After the Eurovision fame: Dima Bilan

Dima Bilan won the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest for Russia.

Early life

Dima Bilan was born as Victor Belan on December 24, 1981. He was born in Ust-Dzheguta, in the Autonomous Soviet Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia. He took part in several music competitions. For example, he won the “Young Voices of the Caucasus” competition. His first performance on television was in 1995, also in a talent show. In 1998, when he was 16 years old, he went to Moscow to participate in the Chunga-Changa festival, where the chairman of the jury gave him a diploma. He chose ‘Dima Bilan’ as his stage name; Dmitriy was his grandfather’s name. So Dima is a tribute to him.

Breakthrough and first two albums

Once he lived in Moscow, Dima began to record his first songs. The video of his debut single “Osen” became a success. The video was shot in the Gulf of Finland. At the time, under the pseudonym Dima Belan, he was regularly seen on MTV Russia.
Although he studied to become an opera singer, he dreamed of a career as a pop singer. The dream came true when a classmate introduced him to producer Yuri Aizenshpis. His first real big success came in 2002, when he took fourth place in the New Wave festival. A new single and video, “Boom”, followed and in 2003 there was Dima Bilan’s debut album “Ya nochnoy huligan”. Television appearances followed, and his single “Na beregu neba” reached number 2 in the Russian charts. The album with the same name went gold in 2004. It became one of the best-selling albums of 2004 in Russia.

First steps in the field of Eurovision

After this success, producer Aizenshpis registered Bilan to participate in the national final of the Eurovision Song Contest. He sang in English: “Not that simple”. Although he was close, Dima Bilan didn’t win the ticket to the Eurovision song contest in Kiev. He did, however, have a hit with the song. The Russian version “”Ty dolzhna ryadom byt'” became one of the biggest hits of 2005. Several other hits followed. When Yuri Aizenshpis passed away in late 2005, producers lined up to take Dima under their wing, eventually Yana became Rudkovskaya his new producer. That caused another problem with his name, because it was officially owned by Aizenshpis’ company. When this conflict was resolved, Dima decided to officially register under the name Dima Bilan.

Eurovision 2006
In 2006, the Russian broadcaster wanted to be sure that Dima Bilan would represent the country at the Eurovision Song Contest. They decided to single him out without a national final. His song “Never let you go” did very well: a second place was awarded to him. Never had a Russian candidate finished higher. He subsequently represented Russia at the MTV Europe Awards and won an Award as best-selling Russian singer at the World Music Awards.

Winning the Eurovision Song Contest

In 2007, Dima Bilan recorded an English-language album with the famous producers Jim Beanz and Ryan Tedder. Again, he won awards at the MTV Russia Award. In 2008 a new Russian album was released. He also took part in the national final for the Eurovision song contest again. During the contest in Belgrade he sang “Believe”. The song was co-written by Jim Beanz. Dima was accompanied by Hungarian violinist Edvin Barton and Olympic figure skating champion Evgeni Plushenko. Dima Bilan managed to win the Eurovision Song Contest.


No return to Eurovision

The album “Believe” soon followed. In 2010, Dima Bilan had a song ready to participate in the Eurovision song contest: “White nights”. However, he decided not to. Joining again two years later would be too soon, according to Bilan. In that year he did play the lead role in a short film. In 2011, he released another new Russian album. The return to the song contest came in 2012: in duet with Yulia Volkova (known from t.A.T.u.), “Back to her future”. Despite their favorite role, they did not win but had to make do with second place.

The Voice

After the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest, Dima Bilan released four more studio albums. He was also a coach in several seasons of the Russian version of The Voice. He was in the chair in seasons 1 through 3, in seasons 5 and 6, and will soon be seen again in season 10. He also coached the first four seasons of The Voice Kids in Russia.

 

