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41 countries in 2022 Eurovision Song Contest

41 countries will take part in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Turin. That is what EBU announced today. In comparison with the 2021 contest, Armenia and Montenegro return. The full list is here: Albania Australia Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Iceland Ireland Israel Italy Latvia Lithuania Malta Moldova Montenegro North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland The Netherlands Ukraine United Kingdom France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom will directly be placed in the final, to be held on may 14. The other countries will have to qualify through a semifinal on may 10 or 12. As one of the ‘big five’ was this year’s winner, there will only be 25 countries in the final.

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?

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

Italy wins the 65th Eurovision Song Contest

Italy has just won the 65th Eurovision Song Contest. Måneskin sang the song “Zitti e buoni”. It is the 3rd time that Italy won the Eurovision Song Contest. Italy was closely followed by France , with expert jury winner Switzerland in 3rd place. The full result is: Italy, 524 pts. France, 499 pts. Switzerland, 432 pts. Iceland, 378 pts. Ukraine, 364 pts. Finland, 301 pts. .Malta, 255 pts. Lithuania, 220 pts. Russia, 204 pts. Greece, 170 pts. Bulgaria, 170 pts. Portugal, 153 pts. Moldova, 115 pts. Sweden, 109 pts. Serbia, 102 pts. Cyprus, 94 pts. Israel, 93 pts. Norway, 75 pts. Belgium, 74 pts. Azerbaijan, 65 pts. Albania, 57 pts. San Marino, 50 pts. The Netherlands, 11 pts. Spain, 6 pts. Germany, 3 pts. United Kingdom, 0 pts. A shocking thing was that no less than 4 countries ended up with zero points at the televoting. All the countries who got no points (The Netherlands, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom) were placed directly in the final. photo credits: EBU

What can we expect and who will win tomorrow?

