*** ----> Portugal puts Eurovision hopes in big-hearted crooner | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Portugal puts Eurovision hopes in big-hearted crooner

Lisbon : A few weeks ago, Salvador Sobral, a 27-year-old crooner tipped as a favourite for Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest, was an unknown artist waiting for a heart transplant.

But with his intimate rendering of the melancholic "Amar Pelos Dois" (For the Both of Us) written by his older sister Luisa -- a success in her own right -- Sobral is hoping to chart an unconventional route to Eurovision gold.

At first glance, his decision to forgo the elaborate choreography and heavy dance tempos favoured by most contestants would make him a long shot.

Shunning English to sing in a Portuguese tremolo that reflects a severe heart condition would also seem to bode ill for the Lisbon native, whose barb and ponytail make him look more of a hipster than an budding pop star.

"I don't like pointless 'fast food' music, my songs have to have meaning, I sing with my heart," he said recently.