Slovakia: RTVS might return in Eurovision 2023!

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The Slovakian broadcaster, RTVS, could still decide on a possible return to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023.

Slovakia will not make its decision on whether to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 until at least, August. Nevertheless, earlier this week the broadcaster had stated that it would not be competing in next year’s contest.

The decision will not be taken before the election of the new Director-General of RTVS. Eight people are in the running to be the next Director-General of the Slovak broadcaster:

  1. Jaroslav Rezník – Current Director-General of RTVS
  2. Tibor Búza
  3. Ivan Golian
  4. Ľuboš Macha
  5. Daniel Živica
  6. Peter Badač
  7. Vladimir Seman
  8. Peter Janků

The eight candidates are due to meet the Slovak National Council on Monday which will determine the new Head of Slovak radio and television during the next month. Once the new management team has been determined then a decision will be taken on the 2023 broadcasting plans.

Since its debut in 1994, Slovakia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest a total of seven times. Slovakia’s best result was in 1996 when Marcel Palonder finished 18th with the song “Kým nás máš”. The country has a history of withdrawing and returning to the contest. They were relegated from the contest in 1995 and 1997. They then withdrew from the contest entirely between 1999 and 2008, and again from 2013 onwards.

All Slovak entries between 2009 and 2012 failed to progress from the semi-finals. Although it failed to qualify, their 2010 entry “Horehronie” by Kristina is one of the most viewed videos on the official Eurovision YouTube channel.

How would you feel about a possible Slovak return? Write us in the comments below! 

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the ΧΧ participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023!

Source: eurovoix.com

Israel: KAN announced an internal selection for 2023

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The Israeli public broadcaster KAN has revealed today through its official Facebook page that the Eurovision 2023 representative will be chosen internally.

A panel consisting of 9 broadcaster representatives and music professionals will be created with the task to chose the next Israeli representative. This marks the first time since 2014 that Israel is choosing an artist internally. From 2015 to 2020 the talent show Hakochav Haba La’Eurovision was used as the national selection method and in 2022 the X-Factor Israel 2022.

The post concludes that details on the song selection will be announced at a later stage.

 

What do you think about Israel going back to internal selection? Tell us in the comments!

Ukraine: Goverment forms organizing committee for Eurovision 2023!

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The Ukrainian Government has announced that a Committee has been formed to help organising the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.

Taras Melnychuk, the Government Representative in the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) has announced that a Committee has been formed for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. The composition of the committee was signed off today among a number of other measures.

Ukraine’s Minister of Culture and Information Oleksandr Tkachenko recognises that the war is the first and foremost factor as to why Ukraine is being viewed as unlikely to host the contest in 2023 unless peace should come to the country in the next couple of months. He stated last week that:

We have no doubt that it should take place in Ukraine. The only thing is that no one has ever held Eurovision during war […] We are now looking for answers with our colleagues to the most important conditions set by the European Broadcasting Union, but I think that we will have to explain during our dialogue that some conditions need to be changed.

Mr. Tkachenko recognizes that due to the current war, hosting is not a given, while he revealed that he will have talks with EBU representatives today. He also added that negotiations will be difficult but he hopes the 2023 contest will be held in Ukraine.

Even though there is less than a month since the Grand Final, several countries have declared their provisional interest to host the contest, in case Ukraine is not able. These countries are:

  • Sweden
  • Iceland
  • Poland
  • Spain
  • Italy
  • The Netherlands
  • Switzerland

Ukraine won this year’s contest with the song “Stefania” by Kalush Orchestra:

https://youtu.be/F1fl60ypdLs

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding Eurovision Song Contest 2023!

Source: eurovoix.com

Ireland: Wild Youth want to represent Ireland in 2023!

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Wild Youth is a band from Dublin with lots of radio and streaming hits and now Wild Youth have shown interest in repesenting Ireland at Eurovision song contest 2023!

Wild Youth want to write and perform Ireland’s song for Eurovsion 2023

On Friday 3 June, one of the band’s member Conor O’ Donohoe asked: “Can I write the Eurovision song for 2023 and can @bandwildyouth perform please”. Also to make sure that they will notice his tweet, he tagged Michael Kealy-RTÉ’s Head of Delegation for Eurovision. The official band account retweeted the post.

