📺 Watch the Second Semi-Final Live Stream on YouTube or find out how to watch in your region.
We’re done for the night, and ready to grab some sleep before we start getting excited about the Eurovision 2023 GRAND FINAL – thank you so much for joining us tonight.
There will of course be one more Live Blog, so please join us back here on Saturday!
If late night press conferences are your Eurovision jam, tonight’s Qualifiers will be answering press and fan questions shortly. It’s streamed live on YouTube here, so please enjoy.
So now we know our first/second half split, but not the running order – that’s being discussed as we speak, and will be confirmed later tonight.
Performing in the first half (order not yet confirmed):
🇪🇪 Estonia
🇨🇾 Cyprus
🇵🇱 Poland
🇦🇹 Austria
🇦🇱 Albania
🇷🇸 Serbia
🇵🇹 Portugal
🇨🇭 Switzerland
🇸🇪 Sweden
🇫🇮 Finland
🇫🇷 France
🇮🇹 Italy
🇪🇸 Spain
Performing in the second half (order not yet confirmed):
🇦🇲 Armenia
🇧🇪 Belgium
🇸🇮 Slovenia
🇱🇹 Lithuania
🇦🇺 Australia
🇳🇴 Norway
🇭🇷 Croatia
🇮🇱 Israel
🇲🇩 Moldova
🇨🇿 Czechia
🇩🇪 Germany
🇺🇦 Ukraine (confirmed 19th)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom (confirmed 26th)
We'll update this post as each Qualifier draws their half of the Grand Final - you can also watch the draw live on TikTok. It’s starting really soon!
🇦🇱 Albania will perform in the FIRST HALF of the Grand Final
🇨🇾 Cyprus will perform in the FIRST HALF of the Grand Final
🇪🇪 Estonia will perform in the FIRST HALF of the Grand Final
🇧🇪 Belgium will perform in the SECOND HALF of the Grand Final
🇦🇹 Austria will perform in the FIRST HALF of the Grand Final
🇱🇹 Lithuania will perform in the SECOND HALF of the Grand Final
🇵🇱 Poland will perform in the FIRST HALF of the Grand Final
🇦🇺 Australia will perform in the SECOND HALF of the Grand Final
🇦🇲 Armenia will perform in the SECOND HALF of the Grand Final
🇸🇮 Slovenia will perform in the SECOND HALF of the Grand Final
Well, that was quite the ride – we actually forgot to breathe. Big congratulations to our 10 Qualifiers from tonight’s show, and much Eurovision love and commiserations to the six who didn't make it through.
Thank you for joining us for this live blog – we hope you’ll come back on Saturday for the Grand Final. But for those of you who want to disappear a little further down the Eurovision rabbit hole, each of our Qualifiers will be swinging by shortly to pick a slip of paper from a big bowl that will tell them whether they’re performing in the first or second half of the Grand Final.
The draw is being broadcast live on TikTok, but we’ll be sharing the results too. On Tuesday it took twenty minutes or so for the Finalists to muster in the press conference area, so take the opportunity to replenish your supplies and stretch your legs.
The second Semi-Final is done, and we have our results! Here’s the final list of qualifiers for Saturday’s Grand Final:
🇦🇱 Albania / Albina & Familja Kelmendi - Duje
🇨🇾 Cyprus / Andrew Lambrou - Break A Broken Heart
🇪🇪 Estonia / Alika - Bridges
🇧🇪 Belgium / Gustaph - Because of You
🇦🇹 Austria / Teya & Salena - Who The Hell Is Edgar?
🇱🇹 Lithuania / Monika Linkytė - Stay
🇵🇱 Poland / Blanka - Solo
🇦🇺 Australia / Voyager - Promise
🇦🇲 Armenia / Brunette - Future Lover
🇸🇮 Slovenia / Joker Out - Carpe Diem
Slovenia’s Joker Out have qualified for the Grand Final of Eurovision 2023!
Armenia’s Brunette has qualified for the Grand Final of Eurovision 2023!
Australia’s Voyager have qualified for the Grand Final of Eurovision 2023!
Poland’s Blanka has qualified for the Grand Final of Eurovision 2023!
Lithuania’s Monika Linkytė has qualified for the Grand Final of Eurovision 2023!
Austria’s Teya and Salena have qualified for the Grand Final of Eurovision 2023!
Belgium’s Gustaph has qualified for the Grand Final of Eurovision 2023!
Estonia’s Alika has qualified for the Grand Final of Eurovision 2023!
Cyprus’s Andrew Lambrou has qualified for the Grand Final of Eurovision 2023!
Albania’s Albina and the Kelmendi Family have qualified for the Grand Final of Eurovision 2023!
