Duos

Elina Born

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameElina Born Born29 June 1994 Nationality🇪🇪 Estonian National SelectionEesti Laul 2017Eesti Laul 2015Eesti Laul 2013 In Eurovision2015 Vienna SongGoodbye To Yesterday (with Stig Rästa, 2015) Biography Elina Born is an Estonian singer. She was born in Lehse in northern Estonia in 1994. She caught the attention of Stig Rästa through a YouTube video where she showcased her singing skills by performing “Cruz” by Christina Aguilera. It was during Elina’s school days that she received a Facebook message from Stig. In 2012, Elina Born participated in the Estonian reality competition show called Eesti otsib superstaari (Estonia is Searching for a Superstar). This program aimed to uncover the most talented singer in Estonia by conducting auditions across the country. Elina successfully navigated through the audition, theatre round, studio round, and ultimately reached the final stage. Although she advanced to the Super Final, she ended up as the runner-up, with Rasmus Rändvee emerging as the winner. Elina Born participated in the Eesti Laul 2015 competition, in collaboration with Stig Rästa. Eesti Laul is the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. They competed with the song “Goodbye to Yesterday”. They were eventually selected to represent Estonia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. In the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, Elina and Stig secured 7th place. Right after the Eurovision Song Contest, Elina released a new solo single, called “Kilimanjaro”. The song became a huge hit again for the singer, reaching the no. 3 spot in the Estonian charts. In 2017, two years later, Elina returned to the Eesti Laul competition with the song “In or Out,” which was co-written by Stig Rästa, Vallo Kikas, and Fred Krieger. Elina successfully qualified for the final and finished in 10th place. Although “In or Out” did not reach the charts, the follow up “Jagatub saladus” did. It was a duet with Jüri Pootsmann. In the national Estonian charts, it even reached the no. 1 spot. In 2019, the songs “Tagasi me” and “Kordumatu” also reached the charts. In 2020, she released the song “Niinea” and in 2021 “Linnuteid”. Entries Goodbye To Yesterday (& Stig Rästa) Country🇪🇪 Estonian Year2015 LanguageEnglish LyricsStig Rästa MusicStig Rästa Backings– Results Semi Points: 105Position: 3Running order: 7 Results Finals Points: 106Position: 7 Running order: 4 https://youtu.be/Xsx_dIJOtgI

Jake Shakeshaft

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameJake Shakeshaft Born25 July 1995 Nationality🇬🇧 British National SelectionEurovision: You Decide 2016 In Eurovision2016 Stockholm SongYou’re not alone (2016, Joe & Jake) Biography Jake Shakeshaft was born in 1995 in Newcastle under Lyme. Since 2012, Jake Shakeshaft has been honing his guitar playing and singing skills, starting his solo performances the following year. In August 2014, he distinguished himself as a finalist at the NUA Entertainment Next Big Thing, held at The Cavern in Liverpool, making it to the final five. While studying Music Technology at Newcastle-under-Lyme College and juggling part-time work, he decided to focus on music full time and left his job. In 2015, Jake took part in The Voice UK, being coached by Will.i.am. Jake did not reach the live shows as he had to leave in the knockout round. While participating in The Voice UK, Joe Woolford and Jake Shakeshaft developed a strong friendship that led them to team up for Eurovision: You Decide, a competition organized by the BBC to select the UK’s representative for the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest. They emerged victorious among six contenders in the national final, a decision determined entirely by public voting that involved both televoting and online voting. Their performance of the song “You’re Not Alone” took place on May 14, 2016, at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden. On March 11, 2016, Sony Music UK announced that they had signed a record deal with Joe and Jake. Despite their efforts, the duo placed 24th in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016. The follow up, “Tongue tied”, was released in January 2017. After a break, Jake started performing again in September 2018. Entries You’re Not Alone (Joe & Jake) Country🇬🇧 British Year2016 LanguageEnglish LyricsMatt SchwartzJustin BensonSiva Kaneswaran MusicMatt SchwartzJustin BensonSiva Kaneswaran BackingsMikey BurkeRoss HarrisChris MoncrieffLai Shin-Aba Results Semi Points: –Position: –Running order: – Results Finals Points: 62Position: 24Running order: 25 https://youtu.be/XgGahKsBtts

