Eurovision 2024 Archives - Page 5 of 24

Malmö Messages: returning artists, strong women and underwear

Iceland is represented this year, 14 years after her participation in 2010, by Hera Björk. This time, she sings “Scared of Heights”. She starts on a sort of black platform. She has swapped her reddish-brown dress for a golden one with fringes. She is alone on stage without dancers. We see lots of lasers in the background. It seems like Hera is mainly focusing on singing. Given her past experiences, that will undoubtedly be good. And Hera is impressed, as she told us: “It was fantastic! It’s much bigger and more professional than in 2010”. Photo: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett After the Irish witch comes a song about a witch from Slovenia. That is to say: Veronika really existed and was accused of witchcraft. Raiven sings about her being a powerful woman. She wears a silver bodysuit. Those who know the music video will recognize a lot. She starts off sitting and adds a lot of drama to the whole performance. She is surrounded by five dancers; and no, they are not naked, but wearing a skin-colored bodysuit. photo: EBU/Corinne Cumming Windows95man and Henri Piispanen show more or less the same act for Finland with “No Rules” as they did during UMK. Henri in denim and Windows95man in his underwear and then in a still not very revealing denim. The difference is that the Windows 95 logo is now blurred. It’s still advertising, and that’s just not allowed. Although he sings about the absence of rules, he still has to follow the rules. “I was nervous at first, but the more we performed the better it went. I burned my sock from the fireworks, so it was even quite dangerous. But it’s nice to be in Malmö and rehearse with all the professional technical stuff”. Photo: EBU/Corinne Cumming Also returning: Natalia Barbu. We have to go all the way back to 2007 for her last participation. Now she sings “In the Middle” for Moldova. Interestingly, she hasn’t brought the ladies who were around her during the national final. According to sources, that would be a matter of money. So Natalia is alone on the stage now. We see butterflies and blossoms at the LED screens. During the part with the violin, wings are shown on the LED screen, making it seem like Natalia is an angel. photo: EBU/Corinne Cumming in collaboration with Eurovision Artists

Malmö Messages: orange light, cats and more demons

Even after the lunch break, there were new and fresh rehearsals, with even one, or perhaps two, favorites for the final victory taking the stage. We started with Ukraine. Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil sing for that country about Teresa & Maria. They bask in orange light. Alyona wears a high ponytail and a wide silver-gray coat, Jerry has her hair loose and wears a beige-like dress. We also see Jerry standing on some sort of wooden stump. Both ladies perform both individually and facing each other. Because Ukraine is currently in fifth place for a final victory, this is an entry to pay extra attention to. The Polish Luna sings “The Tower.” Luna tries to rectify the mistakes she made in the past; she shows that in the music video. Anyone who watches the video carefully might recognize this story in her current performance. She wears a white top with red dots on the shoulders. Here again, a demon emerges, in this case, one from the past. Luna stands on two towers, between which she later stands. As she does so, she is dressed like the demon. The moon is depicted in the graphics. Croatia was long number 1 with the bookmakers. Baby Lasagna is now number 2 with “Rim Tim Tagi Dim.” In the same traditional clothing with puffed sleeves that we already know from him, Baby Lasagna appears on stage. The act is a fine-tuning of what we have already seen during the Croatian pre-selection. At the end of the act, we see three dancers dressed as cats. An entry to keep a close eye on. in collaboration with Eurovision Artists.

Malmö messages: a lot of blue light, smoke and a demon

photos: EBU Today, the time has finally come: rehearsals in Malmö have begun. We had to gather our information from various sources because the reports are on Reddit, the photos on Instagram, and the videos on TikTok. All of this is to make it user-friendly for the fans. We at Eurovision Artists have compiled everything for you in one place. Silia Kapsis represents Cyprus and will open the first semifinal. When Silia performs, there is a lot of movement during her song “Liar,” that much is clear. She is accompanied by 4 dancers, but at the end, she appears to be standing alone, as far as we can see. There is also a dance break in this song. Silia wears a white top and white flared trousers during this first rehearsal. She starts in red light and ends with blue lighting. Serbia is represented by Teya Dora with the ballad “Ramonda.” If you know her music video, you won’t find many surprises in Teya’s performance. She is situated among rocks, and the smoke machine is heavily used during this performance. The graphics depict clouds, stars, and lightning. Teya Dora wears a dark gray glitter top and light trousers. Third is Silvester Belt; he will sing “Luktelk” entirely in Lithuanian for Lithuania. Silvester starts as a silhouette on a blue background. Then there is a lot of red: Silvester is dressed in red leather, and the graphics are also red. The dancers, dressed in black for a change, wear masks. Actually, there isn’t much different from the national final. Then we have Bambie Thug, who will represent Ireland. Bambie starts seated in their song “Doomsday Blue,” with a white-painted face and everything else black. The artist wears a black dress. Bambie starts sitting down. Then candles are lit, and a kind of demon appears on stage, seemingly grabbing them. The graphics, according to Reddit, depict “Crown the Witch.” Whether this text appears on screen or is portrayed is not clear. What is clear, without us having seen Bambie Thug perform, is that we can trust them to make theater. You’ll notice that we don’t discuss the singing abilities of the artists. We don’t have access to that information, and if we rely on eurovision.tv, everything is fantastic.

Sightseeing Malmö during the Eurovison Song Contest 2024.

Are you looking for some tips to explore Malmö 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.

🇱🇹 Silvester Belt shows his emotions

At Eurovision In Concert in Amsterdam, our reporter Kal managed to talk to Silvester Belt. He will represent Lithuania in this years Eurovision Song Contest. The two were talking about London and why the performance there was so special. They talked about Silvester being no. 1 in the charts, about his youth and the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Silvester showed he is a man with emotions. Enjoy the video!

