Sofia Vitória (born Sofia Vitória Inácio, 28 April 1979, Setúbal) is a Portuguese singer, best known for her participation in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest.
Sofia Vitória first came to public notice in late 2003 when she was a contestant in the second series of Portuguese TV reality talent show Operaçao Triunfo, which was designed to pick three contestants to compete for the chance to represent Portugal at the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest. On 11 January 2004, Sofia Vitória was selected as one of the three, along with fellow contestants Gonçalo and Francisco. On 18 January, the three competed in that year’s Festival da Canção with a televote to decide the winner, who would be announced the following week. On 25 January it was confirmed that Sofia Vitória’s song “Foi magia” (“It Was Magic”) had been voted the winner, earning her the right to represent Portugal at the 49th Eurovision Song Contest, to be held in Istanbul.
Because of the increasing number of countries wishing to participate in Eurovision, the decision had been taken to introduce a semi-final qualifier for the first time in 2004. Portugal’s low placing the previous year meant that they would be one of the countries who would have to take part in the semi-final, which took place on 12 May. Gonçalo and Francisco joined Sofia Vitória on stage as backing singers, but at the end of voting “Foi magia” had placed 15th of the 22 entries meaning that, with only the top 10 songs qualifying for the final, Portugal was one of those which missed out.
Sofia Vitória has largely maintained a low profile since 2004. In 2007, she collaborated with traditional musician Júlio Pereira on his album Geografias, and continues to perform at small-scale venues. |
