would you choose and why?
Daði Freyr probably, ‘Think about things’ is such a bop.
If you could describe your plans for the live show’s staging and performance using only one sentence – how would you describe it?
Intimate, performative, and sentimental.
For people interested in hearing more from you, where can we find you and hear more about your upcoming projects?
You can follow me on the usual platforms, Instagram (@left.mp3) , Spotify and YouTube mostly.
To wrap up, do you have any last words or thoughts you would like to share with our readers at ESCUnited?
I hope you like my live performance and connect with my music, there much more to come 🙂
Thanks so much, LEFT.! We wish you the best of luck in Festival da Canção!
If #YOU want to support LEFT.’s pathway to Eurovision 2024 make sure you tune in to their semi-final on Saturday February 24th and vote!
