Martijn

Who will perform when on Saturday?

On the picture: Cornelia Jakobs (Sweden) joking with the press conference host Tonight, during the winners’ press conference, every artist had to draw a ballot for the final. Will they perform in the 1st or in the 2nd half? Last week, the Big 5 already had their draw. And Tuesday, the winners of the first semifinal found out when they have to perform. Tonight, or early tomorrow morning, EBU will decide the following order. Only one thing is known yet: host country Italy will perform as 9th. 1st half: Armenia Czech Republic Finland France Germany Italy (9th place) Norway Portugal Romania Spain Switzerland The Netherlands Ukraine 2nd half: Australia Azerbaijan Belgium Estonia Greece Iceland Lithuania Moldova Poland Serbia Sweden United Kingdom

And the last ten finalists are….

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.

Our prediction for the 2nd semifinal

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!

And this is what we know about the following order

Tonight, during the winners’ press conference, every artist had to draw a ballot for the final. Will they perform in the 1st or in the 2nd half? Last week, the Big 5 already had their draw. However, there is one exception. The organizing country, in this case Italy, had already drawn for the 9th place on an earlier stage. As you notice, most of the countries drew a place in the first half. That means, next Thursday there will be a lot of places available in the 2nd half. 1st half: Armenia France Germany Italy (9th place) Norway Portugal Spain Switzerland The Netherlands Ukraine 2nd half: Iceland Lithuania Moldova United Kingdom

These are the finalists:

Well, the die is cast. There are ten finalists. These ten countries will present their song in the final this saturday: Switzerland Armenia Iceland Lithuania Portugal Norway Greece Ukraine Moldova The Netherlands Congratulations to the ten winners. And remember: only ten songs could go through. That does not mean that the other songs are bad.

Sietse Bakker: no plan in case Ukraine wins

The EBU has no plan yet, in case Ukraine wins the Eurovision Song Contest. Normally, the country with a high winning probability is already preparing for the organization of the next festival. Because of the war in Ukraine, it is by no means certain that this country will also be able to take on the organization in case they actually win. That is what Sietse Bakker, member of the EBU reference group, says to Dutch news agency ANP. “That might be a bit premature. After all, the competition has only just begun” says Bakker. “I do think it is important that the Reference Group comes together very quickly if Ukraine wins and thinks about what the ‘point of no return’ is: at what moment you can still decide whether or not it is possible in Kiev” , Baker explains. According to him, organizing the Eurovision Song Contest can easily take a year. “It doesn’t look good at the moment. It is still a dangerous situation. And it is highly uncertain how that will develop in the coming period.” There are several options if the winning country cannot organize the contest. “What EBU could do is go to a country that recently organized it. After all, the country can act quickly. Or one can say: we are going to a country that recently organized the Junior Song Contest, for example Poland. They did very well and they also have the ambition to organise Eurovision. The third option is to go to one of the Big Five countries.” Since 1981, the winning country has always organized the Eurovision Song Contest. Even when Ireland won three consecutive times, they always took on the organization. In 1980 the Netherlands organized the contest. The previous year’s winner, Israel, won twice in a row and was unable to cope financially. It is, of course, a bit early to speculate on this. Ukraine hasn’t won yet. However, the chances of that happening are high. In recent years, the number 1 has always won at the bookmakers. The last time that didn’t happen was in 2016. Russia was the number 1 at the bookmakers that year. Who did win in 2016? Ukraine… source: AD

Our predictions for the first semifinal

Tomorrow, the moment is there. We will have the first semifinal for the Eurovision Song Contest. What does the team of Eurovision Universe think? You will read it here. In fact, we are convinced of a final place for these countries: Albania, after all the fuzz around the act. Song and act are strong, Rona will qualify! Latvia: A song about veggies and (….). Cheerful, colourful and with a very modern topic. Lithuania: The act might not be what Monika wished for, but the song will stand out. Switzerland: The swiss song is in the style of Duncan Laurence and Gjon’s Tears, but less strong. It’s gonna be hard for Switzerland, but it is possible. Ukraine, because…. it’s Ukraine. The country is the hot favourite to even win the final. The Netherlands, S10 manages to tell the people where she sings about. Even in Dutch! Portugal: You can’t explain “Saudade” in any other language. MARO explains it by music. Not a sure qualifier, but we think it will. Greece; there is no such a song in Eurovision this year. It is unique and the act is strong. Norway, because every year needs an act like this. People vote for yellow masked wolves. Armenia: The song is strong, the singing is strong, the act is strong….. it has written final all over! But of course, we wish all the artists good luck. Tomorrow, by this time, we will know more….

