Male Artists

Victor Vernicos

© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameVictor Vernicos Jørgensen Born24 October 2006 Nationality🇬🇷 Greek National SelectionInternal selection 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongWhat they say (2023) Biography Victor Vernicos Jørgensen is a Greek/Danish singer/songwriter. Already as a child, he started singing. When he was 8 years old, he sang his own version of the Eurovision winning song “Heroes”. On 25 June 2021, he released his first single, “Hope it’s heaven”.  A year later, in August 2022, Victor released a new single, called “Mean”. In the same year, he had his first solo perfomance on TV in a christmas show. On 30 January 2023, it was announced in the ERT News that Victor was going to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “What they say”. Unfortunately he didn’t manage to make it to the Grand Final in the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Entries What They Say Country🇬🇷 Greece Year2023 LanguageEnglish LyricsVictor Vernicos Jørgensen MusicVictor Vernicos Jørgensen BackingsFanis Bouloukos Results Semi Points: 14Position: 13Running order: 8 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/gJSZA0Zh2xU

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Victor Vernicos to represent Greece

Victor Vernicos announced Victor Vernicos will represent Greece in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. That is what ERT announced today in their main news bulletin. The title of 16-year old Victor’s song is already known too: “What they say”. The full song, written and composed by Victor himself, is not yet published. However, a fragment was already released. Internally chosen Vernicos was internally chosen by a jury, consisting of public and professionals. Out of 106 songs, three were chosen, and now finally “What they say” becomes the entry for the contest in Liverpool. The other finalists were Melissa Mantzoukis with the song “Liar” and rumoured selected duo Antonia Kaouri and Maria Maragkou with “Shout out”. From “Heroes” to “Hope it’s heaven” Victor Vernicos Jørgensen is a 16-year old, half Greek, half Danish singer. He currently has a contract at PANIK Records. Already when he was 4 years old, Victor started to sing. When he was 8 years old, he sang his own version of Måns Zelmerlöw’s “Heroes”. In 2021 he released his first single, “Hope it’s heaven”.   

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Gustaph

© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameStef Caers Born5 July 1980 Nationality🇧🇪 Belgian National SelectionEurosong 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongBecause of You (2023) Biography Stef Caers, born in Leuven in 1980, is a Belgian singer, musician, producer and singing teacher.He initially performed under the stage name Steffen and later as Gustaph. Caers followed secondary education at the Academie voor Muziek-Woord-Dans in Heist-op-den-Berg. He graduated as a producer at the music conservatory of Ghent. At the age of nineteen, still during his studies, he scored a hit in 2000 as Steffen with the song “Gonna Lose You”, which reached 22nd place in the Flemish Ultratop 50. Caers won a prize at Flemish Radio 2 in the subcategory “The debut” that year with the song. His next single, “Sweetest Thing”, was a more modest success: the song got stuck in the charts. Caers later noted that his songs like Steffen, which he wrote as a sixteen-year-old, are not entirely in line with his style. The music world made it clear to him that he should keep his homosexuality a secret so as not to undermine his popularity. It therefore remained with these singles under that name. Caers focused more on studio work and writing music. He also made jingles for Radio Donna and Q-music. However, he also remained active on stage, including as a pianist and background singer. With Mo Harcum, Sofie Verbruggen and Sandrine Van Handenhoven he paid homage to Marvin Gaye. With the latter two, he paid homage to Ella Fitzgerald in the 2021-2022 theater season, together with the VRT Bigband. He has been performing solo since 2008 under the name Gustaph. Four years later, under that name, he began singing and writing for Hercules & Love Affair, a group best known in the LGBTQ+ community. As a result, he performed at Pukkelpop, Glastonbury and Chanel shows, among others. Caers left the group in 2018. Caers is also a teacher at Hogeschool Gent within the jazz / pop course and at the pop and rock music course at Hogeschool PXL. Caers went to the Eurovision Song Contest twice as a backing singer. In 2018 with Sennek and in 2021 at Hooverphonic. He also was a voice coach for Geike Arnaert of Hooverphonic.  In January 2023, he took part in Eurosong, the Flemish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.  Gustaph won Eurosong 2023, which meant that he was chosen as the Belgian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. He reached the final there and became 7th.  Entries Because Of You Country🇧🇪 Belgium Year2023 LanguageEnglish LyricsJaouad AlloulStef Caers MusicJaouad AlloulStef Caers BackingsMonique HarcumChantal KashalaSandrine van Handenhoven DancersPussCee West Results Semi Points: 90Position: 8Running order: 5 Results Finals Points: 182Position: 7Running order: 16 https://youtu.be/U1xD14IMKtg

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Blast from the past: Cyprus 1984

We know a lot about Eurovision; this is knowledge we want to share with you. Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today, we have a look at 1984, when Andy Paul represented the country with the song “Anna Mari-Elena”. Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest The first Cypriot entry entered the stage in 1981. Although Cyprus never won Eurovision, there were some huge successes. Cyprus was very close to winning back in 2018, when Eleni Foureira reached the 2nd place with her “Fuego”. National selection Official lists of the 1984 Cypriot national final are never published. Whether there was a live broadcast or an internal selection is not known. However, there are live recordings of several songs going on throughout the internet. We were able to distill a list of four songs, involved in the contest: *.”Anna Mari-Elena“, sung by Andy Paul, 1st*.”Htes”, sung by Lia Vissi-Piliouri, 2nd*.”Thimame“, sung by Yiannis Dimitrou, 3rd*.”Triantafila tou mai”, sung by Jimmy Makulis, 4th Jimmy Makulis had previously represented Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest, in 1961. Lia Vissi-Piliouri had to wait one more year; she was the 1985 Cypriot contestant. Yiannis Dimitrou and his song “Thimame” were supposed to represent Cyprus in 1988. The song was disqualified because it already took part in the 1984 national selection. Andy Paul Andy’s real name is Andros Pavlou. In the early 1960’s, he moved to the United Kingdom. As more Greek artists in the United Kingdom do (think about George Michael), Andros took a more English name: Andy Paul. His career as a singer started with performances in a pub, where he took part in a talent contest, he won with an Elvis imitation. It got him a contract at the pub. In 1983, Andy Paul released his first record: “Heartbreak situation”. The song was produced by the famous producers trio Stock, Aitken and Waterman. A year later he was chosen to represent Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest. The song can be found on his 1986 album “Andy Paul”. An international disco hit followed in 1988: “Now that I’ve found you“. He also released an album, “Andy Paul”, in the same year. In 1989 a new album was made. Andy Paul is still performing. He currently sings songs from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, especially on weddings and other parties. Some material can be found on his website. Anna Mari-Elena The song “Anna Mari-Elena” was an uptempo disco song written by Paul himself. At the Eurovision Song Contest in Luxembourg the song was not a hot favourite to win the contest. Greece, very often supportive for Cyprus (if not always), did not take part. However, there was a country that gave it’s 12 to Cyprus: Yugoslavia. Denmark awarded the song with 10 points, but only Sweden, Ireland (4 points) and France (1 point) had Cyprus in their top-10. The song ended up in a 15th place.    

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After the Eurovision Fame: Johnny Logan

Johnny Logan won the Eurovision Song Contest three times. Twice he did this as a performing artist; in 1980 in The Hague, The Netherlands with “What’s another year” and in 1987 in Brussels, Belgium with “Hold me now”. In 1992 he participated in Malmö, Sweden as a lyricist and composer of “Why me?” (Linda Martin). It earned him the nickname “Mr. Eurovision”.   Early life and career Johnny Logan was born as Seán Patrick Michael Sherrard in Frankston, Victoria (Australia), on May 13, 1954. He was the son of the famous Irish tenor Patrick O’Hagan. When he was three years old, the family moved back to Ireland. Sherrard had a musical childhood in which he learned to play the guitar at a young age. He composed his first songs when he was 13. After high school, he started working as an electrician. He also performed as a musician in clubs. He also starred in several musicals. Together with his brother Michael he was part of several bands. At the beginning of his professional music career, Sherrard took the stage name Johnny Logan. This name was taken from the main character from the movie Johnny Guitar. He then recorded his first single in 1978: “No, I don’t want to fall in love”. The song wasn’t a hit. In a quest for more success, he decided to register for the Irish national heat for the Eurovision Song Contest of 1979. With the song “Angie ” he finished behind winner Cathal Dunne in third place. Later that year his debut album, “In London” , was released. First Eurovision victory In March 1980, Logan made another attempt to go to the Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland. In the Irish heat of that year he performed “What’s another year”, a song by Shay Healy. This time Logan easily won the national competition and was able to represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest, on April 19, 1980 in The Hague. He was previously counted among the favorites for the final victory and turned out to be able to meet those expectations. Excluding Morocco and Turkey, he received points from every country and with a total score of 143 points he gave Ireland a Eurovision victory after ten years. “What’s another year” became a big hit in several European countries. In addition to Ireland itself, it also reached the number 1 position in Belgium and the United Kingdom, among others. Nevertheless, Logan failed to maintain his sudden international success. Successive singles flopped and the number of bookings was disappointing, in his own words due to poor management and his own inexperience. As a result, the singer got into financial trouble and also developed an alcohol problem. In 1984, however, Logan had another success as a writer of the song “Terminal 3”, with which Linda Martin finished second on behalf of Ireland at that year’s Eurovision Song Contest. He got the taste of the Eurovision song contest again and continued to write potential entries. For example, his brother Michael (Mike) Sherrard appeared in the Irish heat of 1985 with the song “Hearts” written by Logan, which ended up in last place. Mike (Michael Sherrard) In 1986, his song “If I can change your mind,” was re-performed by Linda Martin, became fourth in the Irish preselection. Second Eurovision victory In an attempt to get his career back on track, and to erase his predicate of one-day fly, Logan himself wanted to return to the Eurovision song contest to try to win the event again. In 1987 he wrote and composed the song “Hold me now”, which he submitted to the Irish national heat of that year. He managed to win the selection again and was thus allowed to represent Ireland again at the Eurovision Song Contest, which was held two months later in Brussels, Belgium. At the Eurovision song contest, where he received a lot of media attention as a former winner, Logan was again considered one of the favorites. The total points score of 172 was ultimately enough for the victory. It meant, after 1970 and 1980, the third Irish Eurovision victory, and the second for Logan personally. He thus became the first (and to date only) performing artist to win the Eurovision Song Contest twice. As with “What’s another year”, Johnny Logan also scored a big hit with “Hold me now” in several European countries. In addition to Ireland himself, he also reached the number 1 position in Flanders. The subsequent single “I’m not in love” was, as well as the released album “Hold me now”, a modest success. Third Eurovision victory After a few years, in which he made an international tour, Logan again occupied himself with the Eurovision Song Contest at the beginning of the nineties. For the 1991 Irish national heat he wrote the song “When do I get over you?” which put his brother Mike in sixth place. A year later he resumed his collaboration with Linda Martin and wrote for her the song “Why me?”, which would become the Irish entry at the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö. The song caught on and ensured another victory for Ireland. Logan became the first (and to date only) person to win the Eurovision Song Contest three times.   Later career In the years that followed, Logan continued to write and release music. He became a much sought-after artist at events where the Eurovision Song Contest is central. His popularity stabilized especially in Scandinavia, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. Live during ” Het Grote Songfestivalfeest” in Amsterdam in 2019 Logan remained involved in the Eurovision Song Contest in various ways over the years. For example, during the scoring in 2004 he passed on the Irish points and he wrote several songs for preliminary rounds, and he also regularly sat on professional juries during national selections. In both 2007 and 2009, Logan was approached by Irish broadcaster RTÉ to represent Ireland again at the Eurovision Song Contest, but in both cases the talks came to nothing. In 2010