…and Eurovision Executive Supervisor Martin Osterdahl has confirmed we are GOOD TO GO. You could cut the tension in this room with a knife. We’re ready to find out our second batch of Qualifiers, but also not at all ready to say goodbye to six performers.
OK, let’s do this.
On Tuesday we met three of the acts who automatically qualify for the Grand Final, and today we’re going to meet the other three – Spain’s Blanca Paloma, Ukraine’s TVORCHI and the United Kingdom’s Mae Muller. They’re three dramatically different songs, but all absolute class acts. We’ll see these performances in full on Saturday, but if you can’t wait that long, they’re all below!
It’s so fun to look at the world of Eurovision through the eyes of four Eurovision kids who were let loose backstage to discover how it all works. Full documentary please, with extra ‘what does this button do?’ chaos.
Former Eurovision hosts Mans and Filomena are back to play another round of Q or NQ? The result is a tie, so they both get a crown. It was worth it just to get a few seconds of Moldova’s Sunstroke Project and the legendary Epic Sax Guy.
FUN FACT: Moldova’s Pasha Parfeni used to be the lead singer of Sunstroke Project, but not when they were on Eurovision.
Time for our second interval performance, and it’s a LOT of fun. Alesha, Julia and Hannah all disappear into the on-stage Queen Machine, and are transformed into their drag queen counterparts. They perform a lipsync medley called ‘Be who you wanna be’, and It’s serving all-in, everybody’s welcome, united by music realness. It’s what Eurovision is all about, and we love it.
...or did we imagine it? Nope, we've found photographic evidence. For the fact fans amongst you, Peppa joins Santa Claus, The Wombles and Moomin Papa as fictional characters to appear at Eurovision in a non-competing capacity. You're welcome.
The vote will close soon, so if you haven’t voted for your favourite already, you might want to get your act together. This is your final warning, we won’t tell you again (we probably will).
Our first interval act is a celebration of Ukrainian music, showing how can span generations and even in times of darkness, provide light. The singing and staging are both stunning, and it’s a great showcase of how diverse Ukrainian music is.
If you’re thinking, ‘hang on, isn’t that a Christmas song?’, it’s because Carol of The Bells is based on a Ukrainian folk song called Shchedryk. We first heard this rehearsal the other day whilst tucking into a Baileys, and it all felt quite festive. And now we’re thinking that a Christmas-themed Eurovision would be really nice idea – can someone make that happen please?
Well that was a journey from Danish pop to Aussie rock, via pretty much everything in between. Where else could you see all that apart from at Eurovision? Here's a reminder of everything we've seen tonight - don't forget to vote for your favourite!
It's time to vote for your favourite NOW, while UK TV legend Peppa Pig leads the contestants in a conga around the Green Room. ‘British people are certainly interesting’, says Julia, which is something of an understatement. It's like a pink fever dream.
We can now reveal that Peppa actually has her own dressing room. Does she even need a dressing room? She literally has one dress. What a diva.
This is the perfect way to wrap up this second Semi-Final – it's three minutes of pure joy that takes an 80s synth banger, throws in some rock guitar and a screamo interlude, then rolls the whole thing in glitter and sequins. What’s not to love? Voyager have been together for over twenty years, so they’re no strangers to the big stage. It shows, and the roof has been well and truly raised.
🇦🇺 Australia / Voyager – Promise
Voyager – Promise - 🇦🇺 Australia - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023
…and so is the arena floor, with the drumbeat from this captivating pop ballad. Stay ticks loads of our Eurovision boxes – beautiful harmonies, stunning dress, lyrics grounded in Lithuanian folklore, a chorus of ‘Čiūto Tūto’, which is a Lithuanian magical incantation. It’s cast a spell on the Liverpool Arena, and it feels pretty special on the big screen too.
🇱🇹 Lithuania / Monika Linkytė – Stay
Monika Linkytė – Stay - 🇱🇹 Lithuania - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023
Albania’s Albina (try saying that after several Bailey’s cocktails) has brought her whole family – not to watch, but to perform with her. Luckily they’re all really talented and provide Albina with both beautiful harmonies and some nice backing dance moves. Duje is a huge ballad about the role of love in the family, and overcoming every challenge that life brings – it’s a heartfelt and dramatic performance that is filling the arena with love.
🇦🇱 Albania / Albina & Familja Kelmendi - Duje
Albina & Familja Kelmendi – Duje - 🇦🇱 Albania - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023
What the heck is this about? sing Teya and Salena. Well, we can help you there. Who The Hell is Edgar? is about the way the music industry treats and pays songwriters, told through the medium of Salena being possessed by American lyricists Edgar Allan Poe. It’s bonkers but also an absolute bop with a fun dance routine, and it’s properly going off in the Liverpool Arena. All together now…Poe Poe Poe Poe-Poe Poe Poe Poe…
🇦🇹 Austria / Teya & Salena - Who The Hell Is Edgar?
