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2023

Albania: Festivali i Këngës 61, semifinal 2

The Albanian national selection starts tonight. In four evenings, Albania will make a choice. Tonight, the second semifinal will be held. It starts at 21.00 CET and you can watch it here and here and on Youtube. Albania usually is the first country to select an entry. Not this year, as we already know Ukraine’s entry. The Albanians will select through four evenings. The seminfinals will be held on Monday and Tuesday, another show, not with the participating songs, will be on Wednesday. Thhe final will be on Thursday. These are tonight’s entries: Melodajna Mancaku sings “Gjysma e zemrës sime” Permit of Stay sings “Fobia” Arsi Bako sings “Sonte dua të jem me ty” Gjergj Kaçinari sings “Dje” Franc Koruni sings “Në pritje” Petrit Çarkaxhiu sings “Emri yt mirësi” Elsa Lila sings “Evita” Genti Hoxha sings “Ajër” Evi Reçi sings “Ma khte” Manjola Nalbani sings “Dua” LYNX sings “Nëse ke besim” Alban Kondi & Lorela Karoshi sing “Melodi” Vanessa Sono sings “Aroma jonë”   Gjergj Kaçinari took part last year and reached the final.Franc Koruni took part in 2017 (11th) and 2021 (semifinal).Evi Reçi participated in 2021 and 2022, both times finalist.Manjola Nalbani took part in 2006 (final), 2008 (6th), 2018 (final). Due to a positive Corona test, she had to withdraw in 2021.LYNX took part in 2013 (14th), 2014 (15th), 2017 (10th) and 2018 (semifinal).Alban Kondi took part in 2008 as a member of Produkt 28 (15th).Lorela Karoshi took part in 2017 (12th). 

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Albania: Festivali i Këngës 61, semifinal 1

The Albanian national selection starts tonight. In four evenings, Albania will make a choice. Tonight, the first semifinal will be held. It starts at 21.00 CET and you can watch it here and here. Albania usually is the first country to select an entry. Not this year, as we already know Ukraine’s entry. The Albanians will select through four evenings. The seminfinals will be held on Monday and Tuesday, another show (we don’t have more information on that one yet) on Wednesday, while the final will be on Thursday. These are the entries: Enxhi Nasufi sings “Burrë” Erma Mici sings “Kozmosi i dashurisë” Fabian Basha sings “Një gotë” Anduel Kovaçi sings “Malli” Fifi sings “Stop” Urban Band sings “Në çdo hap” 2 Farm sing “Atornike” Sara Kapo sings “Para teje” Rezarta Smaja sings “N’Eden” Albina & Familja Kelmendi sing “Duje” Sergio Hajdini sings “Vështirë” Luna Causholli sings “Jetën ta fal” Rovena Dilo sings “Motit”   Enxhi Nasufi took part in the 2016 final and became 6th.Fabian Basha took part in 2008 and became 15th in the final as a member of the group Produkt 28.The Urban Band reached the final last year.Rezarta Smaja took part in 2013 (7th), in 2014 (7th), in 2015 (7th), in 2016 (with Klodian Kaçani, 4th), in 2017 (7th), in 2018 (with Luiz Ejlli, final), and in 2022 (final).Rovena Dilo took part in 2004 (final), in 2008 (semifinal), in 2009 (with Eugent Bushpepa, 12th) and in 2010 (10th).

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Joker Out represents Slovenia

Today, Slovenian TV station RTVSLO announced it: the band Joker Out will represent Slovenia. After years of EMA, the Slovenian national final, RTVSLO decided not to have a national final. Joker Out is quite a famous band in Slovenia. The band started their carreer in 2016 as a combination of two other bands. Their breakthrough came a year later, when they won Špil Ige, a talent show. Their song “Omamljeno telo” became a hit. It was followed by songs as “Gola”, “Vem da greš” and “Umazane misli”. The band released two full albums so far. Their most recent album and it’s title song are “Demoni”. About Eurovision, a statement was brought by the band: ‘All members in the band are big fans of the Eurovision. It is our wish to perform there for some time now, but we were waiting for the right moment. Although we are young, the fast progress of our career has brought us loads of experience, motivation and creative energy: we are ready for this challenge. Regarding the style of music present at the Eurovision Song Contest – we need to say that it is well past being defined or limited to just one genre. We are staying true to our distinctive Joker Out sound, no matter where and when we perform.’ On February 4th, the Slovenian entry will be presented in a television show.  

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Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper are the Dutch representatives

On November first, it was announced that Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper will travel to Liverpool to represent The Netherlands at the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.    The 26-year-old Mia and 28-year-old Dion met about two years ago, when Duncan Laurence, Eurovision 2019 winner brought them together. Their voices blended well together, and they wanted to share the same musical message: “music that allows room for showing vulnerability and emotion. Laurence recommended the two artists to the Dutch selection committee and they unanimously selected the yet to be announced song.    There’s still much speculation about the song. The general director at AvroTros said “their voices work beautifully together”. At least there’s one small hint: Duncan Laurence, and his partner Jordan Garfield, wrote the song together with the duo.    Their song will be released on a later point in time. 

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No Montenegro in Liverpool

Montenegro will not take part in the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool next year. That is what Montenegrin broadcaster RTCG announced. Financial problems are said to underlie this decision. The Montenegrin broadcaster has tried to find sponsors for the contest, but has not been successful. Montenegro took part in the Eurovision Song Contest twelve times. The country reached the final only twice. The best score so far for Montenegro was a 13th place for Knez, who sang the song “Adio” in 2015. This year, the country failed to reach the final. Montenegro would not have participated in 2020 and did not participate in 2021. The reason was also financial. People then made different budgetary choices.

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Liverpool (left) or Glasgow (right) will host the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 on behalf of Ukraine

Host for Eurovision Song Contest 2023: Liverpool or Glasgow?

We’ve all been in suspense for weeks to find out where the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will be organized. Between the different cities, and Ukraine’s President who was confident Maripol would be ready to host, there has been a lot of speculating. In the last couple of weeks, Eurovision’s social media team has been dropping hints and teasing its followers. The latest news is only two cities remain in this battle: Liverpool and Glasgow. The suspense is real. Let’s take a quick look at what these two cities have to offer. Liverpool Liverpool is a city located in Merseyside. With roughly 500,000 residents, it’s the 10th largest English District by population. The city is noted for its culture, architecture and transport links. The cities’ link to the Beatles, led to Liverpool becoming a very popular tourist destination. The city has continued to be a home to a lot of considerable artists and record labels. There are even connections to the Eurovision Song Contest; Sonia Evans was born in this city. When people think of Liverpool, a lot of people will think of sports. The annual Grand National horse race takes place at the Aintree Racecourse just outside the city. But, mostly (and I would even consider the word obviously), the city is best known for its premier league football. Liverpool has two rivals at each end of town: Liverpool FC and Everton FC. Glasgow Glasgow, located in Scotland, is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth most populous ciry in the United Kingdom, with an estimated population of 650,000 people. The city is located on the River Clyde in the country’s West Central Lowlands. Like Liverpool, Glasgow is a very popular destination among tourists. The city is famed for its culture, shopping and (the many) people. If you wish to explore Glasgow outside of the Eurovision Song Contest, there’s a lot of free museums, you can look for the hidden gems recommended by locals or enjoy some shopping. If you have some time to spare, Glasgow is the perfect base for exploring the Highlands.     We don’t know when the definitive city will be announced. We, at Eurovision Universe, are excited about this shortlist. Both cities have their own charm and offer enough entertainment for a fun holiday in May 2023. We’ll keep you posted!