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Vesa-Matti Loiri passed away

This week, Finnish singer and actor Vesa-Matti Loiri passed away. Loiri, who was nicknamed Vesku, was a Finnish actor, comedian, singer and musician. He is considered one of Finland’s most versatile entertainment artists. He was one of the biggest names in Finnish art and entertainment. Loiri has acted in theatre, films and television. As a comedian, he is known for television programs and movies. As a singer, Loiri gained popularity, especially as an interpreter of songs composed to Eino Leino’s poems. He has also recorded Finnish hits. In 1975, he took part in Euroviisut, the Finnish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. His song “Laulu” became 3rd. Four years later, with “Huilumies”, he was more succesful. He was chosen to represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest. Unfortunately, in the international final in Den Haag, it was not a great success. He became last. In 2014, Loiri appeared in the third season of the Finnish TV series Vain läämää. Loiri died of cancer on August 10, 2022. “He was one of Finland’s most well-known, most loved and most successful entertainment artists of all time,” music editor Ilkka Mattila describes Loiri.’s career in the death news.

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Sebastian Rejman

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameSebastian Rejman Born13 January 1978 Nationality???????? Finnish National SelectionUuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2019 In Eurovision2019 Tel Aviv SongLook away (2019, with Darude) Biography Sebastian Rejman (born 13 January 1978 [1]) is a Finnish musician, actor and presenter. He was the lead singer of the Giant Leap, a melodic rock band formed in 2005 in Helsinki. The band includes, beside Sebastian Petri Somer and Sami Lehto. The Giant Leap changed to its current form when founding members Sebastian and Petri became acquainted with Sami Lehto in the summer of 2005. Sebastian and Petri are responsible for writing the songs and arranging and producing the songs for Sami. All members of the band have years of musical background. The songs on the band’s debut album, released in the fall of 2007, have been released over the years. The band’s first single, “All In My Head,” was distributed to radio stations in late May, and in the summer of 2007, it became one of the radio’s most played songs. The second single “Somebody Else” was broadcast on radio on September 17, 2007, and a music video was also made for the song. The band’s first two singles can be found on the October 31, 2007 album “Another Day Rising”. On December 7, 2007, the band acted as warmer for Bryan Adams at his Finnish gig. The band’s second album, The Giant Leap, was released in 2010. After Giant Leap froze for a while, Sebastian formed a new band called Sebastian & The 4th Line Band. Rejman is from a bilingual working-class family in eastern Helsinki and has lived in Kallio, Helsinki. He started playing guitar and singing at the age of 14. He cites Elvis Presley and Bruce Springsteen as his musical role models.  Rejman participated in Nelonen’s Choir War , where he conducted the Helsinki Choir. The Helsinki Choir dropped out of the race first.  In addition to the songs from The Giant Leap, Rejman and Somer did a song “Hauraalla jäällä” with Lasse Wikman and Samppa Komokallio. Rejman also composed the song “Hetki me vaan lennettiin” for Riku Torkkel with Esa Nieminen. Since 2012, Rejman has also been a TV presenter as he co-hosted Talentin with Lorenz Backman. Since then, he has hosted Splash and worked as a backstage reporter for The Voice of Finland. In 2014, he hosted the tv-show Jukebox and also co-hosted the final concert of the show We Want More program with Kristiina Komulainen. In 2017, he starred in the film “Kuudes kerta”.  Since 2018, Sebastian has a role in the hospital series Syke. Rejman represented Finland at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Israel, together with Darude.  Entries Look Away (with Darude) Country???????? Finland Year2019 LanguageEnglish LyricsSebastian RejmanVille Virtanen MusicSebastian RejmanVille Virtanen BackingsPetri SomerMatti LeinoHeini IkonenEtel Röhr Results Semi Points: 23Position: 17Running order: 3 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/VSPhIwOJfRs

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Darude

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameTone-Ville Henrik Virtanen Born17 July 1975 Nationality???????? Finnish National SelectionUuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2019 In Eurovision2019 Tel Aviv SongLook away (2019, with Sebastian Rejman) Biography Darude (real name Toni-Ville Henrik Virtanen is a Finnish DJ and composer. He was born in Eura, in the Southwestern part of Finland. Virtanen started his career when attending highschoo. He was enthusiastic about making music at the computer at the time. He played the song “Rude Boy” by Swedish eurodance artist Leila K four times at a school party. He then began to be playfully called Rude Boy. Rude Boy later changed to Da Rude, who eventually became Darude. Darude eagerly pursued his career and in 1997 his demos were played on some radio stations. His songs were also available for download on MP3.com. In 1999, he made a demo of “Sandstorm” for his producer Jaakko Salovaara (JS16). Darude signed a record deal with Salovaara’s 16 Inch Records and “Sandstorm” was released as a single shortly thereafter. The track proved to be a big hit around the world. In addition to Finland, the song did particularly well in the United Kingdom. In Finland, the single sold platinum and remained on Finland’s official singles chart for 42 (!!) weeks. “Sandstorm” sold 2 million units worldwide. By March 2015, more than three million units had been sold. Darude’s debut album “Before the Storm” sold 800,000 copies worldwide. The album’s second single, “Feel the Beat”, was a great success. In 2001 Darude had a tour, the “Before the Storm: Australian Tour Edition”. “Before the Storm Special Edition” was released in 2002, which included remixes of the original songs as well. In 2003, Darude’s second studio album, “Rush”, was released. The album contained the singles “Music” and “Next to You”. Darude’s third studio album “Label This!” was released in October 2007. It contained the hit singles “Tell Me” as well as “My Game”.Darude co-founded the record label EnMass Music in 2011. With that label, he released a DJ Mix compilation called “Salmiakki Seasons Vol. 1”. Darude kept on touring and playing in clubs. On August 14, 2015, Darude released a new studio album, Moments, from which the single “Beautiful Alien” was released on March 20. Together with singer-actor Sebastian Rejman, Darude represented Finland at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Israel with the song “Look away”. The song became last in the first semifinal. Darude reported on the TV show Villa Hintikka in January 2020 that one of his ears has become deaf due to illness.  Entries Look Away (with Sebastian Rejman) Country???????? Finland Year2019 LanguageEnglish LyricsSebastian RejmanVille Virtanen MusicSebastian RejmanVille Virtanen BackingsPetri SomerMatti LeinoHeini IkonenEtel Röhr Results Semi Points: 23Position: 17Running order: 3 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/VSPhIwOJfRs

