Already for the third day, we have rehearsals. Eurovision Universe will keep you updated about everything that happens during the rehearsals. This is what you can expect today: 11.30 – 12.00 Estonia12.10 – 12.40 Iceland12.50 – 13.20 Greece13.30 – 14.00 Poland15.10 – 15.40 Slovenia15.50 – 16.20 Georgia16.30 – 17.00 San Marino17.10 – 17.40 Austria17.50 – 18.20 Albania18.30 – 19.00 Lithuania19.10 – 19.40 Australia
photo: SBS The band Voyager will represent Australia in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. They will sing a song called “Promise”. That is what Australian broadcaster SBS announced tonight. The band was the runner up in last year’s national final with the song “Dreamer”. Singer Daniel Estrin commented on the event: ““As a long-time Eurovision fan, this is the pinnacle – Voyager gets to play the greatest show on earth! Our song Promise is made for the Eurovision stage and collectively we feel it’s one of our best yet. We filmed the music video in both the city of Perth and beautiful parts of Western Australia to showcase the majestic beauty of our home state. Eurovisionation, we are coming!!!” SBS head of entertainment Emily Griggs said: “Voyager bring together my love for the ’80s and catchy lyrics that you can’t stop singing. I can’t wait to see Eurovision fans the world over embrace them as much as Aussie crowds have. Voyager have been determined to get centre stage for the biggest song contest in the world and SBS know they will bring that grit with them along with a whole lot of fun. Look out Europe, the Aussies are coming!” Australia will perform in the 2nd half of the 2nd semifinal. source: eurovision.tv
© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameAndrew Lambrou Born01 month 1900 Nationality🇦🇺 Australian National SelectionInternal selection 2023Eurovision – Australia decides 2022 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongBreak a broken heart (2023) Biography Andrew Lambrou is an Australian singer. He was born in 1998 in Sydney, Australia to a Greek Cypriot family. He attended AMS Music School where he learned to play the piano. At the age of 5, he won first place in a competition held by his school, singing “Do-Re-Mi” from The Sound of Music. Lambrou first gained attention in 2013 after uploading a cover of Evanescence’s “My Immortal” to YouTube. A 15-second cover of “Stay With Me”, uploaded to Instagram, was shared by a Spain-based music page and earned Lambrou over 2,000 followers overnight. In 2015, Lambrou entered The X Factor Australia, reaching the top 20. That same year, he was spotted by Sony ATV and signed by Maree Hamblion. His debut single, “Throne,” was released in 2021. In 2022, Lambrou competed in the Australian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, Eurovision – Australia Decides, with the song “Electrify”. He finished 7th in the final of the competition. On 17 October 2022, it was announced that Lambrou will represent Cyprus at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. On March 2nd 2023, the Eurovision song “Break a broken heart” was presented. In the contest itself Lambrou reached the final and became 12th there. Entries Break A Broken Heart Country🇨🇾 Cyprus Year2023 LanguageEnglish LyricsJimmy ‘Joker’ ThornfeldtJimmy JanssonThomas StengaardMarcus Winther-John MusicJimmy ‘Joker’ ThornfeldtJimmy JanssonThomas StengaardMarcus Winther-John Backings– Results Semi Points: 94Position: 7Running order: 6 Results Finals Points: 126Position: 12Running order: 7 https://youtu.be/49YiimKeyDI
Today, the sad news came to us that Dame Olivia Newton John passed away. The Dame was 73 years old. Olivia Newton-John was born in Cambridge, but the family moved to Australia when she was only 5 years old. She returned to the UK in the sixties. She had her first hits in 1971: “If not for you” became a huge hit in several countries, followed by “Banks of the Ohio”, which became a number 1 hit in Australia. As a good friend of Cliff Richard, she was interested in participating in the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1974 she represented the United Kingdom. Out of 6 songs, “Long live love” was chosen. She was not too happy with the choice of the British audience, who voted with postcards. However, Olivia was one of the hot favourites at the bookmakers. In the end, she became 4th. Shortly after the Eurovision Song Contest, Olivia moved to the USA. She scored no less than 5 number 1 hits, only in the years 1974 and 1975. Her worldwide breakthrough as an actress came in 1978, when she and John Travolta performed in the teenage movie “Grease”, a movie that became and still is an evergreen. The movie produced hits like “You’re the one that I want”, “Hopelessly devoted to you” and “Summer nights”. Another worldwide movie hit was “Xanadu”, two years after “Grease”. The title song was a world wide hit as well. After these two movies she scored a worldwide hit again, the song “Physical”: After “Physical” she kept on having hits, although it became more difficult for her to have worldwide top hits. The exception came in 1990, when she and John Travolta teamed up again to record the “Grease Megamix”. In total, Olivia Newton John released 26 albums, 6 live albums and several soundtracks. In 1992, Olivia had cancer for the first time. The cancer returned in 2013 and again in 2017. In 2019, Newton-John was knighted by Queen Elizabeth, including for her contribution to cancer research. Since then she was allowed to call herself Dame.