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Noa Kirel

© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameNoya Kirel Born10 april 2001 Nationality🇮🇱 Israeli National SelectionInternal selection 2023 In Eurovision2023 TBA SongTBA (2023) Biography Noa Kirel was born and raised in Ra’anana. At the age of 10, she auditioned for the reality show “Music School” on Channel 2, but was not accepted. At the age of 13, she appeared in a commercial. Kirel’s musical career began in 2015 when she released a song called “Medabrim”, the song became a huge success after gaining many views. In the same year she released another song called “Killer”. The accompanying provocative video clip caused an uproar due to Kirel’s young age. The clip gained many views on YouTube and became one of her most recognizable clips. At the same time, Kirel appeared in a docu-reality series called “Pushraz”. Between the years 2015-2016, she released additional songs, which were presented on YouTube and played on various radio stations. It includes “Yesh be ahava” (November 2015) which was the first song to enter the Galglatz playlist, “Rak ata” (April 2016), “Hatzi meshuga” (July 2016), “Bye lahofesh” (July 2016) and “Ten li siman” (December 2016). At the end of 2016, she earned the title of “Singer of the Year” at the Children’s Chosen Ceremony. On February 26, 2017 Kirel hosted the musical show “Lipstar” on the kidZ channel, alongside Sagi Breitner. In May, she released a song called “Makom leshinuy” which she sang in a duet with Avior Melsa. Kirel released several other songs during the year, all of which are became hits. In 2017, she starred in a major role in the teen movie “Almost Famous”. In the same year she also performed in the musical show “The Three Musketeers”. On August 28, Kirel released a single that she performed together with Agam Bohbot, a cover version of Danny Sanderson’s song; “Etzel Ha’Doda ve Ha’Dod”, as part of an advertising campaign for the Bezeq company. In November 2017, she represented Israel at the “MTV Europe Music Awards” (EMA), in the “International Artist” category. On January 1, 2018, she began acting in the TV series “Kfula”.  A month later, she became a judge in the talent show Israel Got Talent. “Got Talent Israel”. On May 1 of the same year, the series Shilton Ha’Tzlalim aired, in which she plays a role of Bashmat.[17] On June 28, she released “I Want You”. She teamed up with several other Israeli artists to release new music. In October 2018, Kirel was chosen for the second time to represent Israel at the MTV Europe Music Awards, but she could not attend the ceremony held in Spain due to a tight schedule. On November 2, she released the song “Zikaron yashan” in collaboration with the singer Jonathan Margi.  On February 10, 2019, she released the song “Drum”.  The song accompanied the February-April 2019 campaign of the Israeli fashion brand “Renoir”.  On July 22, she released the song “Pouch”. The song reached the #7 spot in the Israeli charts. In November 2019, she represented Israel for the third time in a row at the MTV Europe Music Awards.  On January 14, 2020, Kirel released the single “Im atah gever”. At the beginning of 2020, the magazine Forbes Israel included Kirel in the list of promising young people of 2020. In February of that year, Kirel joined the Israeli Defence Force and served in a special talent track, in which she performed in front of soldiers and female soldiers. On February 14, 2022, she finished her military service. On June 9, 2020 she released the song “Million Dollar” featuring singer Shahar Saul. In the same month, it was announced that Cyril had signed a multi-million dollar international contract with the American record company Atlantic Records. In addition, Kirel launched the widget “Weshik” which was closed a year later. On July 4, Kirel began to appear in the fourth season of the program Music School, where she was a teacher.  In August 2020, she released the song “Ambulance” together with Jonathan Mergui. In September 2020, she was named “Woman of the Year” in the annual Hebrew Hymn Parade by Galglatz and Ynet. On September 17, she participated in the “annual parade of the music and dance school” that was broadcast on Keshet 12. In September, she was awarded the title “Singer of the Year” in the annual Kaan Gimel Hebrew Hymn Parade.  On March 7, 2021, Kirel released the single “Diamonds”, which was produced under the auspices of the jewelry company Royalty. In the same month, Kirel received the “Changing the Beauty Ideal” award for 2021 as part of the fashion week held in Tel Aviv.  On July 14, 2021, Noa Kirel released her debut international single, “Please Don’t Suck”. Kirel was the most played artist on MTV Israel for the year 2015. On October 15, 2021, she released the single “Bad Little Thing” which she also performed at the Miss World 2021 ceremony. According to Spotify Israel playback data for 2021, Kirel is the second most balanced artist on the platform this year. On December 14, the single “Reashim” was released together with the singer Osher Cohen. Kirel was chosen as one of Globes Magazine’s People of the Year for 2021.In addition, she is the most played musician in 2021 on TikTok Israel. On January 12, 2022, she published the song “Thought About That”. On March 5, the single “Bell” featuring Itay Glo was released, which was released exclusively on TikTok Israel for the first week of its release. n May 27, she released her first single in the Spanish language, “Dale Promo”, together with Puerto Rican singer Metro de Savage and featuring Boaz Van Dee Beats. On June 1, Kirel released the single “Three Girls” together with Git Fisher for Pride Month. On June 28, she released the single “Release Me” together with Dolly and Penn and Peled. In June 2022, she began acting in the third season of the youth series “Palmah”. On July 25, the movie “I Love You Charlie” was

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7 cities on shortlist UK

Seven cities are on the shortlist to host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. These are Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield. Not only the place itself was a subject, but also how the cities want to reflect Ukrainian culture in the festivities. Ukraine won the Eurovision Song Contest this year but cannot organize it itself. That is why the United Kingdom and the BBC are taking on the organization. photo: EBU The next step is to create a bid book. In it, the cities show how the festival is organized in their city. The venue where the festival is held is also discussed: it must also be suitable. The infrastructure and availability of hotels are also discussed. The city must also present the financial picture. The BBC and the EBU will make a decision together, which is likely to fall in the autumn.  

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Noa Kirel for Israel 2023

photo: instagram It’s been exactly one month since KAN announced that Noa Kirel was selected to represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023. However the tables turned really quickly, ’cause the day after Noa said she still had to decide if she was willing to do the job. Today the official news came out that Kirel will indeed wave the Israeli flag on the Eurovision stage!    Kirel is a 21 year old singer, who often sings in Hebrew. Perhaps something we can look forward to for 2023. Noa has had many hits in Israel, with her biggest song being “מיליון דולר”.   