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Flo Rida

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameTramar Lacel Dillard Born17 september 1979 Nationality🇺🇸 American National Selection– In Eurovision2021 Rotterdam SongAdrenalina (with Senhit, 2021) Biography Tramar Dillard was born in Carol City, Florida, USA. Already at a young age, he started making music as a member of the group called The Groundhoggz. Later, he started working with Fresh Kid Ice. He was featured on Fresh Kid Ice’s album in 2004.  In 2008, Flo Rida got the chance to record his debut album “Mail on sunday”. The first single was “Low”, featuring T-Pain. “Low” reached the no. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.The follow up “Elevator”, featuring Timbaland, “In the Ayer” featuring will.i.am, and “Roll” featuring Sean Kingston became chart successes as well. Flo Rida made guest performances on other R&B, rap, and pop singles, among others “We Break the Dawn” by Michelle Williams, the remix of “4 Minutes” by Madonna and “Running Back” by Australian singer Jessica Mauboy. He also cooperated with Lady Gaga. Flo Rida’s second album “R.O.O.T.S.”, was released on March 31, 2009. The first single, “Right Round”, featuring Kesha,  jumped from number 58 to the top spot in one week in late February. The song broke a record for the most digital one week sales in the US, with 636,000. “Right Round” also became Flo Rida’s first huge hit in the United Kingdom. The second official single was “Sugar”, which featured R&B singer Wynter Gordon. “Jump”, featuring singer Nelly Furtado, was the third official single. and was released on July 27, 2009, in the United Kingdom, and July 28, 2009, worldwide. “Be on You”, featuring singer Ne-Yo, and “Available”, featuring Akon, followed. He kept on featuring in songs for other artists. Flo Rida’s third album “The only One” was released in 2010. Apart from the album, he released a single called “Zoosk girl”. On June 28, 2010, Flo Rida released the song “Club Can’t Handle Me” featuring David Guetta, which was stated to be the official first single for the album. Flo Rida also made guest appearances on Cody Simpson’s song “iYiYi” and collaborated with The Saturdays, recording a new version of their single, “Higher”. In December 2010, Flo Rida created his own label, International Music Group.  Flo Rida’s fourth album, “Wild Ones” was released in July 2012. Its debut single was “Good Feeling”, released on August 29, 2011. The song samples Etta James’ 1962 song, “Something’s Got a Hold on Me”. Following the death of Etta James on January 20, 2012, Flo Rida dedicated the song in her memory. The song peaked at No. 3 in the United States, and topped the charts in several European countries.  In November 2012, he collaborated with Olly Murs for his song “Troublemaker”. In June 2013, Flo Rida collaborated with Marc Mysterio on the song “Booty on the Floor” to benefit the families and victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. In January 2014, Flo Rida was featured in the song “One Night Stand” by Slovak duo TWiiNS. In November, he appeared on Nickelback’s album No Fixed Address in the track “Got Me Runnin’ Round”. An EP, “My house”, followed, from which several songs became hits. In 2016, Flo Rida released a single “Hello Friday” featuring Jason Derulo. His new album was called “Masterminds”. He also featured on Pitbull’s single “Greenlight”. It took Flo Rida a long time to release his fifth album. It was supposed to be released in January 2021. However, the album is not released yet. Flo Rida was featured on the song “Adrenalina” by Italian singer Senhit. The two represented San Marino in the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest. Whether Flo Rida would really join Senhit on stage was a long kept secret. Only a few days before the contest Flo Rida arrived in Rotterdam. Entries Adrenalina (Senhit ft. Flo Rida) Country🇸🇲 San Marino Year2021 LanguageEnglish Lyrics and musicChanel TukiaTramar Dillard (Flo Rida)Jimmy ThörnfeldtJoy DebLinnea DebKenny SilverdiqueMalou RuotsalainenSenhit Zadik ZadikSuzi PancenkovThomas Stengaard BackingsIlaria CavolaLucrezia StopponiStefano Rei FerrariPatrizio Ratto Results Semi Points: 118Position: 9Running order: 1 Results Finals Points: 50Position: 22Running order: 6 https://youtu.be/TkhiH-JXFPs

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Rafal

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameRafał Brzozowski Born8 june 1981 Nationality🇵🇱 Poland National SelectionKrajowe Eliminacje 2017 In Eurovision2021 Rotterdam SongThe Ride (2021) Biography Rafał Brzozowski, born in Warshaw, is a Polish singer, TV presenter and former wrestler. During his studies at the Academy of Physical Education, he was educated as a sports teacher. He won the bronze medal of the Polish Academic Championships in wrestling in 2006. Due to a spine injury, he ended his sports career . He began his musical career in 2002 with the participation in the television program Szansa na sukces, in which he won a distinction . Previously, he performed with Marcin Kiljan in the K.Martin band. In 2003 he became a member of the band Emigranci. He was also a member of the group Mono. In autumn 2011, he took part in The Voice of Poland. His coach was Andrzej Piaseczny. Rafał was eliminated just before the final. In the same year, he released two singles: “Nie mam nic” and “Na dobre masz zawsze mnie”. In 2012, he released the single “Tak blisko”, for which he received the TV audience award at the Eska Music Awards 2012 gala. The song took the second place on the AirPlay charts . He also won a prize at the Russian Song Festival. On August 7, 2012, he released his debut studio album, entitled “Tak blisko”. In September 2014, he released his second studio album entitled “Mój czas”. In the same year, he took part in the released a Christmas album. In 2017, he became 2nd in the Polish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Sky over Europe”. In 2020, with the song he qualified for the “Premier” concert at the 57th KFPP in Opole with the song “Gentleman”. In May 2021, he represented Poland in the 65th Eurovision Song Contest with the song “The Ride”. In the summer of 2021 he performed during the TVP2 Summer, Music, Fun tour. Summer tour. In July,  the single “Głośniej” was released.  At the beginning of 2022, he co-hosted the third edition of The Voice Senior.  Entries The Ride Country🇵🇱 Poland Year2021 LanguageEnglish LyricsJoakim ÖvreniusThomas KarlssonClara RubenssonJohan Mauritszon ComposersJoakim ÖvreniusThomas KarlssonClara RubenssonJohan Mauritszon BackingsPaweł Skiba DancersBartosz KołeckiDaniel BorzewskiMaciej MiśkiewiczMiłosz Kuterasiński Results Semi Points: 35Position: 14Rank: 6 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Rank: – https://youtu.be/Uy6TeDNvSGo

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Victor Vernicos

© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameVictor Vernicos Jørgensen Born24 October 2006 Nationality🇬🇷 Greek National SelectionInternal selection 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongWhat they say (2023) Biography Victor Vernicos Jørgensen is a Greek/Danish singer/songwriter. Already as a child, he started singing. When he was 8 years old, he sang his own version of the Eurovision winning song “Heroes”. On 25 June 2021, he released his first single, “Hope it’s heaven”.  A year later, in August 2022, Victor released a new single, called “Mean”. In the same year, he had his first solo perfomance on TV in a christmas show. On 30 January 2023, it was announced in the ERT News that Victor was going to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “What they say”. Unfortunately he didn’t manage to make it to the Grand Final in the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Entries What They Say Country🇬🇷 Greece Year2023 LanguageEnglish LyricsVictor Vernicos Jørgensen MusicVictor Vernicos Jørgensen BackingsFanis Bouloukos Results Semi Points: 14Position: 13Running order: 8 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/gJSZA0Zh2xU

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Victor Vernicos to represent Greece

Victor Vernicos announced Victor Vernicos will represent Greece in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. That is what ERT announced today in their main news bulletin. The title of 16-year old Victor’s song is already known too: “What they say”. The full song, written and composed by Victor himself, is not yet published. However, a fragment was already released. Internally chosen Vernicos was internally chosen by a jury, consisting of public and professionals. Out of 106 songs, three were chosen, and now finally “What they say” becomes the entry for the contest in Liverpool. The other finalists were Melissa Mantzoukis with the song “Liar” and rumoured selected duo Antonia Kaouri and Maria Maragkou with “Shout out”. From “Heroes” to “Hope it’s heaven” Victor Vernicos Jørgensen is a 16-year old, half Greek, half Danish singer. He currently has a contract at PANIK Records. Already when he was 4 years old, Victor started to sing. When he was 8 years old, he sang his own version of Måns Zelmerlöw’s “Heroes”. In 2021 he released his first single, “Hope it’s heaven”.   

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Gustaph

© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameStef Caers Born5 July 1980 Nationality🇧🇪 Belgian National SelectionEurosong 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongBecause of You (2023) Biography Stef Caers, born in Leuven in 1980, is a Belgian singer, musician, producer and singing teacher.He initially performed under the stage name Steffen and later as Gustaph. Caers followed secondary education at the Academie voor Muziek-Woord-Dans in Heist-op-den-Berg. He graduated as a producer at the music conservatory of Ghent. At the age of nineteen, still during his studies, he scored a hit in 2000 as Steffen with the song “Gonna Lose You”, which reached 22nd place in the Flemish Ultratop 50. Caers won a prize at Flemish Radio 2 in the subcategory “The debut” that year with the song. His next single, “Sweetest Thing”, was a more modest success: the song got stuck in the charts. Caers later noted that his songs like Steffen, which he wrote as a sixteen-year-old, are not entirely in line with his style. The music world made it clear to him that he should keep his homosexuality a secret so as not to undermine his popularity. It therefore remained with these singles under that name. Caers focused more on studio work and writing music. He also made jingles for Radio Donna and Q-music. However, he also remained active on stage, including as a pianist and background singer. With Mo Harcum, Sofie Verbruggen and Sandrine Van Handenhoven he paid homage to Marvin Gaye. With the latter two, he paid homage to Ella Fitzgerald in the 2021-2022 theater season, together with the VRT Bigband. He has been performing solo since 2008 under the name Gustaph. Four years later, under that name, he began singing and writing for Hercules & Love Affair, a group best known in the LGBTQ+ community. As a result, he performed at Pukkelpop, Glastonbury and Chanel shows, among others. Caers left the group in 2018. Caers is also a teacher at Hogeschool Gent within the jazz / pop course and at the pop and rock music course at Hogeschool PXL. Caers went to the Eurovision Song Contest twice as a backing singer. In 2018 with Sennek and in 2021 at Hooverphonic. He also was a voice coach for Geike Arnaert of Hooverphonic.  In January 2023, he took part in Eurosong, the Flemish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.  Gustaph won Eurosong 2023, which meant that he was chosen as the Belgian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. He reached the final there and became 7th.  Entries Because Of You Country🇧🇪 Belgium Year2023 LanguageEnglish LyricsJaouad AlloulStef Caers MusicJaouad AlloulStef Caers BackingsMonique HarcumChantal KashalaSandrine van Handenhoven DancersPussCee West Results Semi Points: 90Position: 8Running order: 5 Results Finals Points: 182Position: 7Running order: 16 https://youtu.be/U1xD14IMKtg

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Blast from the past: Cyprus 1984