Teya & Salena - Who The Hell Is Edgar? - 🇦🇹 Austria - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023
Time for another band, and this time it’s San Marino’s Piqued Jacks. They describe Like An Animal as a song about the freedom of love and indulging passionate impulses, which is exactly what we love to see from a band of Italian rockers in sparkly jackets. The band are from a small Tuscan village, but they’ve bought decades of stage experience to Liverpool and they’re putting their heart and soul into this performance.
🇸🇲 San Marino / Piqued Jacks - Like An Animal
Piqued Jacks - Like An Animal - 🇸🇲 San Marino - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023
Actual movie and stage stars talking about Eurovision? Absolutely fine by us. Luke Evans is doing a rather fabulous bit of spoken verse about the history of the contest, and our hearts are lifted. We're restored and ready for some more songs...
Time for another belter of a ballad, this time from Georgia’s Iru. Echo goes big on the dress, the smoke and the wind machine, but it’s Iru’s voice that’s unquestionably the most memorable part of this performance. It’s dramatic and atmospheric, a million miles away from Iru’s first time at Eurovision as part of the band Candy in the Junior contest in 2011. Georgia took the trophy then… can Iru repeat history? (Chamgaraga-ga-chamgara).
Iru – Echo - 🇬🇪 Georgia - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023
It’s our first band of the day! And it’s a big one – Slovenia’s Joker Out, who’ve charmed everyone in the delegation bubble, handed out hundreds of free condoms, and are now looking to win over the Eurovision audience with their ‘shagadelic rock ‘n’ roll’ number Carpe Diem. These guys are only in their twenties, but are experienced stage performers with bags of charisma and fabulous velvet trousers. What's not to love?
🇸🇮 Slovenia / Joker Out - Carpe Diem
Joker Out - Carpe Diem - 🇸🇮 Slovenia - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023
Time for Poland’s Blanka, bringing a bit of breezy tropical sunshine to the Liverpool stage. She’s fully embraced the ‘bejba’ meme over the last week – it’s a homage to her opening lyric, and she even added it to her giant green dress at the Turquoise Carpet launch on Sunday. Enjoy the cocktail staging, the dress reveal/ dance break, and Blanka very clearly having the time of her life. It's kinda krejza…but fabulous.
Blanka – Solo - 🇵🇱 Poland - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023
It’s time for Greece’s Victor Vernicos – at 16, he’s the youngest contestant in this year’s contest, and he’s bringing his unique energy to this song about teen anxiety and having too much on your plate. It’s an Ed Sheeran-esque bop, and he looks entirely at home giving it all the bounce in front of this huge audience. WHAT a way to kick off your music career.
Also, if you have 'lying on the floor' on your Eurovision bingo card, please pace yourself...
🇬🇷 Greece / Victor Vernicos - What They Say
Victor Vernicos - What They Say - 🇬🇷 Greece - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023
This is a really unique performance from Iceland – not only is Diljá a really great singer, but the way she uses the stage and her gymnastic abilities feels like a powerful piece of physical theatre too. It builds from a ballad to a drum ‘n’ bass anthem – her own brand of girl power, and the crowd in the Liverpool arena is jumping.
Diljá – Power - 🇮🇸 Iceland - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023
Another big power ballad now, showcasing Andrew Lambrou’s incredible voice and some beautiful elemental staging, including our first real flames 🔥🔥🔥 of the contest. This performance builds from start to finish with a drumbeat that pulses through the arena floor, and you can definitely get a sense of how electrifying the whole thing is on TV too.
🇨🇾 Cyprus / Andrew Lambrou - Break A Broken Heart
Andrew Lambrou – Break A Broken Heart - 🇨🇾 Cyprus - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023
And they're still flying the flag for the United Kingdom after 16 years...
…to visit gods of Eurovision Timur Miroshnychenko and Graham Norton in the commentary boxes. We can confirm it’s quite warm up there, but they’re both looking super-chilled and VERY stylish. Graham will be joining Alesha, Julia and Hannah for hosting duties on Saturday.
…absolutely SLAYING the Eurovision stage with his feelgood pop anthem Because of You. It’s a tribute to the people in our lives who raise us up, and a throwback to those mid-90s house floorfillers that had us all waving our hands in the air. Gustaph has performed at Eurovision previously as a backing singer - but this is his first time on the big stage, and he’s giving the crowd exactly what they want.
🇧🇪 Belgium / Gustaph - Because of You
Gustaph - Because of You - 🇧🇪 Belgium - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023
…right here on the Eurovision stage. She’s singing her beautiful power ballad Bridges, accompanied by a haunted piano and some seriously big vocals. The range of this song is insane, but we’ve heard her sing this lots of times over the past couple of weeks and she never misses a note. The crowd are lighting her up with their phones, and it feels like a lovely moment of togetherness. We’re expecting to see plenty more of those tonight, but save your batteries, people.
