All the latest Eurovision news as we prepare for Italy 2022.
There have been slight tweaks to Serbia’s Song For Eurovision ‘22 participant list.
Most notably, Tijana Dapčević will replace Stefan Zdravković in singing Ljubi svog čoveka (Kiss Your Guy)… the name of the song has also been altered to Ljubi, ljubi doveka (Kiss, Kiss Forever).
You might recognise Tijana; she represented North Macedonia with To The Sky in Copenhagen 2014.
The full list of participants can be found here.
The 14 finalists of the EMA FREŠ selection will be presented on Friday 28 January at 20:00 CET on TV SLO 1.
Four of the 'FREŠ' acts will be selected for EMA 2022 (2 via the jury, 2 via an audience vote) to compete to represent Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin.
Our hosts for the evening will be Eva Boto, Melani Mekicar and Arne, and the acts will perform in the following order:
The winners will progress to the EMA 2022 finals, held in February.
Another date for your diary: Saturday 12 Friday.
That’s the date of Ukraine’s Vidbir grand final!
A total of 284 applications were received by UA:PBC, but who made it through to the shortlist?
Everything will be revealed towards the end of January. So stay tuned.
We have our first 6 qualifiers for the semi-finals of Lithuania’s selection show Pabandom iš Naujo!
📺 Watch: Erica Jennings – Back To Myself
Thanks to the combined scores given by a professional music jury and the Lithuanian televoting public, the following entries progress:
Commiserations to Sun Francisco (9pts), Voldemars Petersons and the Break Hearters (6pts), Aldeguna (5pts), Viktorija Faith (5pts) and Gabrielė Goštautaitė (3pts), who did not qualify for the next round… we go again next year!
All performances can be viewed on the official LRT YouTube channel.
Pabandom iš Naujo! 2022 continues on Saturday alongside Norway’s first semi-final of Melodi Grand Prix.
Thanks to everyone who took part in our newsletter quiz over the holidays.
It was incredibly fiendish, but there were some fantastic prizes up for grabs so we couldn’t make it too easy!
The answers:
Winner of The Bigger Picture signed book by Nathan Reinds:
Winners of festive socks:
All winners have been contacted!
Sign up to Douze Points for a monthly chance to win some fabulous Eurovision prizes!
Having received a record number of submissions, Montenegro is almost ready to reveal their Eurovision participant.
Put Tuesday 4 January in your diaries! The act going to Turin will be revealed during the broadcaster’s morning news.
Hints on who might appear will be revealed over the next 3 days on the official ESC Montenegro Instagram account: so give them a follow!
Montenegro’s selection process is nearing its climax, as broadcaster RTCG has announced receipt of 30 applications thanks to their open call for songs. This is a record number of entries for the Balkan nation.
In the mix are a number of domestic and international compositions.
A 10 member pre-selection committee will now listen through the songs and make a decision by the end of the year.
Stay tuned to Eurovision.tv to find out who’ll represent Montenegro at Eurovision in Turin.
Slovenia’s EMA FREŠ 2022 quest for new talent continues, and we have our next 3 finalists!
Congratulations to:
The hunt continues this week as EMA FREŠ presents two performances each day from Monday to Thursday. You are invited to vote on who you’d like to see progress to the weekly Saturday webcast presented by Arne, Eva Boto and Bojan Cvjetićanin.
Estonia’s national selection competition Eesti Laul concluded its quarter-finals this weekend, meaning we have 20 songs going through to the semis next year.
Public choices to qualify:
Jury choices to qualify:
The 5 lucky participants will join the following 15 qualifiers in the semi-finals of Eesti Laul when it returns in February:
Public choices to qualify::
Jury choices to qualify:
Slovenia’s EMA FREŠ 2022 quest for new talent is well underway, and we have our first 3 finalists!
Congratulations to:
The hunt continues this week as EMA FREŠ presents two performances each day from Monday to Thursday. You are invited to vote on who you’d like to see progress to the weekly Saturday webcast presented by Arne, Eva Boto and Bojan Cvjetićanin.
The Eesti Laul quarter-finals continued over the weekend, with 5 of the 10 songs presented progressing to the semi-final rounds in early 2022.
Fans saw Elina Nechayeva (Lisbon 2018) qualify for the semi-finals.
The songs chosen to move forward are:
Public choices to qualify:
Jury choices to qualify:
Commiserations to deLULU, Good Reason, Lauri Pihlap, Levvis and Shira, who failed to qualify this year.
