Day 5. Live Blog 2nd Rehearsals

Today we will follow the 2nd rehearsals in Ahoy, and will keep you informed live.                                                 In Cooperation with: Eurovision Artists. Photo & Video Credits: EBU

17.15 – Ukraine

Last of the day Go_A, performs with a stand-in (Emmy) for singer Kateryna Pavlenko. Kateryna did not feel quite fit this morning, and in accordance with the security measures, she remains in quarantine pending a Covid-19 test. Whether the stand-in Emmy sings live, or whether the tape recording from the first rehearsal was used, is not entirely clear. Fact is, whether you like this genre or not … the act is rock solid. With a 9th place in the polls, Ukraine will undoubtedly easily qualify for the final.

16.50 – Azerbaijan

Also today, Efendi puts down a solid rehearsal. Here and there some minor flaws in song and dance, and a little more conviction than last Sunday. 21st place in the poll. A place in the final is certainly not excluded.

 

16.25 – Romania

Roxen performs in the same comfortable as last Sunday. Although vocally a little bit stronger than during the 1st rehearsal, Roxen comes across as nervous and anxious, which does not help her voice and the strong message of her song. 16th in the polls … Final perhaps , if she manages to recover.

16.00 – Israel

During the first rehearsal it became clear that it is sometimes difficult for Eden to combine singing and dancing. The whole act looks energic and modern, but also today, Eden has trouble with the combination of singing and dancing. 17th in the polls, but will Israel make it to the final?

 

15.35 – Belgium.

Hooverphonic still impresses today with their modest, sober and well-thought-out act. A welcome change from all the visual violence. Only a 20th place in the polls, but hopefully thanks to the professional jury we will see Belgium back in the final.

14.45 – Croatia

Vocally, this rehearsal sounds a lot better than the first. The act is well put together, Albina herself still seems a bit insecure and nervous. Hopefully she will get over that before Tuesday. Own the stage girl!! With a 19th place in the polls, a final place should certainly be possible.

14.20 – Norway

Today TIX puts on a much better rehearsal than last saturday, when the nerves seemed to be playing tricks on him. TIX has a high favor- and sympathy factor, and with a 15th place in the polls, we would like to see him back in the final.

13:55 – Cyprus

Elena once again puts on an okay rehearsal, occasionally she sounds a bit out of breath. With seventh place in the polls, Cyprus will reach the final without too much trouble.

1.30 pm – Ireland

Hard work has been done in the Irish camp in recent days. The whole thing seemed very messy last Saturday, during the 2nd rehearsal all the graphics come into their own much better, and it seems as if Lesley is running barefoot through a book, turning the pages. Vocally, there is still some gains to be made. With a 24th place in the polls, the question is whether it is all good enough for a final place.

 

13.05 – North Macedonia

While there were some minor flaws in his vocals last Saturday, today Vasil puts down a solid rehearsal, although it seems that, especially at the end during the last blow, he is holding back to spare his voice. North Macedonia ranks 32 in the polls. It is very doubtful whether Vasil will be able to qualify for the final.

 

11.40 – Australia

Just like last Saturday, no rehearsal in Ahoy , since Montaigne is not present in Rotterdam, but an exclusive preview

11.15 – Sweden

Tusse had still some problems with his voice last Saturday, this now seems to have recovered completely. On stage there was an apparently self-assured, radiant Tusse, with a well-thought-out, slick act as we are used to from Sweden. Sweden ranks 10th in the polls. We will certainly see Tusse in the final

 

10.50 – Russia

No changes in the act here either. Solid and stable act and vocals. The powerful message / ode to the Russian woman is very clear! Russia is ranked 14th in the polls. Finals should not be a problem. We would not be surprised if Russia managed to get a top ten, perhaps even a 5 position  in the final

10.25 – Slovenia.

In the second rehearsal for Slovenia, Ana comes out better than last Saturday. More confident in her singing and movement across the stage, although it seems her shoes are killing her. Slovenia is in 35th place in the polls. A final place will be a challenge.

10.00 am – Lithuania. The Roop shows  a solid,  dynamic act again in the 2nd rehearsal, with little or no changes. The Roop is ranked 8th in the polls. A top ten listing should certainly be possible for the Roop.

 

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70 years of Eurovision: the UK and France