© EBU/Nathan Reinds About Quick Facts NameSheldon Riley Hernandez Born14 march 1999 Nationality🇦🇺 Australian National SelectionEurovision – Australia decides 2022 In Eurovision2022 Turin SongNot the same (2022) Biography Sheldon Riley Hernandez, known by his stage name Sheldon Riley, is an Australian singer. Riley was born in Sydney to an Australian mother and Filipino father. He grew up in the Gold Coast. Riley was diagnosed with the asperger syndrom. Riley also faced difficulties in his live being gay in a Christian family. Sheldon Hernandez started his career in 2016 by auditioning for the eighth season of The X Factor Australia. He was originally mentored as a young solo singer by Adam Lambert. However, he did not make it. Riley returned to The X Factor after the mentor of the groups category, Iggy Azalea, selected him to be a part of a new boy band of eliminated solo artists. The band was called Time and Place. They made it to the first week of the live shows. In 2018, Riley took part in the seventh season of The Voice Australia. Riley chose Boy George to be his coach. He became 3rd in the final of The Voice. It resulted in the release of his debut single “Fire”. A year later, Riley returned to The Voice to compete in its eighth season as an all-star contestant. This time, he chose Delta Goodrem as his coach. He reached the semifinal. In 2020, Riley competed in the fifteenth season of America’s Got Talent. He reached the quarter finals here. In 2022, Sheldon Riley won the Australian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, and thus represented Australia with the song “I’m not the same”. Entries Not the same Country🇦🇺 Australia Year2022 LanguageEnglish LyricsSheldon Riley Hernandez MusicSheldon Riley HernandezCam Nacson Backings– Results Semi Points: 243Position: 2Running order: 8 Results Finals Points: 125Position: 15Running order: 21 https://youtu.be/wosfFz2FJPU?si=QOvajMHv3KuEIlnE
Yes, the die is cast again. Ten songs will go through to the final, to be exactly the ten countries you will find below: Belgium Czech Republic Azerbaijan Poland Finland Estonia Australia Sweden Romania Serbia Congratulations to the ten winners. And remember: only ten songs could go through. That does not mean that the other songs are bad.
Two days ago we made a prediction for the first semi-final. Okay, no Albania and Latvia, but Moldova and Iceland instead. But don’t forget: we got no less than eight countries right! That’s why we’re taking the risk for another prediction tonight, this time for the second semifinal. We think that these are the countries that will advance to the final tomorrow: Finland: Who doesn’t know The Rasmus? These rockers have a huge fan base all over Europe. They will vote en masse. Finland makes it to the final. Serbia: The bookmakers are even predicting that Serbia will finish in the top-10. The act with washing hands will be appreciated by enough people for a place in the final. Unfortunately, Britain’s Prince Harry lives in the US. He would definitely vote for this song that mentions his wife. Azerbaijan: This country almost always makes it to the final according to a fixed recipe: a foreign team writes a song. A strong act is built around it. A guarantee for success! Australia: This song is one you either love or hate. There are plenty of people who really appreciate the act with the mask and feathers. The message also gets across. Sheldon is also a very good singer. Cyprus: A surprising song in Greek. Cyprus is not necessarily high on all lists, but it is just such a number that still gets enough appreciation to reach the final tomorrow evening. Estonia: This song makes people happy. And if there’s one thing we need right now, it’s hope, and what’s this song about….? Stefan will be in the final on Saturday. Romania: Spain votes in this semi-final and that helps, but in the meantime WRS also puts on a slick show. We think there is a good chance that it will be a final place. Poland: This is one of two entries on which our entire team is unanimous: Poland goes to the final with the rock-solid, well-sung ballad. Welcome back in the final, Poland! Belgium: The Belgian gospel song is one of a kind, well sung and therefore stands out in a positive way. Although the Belgians themselves seem to have doubts, we are convinced of a place in the final for Jérémie Makiese. Sweden: If Sweden doesn’t go to the final, nobody will. Even when everything went wrong, Cornelia Jacobs remained professional. The bookmakers are still predicting a very high position. But are we right? We’ll know in about 24 hours!
The penultimate day of rehearsal: it is becoming increasingly clear what the viewer can expect. Today we saw the last artists of the second semifinal. Let’s take a closer look at the rehearsals: AUSTRALIA: Whatever you think of Sheldon Riley, he sings like no other. During his emotional ballad he wears the white suit with the enormous drag of feathers. He wears his crystal mask for most of the act, but it goes off. It can’t be difficult for Australia to make it to the final. CYPRUS: For the first time in years, Cyprus is singing (partially) in Greek again. Andromache and her dancers stand in a kind of shell as they sing the song. We have to admit that we would describe Andromache’s vocals as ‘not bad’. If is that a recommendation….? IRELAND: Ireland falls into the ‘how nice’ category. Brooke’s vocals are certainly not bad, neither is the act. However, you may wonder if this is the song with which Ireland will finally reach the final again. We cannot rule out the possibility that it will not work. NORTH MACEDONIA: Perhaps Andrea had hoped for greater success. She was not happy with her first rehearsal. The song comes across as screaming; a hoarseness that suits Kaliopi (2012 and 2016) but not Andrea. ESTONIA: Unfortunately, Stefan can’t count on the 12 points from Armenia, because the country where his roots lie is performing in the other semifinal. The many movements he makes do have an effect on Stefan’s voice, but somehow it doesn’t seem to matter for the entry. It is a happy song that can easily go through to the final. ROMANIA: The Romanians made some minor changes to the act, making it even better and slicker. Furthermore, it seemed as if WRS had changed the melody of the chorus a little bit here and there. In any case, a spectacular show is in store for Romania. POLAND: The ballad of Polen starts very calmly with Ochman alone on stage. Halfway through, when the song becomes a little less quiet, the aforementioned dancers (forest nymphs?) come on stage. We see that a heavy thunderstorm erupts on the stage. Finally a strong contender for Poland agiain. MONTENEGRO: A ballad in which not much happens in 3 minutes. The advantage is that not much can go wrong. We had already mentioned the blue dress that Vladana is wearing. Behind her a circle that most resembles the fluff ball of a dandelion. It is not sure whether it stands out enough to go to the final. BELGIUM: The Belgians have a strong singer with a gospel-like power ballad in Jérémie Makiese. He will definitely get points for that. Fortunately, because the act he shows looks a bit stiff and doesn’t really do justice to the song and singer. SWEDEN: Murphy’s Law strikes. If one thing goes wrong, everything immediately goes wrong. Problems with the sound, problems with the technique and a falling cameraman meant that she was only able to do one whole runthrough. Cornelia did manage to show how professional she is, by showing a good rehearsal even with all that trouble. CZECH REPUBLIC: The act with lots of light and nice graphics fits very well with the Czech entry. In that respect it is a unity. The vocals, however, leave a lot to be desired. That could cost them their heads if it has to be clear who will go to the final.