Alika – Bridges - 🇪🇪 Estonia - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023
It’s our second pink suit of the night, and it’s only song 3! The lyrics to this are a bit less hearts and flowers than Reiley 👀, but you’ll only be blushing if you understand Romanian. Theodor gives this performance his full vocal talent and stage presence, from the acoustic start to the big rock finish. We can also confirm those pink socks have Spongebob Squarepants on them - that's the level of access and insight we can provide...
🇷🇴 Romania / Theodor Andrei - D.G.T. (Off and On)
Theodor Andrei - D.G.T. (Off and On) - 🇷🇴 Romania - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023
The lighting and graphics play a big part in this year’s Eurovision – you can project pretty much anything onto the back wall, the sides of the stage and the entire stage floor. Armenia’s Brunette is taking full advantage, with swirling graphics accompanying what starts off as a beautiful orchestral ballad, then suddenly goes off half way through into powerful and fierce rap number, with our first dance break of the night. But definitely not the last, so don't go away...
🇦🇲 Armenia / Brunette – Future Lover
Brunette – Future Lover - 🇦🇲 Armenia - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023
She’s a fan of ours, we’re a fan of hers, it’s a circle of mutual love and appreciation.
If you could capture the heart eyes emoji 😍 in song form, this would be it. Denmark’s Reiley has brought a cute and contemporary bop with a clever rotating set that makes the whole performance feel like a K-Pop candyfloss dream. He’s from the tiny Faroe Islands, but his fanbase is MUCH bigger – he’s a huge star on TikTok, and this is an upbeat and fun way to start the show.
🇩🇰 Denmark / Reiley – Breaking My Heart
Reiley – Breaking My Heart - 🇩🇰 Denmark - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023
If you missed the lowdown on the Eurovision postcards on Tuesday, each one connects locations in Ukraine, the UK, and each act’s home country with a theme – so things like lakes, parks, churches and beaches. They’re beautifully put together - you can find out more about the postcards on the article below.
We’re delighted to welcome Alesha Dixon, Julia Salina and Hannah Waddingham back to the Eurovision stage. They absolutely smashed it on Tuesday, and we’re definitely ready for more. They’re also setting a very high bar for on-stage couture - you can find out more about all our hosts on the link below.
Did you miss Tuesday’s first Semi? No problem, here’s a 90-second reminder. 15 acts performed, but only 10 made it through – we sadly had to say goodbye to 🇱🇻Latvia, 🇮🇪Ireland, 🇳🇱Netherlands, 🇲🇹Malta and 🇦🇿Azerbaijan.
Tonight we’ll say goodbye to six more, and we’re already sad about it. BUT, we’ll also have our final line-up of 26 for Saturday’s Grand Final, so that’s exciting.
Drinks? Snacks? Family members? Fellow Eurovision fans? People who aren’t sure what all the fuss is about, but tolerate your obsession for one week of the year? Gather them all, the show starts in ten minutes...
...and they've got their lipstick on. Eurovision legends are ALWAYS welcome in Liverpool.
We salute your commitment to the sequins, and also well done for ironing your flags. Very important.
...and they're looking FABULOUS. But if you can't dress up for Eurovision, when can you?
Tuesday’s show was INCREDIBLE, and having watched the rehearsal for tonight’s show earlier, you can definitely expect more of the same. More great performances, lots of fun stuff, some moving #unitedbymusic moments, and 16 more bangers, bops and ballads. Strap in for two hours of Eurovision joy - here’s tonight’s running order:
🇩🇰 Denmark
🇦🇲 Armenia
🇷🇴 Romania
🇪🇪 Estonia
🇧🇪 Belgium
🇨🇾 Cyprus
🇮🇸 Iceland
🇬🇷 Greece
🇵🇱 Poland
🇸🇮 Slovenia
🇬🇪 Georgia
🇸🇲 San Marino
🇦🇹 Austria
🇦🇱 Albania
🇱🇹 Lithuania
🇦🇺 Australia
There are loads of ways you can watch tonight's show - all the information you need is on the link below. It also tells you how to vote!
Good evening Europe, good morning Australia and Доброго вечора to Ukraine! It’s the Eurovision second Semi-Final tonight, and it’s Heidi here to keep you company every step of the way. We’re in the Liverpool Arena, bringing you all the pre-show preamble and a minute-by-minute guide to the live show.
By the end of tonight’s show we’ll have our final line-up for Saturday’s Grand Final, and at some point later tonight we’ll know the final running order. Kick-off is at 20:00 GMT / 21:00 CEST – are you ready to be #unitedbymusic once again?