Last week, we gave the readers of Douze Points the chance to win a festive beanie from the new ‘Christmas Collection’ over at the Eurovision Shop!
All they had to do was solve the following anagram to reveal a Eurovision act:
Well done if you managed to unscramble the phrase to reveal: Madame Monsieur ('Ma Misdemeanour’), and congratulations to the two lucky winners drawn at random…
In the words of Silvía Night: 'Congratulations!'
We will be in touch shortly.
Check out the new range of festive merchandise on the official Eurovision Shop and subscribe to Douze Points for more chances to win fantastic Eurovision treasures!
The Eesti Laul quarter-finals continued over the weekend, with 5 of the 10 songs presented progressing to the semi-final rounds in early 2022.
The songs chosen to move forward are:
Public choices to qualify:
Jury choices to qualify:
Commiserations to Wiiralt, Desiree, Silver Juliso, An-Marlen and Meisterjaan, who failed to qualify this year.
Romania has revealed details of their pathway to Eurovision 2022, with the participating broadcaster TVR confirming a national selection competition.
Details on the format of the contest, including how to submit an entry, are expected in the coming days.
Romania joined the Contest in 1994 and though they’ve yet to win, they have finished in the top 5 on three occasions.
Their best results saw the country finish third with Luminița Anghel and Sistem’s Let Me Try (2005) and Paula Seling and Ovi’s Playing With Fire (2010).
ERT revealed the names of 5 artists currently in the running to represent Greece in Turin next May.
A total of forty songs were considered by the broadcaster and a final decision will be made by ERT in the coming weeks.
Fans might recognise Ilias Kozas from the band Koza Mostra; they represented Greece in the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest with Agathonas Iakovidis and the 6th place song Alcohol Is Free.
Estonia’s Eesti Laul returned to screens this weekend, and is set to be with us for the next three Saturday evenings (November 27, December 4 and 11).
The trio of 2021 shows are quarter finals being used to selected participants to perform in the semi finals and grand final in February 2022.
The first quarter final saw 10 songs performed (half in English and half in Estonian) with three progressing to the semi finals thanks to a televote, and a further two selected by a professional jury.
The jury featured: Sissia, Synne Valtri and Egert Milder (all previous Eesti Laul participants); songwriter Maiken; and TV and radio experts Andres Puusepp, Bert Järvert, Olav Osolin and Vaido Panel.
Televote winners:
Jury winners:
Did not qualify:
📺 Watch: Elina Born & Stig Rästa – Goodbye to Yesterday
Stig Rästa successfully navigated the quarter final and is perhaps best know for his 7th place finish at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest with duet partner Elina Born on the song Goodbye to Yesterday.
The fan favourite also wrote Estonia’s 2016 entry Play (performed by Jüri Pootsmann) and finished 2nd at Eesti Laul in 2018.
Could this year see further success for Stig?
After the huge success of Blind Channel at the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest, Finland’s biggest music show, UMK, is expanding to become a ticketed event with a massive after-party.
📺 Watch: Blind Channel – Dark Side (2021)
The Finnish city of Turku will host the new, all-night UMK22 event on Saturday 26 February from 19:00 (EET) until 04:00 (!) the following morning. Tickets are on sale now.
Tapio Hakanen, the head of the UMK panel said:
‘The artist lineup chosen for this year’s UMK is the most versatile ever. The contestants include emerging pop-stars who have been successful on streaming services, promising international export talent, an artist known by all Finns, including an artist who has appeared on a very well known music programme, a long-standing favourite whose career stretches from the 80s to today, and new names who enjoy high praise from the music industry. There was a clear increase in the number of submissions by rock bands, and we will see explosive rock energy also in the final. Now, viewers can finally experience the excitement of UMK also in a live event’
Acts will be announced on Wednesday 12 January, with song presentations beginning the next day.
Portugal’s hunt for the next Amar Pelos Dois has kicked off in Lisbon.
Broadcaster RTP has announced the composers and lyricists responsible for the 20 songs competing in Festival da Canção 2022.
Songwriters invited by RTP:
The 16 writers invited by RTP will be joined by 4 who submitted songs through a public process:
More information about the songs and Festival da Canção 2022 will be released via the official Facebook and Instagram accounts – so make sure to give them a follow!
Germany are looking for their next Eurovision artist and have opened the applications process to find their Lied für Turin (Song for Turin). For the first time, ARD radio stations from around Germany will be an integral part of the selection process. The radio stations involved are Antenne Brandenburg, BAYERN 3, Bremen Vier, hr3, MDR Jumo, NDR 2, SR 1, SWR 3 and WDR 2. Five music experts from these stations will join the Head of Delegation for Germany, Alexandra Wolfslast, in the ‘Eurovision Expert Jury’.