We know a lot about Eurovision; this is knowledge we want to share with you. Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today, we have a look at 1984, when Andy Paul represented the country with the song “Anna Mari-Elena”. Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest The first Cypriot entry entered the stage in 1981. Although Cyprus never won Eurovision, there were some huge successes. Cyprus was very close to winning back in 2018, when Eleni Foureira reached the 2nd place with her “Fuego”. National selection Official lists of the 1984 Cypriot national final are never published. Whether there was a live broadcast or an internal selection is not known. However, there are live recordings of several songs going on throughout the internet. We were able to distill a list of four songs, involved in the contest: *.”Anna Mari-Elena“, sung by Andy Paul, 1st*.”Htes”, sung by Lia Vissi-Piliouri, 2nd*.”Thimame“, sung by Yiannis Dimitrou, 3rd*.”Triantafila tou mai”, sung by Jimmy Makulis, 4th Jimmy Makulis had previously represented Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest, in 1961. Lia Vissi-Piliouri had to wait one more year; she was the 1985 Cypriot contestant. Yiannis Dimitrou and his song “Thimame” were supposed to represent Cyprus in 1988. The song was disqualified because it already took part in the 1984 national selection. Andy Paul Andy’s real name is Andros Pavlou. In the early 1960’s, he moved to the United Kingdom. As more Greek artists in the United Kingdom do (think about George Michael), Andros took a more English name: Andy Paul. His career as a singer started with performances in a pub, where he took part in a talent contest, he won with an Elvis imitation. It got him a contract at the pub. In 1983, Andy Paul released his first record: “Heartbreak situation”. The song was produced by the famous producers trio Stock, Aitken and Waterman. A year later he was chosen to represent Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest. The song can be found on his 1986 album “Andy Paul”. An international disco hit followed in 1988: “Now that I’ve found you“. He also released an album, “Andy Paul”, in the same year. In 1989 a new album was made. Andy Paul is still performing. He currently sings songs from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, especially on weddings and other parties. Some material can be found on his website. Anna Mari-Elena The song “Anna Mari-Elena” was an uptempo disco song written by Paul himself. At the Eurovision Song Contest in Luxembourg the song was not a hot favourite to win the contest. Greece, very often supportive for Cyprus (if not always), did not take part. However, there was a country that gave it’s 12 to Cyprus: Yugoslavia. Denmark awarded the song with 10 points, but only Sweden, Ireland (4 points) and France (1 point) had Cyprus in their top-10. The song ended up in a 15th place.    

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After the Eurovision Fame: Johnny Logan

Johnny Logan won the Eurovision Song Contest three times. Twice he did this as a performing artist; in 1980 in The Hague, The Netherlands with “What’s another year” and in 1987 in Brussels, Belgium with “Hold me now”. In 1992 he participated in Malmö, Sweden as a lyricist and composer of “Why me?” (Linda Martin). It earned him the nickname “Mr. Eurovision”.   Early life and career Johnny Logan was born as Seán Patrick Michael Sherrard in Frankston, Victoria (Australia), on May 13, 1954. He was the son of the famous Irish tenor Patrick O’Hagan. When he was three years old, the family moved back to Ireland. Sherrard had a musical childhood in which he learned to play the guitar at a young age. He composed his first songs when he was 13. After high school, he started working as an electrician. He also performed as a musician in clubs. He also starred in several musicals. Together with his brother Michael he was part of several bands. At the beginning of his professional music career, Sherrard took the stage name Johnny Logan. This name was taken from the main character from the movie Johnny Guitar. He then recorded his first single in 1978: “No, I don’t want to fall in love”. The song wasn’t a hit. In a quest for more success, he decided to register for the Irish national heat for the Eurovision Song Contest of 1979. With the song “Angie ” he finished behind winner Cathal Dunne in third place. Later that year his debut album, “In London” , was released. First Eurovision victory In March 1980, Logan made another attempt to go to the Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland. In the Irish heat of that year he performed “What’s another year”, a song by Shay Healy. This time Logan easily won the national competition and was able to represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest, on April 19, 1980 in The Hague. He was previously counted among the favorites for the final victory and turned out to be able to meet those expectations. Excluding Morocco and Turkey, he received points from every country and with a total score of 143 points he gave Ireland a Eurovision victory after ten years. “What’s another year” became a big hit in several European countries. In addition to Ireland itself, it also reached the number 1 position in Belgium and the United Kingdom, among others. Nevertheless, Logan failed to maintain his sudden international success. Successive singles flopped and the number of bookings was disappointing, in his own words due to poor management and his own inexperience. As a result, the singer got into financial trouble and also developed an alcohol problem. In 1984, however, Logan had another success as a writer of the song “Terminal 3”, with which Linda Martin finished second on behalf of Ireland at that year’s Eurovision Song Contest. He got the taste of the Eurovision song contest again and continued to write potential entries. For example, his brother Michael (Mike) Sherrard appeared in the Irish heat of 1985 with the song “Hearts” written by Logan, which ended up in last place. Mike (Michael Sherrard) In 1986, his song “If I can change your mind,” was re-performed by Linda Martin, became fourth in the Irish preselection. Second Eurovision victory In an attempt to get his career back on track, and to erase his predicate of one-day fly, Logan himself wanted to return to the Eurovision song contest to try to win the event again. In 1987 he wrote and composed the song “Hold me now”, which he submitted to the Irish national heat of that year. He managed to win the selection again and was thus allowed to represent Ireland again at the Eurovision Song Contest, which was held two months later in Brussels, Belgium. At the Eurovision song contest, where he received a lot of media attention as a former winner, Logan was again considered one of the favorites. The total points score of 172 was ultimately enough for the victory. It meant, after 1970 and 1980, the third Irish Eurovision victory, and the second for Logan personally. He thus became the first (and to date only) performing artist to win the Eurovision Song Contest twice. As with “What’s another year”, Johnny Logan also scored a big hit with “Hold me now” in several European countries. In addition to Ireland himself, he also reached the number 1 position in Flanders. The subsequent single “I’m not in love” was, as well as the released album “Hold me now”, a modest success. Third Eurovision victory After a few years, in which he made an international tour, Logan again occupied himself with the Eurovision Song Contest at the beginning of the nineties. For the 1991 Irish national heat he wrote the song “When do I get over you?” which put his brother Mike in sixth place. A year later he resumed his collaboration with Linda Martin and wrote for her the song “Why me?”, which would become the Irish entry at the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö. The song caught on and ensured another victory for Ireland. Logan became the first (and to date only) person to win the Eurovision Song Contest three times.   Later career In the years that followed, Logan continued to write and release music. He became a much sought-after artist at events where the Eurovision Song Contest is central. His popularity stabilized especially in Scandinavia, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. Live during ” Het Grote Songfestivalfeest” in Amsterdam in 2019 Logan remained involved in the Eurovision Song Contest in various ways over the years. For example, during the scoring in 2004 he passed on the Irish points and he wrote several songs for preliminary rounds, and he also regularly sat on professional juries during national selections. In both 2007 and 2009, Logan was approached by Irish broadcaster RTÉ to represent Ireland again at the Eurovision Song Contest, but in both cases the talks came to nothing. In 2010

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Vesa-Matti Loiri passed away

This week, Finnish singer and actor Vesa-Matti Loiri passed away. Loiri, who was nicknamed Vesku, was a Finnish actor, comedian, singer and musician. He is considered one of Finland’s most versatile entertainment artists. He was one of the biggest names in Finnish art and entertainment. Loiri has acted in theatre, films and television. As a comedian, he is known for television programs and movies. As a singer, Loiri gained popularity, especially as an interpreter of songs composed to Eino Leino’s poems. He has also recorded Finnish hits. In 1975, he took part in Euroviisut, the Finnish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. His song “Laulu” became 3rd. Four years later, with “Huilumies”, he was more succesful. He was chosen to represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest. Unfortunately, in the international final in Den Haag, it was not a great success. He became last. In 2014, Loiri appeared in the third season of the Finnish TV series Vain läämää. Loiri died of cancer on August 10, 2022. “He was one of Finland’s most well-known, most loved and most successful entertainment artists of all time,” music editor Ilkka Mattila describes Loiri.’s career in the death news.

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Sebastian Rejman

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameSebastian Rejman Born13 January 1978 Nationality???????? Finnish National SelectionUuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2019 In Eurovision2019 Tel Aviv SongLook away (2019, with Darude) Biography Sebastian Rejman (born 13 January 1978 [1]) is a Finnish musician, actor and presenter. He was the lead singer of the Giant Leap, a melodic rock band formed in 2005 in Helsinki. The band includes, beside Sebastian Petri Somer and Sami Lehto. The Giant Leap changed to its current form when founding members Sebastian and Petri became acquainted with Sami Lehto in the summer of 2005. Sebastian and Petri are responsible for writing the songs and arranging and producing the songs for Sami. All members of the band have years of musical background. The songs on the band’s debut album, released in the fall of 2007, have been released over the years. The band’s first single, “All In My Head,” was distributed to radio stations in late May, and in the summer of 2007, it became one of the radio’s most played songs. The second single “Somebody Else” was broadcast on radio on September 17, 2007, and a music video was also made for the song. The band’s first two singles can be found on the October 31, 2007 album “Another Day Rising”. On December 7, 2007, the band acted as warmer for Bryan Adams at his Finnish gig. The band’s second album, The Giant Leap, was released in 2010. After Giant Leap froze for a while, Sebastian formed a new band called Sebastian & The 4th Line Band. Rejman is from a bilingual working-class family in eastern Helsinki and has lived in Kallio, Helsinki. He started playing guitar and singing at the age of 14. He cites Elvis Presley and Bruce Springsteen as his musical role models.  Rejman participated in Nelonen’s Choir War , where he conducted the Helsinki Choir. The Helsinki Choir dropped out of the race first.  In addition to the songs from The Giant Leap, Rejman and Somer did a song “Hauraalla jäällä” with Lasse Wikman and Samppa Komokallio. Rejman also composed the song “Hetki me vaan lennettiin” for Riku Torkkel with Esa Nieminen. Since 2012, Rejman has also been a TV presenter as he co-hosted Talentin with Lorenz Backman. Since then, he has hosted Splash and worked as a backstage reporter for The Voice of Finland. In 2014, he hosted the tv-show Jukebox and also co-hosted the final concert of the show We Want More program with Kristiina Komulainen. In 2017, he starred in the film “Kuudes kerta”.  Since 2018, Sebastian has a role in the hospital series Syke. Rejman represented Finland at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Israel, together with Darude.  Entries Look Away (with Darude) Country???????? Finland Year2019 LanguageEnglish LyricsSebastian RejmanVille Virtanen MusicSebastian RejmanVille Virtanen BackingsPetri SomerMatti LeinoHeini IkonenEtel Röhr Results Semi Points: 23Position: 17Running order: 3 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/VSPhIwOJfRs

