Austria

UEFA 2020: DAY 11

It’s day 11 of the European Championship soccer already. Today, no less than four matches will be played. To start with Ukraine against Austria. Both countries once had an act containing a burning fake piano. It was Mélovin who played the piano in his song “Under the ladder” in 2018. He was not the first one to do so. In 2015 The Makemakes had a piano burning during the performance of “I am yours”. The second match is between North Macedonia and the Netherlands. Both countries once had a song about darkness and light. The 2012 North Macedonian entrant Kaliopi sang “Crno i belo”, which means black and white. The Dutch sisters of O’G3NE sang “Lights and shadows” in 2017. Russia will meet Denmark tomorrow. It was back in 2000 when Russia and Denmark ended up in the top, Denmark as the winner, Russia as the number 2. When The Olsen Brothers won with “Fly on the wings of love”, Alsou was the runner up with “Solo”. Another match will be the the one from Finland against Belgium. In 1977, both countries were favorites to win the contest. Both ended up disappointed. Finnish Monica Aspelund and her “Lapponia” ended up in 10th place, while Belgian Dream Express brought their “A million in one, two, three” to a 7th place.

Turkey: TRT director talks with EBU

İbrahim Eren, director of the Turkish broadcaster TRT, talks with the EBU about Eurovision. Mr. Eren confirms this news in the Turkish newspaper Miliyet. Turkey wanted to withdraw already after the contest of 2011, when they did not reach the final. They only participated in 2012 because the contest was held in Azerbaijan, a country Turkey has strong bounds with. The reason of their withdrawal was the expert jury. The former jury system, with 100% televoting, was quite positive for Turkey. As many people with Turkish roots automatically voted for Turkey every year, the country got the 12 points from several Western European countries year by year. The new 50/50 system made an end to it. In 2015, Turkey added another reason when Austrian Conchita Wurst won the contest. ““As a public broadcaster, we also cannot broadcast live at 9 p.m. — when children are still awake — someone like the bearded Austrian who wore a skirt, do not believe in genders and says that he is both a man and a woman.”, mister İbrahim Eren stated back then. But now that does not seem to count anymore. Mr. Eren stated that the 2021 contest was a wonderful show. He is now in talk with mr. Marcus Österdahl, the new executive producer of the contest. Whether it’s going to lead to a renewed Turkish participation or not, is of course not known yet. But we keep you updated. Can Bonomo, the last Turkish representant so far in 2012.

UEFA 2020: DAY 7

We already face the 7th day of UEFA 2020. Again, three matches will be played. The first one will be Ukraine against North Macedonia. Both countries have had a contestant who faced troubles because of his or her identity. Gaitana sang “Be my guest” in 2012. The song is a soccer anthem, with the music being based on the vuvuzela. Yuriy Syrotyuk, politician of a nationalist political party, said that with this contestant people might think Ukraine is an African country. Gaitana is half Congolese. 2021 North Macedonian contestant Vasil faced a petition because in the video, something that looked like the Bulgarian flag was shown. Vasil also has the Bulgarian nationality. The second match is Denmark vs Belgium. We all know that the only Belgian winner, Sandra Kim, was a 13 year old child. But it was also a child star who participated in the 1985 contest for Denmark. It was Leah Bundgård, the 8 year old daughter of Søren Bundgård. Søren was the male half of the duo Kirsten & Søren. The third and last match will be between The Netherlands and Austria. That reminds us of 2014, when it was either one of them to get the win. It was the duo Common Linnets for the Netherlands coming second with “Calm after the storm”. It was Conchita Wurst for Austria winning with “Rise like a Phoenix”. But hey, you published “Rise like a Phoenix” before? Touché, but who minds watching Conchita’s performance twice?