The jury will select the best five songs which will be put to the vote during a big ARD ESC Day which is set to take place in March. Listeners of the radio stations, TV viewers and the online audience will be able to vote for their favourite song.
So if you fancy yourself flying the German flag to Turin, head on over to the applications website.
Last week, we gave the readers of Douze Points the chance to win a Turin 2022 lanyard from the new merchandise range! All they had to do was solve the following anagram to reveal a spooky Eurovision song:
📺 Watch: DJ BoBo – Vampires Are Alive (2007)
Well done if you managed to unscramble the phrase to reveal: Vampires Are Alive ('A Primaeval Repirse’), and congratulations to the two lucky winners drawn at random…
Congratulations! We will be in touch shortly.
Check out the new range of Turin 2022 merchandise on the official Eurovision Shop and subscribe to Douze Points for more chances to win fantastic Eurovision treasures!
Croatia’s televised national selection show Dora returns to our screens in February, so obviously they need some performers!
Eurovision.tv can reveal that the submission window for artists and composers is now open until Thursday 25 November. Rules can be found on broadcaster HRT’s website.
📺 Watch: Top 10 entries from Croatia
A special jury will select a total of 14 entries (plus 4 reserve entries) to compete in February – these will be announced in early December.
As always with Dora, the winner will be determined by a combination of televote and a jury of music industry professionals.
Croatia will be looking for an act to take them to the Grand Final for the first time since Jacques Houdek in Kyiv, 2017.
Last week we learned the exciting news that Montenegro would return to the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time since 2019.
Today, broadcaster RTCG began the hunt for the song to take the Balkan nation through the Semi-Finals and beyond!
Composers from all over the globe are invited to submit a track for Turin but the eventual performer must have Montenegrin citizenship.
Songs that have not been published prior to 1 October are eligible and the submission window closes on Friday 10 December. Full details can be found on RTCG’s website in both English and Montenegrin.
The BBC has announced the hunt is on for an act to represent the United Kingdom at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Turin.
The broadcaster will be collaborating with TaP Music, the management company behind Dua Lipa, Lana del Rey and Ellie Goulding, in order to choose a song and act that will represent the United Kingdom in the biggest and most watched music contest on the planet.
Kate Phillips, Controller Entertainment Commissioning for the BBC, said this:
In the UK our love for Eurovision is as big as ever and we have grand ambitions for the 2022 Contest, so we’re really excited to announce this collaboration that will enable us to tap into some great music talent.
Ben Mawson from TaP Music added:
We’re really excited to be teaming up with the BBC for this event and will use Eurovision to authentically reflect and celebrate the rich, diverse and world-class musical talent the UK is globally renowned for.
Keep an eye on Eurovision.tv for further details.
Swedish sensation Tusse has released a new single: Grow.
🎧 Listen: Tusse – Grow
The track was written by himself together with Amanda Cygnaeus, Petter Tarland, Pär Westerlund and produced by Paro.
The Melodifestivalen champ says this of the new song:
It’s not easy being young today and all the challenges kids face each and every day. Not only do you have to find yourself and try to fit in, you also worry about the climate and the environment and what the future will look like. On top of that, you have to fight mental illness, pandemics, racism, sexism, homophobia and so much more.
📺 Watch: Tusse – Voices (Eurovision Song Contest 2021)
Earlier this year, Tusse impressed audiences across the globe with his Eurovision Song Contest entry Voices.
January will see the inaugural Benidorm Fest take place; three televised shows which broadcaster RTVE will use as a process to find Spain’s representative in Italy next year.
We know lots of fans will want to visit this new event on the national final circuit, so rest assured Eurovision.tv will share even more details of the festival as soon as they’re made available.
In the meantime, applications are now open to lyricists, composers and performers of Spanish nationality or with permanent residency in Spain, who’d like to compete for the chance to represent Spain. Artists are invited to apply via the RTVE website.
It has also been revealed that 6 artists will compete in both of the two semi-finals, with 3 progressing from each to the grand final.
The overall victor will be chosen by a vote decided by a 50/50 split of professional jury (60% national, 40% international) and the general public.
Watch: Salomé – Vivo Cantando (1969)
It will soon be 52 years since Salomé won Eurovision for Spain… can Benidorm reset the counter?
One, two, girls – COME ON!
Public broadcaster RTS has opened the application process to represent Serbia at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2022.
