Alma Lusa

The start of a project band

Alma Lusa did not grow slowly like most bands. RTP’s own history says the group came together especially for Festival da Canção 1998. The line-up joined young singer Inês Santos with veteran songwriter José Cid. It also included Carlos Jesus, Henrique Lopes, Carlos Ferreirinha and Pedro Soares. Inês already had experience before Alma Lusa. RTP says she won the TV talent show Chuva de Estrelas in 1995 at age 16. In a later interview, she also said she had sung since childhood. She studied at the Conservatory of Coimbra and released her first album, Segredo dos Deuses, before Eurovision. So, Alma Lusa started as a meeting point between a fresh voice and established musicians.

Festival da Canção 1998 changed everything

The group’s whole public career moved very fast. On 7 March 1998, Alma Lusa competed in Festival da Canção at the Teatro São Luiz in Lisbon. Their song was “Se eu te pudesse abraçar.” José Cid wrote it. RTP’s archive shows that Alma Lusa won the show. Another RTP page says they won with the full support of the jury. That victory sent the group to Eurovision in Birmingham. It also gave Portugal a song that sounded proudly national. At that time, many countries were choosing a more international pop style. Even today, Inês Santos still says the song carried strong Portuguese identity. Therefore, the win remains the key moment in the short but important Alma Lusa story.

Alma Lusa at Eurovision 1998

At the Eurovision Song Contest in Birmingham, Alma Lusa represented Portugal with “Se Eu Te Pudesse Abraçar.” The official Eurovision site records a 12th-place finish. That was not a victory, of course, but it was still a respectable result. This was especially true for a band that had only just been formed. The performance also gave the project its permanent place in Eurovision history. Alma Lusa never became a long-running pop act with many albums and tours. Instead, the band became linked forever to one song, one national final win and one Eurovision night. That makes their story unusual, yet very clear. 

A short group life, but not a forgotten song

After Eurovision, Alma Lusa stopped as a regular recording act. Public discography databases list only one Alma Lusa release. It was the 1998 RTP promo CD of “Se Eu Te Pudesse Abraçar.” However, the song itself did not disappear. Music platforms and soundtrack listings show that José Cid later recorded his own version for the 1998 television soundtrack Terra Mãe. So, the group’s catalogue stayed very small, but the song kept moving through Portuguese media. In practice, the later history of Alma Lusa became the later history of its members. Above all, that meant Inês Santos and José Cid.

Inês Santos after Alma Lusa

After Alma Lusa, Inês Santos continued to build her own career. In her 2020 interview, she said she had already taken part in solidarity recordings and television work before Eurovision. She later stayed visible in entertainment. RTP has a photo caption that places her in A Canção de Lisboa in 2006. The same 2020 interview says she joined the TVI show A Tua Cara Não Me É Estranha in 2013. It also says she worked as artistic director for Portuscale Cruises from 2013 to 2015. Her later discography shows a steady solo path. Streaming services list the album Sal from 2016. Recent coverage from 2024 says she launched crowdfunding for what she called her fourth album. In the same year, RTP brought her back to Festival da Canção as one of the presenters. So, the voice of Alma Lusa clearly did not stop in 1998.

Alma Lusa today: legacy through its members

José Cid had a major career long before Alma Lusa, and he kept adding new milestones after it. He had already represented Portugal in 1980. Then, in 2019, the Latin Recording Academy gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award. His official website names Vozes do Além, released in 2021, as his latest album. RTP reported in 2025 that he received the PLAY Career Award. Public updates from his official Instagram also show him still performing in 2026. Other Alma Lusa musicians kept lower public profiles. Still, Pedro Soares is traceable in Festival da Canção history after later appearances in 2001 and 2018. Today, Alma Lusa remains a one-song group, but not a minor one. Their career was brief. Their mark on Portuguese Eurovision history was real.