Today is already the 2nd day of the rehearsals. What to expect today? After Sweden, we have another favourite in the contest today: Finland. But there is more: 11.30-12.00 Israel12.10-12.40 Azerbaijan12.50-13.20 Czechia13.30-14.00 The Netherlands15.10-15.40 Finland15.50-16.20 Denmark16.30-17.00 Armenia17.10-17.40 Romania17.50-18.20 Belgium18.30-19.00 Cyprus
We’ve had the second half of today’s rehearsals. Here is what we saw and heard today. photo credits: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett/Corinne Cummings Ireland Spotlights are on Conor, the singer of Wild Youth. He has a rock gold catsuit with flares. There are stairs on stage. And there will be pyro technics. A lot of sparkles are visible by the end of the performance. Eurovision.tv is enthousiastic about the singalong capacities of the song. “Even on the first rehearsal, it’s easy to imagine the crowd in the Liverpool Arena singing along to this euphoric chorus.” Croatia As expected, the members of Let3 wear the costumes they also had in the national final. At eurovision.tv they speak about ‘high fashion hat/dress combo’s’. However, we do not reccomend you wearing this to a party. At the end of the song, they strip down to their underwear and they wave with huge missiles. On the LED-screen you see the faces of the band members. The missiles emit a shower of sparks over the Let3 members! Switzerland As in 2021 and 2022 it is Sacha Jean-Baptiste who is responsible for the Swiss staging. Where you would expect Remo Forrer alone on stage with a spotlight on it, nothing less is true. There are dancers with Remo on stage and he also dances himself. There’s also pyro technics: a short interlude of smoke and red fireworks raining down from the roof. Moldova For the second time, Pasha Parfeni enters the Eurovision stage. We saw him for the first time in 2012. He is surrounded by huge drums, a flutist and two backing singers with horned headdresses. A lot to see and a completely different act from what we saw 11 years ago. Sweden Loreen currently tops the bookmakers. She has the same act as in Melodifestivalen, herself sitting under the huge lightbox. The one from Melodifestivalen however was too heavy, so a lighter version can be seen in Liverpool. It is also lifted a little bit off the ground. The catsuit, the long nails and everything else is the same as in Melodifestivalen, including Loreen’s strong vocals.
Today, the rehearsals started. Ten countries will have their first rehearsal. No press is allowed to watch them, but EBU keeps us updated. photo credits: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett/Corinne Cummings Norway The rehearsals started with Norway. Alessandra has an act that is quite similar to what one could see at the national final, wearing black and gold with a metallic bustier, huge shoulders and a black cape. Alessandra is accompanied by four dancers having giant glo-sticks. Eurovision.tv is quite enthousiastic about the high note at the end. Malta It is clear that The Busker, representing Malta, feel better in their sweater. It is what they wear. Singer Dav jr. even changes his sweater during the performance! A lot of things happen on stage: first they are on and around a bench in a park, later you can see them in a discotheque were the word ‘DANCE’ is visible. Later they are in a red car and in a small room with a sofa. Note that there are also cardboard cutouts of former Maltese participants like Destiny, Glen Vella and Chiara. Serbia Also the Serbian act looks the same as in the national final: Luke Black starts singing from a huge shell/bed. The four dancers are connected to she shell with long hoses. There’s smoke coming out of the hoses at the end. Eurovision.tv is positive about the act: “With the pulsing bass and video game graphics, the whole thing is dark and surreal and hypnotic – definitely a performance viewers won’t forget.” Latvia Panic in the Latvian delegation: the members of Sudden Lights are here, but their luggage isn’t. The guys expect their luggage to still be in Germany. The airlines company told the band the problem will be solved soon. However, the planned costumes could not be worn on stage today. The staging almost looks the same as during the national final. They perform as a band, with the drums on stage. They are surrounded by big lamps. The colours are quite dark, although we don’t know what the band members are going to wear. Portugal Portugal has chosen not to do a similar act as in the national final. Mimicat is performing with four dancers. The colour red remains however. The dress Mimicat herself is wearing is entirely made of feathers. The backing dancers are wearing red too. Eurovision.tv reporters are very much impressed by Mimicat’s strong voice. “This is a classy cabaret crowd-pleaser and the final note is HUGE.”, they say. in collaboration with Eurovision Artists
Today, the rehearsals start. Wanna know if your country rehearses today? Eurovision Universe keeps you updated! 11.30 – 12.00 Norway12.10 – 12.40 Malta12.50 – 13.20 Serbia13.30 – 14.00 Latvia15.10 – 15.40 Portugal15.50 – 16.20 Ireland16.30 – 17.00 Croatia17.10 – 17.40 Switzerland17.50 – 18.20 Moldova18.30 – 19.00 Sweden
“Eurovision fans are so loving and passionate”, Sudden Lights say. That is a nice compliment! They also talk about what the best restaurant is, which musical stile inspired them and how they got the name Sudden Lights. Oh and they show our reporter Kal what they do before going on stage. Again, the video is worth it!