Watch: Hurricane – Loco Loco – LIVE – Serbia 🇷🇸 – Second Semi-Final – Eurovision 2021
Performers must be citizens of Serbia, however composers can enter from across the globe.
RTS informs Eurovision.tv: ‘if you were ever hoping to give us the next Serbian banger or power ballad, this is your time!’
More details on Beovizija 2022 will be released shortly.
Winners of the September Douze Points competition ⭐️
Last week, we gave the readers of Douze Points the chance to win a fabulous #OpenUp water bottle! All they had to do was solve the following anagram to reveal a Eurovision participant:
Well done if you managed to unscramble the phrase to reveal: Eugent Bushpepa ('Ten Pups Hug A Bee’), and congratulations to the lucky winners drawn at random…
Congratulations! We will be in touch shortly.
The water bottles are available to buy in the official Eurovision Shop.
Subscribe to Douze Points for more chances to win fantastic Eurovision treasures!
Polish broadcaster TVP have started the search for Rafał Brzozowski’s successor.
'Do you dream of joining the ranks of the most outstanding European artists and performing on the Eurovision scene? Applications for Polish preselections for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Italy have started.'
Watch: Rafał – The Ride (Second Semi-Final)
Potential superstars are invited to send in their applications before Saturday 20 November.
Broadcaster RTÉ has announced that Ireland’s 2022 entry will be selected on a special Eurovision edition of The Late Late Show.
RTE’s Head of Delegation Michael Kealy said:
I am very excited by the return of a Eurovision National Final on The Late Late Show and the prospect of giving the public a greater say in selecting our entry for Italy. Every year the Eurovision gets bigger and more competitive than ever and given the enormous exposure and huge financial rewards for the winner I’m hopeful that we will attract a very high calibre of songwriter and performer.
Songwriters and artists can submit their song on RTÉ's Eurovision website.
Swedish pop star Oscar Zia will host Melodifestivalen 2022. The show is one of the most popular TV events in Sweden and determines who will represent the country at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Oscar Zia is no stranger to Melodifestivalen. In fact, he’s a three-time participant and 2021 host!
Watch: Oscar Zia – Human (Melodifestivalen 2016)
He previously participated in 2013 as a backing vocalist together with (future) The Mamas singer Loulou Lamotte in the Behrang Miri song Jalla Dansa Sawa. In 2014, he reached the top 10 when he performed Yes We Can as a solo artist. His last competing performance in the competition was in 2016 with the song Human. Oscar won the jury vote but finished runner-up behind Frans who mopped up the televote. Most recently he co-hosted the second Semi-Final in February 2021 with Anis Don Demina and Christer Björkman.
If the public health situation allows it, SVT plans to take Melodifestivalen on tour around Sweden. This follows the 2021 event which held all 6 events in the Annexet in Stockholm, without an audience.
You can mark the Melodifestivalen 2022 dates in your calendar now:
Keep checking the blog for all the latest updates on Melodifestivalen and Eurovision 2022!
Happy new year! Today is the official start of the new Eurovision season.
In short: any song released between now and the March submission deadline is eligible for the Eurovision Song Contest in Italy next year.
We’ve lots to look forward to in the coming weeks, including that all important Host City announcement!
Mark sure to bookmark our calendar of national finals (good students Australia, Denmark, Italy and Norway have already put dates in the diary); we’ll be updating with show links and info, as and when we know more.
Last week, we gave the readers of Douze Points the chance to win the Eurovision Song Contest board game! All they had to do was solve the following anagram to reveal a Eurovision participant:
Well done if you managed to unscramble the phrase to reveal: Softengine (Intense Fog), and congratulations to the lucky winner drawn at random…
Congratulations! We will be in touch shortly.
The board game is available to buy in the official Eurovision Shop.
Subscribe to Douze Points for more chances to win fantastic Eurovision treasures!
On the back of their Eurovision Song Contest win, Måneskin have been topping all sorts of charts across the globe. Their latest triumph is on social media, as TikTok revealed the top 5 songs used in the UK on the platform over the summer:
Top 5 songs on UK TikTok
Beggin’ was used in 354k video creations in the UK, with over 9 million creations overall and 3.7 billion views of the #Maneskin hashtag.
Watch: Måneskin – Zitti E Buoni (Grand Final)
Meanwhile, Spotify announced their global summer charts too, showcasing even more success for the Italian champs, taking the number two spot:
Spotify’s Top Global Songs of Summer 2021
(I Wanna Be Your Slave also secured the #12 position.)
Watch: Duncan Laurence – Arcade
In other great news, Duncan Laurence’s Arcade, nearly 27 months after winning the Eurovision Song Contest, has secured a Top 40 position on the Billboard Hot 100.
Česká televize (ČT) has fired the starting gun in the race to represent the Czech Republic in 2022.
Potential participants are being invited to send in their demo tapes to the broadcaster, with a deadline being set for Thursday 30 September.
Watch: Mikolas Josef – Lie To Me (Czech Republic 2018)
Artists can submit more than one entry but the lead singer (or at least one of the vocalists, if a duo) must hold Czech citizenship.
If you’re interested, head on over to the ČT website.
We are truly blessed with new music this week!
Ireland’s Lesley Roy has released a follow-up to MAPS in the form of I’ll Be Fine.
Watch: Lesley Roy – I’ll Be Fine (Lyric Video)
Lesley’s new bop is available to stream right now on Spotify.
Blind Channel have released a new single and it’s just as loud as you’d expect!
The Finnish rockers have this to say about their new track Balboa:
‘It’s us sticking to our vision without compromise. Underdogs are a dangerous species. This is a call to arms to every hardworking dreamer out there, and the soundtrack of our career so far. We keep coming back.’
Balboa is available to stream and download now.
Australia’s Montaigne has released her first single since appearing at the Eurovision Song Contest.
My Life Is Better With You is available on streaming services and the official music video will premiere on YouTube at 16:00 CEST today.
You can watch it here.
Last week, we gave the readers of Douze Points the chance to win Eurovision goody bags. All they had to do was solve the following anagram to reveal a Eurovision participant:
Well done if you managed to unscramble the phrase to reveal: Natalia Gordienko (A Lion Doing Karate), and congratulations to the 10 winners drawn at random…
⭐️ Gym Bag, Poster & Wristband Set Winners: ⭐️
⭐️ Gym Bag, Poster & #OpenUp 2020 Lanyard Winners: ⭐️
Congratulations! We will be in touch shortly.
Subscribe to Douze Points for more chances to win fantastic Eurovision treasures!
Polish broadcaster TVP have revealed their Summer Tour line-up which includes some familiar faces.
The event will move from city to city each Sunday over the Polish summer holidays, showcasing home-grown talent as well as Eurovision stars, including:
Watch: RAFAŁ – The Ride (Poland 2021, Second Semi-Final)
Poland’s 2021 participant, The Ride singer Rafał Brzozowski, will both host the concerts and perform.
So baby hold on for the ride of your life: the shows will broadcast at 20:40 CEST on TVP2.
Italian broadcaster Rai has confirmed that Festival della canzone italiana di Sanremo will return between Tuesday 1 and Sunday 5 February, 2022.
The long-running show produced 2021 winners Måneskin and will once again be used to inform the Italian choice of participant in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Director of Rai1, Stefano Coletta, explains their vision for 2022:
‘The musical journey undertaken two years ago by Amadeus [Sanremo’s artistic director] marked an important cultural change in the history of the Festival which led the winners of the last edition, to also win the Eurovision Song Contest and important international recognition for the Italian song.’
‘It is in this direction of innovation and one of the objectives of the Public Service, that Rai intends to continue to enhance the musical talent in an ever greater way through the most popular television event in the country’.
This exciting news means we can also reopen the Eurovision calendar.
Mr Lordi and Santa Claus (not pictured) attended a pop-up vaccination event in the city of Rovaniemi (Lapland, Finland) this week to help promote the availability of vaccination jabs as well as the local authority’s free rapid COVID-19 testing.
Mr Lordi said: They put a big needle in my arm, and that’s exactly why I came here. This was my second vaccine dose.
The Eurovision winner also revealed that he had lost count of the number of gigs the hard rockers have had to cancel due to the coronavirus, but also shared that time away from touring allowed the band to focus on new music: It’s given us an opportunity to be creative. We’ve recorded seven albums during the pandemic.
Douze Points, the all new Eurovision Song Contest newsletter, was published earlier today. You can subscribe here.
In the first issue, readers received an exclusive interview with Gjon’s Tears, the opportunity to watch two iconic 2006 performances from Kate Ryan and Silvia Night in 1080p, plus the chance to win an exclusive Eurovision goody bag.
Douze Points drops on the fourth Thursday of every month.
Tonight (Saturday 31 July) at 21:00 CEST, a never-seen-before HD (high definition) cut of the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 held in Athens will be broadcast for the first time. Fans will be able to watch it for free and together on the official Eurovision YouTube channel.
Watch: Eurovision Song Contest 2006 Athens HD Cut
Many aspects of this high definition cut differ from the definitive version of the 51st Eurovision Song Contest that was broadcast live from Athens on Saturday 20 May, 2006.
We’re excited to share this experimental HD footage with you for reference; it is not intended to replace the original show.
Read the full story:
Update: Benidorm Song Festival to return as Spanish national final 🇪🇸
Spanish broadcaster RTVE will make an announcement tomorrow (Thursday 22 July) about their participation in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest.
It is thought that the Spanish delegation has already begun work on selecting potential entries for the 66th Contest next year, with RVTE President José Manuel Pérez Tornero stating that they were going to be taking their participation ‘very seriously’.
The announcement will be made in front of assorted press and media in Benidorm at 12:30 CEST and will be streamed live on the RTVE YouTube channel.
Blas Cantó was the most recent act to represent Spain. His song Voy A Quedarme finished in 24th place, picking up 2 points from the United Kingdom jury and 4 from the Bulgarian jury.
Of the Big Five nations (which also includes Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom and France), Spain has been waiting the longest for a victory. Their last triumph came 52 years ago during the 1969 Contest which ended in a four-way tie between Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and France.
Eurovision champions and all-round angels Måneskin have released a video for their Spotify Global number one hit song I Wanna Be Your Slave.
The video sees the band indulging in a range of wholesome activities.
Seventeen Italian cities (and regions) have submitted their candidacy to host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2022.
Eurovision Song Contest 2022 Candidate Cities:
The honour of hosting the 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will be awarded to one of the candidate cities on the condition they can meet all of the criteria set out by the EBU, as well as state their ability to support the Contest through services and economic contributions.
Tomorrow morning (Wednesday 14 July) Rai (the Italian national broadcaster) will deliver bid books to the Candidate Cities and they will have until Wednesday 4 August to submit full details of their attempt to host the world’s largest live music event.
Watch: Måneskin – Zitti E Buoni, Italy 🇮🇹 (Grand Final)
There’s a long way to go in the bidding process and though many cities have thrown their coppola in to the ring, fans are advised not to book travel or accommodation until full details of the event are revealed later in the year once a Host City has been confirmed.
For updates on the Eurovision 2022 city bidding process stay tuned to Eurovision.tv and follow the official Eurovision Song Contest Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook accounts.
Everyone’s favourite Icelandic electropop artiste Daði Freyr has been busy creating new 10 Years videos featuring his fans.
The first has been uploaded to Daði’s YouTube channel with a further '4 or 5' expected to follow.
The Think About Things singer’s sold-out tour kicks off at Iceland Airwaves in November.
One, two, girls C’MON!
Sanja, Ivana and Ksenija have released the video for their new single Do Neba (English: 'To The Heavens’).
The video was filmed on location in Zanzibar, Tanzania, shortly after their success in Rotterdam where they finished in 15th place.
L’appel à candidatures est ouvert!
France are looking for their next Eurovision superstar and have opened their applications process for Eurovision France, c’est vous qui décidez! – taking submissions until October 2021.
To enter you must be over the age of 16 by 1 January 2022, and your original song must be ‘mostly’ in French or one of the languages of the French overseas territories.
So if you fancy yourself as the next Marie Myriam, Barbara Pravi or even Twin Twin, head on over to the France Télévisions applications website.
The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship continues into the Quarter-Finals, as does the fun we’re having with our Eurovision Championships.
You can take part by following our official Eurovision Twitter account.
A thrilling first knockout round has come to an end, with some cracking games, cries of match fixing, and a very strong last eight line-up!
Round of 16 results:
Wales v Denmark ⭐️ 2–3
Italy ⭐️ v Austria 5–0
Netherlands ⭐️ v Czech Republic 3–2
Belgium ⭐️ v Portugal 5–0
Croatia v Spain ⭐️ 2–3
France ⭐️ v Switzerland 3–2
England v Germany ⭐️ 1–4
Sweden v Ukraine ⭐️ 2–3
It’s now confirmed that football won’t be coming home in the Eurovision Championships following Germany’s demolition of England, and many spectators believe an Italian win is all but wrapped up.
From Friday 2 July, each Quarter-Final match will be accompanied by a video montage of the two countries playing against each other with a straightforward vote for your favourite!
Quarter-Finals
Belgium v Italy
France v Spain
Ukraine v Germany
Netherlands v Denmark
To get behind your favourite teams make sure you follow the official Eurovision Twitter account and take part in the votes (starting Saturday 26 June) that will determine which countries go through to the quarter finals and beyond!
