Vânia Fernandes is a Portuguese singer born in 1985 in Funchal (Madeira Island). Known for her powerful stage presence, as well as her prominent and versatile voice, Vânia Fernandes has participated in several singing contests and performed in public in both her home island of Madeira and on the mainland of Portugal since 1997. In 2007, Vânia won Portuguese public television's talent contest, Operação Triunfo (a kind of Star Academy). That same year, she completed her professional music studies and training in singing, including jazz, at Madeira's Conservatory. In March 2008, Vânia Fernandes won "Festival RTP da Canção 2008", the biggest music festival in Portugal which is also the Portuguese selection for the worldwide famous Eurovision Song Contest. She sang "Senhora do Mar" (by Andrej Babić/Carlos Coelho) and was acclaimed winner by the Portuguese public. Later in May 2008, she sang in Belgrade in the Eurovision Song Contest where she placed 2nd in the semifinal and 13th in the final. This result remains as the 3rd best ever for Portugal in the contest and the song was voted as "The best Portuguese song in Eurovision ever" in 2009.