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It’s time for another weekly Eurovision update! After we were unable to publish an update last week, we have extra information to cover this week. National finals are heating up across Europe, preparations for Eurovision 2026 are in full swing, and the debate over Israel’s participation continues. Here are the latest developments: Nordic & Baltic National Finals 🇸🇪 Sweden: SVT has announced the six-city tour for Melodifestivalen 2026, which will span five heats and a final. The shows kick off in Linköping on January 31 and continue to Gothenburg, Kristianstad, Malmö, and Sundsvall, culminating with the Grand Final in Stockholm on March 7. Notably, Sundsvall returns as a host city for the first time since 2011. SVT also received a record 3,888 song submissions for Melodifestivalen 2026. source: SVT 🇪🇪 Estonia: Eesti Laul 2026 is now underway. ERR opened song submissions on September 19, with entries accepted until October 20. The Eesti Laul 2026 shows are expected early next year, continuing Estonia’s tradition of a multi-show national final. source: info.err.ee Western Europe National Finals 🇩🇪 Germany: Germany will choose its Eurovision 2026 act via a public national final in late February. It will be broadcast on ARD’s Das Erste. Broadcaster SWR, taking over Eurovision duties from NDR, confirmed that no cooperation with Stefan Raab or RTL is planned for 2026. This means the earlier proposed Raab/RTL selection show will not go ahead. ARD will organize the selection alone. source: deutschlandfunk.de 🇱🇺 Luxembourg: The Grand Duchy’s return to Eurovision moves forward as the Luxembourg Song Contest 2026 submission window has closed. September 1 was the last day for artists to submit songs to represent Luxembourg in Vienna. National broadcaster RTL will now review all entries and invite selected candidates to audition before an international jury in October. That jury will pick finalists for Luxembourg’s televised national final. source: eurovoix.com 🇳🇱 The Netherlands: Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS has been secretive about its selection. After receiving around 300 song submissions, the field has been narrowed to 10 entries still in the race to represent the Netherlands. An internal selection committee is reviewing the final contenders, with an announcement of the chosen artist expected by the end of the year. source: songfestivalweblog 🇦🇹 Austria: ORF has confirmed “Wer singt für Österreich?” – Austria’s national final – will take place on February 20, 2026. The show returns to choose Austria’s act for Vienna as the country hosts Eurovision 2026. ORF has not yet announced the format or artists. However, expectations are high after Austria’s victory in 2025. source: escxtra Southern Europe National Finals 🇵🇹 Portugal: RTP unveiled major changes for Festival da Canção 2026. For the first time, a special “Prova de Acesso” contest for music school talents is providing one spot in the FdC line-up via an online public vote. Additionally, last year’s FdC winners NAPA get to directly invite one competing artist for 2026. These new paths join the traditional open submissions and RTP wildcards to make up 16 entries in total. source: RTP 🇪🇸 Spain: RTVE has reported an overwhelming response for Benidorm Fest 2026, Spain’s Eurovision selection. Over 900 songs were submitted by the September 25 deadline. A panel will now shortlist semi-finalists for the Benidorm Fest shows slated for early 2026. This strong interest comes as Spain seeks to continue its recent Eurovision revival. Notably, Spain’s participation itself was under question due to the Israel controversy. However, the broadcaster has since confirmed Spain will have a Benidorm Fest. source: RTVE South-Eastern Europe National Finals 🇬🇷 Greece: Greek broadcaster ERT is reviving a multi-show national final. Ethnikós Telikós 2026 will feature two semifinals (up to 28 songs total) and a grand final. Song submissions opened September 17 and run through November 2. In the final, the winner will be decided by 50% televote, 25% Greek jury, and 25% international jury. ERT hopes the expanded competition will build excitement and deliver another strong result. source: ERT 🇦🇱 Albania: In Tirana, RTSH has closed song submissions for Festivali i Këngës 64. The long-running festival will once again select Albania’s entry. September 30 was the final deadline for artists to send in songs for FiK 64, which takes place this December. The FiK selection committee will now review the entries and pick the lineup for the festival shows. Notably, FiK 64 will introduce a new real-time voting app for the public alongside the jury voting. Albania’s Eurovision 2026 journey is assured after a financial dispute with the EBU was resolved (more on that below), so the FiK winner will indeed head to Vienna. source: Eurovoix 🇭🇷 Croatia: HRT has officially opened submissions for Dora 2026, Croatia’s national selection for Eurovision. Songwriters and performers can submit entries from September 22 until November 23, 2025. HRT also published the rules and confirmed that Dora 2026 will be broadcast in February. source: HRT Eurovision 2026 Preparations & Participation A Eurovision Song Contest workshop was held in Dubrovnik, Croatia, as part of preparations for the upcoming 70th contest. Heads of Delegation from all participating broadcasters traveled to the host country for this meeting. The workshop reportedly covered organizational aspects of Eurovision 2026. That includes discussions about the voting system and potential rule changes for next year. With Eurovision celebrating a milestone edition in 2026, officials are considering tweaks to ensure the contest remains fair and engaging. source: Eurovoix 🇫🇷 France has officially confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2026. In a statement on social media, France Télévisions reaffirmed its support for the Eurovision event and the artists involved. France’s broadcaster emphasized the cultural importance of the contest and indicated it will be present in Vienna. Details of France’s selection process are still to be announced. Since 2023 France has internally selected its act, but it remains to be seen if that will continue.  🇦🇱 Albania will also be at Eurovision 2026 after a moment of uncertainty. RTSH’s Director General, Eni Vasili, successfully renegotiated the broadcaster’s debt with the EBU, averting a potential suspension. The EBU had been on the

