NAPA to represent Portugal at Eurovision 2025
There was a tie for first place between NAPA and Diana Vilarinho. As NAPA received more points from the public vote, they were declared the winners.
NAPA have won Festival da Canção 2025 and will represent Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 with the song “Deslocado”.
At the Festival da Canção final, broadcast by RTP on Saturday, March 8, the band from Madeira secured 17 points in the final tally - 7 from the jury and 10 from the public vote - tying with Diana Vilarinho’s Cotovia.
According to the contest’s rules, in the event of a tie, the public’s vote takes precedence, securing NAPA’s victory.
A Song That Wasn’t Meant for Eurovision
Interestingly, Deslocado was not originally intended for Eurovision.
The song was supposed to be part of a project featuring original songs about Madeira, explains Guilherme Gomes, the band’s lead singer, who wrote the lyrics and co-composed the music.
Deslocado explores the feeling of being far from home, specifically Madeira, after the band relocated to Lisbon.
The lyrics were partly inspired by a stand-up comedy show by Miguel Neves, an Azorean comedian who spoke about moving from an island to the mainland, where “you don’t have the sea on the horizon everywhere you look.”
Other influences include a social media post by fellow Madeiran musician João Borsch about insular identity and an interview with Lourdes Castro, a visual artist who only realized the value of growing up in Madeira after leaving.
Gomes shared several song ideas with jazz guitarist André Santos, a fellow Madeiran who strongly resonated with Deslocado’s message.
Santos later contributed to the track’s recording, performed the electric guitar solo, and added violas de arame, a traditional Madeiran string instrument.
Streaming Success and Musical Evolution
Following their win, Deslocado and Se eu morresse amanhã, a track from NAPA’s 2019 debut album, surpassed one million streams on Spotify over the weekend.
The band’s second album, Logo se vê (2023), is described by Gomes as “more experimental and less commercial” but an important step in exploring new songwriting approaches.
At the end of 2023, NAPA also released a concert-film project, O Mundo Continua a Girar, featuring performances in a big band format at Lisbon’s Teatro Maria Matos, directed by Daniel Mota.
Looking ahead, Gomes is considering exploring American bluegrass influences in future projects. “There’s a lot of ground to cover in that direction,” he said.
How the Votes Played Out
The Festival da Canção winner was determined through the usual voting system:
50% of the score came from a jury panel representing seven regions of mainland Portugal and the islands.
50% came from the public vote.
The results were as follows (jury + public voting):
Bombazine – “Apago tudo” (I erase everything) 8 points (2 + 6) 7th
Margarida Campelo – “Eu sei que o amor” (I know that love) 6 points (6 + 0) 9th
HENKA – “I Wanna Destroy U” 12 points (0 + 12) 4th
Bluay – “Ninguém” (Nobody) 1 point (0 + 1) 12th
Jéssica Pina – “Calafrio” (Shiver) 12 points (10 + 2) 6th
Marco Rodrigues – “A minha casa” (My home) 7 points (3 + 4) 8th
NAPA – “Deslocado” (Displaced) 17 points (7 + 10) 1st
Peculiar – “Adamastor” 4 points (1 + 3) 10th
Fernando Daniel – “Medo” (Fear) 16 points (8 + 8) 3rd
Emmy Curl – “Rapsódia da paz” (Rhapsody of peace) 4 points (4 + 0) 11th
JOSH – “Tristeza” (Sadness) 12 points (5 + 7) 5th
Diana Vilarinho – “Cotovia” (Lark) 17 points (12 + 5) 2nd
There was a tie for first place between NAPA and Diana Vilarinho. As NAPA received more points from the public vote, they were declared the winners, securing their place at Eurovision 2024 in Basel, Switzerland.
NAPA will compete in the first half of the first semi-final on May 13.