2023 Archives - Eurovision Universe

Malmö Messages: the non-participants

photo: EBU/Chloe Hashemi Recently, at the Oslo preparty to be exact, our reporter Kal spoke to several artists. Not all of them will be on the Eurovision stage in Malmö this year. That is why we want to highlight two interviews now; not with 2024 participants, but still very interesting. The first one is an interview with Luke Black! Luke was last year’s Serbian participant. Kal and Luke met before in Liverpool, so it was nice for both of them meeting again! Dag Erik Oksvold and Anne Fagermo participated in Norsk Melodi Grand Prix this year with the song “Judge tenderly of me”. Kal met the duo that became 5th in the Melodi Grand Prix final. Will we see them again in Melodi Grand Prix? More nice things to come! Keep an eye on all our channels!

Is Sweden in for the win?

Is Sweden in for the win? Your guess is as good as ours. Currently the bookmakers predict a 52% chance for Sweden to win the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. That would be their 7th victory. Currently Ireland holds the record, also with 7. But bookies are bookies, we have our own prediction. We agree with Sweden for the win, but here is our entire top-5: 1.Sweden – Loreen – Tattoo 2.Finland – Käärijä – Cha-cha-cha 3.France – La Zarra – Évidement 4.Israel – Noa Kirel – Unicorn 5.Austria – Teya and Salena – Who the hell is Edgar? But…. tonight, 01.00 CET, we know more!

In the spotlight: Loreen

The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will take place on Saturday 13 May. One of the favorites for the win is Loreen representing Sweden. But who is Loreen ? Let’s give her a spotlight. Loreen (Lorine Zineb Noka Talhaoui), is a Swedish singer of Moroccan descent. She was born on October 16, 1983 in Åkersbergabeter, Sweden, as the eldest of six children in a liberal Muslim family. When Loreen was six years old, her parents divorced and the children moved to Västerås with their mother. Pop Idol, Melodifestivalen and Eurovision Song Contest In 2004, Loreen took part in the Swedish version of Pop Idol where she placed fourth. Together with the band Rob’n’Raz she released the single “The Snake” in 2005. Loreen in 2004 Seven years later, in 2011, Loreen took part in Melodifestivalen, the Swedish preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest. She did this with the song “My Heart is Refusing Me”. She placed fourth in the semi-finals, so she did not advance directly to the final, but was allowed to participate in the second chance round. However, she still failed to do so. A year later, Loreen took another chance. With the song “Euphoria” she made it easily to the final, which she convincingly won. At the Eurovision Song Contest 2012, which was held in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, Loreen was then allowed to represent her home country Sweden. During the second semi-final on May 24, 2012, she managed to qualify for the grand final which she won two days later, on May 26, 2012, with 372 points. It marked the fifth Swedish victory in the history of the Eurovision song contest. In the weeks after her win, “Euphoria” became a big hit in many European countries. Loreen was number 1 in eleven countries. “Euphoria” eventually even became the most successful and longest recorded Eurovision hit in history in the Netherlands. Loreen’s debut album “Heal” was released on October 22, 2012. It contained eight new songs and three already released songs. The single “My Heart is Refusing Me” was also included, in a new international version. Ride, Melodifestivalen and Så mycket bättre In April 2014, Loreen went on a tour called XIV. On this tour she performed some of her new songs, including “Jupiter Drive” and “Dumpster”. The long-awaited second album “Ride” was released in 2017 but it was not very successful. That year Loreen participated again in Melodifestivalen with the song “Statements”. However, she failed to qualify for the final. In 2020, Loreen participated in the Swedish TV show “Så mycket bättre” (Swedish for ‘So much better’). This program is based on the Dutch show “Beste Zangers” (‘Best Singers’). Loreen then sang in Swedish for the first time. The success of her performances led to the announcement of a Swedish-language album that Loreen would be working on. The first single, Sötvattentårar (Swedish for ‘Freshwater Tears’), was released in March 2021. In 2021, Loreen made her acting debut in the movie “Vinterviken”. In this she plays a Moroccan mother with a teenage son. She was inspired by her own mother for this role. Return to Melodifestivalen and the Eurovision Song Contest At the beginning of 2023, Loreen took part in Melodifestivalen for the fourth time. She did this with the song “Tattoo”. Her performance in the preliminary round was disrupted by climate activists, forcing it to be shut down. Immediately afterwards she was allowed to perform her entry again and she managed to qualify for the final. On March 11th, she won the final, making her the Swedish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. Will she manage to win the Eurovision Song Contest, just like in 2012? We’ll know on Saturday.

