Malta is preparing to become the epicentre of European children’s music. The Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC) in Ta’ Qali (Malta) will host the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 on Saturday, 24 October. The Mediterranean island is ready to welcome the 16 delegations that will compete for victory. Malta is once again taking charge of the organisation of the European contest for the third time in its history.

The Eurovision stage will be filled with talent, excitement and music as Junior Eurovision 2026 takes place. The 16 young participants will have the opportunity to perform their entries and fulfil one of their greatest dreams: representing their countries in front of viewers around the world. As it approaches its first quarter-century, the Junior Eurovision Song Contest will once again be held under the slogan “United By Music”, highlighting the spirit of unity that defines the contest. This time, there is an added incentive: inviting us to join and become part of the great Maltese “festa”, where music, tolerance and diversity are an essential part of the show.

With the big event drawing ever closer, the time has come to turn the spotlight on its protagonists and discover the details of each of the 16 entries that will compete for the coveted crystal microphone. For many of them, what began as a dream in front of the television is about to become a reality on the Junior Eurovision stage.

This time, it is time to discover the biography and career of Salvador Rio, Portugal’s representative at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026. The talented singer earned his ticket to represent his country in Ta’ Qali thanks to his victory in the seventh edition of the popular television talent show ‘The Voice Kids Portugal’. That victory gave him direct access to the European contest, where he will represent Portugal with the song «Alma».

How did his journey towards Junior Eurovision begin? What made him fall in love with music? What are his greatest dreams? And what does the song he will perform on the Ta’ Qali stage mean? Through his story, we get to know Salvador Rio, the young artist taking part in this 24th edition, more closely.

This is Salvador Rio: the versatility of a remarkable, multifaceted voice

Salvador Rio is a 12-year-old Portuguese artist who, despite his young age, already has experience across different areas of the entertainment and performing arts industry. From dubbing and voice acting to appearances in commercials, television series and films, all while continuing to develop his career as a singer.

He was born on 22 April 2014 in Massamá, in the municipality of Sintra, very close to Lisbon, where he still lives today. It was while listening to his mother and grandmother singing at home and in karaoke bars that he began humming songs at just three years old and became interested in music. His passion for listening to music, singing and dancing was so strong that by the age of four he was already singing alongside his mother and aunt, developing that love of music at home throughout his childhood.

Although he had been singing for years, he did not begin receiving regular musical training until 2025, when his parents enrolled him in singing lessons with teacher Anita Nobre at the Express Yourself school, after realising how beautiful his voice was and how much he enjoyed singing with his family. It was precisely this teacher who convinced his parents to allow him to audition for ‘The Voice Kids Portugal’, as Salvador himself explains that his parents were afraid he would become upset if he was not selected and also believed he was not yet mature enough to cope with a television programme of that scale. This was despite the fact that his aunt had already taken part in the blind auditions for the adult version in 2023.

His parents had always told him to wait a few more years, even though taking part in the Portuguese version of ‘The Voice Kids’ had long been his dream. In the end, thanks to his singing teacher, not only did he fulfil that wish, but he went on to win the competition and will now also be able to experience the extraordinary adventure of representing Portugal at an international event as important as Junior Eurovision.

He initially joined the programme simply to have fun and experience something new, never imagining that he would win or that Diogo Piçarra would end up composing the song he will take to the contest. Salvador has already listened to all of this year’s Junior Eurovision songs and says that he particularly likes the entries from Georgia and Cyprus. However, when asked which contestants he is most excited to meet in Malta, he refuses to single anyone out, as he is curious to meet everyone and make friends.

From singing to acting in films and television series

But music is not everything, as his talent extends well beyond the musical world. In 2017, he began appearing in advertising campaigns, and in 2020, at just six years old, he made his debut as an actor in the Amazon Prime Video series ‘3 Caminos’, a production partly filmed in Spain and centred around the Camino de Santiago. Serafín Zubiri, Spain’s Eurovision representative in 1992 and 2000, also appears in one of the episodes. Since then, Salvador has continued to develop and refine his career in the arts, something else he loves.

Several more projects followed, including his appearance in the 2021 French film ‘Jubilación imposible 2’ (‘Joyeuse retraite! 2’ in its original title), whose plot revolves around a disastrous holiday in Portugal involving grandparents and their grandchildren, and which has been broadcast in Spain on regional television channels. It was his first role in a feature film, although it is in recent years that larger projects have started coming his way.

In 2025, Salvador Rio filmed ‘Esteiros’, playing Guedelhas, one of the film’s co-leading characters. Directed by João Maia, the film is scheduled for release in 2027. He also had a small role in TVI’s telenovela ‘A Protegida’.