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Darude

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameTone-Ville Henrik Virtanen Born17 July 1975 Nationality???????? Finnish National SelectionUuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2019 In Eurovision2019 Tel Aviv SongLook away (2019, with Sebastian Rejman) Biography Darude (real name Toni-Ville Henrik Virtanen is a Finnish DJ and composer. He was born in Eura, in the Southwestern part of Finland. Virtanen started his career when attending highschoo. He was enthusiastic about making music at the computer at the time. He played the song “Rude Boy” by Swedish eurodance artist Leila K four times at a school party. He then began to be playfully called Rude Boy. Rude Boy later changed to Da Rude, who eventually became Darude. Darude eagerly pursued his career and in 1997 his demos were played on some radio stations. His songs were also available for download on MP3.com. In 1999, he made a demo of “Sandstorm” for his producer Jaakko Salovaara (JS16). Darude signed a record deal with Salovaara’s 16 Inch Records and “Sandstorm” was released as a single shortly thereafter. The track proved to be a big hit around the world. In addition to Finland, the song did particularly well in the United Kingdom. In Finland, the single sold platinum and remained on Finland’s official singles chart for 42 (!!) weeks. “Sandstorm” sold 2 million units worldwide. By March 2015, more than three million units had been sold. Darude’s debut album “Before the Storm” sold 800,000 copies worldwide. The album’s second single, “Feel the Beat”, was a great success. In 2001 Darude had a tour, the “Before the Storm: Australian Tour Edition”. “Before the Storm Special Edition” was released in 2002, which included remixes of the original songs as well. In 2003, Darude’s second studio album, “Rush”, was released. The album contained the singles “Music” and “Next to You”. Darude’s third studio album “Label This!” was released in October 2007. It contained the hit singles “Tell Me” as well as “My Game”.Darude co-founded the record label EnMass Music in 2011. With that label, he released a DJ Mix compilation called “Salmiakki Seasons Vol. 1”. Darude kept on touring and playing in clubs. On August 14, 2015, Darude released a new studio album, Moments, from which the single “Beautiful Alien” was released on March 20. Together with singer-actor Sebastian Rejman, Darude represented Finland at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Israel with the song “Look away”. The song became last in the first semifinal. Darude reported on the TV show Villa Hintikka in January 2020 that one of his ears has become deaf due to illness.  Entries Look Away (with Sebastian Rejman) Country???????? Finland Year2019 LanguageEnglish LyricsSebastian RejmanVille Virtanen MusicSebastian RejmanVille Virtanen BackingsPetri SomerMatti LeinoHeini IkonenEtel Röhr Results Semi Points: 23Position: 17Running order: 3 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/VSPhIwOJfRs

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Flo Rida

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameTramar Lacel Dillard Born17 september 1979 Nationality🇺🇸 American National Selection– In Eurovision2021 Rotterdam SongAdrenalina (with Senhit, 2021) Biography Tramar Dillard was born in Carol City, Florida, USA. Already at a young age, he started making music as a member of the group called The Groundhoggz. Later, he started working with Fresh Kid Ice. He was featured on Fresh Kid Ice’s album in 2004.  In 2008, Flo Rida got the chance to record his debut album “Mail on sunday”. The first single was “Low”, featuring T-Pain. “Low” reached the no. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.The follow up “Elevator”, featuring Timbaland, “In the Ayer” featuring will.i.am, and “Roll” featuring Sean Kingston became chart successes as well. Flo Rida made guest performances on other R&B, rap, and pop singles, among others “We Break the Dawn” by Michelle Williams, the remix of “4 Minutes” by Madonna and “Running Back” by Australian singer Jessica Mauboy. He also cooperated with Lady Gaga. Flo Rida’s second album “R.O.O.T.S.”, was released on March 31, 2009. The first single, “Right Round”, featuring Kesha,  jumped from number 58 to the top spot in one week in late February. The song broke a record for the most digital one week sales in the US, with 636,000. “Right Round” also became Flo Rida’s first huge hit in the United Kingdom. The second official single was “Sugar”, which featured R&B singer Wynter Gordon. “Jump”, featuring singer Nelly Furtado, was the third official single. and was released on July 27, 2009, in the United Kingdom, and July 28, 2009, worldwide. “Be on You”, featuring singer Ne-Yo, and “Available”, featuring Akon, followed. He kept on featuring in songs for other artists. Flo Rida’s third album “The only One” was released in 2010. Apart from the album, he released a single called “Zoosk girl”. On June 28, 2010, Flo Rida released the song “Club Can’t Handle Me” featuring David Guetta, which was stated to be the official first single for the album. Flo Rida also made guest appearances on Cody Simpson’s song “iYiYi” and collaborated with The Saturdays, recording a new version of their single, “Higher”. In December 2010, Flo Rida created his own label, International Music Group.  Flo Rida’s fourth album, “Wild Ones” was released in July 2012. Its debut single was “Good Feeling”, released on August 29, 2011. The song samples Etta James’ 1962 song, “Something’s Got a Hold on Me”. Following the death of Etta James on January 20, 2012, Flo Rida dedicated the song in her memory. The song peaked at No. 3 in the United States, and topped the charts in several European countries.  In November 2012, he collaborated with Olly Murs for his song “Troublemaker”. In June 2013, Flo Rida collaborated with Marc Mysterio on the song “Booty on the Floor” to benefit the families and victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. In January 2014, Flo Rida was featured in the song “One Night Stand” by Slovak duo TWiiNS. In November, he appeared on Nickelback’s album No Fixed Address in the track “Got Me Runnin’ Round”. An EP, “My house”, followed, from which several songs became hits. In 2016, Flo Rida released a single “Hello Friday” featuring Jason Derulo. His new album was called “Masterminds”. He also featured on Pitbull’s single “Greenlight”. It took Flo Rida a long time to release his fifth album. It was supposed to be released in January 2021. However, the album is not released yet. Flo Rida was featured on the song “Adrenalina” by Italian singer Senhit. The two represented San Marino in the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest. Whether Flo Rida would really join Senhit on stage was a long kept secret. Only a few days before the contest Flo Rida arrived in Rotterdam. Entries Adrenalina (Senhit ft. Flo Rida) Country🇸🇲 San Marino Year2021 LanguageEnglish Lyrics and musicChanel TukiaTramar Dillard (Flo Rida)Jimmy ThörnfeldtJoy DebLinnea DebKenny SilverdiqueMalou RuotsalainenSenhit Zadik ZadikSuzi PancenkovThomas Stengaard BackingsIlaria CavolaLucrezia StopponiStefano Rei FerrariPatrizio Ratto Results Semi Points: 118Position: 9Running order: 1 Results Finals Points: 50Position: 22Running order: 6 https://youtu.be/TkhiH-JXFPs

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Rafal

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameRafał Brzozowski Born8 june 1981 Nationality🇵🇱 Poland National SelectionKrajowe Eliminacje 2017 In Eurovision2021 Rotterdam SongThe Ride (2021) Biography Rafał Brzozowski, born in Warshaw, is a Polish singer, TV presenter and former wrestler. During his studies at the Academy of Physical Education, he was educated as a sports teacher. He won the bronze medal of the Polish Academic Championships in wrestling in 2006. Due to a spine injury, he ended his sports career . He began his musical career in 2002 with the participation in the television program Szansa na sukces, in which he won a distinction . Previously, he performed with Marcin Kiljan in the K.Martin band. In 2003 he became a member of the band Emigranci. He was also a member of the group Mono. In autumn 2011, he took part in The Voice of Poland. His coach was Andrzej Piaseczny. Rafał was eliminated just before the final. In the same year, he released two singles: “Nie mam nic” and “Na dobre masz zawsze mnie”. In 2012, he released the single “Tak blisko”, for which he received the TV audience award at the Eska Music Awards 2012 gala. The song took the second place on the AirPlay charts . He also won a prize at the Russian Song Festival. On August 7, 2012, he released his debut studio album, entitled “Tak blisko”. In September 2014, he released his second studio album entitled “Mój czas”. In the same year, he took part in the released a Christmas album. In 2017, he became 2nd in the Polish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Sky over Europe”. In 2020, with the song he qualified for the “Premier” concert at the 57th KFPP in Opole with the song “Gentleman”. In May 2021, he represented Poland in the 65th Eurovision Song Contest with the song “The Ride”. In the summer of 2021 he performed during the TVP2 Summer, Music, Fun tour. Summer tour. In July,  the single “Głośniej” was released.  At the beginning of 2022, he co-hosted the third edition of The Voice Senior.  Entries The Ride Country🇵🇱 Poland Year2021 LanguageEnglish LyricsJoakim ÖvreniusThomas KarlssonClara RubenssonJohan Mauritszon ComposersJoakim ÖvreniusThomas KarlssonClara RubenssonJohan Mauritszon BackingsPaweł Skiba DancersBartosz KołeckiDaniel BorzewskiMaciej MiśkiewiczMiłosz Kuterasiński Results Semi Points: 35Position: 14Rank: 6 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Rank: – https://youtu.be/Uy6TeDNvSGo

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Victor Vernicos

© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameVictor Vernicos Jørgensen Born24 October 2006 Nationality🇬🇷 Greek National SelectionInternal selection 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongWhat they say (2023) Biography Victor Vernicos Jørgensen is a Greek/Danish singer/songwriter. Already as a child, he started singing. When he was 8 years old, he sang his own version of the Eurovision winning song “Heroes”. On 25 June 2021, he released his first single, “Hope it’s heaven”.  A year later, in August 2022, Victor released a new single, called “Mean”. In the same year, he had his first solo perfomance on TV in a christmas show. On 30 January 2023, it was announced in the ERT News that Victor was going to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “What they say”. Unfortunately he didn’t manage to make it to the Grand Final in the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Entries What They Say Country🇬🇷 Greece Year2023 LanguageEnglish LyricsVictor Vernicos Jørgensen MusicVictor Vernicos Jørgensen BackingsFanis Bouloukos Results Semi Points: 14Position: 13Running order: 8 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/gJSZA0Zh2xU

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Victor Vernicos to represent Greece

Victor Vernicos announced Victor Vernicos will represent Greece in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. That is what ERT announced today in their main news bulletin. The title of 16-year old Victor’s song is already known too: “What they say”. The full song, written and composed by Victor himself, is not yet published. However, a fragment was already released. Internally chosen Vernicos was internally chosen by a jury, consisting of public and professionals. Out of 106 songs, three were chosen, and now finally “What they say” becomes the entry for the contest in Liverpool. The other finalists were Melissa Mantzoukis with the song “Liar” and rumoured selected duo Antonia Kaouri and Maria Maragkou with “Shout out”. From “Heroes” to “Hope it’s heaven” Victor Vernicos Jørgensen is a 16-year old, half Greek, half Danish singer. He currently has a contract at PANIK Records. Already when he was 4 years old, Victor started to sing. When he was 8 years old, he sang his own version of Måns Zelmerlöw’s “Heroes”. In 2021 he released his first single, “Hope it’s heaven”.   

