About
Biography
Maria Teresa Villa-Lobos, professionally known as Sabrina, is a Portuguese pop singer born on March 30, 1982, in Setúbal, Portugal. She began singing at school and family gatherings and participated in karaoke competitions from the age of 16. She studied piano at the Conservatório Regional de Setúbal, influenced by her family’s musical background. She also pursued modeling and mannequin courses with former Miss Portugal Francisca Sobrinho and attended university studies in Communication Sciences and Sociology, which she later left to focus on her music career.
Between 2003 and 2006, Sabrina was part of the Portuguese girl band Teenagers. In early 2007, at the age of 24, she was selected through a casting to participate in RTP’s Festival da Canção 2007. Under the stage name Sabrina, she won the competition on March 10, 2007, with the song “Dança Comigo (Vem Ser Feliz),” securing nearly twice the votes of the runner-up.
At the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki, Finland, Sabrina performed “Dança Comigo (Vem Ser Feliz)” in the semi-final on May 10, 2007. The performance featured a more Latino-influenced version of the song, with the last two choruses sung in French, Spanish, English, and Portuguese. She was accompanied on stage by a mixed pair of dancers and three female backing singers. The entry finished 11th in the semi-final with 88 points, narrowly missing qualification for the final by just four points. Despite this, it was Portugal’s most successful Eurovision entry since 1998 and the second-highest Portuguese scorer at the time.
In 2008, Sabrina served as the spokesperson for Portugal, announcing the country’s votes during the Eurovision Song Contest.
In 2012, she transitioned from her stage name Sabrina to her birth name Maria Teresa and signed with the record label Espacial. She released the album “Faltam-me as Palavras,” with the title track becoming a hit and featuring in the soundtrack of the popular TVI soap opera “Destinos Cruzados.” The album was presented in concerts at the Coliseus of Lisbon and Porto.
Maria Teresa has been in a relationship with Portuguese footballer Orlando Sá since 2010. They have two children and currently reside in Warsaw, Poland, where Sá plays professionally.