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Pasha Parfeny

About Quick Facts NamePavel Parfeni Born31 May 1986 Nationality🇲🇩 Moldovan National SelectionEtapa națională 2023Finala națională 2020O melodie pentru Europa 2012O melodie pentru Europa 2011O melodie pentru Europa 2010O melodie pentru Europa 2009 (with Sunstroke Project)Pentru Eurovision 2007 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool2012 Baku SongSoarele şi luna (2023)Lăutar (2012) Biography Pavel Parfeni (born in Orhei, Moldova), known by the stage name Pasha Parfeni or Pasha Parfeny, is a Moldovan pop music singer, former member of the SunStroke Project band. Thanks to his parents, Pavel was surrounded by music as a young child. At the age of 7, he is already a student at the music school in Orhei, specializing in piano. In 2002 he submitted his papers to the music college in Tiraspol, jazz section. The studies and experience gained in this institution allow him to discover his talent as an interpreter. In 2003, Pavel won the Grand Prix at the contest  at the Vocile Transnistriei. In 2006, he continues his musical studies at the Academy of Music, Theater and Fine Arts, where he tries out the position of composer. Interpreting his own creation at competition at Stelele Elatului, he obtained the 3rd Prize. Parallel to his studies, Pavel also participated as a performer in a rock music collective. In 2007, he became a member of the Pop Song Theatre, which belongs to the Elat Cultural Center. Also in 2007, he won First Place at the Duetul Anului and Argintul Iantrei, both in Bulgaria. In 2009, as a vocalist of the SunStroke Project, he participated in the national preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “No Crime”. The song became 3rd. Pavel won the Grand Prize at the International Festival George Grigoriu. He also took first place at the International Music Festival Slaveanski Bazar in Vitebsk, Belarus,  in the summer of 2009. In September of the same year, Pasha Parfeny participated in the international festival Cerbul de Aur in Brașov. He won the Mamaia Festival. He performed Andrei Tudor’s song “Tu nu vezi cerul”. In late fall 2010, Pavel Parfeni’s contract expired and he left the SunStroke Project. In 2010, Pavel Parfeny wanted to participate in the Eurovision preselection in Romania. But, because he does not have Romanian citizenship, he couldn’t. But he participated with the song “You Should Like” at the national preselection in Moldova. He placed in the 2nd, On March 11, 2012, Pasha Parfeni won the national selection for Eurovision 2012 with the song “Lăutar” and represented the Republic of Moldova in Baku. For the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Parfeny co-composed the song “A Million” for Aliona Moon. The song won and represented Moldova in the contest, with Parfeny accompanying Moon on stage at the piano. It became 11th in the final. In 2015, he composed the song “Maricica” for DoReDoS, which placed 6th  in the Moldovan national selection. In 2020, Pasha competed in the Moldovan national selection again with the song, “My Wine” composed in collaboration with Vica Demici. This time he finished second. In 2023, he represented Moldova at the Eurovision Song Contest again. With the song “Soarele şi luna” he reached the final. He got an 18th place in the overall ranking. In September of the same year, he lead the camp Moldova Are Voce. In the same month he performed in Montreal. On the 1st of October he was able to perform in the Bizz’ Art club in Paris. After that, he released the song “Fetele”. Entries Soarele şi luna Country🇲🇩 Moldova Year2023 LanguageRomanian LyricsIuliana Parfeni MusicPasha ParfenyAndrei Vulpe BackingsAdelina IordichaiValeria PashaSergiu BorşMarius BaltagaAndrei Vulpe Results Semi Points: 109Position: 5Running order: 10 Results Finals Points: 96Position: 18Running order: 18 https://youtu.be/SABOfYgGk8M Lăutar Country🇲🇩 Moldova Year2012 LanguageEnglish LyricsPasha Parfeni MusicPasha ParfeniAlex Brașoveanu Backings Aliona MoonTatiana HegheaKsyusha VertelnikovaJulia GakhovaLera Kirichenko   Results Semi Points: 100Position: 5Running order: 17 Results Finals Points: 81Position: 11Running order: 26 https://youtu.be/vIy0EtEeLEw

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Albania: Festivali i Këngës 61, semifinal 2

The Albanian national selection starts tonight. In four evenings, Albania will make a choice. Tonight, the second semifinal will be held. It starts at 21.00 CET and you can watch it here and here and on Youtube. Albania usually is the first country to select an entry. Not this year, as we already know Ukraine’s entry. The Albanians will select through four evenings. The seminfinals will be held on Monday and Tuesday, another show, not with the participating songs, will be on Wednesday. Thhe final will be on Thursday. These are tonight’s entries: Melodajna Mancaku sings “Gjysma e zemrës sime” Permit of Stay sings “Fobia” Arsi Bako sings “Sonte dua të jem me ty” Gjergj Kaçinari sings “Dje” Franc Koruni sings “Në pritje” Petrit Çarkaxhiu sings “Emri yt mirësi” Elsa Lila sings “Evita” Genti Hoxha sings “Ajër” Evi Reçi sings “Ma khte” Manjola Nalbani sings “Dua” LYNX sings “Nëse ke besim” Alban Kondi & Lorela Karoshi sing “Melodi” Vanessa Sono sings “Aroma jonë”   Gjergj Kaçinari took part last year and reached the final.Franc Koruni took part in 2017 (11th) and 2021 (semifinal).Evi Reçi participated in 2021 and 2022, both times finalist.Manjola Nalbani took part in 2006 (final), 2008 (6th), 2018 (final). Due to a positive Corona test, she had to withdraw in 2021.LYNX took part in 2013 (14th), 2014 (15th), 2017 (10th) and 2018 (semifinal).Alban Kondi took part in 2008 as a member of Produkt 28 (15th).Lorela Karoshi took part in 2017 (12th). 

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Albania: Festivali i Këngës 61, semifinal 1

The Albanian national selection starts tonight. In four evenings, Albania will make a choice. Tonight, the first semifinal will be held. It starts at 21.00 CET and you can watch it here and here. Albania usually is the first country to select an entry. Not this year, as we already know Ukraine’s entry. The Albanians will select through four evenings. The seminfinals will be held on Monday and Tuesday, another show (we don’t have more information on that one yet) on Wednesday, while the final will be on Thursday. These are the entries: Enxhi Nasufi sings “Burrë” Erma Mici sings “Kozmosi i dashurisë” Fabian Basha sings “Një gotë” Anduel Kovaçi sings “Malli” Fifi sings “Stop” Urban Band sings “Në çdo hap” 2 Farm sing “Atornike” Sara Kapo sings “Para teje” Rezarta Smaja sings “N’Eden” Albina & Familja Kelmendi sing “Duje” Sergio Hajdini sings “Vështirë” Luna Causholli sings “Jetën ta fal” Rovena Dilo sings “Motit”   Enxhi Nasufi took part in the 2016 final and became 6th.Fabian Basha took part in 2008 and became 15th in the final as a member of the group Produkt 28.The Urban Band reached the final last year.Rezarta Smaja took part in 2013 (7th), in 2014 (7th), in 2015 (7th), in 2016 (with Klodian Kaçani, 4th), in 2017 (7th), in 2018 (with Luiz Ejlli, final), and in 2022 (final).Rovena Dilo took part in 2004 (final), in 2008 (semifinal), in 2009 (with Eugent Bushpepa, 12th) and in 2010 (10th).

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Joker Out represents Slovenia

Today, Slovenian TV station RTVSLO announced it: the band Joker Out will represent Slovenia. After years of EMA, the Slovenian national final, RTVSLO decided not to have a national final. Joker Out is quite a famous band in Slovenia. The band started their carreer in 2016 as a combination of two other bands. Their breakthrough came a year later, when they won Špil Ige, a talent show. Their song “Omamljeno telo” became a hit. It was followed by songs as “Gola”, “Vem da greš” and “Umazane misli”. The band released two full albums so far. Their most recent album and it’s title song are “Demoni”. About Eurovision, a statement was brought by the band: ‘All members in the band are big fans of the Eurovision. It is our wish to perform there for some time now, but we were waiting for the right moment. Although we are young, the fast progress of our career has brought us loads of experience, motivation and creative energy: we are ready for this challenge. Regarding the style of music present at the Eurovision Song Contest – we need to say that it is well past being defined or limited to just one genre. We are staying true to our distinctive Joker Out sound, no matter where and when we perform.’ On February 4th, the Slovenian entry will be presented in a television show.  

