1st semifinal overview

Of course we first see beautiful images of the Netherlands. The tiny house already plays a role. After Duncan Laurence has opened with a new song, the four presenters welcome you; three in a dark dress or suit, Chantal in yellow.

Lithuania: Yellow suits no one; but there are exceptions. Just try doing with your fingers what the guys from The Roop do. They are dancing, but not alone. We are sure of a place in the final for the yellow men.

Slovenia: “Amen”: this is not the last prayer you will hear. But Ana Soklic shows that she has a strong voice. She is a woman of the world: you can see that on the LED screens behind her. Unfortunately the final might be one bridge to far for her, we think.

Russia: You cannot miss it: Mazinha is a Russian woman. If you think she is going to perform the same trick as Linda Wagenmakers did: keep looking, she is doing something different. Mazinha will definitely reach the final.

Sweden: If you follow Melodifestivalen you will, as usual, see not much new things. But people who were concerned about Tusse’s voice can rest assured: there is nothing wrong with that. Tusse goes straight to the final.

Australia: The story is known, Montaigne is not in Rotterdam. You don’t notice that. Her performance is in every way a lot stronger than anything we’ve seen of her before. However, we think it’ll be tough for Montaigne to reach the final.

North Macedonia: Vasil comes with a ballad. And then half of the viewers say “wow, beautiful”, and the other half “boring”. But “Here I stand” suddenly means something completely different now that Vasil came out as gay in public two weeks ago. We are pretty sure that it’s not gonna help him to a place in the final.

And then Nikkie de Jager comes to update us on everything that has happened online in recent weeks. Then Edsilia Rombley talks to us from the greenroom, after which the show continues.

Ireland: Ireland does not use LED screens but cardboard. Two particularly handsome ladies serve all those pieces of cardboard in the Irish act. Yes, as a TV viewer you miss that part. She impresses by running the set, and empathizes with it so that it actually sounds like she is out of breath. It’s not impossible for Ireland to reach the final. It’ll be hard however.

Cyprus: Elena Tsagrinou sings that she likes menthe wrong men. If you think she’s breaking the rules by having a lot more than six people on stage, no, she works with mirrors. For a moment it was rumored that Lady Gaga would perform at the Eurovision song contest: not, but Elena comes close with her song. Cyprus will go to the final, no doubt about it.

Norway: Another bunch of demons, but now with an angel in the middle. But that one is a fallen angel. One with a special story, as you can read here. We do not know TIX personally, but he has stolen our hearts because of ihis openness. It will definitely bring him the final.

Croatia: Croatia works with holograms. Or did you really think they cloned Albina? The song has everything to make it to the final, but then Albina has to sing it well. And we haven’t really heard her do that until now. Reaching the final will be tough, but not impossible.

Belgium: You could expect it: Hooverphonic is not in for a puppet show and therefore puts down a more down to earth act. As a result, Geike Arnaert’s strong vocals come out all the better. Not making concessions could just result in something beautiful. One of the editors of Eurovision Universe has already promised to eat his shoe if Belgium does not make it to the final. We think that will very well be possible.

Israel: We can only say that Eden Alene is doing her best. Yet “Set me free” is not an entry that stands out from the rest. Eden sings a very high note: great that she does that, but it is not necessarily beautiful. The final is probably very far away for Eden.

And then we are going to look at Måns Zelmerlow, who will be interviewed by Chantal Janzen.

Romania: And then Roxen suddenly wears something different than during all rehearsals: a red and white blouse with ruffles and ditto skirt. Roxen has certainly made progress in the past week, but beautiful singing is something else in our humble opinions. No final this year for Romania.

Azerbaijan: The Azerbaijan delegation knows how to throw a party on stage. Fortunately, because let’s say it carefully: “Mata Hari” is not their strongest entry ever musically. Mata Hari means “eye of the day”, or simply sun. This can be seen in their act. See you in the final on saturday Azerbaijan.

Ukraine: If you are wondering what a forest would look like after a nuclear disaster, Go_A will show you. There are outspoken fans of this entry, but also outspoken opponents. Whether you like it or not, Ukraine show us a great performance.

Malta: With Destiny you don’t have to worry about her voice: it is always good. She now wears a silver-colored suit and ditto boots: she has changed that quite often in recent days. The song is still a swinging song. Malta jumps into the final without any doubt.