However, it was his appearance in the second season of the Netflix series ‘Rabo de Peixe’ that truly excited him because of everything the experience allowed him to discover and learn as an actor. In the series, Salvador Rio played Arruda as a child, a character portrayed as an adult by actor Albano Jerónimo.

When he found out that his talent agency had arranged an audition for the role, he began jumping for joy because he was a huge fan of the series, having watched the first season with his parents and told them more than once how much he would love to appear in it. Filming also took place on his birthday, 22 April 2024, making it one of the most special presents he could have received.

The opportunity was incredible; it was the perfect gift. I love acting and I loved playing Arruda. I also loved being able to see all the characters in person and discover how blood and rain are created in audiovisual productions, as well as many other things I didn’t know yet.

When I left the set, the actors started arriving to film their scenes. Silvia congratulated me. I saw José Condessa and other actors. Some spoke to me, others were distracted reading the script, others were with the make-up artists, but some of them still spoke to me.

Other productions he has been involved in include the 2023 revival of the series ‘Morangos com Açúcar’ by Plural, TVI and Amazon Prime Video Portugal. But the surprise came after his victory on ‘The Voice Kids Portugal’, as this very summer of 2026 he filmed the new daily telenovela for Portuguese channel TVI, entitled ‘Coração de Mãe’, which recently began airing on 7 September and in which he plays Zé Pedro Acácio.

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A brilliant voice for dubbing too

Salvador has not only built a promising future as an actor and singer, but despite his young age, he has also lent his remarkable and versatile voice to numerous characters in the world of dubbing. He took his first professional steps in voice-over work and dubbing, working on animated and live-action characters, around 2021 and, over the years, has continued to establish himself by moving on to increasingly prominent productions.

His first notable dubbing roles came in children’s television and on digital platforms. During this period, he took part in the Portuguese version of the animated series ‘La araña Lucas’, broadcast on Cartoonito, where he voiced the fly Findley. At the same time, he began working with local recording studios, providing commercial voice-overs and additional voices for several children’s series.

After a small role in the 2021 film ‘Encanto’, dubbing one of the village children, it was from 2023 onwards that his presence in Portuguese dubbing became firmly established, as he joined major international projects, mainly with Disney. He was one of the additional voices in the film ‘Elemental’ and joined the Portuguese dubbing cast of the live-action adaptation ‘Peter Pan & Wendy’, providing the Portuguese voice of Michael Darling.

That same year, 2023, he also provided the Portuguese voice for actor Ayden Elijah in the Disney film ‘Los nueve traviesos’, playing Albert Reyes. In ‘Wish: El poder de los deseos’, he was part of the Portuguese supporting and choral voice cast for Disney’s Christmas release.

His work has not been limited to Disney. In 2024, he also ventured into Turkish television series, voicing the young protagonist, Mehmet Emin Güney, in the telenovela Çocuk, which was broadcast in Portugal on SIC under the title ‘Pobre Menino Rico’ and in Spain on Divinity as ‘Él es mi hijo’.

With the experience he had built up, Salvador Rio continued working on animated feature films from major studios in the following years, combining his work in dubbing studios with his musical career. In 2025, he voiced Glordon in the Disney Pixar science-fiction feature ‘Elio’ and provided the voice of Bubsy Mulch in the adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic ‘The Twits’ (‘Los idiotas’).

Other notable work includes voicing Little Yuwen in ‘En la victoria o en la derrota’ (‘Win or Lose’), the first Pixar animated series released on Disney+, as well as taking part in the dubbing of the ‘Finding Nemo’ recreation in the miniseries ‘LEGO Pixar: Animaventuras’ as the little sea turtle. Naturally, he remains active in dubbing, as in 2026 he was also part of the additional voice cast for the film ‘GOAT: Como cabras’.

The voice and face behind major brands

Before all this work in films, television series and dubbing, Salvador began appearing in various television commercials and advertising campaigns from a very young age. His work in advertising began in 2017, and since then the actor has consistently lent both his on-camera image and his voice to a wide range of advertising campaigns, becoming a familiar and trusted face and voice for commercial brands and retail chains.

Some of his television commercial appearances have been for major brands such as telecommunications company Vodafone, where his expressiveness and natural freshness in front of the camera allowed him to connect immediately with audiences. In this campaign, Salvador Rio brought his endearing personality and charisma to a Mother’s Day commercial centred on enjoying family time without distractions or notifications.