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Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper are the Dutch representatives

On November first, it was announced that Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper will travel to Liverpool to represent The Netherlands at the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.    The 26-year-old Mia and 28-year-old Dion met about two years ago, when Duncan Laurence, Eurovision 2019 winner brought them together. Their voices blended well together, and they wanted to share the same musical message: “music that allows room for showing vulnerability and emotion. Laurence recommended the two artists to the Dutch selection committee and they unanimously selected the yet to be announced song.    There’s still much speculation about the song. The general director at AvroTros said “their voices work beautifully together”. At least there’s one small hint: Duncan Laurence, and his partner Jordan Garfield, wrote the song together with the duo.    Their song will be released on a later point in time. 

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No Montenegro in Liverpool

Montenegro will not take part in the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool next year. That is what Montenegrin broadcaster RTCG announced. Financial problems are said to underlie this decision. The Montenegrin broadcaster has tried to find sponsors for the contest, but has not been successful. Montenegro took part in the Eurovision Song Contest twelve times. The country reached the final only twice. The best score so far for Montenegro was a 13th place for Knez, who sang the song “Adio” in 2015. This year, the country failed to reach the final. Montenegro would not have participated in 2020 and did not participate in 2021. The reason was also financial. People then made different budgetary choices.

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Liverpool (left) or Glasgow (right) will host the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 on behalf of Ukraine

Host for Eurovision Song Contest 2023: Liverpool or Glasgow?

We’ve all been in suspense for weeks to find out where the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will be organized. Between the different cities, and Ukraine’s President who was confident Maripol would be ready to host, there has been a lot of speculating. In the last couple of weeks, Eurovision’s social media team has been dropping hints and teasing its followers. The latest news is only two cities remain in this battle: Liverpool and Glasgow. The suspense is real. Let’s take a quick look at what these two cities have to offer. Liverpool Liverpool is a city located in Merseyside. With roughly 500,000 residents, it’s the 10th largest English District by population. The city is noted for its culture, architecture and transport links. The cities’ link to the Beatles, led to Liverpool becoming a very popular tourist destination. The city has continued to be a home to a lot of considerable artists and record labels. There are even connections to the Eurovision Song Contest; Sonia Evans was born in this city. When people think of Liverpool, a lot of people will think of sports. The annual Grand National horse race takes place at the Aintree Racecourse just outside the city. But, mostly (and I would even consider the word obviously), the city is best known for its premier league football. Liverpool has two rivals at each end of town: Liverpool FC and Everton FC. Glasgow Glasgow, located in Scotland, is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth most populous ciry in the United Kingdom, with an estimated population of 650,000 people. The city is located on the River Clyde in the country’s West Central Lowlands. Like Liverpool, Glasgow is a very popular destination among tourists. The city is famed for its culture, shopping and (the many) people. If you wish to explore Glasgow outside of the Eurovision Song Contest, there’s a lot of free museums, you can look for the hidden gems recommended by locals or enjoy some shopping. If you have some time to spare, Glasgow is the perfect base for exploring the Highlands.     We don’t know when the definitive city will be announced. We, at Eurovision Universe, are excited about this shortlist. Both cities have their own charm and offer enough entertainment for a fun holiday in May 2023. We’ll keep you posted!

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Noa Kirel

© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameNoya Kirel Born10 april 2001 Nationality🇮🇱 Israeli National SelectionInternal selection 2023 In Eurovision2023 TBA SongTBA (2023) Biography Noa Kirel was born and raised in Ra’anana. At the age of 10, she auditioned for the reality show “Music School” on Channel 2, but was not accepted. At the age of 13, she appeared in a commercial. Kirel’s musical career began in 2015 when she released a song called “Medabrim”, the song became a huge success after gaining many views. In the same year she released another song called “Killer”. The accompanying provocative video clip caused an uproar due to Kirel’s young age. The clip gained many views on YouTube and became one of her most recognizable clips. At the same time, Kirel appeared in a docu-reality series called “Pushraz”. Between the years 2015-2016, she released additional songs, which were presented on YouTube and played on various radio stations. It includes “Yesh be ahava” (November 2015) which was the first song to enter the Galglatz playlist, “Rak ata” (April 2016), “Hatzi meshuga” (July 2016), “Bye lahofesh” (July 2016) and “Ten li siman” (December 2016). At the end of 2016, she earned the title of “Singer of the Year” at the Children’s Chosen Ceremony. On February 26, 2017 Kirel hosted the musical show “Lipstar” on the kidZ channel, alongside Sagi Breitner. In May, she released a song called “Makom leshinuy” which she sang in a duet with Avior Melsa. Kirel released several other songs during the year, all of which are became hits. In 2017, she starred in a major role in the teen movie “Almost Famous”. In the same year she also performed in the musical show “The Three Musketeers”. On August 28, Kirel released a single that she performed together with Agam Bohbot, a cover version of Danny Sanderson’s song; “Etzel Ha’Doda ve Ha’Dod”, as part of an advertising campaign for the Bezeq company. In November 2017, she represented Israel at the “MTV Europe Music Awards” (EMA), in the “International Artist” category. On January 1, 2018, she began acting in the TV series “Kfula”.  A month later, she became a judge in the talent show Israel Got Talent. “Got Talent Israel”. On May 1 of the same year, the series Shilton Ha’Tzlalim aired, in which she plays a role of Bashmat.[17] On June 28, she released “I Want You”. She teamed up with several other Israeli artists to release new music. In October 2018, Kirel was chosen for the second time to represent Israel at the MTV Europe Music Awards, but she could not attend the ceremony held in Spain due to a tight schedule. On November 2, she released the song “Zikaron yashan” in collaboration with the singer Jonathan Margi.  On February 10, 2019, she released the song “Drum”.  The song accompanied the February-April 2019 campaign of the Israeli fashion brand “Renoir”.  On July 22, she released the song “Pouch”. The song reached the #7 spot in the Israeli charts. In November 2019, she represented Israel for the third time in a row at the MTV Europe Music Awards.  On January 14, 2020, Kirel released the single “Im atah gever”. At the beginning of 2020, the magazine Forbes Israel included Kirel in the list of promising young people of 2020. In February of that year, Kirel joined the Israeli Defence Force and served in a special talent track, in which she performed in front of soldiers and female soldiers. On February 14, 2022, she finished her military service. On June 9, 2020 she released the song “Million Dollar” featuring singer Shahar Saul. In the same month, it was announced that Cyril had signed a multi-million dollar international contract with the American record company Atlantic Records. In addition, Kirel launched the widget “Weshik” which was closed a year later. On July 4, Kirel began to appear in the fourth season of the program Music School, where she was a teacher.  In August 2020, she released the song “Ambulance” together with Jonathan Mergui. In September 2020, she was named “Woman of the Year” in the annual Hebrew Hymn Parade by Galglatz and Ynet. On September 17, she participated in the “annual parade of the music and dance school” that was broadcast on Keshet 12. In September, she was awarded the title “Singer of the Year” in the annual Kaan Gimel Hebrew Hymn Parade.  On March 7, 2021, Kirel released the single “Diamonds”, which was produced under the auspices of the jewelry company Royalty. In the same month, Kirel received the “Changing the Beauty Ideal” award for 2021 as part of the fashion week held in Tel Aviv.  On July 14, 2021, Noa Kirel released her debut international single, “Please Don’t Suck”. Kirel was the most played artist on MTV Israel for the year 2015. On October 15, 2021, she released the single “Bad Little Thing” which she also performed at the Miss World 2021 ceremony. According to Spotify Israel playback data for 2021, Kirel is the second most balanced artist on the platform this year. On December 14, the single “Reashim” was released together with the singer Osher Cohen. Kirel was chosen as one of Globes Magazine’s People of the Year for 2021.In addition, she is the most played musician in 2021 on TikTok Israel. On January 12, 2022, she published the song “Thought About That”. On March 5, the single “Bell” featuring Itay Glo was released, which was released exclusively on TikTok Israel for the first week of its release. n May 27, she released her first single in the Spanish language, “Dale Promo”, together with Puerto Rican singer Metro de Savage and featuring Boaz Van Dee Beats. On June 1, Kirel released the single “Three Girls” together with Git Fisher for Pride Month. On June 28, she released the single “Release Me” together with Dolly and Penn and Peled. In June 2022, she began acting in the third season of the youth series “Palmah”. On July 25, the movie “I Love You Charlie” was

