Vânia Sofia Olim Marote de Ribeiro Fernandes (born 25 September 1985) is a

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

singer from

Funchal Funchal () is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Madeira, Autonomous Region of Madeira, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. The city has a population of 105,795, making it the sixth largest city in Portugal. Because of ...

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

(

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

). Known for her powerful stage presence, as well as her prominent and versatile voice, Fernandes has participated in several singing contests and performed in public in both her home island of Madeira and on the mainland of Portugal since 1997. In 2007, Vânia won Portuguese public television's talent contest, ''

Operação Triunfo ''Operação Triunfo (OT)'' is the Portuguese version of the original Star Academy (in the original Spanish version of the reality show ''Operación Triunfo'' broadcast by RTP). The first two seasons were hosted by Catarina Furtado, and the oth ...

'' (a kind of

Star Academy ''Star Academy'', called ''Operación Triunfo'' ("Operation Triumph") in Spanish-speaking countries, is a highly successful television pop music talent contest with viewer voting and reality show elements. Format There are many versions of t ...

). That same year, she completed her professional music studies and training in singing, including

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, at Madeira's Conservatory. On 22 May 2008 Fernandes sung " Senhora do mar" (Lady of the Sea) during the second semi-final of the

Eurovision Song Contest 2008 The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Belgrade, Serbia, following the country's victory at the with the song "Molitva" by Marija Šerifović. Organised by the European Broadcas ...

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

. The song was the winner of the 2008 edition of Portugal's national selection final for Eurovision, the

Festival da Canção Festival da Canção (; "Song Festival") or Festival RTP da Canção is the name given to the national festival, produced and broadcast by Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) to choose the for the Eurovision Song Contest. It was first held in ...

. She represented Portugal in the Eurovision final on 24 May 2008 and gained 13th place (out of 25) with 69 points. In the semi-final, she was 2nd, with 120 points.

External links

Vânia Fernandes' web site (in English and Portuguese)Vânia singing "Senhora do Mar" at ESC 2008 FinalVânia Fernandes' biography on the official Eurovision Song Contest - Belgrade 2008 web siteVânia Fernandes' page
on

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* 1985 births Living people People from Funchal Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2008 Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Portugal 21st-century Portuguese women singers Star Academy winners Operación Triunfo contestants {{Portugal-singer-stub