Salvador Sobral is standing at the threshold of a new beginning. Almost a decade after his Eurovision victory with “Amar pelos dois”, the Portuguese singer returns with “A Flor do Recomeço”, an album that represents much more to him than simply another step in his recording career. It is a return to the essence of music, but also to a personal need to rediscover the reasons that made him fall in love with singing in the first place.
For the first time in his career, he presents an album made up exclusively of songs by Brazilian songwriters and performed entirely in Portuguese. His relationship with Brazilian music runs deep and goes back many years: he grew up listening to it and still considers it the best music in the world, fascinated by what he himself describes as its “simple complexity.”
In his interview with SounDarts.gr, however, Salvador Sobral does not limit himself to discussing his new album. With disarming honesty, he talks about the exhaustion that, at one point, made him question whether he wanted to continue making music, his need to step away for a year and devote time to his family, as well as his relationship with fame. He also looks back on 2017, Eurovision and the period when he was facing serious health problems, while explaining why, under the current circumstances and with Israel participating, he would not take part in the contest.
He also reveals that he is currently filming a deeply personal movie about that pivotal year of his life. A project that moves between documentary, fiction and musical, portraying how he met his wife and their relationship, Eurovision, his operation and the time he spent in hospital.
Behind all of this is an artist who insists on seeing singing as a job rather than something that places him above other people. From Brazilian music and this new creative chapter to fame, family and health, Salvador Sobral speaks without hiding behind the image of the artist. After all, his personal motto may be the best way to sum up his entire philosophy: “Nothing is that important as long as we’re healthy.”