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7 cities on shortlist UK

Seven cities are on the shortlist to host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. These are Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield. Not only the place itself was a subject, but also how the cities want to reflect Ukrainian culture in the festivities. Ukraine won the Eurovision Song Contest this year but cannot organize it itself. That is why the United Kingdom and the BBC are taking on the organization. photo: EBU The next step is to create a bid book. In it, the cities show how the festival is organized in their city. The venue where the festival is held is also discussed: it must also be suitable. The infrastructure and availability of hotels are also discussed. The city must also present the financial picture. The BBC and the EBU will make a decision together, which is likely to fall in the autumn.  

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Noa Kirel for Israel 2023

photo: instagram It’s been exactly one month since KAN announced that Noa Kirel was selected to represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023. However the tables turned really quickly, ’cause the day after Noa said she still had to decide if she was willing to do the job. Today the official news came out that Kirel will indeed wave the Israeli flag on the Eurovision stage!    Kirel is a 21 year old singer, who often sings in Hebrew. Perhaps something we can look forward to for 2023. Noa has had many hits in Israel, with her biggest song being “מיליון דולר”.   

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Pasha Parfeny

About Quick Facts NamePavel Parfeni Born31 May 1986 Nationality🇲🇩 Moldovan National SelectionEtapa națională 2023Finala națională 2020O melodie pentru Europa 2012O melodie pentru Europa 2011O melodie pentru Europa 2010O melodie pentru Europa 2009 (with Sunstroke Project)Pentru Eurovision 2007 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool2012 Baku SongSoarele şi luna (2023)Lăutar (2012) Biography Pavel Parfeni (born in Orhei, Moldova), known by the stage name Pasha Parfeni or Pasha Parfeny, is a Moldovan pop music singer, former member of the SunStroke Project band. Thanks to his parents, Pavel was surrounded by music as a young child. At the age of 7, he is already a student at the music school in Orhei, specializing in piano. In 2002 he submitted his papers to the music college in Tiraspol, jazz section. The studies and experience gained in this institution allow him to discover his talent as an interpreter. In 2003, Pavel won the Grand Prix at the contest  at the Vocile Transnistriei. In 2006, he continues his musical studies at the Academy of Music, Theater and Fine Arts, where he tries out the position of composer. Interpreting his own creation at competition at Stelele Elatului, he obtained the 3rd Prize. Parallel to his studies, Pavel also participated as a performer in a rock music collective. In 2007, he became a member of the Pop Song Theatre, which belongs to the Elat Cultural Center. Also in 2007, he won First Place at the Duetul Anului and Argintul Iantrei, both in Bulgaria. In 2009, as a vocalist of the SunStroke Project, he participated in the national preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “No Crime”. The song became 3rd. Pavel won the Grand Prize at the International Festival George Grigoriu. He also took first place at the International Music Festival Slaveanski Bazar in Vitebsk, Belarus,  in the summer of 2009. In September of the same year, Pasha Parfeny participated in the international festival Cerbul de Aur in Brașov. He won the Mamaia Festival. He performed Andrei Tudor’s song “Tu nu vezi cerul”. In late fall 2010, Pavel Parfeni’s contract expired and he left the SunStroke Project. In 2010, Pavel Parfeny wanted to participate in the Eurovision preselection in Romania. But, because he does not have Romanian citizenship, he couldn’t. But he participated with the song “You Should Like” at the national preselection in Moldova. He placed in the 2nd, On March 11, 2012, Pasha Parfeni won the national selection for Eurovision 2012 with the song “Lăutar” and represented the Republic of Moldova in Baku. For the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Parfeny co-composed the song “A Million” for Aliona Moon. The song won and represented Moldova in the contest, with Parfeny accompanying Moon on stage at the piano. It became 11th in the final. In 2015, he composed the song “Maricica” for DoReDoS, which placed 6th  in the Moldovan national selection. In 2020, Pasha competed in the Moldovan national selection again with the song, “My Wine” composed in collaboration with Vica Demici. This time he finished second. In 2023, he represented Moldova at the Eurovision Song Contest again. With the song “Soarele şi luna” he reached the final. He got an 18th place in the overall ranking. In September of the same year, he lead the camp Moldova Are Voce. In the same month he performed in Montreal. On the 1st of October he was able to perform in the Bizz’ Art club in Paris. After that, he released the song “Fetele”. Entries Soarele şi luna Country🇲🇩 Moldova Year2023 LanguageRomanian LyricsIuliana Parfeni MusicPasha ParfenyAndrei Vulpe BackingsAdelina IordichaiValeria PashaSergiu BorşMarius BaltagaAndrei Vulpe Results Semi Points: 109Position: 5Running order: 10 Results Finals Points: 96Position: 18Running order: 18 https://youtu.be/SABOfYgGk8M Lăutar Country🇲🇩 Moldova Year2012 LanguageEnglish LyricsPasha Parfeni MusicPasha ParfeniAlex Brașoveanu Backings Aliona MoonTatiana HegheaKsyusha VertelnikovaJulia GakhovaLera Kirichenko   Results Semi Points: 100Position: 5Running order: 17 Results Finals Points: 81Position: 11Running order: 26 https://youtu.be/vIy0EtEeLEw

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Albania: Festivali i Këngës 61, semifinal 2

The Albanian national selection starts tonight. In four evenings, Albania will make a choice. Tonight, the second semifinal will be held. It starts at 21.00 CET and you can watch it here and here and on Youtube. Albania usually is the first country to select an entry. Not this year, as we already know Ukraine’s entry. The Albanians will select through four evenings. The seminfinals will be held on Monday and Tuesday, another show, not with the participating songs, will be on Wednesday. Thhe final will be on Thursday. These are tonight’s entries: Melodajna Mancaku sings “Gjysma e zemrës sime” Permit of Stay sings “Fobia” Arsi Bako sings “Sonte dua të jem me ty” Gjergj Kaçinari sings “Dje” Franc Koruni sings “Në pritje” Petrit Çarkaxhiu sings “Emri yt mirësi” Elsa Lila sings “Evita” Genti Hoxha sings “Ajër” Evi Reçi sings “Ma khte” Manjola Nalbani sings “Dua” LYNX sings “Nëse ke besim” Alban Kondi & Lorela Karoshi sing “Melodi” Vanessa Sono sings “Aroma jonë”   Gjergj Kaçinari took part last year and reached the final.Franc Koruni took part in 2017 (11th) and 2021 (semifinal).Evi Reçi participated in 2021 and 2022, both times finalist.Manjola Nalbani took part in 2006 (final), 2008 (6th), 2018 (final). Due to a positive Corona test, she had to withdraw in 2021.LYNX took part in 2013 (14th), 2014 (15th), 2017 (10th) and 2018 (semifinal).Alban Kondi took part in 2008 as a member of Produkt 28 (15th).Lorela Karoshi took part in 2017 (12th). 

