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Latest News: Blind Channel share journey to the Dark Side 🇫🇮

05 May 2021 at 12:10 CEST
Blind Channel (Finland 2021) Mona Salminen
Welcome to our latest news blog for April (and some of May) 2021. Stay up to date with all the latest Eurovision developments as they happen.

Latest News: Blind Channel share journey to the Dark Side 🇫🇮

Published on 5 May at 12:10 CEST

Finnish broadcaster YLE has released the first in a six part documentary series following Blind Channel on their Eurovision journey.

‘After UMK, Blind Channel has rehearsed every week for Eurovision. They've done over 200 interviews all over the world. Now, the conquest of Europe can begin!’

New episodes will be released twice a week, as the band rock their way to Rotterdam.

TIX releases Fallen Angel video 🇳🇴

Published on 4 May at 17:15 CEST

TIX has released the official music video for Fallen Angel.

The film, directed and produced by Brusjan AS, tells the story of Andreas Haukeland’s childhood and how those experiences shaped the character of TIX.

‘I grew up with Tourette's Syndrome and was named ‘Tics’ due to my involuntary sounds and twitches. I decided to embrace the name, and the character TIX was born. In Norway, a big part of the population knows me as the one I’ve grown to be, and I believe it is important to tell my background story, and show them that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Even an ugly duckling can become a swan.’

Fallen Angel will be performed at the First Semi-Final on 18 May.

JúróDaði 2 and Gjon joins us from his piano 🇮🇸🇨🇭

Published on 30 April at 13:20 CEST

Make sure you keep an eye on our regularly updated online calendar, as we book more exclusive gigs and one-to-ones with our 2021 participants.

We’ve got a big weekend coming up!

On Saturday 1 May, Iceland’s Daði Freyr will treat us to JúróDaði 2 - a whirlwind trip around the Eurovision back catalogue from 19:00 CEST, exclusively on the official Eurovision YouTube channel. We promise you: you'll not be able to guess the entire setlist!

Then, on Sunday 2 May, Gjon’s Tears will take over the official Eurovision Instagram account, sit in front of his piano and chat with fans as he plays a few melodies. Tune in from 20:00 CEST.

‘My! My!’ Senhit and RAFAŁ reveal ABBA cover 🇸🇲🇵🇱

Published on 21 April at 12:00 CEST

Queen of the unexpected collaboration, San Marino’s Senhit caught up with Poland’s RAFAŁ to record a cover version of ABBA’s classic Eurovision winner Waterloo.

The performance was filmed in Warsaw where the two acts spoke about their love of Poland and Italy respectively, with RAFAŁ adding: ‘I’ve been to Italy many times but I would love to come to San Marino!’

Senhit agreed to give The Ride hitmaker a tour of the Most Serene Republic the next time he’s in town. Flo Rida had better watch out!

Both acts will compete in the first half of the first Semi-Final on Thursday 20 May.

First Junior Eurovision act announced 🇵🇹

Published on 20 April at 12:30 CEST

While you’ve been keeping your eyes on Rotterdam, Portugal have been planning their conquest of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, set to take place in France later this year.

We’re thrilled to introduce our first Junior participant: Simão Oliveira, the 14 year old winner of The Voice Kids from Arouca, a village near Porto.

Simão Oliveira Filipe Faleiro

A talented clarinetist, Simão plays in his hometown’s youth band and is the first member of his family to pursue a career in music.

He began singing at the age of 4 and fell in love with fado; the traditional style of Portuguese story-telling through expressive and profoundly melancholic songs. His idols from that genre are: Tony de Matos, Amália Rodrigues (known as the ‘Queen of Fado’) and António Zambujo (one of the coaches on The Voice: Portugal).

More details about Simão’s song (and the Junior Eurovision Song Contest) will be revealed in the coming months over at JuniorEurovision.tv.

Destiny brings back the orchestra 🇲🇹

Published on 16 April at 18:50 CEST

Destiny has recorded a version of Je Me Casse that features the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. The video was shot inside the UNESCO World Heritage city of Valletta and features the singer belting out a symphonic version of her Eurovision entry.

Destiny will perform in the first Semi-Final on Tuesday 18 May.

The Black Mamba promise surprises at gig 🇵🇹

Published on 15 April at 12:10 CEST

This evening The Black Mamba will be taking over the official Eurovision Instagram account to perform live from their studio in sunny Sintra, near Lisbon.

In addition to their Eurovision entry Love is on My Side, the band will perform some of their other songs as well as a very special cover version of a hit that will make everybody get up and dance.

So spend this afternoon looking for pastéis de nata and ready yourself for an intimate live gig which promises to deliver a surprise or two. Join us at 21:30 CEST on the official Eurovision Song Contest Instagram account.

Press conference hosts announced 🇳🇱

Published on 14 April at 15:20 CEST

A little piece of niche behind the scenes info for you: we can exclusively reveal our press conference team line-up.

Koos van Plateringen, Hila Noorzai and Samya Hafsaoui will take charge of all 83 press conferences during Eurovision Song Contest fortnight. Quite an undertaking!

Before you book any annual leave to watch them all, please note that the majority of press conferences will be exclusive to the online press centre. However, the official Eurovision YouTube channel will stream the press events after both Semi-Finals and the Grand Final.

The trio of hosts have a wealth of broadcast and journalistic experience between them and we can’t wait to watch as they get all the gossip from our artists!

Samya explains:

‘Eurovision is the Champions League of music journalism. I have the feeling that all those hours of English and all those years of watching, writing and of course listening a lot now comes together perfectly. This year will be unique and to be a small part of it really feels like a peak’

We look forward to seeing all three hosts in Rotterdam.

Dance along with Daði 🇮🇸

Published on 12 April at 09:30 CEST

Hot on the heels of Lithuania's The Roop, Daði Freyr has released a dance tutorial for 10 Years.

From 'Flowy Hands' to 'The Mindscrew', the 8 moves you’ll need to blend in with the Gagnamagnið can be found on Daði’s YouTube channel.

Once you've perfected 'The Sass', don’t forget to check out the online calendar to see what our other artists are up to this week.

Tomorrow (April 13), Eurovision.tv launches Music First, with episode one taking a deep dive into the creation of Amen with Austria’s Vincent Bueno.

Then on Thursday (April 15) we’ll be heading over to Portugal for an exclusive concert from The Black Mamba.

So keep your eyes on Eurovision.tv for all the latest news and gigs.

Stage construction has started in Rotterdam Ahoy 🚧

Published on 11 April at 12:00 CEST

The construction of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 stage and all its surrounding has officially started. In the early morning of Sunday 11 April the first trucks entered Rotterdam Ahoy. From now on (with a strict Covid-19 protocol) work will be done day and night to prepare the stage, backstage area, press centre and all the other areas of what is perhaps the most complex TV production in Dutch history.

Sietse Bakker, Executive Producer of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 said:

"After almost two years of preparation the Eurovision Song Contest has finally arrived to Host City Rotterdam. Together with our suppliers and our partners we are working hard to make Rotterdam Ahoy our home. We cannot wait to show everyone what we have worked so hard for."

The stage is set to be finished on 28 April. After that, technical and stand-in rehearsals will start. The first delegations are expected to arrive on 8 May.

Royal Dutch Mint commissions new Eurovision pendant 🇳🇱

Published on 8 April at 10:15 CEST

Last year, the Royal Dutch Mint released a commemorative medal with an innovative design in honour of the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest.

The special edition jewellery will return this year in the form of a pendant on a necklace; the first of the limited run of 500 has been presented to Eurovision champion Duncan Laurence.

Duncan Laurence signing the Royal Dutch Mint's official Eurovision Song Contest pendant Royal Dutch Mint

The design of the pendant contains all the winning songs from the Eurovision Song Contest so far. These songs were mixed together by music producer Eric Van Tijn. Then, using a unique installation developed by Juan Sanchez Castano (designer at the Royal Dutch Mint), the mix was played on a speaker with a vessel of water from the Rotterdam river Maas on top.

The vibrations created on the surface of the water were captured and physically rendered into a 3D model. You can find out more by watching the Royal Dutch Mint’s video.

The pendant and necklace are available in two varieties: silver and gold plated silver. This high quality collector’s item is strictly limited edition, so if you’d like to see those chains on, chains on you, then head over to the Eurovision Shop and place your pre-order now.

Check out our Online Calendar

Published on 6 April at 16:30 CEST

The month of May is just around the corner, and with it the home straight to the Rotterdam Ahoy!

With the Contest shaping up and so much buzz around each of the participating artists, we've put together a handy Online Calendar to help you keep track of Instagram Lives, Twitter Q&As, and brand spanking new content on the official Eurovision YouTube channel.

Here's what you can expect (so far) in April:

🇬🇧 6 April: James Newman Live: My Life in Music (ESC Instagram) 20:00 CEST
🇧🇬 8 April: VICTORIA LIVE Q&A (ESC TikTok) 20:00 CEST
🇲🇹 11 April: Destiny Q&A (ESC Instagram) 20:00 CEST
🇦🇹 13 April: Music First: Vincent Bueno (ESC YouTube) 16:00 CEST
🇵🇹 15 April: The Black Mamba Home Concert (ESC Instagram) 20:00 CEST
🇺🇦 23 April: Go_A Home Concert (ESC Instagram) 20:00 CEST
⭐️ 28 April: Krista Calling (ESC YouTube)

We'll be updating the calendar as we confirm plans with artists, so make sure to bookmark it and keep checking back!

EBU responds to Dutch government news on audiences 🇳🇱

Published on 1 April at 08:30 CEST

The EBU has responded to the announcement that, if circumstances allow, audiences will be permitted to attend the Eurovision Song Contest in May.

“We welcome this decision by the Dutch government and the possibility that we can invite fans to join us as we bring the Eurovision Song Contest back in May,” says Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest.

“We will consider the options now available and announce more details in the coming weeks on how we can safely admit audiences to the Ahoy venue in Rotterdam should the situation allow. The health and safety of all those attending the event remains our top priority.”

The EBU added, “as previously announced, all delegations, artists and production crew will be following a strict protocol and would not come in contact with potential members of the audience under any circumstances.”

Join us for 39 Country Celebration Days 🇸🇲

Published on 01 April at 07:30 CEST

Over the next 39 days, Eurovision.tv will celebrate each participating country across our website and social media channels. Each nation will get a whole day in the spotlight, so make sure you follow us on Twitter, Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook to find out where we’re going.

Our participant profile pages will be updated with brand new bios plus a range of quick fire questions. Want to know who Gjon’s Tears picks in Mario Kart? Or maybe you’re curious as to how long Blind Channel think it’s acceptable to wear the same pair of socks for? Perhaps you want to know Jendrik’s favourite type of cheese is? Turns out he really likes cheese.

For these crucial answers and more, stay tuned!

We’re kicking off the celebrations with the small but mighty San Marino and Senhit!

Check out the 'latest news' from March 2021.