🇮🇱 🇲🇹 National final season started already

France has already decided for a song and Czechia is about to do so. But two more countries have started their national selections. An update:

Israel

It is not a big surprise, the Israel-Hamas war influenced their national selection. The show was postponed, in the first show segments of the Israeli Defence Force were shown and the second show was postponed again due to a press conference about the hostages. However, two shows of HaKokhav Haba were shown so far. HaKokhav Haba (Rising Star) is the national final, as it was between 2015-2020. Every auditioning artist has to get 70% of the votes in order to get through to the next round.

22 November

  • Shay Tamino, 85%
  • Lian Biran, 97%
  • Eliya Sharabi, 56%
  • Eden Golan, 100%

2 December:

  • Moriya Angel, 96%
  • Jonathan Bitton, 86%
  • Malka, 45%
  • Arik Sinai, 90%

 

  • Arik Sinai participated before. He earned a 4th place….. back in 1985!! 

Malta

Malta has had four semifinals in October and November:

27 October

  1. Kurt Calleja, “Misunderstood”
  2. Sarah Bonnici, “Loop”
  3. Gail Attard, “Wild card”
  4. Mark Anthony Bartolo, “Condition or Fiction”
  5. Eliana Gomez Blanco, “There’s Only Flowers”
  6. Oxygyn, “Cloudmaker”
  7. Nathan, “Ghost”
  8. Lyndsay Pace, “Fire proof”
  9. Dominic Cini, “Bewsa”


Kurt Calleja became 3rd in 2011, won in 2012 and represented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest with “This is the night”.
Sarah Bonnici took part in X-Factor Malta 2019 and became 12th in 2022.
Gail Attard also took part in X-Factor Malta 2019.
Mark Anthony Bartolo also took part in X-Factor Malta 2019, became 11th in 2022 and reached the semifinal in 2023.
Eliana Gomez Blanco was 9th in 2023.
Nathan was 11th in 2022.
Lyndsay Pace took part in the 2015 semifinal and, of course, in X-Factor Malta 2019.
Dominic Cini was involved in the 2009 semifinal.

 

3 November

  1. Marie-Claire, “Fading”
  2. Franklin Calleja, “Puppet”
  3. Desirei Grech, “Watch Me”
  4. Sopranique, “Empire”
  5. Janvil, “Man”
  6. Haley Azzopardi, “Tell Me That It’s Over”
  7. Denise Mercieca, “Mara”
  8. Mark Portelli, “Just be”
  9. Maria Christina, “Moving On”

 

Marie-Claire took part in the 2023 semifinal.
Franklin Calleja took part in 2013 (semifinal), 2014 (7th) and X-Factor Malta 2019 (10th).
Janvil or J. Anvil took part in 2005 (3rd), 2006 (4th), 2009 (10th), 2010 (semifinal), 2011 (10th) and 2012 (14th).
Denise Mercieca was involved in the auditions of X-Factor Malta 2019 and in 2022 (5th). Also Mark Portelli and Maria Christina took part in the auditions of X-Factor Malta 2019.

10 november

  1. Jessica Micallef, “Tagħna Tnejn”
  2. Cosette Baldacchino, “Free fall”
  3. Michela Galea, “Let’s talk about love”
  4. Thea Aqulina, “Blood stream”
  5. Miguel Bonello, “Better off alone”
  6. Moira Stafrace, “Feather flight”
  7. Dan, “Baraxx”
  8. Stefan Galea, “Numb”
  9. Karin Duff, “Breaking bad”

 

Jessica Micallef auditioned for X-Factor Malta 2020. Michela Galea did the same in 2019. Miguel Bonello did an attempt in both years.
Moira Stafrace took part in 1992 (2nd), 1993 (final), 1994 (winner in duet with Christopher Scicluna). Chris and Moira represented Malta in 1994 with “More than love) .
Dan auditioned for X-Factor Malta 2020 and took part in 2023 (12th).
Stefan Galea was involved in 2016 (semifinal), X-Factor Malta 2019 (auditions) and in 2023 (16th).

 

17 November

  1. Erba’, “Sirena”
  2. Miriana Conte, “Venom”
  3. Christian Arding, “Bellus”
  4. Lisa Gauci, “Breath”
  5. Matt Blxck, “Banana”
  6. Martina Cutajar, “Miles away”
  7. Greta Tude, “Topic (bla bla)”
  8. Ryan Hill, “Karma”
  9. Kyle George, “Arrows”

 

Miriana Conte took part in 2017 (16th), 2018 (12th), in the X-Factor Malta 2019 and 2020, 2022 (6th), 
Already in 2006, Christian Arding took part (5th), and in 2009 (semifinal) and 2023 (10th).
Matt Blxck took part in X-Factor Malta 2019 (auditions),  2020 (auditions), 2022 (7th) and 2023 (4th).
Greta Tude reached the semifinal in 2023.