Joe Woolford

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameJoe Woolford Born11 December 1994 Nationality🇬🇧 British National SelectionEurovision: You Decide 2016 In Eurovision2016 Stockholm SongYou’re Not Alone (2016, Joe & Jake) Biography Born in Ruthin, Wales in 1994, Joe Woolford discovered his deep-seated love for music at the tender age of nine, nurtured by his musically inclined family. His talent truly began to shine when he made it to the Grand Final of the Open Mic UK competition during the period of 2013 to 2014. Equally adept at rapping and songwriting, Woolford’s music is inspired by various influences, not least of which is Tupac Amaru Shakur, better known as 2Pac. In 2015, Joe decided to participate in The Voice UK. With Rita Ora as a coach, he made it to the 2nd live show before he got eliminated. While participating in The Voice UK, Joe Woolford and Jake Shakeshaft developed a strong friendship that led them to team up for Eurovision: You Decide, a competition organized by the BBC to select the UK’s representative for the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest. They emerged victorious among six contenders in the national final, a decision determined entirely by public voting that involved both televoting and online voting. Their performance of the song “You’re Not Alone” took place on May 14, 2016, at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden. On March 11, 2016, Sony Music UK announced that they had signed a record deal with Joe and Jake. Despite their efforts, the duo placed 24th in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016. The follow up, “Tongue tied”, was released in January 2017. Beside performances as Joe & Jake after Eurovision, Joe teamed up with Hapoly & OutaMatic for the song “Turn back time”, which was released in November 2016. In early 2019, Joe performed in the Caribbean and in Brasil, but also in Hongkong. On 28 January 2021, Joe’s new single “Superpowers” was released. The follow up “Because of you” was released in August of the same year. Entries You’re Not Alone (Joe & Jake) Country🇬🇧 United Kingdom Year2016 LanguageEnglish LyricsMatt SchwartzJustin BensonSiva Kaneswaran MusicMatt SchwartzJustin BensonSiva Kaneswaran BackingsMikey BurkeRoss HarrisChris MoncrieffLai Shin-Aba Results Semi Points: –Position: –Running order: – Results Finals Points: 62Position: 24Running order: 25 https://youtu.be/XgGahKsBtts

Road to Liverpool: Ukraine

We can not wait for the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Therefore, we have a closer look at one of the contestants every day. Today: Ukraine. Tvorchi This year, Ukraine was the first country to select this song. Tvorchi was chosen with the song “Heart of steel”. The song was inspired by the events in May in the Azovstal factory in Mariupol. By that time, the factory was the last place in Mariupol which was defended against the Russians. The duo singing the song is Tvorchi. Tvorchi excists of Andrii Hutsuliak and Nigerian born Jimoh Augustus Kihende. Both were students at the Faculty of Pharmacy in Ternopil, in the west of Ukraine. released their debut single “Slow” in 2017. Their debut album followed in 2018. In 2020, Tvorchi became 4th in Vidbir, the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, with the song “Bonfire“. So far, Tvorchi released four albums. Vidbir The national final for the Eurovision Song Contest is called Vidbir. On 17 December last year the final was held in a shelter, the Maidan Nezhalesto Metro Station. After a shortlist with 36 names was published, 10 acts and songs were selected for Vidbir. While the jury chose for Krutь, the televoting audience had Tvorchi as there favourite. Tvorchi became the overall winner. It is not the first time that Vidbir is the national selection. It is the name of the national final since 2016. Often, with this year as an exception, the final is held after two semifinals. Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest Ukraine participates in the Eurovision Song Contest since 2003. Already after one year, Ruslana brought the trophy home with her song “Wild dances”. The second Ukrainian victory came in 2016 with Jamala. She sang “1944”. With a landslide victory, Kalush Orchestra managed to win the contest last year with “Stefania”. But Ukraine also holds another record. No other country reached the final in ALL occasions. The contest is not held in Ukraine this year. Due to the war, safety guarantees could not be made. The bookmakers Ukraine is currently 3rd at the bookmakers. It would not be a surprise if they really get that place. The country reached a top-3 place in no less than 3 occasions. The song And of course here is the song:

