🇸🇪 News from the HoD meeting

Today, there is some interesting news from the Head of Delegation meeting. This meeting took place today, and some decisions are made about the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest:

Iceland

It was a big questionmark whether Iceland was going to take part or not. Icelandic broadcaster RUV stated that they, together with the artist, would make a decision. Icelandic artists expressed serious concern about their country taking part in a contest with Israel being there.
The decision now made is that Iceland will take part. Big releave for singer Hera Björk, who now will for sure represent her country.

Marcus & Martinus

Always, the place for the host country gets drawn at the HoD meeting. So this time, it was decided where Sweden would perform in the final. And the result is: they will open it! In 1984, Sweden opened the show too and won. Is it an omen?

Big Five

For the very first time, the artists from the Big Five countries – France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom – and host nation Sweden will each perform their entries in full live during the Semi-Finals. In other years, a part of the rehearsals was shown, but never the entire performance. Longer ago, even that didn’t happen and only a part of the video was shown.

The voting

A new feature for Malmö 2024 includes extending the timeframe for voting during the Grand Final.

Voting will start just before the first song is performed on Saturday, 11 May. This allows viewers to vote for the songs in real-time as they are being performed, a departure from the traditional method where voting commenced after all the entries were showcased. This approach was the standard since the introduction of public voting in 1997, with the exceptions of 2010 and 2011 when voting opened at the show’s start.

Moreover, fans from countries not competing (Rest of The World) will be given almost 24 hours to vote for their preferred songs before the start of each live show. For these international fans, online voting will be available right after the conclusion of the second dress rehearsal for each Semi-Final and the Grand Final, continuing until the commencement of the live broadcasts.

Related news

Eurovision 2026

Vienna 12 points: Live music at Eurovision 2026

📷 EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett Live music at Eurovision 2026 is making an unexpected return for Finland. The EBU has given Linda Lampenius special permission to play her violin live during the live shows in Vienna. Why Finland asked for live violin Lampenius represents Finland together with singer Pete Parkkonen. Their song, “Liekinheitin”, means “Flamethrower” in English. The act is built around a strong musical dialogue between Parkkonen’s voice and Lampenius’ violin. For that reason, the Finnish team asked the EBU to allow real violin playing on stage. A rare Eurovision exception This is a remarkable decision. Since 1999, Eurovision performances have mostly used pre-recorded instrumental tracks. Artists may sing live, but instruments on stage are usually not heard live. They are often used as part of the visual show. The rule helps the production team, because Eurovision has many acts and very quick stage changes. However, Finland’s request has been approved. According to Finnish broadcaster Yle, the live violin was tested first. After that test, the EBU accepted the plan. The news is important because live music at Eurovision 2026 could give Finland a more natural and emotional performance. It also makes the act stand out in a year full of big staging ideas. Lampenius has said she is happy with the decision and sees it as a historic moment. There was a small exception in 2025, when Italy’s Lucio Corsi played harmonica on stage. That was possible because the sound could be picked up through the vocal microphone. Finland’s case is different, as Lampenius has official permission to play her violin live. What happens next? Finland will perform in the first semi-final on Tuesday 12 May. The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will take place in Vienna on Saturday 16 May. The decision does not mean that all countries can now use live instruments. For now, it looks like a special exception for Finland. Still, many fans will watch closely. If the live violin works well, it may start a new discussion about the future of live music at Eurovision.

Read More »
Eurovision 2026
Martijn

Vienna 12 points: Live music at Eurovision 2026

📷 EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett Live music at Eurovision 2026 is making an unexpected return for Finland. The EBU has given Linda Lampenius special permission to play her violin live during the live shows in Vienna. Why Finland asked for live violin Lampenius represents Finland together with singer Pete Parkkonen. Their song, “Liekinheitin”, means “Flamethrower” in English. The act is built around a strong musical dialogue between Parkkonen’s voice and Lampenius’ violin. For that reason, the Finnish team asked the EBU to allow real violin playing on stage. A rare Eurovision exception This is a remarkable decision. Since 1999, Eurovision performances have mostly used pre-recorded instrumental tracks. Artists may sing live, but instruments on stage are usually not heard live. They are often used as part of the visual show. The rule helps the production team, because Eurovision has many acts and very quick stage changes. However, Finland’s request has been approved. According to Finnish broadcaster Yle, the live violin was tested first. After that test, the EBU accepted the plan. The news is important because live music at Eurovision 2026 could give Finland a more natural and emotional performance. It also makes the act stand out in a year full of big staging ideas. Lampenius has said she is happy with the decision and sees it as a historic moment. There was a small exception in 2025, when Italy’s Lucio Corsi played harmonica on stage. That was possible because the sound could be picked up through the vocal microphone. Finland’s case is different, as Lampenius has official permission to play her violin live. What happens next? Finland will perform in the first semi-final on Tuesday 12 May. The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will take place in Vienna on Saturday 16 May. The decision does not mean that all countries can now use live instruments. For now, it looks like a special exception for Finland. Still, many fans will watch closely. If the live violin works well, it may start a new discussion about the future of live music at Eurovision.

Read More »
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