Da Vinci are a Portuguese pop rock band from the 1980s, composed by Pedro Luís and Iei-Or. The band participated in the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Conquistador”.
Da Vinci formed in 1982. That year they had great success with the singles “Lisboa Ano 10.000/Fantasmas” and “Hiroxima (Meu Amor)”. In 1983 they released the album Caminhando and the single “Xau Xau de Shanghai”. The albums “Anjo Anzul” (1984), “Momentos de Paixão” (1985) and “Prince of Xanadu” (1986) followed.
They change to Discosette and in 1988 the album A Jóia no Lótus is published.
In 1989 they won the 25th RTP Festival da Canção with “Conquistador”. They received the interpretation award and the popularity award from Casa da Imprensa Mensagem TV Europa. They represented Portugal in Lausanne, Switzerland, in the Eurovision Song Contest.
The group made a long tour of mainland Portugal and islands, and the Portuguese Communities abroad, launching their international career in France, Switzerland and South Africa.
In May 1990, Da Vinci were awarded a Gold Record and a Platinum Record for the album Conquistador and its single. Also in 1990, the album A Dança dos Planetas was released, which includes the singles “Nasci em Portugal” and “Num Tapete Voador”.
In 1991, they promoted their new live show in Portugal and Canada, where they had great success on New Year’s Eve 1991/1992, in Toronto.
In 1993 they released the album Entre o Inferno e o Paraíso, which included the hit “Tirem-me este Filme”.
In 1995, the album Oiçam was released, which includes a megamix of old hits, entitled “Da Vinci Old Medley”, and versions of the classics “Mudam-se Os Tempos, Mudam-se As Vontades” and “O Vento Mudou”.
Four years later, in 1999, Da Vinci released the album Momentos de Paixão. In 2003 they returned to the stage with the show “Nocturnas”.
They participated in the television program “Diz que É uma Espécie de Réveillon”, presented by the humorous group Gato Fedorento and broadcast live by RTP on New Year’s Eve 2007/2008, singing the songs “Hiroxima (Meu Amor)” and “Conquistador”, accompanied by by Portuguese ska band Banshee And Something Else We Can’t Remember.
The group is formed by the couple Pedro Luís Neves (composer, producer, keyboards and vocals) and Iei-Or (pseudonym of the real name singer Maria Manuela Neves; main voice and lyrics). Over time, other names have passed, such as João Heitor, Fernando António dos Santos and Ricardo Landum.