After a film with, again, beautiful images of the Netherlands, and yes, a role for Duncan Laurence, we go to the flag parade. DJ Pieter Gabriel accompanies the artists musically with his own adaptation of the worldwide hit “Venus” by Shocking Blue, also a hit from Dutch soil. Presenters Edsilia Rombley, Jan Smit and Chantal Janzen sing the song. We open with Cyprus; often an uptempo pop song is chosen to open, this year too. Albania takes the cursed second place. However, Albania is not one of the potential winners anyway, so the second place remains where it is. Israel follows; she once bursted out in tears when the Eurovision song contest was canceled, but now Eden Alene is in the final, followed by Belgium. Hopefully Hooverphonic will remain in peoples memories in the beginning of the broadcast. The advantage is that the song may stand out even more after an uptempo song. However, Russia follows with a striking act and then Malta. What that does to Malta’s chances is a big question mark, but it is not favorable. Certainly not because Portugal will follow after Malta; they are the surprise of the contest. We wouldn’t even be surprised if Portugal ends up very high; The Black Mamba isn’t Salvador Sobral, but still. The end of the first block is formed by Serbia; The fact that the three ladies are through to the final was no surprise, but it will probably not be much more there. Or is Serbia lucky that all other countries of the former Yugoslavia are not there? While advertisements are watched in some countries, the rest of Europe sees Nikkie Tutorials showcasing three winners of the #Eurovisionchallenge. Valentina, who won the junior Eurovision this year, will also say something. Emmelie De Forrest, Jamala and Duncan Laurence talk about their trophy. After that, Chantal Janzen and Jan Smit will make an appeal to share your photo of how you watch the Eurovision song contest. The second block is opened by the United Kingdom. That is usually not something to be happy about. People are still refilling the glasses or sitting on the toilet. By the way, yesterday in the Dutch tv-show Op1 you could see how British journalists are already busy putting the blame for a low score apart from themselves, even before the contest is over. However, the UK entry is completely insignificant to Greece that performes next. Greenscreen is certainly not new, but it is smart to use it. In quality, however, the Greek entry is far surpassed by that of Switzerland. According to many, one of the strongest voices of the festival. Still, the song may soumd a little too much like “Arcade” to be a winner. Also a top song, possibly even a winner, is Iceland. Would it give Daði og Gagnamagnið sympathy votes that they are not allowed to be present live? The Icelandics are in any case followed by the not too strong entry from Spain, although, to be honest, it must be said that the singing of Blas Cantó improves with each rehearsal. Moldova will then take office. But it is still doubtful whether the name of Filipp Kirkorov (composer) will be good for a high score. Germany is a “love it or hate it” entry that can go in any direction. And after a song about a middle finger, the director has chosen to put the other middle finger song right after it. The song from Finland turned out to have a lot of fans yesterday. Whether it helps them on the scoreboard? We’ll know tomorrow night. And then we see Edsilia Rombley at the top of the comment booths to chitchat with various commentators. Chantal Janzen and Jan Smit refer to the time when there was still a live orchestra. They promise an orchestra with a top DJ. In the meantime, Bulgaria is ready with Victoria on her rock. Another strong entry. Then we see Lithuania again. At the bookies, the yellow-clad men have fallen somewhat; not because they are not good, perhaps because a large number of countries have an even stronger entry. And then Chantal Janzen announces Duncan Laurence, who speaks to the viewer in a video. Why so soon? Well, it gives the crew time to prepare the scenery of Ukraine. A trip, as Dutch commentator Sander Lantinga called the entry. of Ukraine We can imagine why. It would not surprise anyone if Ukraine ends up in the top of the rankings. Immediately after that, another top favorite follows: France. Take a good look, because this could well be the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. To be honest, the entry from Azerbaijan is fairly insignificant. Anyway, the King’s Commissioner in Friesland Arno Brok and Mayor of Leeuwarden Sybrand Buma give a voting advice: stim Azerbaijan (vote Azerbaijan, but in Frisian language). It doesn’t seem to be a coincidence, but after Azerbaijan, Norway will perform. All week, something seems to be going on between the Azerbaijani Efendi and the Norwegian TIX. It is very worthy to lsearch for #efentix. Then NikkieTutorials and Edsilia Rombley take the floor and announce some entre-acts and… the entry of the Netherlands. Jeangu Macrooy is praised for his cast-iron voice. He seems to slightly do better among bookmakers. But after the Netherlands, another top favorite (there are quite a lot this year) follows: Italy. Would the glam rock-leaning group win the Eurovision song contest? We do not consider it impossible. Sweden is not one of this year’s top favorites. The entry is just not strong enough for a top score. Finally we see San Marino. And then the rule of applies: world stars do NOT win the Eurovision song contest. Whether it’s Cliff Richard, t.A.T.u., DJ Bobo or Bonnie Tyler, it doesn’t work. A high position is definitely not impossible, San Marino will break its own record for sure. Then a spectacular entre act:follows: a classical orchestra of toung people and Afrojack accompany Wulf and Glennis Grace while

In the spotlight: Malta – Destiny Chukunyere

One of the favorites for the win is Malta, represented by Destiny Chukunyere. But who is she? Destiny was born in Birkirkara on August 29, 2002, and attends school in Ħamrun. Her mother is Maltese, her father is the former Nigerian professional football player Ndubisi Chukunyere. Chukunyere starts singing at the age of nine. In 2014 she came third in Kanzunetta Indipendenza and won the Asteriks and Sanremo Junior music festival in Italy. In the summer of 2015, Chukunyere took part in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015, which was held in the Bulgarian capital Sofia. She won the festival, with 185 points, with the song “Not my soul”. She became the second Maltese to win the festival, after Gaia Cauchi two years earlier. For her achievement, she was awarded the Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika (Medal for Outstanding Achievement) in December 2015 from the President of Malta, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca. Destiny in 2015 In 2020 she won the second season of X Factor Malta, which immediately earned her a ticket for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. The festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Maltese public broadcaster decided to select her internally to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song “Je me casse” The song has a clear message. “Je me casse” is a French pronunciation that means “I must go.” With the song she wants to inspire women to never doubt themselves; if you believe in yourself you can achieve great things. Destiny is in the top 3 in the polls. Tomorrow we know if she manages to bring the winning of the Festival to Malta for the very first time in the history of the Festival. Good luck Destiny! In Cooperation with: Eurovision Artists Photo-Videocredits: EBU

