Martijn

🇦🇲 Ladaniva to represent Armenia

The duo Ladaniva will represent Armenia in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. That is what Armenian television announced tonight. Ladaniva consists of Jaklin Baghdasaryan, an Armenian vocalist, and Louis Thomas, a French multi-instrumentalist. Together, they create a unique fusion of Armenian folk music with diverse international influences. Their song for the Eurovision Song Contest is set to be unveiled shortly. Their music seamlessly integrates elements ranging from Balkan folk melodies to the rhythms of maloya, jazz, and reggae, illustrating a transcultural journey that merges traditional Armenian melodies with the duo’s rich experiences gathered from travels in Latin America, Africa, and Reunion Island. Ladaniva’s sound mirrors their mixed heritage and their deep fascination with exploring the music and cultures of the world. Armenia will perform in the 1st half of the 2nd semifinal. Note that “Shakar” is NOT their Eurovision song.

🇵🇹 Portugal: Festival RTP da Canção final tonight

Festival RTP da Canção closes the row of national finals tonight. In this festival, consisting of 12 songs, the Portuguese entry for the Eurovision Song Contest will be chosen. The contest will be transmitted from the RTP Studios in Lisbon and hosted by Vasco Palmeirim and Filomena Cautela. They will be supported from the green room by Inês Lopes Gonçalves. The show starts at 22:00 CET and you can watch it here and here. These are the 12 participants: nr. Title Artist(s) 1 Change Silk Nobre 2 Criatura Rita Onofre 3 Memory Noble 4 O farol Buba Espinho 5 Teorias da conspiração Nena 6 Grito Iolanda 7 Aceitar No Maka ft. Ana Maria 8 Primavera Cristina Clara 9 Pontos finais Rita Rocha 10 Doce mistéria Leo Middea 11 Bem longe daqui Perpétua 12 …Pelas costuras João Borsch

🇸🇪 Melodifestivalen faces the final

Tonight is the night of the Melodifestivalen final. The popular Swedish national final will be held in the Friends Arena in Stockholm and will be hosted by Carina Berg. The show starts at 20.00 CET and you can watch it here. These are the 12 participating songs: nr. Title Artist(s) 1 When I’m gone Maria Sur 2 Back to my roots Jay Smith 3 Awful liar Lisa Ajax 4 Heroes are calling Smash Into Pieces 5 Give my heart a break Cazzi Opeia 6 Light Annika Wickihalder 7 Unforgettable Marcus & Martinus 8 It’s not easy to write a love song Dotter 9 Que sera Medina 10 Dragon Liamoo 11 Effortless Jacqline 12 Happy that you found me Danny Saucedo Maria Sur was 9th in last year’s Melodifestivalen final.Lisa Ajax was present in 2016 (7th), 2017 (9th), 2019 (9th) and 2022 (with Nello, quarter final).Smash Into Pieces was 3rd last year.Cazzi Opeia was 9th in 2022.Marcus & Martinus were 2nd last year.Dotter took part in Melodifestivalen before in 2018 (semifinals), in 2020 (2nd) and in 2021 (4th).Medina was 3rd in 2022.Liamoo was 6th in 2018. He was 2nd in 2019 with Hanna Ferm. In 2022 he was 4th.Danny Saucedo was 3rd in 2009 (with E.M.D.), 2nd in 2011, also 2nd in 2012 and 7th in 2021.

🇬🇷 Greek song “Zari” presented

Today, Marina Satti presented her song “Zari” on Greek television. Already in October 2023, it was announced that Marina would go and represent Greece, but only now there is a song. At 21:30 tonight, the premiere of the song on ERT television was a fact, and this is the song:

🇮🇱 EBU and Israel agree on lyrics Eden Golan

The EBU has greenlit the revised lyrics for Israel’s entry, clearing the way for Israeli artist Eden Golan’s involvement. This year’s contest is set to take place in Sweden during May. Initially, Golan intended to perform a piece titled “October Rain,” which appeared to allude to the Hamas assault on Israel on October 7th. Lyrics like “there’s no more oxygen left to breathe” and “each was a good child, without exception” were part of the original song. However, the EBU, the festival’s coordinator, found the original lyrics overly political and consequently rejected them. Similarly, another track, “Dance Forever,” was turned down for implying a reference to the tragic killing of young Israelis at the Nova music festival on October 7th. The updated submission is named “Hurricane,” although it shares the melody with “October Rain.” Golan is set to debut it on Israeli TV this Sunday.

