If you’ve been with us thus far, or if you are tuning in just now, our interviews galore continue! Today we had the pleasure of sitting down with Portugal’s representative for this year’s Eurovision, the lovely Iolanda with her song “Grito”.
Iolanda opened up about the idea behind the staging, her episodic artsy performance and her approach to music. She explained that the concept behind it was building a story behind a song, emphasizing the meaning rather than just a performance for the sake of one.
She also shared that music was about hard work. “Music is 10% talent, 90% work, I’ve learned it the hard way.” She didn’t create expectations anymore and rather works towards what she wants. It was what gave her the confidence and strength to prevail in the industry.
“Grito” was written a year before the national selection, which led into Iolanda sharing that she was working on new music and that we have quite a bit to look forward to.
About Iolanda
A promising singer and songwriter, iolanda released her debut EP ‘Cura’ in March 2023.
Born in São Pedro de Cova Gala, in Figueira da Foz, the artist moved to Lisbon at the age of 17, but already at 14 she took her first steps in writing.
Not long afterwards, she started performing in bars and national talent competitions as an even greater gateway into music. Later, she moved to the UK, where she studied Songwriting at BIMM, University of Sussex.
In iolanda’s music, we hear pop and R&B, without the artist ever compromising on her traditional Portuguese and Iberian roots.
Listen Grito here:
What do #YOU think about Portugal this year? Let us know on social media @ESCUnited or on our forum page!