UEFA Euro 2020: day 3

Today, we already have the third day of the European soccer chiampionship, UEFA Euro 2020. Let’s dive into the Eurovision history again with the countries that play today: First of all we have England against Croatia. England is, and Croatia was, part of a larger country. We take a look at former winners from both the United Kingdom and Yugoslavia. Bucks Fizz won for the UK in 1981; not really because of their singing skills, but especially because of the act. The boys ripped off the girls’ skirts. Three of the four members of Bucks Fizz were English; Mike Nolan originates from Ireland. The only ever Yugoslav winner is a band from Zadar, Croatia: Riva. They won with “Rock me”. Singer Emilia Kokić is still active and participated in Croatian national finals many times. Austria and North Macedonia will compete too. Both countries had their biggest success with a diva singing a beautiful ballad. In 2014, Austria won the contest with Conchita Wurst and her song “Rise like a phoenix”. Tamara Todevska did not manage to win the entire contest for North Macedonia in 2019, but she won the jury vote with her song “Proud”. And the third match will be between Ukraine and The Netherlands. That could have been the big battle of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest as well. Maruv, who won the Ukrainian final with the song “Siren song”, was one of the favorites rightaway. But Ukrainian tv decided to disqualify the singer, due to political reasons. The contest was left without a favorite until Dutch Duncan Laurence presented his song “Arcade”. And we all know what happened with thát song….

Malta and Switzerland winners semifinals

The results of both the semifinals are known. Malta won the first one and Switzerland the 2nd one. Where the qualifiers of the 2nd semifinal were very clear (number 11, Denmark, follows with a distance), it was a close call at the first semifinal. Norway was 10th with 115 points while Croatia was 11th with 110 points. The full results are: 1st semifinal Malta, 325 pts. Ukraine, 267 pts. Russia, 225 pts. Lithuania, 203 pts. Israel, 192 pts. Cyprus, 170 pts. Sweden, 142 pts. Azerbaijan, 138 pts. Belgium, 117 pts. Norway, 115 pts. Croatia 110 pts. Romania, 85 pts. Slovenia, 44 pts. Australia, 28 pts. North Macedonia, 23 pts. Ireland, 20 pts. 2nd semifinal Switzerland, 291 pts. Iceland, 288 pts. Bulgaria, 250 pts. Portugal, 239 pts. Finland, 234 pts. Greece, 184 pts. Moldova, 179 pts. Serbia, 124 pts. San Marino, 118 pts. Albania, 112 pts. Denmark, 89 pts. Austria, 66 pts. Estonia, 58 pts. Poland, 35 pts. Czech Republic, 23 pts. Georgia, 16 pts. Latvia, 14 pts. photo credits: EBU

Reactions: the artists who didn’t reach the final

Seven countries did not reach the final. Most of the disappointed participants already commented on their loss on social media. Here we have an overview of their reactions. Uku Suviste (Estonia) and Benny Cristo (Czech Republic) haven’t commented yet. Vincent Bueno (Austria): THANK YOU! AMEN! Rafal (Poland) has a lot to say: My beautiful adventure with Eurovision has come to an end. It was 3 months of intense work. Not only vocal and dance rehearsals, but also dozens of hours of interviews and talks with people from all over the world.The motto of this year’s competition is #openup. I believe that we all managed to implement this idea! In Rotterdam I have met wonderful artists, people who are open to the world and full of positive energy. We need it so badly in these these hard times. I would like to thank the dancers, the entire Polish delegation, people who are involved in the preparations for the ESC and of course the organizers of this awesome event! We did our best and that is the most important thing! Many thanks for support you sent me every day. It gave me huge boost of energy! You are great! Congratulations to all the amazing artists who will fight for victory on Saturday. Good luck! Tornike (Georgia) did not post any comment but a picture of the welcome goodies he got from the hotel. Samanta Tina (Latvia): AND WE WERE AND ARE THE BEST! WE ARE THE QUEENS! Fyr og Flamme: WHO WAS THERE WON TODAY … Thank you for tonight everyone and see you at home. photo credits: todaytesting.com

