“There are no negative aspects of studying abroad”: Eurovision 2024 contestant Iolanda (Portugal)

For the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, Portugal is sending Iolanda Costa with her song “Grito”. Iolanda, studied Communication Science at ISCSP in Lisbon and Songwriting at BIMM in London. In this exclusive interview with Study.eu, she talks about her experience as an international student in the United Kingdom - and which challenges she had to face during her period abroad:

 

Did you always know you wanted to focus your career in music?

Not really. I studied Music since I was 4 or 5 years old, but at first I took it as a hobby. When I was around 15, I started doing small gigs in pubs and went to a couple of contests in my school, but I wasn't taking it too seriously. It was before university when I started performing more regularly, however when I had to choose what to study I went for a degree in Communication Science since I wanted a plan B outside of the music industry. I studied jazz as well during that time in Lisbon but I wasn't 100% happy. To be honest, I wouldn't do it the same way again. I think it's better to follow your heart without a plan B.

 

What made you change your desicion and study songwriting?

The plan came during my gap year. I was working at a restaurant in Portugal while taking a break from my studies when I decided that I wanted to live abroad for a while. London was always my first option, so joining BIMM was a great opportuity since I could learn not only from other cultures but also from different music styles. I think when you live in another country you learn tons of things about the world and yourself. So there are no negative aspects to living and studying abroad, at least from my perspective.

 

 

Why did you choose to study at BIMM?

I chose BIMM because I really liked the idea of being part of a big network. BIMM has many campuses in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Germany, so I thought it could be helpful if I needed to connect with people from other schools in the future. Also many great artists went there, like George Ezra. Unfortunately I don't think I lived the full experience and took all the opportunities available since I was also working a lot during that time, but still it was an amazing school.

 

How did London influence your music?

Moving abroad definitely influenced my music. London is an incredible city full of artists, so I had the chance to meet great people who motivated me a lot and pushed me to try out different styles of my songwriting. Inspiration was also everywhere. I found it through different smells, different food, the streets, the vibes,... So that made the creative process easier. Even when I was working at the restaurant I would randomly get many ideas and I would write them down behind the bills or napkins to not forget them. All the contemporary rythms from my songs come from Portugal, but all the urban vibes I got them in London.

 

 

What challenges did you face as an international student?

Probably working and studying at the same time. I was waking up at 6 a.m. and getting home at 10 p.m., so that was quite difficult. However what took me the most to get used to was the weather. Coming from Portugal, I was used to sunny days most of the time, but in London that doesn't happen. At some point I didn't see the sun for 3 months!

Being a student in London was also hard because it is a very expensive city. I was lucky to have my family helping me and met many kind people in the city as well. Everyone knows how complicated it is to be alone in a new country, so it's very common to see people helping each other and sharing a lot. I think that's beautiful because you are not only exchanging things, but also thoughts and ideas.

 

That sounds tough! And still after all those challenges, would you recommend studying abroad?

Of course! I think being far from your comfort zone pushes you into discovering a lot about yourself. Every day I was learning something new since most of my surroundings were so different compared to Portugal. I got lost many times on the subway, felt overwhelmed by the huge amount of people that were everywhere, struggled with the lack of sun, ... London was a crazy experience, and still I would tell everyone that studying abroad is cool and they shouldn't ignore the not-so-sunny places.

 

 

What is a good memory you keep from your days as an international student?

I have many good memories from that period. I met Pierce Brosnan while I was working at a restaurant and I also remember some really inspiring classes from BIMM. But probably what I loved the most from London was the English breakfast. I remember eating that almost every morning!

 

Can you tell us more about your song? What is the message you want to communicate with it at Eurovision?

I wrote the song when I was in a more emotional and nostalgic phase of my life. At that time I was trying to understand a bit more about mental health, so I thought that was the right moment for me to talk about it. I never wanted to do just a Eurovision song. I really don't know exactly what that is. All the songs in the festival are Eurovision songs. Period.

And about the performance, my idea was to create a very true aspect of myself and I wanted to communicate that on the stage as well. The dancers are basically my little emotions just going around. It was really beautiful to see that people understood that without me having to say anything. We have prepared it with a lot of love, so that was the cherry on top.

 

Among your rivals in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, who do you think has the best chances of winning? And who else will you be rooting for?

Based on the odds, obviously Croatia, Italy and Switzerland have a lot of chances to win. To be honest I love all the songs this year. It's probably the first time I don't have one song that I don't like. However, if I have to choose only one I would probably go with "Ramonda" by Teya Dora (Serbia). As a woman in the music industry, I really believe in the power of speaking with a strong message.

 

Are you nervous?

I just want to have fun with my team, no matter what happens. I'm really excited about the whole process and I'm going to give the best version of myself.

 

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