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Weekly Update

It’s time for another weekly Eurovision update! After we were unable to publish an update last week, we have extra information to cover this week. National finals are heating up across Europe, preparations for Eurovision 2026 are in full swing, and the debate over Israel’s participation continues. Here are the latest developments: Nordic & Baltic National Finals 🇸🇪 Sweden: SVT has announced the six-city tour for Melodifestivalen 2026, which will span five heats and a final. The shows kick off in Linköping on January 31 and continue to Gothenburg, Kristianstad, Malmö, and Sundsvall, culminating with the Grand Final in Stockholm on March 7. Notably, Sundsvall returns as a host city for the first time since 2011. SVT also received a record 3,888 song submissions for Melodifestivalen 2026. source: SVT 🇪🇪 Estonia: Eesti Laul 2026 is now underway. ERR opened song submissions on September 19, with entries accepted until October 20. The Eesti Laul 2026 shows are expected early next year, continuing Estonia’s tradition of a multi-show national final. source: info.err.ee Western Europe National Finals 🇩🇪 Germany: Germany will choose its Eurovision 2026 act via a public national final in late February. It will be broadcast on ARD’s Das Erste. Broadcaster SWR, taking over Eurovision duties from NDR, confirmed that no cooperation with Stefan Raab or RTL is planned for 2026. This means the earlier proposed Raab/RTL selection show will not go ahead. ARD will organize the selection alone. source: deutschlandfunk.de 🇱🇺 Luxembourg: The Grand Duchy’s return to Eurovision moves forward as the Luxembourg Song Contest 2026 submission window has closed. September 1 was the last day for artists to submit songs to represent Luxembourg in Vienna. National broadcaster RTL will now review all entries and invite selected candidates to audition before an international jury in October. That jury will pick finalists for Luxembourg’s televised national final. source: eurovoix.com 🇳🇱 The Netherlands: Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS has been secretive about its selection. After receiving around 300 song submissions, the field has been narrowed to 10 entries still in the race to represent the Netherlands. An internal selection committee is reviewing the final contenders, with an announcement of the chosen artist expected by the end of the year. source: songfestivalweblog 🇦🇹 Austria: ORF has confirmed “Wer singt für Österreich?” – Austria’s national final – will take place on February 20, 2026. The show returns to choose Austria’s act for Vienna as the country hosts Eurovision 2026. ORF has not yet announced the format or artists. However, expectations are high after Austria’s victory in 2025. source: escxtra Southern Europe National Finals 🇵🇹 Portugal: RTP unveiled major changes for Festival da Canção 2026. For the first time, a special “Prova de Acesso” contest for music school talents is providing one spot in the FdC line-up via an online public vote. Additionally, last year’s FdC winners NAPA get to directly invite one competing artist for 2026. These new paths join the traditional open submissions and RTP wildcards to make up 16 entries in total. source: RTP 🇪🇸 Spain: RTVE has reported an overwhelming response for Benidorm Fest 2026, Spain’s Eurovision selection. Over 900 songs were submitted by the September 25 deadline. A panel will now shortlist semi-finalists for the Benidorm Fest shows slated for early 2026. This strong interest comes as Spain seeks to continue its recent Eurovision revival. Notably, Spain’s participation itself was under question due to the Israel controversy. However, the broadcaster has since confirmed Spain will have a Benidorm Fest. source: RTVE South-Eastern Europe National Finals 🇬🇷 Greece: Greek broadcaster ERT is reviving a multi-show national final. Ethnikós Telikós 2026 will feature two semifinals (up to 28 songs total) and a grand final. Song submissions opened September 17 and run through November 2. In the final, the winner will be decided by 50% televote, 25% Greek jury, and 25% international jury. ERT hopes the expanded competition will build excitement and deliver another strong result. source: ERT 🇦🇱 Albania: In Tirana, RTSH has closed song submissions for Festivali i Këngës 64. The long-running festival will once again select Albania’s entry. September 30 was the final deadline for artists to send in songs for FiK 64, which takes place this December. The FiK selection committee will now review the entries and pick the lineup for the festival shows. Notably, FiK 64 will introduce a new real-time voting app for the public alongside the jury voting. Albania’s Eurovision 2026 journey is assured after a financial dispute with the EBU was resolved (more on that below), so the FiK winner will indeed head to Vienna. source: Eurovoix 🇭🇷 Croatia: HRT has officially opened submissions for Dora 2026, Croatia’s national selection for Eurovision. Songwriters and performers can submit entries from September 22 until November 23, 2025. HRT also published the rules and confirmed that Dora 2026 will be broadcast in February. source: HRT Eurovision 2026 Preparations & Participation A Eurovision Song Contest workshop was held in Dubrovnik, Croatia, as part of preparations for the upcoming 70th contest. Heads of Delegation from all participating broadcasters traveled to the host country for this meeting. The workshop reportedly covered organizational aspects of Eurovision 2026. That includes discussions about the voting system and potential rule changes for next year. With Eurovision celebrating a milestone edition in 2026, officials are considering tweaks to ensure the contest remains fair and engaging. source: Eurovoix 🇫🇷 France has officially confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2026. In a statement on social media, France Télévisions reaffirmed its support for the Eurovision event and the artists involved. France’s broadcaster emphasized the cultural importance of the contest and indicated it will be present in Vienna. Details of France’s selection process are still to be announced. Since 2023 France has internally selected its act, but it remains to be seen if that will continue.  🇦🇱 Albania will also be at Eurovision 2026 after a moment of uncertainty. RTSH’s Director General, Eni Vasili, successfully renegotiated the broadcaster’s debt with the EBU, averting a potential suspension. The EBU had been on the

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