Paulo de Carvalho, the divorced singer who doesn’t drink alcohol and dances in clubs

“And after love, and after us. Saying goodbye, being alone. Your extra place, your absence in me. Your peace that I lost, my pain that I learned. You came back in bloom, I stripped you of your leaves.” Self-respecting Portuguese knows this song by heart. After all, this was the theme that represented our country in the most recent edition of Eurovision. The final took place on April 6 this year in Brighton, United Kingdom.

The artist responsible for the track is Paulo de Carvalho, 27 years old. Although Sweden won the festival — thanks to ABBA’s “Waterloo” — the musician made Lisbon, the city he calls home, and the entire nation proud.

“And After Goodbye” was written by José Niza, who was inspired by the letters he sent to his wife when he was in the bush of Angola during the colonial war, where he had the role of ensign. The lyrics touch on themes such as hope and longing — so typical of the Portuguese.

Despite having become an internationally known artist thanks to his participation in Eurovision, where he finished with three points, Paulo continues to be a young adult who likes to go to clubs to dance with his friends. He just doesn’t like drinking alcohol — when he was 15 he drank too much and to this day he feels sick just thinking about beer or wine.

The song he took to the United Kingdom was not the first success of his career. Before he debuted on international stages, he was already a known face among the Portuguese. About three years ago, in 1971, he participated for the first time in RTP’s Festival da Canção, with “Flor Sem Tempo” and came in second place.

In conversation with NiT, the artist spoke about his love life, the plans he has for 1974 — don’t get excited because “they’re nothing special” — and about the current Portuguese government. Read the interview now.

About two weeks ago, Paulo represented Portugal at Eurovision. What has changed since then and until today?
Something that I have always tried to change has changed when people use that expression you used in the question: “represented Portugal”. I didn’t represent any Portugal. I represented RTP, which is the company that puts on the festival. As far as my normal life goes, not much has changed. The professional is the same. I’ve been improving what I do. I tried hard to change the way I function and I think I succeeded. It has a lot to do with the seriousness of the profession.

For the summer of 1974, what are your plans?
They are nothing special. People now tell me that I’m the guy who represented them at Eurovision, but I will continue to sing wherever I’m asked.

Will you launch new themes this year?
Yes, I will always launch new themes. This is always something I think about doing. I’m always thinking about what I’m going to do or not do. Sometimes it comes off easily, other times it doesn’t. The songs we make depend much more on whether publishers want to record them or not and whether, above all, the people who are in charge of the labels think it is commercial or not commercial. They usually come with that conversation of “Not this one because it’s not commercial”. But then, they know more than we do.

What is your daily life like in Lisbon? Where do you live and what places do you like to visit?
I live very close to Palácio dos Coruchéus. I like going to Avenida de Roma and, above all, to Café Vavá. Preferably, I get up around noon or 1pm and head out for lunch. I usually skip breakfast. Then there is always work to do with someone and musical combinations. There is also space for nights out, going to the cinema, theaters, nightclubs with or without live music. I frequent places like O Porão da Nau, which is open until six in the morning and where you can eat a wonderful steak. But before that I usually go to Stones, where I meet my friends. They drink a glass, but that’s not the case for me because I got drunk when I was 15 and got sick of everything alcohol. My life is not difficult. I’m a guy who has a profession that he likes and that is accepted by many people in the public.

Is Paulo dating or is he a single man?
I am a divorced man, but already with a second love. This is my life.

How do you see the state of the country in social and political terms?
I was never a so-called anti-fascist fighter. I’m from music, I know that there is censorship and that there are people in prison, but I’m not a fighter in that sense. But as time went by, I confess that I learned a lot about politics. Politics is something we all do when, for example, we argue or say that steak is more expensive or that gasoline has increased in price. I think this is politics. The other issue is party politics.

What are your expectations for the coming years?
I never thought about it much, although I worry more about what I’m going to do than about what I’ve already done. What I have already done serves to understand how things were, but always on the way to something that is yet to come. My perspective, whether for a rural worker or a musician, is that the country can improve.