Salvador Sobral

Salvador Sobral (aka Salvador Vilar Braamcamp Sobral) is a Portuguese soul and jazz singer, most prominently known for winning the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev, Ukraine for his performance of the song “Amar Pelos Dois” (Loving for Both of Us). Born in Lisbon in 1989, Sobral made his foray into the world of music entertainment when he made it through to the final stage of Ídolos (the Portuguese version of the British talent show Pop Idol), in which he sang the classic “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder. Incorporating the magnetic and romantic bossa nova styles of Brazilian singer/songwriters Caetano Veloso and Chico Buarque into his performance, he impressed judges and audience alike. After taking psychology classes at the Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, Sobral went on to study music and performance at the Taller de Músics in Barcelona, Spain. Having completed his studies in 2014, he continued to work on his own songs, and began to make a name for himself on the live circuit, performing at festivals such as EDP Cool Jazz and Vodafone Mexefest. The young singer went on to release his debut album and single — both entitled Excuse Me — in the summer of 2016. The record was a success, peaking at number ten on the Portuguese album chart. The following year it was confirmed that he would be representing Portugal in the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest after having won the Festival da Canção in March of 2017. Experiencing success on the various stages of the Eurovision event, Sobral also courted dissension when he attended a semifinal press conference while wearing a shirt emblazoned with the phrase “S.O.S. Refugees” in order to draw more attention to the European migrant crisis that had begun in 2015. The European Broadcasting Union imposed a ban on Sobral wearing the shirt for the remainder of the contest, deeming it to be politically motivated and therefore violating the rules of the competition. Having performed “Amar Pelos Dois” (a song about unrequited love written by Sobral’s sister, singer/songwriter Luísa Sobral), he went on to win the contest, with the song receiving 758 points, setting the record for the most points ever achieved in the competition. It went on to chart highly all over Europe, and also broke the record held by Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” for the most streams in a single day. ~ Rob Wacey