In the Spotlight: Blanca Paloma

Blanca Eurovision Spain Liverpool

Semifinal 1: the results

The gauntlet had been thrown. Ten finalists will go through to Saturday’s Grand Final. The happy ten are: Croatia Moldova Switzerland Finland Czechia Israel Portugal Sweden Serbia Norway

A funny guide through the 1st semifinal

Tonight it’s that time again: the Eurovision Song Contest kicks off with its first semifinal. We cheerfully look at the entries per country. Norway starts the row. Alessandra is ready for it and after the Norwegian entry we are too. Since the starting order is determined by the EBU and no longer by draw, it is always a blast that can open. She does that very will. In the Norwegian national final she sang with autotune. We conclude: she does not need that. Without autotune she will also go to the final. Malta seems to have prepared the act in a special way. Normally there are all kinds of ideas from which a choice can be made. The Maltese have decided not to make a choice, but to do everything. At the start, the men show us that they feel better in their sweater. Halfway through the sweaters come off and they appear to be wearing silver glitter sweaters that many Eurovision participants would be jealous of. A place in the final for Malta will be difficult. Serbia starts as if Luke Black just woke up and doesn’t feel like it at all. That is what the lyrics say. Around him four men (his demons?) who are connected to his bed with some sort of of vacuum cleaner hoses. Luke Black pulls those hoses loose. The Serbs can be happy tonight: they will most likely make it to the final. Latvia is, after Malta, already the second band. The composition is a bright one. The staging with the beautiful lamps is nice, but you kind of forget that there is also a band playing there. And that’s a pity, Latvia does not stand out in this semifinal. That will also be the case in the result. Latvia will not qualify. Do you remember Suzy? She represented Portugal with all glee in 2014. She didn’t make it to the final. It could just happen this year, because Mimicat brings a song in the same genre, but much better. And as red as red can be. But we think Mimicat can be a happy woman tonight after the hosts mentioned her as one of the finalists. We would have loved to have been present at the brainstorming session about Ireland’s act. Because at a good moment someone must have shouted: ‘a golden jumpsuit, that’s it!’. Apparently no one said at the time that this was not a good idea. The result: you look at a jumpsuit for three minutes and completely forgets about the song. We will only see the suit once; Ireland will not be there on Saturday. The Croatian participants seem to have fun. Thank goodness, at least someone has to have fun. A band with members in their sixties in the cloths of dictators, and later in their underpants. Well yeah, for everything is a market, and we even think the country will go to the final. Remo Forrer from Switzerland sings a song about a water gun. Fortunately, no one in the delegation thought that he should also shoot with a water gun. The act is kept sober but fits the song. The final should be possible for Switzerland. Fortunately, the Israeli delegation looked at Wikipedia to see what a unicorn actually is. In the music video, they performed another centaur, now a unicorn. In any case, a lot happens on stage, but unlike Malta, this is a unity. Noa communicates with the audience in the dance part. We cannot imagine Israel failing to reach the final. Moldova sends Pasha Parfeni for the second time. This time he is supported by two ladies, each with a horn of hair on their heads. The entire group’s clothing is somewhat reminiscent of what Ruslana and her backing group wore when they won in 2004. This time it will not be easy for him to reach the final. And then we get Sweden. We can easily say that we see a Eurovision winner at work here. Even if she doesn’t win this year, Loreen already did. Will Loreen be the one who will get two victories, like Johnny Logan? It is possible. Vocally she is good now and the act is also rock solid. We are glad that the structure hanging above her head is hung on sturdy cables. We cannot imagine that Azerbaijan will reach the final. We know first hand that people in Azerbaijan themselves do not trust it either. The first images come from the time when the world was still in black and white and Azerbaijan was still part of the Soviet Union. Fortunately, the rest is in color. However, qualification will be very hard, if not impossible, for Azerbaijan. And on we go to the Czech Republic: beautiful pink is not ugly. And the women of Vesna all have very long braids. We have news for you: the braids are not real. For those who know the video clip, the act in the final does not seem to come across very strongly. We think it is strong enough for the final however. And then the Netherlands: a lot of work has been done and improvement is visible in the act. The vocals certainly sound good, although it must be said that Mia and Dion come across as very cautious. Especially in the first part of the song. The high note that Dion makes sounds very beautiful, and the last half minute is downright magical. We think a place in the final is possible. The last one is Finland. Anyone who thought to get a rest at the end will be disappointed. We can now dream Käärijä with his green bolero. An engaging person who effortlessly conquers the hearts of people of all sort. Televoter winner? Then he would also win the semi-final tonight because there is no jury present. If Finland does not go to the final, we will eat our shoe. All in all, we can conclude that this is a pretty strong and

In the spotlight: Käärijä

The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will take place in Liverpool on Saturday 13th of May. One of the favorites for the win is Käärijä, who represents Finland. But who is Käärijä ? Let’s give him a spotlight! Käärijä (Jere Pöyhönen) is a Finnish singer, rapper and songwriter born in Helsinki on October 21, 1993.He grew up in the Ruskeasanta district of Vantaa, near the Finnish capital Helsinki. While growing up Käärijä was a hockey player. Later on, he discovered his passion for music, while learning to play the drums. Start musical career and stage name His stage name comes from a joke with his friends about gambling (kääriminen), a recurring theme in his music. In 2014, Jere was rushed into hospital, when he was diagnosed with a sudden serious illness in the colon. His condition worsened fast to the point Jere’s life was threatened due to the illness. Emergency surgery followed, after which he started to recover. However, the incident signalled a turning point in his artistic career, allowing him to focus solely on producing music. Pöyhönen self-released his music until 2017 when he signed a contract with the record label Monsp Records. He subsequently released the double single “Koppi tules” / “Nou roblem”. The following year, he released an extended play, titled “Peliä”. His debut album Fantastista was released in 2020. This album was announced in a very special way: At the beginning of 2023 he took part in Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu, the Finnish preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest. The song he brought, is nothing more than a cozy song about a night out, and the drinks that are drunk, but catchy it absolutely is. Nevertheless, “Cha cha cha” convincingly won Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu. Will he also win he Eurovision Song Contest 2023? We will know on Saturday.