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Gustaph

© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameStef Caers Born5 July 1980 Nationality🇧🇪 Belgian National SelectionEurosong 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongBecause of You (2023) Biography Stef Caers, born in Leuven in 1980, is a Belgian singer, musician, producer and singing teacher.He initially performed under the stage name Steffen and later as Gustaph. Caers followed secondary education at the Academie voor Muziek-Woord-Dans in Heist-op-den-Berg. He graduated as a producer at the music conservatory of Ghent. At the age of nineteen, still during his studies, he scored a hit in 2000 as Steffen with the song “Gonna Lose You”, which reached 22nd place in the Flemish Ultratop 50. Caers won a prize at Flemish Radio 2 in the subcategory “The debut” that year with the song. His next single, “Sweetest Thing”, was a more modest success: the song got stuck in the charts. Caers later noted that his songs like Steffen, which he wrote as a sixteen-year-old, are not entirely in line with his style. The music world made it clear to him that he should keep his homosexuality a secret so as not to undermine his popularity. It therefore remained with these singles under that name. Caers focused more on studio work and writing music. He also made jingles for Radio Donna and Q-music. However, he also remained active on stage, including as a pianist and background singer. With Mo Harcum, Sofie Verbruggen and Sandrine Van Handenhoven he paid homage to Marvin Gaye. With the latter two, he paid homage to Ella Fitzgerald in the 2021-2022 theater season, together with the VRT Bigband. He has been performing solo since 2008 under the name Gustaph. Four years later, under that name, he began singing and writing for Hercules & Love Affair, a group best known in the LGBTQ+ community. As a result, he performed at Pukkelpop, Glastonbury and Chanel shows, among others. Caers left the group in 2018. Caers is also a teacher at Hogeschool Gent within the jazz / pop course and at the pop and rock music course at Hogeschool PXL. Caers went to the Eurovision Song Contest twice as a backing singer. In 2018 with Sennek and in 2021 at Hooverphonic. He also was a voice coach for Geike Arnaert of Hooverphonic.  In January 2023, he took part in Eurosong, the Flemish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.  Gustaph won Eurosong 2023, which meant that he was chosen as the Belgian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. He reached the final there and became 7th.  Entries Because Of You Country🇧🇪 Belgium Year2023 LanguageEnglish LyricsJaouad AlloulStef Caers MusicJaouad AlloulStef Caers BackingsMonique HarcumChantal KashalaSandrine van Handenhoven DancersPussCee West Results Semi Points: 90Position: 8Running order: 5 Results Finals Points: 182Position: 7Running order: 16 https://youtu.be/U1xD14IMKtg

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Blast from the past: Cyprus 1984

We know a lot about Eurovision; this is knowledge we want to share with you. Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today, we have a look at 1984, when Andy Paul represented the country with the song “Anna Mari-Elena”. Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest The first Cypriot entry entered the stage in 1981. Although Cyprus never won Eurovision, there were some huge successes. Cyprus was very close to winning back in 2018, when Eleni Foureira reached the 2nd place with her “Fuego”. National selection Official lists of the 1984 Cypriot national final are never published. Whether there was a live broadcast or an internal selection is not known. However, there are live recordings of several songs going on throughout the internet. We were able to distill a list of four songs, involved in the contest: *.”Anna Mari-Elena“, sung by Andy Paul, 1st*.”Htes”, sung by Lia Vissi-Piliouri, 2nd*.”Thimame“, sung by Yiannis Dimitrou, 3rd*.”Triantafila tou mai”, sung by Jimmy Makulis, 4th Jimmy Makulis had previously represented Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest, in 1961. Lia Vissi-Piliouri had to wait one more year; she was the 1985 Cypriot contestant. Yiannis Dimitrou and his song “Thimame” were supposed to represent Cyprus in 1988. The song was disqualified because it already took part in the 1984 national selection. Andy Paul Andy’s real name is Andros Pavlou. In the early 1960’s, he moved to the United Kingdom. As more Greek artists in the United Kingdom do (think about George Michael), Andros took a more English name: Andy Paul. His career as a singer started with performances in a pub, where he took part in a talent contest, he won with an Elvis imitation. It got him a contract at the pub. In 1983, Andy Paul released his first record: “Heartbreak situation”. The song was produced by the famous producers trio Stock, Aitken and Waterman. A year later he was chosen to represent Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest. The song can be found on his 1986 album “Andy Paul”. An international disco hit followed in 1988: “Now that I’ve found you“. He also released an album, “Andy Paul”, in the same year. In 1989 a new album was made. Andy Paul is still performing. He currently sings songs from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, especially on weddings and other parties. Some material can be found on his website. Anna Mari-Elena The song “Anna Mari-Elena” was an uptempo disco song written by Paul himself. At the Eurovision Song Contest in Luxembourg the song was not a hot favourite to win the contest. Greece, very often supportive for Cyprus (if not always), did not take part. However, there was a country that gave it’s 12 to Cyprus: Yugoslavia. Denmark awarded the song with 10 points, but only Sweden, Ireland (4 points) and France (1 point) had Cyprus in their top-10. The song ended up in a 15th place.    

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After the Eurovision Fame: Johnny Logan

Johnny Logan won the Eurovision Song Contest three times. Twice he did this as a performing artist; in 1980 in The Hague, The Netherlands with “What’s another year” and in 1987 in Brussels, Belgium with “Hold me now”. In 1992 he participated in Malmö, Sweden as a lyricist and composer of “Why me?” (Linda Martin). It earned him the nickname “Mr. Eurovision”.   Early life and career Johnny Logan was born as Seán Patrick Michael Sherrard in Frankston, Victoria (Australia), on May 13, 1954. He was the son of the famous Irish tenor Patrick O’Hagan. When he was three years old, the family moved back to Ireland. Sherrard had a musical childhood in which he learned to play the guitar at a young age. He composed his first songs when he was 13. After high school, he started working as an electrician. He also performed as a musician in clubs. He also starred in several musicals. Together with his brother Michael he was part of several bands. At the beginning of his professional music career, Sherrard took the stage name Johnny Logan. This name was taken from the main character from the movie Johnny Guitar. He then recorded his first single in 1978: “No, I don’t want to fall in love”. The song wasn’t a hit. In a quest for more success, he decided to register for the Irish national heat for the Eurovision Song Contest of 1979. With the song “Angie ” he finished behind winner Cathal Dunne in third place. Later that year his debut album, “In London” , was released. First Eurovision victory In March 1980, Logan made another attempt to go to the Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland. In the Irish heat of that year he performed “What’s another year”, a song by Shay Healy. This time Logan easily won the national competition and was able to represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest, on April 19, 1980 in The Hague. He was previously counted among the favorites for the final victory and turned out to be able to meet those expectations. Excluding Morocco and Turkey, he received points from every country and with a total score of 143 points he gave Ireland a Eurovision victory after ten years. “What’s another year” became a big hit in several European countries. In addition to Ireland itself, it also reached the number 1 position in Belgium and the United Kingdom, among others. Nevertheless, Logan failed to maintain his sudden international success. Successive singles flopped and the number of bookings was disappointing, in his own words due to poor management and his own inexperience. As a result, the singer got into financial trouble and also developed an alcohol problem. In 1984, however, Logan had another success as a writer of the song “Terminal 3”, with which Linda Martin finished second on behalf of Ireland at that year’s Eurovision Song Contest. He got the taste of the Eurovision song contest again and continued to write potential entries. For example, his brother Michael (Mike) Sherrard appeared in the Irish heat of 1985 with the song “Hearts” written by Logan, which ended up in last place. Mike (Michael Sherrard) In 1986, his song “If I can change your mind,” was re-performed by Linda Martin, became fourth in the Irish preselection. Second Eurovision victory In an attempt to get his career back on track, and to erase his predicate of one-day fly, Logan himself wanted to return to the Eurovision song contest to try to win the event again. In 1987 he wrote and composed the song “Hold me now”, which he submitted to the Irish national heat of that year. He managed to win the selection again and was thus allowed to represent Ireland again at the Eurovision Song Contest, which was held two months later in Brussels, Belgium. At the Eurovision song contest, where he received a lot of media attention as a former winner, Logan was again considered one of the favorites. The total points score of 172 was ultimately enough for the victory. It meant, after 1970 and 1980, the third Irish Eurovision victory, and the second for Logan personally. He thus became the first (and to date only) performing artist to win the Eurovision Song Contest twice. As with “What’s another year”, Johnny Logan also scored a big hit with “Hold me now” in several European countries. In addition to Ireland himself, he also reached the number 1 position in Flanders. The subsequent single “I’m not in love” was, as well as the released album “Hold me now”, a modest success. Third Eurovision victory After a few years, in which he made an international tour, Logan again occupied himself with the Eurovision Song Contest at the beginning of the nineties. For the 1991 Irish national heat he wrote the song “When do I get over you?” which put his brother Mike in sixth place. A year later he resumed his collaboration with Linda Martin and wrote for her the song “Why me?”, which would become the Irish entry at the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö. The song caught on and ensured another victory for Ireland. Logan became the first (and to date only) person to win the Eurovision Song Contest three times.   Later career In the years that followed, Logan continued to write and release music. He became a much sought-after artist at events where the Eurovision Song Contest is central. His popularity stabilized especially in Scandinavia, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. Live during ” Het Grote Songfestivalfeest” in Amsterdam in 2019 Logan remained involved in the Eurovision Song Contest in various ways over the years. For example, during the scoring in 2004 he passed on the Irish points and he wrote several songs for preliminary rounds, and he also regularly sat on professional juries during national selections. In both 2007 and 2009, Logan was approached by Irish broadcaster RTÉ to represent Ireland again at the Eurovision Song Contest, but in both cases the talks came to nothing. In 2010