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.
Today, the running order for the two semifinals in the Eurovision Song Contest has been announced. The running order for the final is not known yet, apart from Italy: Mahmood and Blanco will perform in 9th place. 1st semifinal: Albania Latvia Lithuania Switzerland Slovenia Ukraine Bulgaria The Netherlands Moldova Portugal Croatia Denmark Austria Iceland Greece Norway Armenia 2nd semifinal: Finland Israel Serbia Azerbaijan Georgia Malta San Marino Australia Cyprus Ireland North Macedonia Estonia Romania Poland Montenegro Belgium Sweden Czech Republic
Already for the third day, we have rehearsals. Eurovision Universe will keep you updated about everything that happens during the rehearsals. This is what you can expect today: 11.30 – 12.00 Estonia12.10 – 12.40 Iceland12.50 – 13.20 Greece13.30 – 14.00 Poland15.10 – 15.40 Slovenia15.50 – 16.20 Georgia16.30 – 17.00 San Marino17.10 – 17.40 Austria17.50 – 18.20 Albania18.30 – 19.00 Lithuania19.10 – 19.40 Australia
photo: SBS The band Voyager will represent Australia in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. They will sing a song called “Promise”. That is what Australian broadcaster SBS announced tonight. The band was the runner up in last year’s national final with the song “Dreamer”. Singer Daniel Estrin commented on the event: ““As a long-time Eurovision fan, this is the pinnacle – Voyager gets to play the greatest show on earth! Our song Promise is made for the Eurovision stage and collectively we feel it’s one of our best yet. We filmed the music video in both the city of Perth and beautiful parts of Western Australia to showcase the majestic beauty of our home state. Eurovisionation, we are coming!!!” SBS head of entertainment Emily Griggs said: “Voyager bring together my love for the ’80s and catchy lyrics that you can’t stop singing. I can’t wait to see Eurovision fans the world over embrace them as much as Aussie crowds have. Voyager have been determined to get centre stage for the biggest song contest in the world and SBS know they will bring that grit with them along with a whole lot of fun. Look out Europe, the Aussies are coming!” Australia will perform in the 2nd half of the 2nd semifinal. source: eurovision.tv
© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameAndrew Lambrou Born01 month 1900 Nationality🇦🇺 Australian National SelectionInternal selection 2023Eurovision – Australia decides 2022 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongBreak a broken heart (2023) Biography Andrew Lambrou is an Australian singer. He was born in 1998 in Sydney, Australia to a Greek Cypriot family. He attended AMS Music School where he learned to play the piano. At the age of 5, he won first place in a competition held by his school, singing “Do-Re-Mi” from The Sound of Music. Lambrou first gained attention in 2013 after uploading a cover of Evanescence’s “My Immortal” to YouTube. A 15-second cover of “Stay With Me”, uploaded to Instagram, was shared by a Spain-based music page and earned Lambrou over 2,000 followers overnight. In 2015, Lambrou entered The X Factor Australia, reaching the top 20. That same year, he was spotted by Sony ATV and signed by Maree Hamblion. His debut single, “Throne,” was released in 2021. In 2022, Lambrou competed in the Australian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, Eurovision – Australia Decides, with the song “Electrify”. He finished 7th in the final of the competition. On 17 October 2022, it was announced that Lambrou will represent Cyprus at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. On March 2nd 2023, the Eurovision song “Break a broken heart” was presented. In the contest itself Lambrou reached the final and became 12th there. Entries Break A Broken Heart Country🇨🇾 Cyprus Year2023 LanguageEnglish LyricsJimmy ‘Joker’ ThornfeldtJimmy JanssonThomas StengaardMarcus Winther-John MusicJimmy ‘Joker’ ThornfeldtJimmy JanssonThomas StengaardMarcus Winther-John Backings– Results Semi Points: 94Position: 7Running order: 6 Results Finals Points: 126Position: 12Running order: 7 https://youtu.be/49YiimKeyDI
Today, the sad news came to us that Dame Olivia Newton John passed away. The Dame was 73 years old. Olivia Newton-John was born in Cambridge, but the family moved to Australia when she was only 5 years old. She returned to the UK in the sixties. She had her first hits in 1971: “If not for you” became a huge hit in several countries, followed by “Banks of the Ohio”, which became a number 1 hit in Australia. As a good friend of Cliff Richard, she was interested in participating in the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1974 she represented the United Kingdom. Out of 6 songs, “Long live love” was chosen. She was not too happy with the choice of the British audience, who voted with postcards. However, Olivia was one of the hot favourites at the bookmakers. In the end, she became 4th. Shortly after the Eurovision Song Contest, Olivia moved to the USA. She scored no less than 5 number 1 hits, only in the years 1974 and 1975. Her worldwide breakthrough as an actress came in 1978, when she and John Travolta performed in the teenage movie “Grease”, a movie that became and still is an evergreen. The movie produced hits like “You’re the one that I want”, “Hopelessly devoted to you” and “Summer nights”. Another worldwide movie hit was “Xanadu”, two years after “Grease”. The title song was a world wide hit as well. After these two movies she scored a worldwide hit again, the song “Physical”: After “Physical” she kept on having hits, although it became more difficult for her to have worldwide top hits. The exception came in 1990, when she and John Travolta teamed up again to record the “Grease Megamix”. In total, Olivia Newton John released 26 albums, 6 live albums and several soundtracks. In 1992, Olivia had cancer for the first time. The cancer returned in 2013 and again in 2017. In 2019, Newton-John was knighted by Queen Elizabeth, including for her contribution to cancer research. Since then she was allowed to call herself Dame.
