🇵🇹 INÊS APENAS Interview: “I’m very excited and working really hard for people to know who INÊS APENAS is.”

With Festival da Canção 2023 being in full swing and a second semi-final quickly approaching we are happy to have had the chance to talk with contestant INÊS APENAS. Today, we talked about INÊS’ thoughts on performing her own music on the festival stage, the message behind her song “Fim do Mundo,” and her dream of representing Portugal at Eurovision.

Hi INÊS, 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?
Hi everyone! I’m INÊS APENAS, an independent artist that enjoys exploring new sounds around alternative pop. I’m a songwriter, a singer and a pianist.

You just touched on it a bit, but how would you describe your musical style and sound? And which genres and artists have influenced and inspired your sound as it is today?
My sound is very specific, I think, but it’s kind of a fusion of a lot of music I listen to daily. I like to explore different sounds and tones of my voice. I listen to a lot of Drake, Jorja Smith, Jordan Rakei, MARO, Rosalía… a little bit of everything. I also love Brazilian music too!

Having previously served as a backing vocalist for Festival da Canção in 2019, how does your current experience as a featured artist at the same festival compare? What are your feelings about being able to perform your own music on this stage?
It was an honour to sing alongside Surma in 2019! There was a lot of team spirit and we were all very careful to perform her song the best way possible. This year is very different for me. It’s my identity on stage and I’m very excited and working really hard for people to know who INÊS APENAS is.

Speaking about your song “Fim do Mundo” for the upcoming Festival, is there a particular message that you aim to convey with the song?
The message of the song is that we really should value who we have by our side, because that way even the worst tragedy possible – the world ending – doesn’t matter. It’s a love song: a request to run from the end of the world with the person we love the most.

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 working for months with my team everyday. It has been very intense but exciting because we’re creating everything from scratch, every detail. I’ve also been with friends, resting and giving piano classes!

Have you given thought to the possibility of representing Portugal at Eurovision 2023? What would this mean to you and your career?
This question gives me panic (in a good way!). It would be an amazing opportunity to show my style and project to the world, representing Portugal, and I would probably meet lots of new people and music too and that would be really cool. It would be a dream come true!

You have the opportunity to collaborate with a current or former Eurovision artist/band on a single. Who would you choose and why?
CONAN OSIRIS. A true and pure artist with a special flavor. And MARO. She absolutely inspires me everyday.

If you could describe your plans for the live show’s staging and performance using only one sentence – how would you describe it?
A dynamic performance with a piano and so much more!

For people interested in hearing more from you, where can we find you and hear more about your upcoming projects?
You can listen to my first EP “um dia destes” on Spotify, YouTube and other music platforms. I’m releasing a new EP this May and I’m really excited and impatient about this one because I’m very proud of my new songs. And for now you can check the official music video for “Fim do Mundo” that was just released! I created it with CASOTA Collective, a creative group from my hometown who worked previously with Surma and Salvador Sobral and I’m really proud of what we’ve done.

To wrap up, do you have any last words or thoughts you would like to share with our readers at ESCUnited?
Thank you for listening to my song! I’m really grateful for all of this feedback and love from everyone. It’s been a hell of a ride. Thank you so much! ❤️

INÊS APENAS is among the ten artists competing in Festival da Canção’s second semi-final of 2023. You will be able to watch it Saturday at 22:00 CET on RTP.

Do #YOU want to see INÊS perform at Eurovision? Share your thoughts with us on social media @ESCUnited, our Discord, or our forum page!