We can not wait for the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Therefore, we have a closer look at one of the contestants every day. Today: Australia. Voyager Australia internally chose Voyager as their representants. The band composed the song “Promise” themselves, while band member Daniel Estrin wrote the lyrics. Voyager is an Australian progressive metal band hailing from Perth, Western Australia. The band was formed in 1999 by guitarist Simone Dow and bassist Mark De Vattimo. Voyager quickly gained a following in the local metal scene with their unique blend of melodic, symphonic, and progressive elements. In 2003, Voyager released their debut album, “Element V,” which was well-received by critics and fans alike. The album showcased the band’s technical proficiency and songwriting abilities, and helped establish them as one of the premier progressive metal acts in Australia. Over the years, Voyager has continued to release critically acclaimed albums, including “uniVers” (2007), “The Meaning of I” (2011), “V” (2014), “Ghost Mile” (2017), and “Colours in the Sun” (2019). The band’s sound has evolved over time, incorporating electronic and pop influences into their metal framework. In 2022 Voyager took part in Eurovision – Australia decides, the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. They were pretty close to winning with their song “Dreamer“: they were the winners of the televote. They became the overall runner up. Voyager has also gained international recognition, touring extensively throughout Europe, the UK, Asia, and North America. They have shared the stage with renowned acts such as Devin Townsend, Opeth, Nightwish, and Children of Bodom. Australians participating for other countries The first Australian participant Guy Sebastian was not the first ever Australian artist participating. That honour went to Olivia Newton-John, who participated for the United Kingdom in 1974, getting a 4th place. In 1996 she was followed by Gina G, also for the United Kingdom, getting an 8th place. Furthermore, we saw the German band Texas Lightning competing in 2006. Singer Jane Comerford was also from Australia. And let’s not forget: although he is Irish, mr. Eurovision himself Johnny Logan was born in Australia! Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest Australian singer Jessica Mauboy was a special guest in the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest. She performed in the 2nd semifinal, because Australia watched the contest already since 1983. A year later, when the 60th contest was held, Australia could take part for one time. Guy Sebastian sang “Tonight again”. But in the end, it wasn’t a one-time experience: Australia never went away from Eurovision anymore. The best score was for Dami Im in 2016. Her “Sound of silence” became 2nd. Also remarkable: Kate Miller-Heidtke won her semifinal with the song “Zero gravity” in 2019. However, in the final she became 9th. Bookmakers Australia currently has a 14th place in the betting odds. That means at least the country will make it to the final; a tradition, they only failed to do so on one occasion so far. The song And of course, this is the song:
We can not wait for the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Therefore, we have a closer look at one of the contestants every day. Today: Lithuania. Monika Linkytė Monika Linkytė won the national selection in Lithuania. Her song is called “Stay”. She wrote and composed the song together with Krists Indrišonoks and Jānis Jačmenkins. Monika Linkytė was born in 1992. Already at a young age she started singing. She took part in the Lithuanian final of the 2007 Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Monika also participated in the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2010, 2011 and 2014. She took part in the New Wave contest in Jūrmala too in 2014. In the same year she participated in The Voice Lithuania. In 2015 she represented Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest in duet with Vaidas Baumila.After Eurovision, she released an album, “Walk with me”. Probably her most popular single was “Po dangum“. Monika kept on releasing singles. “Stay” is currently a big hit in Lithuania. Interview for Eurovision Universe Our reporter Kal did an interview with Monika. You can watch it here: Pabandom iš naujo! The national final in Lithuania is called Pabandom iš naujo! (Let’s try again!). That is the name of the contest since 2020. With the exception of the first participation in 1994, Lithuania has always had a national final. A returning name again and again is Aistė Pilvelytė. She took part in 1999 for the first time and her most recent participation was in 2023. Another remarkable participant was Lolita Zero. She participated in 2017 when her “Get frighten” reached the final. In 2022 she did it again with “Not your mother”. Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest Lithuania first took part in 1994. Ovidijus Vyšniauskas was the first one to do the job but did not receive any point at all. Lithuania took a break after this disappointment. The country came back in 1999 with Aistė Smilgevičiūtė and her “Strazdas”. So far, Lithuania never reached the top-5. Their best score was in 2006, when LT United sang “We are the winners” and reached a 6th place. The Roop also did a good job, as their “Discoteque” became 8th. Bookmakers Currently, Lithuania is 28th in the betting odds. However, if we look at the semifinal odds, Lithuania is 6th and will thus reach the final. Let’s hope for the country and for the singer this will happen. The song And of course, this is the song:
Are you looking for some tips to explore Liverpool during the Eurovision Song Contest season? Look no further, we’ve got you covered! We’ll break down the city so you can make the most out of your stay.
Our reporter Kal spoke to French contestant La Zarra. The two spoke about the similarities between Montreal and Amsterdam, about Moroccan food, about how the song was written and about the lyrics. “You have to be the first to believe in yourself” is an advice La Zarra gives. Watch the whole interview, as again it is more than worth it.
We can not wait for the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Therefore, we have a closer look at one of the contestants every day. Today: Albania. Albina and Familja Kelmendi Albina and Familja Kelmendi were chosen to represent Albania. Their song is “Duje”, which means “Love it”. The song is written by Eriona Rushiti and composed by Enis Mulaj. Albina was born in Peja, Kosovo (then part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia). She studied clarinet and piano at a music school in her hometown and began performing with her family under the name Family Band. She became famous in 2014, when she was runner-up in the fourth season of The Voice of Albania. A year later, she took part in the twelfth edition of Top Fest, where she presented the song “Nuk ka ma mirle”. In June 2022, Albina Kelmendi released her debut album, “Nana loke”. In December of the same year, she participated in the 61st Song Festival, where she presented the song “Duje” together with her family. They were chosen to represent Albania. Festivali i Këngës Although Albania debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004, their national selection Festivali i Këngës already excists since 1962. It is a national songcontest, held in the last week of the year. Famous and almost legendary is Vaçe Zela (1939-2014). This singer/songwriter won Festivali i Këngës no less than 11 times!! In the years when Albania was a dictatorship, the festival was used a lot of times for propaganda. In 1972, dictator Enver Hoxha was critical of the festival and its organizers, accusing them of promoting decadent Western values and being enemies of the people. He believed that the festival was not promoting authentic Albanian culture and was instead catering to foreign influences. The organizers of the festival were prosecuted for this.Since 2003, the winner of Festival i Këngës goes to Eurovision the next year, with the exception of 2014. Because a disagreement arose between the composer of “Diell” and the Albanian broadcaster, the former withdrew the song for Eurovision participation. Singer Elhaida Dani then got another song for the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. In 2022, for the first time the winner did not go to Eurovision 2023. Albina and her family were chosen as representants by a special televoting jury. Statue of Vaçe Zela, Wikimedia Commons Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest As said, Albania took part in the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 2004. Anjeza Shahini was immediately successful. She reached the final with “The image of you” and was placed 7th there. It was one of only two Albanian entries that managed to get into the top-10. The other one was “Suus” by Rona Nishliu in 2012: she was 5th. The emotional ballad got an extra touch after 13 students and the driver of their bus died in a car accident inHimarë, in the south of Albania. It felt like Rona brought the sadness of her country on stage. Bookmakers Currently, Albania is 37th and last at the betting odds. Let’s hope for the country and for Albina and her family that this is not gonna happen. The song And of course, this is the song: