Salvador beantwoordde wat vragen van BBC:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/eve(...)e736ce7984064b4483a0Singer Salvador Sobral was victorious at the Kiev event last summer and had planned to be in Groningen too this weekend to help pass on the Eurosonic baton to the Danes.
Sadly, he can’t make it as he is still recovering from a successful heart transplant operation but he was happy to answer our questions about a crazy 12 months for himself and Portuguese music.
Hi Salvador. We hope you are well? First of all how is your recovery from your operation going?
Hello there! Fortunately I'm recovering well, I'm hoping to be able to perform by May. Fingers crossed! What are your reflections on the Eurovision win? How was your life changed since then?
My life changed completely since then. I didn't sell many records before and I was okay with it, I knew the music I made wasn't going to sell a lot. But then Eurovision happened and people immediately welcomed me and my album.
Then I recorded a live album and it is now the most sold album in Portugal. A jazz album that has a six-minute drum solo in it. For me that is the biggest achievement.
For this year, I'm thinking about a new album, and of course I want to tour as much as I can. We had hoped to meet you at Eurosonic. How great was it for Portuguese music to be named as the focus country for last year’s event? Has it been good exposure for bands/artists in Portugal?
I think Portugal is now very trendy. Winning the European Championship, Eurovision, the tourism increasing, the economy rising, even the fact that Madonna moved here. Portugal is the focus of Europe now so I feel it is only natural that such an event would also choose us as their focus country. Was 2017 the best ever year for Portuguese music?
I don't feel I have the authority to say that it was the best year but I know Portuguese music is going through a good phase. People in Europe are finally starting to pay attention to what we do here. And we have wonderful music.
Not just Fado. For example Antonio Zambujo who is an incredible mixture of many influences. Mayra Andrade, Luisa Sobral, Samuel Uria, Capitão Fausto..... Are you going to be in Lisbon for this year’s Eurovision?
Yes hopefully I will be there and ready to perform! Thank you!