© EBU/Nathan Reinds About Quick Facts NameSheldon Riley Hernandez Born14 march 1999 Nationality🇦🇺 Australian National SelectionEurovision – Australia decides 2022 In Eurovision2022 Turin SongNot the same (2022) Biography Sheldon Riley Hernandez, known by his stage name Sheldon Riley, is an Australian singer. Riley was born in Sydney to an Australian mother and Filipino father. He grew up in the Gold Coast. Riley was diagnosed with the asperger syndrom. Riley also faced difficulties in his live being gay in a Christian family. Sheldon Hernandez started his career in 2016 by auditioning for the eighth season of The X Factor Australia. He was originally mentored as a young solo singer by Adam Lambert. However, he did not make it. Riley returned to The X Factor after the mentor of the groups category, Iggy Azalea, selected him to be a part of a new boy band of eliminated solo artists. The band was called Time and Place. They made it to the first week of the live shows. In 2018, Riley took part in the seventh season of The Voice Australia. Riley chose Boy George to be his coach. He became 3rd in the final of The Voice. It resulted in the release of his debut single “Fire”. A year later, Riley returned to The Voice to compete in its eighth season as an all-star contestant. This time, he chose Delta Goodrem as his coach. He reached the semifinal. In 2020, Riley competed in the fifteenth season of America’s Got Talent. He reached the quarter finals here. In 2022, Sheldon Riley won the Australian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, and thus represented Australia with the song “I’m not the same”. Entries Not the same Country🇦🇺 Australia Year2022 LanguageEnglish LyricsSheldon Riley Hernandez MusicSheldon Riley HernandezCam Nacson Backings– Results Semi Points: 243Position: 2Running order: 8 Results Finals Points: 125Position: 15Running order: 21 https://youtu.be/wosfFz2FJPU?si=QOvajMHv3KuEIlnE
Yes, the die is cast again. Ten songs will go through to the final, to be exactly the ten countries you will find below: Belgium Czech Republic Azerbaijan Poland Finland Estonia Australia Sweden Romania Serbia Congratulations to the ten winners. And remember: only ten songs could go through. That does not mean that the other songs are bad.
Two days ago we made a prediction for the first semi-final. Okay, no Albania and Latvia, but Moldova and Iceland instead. But don’t forget: we got no less than eight countries right! That’s why we’re taking the risk for another prediction tonight, this time for the second semifinal. We think that these are the countries that will advance to the final tomorrow: Finland: Who doesn’t know The Rasmus? These rockers have a huge fan base all over Europe. They will vote en masse. Finland makes it to the final. Serbia: The bookmakers are even predicting that Serbia will finish in the top-10. The act with washing hands will be appreciated by enough people for a place in the final. Unfortunately, Britain’s Prince Harry lives in the US. He would definitely vote for this song that mentions his wife. Azerbaijan: This country almost always makes it to the final according to a fixed recipe: a foreign team writes a song. A strong act is built around it. A guarantee for success! Australia: This song is one you either love or hate. There are plenty of people who really appreciate the act with the mask and feathers. The message also gets across. Sheldon is also a very good singer. Cyprus: A surprising song in Greek. Cyprus is not necessarily high on all lists, but it is just such a number that still gets enough appreciation to reach the final tomorrow evening. Estonia: This song makes people happy. And if there’s one thing we need right now, it’s hope, and what’s this song about….? Stefan will be in the final on Saturday. Romania: Spain votes in this semi-final and that helps, but in the meantime WRS also puts on a slick show. We think there is a good chance that it will be a final place. Poland: This is one of two entries on which our entire team is unanimous: Poland goes to the final with the rock-solid, well-sung ballad. Welcome back in the final, Poland! Belgium: The Belgian gospel song is one of a kind, well sung and therefore stands out in a positive way. Although the Belgians themselves seem to have doubts, we are convinced of a place in the final for Jérémie Makiese. Sweden: If Sweden doesn’t go to the final, nobody will. Even when everything went wrong, Cornelia Jacobs remained professional. The bookmakers are still predicting a very high position. But are we right? We’ll know in about 24 hours!
