Bedwetters – Big changes to our show in the Final! | Exclusive Interview

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Right after their qualification to the final of Eesti Laul, the Estonian national final for Eurovision, Rauno Kutti of the Bedwetters gave an exclusive interview to EurovisionFun‘s Paschalis.

Bedwetters are an estonian band that will try to represent Estonia at Eurovision 2023 with their song “Monsters“.

Some things about the band

We started with the band when we were 15 or something. We were just some rock and roll emo punk rock guys who wanted to do shows. Within a few years the band grew very popular and we entered some local competitions. MTV Estonia saw us performing and winning some local awards and thought that this band was going to be big. Later on we won the MTV Award and things blew up for us. It was a very interesting time. We made an album in Sweden. We kind of broke up as we separted as we grew older, and each one of us proceeded. Joosep, our singer is a very well known producer in electronic music. Everyone of us has their family and kids, but we realized that this creative side of our life was missing. We then joined together and we have recorded our new album.

Eesti Laul and Eurovision was a nice way to reintroduce ourselves. Soon enough we will have a few songs coming out. It’s really nice to see that people like our new music. It’s pretty exciting.

Eesti Laul is the biggest competition in Estonia and has a very large media attention. We had the opportunity to promote our new album and music.

About the song “Monsters”

Monsters has been ready for almost half a year now. We thought that Eesti Laul was a great platform for this song. We knew that the song would work in any other genre, so it was the right song to enter the competition. We thought on how to make it exciting for everyone. We created something different, but that people would be able to recognize.

The lyrics are not about a dog and its owner. Everyone has some sides that we want to hide, there are monsters inside every one of us. Sometimes we want to hide them away, but sometimes they come out and cause whatever the monsters are doing. It’s about dark feelings in ourselves that we want to hide away.

About their appearance

The name of the song is a playful way to go. Bedwetters has never been a costume band, we dress up differently according to the mood. We went to do something crazy to spark the interest of people. We used ourselves as much as possible to play around with people’s reactions. The idea came from the song itself. We got eight of the best makeup artists to work with us. It was three hours of makeup for each person! We had to wear these masks for many hours.

The show will not be the same in the final! We are going to have a meeting with our producers and we have some more ideas to put on stage. Some of our original ideas couldn’t make it, but hopefully we can bring them up for the final.

Other Eesti Laul songs that they liked

Ollie’s song is really strong and we’ve been monitoring what’s going on in the media. Ollie’s song and our song are trending in the viral and daily top 50 songs. Ollie is definitely a very good contender. We also liked the song of Kaw. In the second semi final there were lots of ballads. We are emphasizing the show side. We also really like Meelik and have a good time in the backstage. It’s a treat for us.

Estonian Eurovision entries from the past that they liked

Obviously Tanel Padar & Dave Benton, which was a huge hit by winning the contest. There’s always a bit of talk about Leto Svet. I don’t know how that happened, but it did. I think the reason is because the guys are known for decades in Estonia. I also remember Ines with a really nice song. Ivo Linna & Maarja-Liis with Kaelakee hääl is also legendary and everybody knows it.

Other Eurovision entries from the past that they liked

I really love Ukraine’s song from last year. I like to compare ourselves with them. I love the national heritage behind the music, which is great. I also remember Germany, a girl who was singing a country tune. I can also remember Netta from recent times, who was very creative with her lyrics and she was spot-on. She was loved and hated at the same time, but I think she was amazing.

Eurovision is a huge thing in Estonia. My wife and I were in France some years ago when Eurovision was going on and there weren’t any cafes or restaurants that showed it. My family and I have always watched Eesti Laul and Eurovision and it’s very tied to the Estonian tradition.

Their message to the readers and viewers of Eurovisionfun

Thank you for putting so much attention to Bedwetters. We are coming out with a new album really soon after the final! Tune in to Bedwetters, come to our concerts, listen to our music and talk with us! When we make it to the Eurovision we are going to put on a great show!

Watch the interview with Rauno from Bedwetters here:

Watch the live performance of “Monsters”:

We would like to thank Rauno and wish him luck in his Eurovision journey that has just begun!

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for more interviews and news about Eurovision 2023! 

Norway: Heat 2 of MGP 2023 tonight!