His versatility in advertising then took him from telecommunications to a collaboration with a global company such as Air Canada. In the commercial, Salvador brought freshness and enthusiasm to the piece, conveying the more human side of travel and representing the emerging European talent selected by Air Canada to connect with new generations of travellers.

From summer holidays to Christmas, he went on to star in a Christmas commercial for Lactogal’s Mimosa milk brand. In the heart-warming campaign, Salvador Rio plays a boy who dreams of being the one to make his loved ones happy. After asking Father Christmas what he would like for Christmas, the boy gets ready at home — shaving foam included — to dress up as Santa Claus after recharging with a glass of milk, before surprising his own family by handing out presents. Through his expressiveness and warmth, Salvador became the face of the brand’s tender message about the importance of giving and receiving affection.

His work also included appearing in campaigns for supermarket chain Intermarché, one of the best-established mass-market retailers in Portugal, despite being of French origin and having left Spain in 2010. For Salvador, appearing in several advertising productions for the supermarket chain not only strengthened his everyday visibility on television, but also made him a familiar and approachable face in thousands of homes. In these everyday campaigns, Salvador Rio showed a natural ease when portraying situations from family and everyday life, bringing the friendliness, innocence and charisma needed to humanise the brand and connect emotionally with the general public.

A television star: from comedy contestant to winning ‘The Voice Kids’

Salvador Rio’s adventures on television programmes are also curious and surprising. Contrary to what many might expect, his previous television appearances were not in interviews or talent competitions. Instead, in 2023 he appeared on SIC’s programme ‘Vale Tudo’, which is none other than the Portuguese version of the Spanish show ‘Me resbala’, broadcast in Spain first by Antena 3, later by Telecinco and set to be broadcast by RTVE’s La 1.

On Portugal’s ‘Me resbala’, he appeared as a child guest. He could be seen taking part in segments involving physical improvisation, including the “Jogo do Sério” challenge, in which two participants sit face to face and stare directly into each other’s eyes, trying to make the other person laugh through funny faces, silliness or jokes while keeping a straight face themselves. The first person to laugh or smile loses the round. Would Salvador be able to keep himself from laughing?

After brilliantly showing off his comedic side on television, three years later he made a spectacular debut on a talent show. He went from being simply a viewer to becoming one of the stars of the 2026 edition of ‘The Voice Kids Portugal’. Thanks to his talent, he earned a place on Diogo Piçarra’s team after winning over two of the four coaches during the blind auditions. In the final, he performed «A Memória», by Rosalía and Carminho, before returning to the song he had performed at his audition for the superfinal and claiming the long-awaited victory.

From national television, he now makes the leap onto the international stage at Junior Eurovision 2026, after securing the ticket to represent Portugal at this event with worldwide exposure.

Rhythm, family and big dreams: Salvador’s more personal side

Salvador stands out as a boy with seemingly endless energy and an extremely active personality. His pet is a little dog named Paco, and his favourite song is «Your Song» by Elton John.

In his everyday life, sport and physical activity play a major role: he loves going out on his bike and playing football matches. He also maintains a weekly routine by setting aside one day to play padel, a hobby he combines with the excitement of solving puzzles in Escape Rooms, which he regularly visits with his friends, making it one of the activities he most enjoys doing as a group.

Alongside his more energetic side, Salvador has a strong passion for art and entertainment. And not only when he is the one performing: going to the cinema and watching films is one of his favourite things to do, although if there is one activity that comes completely naturally to him, it is undoubtedly singing. This affinity for the arts goes hand in hand with the strong bond he shares with his loved ones. For him, family holds a fundamental place in his life, and he greatly values every moment they spend together, whether through pleasant walks outdoors or simply enjoying the peace and quiet of home while watching films together.

Given the energy he displays, Salvador is already beginning to picture the path he would like to follow when he grows up. His professional goals are completely aligned with his current passions, as he dreams of pursuing a career in acting or music, with his greatest ambition being to become an actor or singer — something that, as we have seen after getting to know him, there is no doubt he has already achieved.

One of his dreams for the future is to perform his first concert, in a show created especially for him where he can perform his own repertoire and experience the direct energy of an audience from the stage. However, his artistic ambition does not end with music, as in acting he has set himself an even bigger goal: making the leap into international cinema and filming a movie in Hollywood. This major ambition reflects not only his passion for performing in front of the cameras, but also his determination to take on large-scale productions, portray complex characters and share his acting talent with audiences around the world.

This is «Alma», Salvador Rio’s entry for Portugal at Junior Eurovision 2026

Salvador Rio will represent Portugal at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with the song «Alma». The song was composed by renowned Portuguese singer and songwriter Diogo Piçarra, who was also his mentor on ‘The Voice Kids Portugal’. The project has been released and produced under Portuguese public broadcaster RTP.