Jimmie Wilson

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts Name Jimmie Wilson Born 07 February 1981 Nationality 🇺🇸 American National Selection Internal selection 2017 In Eurovision 2017 Kyiv Song Spirit Of The night (2017, with Valentina Monetta) Biography Jimmie Wilson is an American singer, born in Detroit, Michigan. As a child, Jimmie was already singing in a gospel choir. Later, he studied acting in Hollywood. When he was 16, he had a role in the musical Sisterella, produced by Michael Jackson. He also worked with stars such as Seal, Lionel Richie, The Wheather Girls and DJ Bobo. After the European tour with Sisterella, Jimmie decided to stay in Frankfurt, Germany. He played the role of Barack Obama in the musical Hope! – Das Obama Musical. This musical premiered at 17 January 2010 in Frankfurt. He also participated in Tylko Muzyka, the Polish version of the British show Must be the Music. In 2014, Jimmie featured in several singles: “Summer time” with Burak Yeter, “No more” with Divided Souls, Le Alen and Samuri and “We can touch the Sky” with DJ Andi. A year later, he released the song “You’re the one (Miss Model of the world)”. He recorded “The color red” in 2016. One year later, he was asked by Sammarinese TV to represent the country at the Eurovision Song Contest. The song, “Spirit in the Sky”, was a duet with Valentina Monetta. The two did not reach the final of the contest. In the same month, Jimmie’s first solo album “So damn beautiful” was released. For the promotion of the album, Jimmie was able to perform in Stockholm. The single “Give me 5” brought him to Bucharest. In July 2018, Jimmie teamed up with FXMO, in whose song “Taxi ride” he featured. In 2018 and 2019, Jimmie also performed in and outside Germany, in Poland, Turkey and Romania. In March 2020, a video of the song “So damn beautiful” was released. In August 2021 he teamed up with Russian DJ Lev Kitkin, soon followed by his solo single “Respect”. Jimmy performed in the Belgrade Fashion Week. Entries Spirit Of The Night (with Valentina Monetta) Country 🇸🇲 San Marino Year 2023 Language English Lyrics Steven Barnacle Jutta Staudenmayer Music Ralph Siegel Backings Erin Perry Spiller Meredith Murray Mezzulo Giuseppe Tirolean Results Semi Points: 1 Position: 18 Running order: 10 Results Finals Points: – Position: – Running order: –

Azerbaijani TuralTuranX present song

Today, the song TuralTuranX from Azerbaijan will sing, is published. The song, “Tell me more”, is written and composed by the brothers themselves. It is the 16th entry for Azerbaijan, the country that won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011. More about TuralTuranX can be found on this page. You can listen to the song below. What do you think?

TuralTuranX

© EBU/Corinne Cumming About Quick Facts MembersTural BağmanovTuran Bağmanov Born30 October 2000 Nationality🇦🇿 Azerbaijani National SelectionInternal selection 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongTell Me More (2023) Biography TuralTuranX is an Azerbaijani duo. The duo consists of the twin brothers Tural and Turan Bagmanov. Tural and Turan Bagmanov were born on October 30, 2000 in the city of Zaqatala in the Northwest of Azerbaijan. They started playing the piano and learning songs when they were in high school. Later, they learned to play the guitar and the synthesizer their father bought them. Although they performed in schools and some events, they took a break from their music career after the death of their father. Tural moved to Baku and in July 2019. Together with a friend who played the guitar, he created a music group called TheRedJungle. Soon, Turan also joined the group. On February 2, 2023, they became one of the 5 participants of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest selection tour for Azerbaijan. On March 9, 2023, they were announced as the winners of the selection. They represented Azerbaijan at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Tell me more”. Unfortunately, they did not make it to the final. Entries Tell Me More Country🇦🇿 Azerbaijan Year2023 LanguageEnglish LyricsTural BağmanovTuran Bağmanov MusicTural BağmanovTuran BağmanovNihad Aliyev Backings– Results Semi Points: 4Position: 14Running order: 12 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/8BNtaW1IEtA

Dion Cooper

About Quick Facts NameDion Cuiper Born29 November 1993 Nationality🇳🇱 Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongBurning Daylight (& Mia Nicolai, 2023) Biography Dion Cuiper is a Dutch singer-songwriter. He debuted in 2020 with the release of the EP “Too young, too dumb”. In 2021, he signed at Duncan Laurence‘s Yellow Field Publising at Sony ATV. In October and November of that year he opened for Duncan Laurence in his Dutch tour.In February 2022, Dion released a new single called “Know”. In april of the same year he opened for Benedict Cork and on 5 May he performed at the annual Bevrijdingsfestival. On 29 September 2022, his new single “Blue jeans” was released.On 1 November 2022, it was announced that Dion and Mia Nicolai are going to represent the Netherlands in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. On March 1st 2023, the song “Burning Daylight” found it’s première. It was a difficult path to the final, as performances in Madrid and Amsterdam were not good. Shortly before Eurovision, the song was made 1 1/2 octave higher to fit it to their voices. It didn’t help, Mia and Dion didn’t make it to the final. Entries Burning Daylight (with Mia Nicolai) Country🇳🇱 The Netherlands Year2023 LanguageEnglish LyricsDuncan LaurenceJordan Garfield MusicDuncan LaurenceJordan Garfield BackingsRachell MelanieKatie van SteenisKris Rietveld Results Semi Points: 7Position: 13Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/3XAsam043OY