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The Melodi Grand Prix 2023 continues tonight, through which Norway will choose its representative for Eurovision 2023 which will take place next May in Liverpool, UK.

Format

Melodi Grand Prix 2023 consists of four shows: three heats and the grand final, from which the representative of the Scandinavian country in the 67th Eurovision Song Contest will emerge. Seven artists participate in each semifinal, with the best three of them in the ranking advancing to the final.

After three shows we have reached the night of the grand final, in which a total of nine artists will participate and claim the representation of Norway in this year’s contest.

Finalists

Three artists have already secured their place in the grand final on February 4. These artists are:

Heat 2

Seven artists take part in tonight’s MGP 2023 heat vying for one of three “tickets” to the grand final of the Norwegian national selection. These artists are:

  1. JONE — “Ekko inni meg” (Echo in me)
  2. Sandra Lyng — “Drøm d bort” (Dream it away)
  3. Alejandro Fuentes — “Fuego” 
  4. Swing’it — “Prohibition”
  5. Elsie Bay — “Love you in a dream”
  6. Ella — “Waist”
  7. Bjørn Olav Edvardsen — “Turn Off My Heart”

Presenters of the evening will be Arian Engebø and Stian Thorbjørnsen.

You can watch the night of the second heat of MGP 2023 at 19:50 CET through the official website of NRK, by clicking HERE.

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

Lithuania: Pabandom iš naujo 2023 Heat 1 tonight!

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Pabandom iš naujo 2023 starts tonight, the process of choosing the representative of Lithuania in Eurovision 2023. In the next five weeks, the Baltic country is called upon to choose the artist who will represent it in Liverpool at the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.

As it is known, Pabandom iš naujo 2023 consists of five shows: two heats, two semifinals and the grand final. The result for all 5 nights will be determined 50% by the TV audience and 50% by a five-member jury. For the first time, the judges will not be revealed, with the results announced at the end of each show to ensure that the audience’s vote is not affected.

Presenters of this year’s edition of Pabandom iš naujo are Giedrius Masalskis, Augustė Nombeko and Richardas Jonaitis.

Participants

Fifteen artists will compete in tonight’s first heat of Pabandom Iš Naujo 2023, with the ten best qualifying for the semifinals.

These artists are:

  1. Aistė Pilvelytė – “We’re Not Running”
  2. Joseph June – “Vacuum”
  3. Il Senso – “Sparnai”
  4. W.I – “You Can Not”
  5. Multiks – “London”
  6. Luknė – “Paradise”
  7. Gabrielius Vagelis – “Šauksmas”
  8. Alen Chicco – “Do You”
  9. Rūta Mur – “So Low”
  10. Justin 3 feat. Dj AugustYno – “Not Giving Up”
  11. Baiba – “When the Lights Go Out”
  12. Justa Rubežiūtė – “When I’ll Find”
  13. Noy – “Destiny’s Child”
  14. Paulina Paukštaitytė – “Let Me Think About Me”
  15. Justė Kraujelytė – “Need More Fun”

We remind you that the artists have the possibility to publish their songs from the moment of their selection until the day of the start of the first qualifier on January 21. For this reason, some songs are not yet available.

Schedule

Heat 1: January 21

Heat 2: January 28

Semi-final 1: February 4

Semi-final 2: February 11

Grand Final: February 18

You can watch the 1st Heat of Pabandom iš naujo! 2023 at 20:00 CET on the official website of LRT, by clicking here.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all news regarding Lithuania’s participation in Eurovision 2022!

United Kingdom: TaP Music CEO reveals information about Eurovision 2023!

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In a post on his personal Instagram account, TaP Music Co-Founder and Co-CEO, and famous artist manager, Ben Mawson, has revealed information about the selection process for the UK’s representative at Eurovision 2023, which will be held in Liverpool.

As he reports, Eurovision 2023 is fast approaching and the search for the United Kingdom’s representative is ongoing.

 

Δείτε αυτή τη δημοσίευση στο Instagram.

 

Η δημοσίευση κοινοποιήθηκε από το χρήστη Ben M (@bentap77)

Of particular interest, however, is what he revealed in the comments of this post, many of which have since been deleted. So, apart from clarifying that the UK representative has not yet been chosen, Ben Mawson has also put an end to the rumours that famous singer Rina Sawayama would represent the United Kingdom with her song Frankenstein, released last September. However, he did not rule out the possibility of Rina Sawayama participating with another song.