The penultimate day of rehearsal: it is becoming increasingly clear what the viewer can expect. Today we saw the last artists of the second semifinal. Let’s take a closer look at the rehearsals: AUSTRALIA: Whatever you think of Sheldon Riley, he sings like no other. During his emotional ballad he wears the white suit with the enormous drag of feathers. He wears his crystal mask for most of the act, but it goes off. It can’t be difficult for Australia to make it to the final. CYPRUS: For the first time in years, Cyprus is singing (partially) in Greek again. Andromache and her dancers stand in a kind of shell as they sing the song. We have to admit that we would describe Andromache’s vocals as ‘not bad’. If is that a recommendation….? IRELAND: Ireland falls into the ‘how nice’ category. Brooke’s vocals are certainly not bad, neither is the act. However, you may wonder if this is the song with which Ireland will finally reach the final again. We cannot rule out the possibility that it will not work. NORTH MACEDONIA: Perhaps Andrea had hoped for greater success. She was not happy with her first rehearsal. The song comes across as screaming; a hoarseness that suits Kaliopi (2012 and 2016) but not Andrea. ESTONIA: Unfortunately, Stefan can’t count on the 12 points from Armenia, because the country where his roots lie is performing in the other semifinal. The many movements he makes do have an effect on Stefan’s voice, but somehow it doesn’t seem to matter for the entry. It is a happy song that can easily go through to the final. ROMANIA: The Romanians made some minor changes to the act, making it even better and slicker. Furthermore, it seemed as if WRS had changed the melody of the chorus a little bit here and there. In any case, a spectacular show is in store for Romania. POLAND: The ballad of Polen starts very calmly with Ochman alone on stage. Halfway through, when the song becomes a little less quiet, the aforementioned dancers (forest nymphs?) come on stage. We see that a heavy thunderstorm erupts on the stage. Finally a strong contender for Poland agiain. MONTENEGRO: A ballad in which not much happens in 3 minutes. The advantage is that not much can go wrong. We had already mentioned the blue dress that Vladana is wearing. Behind her a circle that most resembles the fluff ball of a dandelion. It is not sure whether it stands out enough to go to the final. BELGIUM: The Belgians have a strong singer with a gospel-like power ballad in Jérémie Makiese. He will definitely get points for that. Fortunately, because the act he shows looks a bit stiff and doesn’t really do justice to the song and singer. SWEDEN: Murphy’s Law strikes. If one thing goes wrong, everything immediately goes wrong. Problems with the sound, problems with the technique and a falling cameraman meant that she was only able to do one whole runthrough. Cornelia did manage to show how professional she is, by showing a good rehearsal even with all that trouble. CZECH REPUBLIC: The act with lots of light and nice graphics fits very well with the Czech entry. In that respect it is a unity. The vocals, however, leave a lot to be desired. That could cost them their heads if it has to be clear who will go to the final.
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.
Today, the running order for the two semifinals in the Eurovision Song Contest has been announced. The running order for the final is not known yet, apart from Italy: Mahmood and Blanco will perform in 9th place. 1st semifinal: Albania Latvia Lithuania Switzerland Slovenia Ukraine Bulgaria The Netherlands Moldova Portugal Croatia Denmark Austria Iceland Greece Norway Armenia 2nd semifinal: Finland Israel Serbia Azerbaijan Georgia Malta San Marino Australia Cyprus Ireland North Macedonia Estonia Romania Poland Montenegro Belgium Sweden Czech Republic
Already for the third day, we have rehearsals. Eurovision Universe will keep you updated about everything that happens during the rehearsals. This is what you can expect today: 11.30 – 12.00 Estonia12.10 – 12.40 Iceland12.50 – 13.20 Greece13.30 – 14.00 Poland15.10 – 15.40 Slovenia15.50 – 16.20 Georgia16.30 – 17.00 San Marino17.10 – 17.40 Austria17.50 – 18.20 Albania18.30 – 19.00 Lithuania19.10 – 19.40 Australia
photo: SBS The band Voyager will represent Australia in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. They will sing a song called “Promise”. That is what Australian broadcaster SBS announced tonight. The band was the runner up in last year’s national final with the song “Dreamer”. Singer Daniel Estrin commented on the event: ““As a long-time Eurovision fan, this is the pinnacle – Voyager gets to play the greatest show on earth! Our song Promise is made for the Eurovision stage and collectively we feel it’s one of our best yet. We filmed the music video in both the city of Perth and beautiful parts of Western Australia to showcase the majestic beauty of our home state. Eurovisionation, we are coming!!!” SBS head of entertainment Emily Griggs said: “Voyager bring together my love for the ’80s and catchy lyrics that you can’t stop singing. I can’t wait to see Eurovision fans the world over embrace them as much as Aussie crowds have. Voyager have been determined to get centre stage for the biggest song contest in the world and SBS know they will bring that grit with them along with a whole lot of fun. Look out Europe, the Aussies are coming!” Australia will perform in the 2nd half of the 2nd semifinal. source: eurovision.tv
© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameAndrew Lambrou Born01 month 1900 Nationality🇦🇺 Australian National SelectionInternal selection 2023Eurovision – Australia decides 2022 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongBreak a broken heart (2023) Biography Andrew Lambrou is an Australian singer. He was born in 1998 in Sydney, Australia to a Greek Cypriot family. He attended AMS Music School where he learned to play the piano. At the age of 5, he won first place in a competition held by his school, singing “Do-Re-Mi” from The Sound of Music. Lambrou first gained attention in 2013 after uploading a cover of Evanescence’s “My Immortal” to YouTube. A 15-second cover of “Stay With Me”, uploaded to Instagram, was shared by a Spain-based music page and earned Lambrou over 2,000 followers overnight. In 2015, Lambrou entered The X Factor Australia, reaching the top 20. That same year, he was spotted by Sony ATV and signed by Maree Hamblion. His debut single, “Throne,” was released in 2021. In 2022, Lambrou competed in the Australian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, Eurovision – Australia Decides, with the song “Electrify”. He finished 7th in the final of the competition. On 17 October 2022, it was announced that Lambrou will represent Cyprus at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. On March 2nd 2023, the Eurovision song “Break a broken heart” was presented. In the contest itself Lambrou reached the final and became 12th there. Entries Break A Broken Heart Country🇨🇾 Cyprus Year2023 LanguageEnglish LyricsJimmy ‘Joker’ ThornfeldtJimmy JanssonThomas StengaardMarcus Winther-John MusicJimmy ‘Joker’ ThornfeldtJimmy JanssonThomas StengaardMarcus Winther-John Backings– Results Semi Points: 94Position: 7Running order: 6 Results Finals Points: 126Position: 12Running order: 7 https://youtu.be/49YiimKeyDI
Today, the sad news came to us that Dame Olivia Newton John passed away. The Dame was 73 years old. Olivia Newton-John was born in Cambridge, but the family moved to Australia when she was only 5 years old. She returned to the UK in the sixties. She had her first hits in 1971: “If not for you” became a huge hit in several countries, followed by “Banks of the Ohio”, which became a number 1 hit in Australia. As a good friend of Cliff Richard, she was interested in participating in the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1974 she represented the United Kingdom. Out of 6 songs, “Long live love” was chosen. She was not too happy with the choice of the British audience, who voted with postcards. However, Olivia was one of the hot favourites at the bookmakers. In the end, she became 4th. Shortly after the Eurovision Song Contest, Olivia moved to the USA. She scored no less than 5 number 1 hits, only in the years 1974 and 1975. Her worldwide breakthrough as an actress came in 1978, when she and John Travolta performed in the teenage movie “Grease”, a movie that became and still is an evergreen. The movie produced hits like “You’re the one that I want”, “Hopelessly devoted to you” and “Summer nights”. Another worldwide movie hit was “Xanadu”, two years after “Grease”. The title song was a world wide hit as well. After these two movies she scored a worldwide hit again, the song “Physical”: After “Physical” she kept on having hits, although it became more difficult for her to have worldwide top hits. The exception came in 1990, when she and John Travolta teamed up again to record the “Grease Megamix”. In total, Olivia Newton John released 26 albums, 6 live albums and several soundtracks. In 1992, Olivia had cancer for the first time. The cancer returned in 2013 and again in 2017. In 2019, Newton-John was knighted by Queen Elizabeth, including for her contribution to cancer research. Since then she was allowed to call herself Dame.
© EBU/Nathan Reinds About Quick Facts NameSheldon Riley Hernandez Born14 march 1999 Nationality🇦🇺 Australian National SelectionEurovision – Australia decides 2022 In Eurovision2022 Turin SongNot the same (2022) Biography Sheldon Riley Hernandez, known by his stage name Sheldon Riley, is an Australian singer. Riley was born in Sydney to an Australian mother and Filipino father. He grew up in the Gold Coast. Riley was diagnosed with the asperger syndrom. Riley also faced difficulties in his live being gay in a Christian family. Sheldon Hernandez started his career in 2016 by auditioning for the eighth season of The X Factor Australia. He was originally mentored as a young solo singer by Adam Lambert. However, he did not make it. Riley returned to The X Factor after the mentor of the groups category, Iggy Azalea, selected him to be a part of a new boy band of eliminated solo artists. The band was called Time and Place. They made it to the first week of the live shows. In 2018, Riley took part in the seventh season of The Voice Australia. Riley chose Boy George to be his coach. He became 3rd in the final of The Voice. It resulted in the release of his debut single “Fire”. A year later, Riley returned to The Voice to compete in its eighth season as an all-star contestant. This time, he chose Delta Goodrem as his coach. He reached the semifinal. In 2020, Riley competed in the fifteenth season of America’s Got Talent. He reached the quarter finals here. In 2022, Sheldon Riley won the Australian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, and thus represented Australia with the song “I’m not the same”. Entries Not the same Country🇦🇺 Australia Year2022 LanguageEnglish LyricsSheldon Riley Hernandez MusicSheldon Riley HernandezCam Nacson Backings– Results Semi Points: 243Position: 2Running order: 8 Results Finals Points: 125Position: 15Running order: 21 https://youtu.be/wosfFz2FJPU?si=QOvajMHv3KuEIlnE
Yes, the die is cast again. Ten songs will go through to the final, to be exactly the ten countries you will find below: Belgium Czech Republic Azerbaijan Poland Finland Estonia Australia Sweden Romania Serbia Congratulations to the ten winners. And remember: only ten songs could go through. That does not mean that the other songs are bad.