Fans replied quicly to their tweets, one tweeter advised “Don’t write a song “for eurovision”, people tend to have an outdated and basic view of it & songs which were not specifically written for eurovision have better results most of the time”. O’ Donohoe responded “I meant for the Eurovision entry. I wouldn’t write a song particularly for anything, I write songs I care about and love. That mean something to me”.

Moreover the Welsh classical singer Aled Jones, proposed that he’d join the writing process. O’Donohoe replied saying that he was down to duet. So far RTÉ has not responded to the series of tweets. However, Michael Kealy pressed the like button on the first tweet from O’Donohoe.

It is usual for Irish singers, especially in summer months, to expressed their willingness to join the Eurovision contenst. In 2021, Picture This shared their love for the contenst as Samantha Mumba did a few years ago. None of them ended up flying the Irish flag.

Who are Wild Youth?

Wild Youth is based in Dublin,Ireland and the members of the band are David Whelan, Conor O’Donohoe, Ed Porter and Callum McAdam. They make their debut in 2017, since then they are well known for their sad bangers and catchy choruses. They have made a lot of streaming and radio hits and have also rise up in the charts in Ireland.They’ve played dates across Ireland and the UK this year while also supporting Westlife and Lewis Capaldi on tour. Some of the most succesfull songs of them are  “Champagne Butterflies”, “Next To You” and “Can’t Move On”.

Would you like to see them represent Ireland at Eurovision 2023?

Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding our favorite contest!

United Kingdom: The first Delegation meeting for Eurovision 2023 took place today!

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The delegation of the United Kingdom for Eurovision surprised their fans today, announcing that the first meeting for 2023 took place, prompting speculation about what the meeting entailed.

Instead of the meeting being a 2022 report, Lee Smithurst, a producer of BBC and a member of the UK delegation, posted on his personal Instagram account that it was also the first meeting for Eurovision 2023.

These news has created a lot of speculation among the British fans of Eurovision, regarding the content of the meeting, including the next artist, but also the submission of the interest of hosting for 2023. Although the preparations in Ukraine started a while ago, there is a feeling that the competition will end up being organized in cooperation with another European country, due to the ongoing invasion of Russia in Ukraine.

In any case, it is unusually early for the United Kingdom to host a meeting, so it seems the BBC is not resting after the second place in Turin last month!

The United Kingdom earned their best result since 1998 with Sam Ryder’s “Space Man”, finishing second behind Ukraine and earning 466 points.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ0hqX_92zI&list=PLmWYEDTNOGUJVTOMa-ZEmF0y7Iwkg11e2&index=4

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the participation of the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023!

Source: escunited.com

UK: Robbie Williams wants to perform at Eurovision 2023!

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After Sam Ryder brought the best result for the UK in 25 years, the interest for the contest within the country already seems to increase.

Former “Take That” member and one of the best selling artists worldwide, Robbie Williams was invited to BBC Radio 1 Official Chart Show hosted by Scott Mills, on the occasion of the release of his new album XXV.

Among others, he stated his love for Eurovision and he revealed that he wants to perform next year as an interval act. This is what he said:

Actually, I’ve already put my name forward [for Eurovision]. Not to represent the UK, but to do that bit at half time, like Madonna and Justin Timberlake. […] Absolutely, I’ll have a bit of that. Nobody did that, then Justin Timberlake did it one year.

While negotiations are underway between EBU and Ukraine about hosting next year’s contest and several countries declared their interest for hosting in case Ukraine is unable to do so, a decision is yet to be made.

 

Would you like to see Robbie Williams as an interval act next year? Tell us in the comments below!

Source: Officialcharts.com

UK: Steps divided over participating in Eurovision Song Contest!

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Steps are divided over the idea of taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest.

While Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Lisa Scott-Lee and Claire Richards would happily represent the UK at the annual music extravaganza, their bandmates Faye Tozer and Lee Latchford-Evans are much more reluctant because they think it could damage their “amazing legacy”.

Faye told the Daily Star Sunday columnist Ed Gleave: “We are a split camp within the band.

“H would do it tomorrow. Lisa and Claire would probably want to do it as well. But I am not so much in favour of it.”

Lee added: “It’s a very mixed camp and I agree with Faye.

“We’d like to do it for the experience if all the other bits weren’t there – the nil points, the politics.”

Faye continued: “We’ve got such an amazing legacy behind us, I don’t think it would do us any favours. It’s the whole ‘nil points’ thing.”