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Vesa-Matti Loiri passed away

This week, Finnish singer and actor Vesa-Matti Loiri passed away. Loiri, who was nicknamed Vesku, was a Finnish actor, comedian, singer and musician. He is considered one of Finland’s most versatile entertainment artists. He was one of the biggest names in Finnish art and entertainment. Loiri has acted in theatre, films and television. As a comedian, he is known for television programs and movies. As a singer, Loiri gained popularity, especially as an interpreter of songs composed to Eino Leino’s poems. He has also recorded Finnish hits. In 1975, he took part in Euroviisut, the Finnish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. His song “Laulu” became 3rd. Four years later, with “Huilumies”, he was more succesful. He was chosen to represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest. Unfortunately, in the international final in Den Haag, it was not a great success. He became last. In 2014, Loiri appeared in the third season of the Finnish TV series Vain läämää. Loiri died of cancer on August 10, 2022. “He was one of Finland’s most well-known, most loved and most successful entertainment artists of all time,” music editor Ilkka Mattila describes Loiri.’s career in the death news.

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Sebastian Rejman

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameSebastian Rejman Born13 January 1978 Nationality???????? Finnish National SelectionUuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2019 In Eurovision2019 Tel Aviv SongLook away (2019, with Darude) Biography Sebastian Rejman (born 13 January 1978 [1]) is a Finnish musician, actor and presenter. He was the lead singer of the Giant Leap, a melodic rock band formed in 2005 in Helsinki. The band includes, beside Sebastian Petri Somer and Sami Lehto. The Giant Leap changed to its current form when founding members Sebastian and Petri became acquainted with Sami Lehto in the summer of 2005. Sebastian and Petri are responsible for writing the songs and arranging and producing the songs for Sami. All members of the band have years of musical background. The songs on the band’s debut album, released in the fall of 2007, have been released over the years. The band’s first single, “All In My Head,” was distributed to radio stations in late May, and in the summer of 2007, it became one of the radio’s most played songs. The second single “Somebody Else” was broadcast on radio on September 17, 2007, and a music video was also made for the song. The band’s first two singles can be found on the October 31, 2007 album “Another Day Rising”. On December 7, 2007, the band acted as warmer for Bryan Adams at his Finnish gig. The band’s second album, The Giant Leap, was released in 2010. After Giant Leap froze for a while, Sebastian formed a new band called Sebastian & The 4th Line Band. Rejman is from a bilingual working-class family in eastern Helsinki and has lived in Kallio, Helsinki. He started playing guitar and singing at the age of 14. He cites Elvis Presley and Bruce Springsteen as his musical role models.  Rejman participated in Nelonen’s Choir War , where he conducted the Helsinki Choir. The Helsinki Choir dropped out of the race first.  In addition to the songs from The Giant Leap, Rejman and Somer did a song “Hauraalla jäällä” with Lasse Wikman and Samppa Komokallio. Rejman also composed the song “Hetki me vaan lennettiin” for Riku Torkkel with Esa Nieminen. Since 2012, Rejman has also been a TV presenter as he co-hosted Talentin with Lorenz Backman. Since then, he has hosted Splash and worked as a backstage reporter for The Voice of Finland. In 2014, he hosted the tv-show Jukebox and also co-hosted the final concert of the show We Want More program with Kristiina Komulainen. In 2017, he starred in the film “Kuudes kerta”.  Since 2018, Sebastian has a role in the hospital series Syke. Rejman represented Finland at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Israel, together with Darude.  Entries Look Away (with Darude) Country???????? Finland Year2019 LanguageEnglish LyricsSebastian RejmanVille Virtanen MusicSebastian RejmanVille Virtanen BackingsPetri SomerMatti LeinoHeini IkonenEtel Röhr Results Semi Points: 23Position: 17Running order: 3 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/VSPhIwOJfRs

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Darude

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameTone-Ville Henrik Virtanen Born17 July 1975 Nationality???????? Finnish National SelectionUuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2019 In Eurovision2019 Tel Aviv SongLook away (2019, with Sebastian Rejman) Biography Darude (real name Toni-Ville Henrik Virtanen is a Finnish DJ and composer. He was born in Eura, in the Southwestern part of Finland. Virtanen started his career when attending highschoo. He was enthusiastic about making music at the computer at the time. He played the song “Rude Boy” by Swedish eurodance artist Leila K four times at a school party. He then began to be playfully called Rude Boy. Rude Boy later changed to Da Rude, who eventually became Darude. Darude eagerly pursued his career and in 1997 his demos were played on some radio stations. His songs were also available for download on MP3.com. In 1999, he made a demo of “Sandstorm” for his producer Jaakko Salovaara (JS16). Darude signed a record deal with Salovaara’s 16 Inch Records and “Sandstorm” was released as a single shortly thereafter. The track proved to be a big hit around the world. In addition to Finland, the song did particularly well in the United Kingdom. In Finland, the single sold platinum and remained on Finland’s official singles chart for 42 (!!) weeks. “Sandstorm” sold 2 million units worldwide. By March 2015, more than three million units had been sold. Darude’s debut album “Before the Storm” sold 800,000 copies worldwide. The album’s second single, “Feel the Beat”, was a great success. In 2001 Darude had a tour, the “Before the Storm: Australian Tour Edition”. “Before the Storm Special Edition” was released in 2002, which included remixes of the original songs as well. In 2003, Darude’s second studio album, “Rush”, was released. The album contained the singles “Music” and “Next to You”. Darude’s third studio album “Label This!” was released in October 2007. It contained the hit singles “Tell Me” as well as “My Game”.Darude co-founded the record label EnMass Music in 2011. With that label, he released a DJ Mix compilation called “Salmiakki Seasons Vol. 1”. Darude kept on touring and playing in clubs. On August 14, 2015, Darude released a new studio album, Moments, from which the single “Beautiful Alien” was released on March 20. Together with singer-actor Sebastian Rejman, Darude represented Finland at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Israel with the song “Look away”. The song became last in the first semifinal. Darude reported on the TV show Villa Hintikka in January 2020 that one of his ears has become deaf due to illness.  Entries Look Away (with Sebastian Rejman) Country???????? Finland Year2019 LanguageEnglish LyricsSebastian RejmanVille Virtanen MusicSebastian RejmanVille Virtanen BackingsPetri SomerMatti LeinoHeini IkonenEtel Röhr Results Semi Points: 23Position: 17Running order: 3 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/VSPhIwOJfRs

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Flo Rida

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameTramar Lacel Dillard Born17 september 1979 Nationality🇺🇸 American National Selection– In Eurovision2021 Rotterdam SongAdrenalina (with Senhit, 2021) Biography Tramar Dillard was born in Carol City, Florida, USA. Already at a young age, he started making music as a member of the group called The Groundhoggz. Later, he started working with Fresh Kid Ice. He was featured on Fresh Kid Ice’s album in 2004.  In 2008, Flo Rida got the chance to record his debut album “Mail on sunday”. The first single was “Low”, featuring T-Pain. “Low” reached the no. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.The follow up “Elevator”, featuring Timbaland, “In the Ayer” featuring will.i.am, and “Roll” featuring Sean Kingston became chart successes as well. Flo Rida made guest performances on other R&B, rap, and pop singles, among others “We Break the Dawn” by Michelle Williams, the remix of “4 Minutes” by Madonna and “Running Back” by Australian singer Jessica Mauboy. He also cooperated with Lady Gaga. Flo Rida’s second album “R.O.O.T.S.”, was released on March 31, 2009. The first single, “Right Round”, featuring Kesha,  jumped from number 58 to the top spot in one week in late February. The song broke a record for the most digital one week sales in the US, with 636,000. “Right Round” also became Flo Rida’s first huge hit in the United Kingdom. The second official single was “Sugar”, which featured R&B singer Wynter Gordon. “Jump”, featuring singer Nelly Furtado, was the third official single. and was released on July 27, 2009, in the United Kingdom, and July 28, 2009, worldwide. “Be on You”, featuring singer Ne-Yo, and “Available”, featuring Akon, followed. He kept on featuring in songs for other artists. Flo Rida’s third album “The only One” was released in 2010. Apart from the album, he released a single called “Zoosk girl”. On June 28, 2010, Flo Rida released the song “Club Can’t Handle Me” featuring David Guetta, which was stated to be the official first single for the album. Flo Rida also made guest appearances on Cody Simpson’s song “iYiYi” and collaborated with The Saturdays, recording a new version of their single, “Higher”. In December 2010, Flo Rida created his own label, International Music Group.  Flo Rida’s fourth album, “Wild Ones” was released in July 2012. Its debut single was “Good Feeling”, released on August 29, 2011. The song samples Etta James’ 1962 song, “Something’s Got a Hold on Me”. Following the death of Etta James on January 20, 2012, Flo Rida dedicated the song in her memory. The song peaked at No. 3 in the United States, and topped the charts in several European countries.  In November 2012, he collaborated with Olly Murs for his song “Troublemaker”. In June 2013, Flo Rida collaborated with Marc Mysterio on the song “Booty on the Floor” to benefit the families and victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. In January 2014, Flo Rida was featured in the song “One Night Stand” by Slovak duo TWiiNS. In November, he appeared on Nickelback’s album No Fixed Address in the track “Got Me Runnin’ Round”. An EP, “My house”, followed, from which several songs became hits. In 2016, Flo Rida released a single “Hello Friday” featuring Jason Derulo. His new album was called “Masterminds”. He also featured on Pitbull’s single “Greenlight”. It took Flo Rida a long time to release his fifth album. It was supposed to be released in January 2021. However, the album is not released yet. Flo Rida was featured on the song “Adrenalina” by Italian singer Senhit. The two represented San Marino in the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest. Whether Flo Rida would really join Senhit on stage was a long kept secret. Only a few days before the contest Flo Rida arrived in Rotterdam. Entries Adrenalina (Senhit ft. Flo Rida) Country🇸🇲 San Marino Year2021 LanguageEnglish Lyrics and musicChanel TukiaTramar Dillard (Flo Rida)Jimmy ThörnfeldtJoy DebLinnea DebKenny SilverdiqueMalou RuotsalainenSenhit Zadik ZadikSuzi PancenkovThomas Stengaard BackingsIlaria CavolaLucrezia StopponiStefano Rei FerrariPatrizio Ratto Results Semi Points: 118Position: 9Running order: 1 Results Finals Points: 50Position: 22Running order: 6 https://youtu.be/TkhiH-JXFPs