Everyone’s favourite Danish duo since the The Raveonetteshave announced their eponymous debut album, Fyr og Flamme.
The pair describe the record as being packed with ‘80s vibes that’ll set fire to both stadiums and living rooms. It includes their Eurovision entry Øve Os På Hinanden.
Fyr og Flamme tracklist:
The album will be released on CD and limited edition vinyl, and can be pre-ordered from their official website in advance of the 13 August release date.
Turkey hasn’t participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since 2012, pressing pause on a rich history within the competition that includes 34 entries and a 2003 victory thanks to Sertab Erener’s Every Way That I Can.
Despite the break in participation, the Contest remains popular in the ‘land of four seasons’ and speculation about a potential return has been fuelled by İbrahim Eren, Chairman and Director General at national broadcaster TRT, after commenting on the prospect of Turkey returning to the Eurovision Song Contest.
Watch: Top Ten Entries from Turkey
Today, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) shed new light on the path to a possible Turkish return:
‘Although the EBU’s Turkish Member TRT hasn’t participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since 2012 we know there is still huge interest in Turkey in the Contest underlined by the large amount of engagement on our social channels from Turkish fans.
With that in mind, we are in contact with TRT with the aim of bringing them back into the competition.
TRT has made a huge contribution to the Contest in the past, including hosting the event in Istanbul in 2004, and we would very much welcome them back should they decide to participate again.’
The most recent Turkish entry is Can Bonomo’s Love Me Back(Baku 2012).
The official Eurovision Song Contest 2021 DVD is available to purchase as of tomorrow (Friday 25 June).
If you can’t wait one day, know that you can place a pre-order now on the Eurovision Shop.
The first post-Rotterdam meeting of the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group took place in Geneva this week.
From left to right: Claudio Fasulo, Deputy Director of RAI Uno, Simona Martorelli (RAI), Felix Bergsson (RÚV), David Tserunyan (AMPTV), Martin Österdahl (EBU), Carla Bugalho (RTP), Yuval Cohen (KAN), Sietse Bakker (NPO), Astrid Dutrenit (NPO), Frank-Dieter Freiling (ZDF).
(Note: Claudio Fasulo isn’t on the Reference Group and Alexandra Redde (FTV) who is, is absent from the photo.)
The Reference Group is made up of elected Heads of Delegations, executive producers from previous Host Broadcasters and the ESC Executive Supervisor from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). It’s their job to steer the Contest from Host to Host.
The triumphant Italian Head of Delegation, Simona Martorelli, shared her excitement about Italy’s chance to host the world’s biggest music event:
'There is a lot of enthusiasm around the Eurovision Song Contest in Italy. This victory is combined with a sentiment of rebirth that Italy really needs. We’re looking forward to working with the Reference Group on producing an incredible ESC in Italy in 2022.
In the story of Eurovision, my favourite song is ABBA’s Waterloo and my favourite Italian entry is, of course, Maneskin’s Zitti E Buoni!'
Dismissing the old proverb ‘all roads lead to Rome’, Simona revealed the number one item on her agenda:
'Our first task is of course to find a great Host City over the summer for next year’s show.'
Eurovision Song Contest Executive Supervisor Martin Österdahl welcomed the Reference Group to the EBU headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland:
It’s great to finally be able to welcome the Reference Group to Geneva and meet in person for the first time in over 18 months.
The handover between the previous and next year’s Host Broadcaster is always a special moment and even more so this year. We’ve reflected on three spectacular shows in Rotterdam and are excited to welcome the team from RAI onboard and already looking forward to what they will bring us in 2022.
The countdown to Italy 2022 begins!
#EurovisionAgain has returned with the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest, which was hosted by Spain in Madrid. Fans can watch together via a live YouTube premiere from 21:00 CEST this evening (Saturday 19 June) or view the show after it has broadcast on the official Eurovision YouTube Channel.
Watch: Eurovision Song Contest, Madrid 1969
Eurovision fans are expected to cause the hashtag #EurovisionAgain to trend once more, as they follow the show and tweet along on Saturday evening.
The @EurovisionAgain twitter account will run a fan poll for fun after the final act (Finland’s Jarkko & Laura) has performed to see if they can finally break the famous four-way tie.
They are also providing scorecards for fans to download and print.
Join in the fun over on Twitter!
