We’ve been catching up with Goncalo who will be participating in Festival da Canção tonight!
First of all thank you for your time talking to us. How are you? Can you introduce yourself? What can you tell us about yourself?
– I’m a musician and have been singing and playing the piano all my life. I started off playing in bars where I learned so much about music and singers like Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Ray Charles etc. Later, I studied piano for 3 years at the Oporto jazz school and finally started recording my own music. You can hear my albums on Spotify or iTunes under the name “Goncalo Tavares”
The song that you will be presenting for Festival da cancao is “O som da guitarra é a alma de um povo”. What can you tell us about the song?
– It’s a song that talks about the Portuguese soul and the relationship that Portuguese culture has with the Portuguese fado guitar.
What was the inspiration for the song, and did you write it specifically for Festival da Canção and Eurovision?
– The author is Jose Cid and I was invited to sing in duet with him but I can tell you that the festival itself was the main inspiration for the song.
What is your impression of the Eurovision Song Contest in general? Do you watch it every year? What is your favourite entry?
I watch it every year and one of my favourite entries was Mans Zelmerlow’s “Heroes” in 2015.
ESC is the most important musical event in the world because we are talking about original music, not karaoke. It’s much more difficult to present an original song – that is the real challenge.
Apart from the Eurovision Song Contest , where would you dream to do a performance?
– Anywhere. I simply love to sing and be on stage because that’s where I have real moments of happiness and vocal expression.
Has being on TV made you more self-conscious?
– Yes, it always does because I analyse myself when I perform on TV. I want to give my very best every time
What advice you would give to your teenage self?
– Always believe and work very hard.
What’s the one thing that might surprise people about you?
– I don’t know… wait and see in the Festival tonight! You can visit me on my site www.goncalotavares.com and see a little more
What is a typical day like for you?
– In the morning, I love to work in the studio with the musicians that are great friends of mine, and it’s all about team ideas and working together to create new melodies and songs.
Then we go for lunch on a small restaurant near the studio and we pass the day making music and working hard. Now I’m working on my new album and I’m learning a lot of new production tips. I’m always learning.
Thanks for your time. We wish you the best of luck for your upcoming competition. Maybe we will see you in May in Lisbon!
Do #YOU want to see Goncalo represent Portugal in May this year? Join the debate in the comments below or HERE on our forum!
