Happy birthday, Eurovision!

Happy birthday, Eurovision Song Contest. Today it is 66 years ago that the first Eurovision song contest was held.

The Eurovision Song Contest was created after the coronation of the British Queen Elizabeth II was broadcast on French television. They wanted to use the equipment purchased for this for other events. A song contest, modeled after the Italian festival of Sanremo, was one of the ideas.

The first song contest took place in Lugano, Switzerland. Ten countries wanted to participate, in the end there were seven. They each presented two songs. There was no voting as we know it now. The jury consisted of two members from each country. Remarkable: Luxembourg had no jury, two Swiss did the honors for that country. At the end of the evening, chairman Rolf Liebermann only announced that the song “Refrain” had won. That was one of Lys Assia‘s two Swiss entries.

Little image has been preserved of the first Eurovision; only a part of the reprise, when Lys Assia had won.

Wanna know more? Have a look at our 1956 page!

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🇨🇾 2026: Antigoni sings “Jalla” for Cyprus

Cyprus has officially released its Eurovision Song Contest 2026 entry, unveiling the song “Jalla” by Antigoni. Her track debuted tonight via a music video premiere on national TV, followed by an online release shortly. This marks the first public reveal of the song that will represent Cyprus in Vienna this May. Video Premiere on RIK1 and Online CyBC’s RIK1 channel aired “Jalla” for the first time at 20:00 CET during the Sunday evening news. Immediately after the TV broadcast, at 21:00 local time, the full song and video went live on the Eurovision YouTube channel and CyBC’s official site. At the same time, “Jalla” also became available on all major streaming and digital music platforms. This coordinated release strategy ensured fans could experience Cyprus’s song “Jalla” as soon as it debuted. About “Jalla” and Antigoni Antigoni’s Eurovision song “Jalla” is an atmospheric pop track that celebrates her Greek-Cypriot roots. In the Cypriot dialect, “Jalla” means “more”. It’s a local word that adds a strong cultural character to the song. Additionally, a teaser shot from the music video showed the singer reclining in a pickup truck surrounded by oranges. The full video even features Antigoni’s own grandparents in cameo roles, underlining the personal touch in the presentation. These vivid visuals underscore the song’s connection to Cyprus’s traditions and scenery. Antigoni (full name Antigoni Buxton) is a British-Cypriot singer-songwriter. Cyprus’s broadcaster CyBC internally selected her to represent the country at Eurovision 2026. Notably, Antigoni co-wrote “Jalla” with a team of international songwriters and producers. This team includes Connor Mullally-Knight, Claydee, Trey Qua, Paris Kalpos, Charalambos Kallona, and Dimitris Nikolaou. With its polished production and cultural flair, “Jalla” aims to give Cyprus a strong chance at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.  

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🇨🇾 2026: Antigoni sings “Jalla” for Cyprus

Cyprus has officially released its Eurovision Song Contest 2026 entry, unveiling the song “Jalla” by Antigoni. Her track debuted tonight via a music video premiere on national TV, followed by an online release shortly. This marks the first public reveal of the song that will represent Cyprus in Vienna this May. Video Premiere on RIK1 and Online CyBC’s RIK1 channel aired “Jalla” for the first time at 20:00 CET during the Sunday evening news. Immediately after the TV broadcast, at 21:00 local time, the full song and video went live on the Eurovision YouTube channel and CyBC’s official site. At the same time, “Jalla” also became available on all major streaming and digital music platforms. This coordinated release strategy ensured fans could experience Cyprus’s song “Jalla” as soon as it debuted. About “Jalla” and Antigoni Antigoni’s Eurovision song “Jalla” is an atmospheric pop track that celebrates her Greek-Cypriot roots. In the Cypriot dialect, “Jalla” means “more”. It’s a local word that adds a strong cultural character to the song. Additionally, a teaser shot from the music video showed the singer reclining in a pickup truck surrounded by oranges. The full video even features Antigoni’s own grandparents in cameo roles, underlining the personal touch in the presentation. These vivid visuals underscore the song’s connection to Cyprus’s traditions and scenery. Antigoni (full name Antigoni Buxton) is a British-Cypriot singer-songwriter. Cyprus’s broadcaster CyBC internally selected her to represent the country at Eurovision 2026. Notably, Antigoni co-wrote “Jalla” with a team of international songwriters and producers. This team includes Connor Mullally-Knight, Claydee, Trey Qua, Paris Kalpos, Charalambos Kallona, and Dimitris Nikolaou. With its polished production and cultural flair, “Jalla” aims to give Cyprus a strong chance at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.  

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