2nd semifinal overview

The 2nd semifinal also opens with beautiful images of the Netherlands. Eefje de Visser and the ballet with Redouan Ait Chitt can then be seen on stage in Ahoy. After that we see the presenters. Edsilia Rombley stands out most because of her bright green dress, and what you cannot see from afar: Nikkie de Jager’s dress has stitching in the colors of the trans flag. San Marino: Senhit wears one thing around her head at the start of her act. It most closely resembles an icon, and at the first rehearsal there were also images of Christ on it. They were later replaced by photos of Flo Rida, but they are now redundant because Flo Rida is on stage herself. We are absolutely sure of a place in the finale. Estonia: Uku Suviste had to fight for his place at the 2021 festival himself, even though he was already the candidate in 2020. Still, many feel that he got so many votes this year out of pity. He is a good singer, but with this song he really does not convince us. No Eurovision final for Estonia this year. Czech Republic: In recent days, Benny Cristo has been everywhere. Now that he is on stage, we still feel that he has forgotten to take that energy with him into Ahoy. We get a very strong feeling something is missing. His voice is not perfect either. We think it is not impossible for Benny to reach the final, but it will be hard. Greece: Stefania, who represents Greece, is secretly also a bit from the Netherlands, because she comes from Uitrecht. Greece has pulled out the technical gadgets of the greenscreen, which makes it seem as if the dancers are invisible. You only see their clothes. In addition, Stefania seems to float through the city. Greece, Stefania in the lead, makes something beautiful out of it. She will very likely reach the final. Austria: Another prayer, again “Amen”. David Bueno sings a ballad in which he can let us hear his strong voice. The staging has been kept simple. With the LED light around him, the whole thing is still spectacular. If Belgium succeeds on quality alone, you would say that Austria succeeds too. We think that’s what’s gonna happen. Poland: Hardly anyone believes in the Polish entry. The question that arises is whether Rafal does that himself. Rafal is on stage with four dancers and wears sunglasses. All fine, but with his song he doesn’t seem to impress for a single moment during the entire song. No final for Poland this year. Then Nikkie de Jager shows up. She gives the floor to Molly Sandén, who sang the soundtrack of “Eurovision Song Contest: the story of Fire Saga”. We also see Jeangu Macrooy pass by for a short while. Moldova: Natalia Gordienko once played a (scantily clad) supporting role, now she plays a leading role in the Moldovan entry about sugar, surrounded by dancers. Lots of pink on stage, but we still have the feeling that the Moldovan team has run out of sugar. Unfortunately, Moldova makes very little impression. However, it can still reach the final. Iceland: Do you see the Icelanders? In fact you don’t really see them, because they are not allowed to enter the stage stage. So you will see a recording of one of the rehearsals. The green sweater and the wicked dance: it has been thought through. Same goes for the instruments. We can reveal that they are not real. Still, it looks like a slick show. Nobody has any doubts about a place in the finale. Serbia: There is something weird about the Serbian entry: unlike you might expect, the ladies can sing quite good. Their dance is a bit stiff. Unlike the song, the Hurricane ladies themselves are not really rocking. Our entire team expects the girls to be in the final. Georgia: Before the festival, Tornike Kipriani grumbled that it was a shame you had to participate in such a shit show. Now he brings his ballad with verve with his Leonard Cohen-like voice. It is not such a shit show. Georgia is not going to reach the final. Albania: Just like two years ago, Albania has remained close to its own culture. The song is sung in Albanian. Lots of red and green smoke, especially in the second half a kind of golden glow like the setting sun. Does the Albanian trick work twice in a row? It’s not impossible, but it will be difficult. Portugal: Nobody gave a cent for the Portuguese entry beforehand. But with the right staging, people are no longer so sure that this will go wrong. Portugal starts in the time when the world was still in black and white, to bring some color to the stage halfway through the song. Portugal can be the big surprise in the final. Then Chantal Janzen will reveal that we are going to see former winners this Saturday. In the meantime she talks to Helena Paparizou (ESF05). Bulgaria: Victoria sits on a rock in the middle of a virtual sea. The picture is one of her and her father. That picture is dear to her because of her and her father. The father has ALS and therefore cannot be in Rotterdam. Viktoria’s vocals are fantastic as always. Bulgaria in the final? Was that a question? We know the answer: yes. Finland: You may not raise your middle finger in the family program that the Eurovision song contest is: then you paint it red. A number of metal fans were angry that the song is called metal. So, dear reader, this is not metal. It is enjoyable for those who like heavy rock. Or would people who enjoy enjoyment get angry now? Anyway, we will see Finland back in the final. Latvia: Samanta Tina brings a song that is extremely suitable for getting everything out of the closet in an act. We don’t understand why she doesn’t.