The Eurovision Song Contest is celebrating its 70th anniversary. That is a wonderful milestone. We at Eurovision Universe love diving into the history of the contest. That is why we are taking a closer look at the contests of the past 70 years. 1976 For the first time, a former participant hosted the Eurovision Song Contest. It was the 1957 winner, Corrie Brokken, who was given the task at the Congress Centre in The Hague. 18 countries participated. Turkey, Malta, and Sweden dropped out, but Austria and Greece returned. There were also returning artists: Fredi for Finland, Anne-Karine Strøm of the Bendik Singers for Norway, and Sandra Reemer for the Netherlands. Anne-Karine Strøm sang a song called “Mata Hari.” For this, she received an award from the municipality of Leeuwarden, where Mata Hari came from. And then there were also Peter, Sue & Marc, for the second time. This time, they were accompanied by a clown in their song “Djambo Djambo.” The Les Humphries Singers, whom we already knew from hits like “To My Father’s House,” represented Germany. It wasn’t easy: the song by the national winner in Germany, Tony Marshall, turned out to already exist and was disqualified. A German star also participated for Luxembourg: Jürgen Marcus. This was done in almost traditionally bad French. Later big stars Al Bano and Romina Power were also present; they sang their song bilingually, which is fairly unique for Italy. One of the favorites was France. Catherine Ferry sang “Un, deux, trois” for this country. Although she did not win, Catherine Ferry did manage to score an international hit with this song, despite or perhaps because of the simple title. Brotherhood of Man The other favorite was the British group Brotherhood of Man. They had already had a big hit with “Kiss Me Kiss Your Baby” but now sang another song about kissing: “Save Your Kisses For Me”, in which it only became clear in the very last line that this was an ode from one of the singers to his three-year-old daughter. The Brotherhood of Man also managed to pull out all the stops. “Save Your Kisses For Me” was not only a hit, but has also remained one of the greatest Eurovision classics. 1977 For a moment it seemed as though a new country would make its debut, but Tunisia withdrew under pressure of the other Arab countries. After all, the intention was not to throw a party where Israel was also present. The Eurovision Song Contest was to be presented by Angela Rippon on April 2 from the Wembley Conference Centre in London. Was to be… because a strike by camera operators caused the entire event to be cancelled. In the search for a solution, the Netherlands seemed willing to take over the whole thing. Ultimately, the unions there made it clear that they did not want to be strike breakers: the Dutch camera operators would not cooperate either. The strike was eventually resolved through negotiations, and on May 7, the Song Contest was able to go ahead after all. The group Dream Express made a comeback. They once participated for the Netherlands as Hearts of Soul, now for Belgium. Michèle Torr once represented Luxembourg, now Monaco. The Portuguese group Os Amigos included no fewer than two former participants. Austria sent a protest song against the record companies: “Boom Boom Boomerang”. Monica Aspelund from Finland came with an ode to “Lapponia”. The internationally renowned Silver Convention represented Germany. Also internationally known was the British candidate Lynsey De Paul, who was already known for the hit “Sugar Me”. In a duet with Mike Moran, she now sang “Rock Bottom”, one of the favorites for the final victory. Marie Myriam But after an exciting battle between the United Kingdom and France, just like in 1976, it was France that won this time. Marie Myriam was born in Congo. She had had a minor hit in Canada, but otherwise no one knew her yet. Until the Eurovision Song Contest of 1977, where she successfully won with her song “L’oiseau et l’enfant”.

Read More »
History
Martijn

70 years of Eurovision: the UK and France

The Eurovision Song Contest is celebrating its 70th anniversary. That is a wonderful milestone. We at Eurovision Universe love diving into the history of the contest. That is why we are taking a closer look at the contests of the past 70 years. 1976 For the first time, a former participant hosted the Eurovision Song Contest. It was the 1957 winner, Corrie Brokken, who was given the task at the Congress Centre in The Hague. 18 countries participated. Turkey, Malta, and Sweden dropped out, but Austria and Greece returned. There were also returning artists: Fredi for Finland, Anne-Karine Strøm of the Bendik Singers for Norway, and Sandra Reemer for the Netherlands. Anne-Karine Strøm sang a song called “Mata Hari.” For this, she received an award from the municipality of Leeuwarden, where Mata Hari came from. And then there were also Peter, Sue & Marc, for the second time. This time, they were accompanied by a clown in their song “Djambo Djambo.” The Les Humphries Singers, whom we already knew from hits like “To My Father’s House,” represented Germany. It wasn’t easy: the song by the national winner in Germany, Tony Marshall, turned out to already exist and was disqualified. A German star also participated for Luxembourg: Jürgen Marcus. This was done in almost traditionally bad French. Later big stars Al Bano and Romina Power were also present; they sang their song bilingually, which is fairly unique for Italy. One of the favorites was France. Catherine Ferry sang “Un, deux, trois” for this country. Although she did not win, Catherine Ferry did manage to score an international hit with this song, despite or perhaps because of the simple title. Brotherhood of Man The other favorite was the British group Brotherhood of Man. They had already had a big hit with “Kiss Me Kiss Your Baby” but now sang another song about kissing: “Save Your Kisses For Me”, in which it only became clear in the very last line that this was an ode from one of the singers to his three-year-old daughter. The Brotherhood of Man also managed to pull out all the stops. “Save Your Kisses For Me” was not only a hit, but has also remained one of the greatest Eurovision classics. 1977 For a moment it seemed as though a new country would make its debut, but Tunisia withdrew under pressure of the other Arab countries. After all, the intention was not to throw a party where Israel was also present. The Eurovision Song Contest was to be presented by Angela Rippon on April 2 from the Wembley Conference Centre in London. Was to be… because a strike by camera operators caused the entire event to be cancelled. In the search for a solution, the Netherlands seemed willing to take over the whole thing. Ultimately, the unions there made it clear that they did not want to be strike breakers: the Dutch camera operators would not cooperate either. The strike was eventually resolved through negotiations, and on May 7, the Song Contest was able to go ahead after all. The group Dream Express made a comeback. They once participated for the Netherlands as Hearts of Soul, now for Belgium. Michèle Torr once represented Luxembourg, now Monaco. The Portuguese group Os Amigos included no fewer than two former participants. Austria sent a protest song against the record companies: “Boom Boom Boomerang”. Monica Aspelund from Finland came with an ode to “Lapponia”. The internationally renowned Silver Convention represented Germany. Also internationally known was the British candidate Lynsey De Paul, who was already known for the hit “Sugar Me”. In a duet with Mike Moran, she now sang “Rock Bottom”, one of the favorites for the final victory. Marie Myriam But after an exciting battle between the United Kingdom and France, just like in 1976, it was France that won this time. Marie Myriam was born in Congo. She had had a minor hit in Canada, but otherwise no one knew her yet. Until the Eurovision Song Contest of 1977, where she successfully won with her song “L’oiseau et l’enfant”.

Read More »
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