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Albania: Festivali i Këngës 61, semifinal 1

The Albanian national selection starts tonight. In four evenings, Albania will make a choice. Tonight, the first semifinal will be held. It starts at 21.00 CET and you can watch it here and here. Albania usually is the first country to select an entry. Not this year, as we already know Ukraine’s entry. The Albanians will select through four evenings. The seminfinals will be held on Monday and Tuesday, another show (we don’t have more information on that one yet) on Wednesday, while the final will be on Thursday. These are the entries: Enxhi Nasufi sings “Burrë” Erma Mici sings “Kozmosi i dashurisë” Fabian Basha sings “Një gotë” Anduel Kovaçi sings “Malli” Fifi sings “Stop” Urban Band sings “Në çdo hap” 2 Farm sing “Atornike” Sara Kapo sings “Para teje” Rezarta Smaja sings “N’Eden” Albina & Familja Kelmendi sing “Duje” Sergio Hajdini sings “Vështirë” Luna Causholli sings “Jetën ta fal” Rovena Dilo sings “Motit”   Enxhi Nasufi took part in the 2016 final and became 6th.Fabian Basha took part in 2008 and became 15th in the final as a member of the group Produkt 28.The Urban Band reached the final last year.Rezarta Smaja took part in 2013 (7th), in 2014 (7th), in 2015 (7th), in 2016 (with Klodian Kaçani, 4th), in 2017 (7th), in 2018 (with Luiz Ejlli, final), and in 2022 (final).Rovena Dilo took part in 2004 (final), in 2008 (semifinal), in 2009 (with Eugent Bushpepa, 12th) and in 2010 (10th).

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Joker Out represents Slovenia

Today, Slovenian TV station RTVSLO announced it: the band Joker Out will represent Slovenia. After years of EMA, the Slovenian national final, RTVSLO decided not to have a national final. Joker Out is quite a famous band in Slovenia. The band started their carreer in 2016 as a combination of two other bands. Their breakthrough came a year later, when they won Špil Ige, a talent show. Their song “Omamljeno telo” became a hit. It was followed by songs as “Gola”, “Vem da greš” and “Umazane misli”. The band released two full albums so far. Their most recent album and it’s title song are “Demoni”. About Eurovision, a statement was brought by the band: ‘All members in the band are big fans of the Eurovision. It is our wish to perform there for some time now, but we were waiting for the right moment. Although we are young, the fast progress of our career has brought us loads of experience, motivation and creative energy: we are ready for this challenge. Regarding the style of music present at the Eurovision Song Contest – we need to say that it is well past being defined or limited to just one genre. We are staying true to our distinctive Joker Out sound, no matter where and when we perform.’ On February 4th, the Slovenian entry will be presented in a television show.  

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Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper are the Dutch representatives

On November first, it was announced that Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper will travel to Liverpool to represent The Netherlands at the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.    The 26-year-old Mia and 28-year-old Dion met about two years ago, when Duncan Laurence, Eurovision 2019 winner brought them together. Their voices blended well together, and they wanted to share the same musical message: “music that allows room for showing vulnerability and emotion. Laurence recommended the two artists to the Dutch selection committee and they unanimously selected the yet to be announced song.    There’s still much speculation about the song. The general director at AvroTros said “their voices work beautifully together”. At least there’s one small hint: Duncan Laurence, and his partner Jordan Garfield, wrote the song together with the duo.    Their song will be released on a later point in time. 

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No Montenegro in Liverpool

Montenegro will not take part in the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool next year. That is what Montenegrin broadcaster RTCG announced. Financial problems are said to underlie this decision. The Montenegrin broadcaster has tried to find sponsors for the contest, but has not been successful. Montenegro took part in the Eurovision Song Contest twelve times. The country reached the final only twice. The best score so far for Montenegro was a 13th place for Knez, who sang the song “Adio” in 2015. This year, the country failed to reach the final. Montenegro would not have participated in 2020 and did not participate in 2021. The reason was also financial. People then made different budgetary choices.

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Liverpool (left) or Glasgow (right) will host the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 on behalf of Ukraine

Host for Eurovision Song Contest 2023: Liverpool or Glasgow?

We’ve all been in suspense for weeks to find out where the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will be organized. Between the different cities, and Ukraine’s President who was confident Maripol would be ready to host, there has been a lot of speculating. In the last couple of weeks, Eurovision’s social media team has been dropping hints and teasing its followers. The latest news is only two cities remain in this battle: Liverpool and Glasgow. The suspense is real. Let’s take a quick look at what these two cities have to offer. Liverpool Liverpool is a city located in Merseyside. With roughly 500,000 residents, it’s the 10th largest English District by population. The city is noted for its culture, architecture and transport links. The cities’ link to the Beatles, led to Liverpool becoming a very popular tourist destination. The city has continued to be a home to a lot of considerable artists and record labels. There are even connections to the Eurovision Song Contest; Sonia Evans was born in this city. When people think of Liverpool, a lot of people will think of sports. The annual Grand National horse race takes place at the Aintree Racecourse just outside the city. But, mostly (and I would even consider the word obviously), the city is best known for its premier league football. Liverpool has two rivals at each end of town: Liverpool FC and Everton FC. Glasgow Glasgow, located in Scotland, is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth most populous ciry in the United Kingdom, with an estimated population of 650,000 people. The city is located on the River Clyde in the country’s West Central Lowlands. Like Liverpool, Glasgow is a very popular destination among tourists. The city is famed for its culture, shopping and (the many) people. If you wish to explore Glasgow outside of the Eurovision Song Contest, there’s a lot of free museums, you can look for the hidden gems recommended by locals or enjoy some shopping. If you have some time to spare, Glasgow is the perfect base for exploring the Highlands.     We don’t know when the definitive city will be announced. We, at Eurovision Universe, are excited about this shortlist. Both cities have their own charm and offer enough entertainment for a fun holiday in May 2023. We’ll keep you posted!