The names in bold letters go through to the final in January.

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🇨🇾 Blast from the past: Cyprus 2000

We know a lot about Eurovision and we want to share this knowledge with you! Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today, we go back to 2000, when the duo Voice represented Cyprus with the song “Nomiza”. Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest Cyprus debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981 and has become a consistent finalist, yet is still chasing its first victory. The island’s benchmark result came in 2018. Eleni Foureira’s uptempo entry “Fuego” finished second with 436 points, the country’s best placing to date. Earlier, Cyprus had reached the top five with songs such as Anna Vissi’s “Mono i agapi” (1982), Hara and Andreas Constantinou’s “Mana mou” (1997) and Lisa Andreas’ “Stronger Every Minute” (2004).  In recent years Cyprus has relied on internal selections and close collaboration with international songwriters. In 2023, Australian‑Cypriot singer Andrew Lambrou took “Break a Broken Heart” to 12th place in the Liverpool final. Silia Kapsis followed in 2024 with the dance‑pop track “Liar”, qualifying from Malmö’s first semi‑final and finishing 15th overall. In 2025 Theo Evan performed “Shh” in Basel. He narrowly missed qualification in semi‑final one, placing 11th.  đź“· Eleni Foureira, photo EBU/Andres Putting DiagonismĂłs TragoudioĂş GiourovĂ­zion 2000 The Cypriot national selection in 2000 was called DiagonismĂłs TragoudioĂş GiourovĂ­zion. The contest was held on 16 February. Eleven songs competed: Marina Solonos, “Eima akoma edo“, 148 pts, 3rd Annie, “Na m’agapas“, 131 pts, 5th Maria Amman, “Fones“, 87 pts, 10th Marilia Perikleous & Demetris Mouhtadouris, “Trikymia”, 93 pts, 9th Chrystanthos Chrystanthou, “An”, 78 pts, 11th Alexandros Panayi & Christina Argyri, “Nomiza“, 225 pts, 1st Lefki Stylianou, “Antio, loipon“, 94 pts, 8th Antonia Orthanou, “Sti gi eirini“, 100 pts, 7th Marian Georgiou & Kostas Kountos, “Paradeisos“, 145 pts, 4th Giorgos Gavriel, “Volt“, 122 pts, 6th Haroula Pirta, “Ki akoma s’agapo“, 184 pts, 2nd   Voice (Alexandros Panayi and Christina Argyri) Voice was the Cypriot vocal duo formed by Alexandros Panayi and Christina Argyri to represent Cyprus at the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 with the ballad “Nomiza”. Alexandros Panayi Alexandros Panayi (born 1970 in Nicosia) is a Greek-Cypriot singer, composer, lyricist and vocal coach with a long-standing relationship with Eurovision. He first appeared for Cyprus as a soloist in 1995 with “Sti fotia”, returning five years later as half of Voice and co-writer of “Nomiza”. Trained at Berklee College of Music in Boston, he has since worked extensively as a vocal director, producer and backing vocalist for several Eurovision delegations, including Greece’s winning entry “My Number One” in 2005. He has since returned regularly as songwriter, vocal director and mentor for various national and Eurovision projects.  Christina Argyri Christina Argyri (born 1971 in Nicosia) is a singer and actress who studied piano and music theory in Cyprus before also attending Berklee, specialising in jazz performance. Active mainly in theatre, she composes and performs music for stage productions and collaborates with Cypriot ensembles. Beyond Voice, Argyri has appeared as a backing vocalist at Eurovision, notably supporting Cypriot boyband One in 2002, and is also active as a dubbing and voice artist. Nomiza “Nomiza” was the Cypriot entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2000. Written and composed by Panayi, the song is a dramatic pop ballad that shifts between Greek and Italian lyrics, telling the story of a love the narrator “thought” would last forever.  Musically, “Nomiza” builds from an intimate, slow‑to‑mid‑tempo opening into a bigger, more orchestral climax, showcasing the powerful harmonies between the two vocalists. Its bilingual structure gives it a distinctive Mediterranean flavour compared with other ballads in the 2000 line‑up. The song won the Cypriot national final and was later released as a CD single featuring Greek‑only and Italian versions, including the Italian title “Rosso Vivo”.  On stage in Stockholm, the performance focused on the singers’ interplay, with restrained staging and dark blue visuals reinforcing the emotional tone. In the final, “Nomiza” was performed 11th on the night and finished 21st out of 24 entries, scoring 8 points and relegating Cyprus from Eurovision 2001.  

