Joci Pápai returns to Eurovision for Hungary in 2019

23 February 2019 at 21:36 CET

Finalists A Dal 2019 MTVA

Joci Pápai is the winner of 'A Dal 2019', Hungary's national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. After three heats, two semi-finals and tonight's national final, the competition came to a rousing close when the Eurovision veteran was chosen to sing 'Az én Apám' in Tel Aviv.

Thirty entries reached the televised stages of the A Dal 2019, but only eight made it through to tonight's final. Earlier this week, Broadcaster MTVA decided that semi-finalist Petruska's entry Help Me Out of Here plagiarises the song White Sky by Vampire Weekend, and he was replaced by Gergő Oláh, who received the highest amount of points from both the audience and the jury with his entry Hozzád bújnék.

As such, the following eight artists went to battle, in this order, tonight:

Joci Pápai was selected as Hungary's delegate after two rounds of voting. After each contestant had a chance to hit the stage, the jury alone determined that Joci Pápai, Acoustic Planet, Bogi Nagy and Bence Vavra would advance to the next superfinal round. From there, the results were based entirely on public televoting. The show came to a celebratory close when the four hopefuls returned to the stage quickly after voting ended, and Joci was almost immediately announced the winner.

Az én apám was written by Molnár Ferenc Caramel and composed by Molnár Ferenc Caramel and Joci Pápai.

About Joci Pápai

Joci has been writing songs since the young age of four. He won A Dal 2017 which took him to the Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv. There, Joci finished eigth in the Grand Final. Not only a talented singer, Joci writes music and lyrics and has released two albums in 2005 and 2017. For this year's entry, he wrote his song Az én Apám about his relationship with his father.

Hungary in the Eurovision Song Contest

Hungary has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since 1994, where the country placed fourth with Friderika Bayer's song Kinek Mondjam El Vétkeimet? Last year Hungary was represented by metal band AWS. Their flame-filled performance took them to the Grand Final in Lisbon.

This year, Hungary will perform in the first Semi-Final on the 14th of May.