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How is 2017 shaping up so far?

24 January 2017 at 20:00 CET
Kyiv will host the Eurovision Song Contest in May Stijn Smulders (EBU)
National final season is in full swing and planning for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv is well underway. Which acts have been selected so far and what is coming up in the next few weeks? 

Earlier this month it was announced that Demy will represent Greece in 2017. National broadcaster ERT opted for an internal selection and her song for Kyiv will be unveiled at a later date. Last Friday saw Tako Gachechiladze win the national selection in Georgia with her song Keep The Faith. In Belarus, NaviBand won the ticket to Kyiv with their entry Historyja majho zyccia, the first time the country has been represented by a song in Belarusian. 

On Friday 27th January the United Kingdom will choose its entry for 2017, the national selection will be hosted by Mel Giedroyc. An expert panel will be on hand to offer their thoughts on how the six songs could be made to look and sound on stage in Kyiv. Eurovision: You Decide will also feature two special music performances; the first from 2009 winner Alexander Rybak performing his winning song Fairytale, and the second, by British pop rock band, The Vamps performing their song 'All Night’. 

Saturday 28th January sees Finland decide. The Finnish national selection, UMK, will be broadcast live from Espoo Metro Areena and be hosted by Krista Siegfrids. In addition to the 10 contestants, the show will feature Nordic sensation Marcus & Martinus and Finnish superstar Jenni Vartiainen, who returns to stage in UMK after a lenghty break.

For the latest national selection updates don't forget to follow our live story feature which also has specific tabs allowing you to jump to the news from a specific country.

In Ukraine plans for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest are continuing at pace. Citizens from 17 countries around the world, including Ukraine, have applied to be volunteers at the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest. More than 7000 applications have been received so far. Last week the EBU welcomed the successful legal registration of the new Ukrainian public broadcaster - National Public TV and Radio Company of Ukraine (NPTRCU), which will also be the Host Broadcaster of the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. Next week the Reference Group, the governing body of the Eurovision Song Contest, will meet in Ukraine's capital to continue with preparations for the upcoming competition. Further announcements on artwork, presenters and ticket sales are expected in the coming weeks.