Then we can enjoy Davina Michelle singing the song “The power of water”, supported by actress Thekla Reuten. In addition, images of waterland in the Netherlands are added. Don’t go to the toilet now, but keep watching, because it is spectacular! When the lines are closed and the votes are counted we will see the countries that are automatically placed for the final.

Italy: You see a glam rock band, but that is not exactly what you hear. Rock it is. Opinions can be divided into “loud noise” and “great”. Something in between doesn’t seem possible. The group has chosen not to do too many crazy things that they otherwise don’t. Perhaps that is why the bookies are now talking about an Italian victory.

Germany: The German Eurovision committee must have had a brainstorm about what we had not yet seen in Eurovision. “Eureka!” Someone shouted, “A walking middle finger!”. It was not allowed, which is why it became a walking peace sign. Anyone who thinks that singer Jendrik plays a role as a brisky man got it wrong: he really is like that.

Netherlands: There has been a lot of criticism of Jeangu Macrooy and his entry “Birth of a new age”. The performance he puts down is, however, very strong. His voice is praised in the virtual press center, the Surinamese text is fantastic according to them and some even see Jeangu finish in the top 10. To be clear: it is not Dutch people who say that! And then there is the time for the results. With conspicuously small flags and the names of the countries written quite large, the ten finalists are lined up one by one. Which 10 do we think they are? Well, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Lithuania, Russia, Sweden, Cyprus, Norway, Croatia, Belgium, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Malta being very happy at the end of the evening.

In cooperation with Eurovision Artists

Martijn
May 17, 2021
10:01 pm
Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus

Martijn

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This year’s Eurovision Song Contest has been won by Austria. It was the 57th Austrian entry. Reason for us to go back to all the Austrian entries in history! For Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest, part 7, we look back at the start of the 21st century. Alf Poier participated for Austria, but there were also some unsuccesful entries. And there was a 3-year gap. 2000 – The Rounder Girls – All To You Austria’s 2000 entry “All To You” was internally selected by broadcaster ORF. The song was written by American songwriter Dave Moskin. Moskin gave the three-piece vocal group The Rounder Girls an up-tempo, gospel-influenced pop track. Performing last in the Stockholm final, the trio, with members from Austria, the US and the UK, delivered slick harmonies and choreography. They finished 14th out of 24 countries with 34 points. The Rounder Girls were a seasoned soul/gospel ensemble, and their Eurovision appearance raised their profile, though Austria’s middling result meant the country sat out the contest in 2001. 2002 – Manuel Ortega – Say A Word “Say A Word” by Manuel Ortega won Austria’s “Song.Null.Zwei” 2002 national final out of ten songs. this entry was an upbeat pop song with a catchy, boy-band style hook. It was composed by Alexander Kahr with lyrics by Robert Pfluger. At Eurovision 2002 in Tallinn, Ortega performed third and Austria placed 18th (26 points) in the final. Manuel Ortega, a young pop singer, had scored a summer hit in 2001 and was nicknamed “the Austrian Ricky Martin” for his Latin pop flair. His Eurovision song’s fun choreography and positive message reflected that image, though the result was a lower mid-table finish. 2003 – Alf Poier – Weil der Mensch zählt ORF organized the “Song.Null.Drei” 2003 selection. Petra Frey (ESC 1994) was the runner up. Comedian-singer Alf Poier triumphed with “Weil der Mensch zählt”. Poier penned this satirical song himself. Musically it’s a quirky folk-pop tune delivered in Styrian dialect. The performance, complete with cartoonish animal props, was a parody of Eurovision’s over-the-top style. At the Riga contest, this offbeat entry surprised many by scoring 6th place with 101 points. Alf Poier, an Austrian stand-up comedian known for absurdist humor, thus earned Austria’s best Eurovision result in over a decade. His comedic approach and catchy refrain turned him into a fan favorite that year. 2004 – Tie Break – Du bist Austria’s national final “Song.Null.Vier” chose Tie Break’s “Du bist” for Eurovision 2004. Waterloo & Robinson (ESC 1976!) were the runners up. Note that a song, written by popstar Falco, participated too. So posthumously, Falco did a Eurovision attempt!Written by composer Peter Zimmermann, “Du bist” is a tender schlager-style pop ballad performed in German. 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History

