Working together on the Hungarian stage act for Malmö

Last week, the national selections have concluded and all the entries for the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest have been handed in at the official Head of Delegations meeting in Malmö. Now the delegations and the producers of the show are working together to create the best possible stage presentation for each song.

Each delegation can make suggestions for the stage setting and the camerawork but in the end it's the producers who have to make sure that not only each entry comes across well on the TV screens, but also that the whole show of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest is professional, entertaining, and diverse.

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To give the producers a first idea, each delegation explains the themes of their performance and the atmosphere they want to create on stage. As the Hungarian entry is a love song - Kedvesem means My Darling in English - the delegation is asking for an intimate and romantic setting. However, they also emphasize that Kedvesem is not a stereotypical love song but the lyrics are playful and even a bit humorous. Thus, they prefer not to use typical symbols of love but rather abstract expressions as they are also mentioned in the song lyrics. 

'Keeping it simple'

Of course, each TV show has its own themes and style guidelines, a fact which is often a challenge for both the delegations and the producers. In the case of Hungary, this means that one important part of the stage presentation is still being discussed.

The team behind the singer explains: "The crucial element in ByeAlex' concept is actually the background animation, which was created by the singer's sister and has been tightly connected to the song since A Dal, the Hungarian national selection. For this year's Eurovision Song Contest, however, we can only give hints and suggestions on the atmosphere, colours and light design to be used. So we tried to give as many background information as possible on the story behind the song, the creative process that led to it, and the way ByeAlex is going to perform it on stage in May, and we submitted the original animations too. And then we leave it to the creative people in the production team to design a great setting for our entry. It will be kept as simple as the performance at A Dal as ByeAlex wants to remain true to himself."

In conclusion, there is still a lot going on behind the scenes before the rehearsals for the Eurovision Song Contest start, as the Hungarian delegation confirms: "It's always a very exciting moment and we are very nervous when we see the stage setting that has been created for us for the first time. I think all delegations probably share this feeling. Of course, there are bound to be disappointments but in the end you have to wait and see, and think positive. After all, it's the goal of everyone involved to produce the best possible TV show."

So, how will the stage presentation of ByeAlex' song Kedvesem look like in the end? We will provide you with a first glimpse of it on May 9th, when the first rehearsal of the Hungarian delegation will take place in Malmö. On May 16th, you can watch ByeAlex perform in the Second Semi-Final of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest.