Salvador Sobral, whose complete name runs Salvador Vilar Braamcamp Sobral, performs Portuguese soul and jazz and first achieved wide notice by capturing the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev, Ukraine, with his delivery of “Amar Pelos Dois” (Loving for Both of Us). Lisbon welcomed his arrival in 1989, and his initial brush with televised talent competitions came when he reached the final round of Ídolos, the Portuguese edition of Pop Idol, delivering Stevie Wonder’s classic “Isn’t She Lovely.” Drawing on the magnetic, romantic bossa-nova approach of Brazilian songwriters Caetano Veloso and Chico Buarque, he left both panel and viewers impressed.
Following psychology coursework at the Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, Sobral pursued formal music and stage training at Barcelona’s Taller de Músics. Once he finished those studies in 2014, he concentrated on original material and built an audience through live appearances at events including EDP Cool Jazz and Vodafone Mexefest. In summer 2016 the singer issued his first album and single, each titled Excuse Me; the project reached number ten on the Portuguese album chart. The next year he earned the right to represent Portugal at the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest after triumphing at the March edition of Festival da Canção.
While enjoying strong showings throughout the Eurovision rounds, Sobral also sparked debate by appearing at a semifinal press conference in a shirt that read “S.O.S. Refugees,” an effort to spotlight the European migrant crisis that began in 2015. The European Broadcasting Union barred him from wearing the garment for the rest of the event, citing its political character and the contest’s regulations. He nevertheless performed “Amar Pelos Dois,” a piece about unrequited love written by his sister, singer/songwriter Luísa Sobral, and claimed the title with a record 758 points. The track subsequently rose high across European charts and surpassed the single-day streaming total previously held by Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You.”