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Noa Kirel

© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameNoya Kirel Born10 april 2001 Nationality🇮🇱 Israeli National SelectionInternal selection 2023 In Eurovision2023 TBA SongTBA (2023) Biography Noa Kirel was born and raised in Ra’anana. At the age of 10, she auditioned for the reality show “Music School” on Channel 2, but was not accepted. At the age of 13, she appeared in a commercial. Kirel’s musical career began in 2015 when she released a song called “Medabrim”, the song became a huge success after gaining many views. In the same year she released another song called “Killer”. The accompanying provocative video clip caused an uproar due to Kirel’s young age. The clip gained many views on YouTube and became one of her most recognizable clips. At the same time, Kirel appeared in a docu-reality series called “Pushraz”. Between the years 2015-2016, she released additional songs, which were presented on YouTube and played on various radio stations. It includes “Yesh be ahava” (November 2015) which was the first song to enter the Galglatz playlist, “Rak ata” (April 2016), “Hatzi meshuga” (July 2016), “Bye lahofesh” (July 2016) and “Ten li siman” (December 2016). At the end of 2016, she earned the title of “Singer of the Year” at the Children’s Chosen Ceremony. On February 26, 2017 Kirel hosted the musical show “Lipstar” on the kidZ channel, alongside Sagi Breitner. In May, she released a song called “Makom leshinuy” which she sang in a duet with Avior Melsa. Kirel released several other songs during the year, all of which are became hits. In 2017, she starred in a major role in the teen movie “Almost Famous”. In the same year she also performed in the musical show “The Three Musketeers”. On August 28, Kirel released a single that she performed together with Agam Bohbot, a cover version of Danny Sanderson’s song; “Etzel Ha’Doda ve Ha’Dod”, as part of an advertising campaign for the Bezeq company. In November 2017, she represented Israel at the “MTV Europe Music Awards” (EMA), in the “International Artist” category. On January 1, 2018, she began acting in the TV series “Kfula”.  A month later, she became a judge in the talent show Israel Got Talent. “Got Talent Israel”. On May 1 of the same year, the series Shilton Ha’Tzlalim aired, in which she plays a role of Bashmat.[17] On June 28, she released “I Want You”. She teamed up with several other Israeli artists to release new music. In October 2018, Kirel was chosen for the second time to represent Israel at the MTV Europe Music Awards, but she could not attend the ceremony held in Spain due to a tight schedule. On November 2, she released the song “Zikaron yashan” in collaboration with the singer Jonathan Margi.  On February 10, 2019, she released the song “Drum”.  The song accompanied the February-April 2019 campaign of the Israeli fashion brand “Renoir”.  On July 22, she released the song “Pouch”. The song reached the #7 spot in the Israeli charts. In November 2019, she represented Israel for the third time in a row at the MTV Europe Music Awards.  On January 14, 2020, Kirel released the single “Im atah gever”. At the beginning of 2020, the magazine Forbes Israel included Kirel in the list of promising young people of 2020. In February of that year, Kirel joined the Israeli Defence Force and served in a special talent track, in which she performed in front of soldiers and female soldiers. On February 14, 2022, she finished her military service. On June 9, 2020 she released the song “Million Dollar” featuring singer Shahar Saul. In the same month, it was announced that Cyril had signed a multi-million dollar international contract with the American record company Atlantic Records. In addition, Kirel launched the widget “Weshik” which was closed a year later. On July 4, Kirel began to appear in the fourth season of the program Music School, where she was a teacher.  In August 2020, she released the song “Ambulance” together with Jonathan Mergui. In September 2020, she was named “Woman of the Year” in the annual Hebrew Hymn Parade by Galglatz and Ynet. On September 17, she participated in the “annual parade of the music and dance school” that was broadcast on Keshet 12. In September, she was awarded the title “Singer of the Year” in the annual Kaan Gimel Hebrew Hymn Parade.  On March 7, 2021, Kirel released the single “Diamonds”, which was produced under the auspices of the jewelry company Royalty. In the same month, Kirel received the “Changing the Beauty Ideal” award for 2021 as part of the fashion week held in Tel Aviv.  On July 14, 2021, Noa Kirel released her debut international single, “Please Don’t Suck”. Kirel was the most played artist on MTV Israel for the year 2015. On October 15, 2021, she released the single “Bad Little Thing” which she also performed at the Miss World 2021 ceremony. According to Spotify Israel playback data for 2021, Kirel is the second most balanced artist on the platform this year. On December 14, the single “Reashim” was released together with the singer Osher Cohen. Kirel was chosen as one of Globes Magazine’s People of the Year for 2021.In addition, she is the most played musician in 2021 on TikTok Israel. On January 12, 2022, she published the song “Thought About That”. On March 5, the single “Bell” featuring Itay Glo was released, which was released exclusively on TikTok Israel for the first week of its release. n May 27, she released her first single in the Spanish language, “Dale Promo”, together with Puerto Rican singer Metro de Savage and featuring Boaz Van Dee Beats. On June 1, Kirel released the single “Three Girls” together with Git Fisher for Pride Month. On June 28, she released the single “Release Me” together with Dolly and Penn and Peled. In June 2022, she began acting in the third season of the youth series “Palmah”. On July 25, the movie “I Love You Charlie” was

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7 cities on shortlist UK

Seven cities are on the shortlist to host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. These are Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield. Not only the place itself was a subject, but also how the cities want to reflect Ukrainian culture in the festivities. Ukraine won the Eurovision Song Contest this year but cannot organize it itself. That is why the United Kingdom and the BBC are taking on the organization. photo: EBU The next step is to create a bid book. In it, the cities show how the festival is organized in their city. The venue where the festival is held is also discussed: it must also be suitable. The infrastructure and availability of hotels are also discussed. The city must also present the financial picture. The BBC and the EBU will make a decision together, which is likely to fall in the autumn.  

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Noa Kirel for Israel 2023

photo: instagram It’s been exactly one month since KAN announced that Noa Kirel was selected to represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023. However the tables turned really quickly, ’cause the day after Noa said she still had to decide if she was willing to do the job. Today the official news came out that Kirel will indeed wave the Israeli flag on the Eurovision stage!    Kirel is a 21 year old singer, who often sings in Hebrew. Perhaps something we can look forward to for 2023. Noa has had many hits in Israel, with her biggest song being “מיליון דולר”.   

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Pasha Parfeny

About Quick Facts NamePavel Parfeni Born31 May 1986 Nationality🇲🇩 Moldovan National SelectionEtapa națională 2023Finala națională 2020O melodie pentru Europa 2012O melodie pentru Europa 2011O melodie pentru Europa 2010O melodie pentru Europa 2009 (with Sunstroke Project)Pentru Eurovision 2007 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool2012 Baku SongSoarele şi luna (2023)Lăutar (2012) Biography Pavel Parfeni (born in Orhei, Moldova), known by the stage name Pasha Parfeni or Pasha Parfeny, is a Moldovan pop music singer, former member of the SunStroke Project band. Thanks to his parents, Pavel was surrounded by music as a young child. At the age of 7, he is already a student at the music school in Orhei, specializing in piano. In 2002 he submitted his papers to the music college in Tiraspol, jazz section. The studies and experience gained in this institution allow him to discover his talent as an interpreter. In 2003, Pavel won the Grand Prix at the contest  at the Vocile Transnistriei. In 2006, he continues his musical studies at the Academy of Music, Theater and Fine Arts, where he tries out the position of composer. Interpreting his own creation at competition at Stelele Elatului, he obtained the 3rd Prize. Parallel to his studies, Pavel also participated as a performer in a rock music collective. In 2007, he became a member of the Pop Song Theatre, which belongs to the Elat Cultural Center. Also in 2007, he won First Place at the Duetul Anului and Argintul Iantrei, both in Bulgaria. In 2009, as a vocalist of the SunStroke Project, he participated in the national preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “No Crime”. The song became 3rd. Pavel won the Grand Prize at the International Festival George Grigoriu. He also took first place at the International Music Festival Slaveanski Bazar in Vitebsk, Belarus,  in the summer of 2009. In September of the same year, Pasha Parfeny participated in the international festival Cerbul de Aur in Brașov. He won the Mamaia Festival. He performed Andrei Tudor’s song “Tu nu vezi cerul”. In late fall 2010, Pavel Parfeni’s contract expired and he left the SunStroke Project. In 2010, Pavel Parfeny wanted to participate in the Eurovision preselection in Romania. But, because he does not have Romanian citizenship, he couldn’t. But he participated with the song “You Should Like” at the national preselection in Moldova. He placed in the 2nd, On March 11, 2012, Pasha Parfeni won the national selection for Eurovision 2012 with the song “Lăutar” and represented the Republic of Moldova in Baku. For the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Parfeny co-composed the song “A Million” for Aliona Moon. The song won and represented Moldova in the contest, with Parfeny accompanying Moon on stage at the piano. It became 11th in the final. In 2015, he composed the song “Maricica” for DoReDoS, which placed 6th  in the Moldovan national selection. In 2020, Pasha competed in the Moldovan national selection again with the song, “My Wine” composed in collaboration with Vica Demici. This time he finished second. In 2023, he represented Moldova at the Eurovision Song Contest again. With the song “Soarele şi luna” he reached the final. He got an 18th place in the overall ranking. In September of the same year, he lead the camp Moldova Are Voce. In the same month he performed in Montreal. On the 1st of October he was able to perform in the Bizz’ Art club in Paris. After that, he released the song “Fetele”. Entries Soarele şi luna Country🇲🇩 Moldova Year2023 LanguageRomanian LyricsIuliana Parfeni MusicPasha ParfenyAndrei Vulpe BackingsAdelina IordichaiValeria PashaSergiu BorşMarius BaltagaAndrei Vulpe Results Semi Points: 109Position: 5Running order: 10 Results Finals Points: 96Position: 18Running order: 18 https://youtu.be/SABOfYgGk8M Lăutar Country🇲🇩 Moldova Year2012 LanguageEnglish LyricsPasha Parfeni MusicPasha ParfeniAlex Brașoveanu Backings Aliona MoonTatiana HegheaKsyusha VertelnikovaJulia GakhovaLera Kirichenko   Results Semi Points: 100Position: 5Running order: 17 Results Finals Points: 81Position: 11Running order: 26 https://youtu.be/vIy0EtEeLEw

