Joci Pápai brings 'Az Én Apám' to the Tel Aviv stage for first rehearsal

04 May 2019 at 15:10 CEST

Hungary 2019 first rehearsal Andres Putting

Joci Pápai is back at the Eurovision Song Contest for a second time. This time he will sing ‘Az Én Apám’, which translates as ‘My Father’. Joci is working hard to beat the credible eighth place he achieved with ‘Origo’ two years ago. He completed 3 full run-throughs of his entry this afternoon at Expo Tel Aviv, ending with a pyrotechnic waterfall.

Joci Pápai will take to the stage 7th in the first Semi-Final on Tuesday 14 May at Expo Tel Aviv in Israel.

Joci’s career was already on an upward trajectory before achieving one of Hungary’s best Eurovision results in 2017 but his victory made him a household name in his home country. Since then he has been performing to sell-out crowds and his music videos have been streamed tens of millions of times.

READ MORE: Joci Pápai’s participant profile.

What happens on stage?

Starting the performance sitting on a block on the stage, Joci’s instantly recognisable voice makes a return to the Eurovision Song Contest. He is dressed in a black t-shirt and black trousers, but performing barefoot on a darkened stage that is lit along the edges in red and gold. The screen behind the stage shows sparks before images of fathers from around the world begin to appear in black and white. Meanwhile, the stage floor becomes a gold glittering tree.

As the song progresses, an impressive show of light and use of the technical displays takes over the stage to support Joci, who remains alone on the stage throughout his performance. As the song draws to a close, a pyro waterfall adds visual power to an impressive 3-minute production.