Qualifiers after the 2nd Semi Final

After tonight’s show, the 10 qualifiers (in random order) are: San Marino – Senhit-Adrenalina Greece – Stefania Liberakakis-Last Dance Albania – Anxhela Peristeri – Karma Moldova – Natalia Gordienko-Sugar Iceland – Daði & Gagnamagnið-Ten Years Serbia – Hurricane-Loco Loco Portugal – The Black Mamba – Love is on my side Bulgaria – Victoria-Growing Up is getting old Finland – Blind Channel-Dark Side Switzerland – Gjon’s Tears – Tout l’univers We will see them back in the grand Final on Saturday.

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 2nd Rehearsals Semi Final 2

Also today we follow the second rehearsals in Ahoy Rotterdam. We keep you live updated. In Cooperation with Eurovision Artists. Photo & Videocredits: EBU 13:55 – Denmark The guys from Fyr og Flamme perform a cozysong in Danish, which would have done well in the 80s. The gentlemen are not lacking in enthusiasm. Vocally, there could still be some finishing touches. With a 27th place in the polls it will be a just yes/ just no qualification for the final. 13.30 – Switzerland Gjon’s Tears once again puts on a rehearsal that is rock solid. Although opinions about the staging (busy, messy) are very divided, we see a total picture that suits Gjon and his song. Final? Without any doubt. Top 5? Most likely yes. Winner? Who knows. 13.05 – Latvia Samanta Tina is dressed in green, just like her background singers (with mudguards). With a song like this you expect a bit more spectacle in terms of dance and visuals. Actually, that doesn’t happen at any time. Samanta has a strong voice, nothing wrong there. Whether it is all enough for a place in the final is doubtful. 11.40 – Finland Everything you can expect from a rock act passes in review … x 10. Blind Channel rocks with devotion, and with red-colored middle fingers through the three minutes. With an 11th place in the polls, we will certainly see them back in the big Final. 11.15 – Bulgaria In a beautiful setting (Victoria is standing on a platform in the water) she sings her powerful ballad. Quiet, modest and full of conviction. With a 6th place in the polls, we will certainly see Bulgaria in the final 10.50 – Portugal The Black Mamba starts again in a black and white setting. And as during the 1st rehearsal, Pedro Tatanka sings as if it is all very easy. A calm, restrained act and staging, relaxed and full of conviction. Will Portugal provide a surprise? Who knows. In any case, they allready have a scoop , since it is the first time that a Portuguese participant sings in English. A place in the final is certainly possible . 10.25 Albania Anxhela is alone on the stage. Just like during the first rehearsal, vocals are fine. The graphics in the background are more organized. Anxhela is one of the few who sings in her own language. In a nutshell, her song is about how she used to laugh when someone was in trouble, and now that she’s in trouble herself, another laughs. She certainly has problems in terms of ranking in the polls; 37th place. We will most likely not see Albania in the final either. 10.00 – Georgia Tornike is alone on stage in jeans and a white shirt. The setting is sober. The lyrics of his song are projected in the background and on his head when he is seated. Vocals are very okay, and yet it does not get through. He looks rather angry, but that may have to do with his ranking in the polls; very last. We suspect that the Eurovision adventure for Georgia will end after Thursday.

Recap of the 4th rehearsal day

Today was a day of pleasant surprises. Georgia showed us a beautiful act, although we still don’t get Tornike’s behaviour during the last performance. Albania and Portugal surprised with great performances. Finland and Denmark did exactly what we expected from these countries: Finland gave a rock performance and Denmark brought us back in time. The performances of Bulgaria and Switzerland made us gasp, nothing more, nothing less. Biggest disappointment? Maybe Latvia. The Latvian performance is okay, but it did not stand out, especially not in this strong field of participants.