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Rafal

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameRafał Brzozowski Born8 june 1981 Nationality🇵🇱 Poland National SelectionKrajowe Eliminacje 2017 In Eurovision2021 Rotterdam SongThe Ride (2021) Biography Rafał Brzozowski, born in Warshaw, is a Polish singer, TV presenter and former wrestler. During his studies at the Academy of Physical Education, he was educated as a sports teacher. He won the bronze medal of the Polish Academic Championships in wrestling in 2006. Due to a spine injury, he ended his sports career . He began his musical career in 2002 with the participation in the television program Szansa na sukces, in which he won a distinction . Previously, he performed with Marcin Kiljan in the K.Martin band. In 2003 he became a member of the band Emigranci. He was also a member of the group Mono. In autumn 2011, he took part in The Voice of Poland. His coach was Andrzej Piaseczny. Rafał was eliminated just before the final. In the same year, he released two singles: “Nie mam nic” and “Na dobre masz zawsze mnie”. In 2012, he released the single “Tak blisko”, for which he received the TV audience award at the Eska Music Awards 2012 gala. The song took the second place on the AirPlay charts . He also won a prize at the Russian Song Festival. On August 7, 2012, he released his debut studio album, entitled “Tak blisko”. In September 2014, he released his second studio album entitled “Mój czas”. In the same year, he took part in the released a Christmas album. In 2017, he became 2nd in the Polish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Sky over Europe”. In 2020, with the song he qualified for the “Premier” concert at the 57th KFPP in Opole with the song “Gentleman”. In May 2021, he represented Poland in the 65th Eurovision Song Contest with the song “The Ride”. In the summer of 2021 he performed during the TVP2 Summer, Music, Fun tour. Summer tour. In July,  the single “Głośniej” was released.  At the beginning of 2022, he co-hosted the third edition of The Voice Senior.  Entries The Ride Country🇵🇱 Poland Year2021 LanguageEnglish LyricsJoakim ÖvreniusThomas KarlssonClara RubenssonJohan Mauritszon ComposersJoakim ÖvreniusThomas KarlssonClara RubenssonJohan Mauritszon BackingsPaweł Skiba DancersBartosz KołeckiDaniel BorzewskiMaciej MiśkiewiczMiłosz Kuterasiński Results Semi Points: 35Position: 14Rank: 6 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Rank: – https://youtu.be/Uy6TeDNvSGo

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Victor Vernicos

© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameVictor Vernicos Jørgensen Born24 October 2006 Nationality🇬🇷 Greek National SelectionInternal selection 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongWhat they say (2023) Biography Victor Vernicos Jørgensen is a Greek/Danish singer/songwriter. Already as a child, he started singing. When he was 8 years old, he sang his own version of the Eurovision winning song “Heroes”. On 25 June 2021, he released his first single, “Hope it’s heaven”.  A year later, in August 2022, Victor released a new single, called “Mean”. In the same year, he had his first solo perfomance on TV in a christmas show. On 30 January 2023,

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Victor Vernicos to represent Greece

Victor Vernicos announced Victor Vernicos will represent Greece in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. That is what ERT announced today in their main news bulletin. The title of 16-year old Victor’s song is already known too: “What they say”. The full song, written and composed by Victor himself, is not yet published. However, a fragment was already released. Internally chosen Vernicos was internally chosen by a jury, consisting of public and professionals. Out of 106 songs, three were chosen, and now finally “What they say” becomes the entry for the contest in Liverpool. The other finalists were Melissa Mantzoukis with the

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Gustaph

© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameStef Caers Born5 July 1980 Nationality🇧🇪 Belgian National SelectionEurosong 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongBecause of You (2023) Biography Stef Caers, born in Leuven in 1980, is a Belgian singer, musician, producer and singing teacher.He initially performed under the stage name Steffen and later as Gustaph. Caers followed secondary education at the Academie voor Muziek-Woord-Dans in Heist-op-den-Berg. He graduated as a producer at the music conservatory of Ghent. At the age of nineteen, still during his studies, he scored a hit in 2000 as Steffen with the song “Gonna Lose You”, which reached 22nd place

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Blast from the past: Cyprus 1984

We know a lot about Eurovision; this is knowledge we want to share with you. Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today, we have a look at 1984, when Andy Paul represented the country with the song “Anna Mari-Elena”. Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest The first Cypriot entry entered the stage in 1981. Although Cyprus never won Eurovision, there were some huge successes. Cyprus was very close to winning back in 2018, when Eleni Foureira reached the 2nd place with her “Fuego”. National selection Official lists of the 1984 Cypriot national final are never published.

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After the Eurovision Fame: Johnny Logan

Johnny Logan won the Eurovision Song Contest three times. Twice he did this as a performing artist; in 1980 in The Hague, The Netherlands with “What’s another year” and in 1987 in Brussels, Belgium with “Hold me now”. In 1992 he participated in Malmö, Sweden as a lyricist and composer of “Why me?” (Linda Martin). It earned him the nickname “Mr. Eurovision”.   Early life and career Johnny Logan was born as Seán Patrick Michael Sherrard in Frankston, Victoria (Australia), on May 13, 1954. He was the son of the famous Irish tenor Patrick O’Hagan. When he was three years old, the family

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Vesa-Matti Loiri passed away

This week, Finnish singer and actor Vesa-Matti Loiri passed away. Loiri, who was nicknamed Vesku, was a Finnish actor, comedian, singer and musician. He is considered one of Finland’s most versatile entertainment artists. He was one of the biggest names in Finnish art and entertainment. Loiri has acted in theatre, films and television. As a comedian, he is known for television programs and movies. As a singer, Loiri gained popularity, especially as an interpreter of songs composed to Eino Leino’s poems. He has also recorded Finnish hits. In 1975, he took part in Euroviisut, the Finnish national final for the Eurovision

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Sebastian Rejman

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameSebastian Rejman Born13 January 1978 Nationality???????? Finnish National SelectionUuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2019 In Eurovision2019 Tel Aviv SongLook away (2019, with Darude) Biography Sebastian Rejman (born 13 January 1978 [1]) is a Finnish musician, actor and presenter. He was the lead singer of the Giant Leap, a melodic rock band formed in 2005 in Helsinki. The band includes, beside Sebastian Petri Somer and Sami Lehto. The Giant Leap changed to its current form when founding members Sebastian and Petri became acquainted with Sami Lehto in the summer of 2005. Sebastian and Petri are responsible for writing

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Darude

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameTone-Ville Henrik Virtanen Born17 July 1975 Nationality???????? Finnish National SelectionUuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2019 In Eurovision2019 Tel Aviv SongLook away (2019, with Sebastian Rejman) Biography Darude (real name Toni-Ville Henrik Virtanen is a Finnish DJ and composer. He was born in Eura, in the Southwestern part of Finland. Virtanen started his career when attending highschoo. He was enthusiastic about making music at the computer at the time. He played the song “Rude Boy” by Swedish eurodance artist Leila K four times at a school party. He then began to be playfully called Rude Boy. Rude Boy later

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Flo Rida

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameTramar Lacel Dillard Born17 september 1979 Nationality🇺🇸 American National Selection– In Eurovision2021 Rotterdam SongAdrenalina (with Senhit, 2021) Biography Tramar Dillard was born in Carol City, Florida, USA. Already at a young age, he started making music as a member of the group called The Groundhoggz. Later, he started working with Fresh Kid Ice. He was featured on Fresh Kid Ice’s album in 2004.  In 2008, Flo Rida got the chance to record his debut album “Mail on sunday”. The first single was “Low”, featuring T-Pain. “Low” reached the no. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot

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Rafal

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameRafał Brzozowski Born8 june 1981 Nationality🇵🇱 Poland National SelectionKrajowe Eliminacje 2017 In Eurovision2021 Rotterdam SongThe Ride (2021) Biography Rafał Brzozowski, born in Warshaw, is a Polish singer, TV presenter and former wrestler. During his studies at the Academy of Physical Education, he was educated as a sports teacher. He won the bronze medal of the Polish Academic Championships in wrestling in 2006. Due to a spine injury, he ended his sports career . He began his musical career in 2002 with the participation in the television program Szansa na sukces, in which he won a

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