As a reminder, the United Kingdom will follow the same formula for selecting a representative and song, which was followed in 2022, for Eurovision 2023. As such, the BBC and BBC Studios will once again work with TaP Music (a group of international music labels), which is behind highly successful pop artists such as Lana del Rey, Ellie Goulding, London Grammar, Dermot Kennedy and Mabel, to select the song and singer who will represent the United Kingdom in May 2023 in Liverpool.

It was a successful formula, as the UK was represented at Eurovision 2022 in Turin – via the same selection process that will be followed this year – by Sam Ryder, scoring the 2nd place in the Grand Final and 1st place in the jury vote.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ0hqX_92zI

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the developments regarding the UK’s participation in Eurovision 2023!

Malta: MESC 2023 Second Qualifying Round Tonight!

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The time to learn Malta’s song for Eurovision 2023 is here! For the second year in a row, the island country is using the format of a national final and is organizing MESC 2023, through which they are going to select their representative for the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.

40 artists are going to take part in Malta’s selection process for Eurovision 2023. Five shows in total, three qualifying rounds, one semi-final and the Grand Final, will select the artist and the song that is going to represent Malta in Liverpool.

The hosts of the three qualifying rounds of MESC 2023 will be Ryan and Josmar.

The first Qualifying round took place last Saturday, but without announcing the names of the artists advancing to the semi-final. The 24 artists to take part in the semi-final, will be announced after the end of the third qualifying round.

The second qualifying round of MESC 2023 will be broadcasted at 21:00 CET. You can watch it through the live broadcast of TVM’s official website, by clicking HERE.

Participants of the Second Qualifying Round of MESC 2023:

Today, we are going to see another 13 artists, out of the 40 competing in MESC 2023, in tonight’s second qualifying round.

The artists that will compete in tonight’s show are:

  1. Brooke – “Checkmate”
  2. Dan – “It’ll Be OK”
  3. Dario – “Pawn in a Game”
  4. Dario Bezzina – “Bridle Road”
  5. Francesca Sciberras – “Masquerade”
  6. Ian – “On My Own”
  7. Kirstie – “Girls Get Down”
  8. Lyndsay – “Haunted”
  9. Mark Anthony Bartolo – “Tears”
  10. Marie Claire – “Thankful”
  11. Matt Blxck – “Up”
  12. Maxine Pace – “Alone”
  13. The Busker – “Dance (Our Own Party)”

It’s worth mentioning that the Maltese public television hasn’t announced the running order of the qualifying round.

The Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2023 (MESC 2023)

MESC 2023 will take place in five competitive rounds: three qualifying rounds, one semi-final and the Grand Final.

13 song will compete in the first two qualifying rounds, while 14 will take part in the third one. Eight songs will advance to the semi-final from each of the three qualifying rounds.

The 24 songs that will qualify to the Semi-Final will be determined through the voting of both the jury and the public. Through the semi-final, the 16 artists that will compete in the Grand Final, will be decided.

The program of MESC 2023

  • Quarter-Final 1 – January 13th
  • Quarter-Final 2 – January 20th
  • Quarter-Final 3 – January 27th
  • Semi-Final – February 9th
  • Grand Final – February 11th

Until we learn who is going to represent Malta in Eurovision 2023, lets remember their song for last year’s contest. Emma Muscat was the winner of MESC 2022 with the song “Out of Sight”. In the end she represented Malta in Eurovision 2022 with the song “I Am what I Am” but she didn’t manage to qualify for the Grand Final ending up in 16th place of the Second Semi-final:

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Maltese participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, in Liverpool!

Finland: Listen to the seventh and last song of UMK 2023!

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The finnish broadcaster YLE has released the seventh and last song competing in UMK 2023, the finnish national final for Eurovision 2023.