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Blast from the past
Martijn

🇨🇾 Blast from the past: Cyprus 2000

We know a lot about Eurovision and we want to share this knowledge with you! Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today, we go back to 2000, when the duo Voice represented Cyprus with the song “Nomiza”. Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest Cyprus debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981 and has become a consistent finalist, yet is still chasing its first victory. The island’s benchmark result came in 2018. Eleni Foureira’s uptempo entry “Fuego” finished second with 436 points, the country’s best placing to date. Earlier, Cyprus had reached the top five with songs such as Anna Vissi’s “Mono i agapi” (1982), Hara and Andreas Constantinou’s “Mana mou” (1997) and Lisa Andreas’ “Stronger Every Minute” (2004).  In recent years Cyprus has relied on internal selections and close collaboration with international songwriters. In 2023, Australian‑Cypriot singer Andrew Lambrou took “Break a Broken Heart” to 12th place in the Liverpool final. Silia Kapsis followed in 2024 with the dance‑pop track “Liar”, qualifying from Malmö’s first semi‑final and finishing 15th overall. In 2025 Theo Evan performed “Shh” in Basel. He narrowly missed qualification in semi‑final one, placing 11th.  đź“· Eleni Foureira, photo EBU/Andres Putting DiagonismĂłs TragoudioĂş GiourovĂ­zion 2000 The Cypriot national selection in 2000 was called DiagonismĂłs TragoudioĂş GiourovĂ­zion. The contest was held on 16 February. Eleven songs competed: Marina Solonos, “Eima akoma edo“, 148 pts, 3rd Annie, “Na m’agapas“, 131 pts, 5th Maria Amman, “Fones“, 87 pts, 10th Marilia Perikleous & Demetris Mouhtadouris, “Trikymia”, 93 pts, 9th Chrystanthos Chrystanthou, “An”, 78 pts, 11th Alexandros Panayi & Christina Argyri, “Nomiza“, 225 pts, 1st Lefki Stylianou, “Antio, loipon“, 94 pts, 8th Antonia Orthanou, “Sti gi eirini“, 100 pts, 7th Marian Georgiou & Kostas Kountos, “Paradeisos“, 145 pts, 4th Giorgos Gavriel, “Volt“, 122 pts, 6th Haroula Pirta, “Ki akoma s’agapo“, 184 pts, 2nd   Voice (Alexandros Panayi and Christina Argyri) Voice was the Cypriot vocal duo formed by Alexandros Panayi and Christina Argyri to represent Cyprus at the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 with the ballad “Nomiza”. Alexandros Panayi Alexandros Panayi (born 1970 in Nicosia) is a Greek-Cypriot singer, composer, lyricist and vocal coach with a long-standing relationship with Eurovision. He first appeared for Cyprus as a soloist in 1995 with “Sti fotia”, returning five years later as half of Voice and co-writer of “Nomiza”. Trained at Berklee College of Music in Boston, he has since worked extensively as a vocal director, producer and backing vocalist for several Eurovision delegations, including Greece’s winning entry “My Number One” in 2005. He has since returned regularly as songwriter, vocal director and mentor for various national and Eurovision projects.  Christina Argyri Christina Argyri (born 1971 in Nicosia) is a singer and actress who studied piano and music theory in Cyprus before also attending Berklee, specialising in jazz performance. Active mainly in theatre, she composes and performs music for stage productions and collaborates with Cypriot ensembles. Beyond Voice, Argyri has appeared as a backing vocalist at Eurovision, notably supporting Cypriot boyband One in 2002, and is also active as a dubbing and voice artist. Nomiza “Nomiza” was the Cypriot entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2000. Written and composed by Panayi, the song is a dramatic pop ballad that shifts between Greek and Italian lyrics, telling the story of a love the narrator “thought” would last forever.  Musically, “Nomiza” builds from an intimate, slow‑to‑mid‑tempo opening into a bigger, more orchestral climax, showcasing the powerful harmonies between the two vocalists. Its bilingual structure gives it a distinctive Mediterranean flavour compared with other ballads in the 2000 line‑up. The song won the Cypriot national final and was later released as a CD single featuring Greek‑only and Italian versions, including the Italian title “Rosso Vivo”.  On stage in Stockholm, the performance focused on the singers’ interplay, with restrained staging and dark blue visuals reinforcing the emotional tone. In the final, “Nomiza” was performed 11th on the night and finished 21st out of 24 entries, scoring 8 points and relegating Cyprus from Eurovision 2001.  

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