🇦🇿 Fahree represents Azerbaijan

photo: EBU/İctimai Today, the announcement came that Fahree will be the representative of Azerbaijan in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. Born in Baku in 1995, Fahree grew up surrounded by the arts, with a father who was an avid jazz drummer and a grandfather renowned as an actor. Throughout his university years, Fahree diligently pursued a career in law, earning both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree over six years. Yet, during the 2020 global pandemic, Fahree experienced a revival of his early passion for music, deciding to fully embrace it. Emboldened to leave behind his potential career in law, Fahree pursued his true passion. Participating in the Eurovision Song Contest represents the fulfillment of his dream. The song he will perform in Malmö will be announced shortly. Fahree will perform in the 2nd half of the first semifinal. This Fahree song is NOT the Eurovision entry!

🇦🇺 Electric Fields represents Australia

Electric Fields represents Australia in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest. They will sing the song “One Milkali (One Blood)”. That is what EBU and Australian broadcaster SBS announced this evening. Electric Fields, an Australian electronic duo, unites Zaachariaha Fielding’s stunning vocals with Michael Ross’s production prowess. Blending electric-soul with Aboriginal languages, they’ve created a sound that’s both innovative and deeply rooted in their cultural heritage. Since forming in 2015, they’ve released an EP, several singles, and have been recognized with awards, reflecting their significant impact on music and culture. Their journey includes a nearly successful bid to represent Australia at Eurovision 2019, leading up to their confirmed participation in 2024 with “One Milkali (One Blood).” Celebrated for their artistry and advocacy, Electric Fields stand as influential figures in modern Australian music, bridging cultural divides with their powerful, emotive performances. Australia will perform in the second half of the first semifinal. This is the song:

🇷🇸 Tonight is the night for Serbia

Tonight is the night for Serbia. Pesma za Evroviziju 24 comes to an end, which means we know the Serbian entry tonight. Out of 16 songs, the Serbians will select their song. The show starts at 21:00 CET and you can watch it on YouTube. These are the contestants: nr. Title Artist(s) 1 Dom Iva Lorens 2 Luna Park Džordži 3 Orlovo gnezdo Breskvica 4 Ramonda Teya Dora 5 Bedem Hristina 6 Dno Marko Mandić 7 Percepcija M.Ira 8 Jutra bez tebe Nemanja Radošević 9 Moje tvoje Milan Bujaković 10 Dijamanti Keni mije mrtav 11 Lik u ogledalu Zorja 12 Najbolja Zejna 13 Novo, bolje Konstrakta 14 No no no Bojana & David 15 Zovi me Lena Lena Kovačević 16 Zbog tebe živim Dušan Kurtić Zorja was 3rd in 2022.Zejna took part in 2022 (13th) and 2023 (7th).Konstrakta represented Serbia in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest with the song “In Corpore Sano”.

🇮🇸 Iceland selects their entry

Tonight is the night when Iceland selects a song. Söngvakeppnin, their national final, will contain 5 songs. Out of these 5, jury and televoter will select two to head to a superfinal. In that superfinal, televotes will be added to select the winner. The show starts at 20:45 CET and you can watch it here or here (with English comments). These are the contestants: nr. Title Artist(s) 1 Biómynd VÆB 2 Scared of heights Hera Björk 3 Downfall Anita 4 Wild west Bashar Murad 5 Into the athmosphere Sigga Ózk Sigga Ózk reached the final last year. Hera Björk represented Iceland in the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Je ne sais quoi”. She took part in 2007 (semifinals), was the runner up in the 2009 Danish Melodi Grand Prix and 3rd in Söngvakeppnin 2019. The connection from Palestinian Bashar Murad with Iceland is the fact that, in 2019, he collaborated with Hatari in the song “Klefi/Samed”. This is, however, his first attempt in Eurovision. Bashar is the hot favourite to win tonight.

🇵🇹 Portugal: Festival RTP da Canção continues

Tonight, Portugal will continue Festival RTP da Canção, the annual national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. Out of ten songs, 6 will be chosen for the final on the 9th of March. The show starts at 22:00 and you can watch it here and here. These are the songs: Buba Espinho sings “O farol” Cristina Clara sings “Primavera” Filipa sings “You can’t hide” Huca sings “Pé de choro” João Couto sings “Quarto para um” Leo Middea sings “Doce mistério” María João sings “Dia” No Maka ft. Ana Maria sings “Aceitar” Rita Onofre sings “Criatura” Silk Nobre “Change” João Couto took part in the 2019 semifinal.