🇳🇱 Joost Klein: There’s no Eurovision simulator yet

At Eurovision In Concert in Amsterdam, our reporter Kal managed to talk to Joost Klein. He will represent The Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest. Kal and Joost were talking about Fortnite, a Eurovision simulator and about Joost’s friends. Joost also mentions his favourite part of the song, and they talk about Käärijä. Enjoy the video!

🇨🇿 Aiko: I am spiritual

At Eurovision In Concert in Amsterdam, our reporter Kal managed to talk to Aiko. She will represent Czechia in the Eurovision Song Contest. The two talked about the revamp of Aiko’s song “Pedestal”, about her album “Fortune’s Child” and the reactions on her song, and about spirituality. Oh and Kal had a good advice for her on her sour throat. So… here’s the interview:

🇸🇪 Marcus and Martinus: It’s a dream come true

Last Saturday, our reporter Kal was able to talk to Marcus and Martinus, the Swedish representatives in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. They talked about Loreen, about the difference between their songs “Air” and “Unforgettable”, the difference between the two of them and so much more. Anxious about the interview? Yes of course you are. So… here it is!

🇸🇪 Producers get more choice in running order

Changes Last March it was announced that some major changes would happen in Malmö. The first change was the announcement that the big five will show their full performance in the semi-finals. The second change was about voting. From this year, fans can vote as soon as the first artist enters the stage in the final. Draw Now the third change has been announced by the EBU: the starting order of the final will be determined in a new way. Before 2013, the starting places were always decided by a draw. In the past ten years it was decided only whether the artists would perform in the first or second half of the final. The show’s producers then determined where in the first or second half the acts would ultimately perform. Producer’s Choice Host channel SVT has revealed that 25 of the 26 artists in the final (Sweden has already drawn position 1) can pick first half, second half or ‘Producer’s Choice’ in a random draw. This means that if an artist draws ‘Producer’s Choice’, the show’s producers can place that song anywhere in the first or second half of the running order. There are six places to draw for the first half, six places for the second half and 13 places for the ‘Producer’s Choice’. Christer Björkman The reason for the change is to give the producers even more to make all the songs in the grand finale stand out and create the most exciting running order possible. Christer Björkman, this year’s competition producer, explains more about the reasons for the change: “It’s about creating the best possible TV show and giving all artists the chance to shine. In years, only with the first half and second half draws you could notice that many ballads ended up in the same part of the show or that many favorites were drawn to perform in the same half. By adding the flexibility of Producer’s Choice, I can create an even better flow of different tempos and an even more exciting grand finale.”

🇳🇱 Road To Malmö: The Netherlands

We can not wait for the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö. Therefore, we have a closer look at one of the contestants every day. Today: The Netherlands. Joost Klein Joost Klein, known simply as Joost, is a versatile Dutch musician, writer, and former YouTuber born on November 10, 1997, in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. Growing up in Britsum, he faced early hardships, losing both parents during his school years. Joost first gained attention through his YouTube channel, EenhoornJoost, launched at the age of 10. Joost’s music career accelerated with his single “Bitches,” which quickly amassed a million views. He briefly signed with the label Top Notch, but soon established his own label, releasing his influential album “Albino” in 2019. His mixtape “Scandinavian Boy” and collaborations like “M van Marketing” with Donnie have further cemented his reputation in the music industry. In 2020, he released “Joost Klein 7,” featuring international artists like Canadian rapper bbno$. His album, “Fryslân,” reflects deep personal themes and includes collaborations with diverse artists. Joost continues to make significant strides in music, evidenced by his hit “Friesenjung” in Germany. Joost was chosen to represent the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song “Europapa.” Friesland Joost Klein is from Friesland and is proud to show that; we learned that from a.o. his song “Friesenjung”. Friesland is a special province in the northern part of the Netherlands, known for its unique culture and language. The people there speak Frisian, which is one of the oldest languages in Europe, alongside Dutch. Friesland is famous for its beautiful landscapes, including vast lakes, canals, and green pastures, making it a great place for boating, skating, and cycling. The capital of Friesland is Leeuwarden, a city rich in history with lovely old buildings and canals. Friesland is also known for the Elfstedentocht, a famous long-distance skating event that takes place on the frozen canals connecting eleven historical cities, but only when the ice is thick enough. This province has a strong sense of identity and pride in its heritage, evident in its festivals, traditional sports like Frisian handball, and horse breeding, especially the black Friesian horse, known worldwide for its beauty and grace. The Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest The very first Eurovision song ever, the opening song in the 1956 contest, was a Dutch one: Jetty Paerl‘s “De vogels van Holland”. Only one year later, Corry Brokken took the trophy to the Netherlands with her “Net als toen”. In 1959, it was Teddy Scholten who won the contest with “Een beetje”. Lenny Kuhr was one of the four winners of 1969 with her “Troubadour”, while Teach In won in 1975 with their song “Ding-a-dong”. After this, the Netherlands had to wait for 44 years for a new victory. But it happened in 2019: Duncan Laurence won the contest with his “Arcade”. Other top-3 entries were “I see a star” by Mouth & MacNeal (1974) and “Calm after the storm” by The Common Linnets (2014). Duncan Laurence, EBU/Andres Putting The Bookmakers Currently, Joost’s “Europapa” is no. 5 in the odds to win the Grand Final. However, the bookmakers also expect him to win the 2nd semifinal. If we follow the bookies, we can safely say that The Netherlands will do well in the current contest. The song And this is the song: