Eurovision Song Contest 2001
Country	Portugal
National selection
Selection process	Festival da Canção 2001
Selection date(s)	Semi-finals: 20 October 2000 17 November 2000 15 December 2000 19 January 2001 16 February 2001 Final: 7 March 2001
Selected entrant	MTM
Selected song	"Só sei ser feliz assim"
Selected songwriter(s)	Marco Quelhas
Finals performance
Final result	17th, 18 points
Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄1999 • 2001 • 2003►

Portugal participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 with the song "Só sei ser feliz assim" written by Marco Quelhas. The song was performed by the duo MTM. The Portuguese broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) returned to the Eurovision Song Contest after a one-year absence following their relegation in 2000 as one of the six countries with the lowest average scores over the previous five contests. RTP organised the national final Festival da Canção 2001 in order to select the Portuguese entry for the 2001 contest in Copenhagen, Denmark. After five semi-finals and a final which took place between October 2000 and March 2001, "Só sei ser feliz assim" performed by MTM emerged as the winner after achieving the highest score following the combination of votes from 20 regional juries.

Portugal competed in the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 12 May 2001. Performing during the show in position 11, Portugal placed seventeenth out of the 23 participating countries, scoring 18 points.

Background

Prior to the 2001 contest, Portugal had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest thirty-five times since its first entry in 1964.^[1] The nation's highest placing in the contest was sixth, which they achieved in 1996 with the song "O meu coração não tem cor" performed by Lúcia Moniz. Portugal's least successful result has been last place, which they have achieved on three occasions, most recently in 1997 with the song "Antes do adeus" performed by Célia Lawson. Portugal has also received nul points on two occasions; in 1964 and 1997.

The Portuguese national broadcaster, Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP), broadcasts the event within Portugal and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. The broadcaster has traditionally selected the Portuguese entry for the Eurovision Song Contest via the music competition Festival da Canção, with an exception in 1988 when the Portuguese entry was internally selected. The broadcaster organized Festival da Canção 2001 in order to select the 2001 Portuguese entry.^[2]

Before Eurovision

Festival da Canção 2001

Festival da Canção 2001 was the 38th edition of Festival da Canção that selected Portugal's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2001. Artists and composers were able to submit their entries for the competition between 12 June 2000 and 12 July 2000, and 50 entries were selected from 572 submissions received.^[3][4] Among the competing artists was Marisa Mena who competed under the moniker Izamena. Mena would later go on to win the 2023 edition of Festival da Canção as Mimicat and represent Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.^[5]

The format of the competition consisted of six shows taking place in different cities across Portugal: five semi-finals and a final. Each semi-final featured ten competing entries from which two as determined by a jury panel appointed by RTP advanced from each show to complete the ten song lineup in the final. Results during the final were determined by the votes from 20 regional juries. All six shows of the competition were hosted by Sónia Araújo and Cristina Möhler and broadcast on RTP1 and RTP Internacional.^[6]

Shows

Semi-finals

The five semi-finals took place between 20 October 2000 and 16 February 2001. In each semi-final ten entries competed and two advanced to the final based on the votes of a jury panel consisting of three permanent members (Tozé Brito, Luís Pedro Fonseca and José Calvário) and two varying members: Sara Tavares and Margarida Brandão for the first semi-final, Adelaide Ferreira and Sofia Lisboa for the second semi-final, Olavo Bilac and João de Almeida for the third semi-final, Rita Guerra and Luís Filipe for the fourth semi-final, and João Gil and Luís Alberto Bettencourt for the fifth semi-final.^[7][8]