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This year’s Eurovision Song Contest has been won by Austria. It was the 57th Austrian entry. Reason for us to go back to all the Austrian entries in history! For Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest, part 8, we look back at the more recent years. Austria was back in the race, with even a victory for Conchita Wurst. Austria was a significant factor during this period. 2012 – Trackshittaz “Woki mit deim Popo” Trackshittaz – a hip-hop duo known for their tongue-in-cheek “tractor gangster party rap” style – represented Austria at Eurovision 2012 with the song “Woki mit deim Popo”. The upbeat track was performed in an Austrian dialect. It was co-written by the duo’s members Lukas Plöchl and Manuel Hoffelner. They earned their spot by winning the national final “Österreich rockt den Song Contest” 2012. They narrowly won the contest. Conchita Wurst was the runner up. Despite a lively stage show, the entry failed to qualify for the final, placing 18th in its semi-final with only 8 points. 2013 – Natália Kelly “Shine” Teenage singer Natália Kelly competed for Austria at Eurovision 2013. Her song was the mid-tempo pop song “Shine”. The track was co-written by Kelly along with songwriters Andreas Grass, Nikola Paryla and Alexander Kahr. She secured her Eurovision spot by winning Austria’s national selection in 2013 out of five entries. Performing first on the night of the semi-final in Malmö, “Shine” unfortunately did not advance to the final. It finished 14th out of 16 entries with 27 points. 2014 – Conchita Wurst “Rise Like a Phoenix” Conchita Wurst, the drag stage persona of singer Tom Neuwirth, was internally selected to represent Austria at Eurovision 2014. Her power ballad “Rise Like a Phoenix” was a dramatic orchestral pop song, reminiscent of a James Bond theme. It was composed by an international team including Charlie Mason, Joey Patulka, Alexander “Ali” Zuckowski and Julian Maas. In Copenhagen, Conchita delivered a show-stopping performance with powerful vocals and theatrical flair. The entry captivated Europe and won the contest, earning Austria 1st place with 290 points in the Grand Final. This was the country’s first Eurovision victory since 1966. 2015 – The Makemakes “I Am Yours” The Makemakes were an Austrian pop-rock band. They won the national final “Wer singt für Österreich?” 2015 to become the host country’s Eurovision act in Vienna. Their entry “I Am Yours” was a soulful, piano-driven ballad co-written by the band members together with American songwriter-producer Jimmy Harry. Despite a visually striking staging (including a burning fake piano mid-song), Austria’s home entry failed to win over voters. The Makemakes finished 26th (last) in the 2015 Grand Final with 0 points. This was marking the first time a host nation ever scored “nul points” at Eurovision. 2016 – Zoë “Loin d’ici” Zoë Straub, performing simply as Zoë, represented Austria in 2016 with “Loin d’ici,” a rare French-language song for the country. The track is an upbeat, whimsical electropop tune co-written by Zoë and her father Christof Straub. She earned her Eurovision spot by winning Austria’s national selection (“Wer singt für Österreich? 2016”) in a televised final. Zoë won out of five finalists. At the contest in Stockholm, Zoë charmed the audience and qualified for the Grand Final, where she placed 13th with 151 points. 2017 – Nathan Trent “Running on Air” Nathan Trent, an emerging singer-songwriter, was internally selected by ORF to compete for Austria at Eurovision 2017. His entry “Running on Air” was an upbeat pop song with an optimistic message. The song was written by Nathan himself along with co-writer Bernhard Penzias. Trent’s performance in the second semi-final earned Austria a spot in the Grand Final. In the final held in Kyiv, he finished in 16th place with a total of 93 points. 2018 – Cesár Sampson “Nobody But You” Cesár Sampson is a seasoned vocalist and played a key role in Bulgaria’s successful Eurovision entries in 2016 and 2017. In 2018, ORF internally chose him to represent Austria. His song “Nobody But You” blends gospel and soul influences with contemporary pop. Sampson co-wrote the track with the Symphonix International team: Borislav Milanov, Sebastian Arman, Joacim Persson and Johan Alkenäs. On the Lisbon stage, Sampson delivered a confident and controlled performance. As a result, he achieved one of Austria’s strongest results of the decade. He finished third in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 final with 342 points and even topped the jury vote.

December 28, 2025 No Comments