We’re not getting into a dispute as to whether a hurricane in Tanzania is technically known as a tropical cyclone or not, HOWEVER, our favourite Serbian girl group Hurricane are in Zanzibar right now and will host an exclusive Instagram Live on the official Eurovision account from 12:00 CEST today!
The 1984 Portuguese Eurovision entry Silêncio E Tanta Gente by Maria Guinot is being used by Portugal’s Federação Portuguesa de Futebol to promote the team’s participation in the UEFA European Championships.
Watch: Silêncio E Tanta Gente by Maria Guinot (Federação Portuguesa de Futebol)
The song (English translation: 'Silence and So Many People’) used in the context of Portugal’s Euros campaign alludes to the current COVID-19 situation and the fact that many fans cannot currently be together. The video features the team’s fans from across the world.
Às vezes é no meio do silêncio
(Sometimes it’s in the midst of silence)
Que descubro o amor em teu olhar
(I find love in the look of your eyes)
É uma pedra
(It’s a stone)
É um grito
(It’s a shout)
Que nasce em qualquer lugar
(Born anywhere)
Às vezes é no meio de tanta gente
(Sometimes it’s in the midst of so many people)
Que descubro afinal aquilo que sou
(I find at last what I am)
Sou um grito
(I’m a shout)
Ou sou uma pedra
(I’m a stone)
De um altar aonde não estou
(From a place where I am not)
Silêncio E Tanta Gente was entered into the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest in Luxembourg and received 38 points, finishing in a respectable 11th place.
Singer, songwriter and pianist, Maria Guinot passed away in 2018 at the age of 73.
Eurovision champion and budding vintner Måns Zelmerlöw has announced a summer tour.
Fresh from rocking the rooftops in Rotterdam, the superstar from Scania has lined up 13 gigs across Sweden, and is be expected to perform all his hits including his latest single Come Over Love.
Tickets are available from Måns’ official website.
The might not have made it to the Eurovision stage for a second time but The Mamas are still going strong.
Watch: Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini – The Mamas
Today they’ve released a cover version of Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, explaining this decision the Mamas said:
Even though it’s a song with playful lyrics wrapped in a fun summery beat, it comes with an important message about the journey from body shaming to body positivity; a modern take on a classic tale of the perfect beauty standards and impossible societal norms that affect our confidence, image and self-worth, and how to break away from them. From “in the locker she wanted to stay”, to “showing her curves, honey she came to SLAY!”
Of course there are plenty of cover versions of this iconic summer anthem already, with perhaps the best known being released in the UK by Bombalurina – a side project of television presenter Timmy Mallett and It’s My Time-composer Andrew Lloyd-Webber.
The song is available to stream on Spotify.
Massive football fan or simply desperate to steer any footy chat back to Eurovision at the very first opportunity?
Either way, check out our guide to the Euros and download our wallchart.
Allez Ola Olé! ⚽️
In perhaps the biggest news of the week, we can report that Jendrik has settled on a new hair colour:
Over on his official instagram page the I Don’t Feel Hate singer revealed: 'So I did something'.
He joins Iceland’s Hulda from Gagnamagnið in the exclusive blue hair club.
More hair news as we get it…
We love to see Eurovision artists thriving – so it’s delightful to learn Daði Freyr’s world tour has sold out.
Sharing the news on his Twitter account, Daði said: 'The tour SOLD OUT! I’m adding two new shows in Berlin and Tilburg and upgrading to bigger venues in Prague and Munich! Added tickets go on sale on Friday! <3'
You can check out his website for further tour info.
Fyr og Flamme have been added to Copenhagen’s Tivoli Garden Party line-up due to take place in July. The event embraces all kinds of music, offering something for everyone, from pop lovers to EDM enthusiasts.
The 2021 Eurovision Song Contest was the first time since 1997 that Denmark sent a song completely in Danish.
Watch: Fyr og Flamme – Øve Os På Hinanden
The duo will take to the stage at 19:00 CEST on Friday 9 July and will no doubt perform their entry Øve Os På Hinanden which just missed out on qualifying, finishing 11th in the second Semi-Final.
The hunt to find the next Junior Eurovision champion has begun.
We already know that Portugal have selected Simão Oliveira for the Contest in Paris on Sunday 19 December, and now Germany joins the race.
Deutschland will take part in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest for the second time, selecting their participant in a national final: Junior ESC – Wer fährt nach Paris? (‘Junior ESC – Who’s Going To Paris?’) on Friday 10 September.
Jendrik has been encouraging young people to take part over on the KiKa website; budding performers between the ages of 9 and 15 have until June 25 to apply.