The music video was created thanks to the joint efforts of a large technical and artistic team. Production was overseen by Carla Bugalho, Portugal’s Head of Delegation at Junior Eurovision, while Hugo Manso was responsible for the direction, video editing and colour correction.

The entry is performed in Portuguese, with Salvador Rio’s voice and expressiveness at its heart, giving strength to the story and managing to convey a message of love, memories and unbreakable bonds, particularly in the face of the passage of time and physical distance.

The main idea appears from the very beginning, when the lyrics reflect on the most beautiful and sincere words, those whose meaning does not change over the years. The references to letters searching for someone and the many different ways of showing affection represent the importance of keeping genuine feelings and our connection with the people we love alive.

One of the song’s most important messages is that true closeness goes beyond physical presence. The song speaks of an inner refuge that remains untouched by absence and distance, reminding us that genuine love never truly disappears.

The repetition of the word «Alma» perfectly sums up this idea: the essence of what we feel is kept in the deepest part of our being, in our soul.

There is also a reflection on difficult moments and the trials of life. The song expresses the idea that the most difficult paths are not losses, but necessary journeys that always lead us back to our true home, the home of the mind and spirit, reminding us that difficult experiences shape us without extinguishing our essence.

The references to the “light of dawn” and returning “home to the soul” act as metaphors for hope. The light of dawn can be interpreted as an indelible emotional mark that dispels the darkness and brings renewal. Returning home symbolises inner peace, authenticity and reconnecting with what truly matters.

Salvador Rio has explained that «Alma» is not tied to a single emotion. He believes the song can change depending on how he feels when performing it. Every day, we can be in a different mood. He himself says that he can be sad and perform the song, or he can be happy and sing the same song.

That emotional flexibility is also central to the kind of artist Salvador sees himself becoming. Although he is still discovering his musical identity, he says he feels drawn to Portuguese music, particularly songs that convey emotion and allow him to communicate those feelings to the audience.

His family also embraced the song enthusiastically, although, as he himself admits, there are people who do not appreciate it. The singer does not see the contest as simply a competition, but rather as an opportunity to move people and share his art with all of Europe. For him, it is a great honour to represent Portugal at the contest and, although the result is beyond his control, he promises once again to give it his very best.

Lyrics of «Alma» by Salvador Rio, Portugal’s entry at Junior Eurovision 2026

Enjoy all the songs from Junior Eurovision 2026 on the ESCplus playlist on Spotify:

Portugal at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest

Portugal took part in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest for the first time at Bucharest 2006, after broadcasting the Hasselt 2005 edition the previous year. Pedro Madeira, with his song «Deixa-Me Sentir», was unable to finish higher than second-to-last place, the same result achieved at Rotterdam 2007 by Jorge Leiria with «Só Quero É Cantar».

In these early editions, RTP opted for a children’s version of Festival da Canção to select its representatives for Junior Eurovision.

The poor results, together with the cost of participation and the modest audience figures, led Portuguese television to stay away from the contest for nine editions.

Finally, in 2017, following the boost provided by Salvador Sobral’s victory at the Eurovision Song Contest, Portuguese television decided to return to the competition with Mariana Venâncio and her song «Youtuber». In the years since, with the exception of the 2020 edition, when the country withdrew due to the health situation, Portugal has maintained a regular presence in the contest, albeit with somewhat modest results.

Since 2021, RTP has selected its representatives through the popular television talent show ‘The Voice Kids Portugal’. At Junior Eurovision 2021, held in Paris (France), the 101 points earned by Simão Oliveira with his song «O Rapaz» took Portugal to 11th place, marking the beginning of an improvement in the country’s results at the contest.

At Yerevan (Armenia) in 2022, Nicolas Alves, with «Anos 70», achieved one of Portugal’s best results in Junior Eurovision history. The young artist finished in 8th place with 121 points. At Nice 2023, meanwhile, Júlia Machado, with «Where I Belong», received just 75 points, resulting in a 13th-place finish and sending Portugal back towards the bottom of the scoreboard.

At Madrid 2024, Portugal continued improving its results at Junior Eurovision and came close to victory for the first time in its history. Young Victoria Nicole moved audiences with «Esperança», a personal entry written by herself in Spanish and Portuguese. Portugal received 213 points, resulting in 2nd place, just 26 points away from victory.

At the Tbilisi 2025 edition, Inês Gonçalves, with «Para Onde Vai o Amor?», earned 73 points, resulting in a 13th-place finish and a return to the lower end of the scoreboard.