What can we expect and who will win tomorrow?

After a film with, again, beautiful images of the Netherlands, and yes, a role for Duncan Laurence, we go to the flag parade. DJ Pieter Gabriel accompanies the artists musically with his own adaptation of the worldwide hit “Venus” by Shocking Blue, also a hit from Dutch soil. Presenters Edsilia Rombley, Jan Smit and Chantal Janzen sing the song.

We open with Cyprus; often an uptempo pop song is chosen to open, this year too. Albania takes the cursed second place. However, Albania is not one of the potential winners anyway, so the second place remains where it is. Israel follows; she once bursted out in tears when the Eurovision song contest was canceled, but now Eden Alene is in the final, followed by Belgium. Hopefully Hooverphonic will remain in peoples memories in the beginning of the broadcast. The advantage is that the song may stand out even more after an uptempo song. However, Russia follows with a striking act and then Malta. What that does to Malta’s chances is a big question mark, but it is not favorable. Certainly not because Portugal will follow after Malta; they are the surprise of the contest. We wouldn’t even be surprised if Portugal ends up very high; The Black Mamba isn’t Salvador Sobral, but still. The end of the first block is formed by Serbia; The fact that the three ladies are through to the final was no surprise, but it will probably not be much more there. Or is Serbia lucky that all other countries of the former Yugoslavia are not there?

While advertisements are watched in some countries, the rest of Europe sees Nikkie Tutorials showcasing three winners of the #Eurovisionchallenge. Valentina, who won the junior Eurovision this year, will also say something. Emmelie De Forrest, Jamala and Duncan Laurence talk about their trophy. After that, Chantal Janzen and Jan Smit will make an appeal to share your photo of how you watch the Eurovision song contest.

The second block is opened by the United Kingdom. That is usually not something to be happy about. People are still refilling the glasses or sitting on the toilet. By the way, yesterday in the Dutch tv-show Op1 you could see how British journalists are already busy putting the blame for a low score apart from themselves, even before the contest is over. However, the UK entry is completely insignificant to Greece that performes next. Greenscreen is certainly not new, but it is smart to use it. In quality, however, the Greek entry is far surpassed by that of Switzerland. According to many, one of the strongest voices of the festival. Still, the song may soumd a little too much like “Arcade” to be a winner. Also a top song, possibly even a winner, is Iceland. Would it give Daði og Gagnamagnið sympathy votes that they are not allowed to be present live? The Icelandics are in any case followed by the not too strong entry from Spain, although, to be honest, it must be said that the singing of Blas Cantó improves with each rehearsal. Moldova will then take office. But it is still doubtful whether the name of Filipp Kirkorov (composer) will be good for a high score. Germany is a “love it or hate it” entry that can go in any direction. And after a song about a middle finger, the director has chosen to put the other middle finger song right after it. The song from Finland turned out to have a lot of fans yesterday. Whether it helps them on the scoreboard? We’ll know tomorrow night.

And then we see Edsilia Rombley at the top of the comment booths to chitchat with various commentators. Chantal Janzen and Jan Smit refer to the time when there was still a live orchestra. They promise an orchestra with a top DJ.

In the meantime, Bulgaria is ready with Victoria on her rock. Another strong entry. Then we see Lithuania again. At the bookies, the yellow-clad men have fallen somewhat; not because they are not good, perhaps because a large number of countries have an even stronger entry.

And then Chantal Janzen announces Duncan Laurence, who speaks to the viewer in a video. Why so soon? Well, it gives the crew time to prepare the scenery of Ukraine.

A trip, as Dutch commentator Sander Lantinga called the entry. of Ukraine We can imagine why. It would not surprise anyone if Ukraine ends up in the top of the rankings. Immediately after that, another top favorite follows: France. Take a good look, because this could well be the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. To be honest, the entry from Azerbaijan is fairly insignificant. Anyway, the King’s Commissioner in Friesland Arno Brok and Mayor of Leeuwarden Sybrand Buma give a voting advice: stim Azerbaijan (vote Azerbaijan, but in Frisian language). It doesn’t seem to be a coincidence, but after Azerbaijan, Norway will perform. All week, something seems to be going on between the Azerbaijani Efendi and the Norwegian TIX. It is very worthy to lsearch for #efentix.

Then NikkieTutorials and Edsilia Rombley take the floor and announce some entre-acts and… the entry of the Netherlands. Jeangu Macrooy is praised for his cast-iron voice. He seems to slightly do better among bookmakers. But after the Netherlands, another top favorite (there are quite a lot this year) follows: Italy. Would the glam rock-leaning group win the Eurovision song contest? We do not consider it impossible. Sweden is not one of this year’s top favorites. The entry is just not strong enough for a top score. Finally we see San Marino. And then the rule of applies: world stars do NOT win the Eurovision song contest. Whether it’s Cliff Richard, t.A.T.u., DJ Bobo or Bonnie Tyler, it doesn’t work. A high position is definitely not impossible, San Marino will break its own record for sure.

Then a spectacular entre act:follows: a classical orchestra of toung people and Afrojack accompany Wulf and Glennis Grace while they sing under the title “Music binds us”. We see images of people in Rotterdam, but the song and music come from the Erasmus Bridge.

NikkieTutorials comes again with a section of Eurovision Tutorials about the voting. Then she shows us images of how the festival in Ahoy is structured and how it works behind the scenes. Edsilia Rombley then meets several Eurovision winners, a film that was already shot before the Corona crisis. That is why Edsilia explicitly announces that she is hugging the former winners and not keeping a one and a half meter distance. Then we see a video in which Chantal Janzen explains how the audience has changed over the years.

And then we’re going to look at Teach In, Lenny Kuhr, Måns Zelmerlöw and Lordi. They sing from different rooftops in Rotterdam. Duncan Laurence then sings his hit “Arcade” and a new song. Not live, because he is at home with Corona, but a previously recorded rehearsal of his performance. And then…. The producers have even turned the countdown moment into something beautiful with dancers. The voting goes pretty smoothly. Of course something can go wrong, but there is no useless waiting. The scoreboard, with a lot of white, is easy to read. Edsilia and Nikkie are present in the greenroom while Jan and Chantal do the voting. Who is going to win remains uncertain for a long time, longer than ever. The bookmakers do not state a clear winner.

However, team Eurovision Universe has tried to predict the top 10. In a little more than 24 hours we know how right (or wrong) we are:

1.France
2.Italy
3.Malta
4.Switzerland
5.Ukraine
6.Bulgaria
7.Iceland
8.Portugal
9.Norway
10.Finland