Liveblog: press conferences 13 may

Today, we will also attend the press conferences again. We will keep you updated with this liveblog. Find out what the artists have to say. 16.52 Hurricane singer Ksenija says that the rehearsal was much better than the previous one. They had made some small changes, some new things. But this is just a minor thing compared to what we’re going to see in the semifinal. The ladies have just had an interview with Nikkie Tutorials, and have enjoyed it. She has the same energy as the ladies and they could imagine that Nikkie would be the fourth group member. As inspiration they cite Knez, participant in 2015 and the father of Ksenija. Furthermore, the ladies indicate that they see each other so often that they are just like sisters from time to time. They say something about each other’s clothes, for example. 16.24 Tv-presenter Koos van Plateringen, who is hosting the press conference, asks Daði Freyr’s wife Maria how Laura is doing. She is fine, says Maria. This needs some explanation: Maria is pregnant and the baby would be called Laura. “It’s a working title,” Maria adds. Minor changes have been made to Iceland’s performance, Daði Freyr explains. The camera is looked into at different times than before. The members of Gagnamagnið are not normally dancers except in Gagnamagnið. When asked about his favorite video games, he says that three Playstations, a Nintendo and a Nintendo Wii have been brought along. The secret of the green jerseys dates back to 2017, when the group took part in the Icelandic national final. Live instruments may not be used, so old computers were put on stage. The jerseys are a result of those computers. Daði promises new music in the near future. An album will be released in 2022. 16.00 The Moldovan Natalia Gordienko is feeling much better than after the first rehearsal. Everything went better, she is satisfied. With the first she was much more busy with all kinds of other things, now she could focus. She and Filipp Kirkorov drew attention to the fact that the song contains the longest high note ever (17 seconds). It must be said that every question put to Natalia was partly answered by Kirkorov. Natalia still gets the chance to thank everyone for all the support. She’s been dreaming about this for fifteen years; she shows a picture of her child and says that all dreams can come true. 15.29 Rafał notices that things are getting a bit more serious. He says he is almost ready for the semifinal. Rafał’s father was a wrestler, and he wanted to do that too. A few injuries forced him to quit, and he switched to the music. Yet he has no regrets: he would do it again rightaway. Talking about the rehearsals: moving a lot and then singing is difficult. If you keep moving, you feel like you need to take a deep breath. That is the biggest challenge for him. The timing for singing and dancing is also different, which makes it extra difficult. He also says that he is a man of the 80s and was inspired by it. There are several retro songs on his album, and this had to be a retro song as well. 15:07 The stage and act are fantastic according to Vincent Bueno from Austria. As far as he is concerned, there are still small details, but in fact the whole team is ready for the semi-final. Of course you are nervous, but that is part of the deal. Vincent enjoys every moment. Of course he goes for gold, but in his opinion it should also be enjoyed. The song is about a situation such as a funeral, breaking up, letting go. Vincent has three children, one of which is no longer with us. She is like an angel in heaven who is always with him. Vincent also plays “Amen” on guitar. That is typically how they like it in the Philippines: simple, with a guitar. So his background as a Filipino certainly helps him in his musical career. He also cites Filipino fans as very loyal fans. One of the journalists also draws attention to the fact that many Filipinos in Europe work in healthcare. 13.43 The Greek / Dutch Stefania says she is very happy with the second rehearsal. The first time she was still nervous, that was now gone. The dancers also did everything well. She says this act was exactly what she and her team wanted. She is the youngest participant. She doesn’t care, she’s in Rotterdam to have fun. She is 18 years old and this is her dream. In her outfit she feels like Jennifer Lopez. She feels Dutch because they go shopping but then don’t buy anything and then do it online. She feels typically Dutch because she is open and hospitable, inviting people to dinner immediately. She keeps her voice good by not worrying. That’s advice she got from her vocal coach. They work hard: Stefania practices her Greek, the dancers practice a lot, because in her opinion nothing goes without saying. 13.19 We try to get to know the stage, Benny Cristo from Czech Republic says. Benny is much more satisfied with today’s performance than the first rehearsal. Benny is vegan. He does not want to shout that out loud, but he does want to say that he thinks the food in Rotterdam is fantastic. There is a very good vegan restaurant next to the hotel. Another thing he brings up that he enjoys is sprinkles. Back to the song “Omaga” he announces that it will definitely be a party. He is happy with the rehearsals, which give him the chance to keep it going! A painful moment comes when he is asked about his Angolan roots: the marriage of his parents ended in a fight divorce and his mother especially did not want to be reminded of everything that is Angolan. Now Benny Cristo has renewed interest in