The ‘One For Sorrow’ hitmakers were approached about the possibility earlier in their careers but the “specific rules” surrounding taking part ruled them out.

Faye explained: “We were approached in the early days. But there are specific rules – I don’t think you can release music for a certain period of time or chart.

“Luckily for me, we never fitted into that category and couldn’t do it.”

Claire previously admitted the group “could” do Eurovision and it would be an “amazing” experience, but she’d also be worried about coming last.

She said: “I am always the one who goes, ‘No, absolutely not!’, but then I watch it and think well, we could do it.

“There is always a few texts going back and forwards.

“I honestly think that if you do that show you can’t ever go into it expecting to win and we would have to have that attitude.

“We’ve always been so lucky in everything we’ve ever done and I think the experience would be amazing.

“It’s just that feeling of, we wouldn’t want to come last because that would be really bad.

“Nobody wants to come last, do they?”

Would you like to see Steps representing the UK at Eurovision 2023?

Minister of culture Oleksandr Tkachenko: Ukraine should host Eurovision 2023!

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In todays press conference at the Ukraine media center, the minister of culture and information policy of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko said that there is no doubt that Eurovision 2023 should be held in Ukraine, however certain conditions need to change.

He specifically said:

We have no doubt that it should take place in Ukraine. The only thing is that no one has ever held Eurovision during war […] We are now looking for answers with our colleagues to the most important conditions set by the European Broadcasting Union, but I think that we will have to explain during our dialogue that some conditions need to be changed.

Mr. Tkachenko recognizes that due to the current war hosting is not a given, while he revealed that he will have talks with EBU representatives today. He also added that negotiations will be difficult but he hopes the 2023 contest will be held in Ukraine.

Even though there is less than a month since the Grand Final, several countries have declared their provisional interest to host the contest, in case Ukraine is not able. These countries are:

  • Sweden
  • Iceland
  • Poland
  • Spain
  • Italy
  • The Netherlands
  • Switzerland

 

Do you think Ukraine will be able to host Eurovision next year? Who do you think should host in case they wont? Tell us in the comments!

Albania: Song Submissions for Festivali i Këngës have opened!

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Just a few weeks after Eurovision 2022 took place in Turin, Italy, the song submissions for Festivali i Këngës are now open! Festivali i Këngës is an annual music competition organised by Albania’s national broadcaster (RTSH). It has been broadcast every year since its debut in 1962 and since 2004 it also determines the country’s representative for the Eurovision Song Contest.

The requirements for artists to submit an entry are as follows:

  • The final version of the song.
  • The entry must be no longer than 4 minutes.
  • The final version of the instrumental track, with and without backing vocals.
  • The lyrics of the song.
  • The names of the producers of the song, the lyricist and the composer.
  • Artistic photographs, biography of the singer or band, including other activities, awards and features.

Last year’s winner of Festivali i Këngës, Ronela Hajati with the song “Sekret”, finished twelfth in the first semi-final with 58 points.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jWXmo0-ZjI&feature=emb_title

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding Albania’s participation in Eurovision 2023!

Source: RTSH.al

Spain: RTVE is currently reviewing all elements of Benidorm Fest for 2023!

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The Head of the Spanish Delegation, Eva Mora has confirmed that all elements of Benidorm Fest are under review for the next edition in 2023.

Speaking on RTVE, Eva Mora shared some details of the discussions that are currently underway regarding the next edition of Benidorm Fest, for Eurovision 2023. The broadcaster is discussing all elements regarding the new show including dates, number of shows, and how to encourage artists and songwriters to participate.

Eva Mora confirmed however that the professional jury which helped to select the Spanish representative in 2022 will remain for next year. The Head of Delegation explained:

“You always have to tweak things and modify something. The issue of juries has generated a lot of controversy, but the existence of a professional jury is essential. You cannot leave an international proposal in the hands of televoting because we, as people, do not have that perspective to assess a proposal, we let ourselves be carried away more by passion and by tastes.”

The Spanish Head of Delegation is aiming to make Benidorm Fest an essential part of the Spanish music industry:

“We want everyone to want to be at the Benidorm Fest … The Benidorm Fest has to be the engine of the music industry in this country.”

The winner of last year’s Benidorm Fest, Chanel placed 3rd with “SloMo” scoring a total of 459 points.

https://youtu.be/jSQYTt4xg3I

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Spanish participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023!

Source: eurovoix.com