photo credits: EBU

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History

70 years of Eurovision: holding up signs

The Eurovision Song Contest is celebrating its 70th anniversary. That is a wonderful milestone. We at Eurovision Universe love diving into the history of the contest. That is why we are taking a closer look at the contests of the past 70 years. 1971 Sweden, Finland, Norway, Austria, and Portugal returned. Malta made its debut. Enthused by the 1970 festival, everyone dared to give it another try. The scoring system changed drastically. Each country had two jurors; one over 25 and one under. They indicated their votes by holding up signs live on television. It all took place in Dublin, where everything was held at the Gaiety Theatre. That is not entirely true: all sorts of things happened just outside the theatre. Almost every protest group to be found in Ireland was standing there. From Irish feminists and people opposed to hunting and Irish people against color television, to an action group promoting the Irish language. They didn’t like the Eurovision Song Contest. “Very low level pop music,” one of the protesters called it when asked. The Belgian duo Nicole and Hugo were very unlucky. Although they had won the national final, the two could not travel to Dublin because Nicole contracted jaundice. They were replaced by Jacques Raymond and Lily Castel. This duo had to practice the dance steps in their hotel room. For Austria, Marianne Mendt sang in a Viennese dialect. The 15-year-old Norwegian Hanne Krogh sang her song with a small parasol. We would see her again more often in the future. And then there was Clodagh Rodgers for the United Kingdom. It wasn’t fun for her in Dublin. As a Catholic Northern Irish lady, she received many threats, including death threats. Fortunately, there is also a cheerful note about her: she and her song “Jack in the Box” starred in an episode of ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’. Séverine It was Monaco that walked away with the trophy. The French singer Séverine represented the principality. By doing so, she comfortably beat the Spanish Karina and the German Katja Ebstein. “Un banc, un arbre, une rue” was her song. The song became a huge hit, even reaching number 1 in Belgium. She also finished in the top 3 in Ireland and Norway. Séverine later participated in national finals in Germany twice more but did not win them. 1972 The same countries as in 1971 participated. The jury was now strictly guarded and was not allowed to leave Edinburgh Castle, where they awarded the points. The festival itself took place in the Usher Hall. Surprisingly, not Cathy Boyle, but Moira Shearer was the presenter. Vicky Leandros returned for Luxembourg. The Family Four represented Sweden for the second time. Tereza, who once participated for Monaco, now sang for her native country, Yugoslavia. We do not want to leave Ireland unmentioned: for the first and only time, the country sang in its regional language, Gaelic. Sandra and Andres participated for the Netherlands. They also came up with something new: they got the audience happily clapping along to their song. The duo ultimately finished fourth. The two were overtaken by Mary Roos, who participated on behalf of Germany and mainly complained that she was staying in such a cold hotel. The New Seekers were the favorites. Their song “Beg, Steal or Borrow” became an international hit. The duo representing Malta, Helen & Joseph, were promised a statue on the island if they won. Spoiler: the statue never materialized, as the two finished last. Vicky Leandros Vicky Leandros won by a considerable margin. “Après Toi” was the undisputed winner of the festival. Yves Dessca wrote the lyrics, and the composers were Klaus Munro and Mario Panas. The latter was actually secretly Leo Leandros, Vicky’s father, under a pseudonym. The story goes that Vicky had first offered the songs from her album to Germany, but the German broadcaster politely declined. She then translated all the songs into French and asked Luxembourg if they were interested. The rest is history. 1973 Austria and Malta dropped out. However, there were still 17 countries because Israel made its debut. This did mean, however, that the Nouveau Théâtre Municipal in Luxembourg was very heavily guarded. In this impregnable fortress, Helga Guitton hosted the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest. Nicole and Hugo were allowed to participate for Belgium this time. In bright purple suits, they finished last with their “Baby Baby.” They did, however, achieve immortal status with it, as the two appear in just about every compilation of Eurovision songs. The Finnish Marion Rung made a comeback, improving her own record for Finland (from seventh to sixth place). Massimo Ranieri also participated for Italy for a second time. And yes, Cliff Richard was back too. With “Power To All Our Friends,” he was once again the favorite, yet once again he failed to win. The Spanish group Mocedades also failed to do so, securing second place and a worldwide hit with their “Eres Tu.” We also do not want to leave The Nova from Sweden unmentioned. In their home country, they had defeated Abba in the national selection. At the time, the duo was still called The Malta. To avoid confusion with the country, they changed their name. The lyrics were striking, to say the least: “Oh your breasts are like swallows a nestling,” the duo sang enthusiastic. But anyway, Nicole and Hugo sang in their song “Een vrouw kan niets alleen” (A woman can do nothing alone). 1973 was not a very woman-friendly year. Anne-Marie David It was, however, the year of a girl from the Camargue who loved horses: Anne-Marie David. She participated for host country Luxembourg and she won with “Tu te reconnaîtras”. Although the entire team was French, there was still a real Luxembourgish touch to it: conductor Pierre Caó was a true Luxemburger. But whether the Luxembourg broadcaster was happy that the country won again is doubtful. Anne-Marie David would return to the Eurovision Song Contest six years later and still enjoys performing