Liverpool live: rehearsals on coronation day

Today, king Charles III will be crowned. You can follow the coronation live on YouTube. However, because you visit our site we think you will be more interested in the Eurovision Song Contest. In that case, you are in the right place! Today is the day of the last few rehearsals. We saw the Big 5 and Ukraine today. Also, the decision will be made today which country performs where in the final. photo credits: EBU/Corinne Cumming/Sarah Louise Bennett/Chloe Hashemi Germany As we only get to see some pictures, it is hard to say whether there is any change or improvement. On the current pictures, the triangle structure behind the band is more visible and notable. Furthermore, it gives the same impression. Germany is currently 15th at the bookmakers. Not a top position, but at least much higher than the last few years. France Also for France there are no differences. La Zarra is still standing on a high structure with the long black rug on it. France is currently strongly on the 3rd place in the betting odds. There are even people who talk about the French song as the potential winner. So who knows…. Italy Marco Mengoni has returned to perform on stage and has changed his outfit. He is no longer wearing the silver vest he wore on Thursday. Instead, he is now wearing a longer silver vest that gradually fades from silver to black, giving it an ombre effect. To create a cohesive look, sparkles have been added to one side of his leather trousers. Italy is currently number 8 at the bookmakers. Ukraine According to eurovision.tv, the graphics are working well in the act. Note that this is their opinion, we have to judge for ourselves. Also, they mention something about the timing that goes perfect. Again, let’s wait and see. Not that we don’t trust TVORCHI in this, but we haven’t seen it ourselves. The bookmakers say the Ukrainian entry would end up in 4th place, which would be a great score for the country. Spain No changes whatsoever in the Spanish act. Still she is wearing the white platforms and the stage is almost red during the whole performance. It is said that she vocally does well. All we heard so far is that this is true. Spain has a 5th place at the bookmakers, which would be a wonderful score for Spain for the second year in a row! United Kingdom Also no changes in the act like it was at the first rehearsal is noticed. Still the graphics with the split head. What the people of eurovision.tv noticed, again for what it is worth, is that she had more energy in this performance. The United Kingdom is 10th at the bookmakers. That would be top-10 twice in a row for the UK, and it is quite a high score for a host country. In collaboration with Eurovision Artists

Liverpool Live: rehearsal schedule

On this day of celebration in the United Kingdom, the last 6 countries will have their individual rehearsals. And after that, we have the turquoise carpet on Sunday. This is today’s schedule: 11.00 – 11.15 Germany11.25 – 11.40 France11.50 – 12.05 Italy12.15 – 12.30 Ukraine12.40 – 12.55 Spain13.05 – 13.20 United Kingdom

Liverpool live: red screens, a poet and an orange dress

The last part of the rehearsals for today is finished. We have now seen all the entries of both semifinals twice. photo credits: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett/Chloe Hashemi San Marino Not much has been changed for San Marino since the previous rehearsal, at least that is what eurovision.tv tells us. So there is still the band playing in a reddish surrounding, with the graphics on the LED-screens having a main role. Still, no expectations at all for San Marino, as they have a 34th place at the betting odds. Austria The webteam of eurovision.tv was surprised about the impact of the graphics during the Austrian performance. We were not. We already saw that it was impressive during the first rehearsals and what we saw of it. No changes are made since the first rehearsal. Of course there is a main role for Teya, Salena and Edgar Allan Poe. In the betting odds, Austria is 9th. A higher placing however should also be possible. Albania What is remarkable of the Albanian performance is the use of the LED-screen and the LED-lightning on the floor. Maybe it helps, because Albania will face a hard time qualifying. A 35th place at the bookmakers is not very helpfull. Hopefully for Albina and her family the bookies are wrong this time. Lithuania Other clothes for Monika Linkytė: still orange, but she is now wearing a strapless minidress. That is the main change in the act of Monika, at least that is what the eurovision.tv webteam notices. The bookmakers have a 27th place now for Lithuania, but in the semifinal ranking they are 5th. So a place in the final for Lithuania is likely. Australia There are no changes noticed in the previews. Australia has a performance that at least the reporters of eurovision.tv like, for what it’s worth. When the performance start, Voyager frontman Daniel Erin is actually sitting in the car. The rest of the performance is around the car. Australia is currently number 13 in the overall betting odds ranking. in collaboration with Eurovision Artists