The song is titled “Samaa taivasta katsotaan” by Portion Boys and you can listen to it below:

The official Eurovision site presents Portion Boys as follows:

One of Finland’s most popular party bands, Portion Boys, have been doing their thing for over a decade. With its positivity and sincerity, the band has blazed a trail to become one of the currently most listened-to bands in Finland. The 2021 megahit Vauhti kiihtyy was a turning point, bringing the group to a whole new level. Even though the group has never released a single album, Portion Boys have put out hit after hit, such as Kyläbaari, Karjala takas and, together with former UMK runner-up Teflon Brothers, Nautin elämästä.

Portion Boys are Kenraali Vahva, El Meissel, A.P. Vuori (who joined the group in 2021 as a singer), JaloTiina and Taitelija Nieminen. The band was formed in 2010 during a ‘legendary night in Tampere’. Within a day, they came up with the idea, the first song, the first music video and the band name, which has a reference to Swedish foods. Since 2010, Portion Boys has written and released songs and built a fanbase through hard, grassroots work. And, interacting with the audience as equals is one of their biggest strengths.

The idea to enter UMK has been on the Portion Boys’ radar for several years, and now was the right time to do it. The band feels like they have everything in place and nothing to lose – just a lot to give.

The message behind their UMK entry Samaa Taivasta Katsotaan is meaningful to the band: each and every one of us matters.

The UMK jury had the following to say about Portion Boys and their song: 

“With a career spanning over a decade under its belt, Portion Boys is currently one of Finland’s hottest groups. It’s great to see the band in UMK, bringing its own, unique style to the contest. Samaa taivasta katsotaan celebrates Europe’s diversity in its own playful way and it represents the value of tolerance that Eurovision promotes, something we all need more of in this day and age. The song is an unforgettable earworm, positively brimming with laser drums, energy and musical hooks. The band’s incredible live energy really comes out in the song – underneath its hard-charging beat is a beautiful composition. This could be one of Finland’s most-streamed songs in 2023.”

The competing artists/songs of UMK 2023 have now all been officially released. We remind you that they were all released in different dates, in the following order:

  • Thu, 12 January Keira – No Business On The Dancefloor
  • Fri, 13 January Benjamin – Hoida mut
  • Mon, 16 January Robin Packalen – Girls Like You
  • Tue, 17 January Lxandra – Something To Lose
  • Wed, 18 January Käärijä – Cha Cha Cha
  • Thu, 19 January KUUMAA – Ylivoimainen
  • Fri, 20 January Portion Boys – Samaa taivasta katsotaan

The UMK grand final will take place on Saturday, 25 February, 20:00 CET and will be broadcast on Yle TV1, Yle Areena and Yle radio channels.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all news regarding UMK and the finnish representative for Eurovision 2023!

Norway: The running order of Semi-Final two of Melodi Grand Prix 2023 released!

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Norway’s public television, NRK, is once again organizing the national final Melodi Grand Prix for the selection of its Eurovision entry in Liverpool this May. NRK has today revealed the running order for Semi-Final Two of Melodi Grand Prix 2023, which will take place on January 21.

The running order

  1. JONE — “Ekko inni meg” (Echo in me)
  2. Sandra Lyng — “Drøm d bort” (Dream it away)
  3. Alejandro Fuentes — “Fuego” 
  4. Swing’it — “Prohibition”
  5. Elsie Bay — “Love you in a dream”
  6. Ella — “Waist”
  7. Bjørn Olav Edvardsen — “Turn Off My Heart”

You can listen to the songs here.

Timetable

  • Saturday, 14 January: First Semi-Final (Song Announcement on Monday, 9 January)
  • Saturday, 21 January: Second Semi-Final (Song Announcement on Monday, 16 January)
  • Saturday, 28 January: Third Semi-Final (Song Announcement on Monday, 23 January)
  • Saturday, 4 February: Grand Final

We remind you that this year’s Melodi Gran Prix will be quite different from the previous ones, as there will be no duels or second chance round. In each semi-final, only the Norwegian televisionaudience will be able to vote, while in the final, for the first time since 2019, there will also be an international jury that will determine 50% of the result.

The songs will be published every Monday before the semi-final in which they will compete. Melodi Grand Prix 2023 will take place at the Spectrum in Trondheim and will be hosted by Arian Engebø and Stian Thorbjørnsen.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news of our favourite contest!

Source: NRK

 

Portugal: Listen to the songs of the Festival da Canção 2023!