Read More »
April 3, 2026 No Comments
History
Martijn

70 years of Eurovision: holding up signs

The Eurovision Song Contest is celebrating its 70th anniversary. That is a wonderful milestone. We at Eurovision Universe love diving into the history of the contest. That is why we are taking a closer look at the contests of the past 70 years. 1971 Sweden, Finland, Norway, Austria, and Portugal returned. Malta made its debut. Enthused by the 1970 festival, everyone dared to give it another try. The scoring system changed drastically. Each country had two jurors; one over 25 and one under. They indicated their votes by holding up signs live on television. It all took place in Dublin, where everything was held at the Gaiety Theatre. That is not entirely true: all sorts of things happened just outside the theatre. Almost every protest group to be found in Ireland was standing there. From Irish feminists and people opposed to hunting and Irish people against color television, to an action group promoting the Irish language. They didn’t like the Eurovision Song Contest. “Very low level pop music,” one of the protesters called it when asked. The Belgian duo Nicole and Hugo were very unlucky. Although they had won the national final, the two could not travel to Dublin because Nicole contracted jaundice. They were replaced by Jacques Raymond and Lily Castel. This duo had to practice the dance steps in their hotel room. For Austria, Marianne Mendt sang in a Viennese dialect. The 15-year-old Norwegian Hanne Krogh sang her song with a small parasol. We would see her again more often in the future. And then there was Clodagh Rodgers for the United Kingdom. It wasn’t fun for her in Dublin. As a Catholic Northern Irish lady, she received many threats, including death threats. Fortunately, there is also a cheerful note about her: she and her song “Jack in the Box” starred in an episode of ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’. Séverine It was Monaco that walked away with the trophy. The French singer Séverine represented the principality. By doing so, she comfortably beat the Spanish Karina and the German Katja Ebstein. “Un banc, un arbre, une rue” was her song. The song became a huge hit, even reaching number 1 in Belgium. She also finished in the top 3 in Ireland and Norway. Séverine later participated in national finals in Germany twice more but did not win them. 1972 The same countries as in 1971 participated. The jury was now strictly guarded and was not allowed to leave Edinburgh Castle, where they awarded the points. The festival itself took place in the Usher Hall. Surprisingly, not Cathy Boyle, but Moira Shearer was the presenter. Vicky Leandros returned for Luxembourg. The Family Four represented Sweden for the second time. Tereza, who once participated for Monaco, now sang for her native country, Yugoslavia. We do not want to leave Ireland unmentioned: for the first and only time, the country sang in its regional language, Gaelic. Sandra and Andres participated for the Netherlands. They also came up with something new: they got the audience happily clapping along to their song. The duo ultimately finished fourth. The two were overtaken by Mary Roos, who participated on behalf of Germany and mainly complained that she was staying in such a cold hotel. The New Seekers were the favorites. Their song “Beg, Steal or Borrow” became an international hit. The duo representing Malta, Helen & Joseph, were promised a statue on the island if they won. Spoiler: the statue never materialized, as the two finished last. Vicky Leandros Vicky Leandros won by a considerable margin. “Après Toi” was the undisputed winner of the festival. Yves Dessca wrote the lyrics, and the composers were Klaus Munro and Mario Panas. The latter was actually secretly Leo Leandros, Vicky’s father, under a pseudonym. The story goes that Vicky had first offered the songs from her album to Germany, but the German broadcaster politely declined. She then translated all the songs into French and asked Luxembourg if they were interested. The rest is history. 1973 Austria and Malta dropped out. However, there were still 17 countries because Israel made its debut. This did mean, however, that the Nouveau Théâtre Municipal in Luxembourg was very heavily guarded. In this impregnable fortress, Helga Guitton hosted the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest. Nicole and Hugo were allowed to participate for Belgium this time. In bright purple suits, they finished last with their “Baby Baby.” They did, however, achieve immortal status with it, as the two appear in just about every compilation of Eurovision songs. The Finnish Marion Rung made a comeback, improving her own record for Finland (from seventh to sixth place). Massimo Ranieri also participated for Italy for a second time. And yes, Cliff Richard was back too. With “Power To All Our Friends,” he was once again the favorite, yet once again he failed to win. The Spanish group Mocedades also failed to do so, securing second place and a worldwide hit with their “Eres Tu.” We also do not want to leave The Nova from Sweden unmentioned. In their home country, they had defeated Abba in the national selection. At the time, the duo was still called The Malta. To avoid confusion with the country, they changed their name. The lyrics were striking, to say the least: “Oh your breasts are like swallows a nestling,” the duo sang enthusiastic. But anyway, Nicole and Hugo sang in their song “Een vrouw kan niets alleen” (A woman can do nothing alone). 1973 was not a very woman-friendly year. Anne-Marie David It was, however, the year of a girl from the Camargue who loved horses: Anne-Marie David. She participated for host country Luxembourg and she won with “Tu te reconnaîtras”. Although the entire team was French, there was still a real Luxembourgish touch to it: conductor Pierre Caó was a true Luxemburger. But whether the Luxembourg broadcaster was happy that the country won again is doubtful. Anne-Marie David would return to the Eurovision Song Contest six years later and still enjoys performing

Read More »
April 3, 2026 No Comments
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