A few weeks ago, Salvador Sobral, a 27-year-old crooner tipped as a favorite for Saturday’s Eurovision Song Contest, was an unknown artist waiting for a heart transplant.
But with his intimate rendering of the melancholic “Amar Pelos Dois” (For the Both of Us) written by his older sister Luisa — a success in her own right — Sobral is hoping to chart an unconventional route to Eurovision gold.
At first glance, his decision to forgo the elaborate choreography and heavy dance tempos favored by most contestants would make him a long shot.
Shunning English to sing in a Portuguese tremolo that reflects a severe heart condition would also seem to bode ill for the Lisbon native, whose barb and ponytail make him look more of a hipster than an budding pop star.
“I don’t like pointless ‘fast food’ music, my songs have to have meaning, I sing with my heart,” he said recently.
Sobral has become the bookmakers’ top contender after the Italian Francesco Gabbani and his “dancing naked ape,” and a favorite of fans, with huge crowds welcoming his arrival at the Eurovision venue in Kiev, Ukraine.
“I felt as popular as Cristiano Ronaldo,” said Sobral, who added that he was not making the trip only to sing.
After the Eurovision semifinals, Sobral held a press conference wearing a sweatshirt calling attention to the plight of refugees.
“When I learned that I was going to participate at Eurovision, I first thought about the refugees because they leave their country to escape death. These people are not just simple immigrants,” he said.

Source: Arab News