Day 3: start of the 2nd semi rehearsals

Day three of rehearsals: the second semifinal has started. Nobody knows about the stage anymore. We try to keep you informed. For the time being, we’ll stick to the nine countries that rehearsed.

FINLAND: Expectations were obviously high with a big name like The Rasmus in da’ house. In black and yellow rain gear, the stars stood on stage between huge black balloons. Eurovision.tv praises the professionalism of the band members.

ISRAEL: It was quite exciting whether Israel would participate or not. However, the security issues died down. And so Michael Ben David stood on stage in white, surrounded by his dancers. Remarkable: eurovision.tv reports that there is good singing. That has not been done so far.

SERBIA: Konstrakta’s act is little different from what we saw during the national final. She has the healthy hair of Megan Markle, which she also sings about. She washes her hands regularly. The dancers around her carry towels. Everything to stay “In corpore sano”, in a healthy body.

AZERBAIJAN: It was to be expected: Azerbaijan has a standout act. Nadir Rustamli sings from a sort of staircase that looks like a grandstand. There is also a dancer in that stand. Halfway through the act, the stand is split in two and the dancer and singer can see each other.

GEORGIA: Circus Mircus represents Georgia. And clowns belong to a circus. A singer in a leather jacket and flying goggles, a man with an eye patch and a belly organ and a bassist who seems to have borrowed the hat from the Ukrainians. That last man has a beard of flowers. Many colors can be seen on stage. Surreal is how even the official site describes it.

MALTA: Emma Muscat performs in a dress covered with silver. She is flanked by four dancers. Later during the act, she sits behind a huge piano. She also uses the so-called B-stage, just in front of the green room. The sun springs into action and gives off its golden light during this act.

SAN MARINO: You can expect a striking act from Achille Lauro. He wears body stocking, cowboy boots and hat, a black boa and he is at a red rodeo. While you’d expect that with the title “Stripper,” the clothes don’t come off. Where there is smoke there is fire: that certainly applies to this act, which ends with a lot of pyro technics.

AUSTRALIA: Of course Sheldon Reily wears his jeweled mask. Surprising is the huge white suit he is also wearing. At the bottom of the suit is a huge tow. Eurovision.tv compares it to a wedding dress that drags on the floor. It almost seems as if Sheldon is staying in the clouds.

CYPRUS: Andromache is singing in a purple dress with what looks like a huge fan behind her. The dancers move around that fan. The fan is also used to display the graphics. Different colors are visible.

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🇧🇬 DARA returns home to a hero’s welcome in Bulgaria Bulgaria celebrated its first ever Eurovision victory in style this week. On Sunday, a red carpet, a “Bangaranga” flash mob at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport, and hundreds of fans waving posters and Bulgarian flags, some dressed in traditional kukeri costumes, greeted DARA upon her arrival from Vienna.  Culture Minister Evtim Miloshev and Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev were among the officials who welcomed her. That was before she disappeared into the sea of supporters gathered at the terminal. DARA addressed the crowd with an emotional speech. She thanked her fans and called on Bulgaria to support its many talented artists. Her music producer Sania Armutlieva told BNT: “There’s no slowing down now. This is her moment.”  DARA secured victory in Vienna on May 16 with the largest winning margin in Eurovision’s 70-year history, receiving 516 points in total, including 312 from viewers. source: brnnews 🇧🇬 Kirkorov claims involvement in “Bangaranga” — co-writer and team deny it The post-contest buzz has not been without controversy. Videos circulated online after the final showing Russian singer Philipp Kirkorov discussing Bulgaria’s Eurovision performance and claiming that his team had participated in preparing DARA’s stage production. Kirkorov is a long-standing public supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to Eurovision’s official credits, Greek composer Dimitris Kontopoulos was among the writers of “Bangaranga.” Kontopoulos has an established history of collaboration with Kirkorov, having worked together on several Russian Eurovision entries in the 2010s. source:  united24media Philipp Kirkorov However, both denied Kirkorov’s involvement in this specific project. Kontopoulos told RFI on May 18 that while Kirkorov has supported him over the years, he was not involved in this particular project. Co-producer Kristian Tarcea also denied any Kirkorov involvement, stating the track was created by four contributors: himself, DARA, Kontopoulos, and a composer named Anna.  Ukrainian stage designer Nicholas Chobb, who worked on the performance, said he first learned of Kirkorov’s claims on social media and could not confirm his participation at any stage of the production process. Neither DARA nor Bulgaria’s public broadcaster BNT publicly commented on Kirkorov’s statements. source: united24media 🇧🇬 Four Bulgarian cities want to host Eurovision 2027 The race for the Eurovision 2027 host city has already begun. Bulgarian Culture Minister Evtim Miloshev confirmed that the Council of Ministers will create an organisational structure for the country’s hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest.  Sofia, Bulgaria Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas have all expressed interest in staging the event. The minister indicated that Sofia’s infrastructure gives it an advantage, but called the interest shown by three other major cities a positive sign. He said the most reasonable approach is to consider all options before making a final decision. No timeline for that decision has been announced yet. source: bnrnews 🇱🇺 🇲🇨 In memoriam: Romuald (1938–2026) The Eurovision community lost a unique figure this week. Romuald Figuier, known simply as Romuald, passed away on 14 May 2026. He was 87 years old. Born on 9 May 1938 in Saint-Pol-de-Léon, Finistère, Romuald was a French singer and composer who represented three different countries at Eurovision. He remains the only French-speaking artist to have achieved that distinction. Romuald represented Monaco in 1964 with “Où sont-elles passées?”, finishing third, then Luxembourg in 1969 with “Catherine”, and Monaco again in 1974 with “Celui qui reste et celui qui s’en va”, finishing fourth.  He began his career at the Théâtre des Variétés and later provided the French voice of George Chakiris in “Les Demoiselles de Rochefort” in 1967. Throughout his career he composed numerous songs, many in collaboration with lyricist Magali Fallourd. You can read his full biography in our encyclopedia. source: Le Figaro That’s it for this week’s Eurovision Universe weekly update. Stay tuned for more Eurovision 2026 and Eurovision 2027 news as it develops.

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Eurovision 2026
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Weekly Update 1

🇧🇬 DARA returns home to a hero’s welcome in Bulgaria Bulgaria celebrated its first ever Eurovision victory in style this week. On Sunday, a red carpet, a “Bangaranga” flash mob at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport, and hundreds of fans waving posters and Bulgarian flags, some dressed in traditional kukeri costumes, greeted DARA upon her arrival from Vienna.  Culture Minister Evtim Miloshev and Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev were among the officials who welcomed her. That was before she disappeared into the sea of supporters gathered at the terminal. DARA addressed the crowd with an emotional speech. She thanked her fans and called on Bulgaria to support its many talented artists. Her music producer Sania Armutlieva told BNT: “There’s no slowing down now. This is her moment.”  DARA secured victory in Vienna on May 16 with the largest winning margin in Eurovision’s 70-year history, receiving 516 points in total, including 312 from viewers. source: brnnews 🇧🇬 Kirkorov claims involvement in “Bangaranga” — co-writer and team deny it The post-contest buzz has not been without controversy. Videos circulated online after the final showing Russian singer Philipp Kirkorov discussing Bulgaria’s Eurovision performance and claiming that his team had participated in preparing DARA’s stage production. Kirkorov is a long-standing public supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to Eurovision’s official credits, Greek composer Dimitris Kontopoulos was among the writers of “Bangaranga.” Kontopoulos has an established history of collaboration with Kirkorov, having worked together on several Russian Eurovision entries in the 2010s. source:  united24media Philipp Kirkorov However, both denied Kirkorov’s involvement in this specific project. Kontopoulos told RFI on May 18 that while Kirkorov has supported him over the years, he was not involved in this particular project. Co-producer Kristian Tarcea also denied any Kirkorov involvement, stating the track was created by four contributors: himself, DARA, Kontopoulos, and a composer named Anna.  Ukrainian stage designer Nicholas Chobb, who worked on the performance, said he first learned of Kirkorov’s claims on social media and could not confirm his participation at any stage of the production process. Neither DARA nor Bulgaria’s public broadcaster BNT publicly commented on Kirkorov’s statements. source: united24media 🇧🇬 Four Bulgarian cities want to host Eurovision 2027 The race for the Eurovision 2027 host city has already begun. Bulgarian Culture Minister Evtim Miloshev confirmed that the Council of Ministers will create an organisational structure for the country’s hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest.  Sofia, Bulgaria Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas have all expressed interest in staging the event. The minister indicated that Sofia’s infrastructure gives it an advantage, but called the interest shown by three other major cities a positive sign. He said the most reasonable approach is to consider all options before making a final decision. No timeline for that decision has been announced yet. source: bnrnews 🇱🇺 🇲🇨 In memoriam: Romuald (1938–2026) The Eurovision community lost a unique figure this week. Romuald Figuier, known simply as Romuald, passed away on 14 May 2026. He was 87 years old. Born on 9 May 1938 in Saint-Pol-de-Léon, Finistère, Romuald was a French singer and composer who represented three different countries at Eurovision. He remains the only French-speaking artist to have achieved that distinction. Romuald represented Monaco in 1964 with “Où sont-elles passées?”, finishing third, then Luxembourg in 1969 with “Catherine”, and Monaco again in 1974 with “Celui qui reste et celui qui s’en va”, finishing fourth.  He began his career at the Théâtre des Variétés and later provided the French voice of George Chakiris in “Les Demoiselles de Rochefort” in 1967. Throughout his career he composed numerous songs, many in collaboration with lyricist Magali Fallourd. You can read his full biography in our encyclopedia. source: Le Figaro That’s it for this week’s Eurovision Universe weekly update. Stay tuned for more Eurovision 2026 and Eurovision 2027 news as it develops.

Read More »
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