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As it had already become known through the festival’s Instagram account, the Portuguese public television, RTP, proceeded to reveal the nominees and the songs for the Festival da Canção 2023, the Portuguese national final for Eurovision.

Following the unveiling of the twenty composers of FdC 2023, RTP today announced the 20 nominees to compete in this year’s festival.

The participants

The 20 participants of Festival da Canção are as follows (click on the title of the song to listen to it):

1st Semifinal (February 25, 2023)

2nd Semifinal (March 4, 2023)

Information about the Festival da Canção 2023

Out of the 20 songs, ten will compete in each semifinal, while in the Final we will have 10 songs, 5 from each semifinal. The result will consist of an equal percentage (50%) of the jury and television audience, with the committee having the first say in case of a tie in qualifying for the fifth participation of each semifinal.

Just like the last two editions, all the NF‘s show will be held on the RTP Studios in Lisbon. The presenter in the green room will be Inês Lopes Gonçalves while the main presenters of FdC 2023 will be the following:

SEMI 1: Jorge Gabriel & Sónia Araújo
SEMI 2: José Carlos Malato & Tânia Ribas de Oliveira
FINAL: Filomena Cautela & Vasco Palmeirim

The FdC semifinals will take place on February 25 and March 4, while the grand Final, where we will meet the representative of Portugal in Eurovision 2023, on March 11.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding Portugal’s participation in Eurovision 2023.

Source: RTP

Estonia: The running order of Eesti Laul’s 2023 final!

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A few moments ago, Estonia’s broadcaster, ERR, announced the running order for the final of Eesti Laul 2023!

Meelik with “Tuju” will open the grand final while Sissi will close the night with “Lighthouse“.

The running order of the final is as follows:

  1. Meelik- “Tuju”
  2. Inger – “Awaiting You”
  3. JANEK – “House of Glass”
  4. Elysa – “Bad Philosophy”
  5. m els – “So Good At What You Do”
  6. Bedwetters – “Monsters”
  7. Andreas – “Why Do You Love Me”
  8. Alika – “Bridges”
  9. Anett x Fredi – “You Need to Move On”
  10. OLLIE – “Venom”
  11. MIA – “Üks samm korraga”
  12. Sissi – “Lighthouse”

During the final of Eesti Laul 2023, several guest artists will perform alongside the finalists. The organisers have already announced that Karl-Erik Taukar, 2 Quick Start and last year’s winner, Stefan, will perform on stage.

The Grand Final of Eesti Laul 2023 will take place on 11 February at the Tondiraba Ice Hall in Tallinn with Tõnis Niinemets and Grete Kuld as hosts. There will be two rounds of voting. The first round will determine the entries that will qualify for the Super Final, which will be determined by 50% of the jury and 50% of the TV vote. There, the Estonian representative will be selected exclusively through the televote.

Last year’s winner of Eesti Laul was Stefan Airapetjan with the song “Hope” who came 13th in the final with 141 points.

https://youtu.be/GdTpQmMem8U

Stay tuned to Eurovision Fun for all the news regarding Estonia’s participation in Eurovision 2023!

Source: ERR

It’s the final countdown: One of them will represent Greece at Eurovision 2023!

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Female, male or duet will be the Greek representative at Eurovision 2023. All options remain on the table, but only three specific artists, or rather four – since we also have a duet among the final shortlist, continue to hope and dream that they will lift the Greek flag in Liverpool.

Through the ERT1 show, Proian Se Eidon Tin Mesimvrian, Fotis Sergoulopoulos and Jenny Melita announced the three artists who have stood out from the combined voting of the audience committee and the artistic committee. So they are in alphabetical order:

Antonia Kaouri & Maria Maragou – Shout Out (uptempo pop/rock)
Melissa Mantzoukis – Liar (pop dance)
Victor Vernicos – What They Say (midtempo festival ballad)

Greece: These are detailed results of Audience jury!EXCLUSIVE

The artistic committee of ERT, after completing the meetings with the above artists and their groups, in order to get to know them in person, but also to be informed about their plans for the stage presentation, the video clip and the promotion of their song abroad, will give their final score, which combined with the vote of the audience committee will determine the artist who will represent Greece in the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.

The final announcement is expected next week!

Who do you think will represent Greece at Eurovision 2023? Tell us in the comments below!

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the developments!