Day 6. Live Blog 2nd Rehearsals

Today we will follow the 2nd rehearsals again in Ahoy, and will keep you live informed . In Cooperation with: Eurovision Artists. Photo & Video Credits: EBU 14.45 – Serbia Hurricane puts on an okay rehearsal again today. A bit smoother in dance, but a bit more unstable in terms of vocals. With a 25th place in the polls it could just be that we will see the ladies back in the final. 14.20 – Iceland During the first rehearsal, Daði & Gagnamagnið already put down an act that was rock solid. The clumsy moveming and dancing … everything is part of the act, well thought out and perfected down to the last detail. Today they do that again. Singing and acting are rock solid. After the first rehearsal, they rose up to 5th place in the polls. They have a good thing going! Have we just looked at the winner of the festival? 13.55 – Moldova During the first rehearsal, Natalia Gordienko (except for the vocals) came across as a bit uncomfortable and ot at ease. Her high heels in particular seemed to be playing tricks on her. Apparently hard work has been done in recent days. Great act, Natalia shines, and the vocals were again more than okay. With 22nd place in the polls, it should be possible for Natalia to qualify for the final. 13.30 – Poland Rafał Brzozowski puts on a slightly more stable rehearsal today, a bit more organized and less chaotic. In terms of voice, he is by no means stable. With a 35th place in the polls, it doesn’t look like we will see Poland back in the final. 13.05. Austria Vincent Bueno impressed during the first rehearsal, with his sober act and staging, which fits perfectly with his song. Today he does that all over again. No change in his act, it is rock solid. With a 26th place in the polls, it should be possible to get a place in the final. 11.40 – Greece The Dutch-Greek Stefania surprised friend and foe with a spectacular act during the first rehearsal. Vocally she stood firm in her high-heeled silver-purple boots. Today she admits some finishing touches. After the first rehearsal, she rose to tenth place in the polls. It is expected that her performance in the 2nd semifinal will certainly not be her “Last Dance”. 11.15 – Czech Republic During the first 2 runs Benny Cristo appears on stage wearing glasses today. Act and clothing are otherwise the same. Although the vocals are fine, Benny does not convince. Is he still holding back for the live show? As it looks now with a 32 place in the polls, a final place seems a long way off. 10.50 – Estonia. Uku Suviste sounds more stable in the second rehearsal. No changes in the act, sober and calm. Nothing wrong with that, but with a 36th place in the polls we do not see a place for Estonia in the big Final. 10.25 – San Marino Also today the big question was: will Flo Rida appear on stage. The answer was again: No. Rapper Don Jiggy performed again on stage. It was striking that Senhit has a photo of Flo Rida in the icon she wears at the beginning of the act, and half way she shouts out to the audiance: “Hello Rotterdam, are you ready to Flo Rida with me?” Singing and dancing are fine again. With a 13th place in the polls, there is a good chance that San Marino will qualify for the final again 10.00 – Malta Destiny appears onstage today in a different outfit. Silver colored top with pink stockings. The act has also changed. All this looks more dynamic than the first rehearsal. The vocals are again rock solid. Destiny received a lot of criticism after the first rehearsal, regarding her outfit, to which she countered sharply: THIS is exactly what my song is about: I do not have a size zero, but I wear what I feel good and okay in , and what YOU think about it: Je me Casse !! With a second place in the polls, making it to the final will not be a problem … but will she win the contest?

Recap First Rehearsals Day 3

Today we have watched another 9 first rehearsals at Day 3. In our opinion Greece, Iceland and Austria impressed the most, all in a completely different way. Greece because of the graphics, Austria because of the vocals, and Iceland because of the typical but outstanding performance. Most dissapointing rehearsals: Estonia and Poland; bad act, bad vocals. San Marino, Czech Republic and Moldova had a steady first rehearsal. And Serbia surprised us…