Don’t mess with a flag in North Macedonia

You probably haven’t even noticed, but a small thing during the red carpet event yesterday turned into a lot of hassle in North Macedonia. Because contestant Andrea wanted her hands free for the photo, she threw away the flag of North Macedonia. That caused her a big problem. Last night, the national broadcaster MRT came with a statement, in which the broadcaster called the throwing disrespect to the flag. It would even be a violation of North Macedonian law. MRT seriously considered withdrawing Andrea and thus North Macedonia from the competition: “MRT expects Andrea to apologize to the citizens for such behavior. The public service is considering the possibility of her withdrawal from Eurovision, although care will be taken not to cause more damage to MRT. All legal possibilities for the strictest sanctioning for this scandal will be taken against those responsible in the Macedonian delegation”. It ended well in the end: Andrea apologized on national television. This turned this story into a storm in a teacup. A year before there was also a big fuzz in in the country. Participant Vasil’s video showed three paintings, in the colors of the Bulgarian flag. Besides North Macedonian, Vasil also has Bulgarian ancestors. Nationalist North Macedonians demanded another participant. In the end, the video was taken off the internet and a new version, without the Bulgarian colors, was put online.

S10 prefers the small theaters in Paris and Berlin

Today we had the opportunity to talk to Stien den Hollander. You know her better as S10, the Dutch candidate for the festival in Turin. “We’ve been keeping an eye on it from the start, of course, and we really just wanted to see all of your faces too,” S10 explains why she’s so curious about the fan media. Not a lot of choreogrography The conversation soon came to the rehearsals: “Of course there are some problems with the sun, I think everyone suffers from that. So do we, but not too much because our act was also quite intimate and small.”, says S10 light-hearted. “We’ve actually built the show in a way that I’m very free in where I look and stand,” the singer explains about the act. “So there’s not a lot of choreography in terms of looking. When the camera is very close to me, I look into it and that feels nice to me. Then I enclose myself completely and I actually do things for the people at home. Not like Now I have to look here and oh yes, now I have to look there, that would really be a bit too much for me.” I couldn’t wait “I also saw the stand-in rehearsal”, the singer said, “That was crazy. They pick out someone who looks a bit like you, so it was a blonde girl too, but she was pretty sultry and pretty sexy. She had quite a sexy interpretation of “De diepte”, which I really liked, because it was something different. It was good to see because then you really see: oh yes, we made this and now she is performing it there.” “I wasn’t nervous at all for the first rehearsal. It was also nice because it was still quite private. It just felt really good. The very first rehearsal went really well for me. We could just really do some stuff. I am of course completely in my own focus. I look into the camera and i don’t see what’s happening behind me. We had the first rehearsal on Saturday and the second rehearsal on Wednesday and I couldn’t wait for Wednesday. I really wanted to get on that stage again.” Small theaters S10 also looked ahead, because she possibly can end up high in the contest. So, what would be next? “It is quite difficult to estimate that. Thinking: the higher you finish, the bigger your career i think can be or become abroad. I would like, if I finish high, for example to do a tour through Europe end of this year, but especially the small theaters in Paris or Berlin, for example, a bit underground. I wouldn’t fly to LA to sign a contract there.” Music first and rock and roll never dies And who does she think, will win? “If there is someone I would really like to see win, it is Sam Ryder. I just think he is so nice and so sympathetic and such an appearance. Still find it quite difficult to place all Eurovision candidates in a sort of ranking. I feel like there were about five artists last year who we thought: yes, they can all win. I think i can really see Sam Ryder winning.”And if S10 would win herself, what would she say? “I still don’t really have a plan for that. Maybe I’ll just say ‘Music first’ and ‘Rock and roll never dies’, just a copy of the other artists who won.”

Day 8: Of good voices and proper acts from the Big Five!

It’s the end of the individual rehearsals every year: those of the Big Five. And every year it is the disappointment of a group of countries that seem to be unable to bring anything good to the stage. Last year there was already a noticeable change in this, but this year the countries really surprise! Rehearsals Big Five FRANCE: For the first time since 1996, the Breton language can be heard at the Eurovision Song Contest. Back then France finished at the bottom. That won’t happen now, but the act made quite a messy impression during rehearsals. The points will really have to come in thanks to the song and enthusiasm of Alvan and Ahez. ITALY: The performance of Italy, now that Blanco is around, is rather disappointing. This is mainly due to the poor vocals of both. Mahmood is dressed in black, Blanco in white and there is a lot of light. But that doesn’t help much if the vocals remain as bad as they are now. However, our friends from songfestivalweblog.nl remember that Mahmood did not excel during the rehearsals in 2019 either, but when it came to the jury final and the final, he really showed his best. Perhaps that will happen again three years later. UNITED KINGDOM: Sam Ryder stands amid scaffolding singing his song. And that is all he needs for this song. His strong voice seems to be enough for a very high score, something for which the British have to go way back. The British will also finally experience that you can end up high with a good song. SPAIN: We remember the act, in which singing and dancing are combined, from the Spanish national final. This usually has an effect on the singer’s voice. Not so with Chanel. Because with this performance she proves that she is more, much more than an average pop singer. Like the British, the Spaniards can look forward to the festival with confidence. GERMANY: With guitar and drum machine Malik Harris manages to show an act that is not bad at all. As far as vocals go, Malik continues to do well. The act is not directly in the top-5 with the bookmakers, and the song is perhaps just a bit too anonymous for that. One thing is certain: Germany is also out of the lower regions this year. Conclusion: unlike in previous years, the Big Five seem to be doing reasonably well this year and there is even a potential winner. Has Måneskin’s win brought new impetus to these five countries? Who’ knows…?