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Albania: Festivali i Këngës 61, semifinal 2

The Albanian national selection starts tonight. In four evenings, Albania will make a choice. Tonight, the second semifinal will be held. It starts at 21.00 CET and you can watch it here and here and on Youtube. Albania usually is the first country to select an entry. Not this year, as we already know Ukraine’s entry. The Albanians will select through four evenings. The seminfinals will be held on Monday and Tuesday, another show, not with the participating songs, will be on Wednesday. Thhe final will be on Thursday. These are tonight’s entries: Melodajna Mancaku sings “Gjysma e zemrës sime” Permit of Stay sings “Fobia” Arsi Bako sings

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Albania: Festivali i Këngës 61, semifinal 1

The Albanian national selection starts tonight. In four evenings, Albania will make a choice. Tonight, the first semifinal will be held. It starts at 21.00 CET and you can watch it here and here. Albania usually is the first country to select an entry. Not this year, as we already know Ukraine’s entry. The Albanians will select through four evenings. The seminfinals will be held on Monday and Tuesday, another show (we don’t have more information on that one yet) on Wednesday, while the final will be on Thursday. These are the entries: Enxhi Nasufi sings “Burrë” Erma Mici sings “Kozmosi

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Joker Out represents Slovenia

Today, Slovenian TV station RTVSLO announced it: the band Joker Out will represent Slovenia. After years of EMA, the Slovenian national final, RTVSLO decided not to have a national final. Joker Out is quite a famous band in Slovenia. The band started their carreer in 2016 as a combination of two other bands. Their breakthrough came a year later, when they won Špil Ige, a talent show. Their song “Omamljeno telo” became a hit. It was followed by songs as “Gola”, “Vem da greš” and “Umazane misli”. The band released two full albums so far. Their most recent album and it’s

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Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper are the Dutch representatives

On November first, it was announced that Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper will travel to Liverpool to represent The Netherlands at the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.    The 26-year-old Mia and 28-year-old Dion met about two years ago, when Duncan Laurence, Eurovision 2019 winner brought them together. Their voices blended well together, and they wanted to share the same musical message: “music that allows room for showing vulnerability and emotion. Laurence recommended the two artists to the Dutch selection committee and they unanimously selected the yet to be announced song.    There’s still much speculation about the song. The general director at

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No Montenegro in Liverpool

Montenegro will not take part in the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool next year. That is what Montenegrin broadcaster RTCG announced. Financial problems are said to underlie this decision. The Montenegrin broadcaster has tried to find sponsors for the contest, but has not been successful. Montenegro took part in the Eurovision Song Contest twelve times. The country reached the final only twice. The best score so far for Montenegro was a 13th place for Knez, who sang the song “Adio” in 2015. This year, the country failed to reach the final. Montenegro would not have participated in 2020 and did not

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Liverpool (left) or Glasgow (right) will host the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 on behalf of Ukraine

Host for Eurovision Song Contest 2023: Liverpool or Glasgow?

We’ve all been in suspense for weeks to find out where the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will be organized. Between the different cities, and Ukraine’s President who was confident Maripol would be ready to host, there has been a lot of speculating. In the last couple of weeks, Eurovision’s social media team has been dropping hints and teasing its followers. The latest news is only two cities remain in this battle: Liverpool and Glasgow. The suspense is real. Let’s take a quick look at what these two cities have to offer. Liverpool Liverpool is a city located in Merseyside. With roughly

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Noa Kirel

© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameNoya Kirel Born10 april 2001 Nationality🇮🇱 Israeli National SelectionInternal selection 2023 In Eurovision2023 TBA SongTBA (2023) Biography Noa Kirel was born and raised in Ra’anana. At the age of 10, she auditioned for the reality show “Music School” on Channel 2, but was not accepted. At the age of 13, she appeared in a commercial. Kirel’s musical career began in 2015 when she released a song called “Medabrim”, the song became a huge success after gaining many views. In the same year she released another song called “Killer”. The accompanying provocative video clip caused an uproar

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7 cities on shortlist UK

Seven cities are on the shortlist to host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. These are Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield. Not only the place itself was a subject, but also how the cities want to reflect Ukrainian culture in the festivities. Ukraine won the Eurovision Song Contest this year but cannot organize it itself. That is why the United Kingdom and the BBC are taking on the organization. photo: EBU The next step is to create a bid book. In it, the cities show how the festival is organized in their city. The venue where the festival is

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Noa Kirel for Israel 2023

photo: instagram It’s been exactly one month since KAN announced that Noa Kirel was selected to represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023. However the tables turned really quickly, ’cause the day after Noa said she still had to decide if she was willing to do the job. Today the official news came out that Kirel will indeed wave the Israeli flag on the Eurovision stage!    Kirel is a 21 year old singer, who often sings in Hebrew. Perhaps something we can look forward to for 2023. Noa has had many hits in Israel, with her biggest song

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Pasha Parfeny

About Quick Facts NamePavel Parfeni Born31 May 1986 Nationality🇲🇩 Moldovan National SelectionEtapa națională 2023Finala națională 2020O melodie pentru Europa 2012O melodie pentru Europa 2011O melodie pentru Europa 2010O melodie pentru Europa 2009 (with Sunstroke Project)Pentru Eurovision 2007 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool2012 Baku SongSoarele şi luna (2023)Lăutar (2012) Biography Pavel Parfeni (born in Orhei, Moldova), known by the stage name Pasha Parfeni or Pasha Parfeny, is a Moldovan pop music singer, former member of the SunStroke Project band. Thanks to his parents, Pavel was surrounded by music as a young child. At the age of 7, he is already a student at the

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