Two days ago we made a prediction for the first semi-final. Okay, no Albania and Latvia, but Moldova and Iceland instead. But don’t forget: we got no less than eight countries right! That’s why we’re taking the risk for another prediction tonight, this time for the second semifinal. We think that these are the countries that will advance to the final tomorrow: Finland: Who doesn’t know The Rasmus? These rockers have a huge fan base all over Europe. They will vote en masse. Finland makes it to the final. Serbia: The bookmakers are even predicting that Serbia will finish in the top-10. The act with washing hands will be appreciated by enough people for a place in the final. Unfortunately, Britain’s Prince Harry lives in the US. He would definitely vote for this song that mentions his wife. Azerbaijan: This country almost always makes it to the final according to a fixed recipe: a foreign team writes a song. A strong act is built around it. A guarantee for success! Australia: This song is one you either love or hate. There are plenty of people who really appreciate the act with the mask and feathers. The message also gets across. Sheldon is also a very good singer. Cyprus: A surprising song in Greek. Cyprus is not necessarily high on all lists, but it is just such a number that still gets enough appreciation to reach the final tomorrow evening. Estonia: This song makes people happy. And if there’s one thing we need right now, it’s hope, and what’s this song about….? Stefan will be in the final on Saturday. Romania: Spain votes in this semi-final and that helps, but in the meantime WRS also puts on a slick show. We think there is a good chance that it will be a final place. Poland: This is one of two entries on which our entire team is unanimous: Poland goes to the final with the rock-solid, well-sung ballad. Welcome back in the final, Poland! Belgium: The Belgian gospel song is one of a kind, well sung and therefore stands out in a positive way. Although the Belgians themselves seem to have doubts, we are convinced of a place in the final for Jérémie Makiese. Sweden: If Sweden doesn’t go to the final, nobody will. Even when everything went wrong, Cornelia Jacobs remained professional. The bookmakers are still predicting a very high position. But are we right? We’ll know in about 24 hours!
The penultimate day of rehearsal: it is becoming increasingly clear what the viewer can expect. Today we saw the last artists of the second semifinal. Let’s take a closer look at the rehearsals: AUSTRALIA: Whatever you think of Sheldon Riley, he sings like no other. During his emotional ballad he wears the white suit with the enormous drag of feathers. He wears his crystal mask for most of the act, but it goes off. It can’t be difficult for Australia to make it to the final. CYPRUS: For the first time in years, Cyprus is singing (partially) in Greek again. Andromache and her dancers stand in a kind of shell as they sing the song. We have to admit that we would describe Andromache’s vocals as ‘not bad’. If is that a recommendation….? IRELAND: Ireland falls into the ‘how nice’ category. Brooke’s vocals are certainly not bad, neither is the act. However, you may wonder if this is the song with which Ireland will finally reach the final again. We cannot rule out the possibility that it will not work. NORTH MACEDONIA: Perhaps Andrea had hoped for greater success. She was not happy with her first rehearsal. The song comes across as screaming; a hoarseness that suits Kaliopi (2012 and 2016) but not Andrea. ESTONIA: Unfortunately, Stefan can’t count on the 12 points from Armenia, because the country where his roots lie is performing in the other semifinal. The many movements he makes do have an effect on Stefan’s voice, but somehow it doesn’t seem to matter for the entry. It is a happy song that can easily go through to the final. ROMANIA: The Romanians made some minor changes to the act, making it even better and slicker. Furthermore, it seemed as if WRS had changed the melody of the chorus a little bit here and there. In any case, a spectacular show is in store for Romania. POLAND: The ballad of Polen starts very calmly with Ochman alone on stage. Halfway through, when the song becomes a little less quiet, the aforementioned dancers (forest nymphs?) come on stage. We see that a heavy thunderstorm erupts on the stage. Finally a strong contender for Poland agiain. MONTENEGRO: A ballad in which not much happens in 3 minutes. The advantage is that not much can go wrong. We had already mentioned the blue dress that Vladana is wearing. Behind her a circle that most resembles the fluff ball of a dandelion. It is not sure whether it stands out enough to go to the final. BELGIUM: The Belgians have a strong singer with a gospel-like power ballad in Jérémie Makiese. He will definitely get points for that. Fortunately, because the act he shows looks a bit stiff and doesn’t really do justice to the song and singer. SWEDEN: Murphy’s Law strikes. If one thing goes wrong, everything immediately goes wrong. Problems with the sound, problems with the technique and a falling cameraman meant that she was only able to do one whole runthrough. Cornelia did manage to show how professional she is, by showing a good rehearsal even with all that trouble. CZECH REPUBLIC: The act with lots of light and nice graphics fits very well with the Czech entry. In that respect it is a unity. The vocals, however, leave a lot to be desired. That could cost them their heads if it has to be clear who will go to the final.