Mia Nicolai

© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameMichaja Nicolaï Born07 March 1996 Nationality🇳🇱 Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongBurning Daylight (& Dion Cooper, 2023) Biography Mia Nicolai is a Dutch singer. She was born in Amsterdam of a Russian mother and a Dutch father. Mia attended music school in London, and moved to Melbourne after that. Back in Amsterdam, she released a song called “At last”. Mia currently lives in Los Angeles, where she released two singles in 2020: “Set me free” and “Mutual needs”. She created a lyric video vor “Set me free”, while She also released a 3 episode documentary about herself. In 2021, the songs were followed by “People pleaser”, a cooperation with Jordan Garfield, the boyfriend and partner of Duncan Laurence. The song got the support of Billboard. On 18 May 2022, she stated on Instagram “6 months from now a project very very dear to me will be out in the world and it’s gonna blow the f upppp!”. Half a year later, it was announced that she and Dion Cooper are going to represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest. Their song was “Burning daylight”. It was a difficult path to the final, as performances in Madrid and Amsterdam were not good. Shortly before Eurovision, the song was made 1 1/2 octave higher to fit it to their voices. It didn’t help, Mia and Dion didn’t make it to the final. Entries Burning Daylight (With Dion Cooper) Country🇳🇱 The Netherlands Year2023 LanguageEnglish LyricsDuncan LaurenceJordan GarfieldMia NicolaïDion CooperLoek van der Grinten MusicDuncan LaurenceJordan GarfieldMia NicolaïDion CooperLoek van der Grinten BackingsRachell MelanieKatie van SteenisKris Rietveld Results Semi Points: 7Position: 13Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/3XAsam043OY

Tvorchi

© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts MembersJimo Augustus KehindeAndrii Hutsuliak Founded2017 Nationality🇳🇬 Nigerian🇺🇦 Ukrainian National SelectionVidbir 2023Vidbir 2020 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongHeart of steel (2023) Biography TVORCHI is a Ukrainian music band from Ternopil, founded in 2018 by sound producer Andrii Hutsulyak and vocalist Jeffrey Kenny (Jimo Augustus Kehinde) . On May 30, 2017, the duo releasted their first single called “Slow”. On September 4, the second single “You” was released. On February 2, 2018, the band released their debut album, which was called The Parts. On September 20, 2018, the band released a video clip for the song “Molodist”. A year later, on February 14, 2019, the second album Disco Lights was released. On February 21, the band released a video clip for the song “Believe”. Within a few days, the video gained 400,000 views on YouTube, and the song itself took the 9th place in the Google Play charts in Ukraine. In the summer of the same year, the band performed at the music festivals Fine City (Ternopil), Atlas Weekend (Kyiv) and Ukrainian Song Project (Lviv). On September 9, the duo released the single “#Ne tanchchyuyu”, and on September 16 the music video came out. On January 31, 2020, TVORCHI presented the song “Bonfire”, dedicated to the problems of ecology, andtook part in Vidbir, the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. “Bonfire” became the most popular Ukrainian song of 2020 on the European Deezer platform. For 12 months, the track topped the top charts of the platform. On May 7, the premiere took place on the band’s YouTube channel and in DK Premier show on M1 TV, the music video for the song “Mova tila” from the second studio album “Disco Lights”. On May 31, 2020, the Zolota Zhar-ptytsya music award was won by TVORCHI in the Indie category. In September 2020, TVORCHI released their third album, “13 Waves”, which was recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine. The record received over two million listens on music platforms in the first week of its release. On December 19, 2020, the artists became winners of the online music award “Culture Ukraine” in two nominations: “Best New Artist” and “English-language single” with the hit “Bonfire”. Ukrainian music award YUNA-2021 was held on May 12 at the National Palace of Arts “Ukraine”. TVORCHI won in the nominations “Best Pop Group”, “Best Album” and “Best Electronic Hit”. On September 10, 2021, the musical duo presented their fourth album Road on all music platforms. In July 2022, the band won two YUNA Awards for Best Live Show and Best Song in Another Language (“Falling”). On December 17, 2022, they won the National Selection for Eurovision 2023 with the song “Heart of Steel”, and thus represented Ukraine in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. They reached a 6th place in the final. Entries Heart Of Steel Country🇺🇦 Ukraine Year2022 LanguageEnglish LyricsJimoh August KehindeAndrii Hutsuliak MusicJimoh August KehindeAndrii Hutsuliak BackingsAndrii VeselyiDima Barkalov DancersAleksandra MakarovskayaAndrii Podkaliuk Results Semi Points: –Position: –Running order: – Results Finals Points: 243Position: 6Running order: 19 https://youtu.be/I2oqDpefJ1s