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.
Today, the running order for the two semifinals in the Eurovision Song Contest has been announced. The running order for the final is not known yet, apart from Italy: Mahmood and Blanco will perform in 9th place. 1st semifinal: Albania Latvia Lithuania Switzerland Slovenia Ukraine Bulgaria The Netherlands Moldova Portugal Croatia Denmark Austria Iceland Greece Norway Armenia 2nd semifinal: Finland Israel Serbia Azerbaijan Georgia Malta San Marino Australia Cyprus Ireland North Macedonia Estonia Romania Poland Montenegro Belgium Sweden Czech Republic
Already for the third day, we have rehearsals. Eurovision Universe will keep you updated about everything that happens during the rehearsals. This is what you can expect today: 11.30 – 12.00 Estonia12.10 – 12.40 Iceland12.50 – 13.20 Greece13.30 – 14.00 Poland15.10 – 15.40 Slovenia15.50 – 16.20 Georgia16.30 – 17.00 San Marino17.10 – 17.40 Austria17.50 – 18.20 Albania18.30 – 19.00 Lithuania19.10 – 19.40 Australia
photo: SBS The band Voyager will represent Australia in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. They will sing a song called “Promise”. That is what Australian broadcaster SBS announced tonight. The band was the runner up in last year’s national final with the song “Dreamer”. Singer Daniel Estrin commented on the event: ““As a long-time Eurovision fan, this is the pinnacle – Voyager gets to play the greatest show on earth! Our song Promise is made for the Eurovision stage and collectively we feel it’s one of our best yet. We filmed the music video in both the city of Perth and beautiful parts
© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameAndrew Lambrou Born01 month 1900 Nationality🇦🇺 Australian National SelectionInternal selection 2023Eurovision – Australia decides 2022 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongBreak a broken heart (2023) Biography Andrew Lambrou is an Australian singer. He was born in 1998 in Sydney, Australia to a Greek Cypriot family. He attended AMS Music School where he learned to play the piano. At the age of 5, he won first place in a competition held by his school, singing “Do-Re-Mi” from The Sound of Music. Lambrou first gained attention in 2013 after uploading a cover of Evanescence’s “My Immortal” to YouTube.
Today, the sad news came to us that Dame Olivia Newton John passed away. The Dame was 73 years old. Olivia Newton-John was born in Cambridge, but the family moved to Australia when she was only 5 years old. She returned to the UK in the sixties. She had her first hits in 1971: “If not for you” became a huge hit in several countries, followed by “Banks of the Ohio”, which became a number 1 hit in Australia. As a good friend of Cliff Richard, she was interested in participating in the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1974 she represented the
© EBU/Nathan Reinds About Quick Facts NameSheldon Riley Hernandez Born14 march 1999 Nationality🇦🇺 Australian National SelectionEurovision – Australia decides 2022 In Eurovision2022 Turin SongNot the same (2022) Biography Sheldon Riley Hernandez, known by his stage name Sheldon Riley, is an Australian singer. Riley was born in Sydney to an Australian mother and Filipino father. He grew up in the Gold Coast. Riley was diagnosed with the asperger syndrom. Riley also faced difficulties in his live being gay in a Christian family. Sheldon Hernandez started his career in 2016 by auditioning for the eighth season of The X Factor Australia. He was
Yes, the die is cast again. Ten songs will go through to the final, to be exactly the ten countries you will find below: Belgium Czech Republic Azerbaijan Poland Finland Estonia Australia Sweden Romania Serbia Congratulations to the ten winners. And remember: only ten songs could go through. That does not mean that the other songs are bad.
Two days ago we made a prediction for the first semi-final. Okay, no Albania and Latvia, but Moldova and Iceland instead. But don’t forget: we got no less than eight countries right! That’s why we’re taking the risk for another prediction tonight, this time for the second semifinal. We think that these are the countries that will advance to the final tomorrow: Finland: Who doesn’t know The Rasmus? These rockers have a huge fan base all over Europe. They will vote en masse. Finland makes it to the final. Serbia: The bookmakers are even predicting that Serbia will finish in the
The penultimate day of rehearsal: it is becoming increasingly clear what the viewer can expect. Today we saw the last artists of the second semifinal. Let’s take a closer look at the rehearsals: AUSTRALIA: Whatever you think of Sheldon Riley, he sings like no other. During his emotional ballad he wears the white suit with the enormous drag of feathers. He wears his crystal mask for most of the act, but it goes off. It can’t be difficult for Australia to make it to the final. CYPRUS: For the first time in years, Cyprus is singing (partially) in Greek again. Andromache
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
Today, the running order for the two semifinals in the Eurovision Song Contest has been announced. The running order for the final is not known yet, apart from Italy: Mahmood and Blanco will perform in 9th place. 1st semifinal: Albania Latvia Lithuania Switzerland Slovenia Ukraine Bulgaria The Netherlands Moldova Portugal Croatia Denmark Austria Iceland Greece Norway Armenia 2nd semifinal: Finland Israel Serbia Azerbaijan Georgia Malta San Marino Australia Cyprus Ireland North Macedonia Estonia Romania Poland Montenegro Belgium Sweden Czech Republic