Marina Satti on the yawn incident: “The answer given regarding safety did not satisfy me”

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Marina Satti gave her first television interview following Eurovision 2024, where she achieved 11th place for Greece with her song ZARI. She appeared on MEGA’s The Big Picture with Niki Lymberaki. As expected, Marina was asked about the infamous yawn during the press conference after the Second Semi-Final, which occurred while Israel’s representative, Eden Golan, was speaking.

Addressing the Incident

Marina Satti reflected on the controversial moment, admitting she never anticipated that it would gain such widespread attention, something she only realized the following day.

Without offering a definitive explanation, Satti clarified once again that her yawn was unrelated to the ongoing events in Gaza or her personal views on the matter. She elaborated that, at the moment of her yawn, a response was being given (presumably by Eden, though she did not name her) regarding the safety of artists in the competition. According to Satti, this response did not satisfy her.

“I could have been smarter and more cautious… A very specific question was posed at that time by a journalist. It was about safety. The response given did not satisfy me. Backstage, there was military presence and security personnel. I can’t know all the details, but the atmosphere was tense. I would not have addressed the issue (regarding Gaza) in that way. I don’t want my words or actions to be misinterpreted. I should have been more cautious.”

Does She Regret It?

When asked by Niki Lymberaki whether she regrets the incident, Satti appeared to have mixed feelings:

“I can’t say whether I regret it. It was a very honest reaction on my part. I regret and feel sorry for all those around me whom I may have inconvenienced, people who supported and trusted me.”

Her Position on the Middle East Crisis

Finally, when asked about her stance on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Marina Satti expressed a universal sentiment:

“My opinion is that I don’t want people to die, to be kidnapped, or for blood to be shed. That’s the view of any human being. Who wants people, especially children, to die?”

What do you think of Marina Satti’s comments on one of the most talked-about incidents of this year’s Eurovision? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest updates!

Germany: Stefan Raab pledges personal responsibility for Eurovision 2025 result

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Germany’s Eurovision 2025 participation has a familiar face back at the helm: Stefan Raab. The renowned musician, producer, and television icon has returned to the Eurovision fold with a bold promise—he will take full responsibility if Germany fails to clinch the trophy in Basel.

Raab, who is spearheading ARD‘s new national selection process Chefsache ESC 2025 – Wer singt für Deutschland?, made his ambitions crystal clear in a statement revealed by Germany’s Head of Delegation, Alexandra Wolfslast. Speaking to The Euro Trip, Wolfslast disclosed:

“Stefan made it his personal challenge. He wants to win. He said, ‘Hold me responsible if we only come second,’ which is a big thing to say.”

Wolfslast also emphasized the significance of Raab’s hands-on approach, noting his clear vision and determination:

“We have a saying in Germany: too many chefs spoil the broth. With Eurovision, it’s often the case that too many voices get involved. This time, it’s Stefan’s show. He’s taking full control and full responsibility”.

Who is Stefan Raab?

Stefan Raab is no stranger to the Eurovision community, with a track record dating back to 1998 when he wrote Guildo Horn’s Guildo hat euch lieb! (7th place). He later performed Wadde hadde dudde da? in 2000, finishing fifth, and composed Max Mutzke’s 2004 entry, which also landed in the top 10. His crowning achievement came in 2010, when he guided Lena to victory with Satellite, securing Germany’s first win in nearly three decades.

Raab also hosted Eurovision in 2011 and served as a juror in 2012. Now, after years away from the spotlight, his return has reignited high hopes for Germany’s success.

The new format of the German National Selection

Stefan Raab is introducing a fresh approach to Germany’s National Selection with Chefsache ESC 2025 – Wer singt für Deutschland?. This four-part prime-time series, starting in February 2025, will determine the country’s representative for Basel. The process will feature 24 contestants, with Raab and a professional jury assessing the performances in the initial rounds. However, the final decision will rest solely in the hands of the German public through a televote.

In a notable shift, Raab has done away with the international jury that had been a staple in previous years, opting for a fully German-centric selection method. The grand finale, hosted by Barbara Schöneberger, will air live on ARD Das Erste on March 1, 2025.

Will this new format continue Germany’s upward trajectory, securing another spot on the left-hand side of the scoreboard—or perhaps even delivering the Eurovision victory Raab has promised?

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest updates on our favorite music competition!

Source: The Euro Trip Podcast 

Israel: Everything That Happened in the Third Episode of HaKokhav Haba!

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The third episode of HaKokhav Haba (special edition), the talent show that will determine the artist representing Israel at Eurovision 2025, aired on Sunday night, November 17.

In this episode, we witnessed five auditions, with only four contestants advancing to the next round, continuing their quest for a ticket to Basel. Hosts of HaKokhav Haba are Assi Azar and Rotem Sela, who have held this role since 2014. The judging panel consists of Shiri Maimon, Itay Levy, Assaf Amdorsky, Eden Hasson, Ran Dankar, and Keren Peles.

Contestants and Their Performances

Aviad Klein

At 25 years old, Aviad Klein has already composed songs for Eden Meiri, Yasmin Moalem, ShrekDiMC, and others. This marks his first appearance on stage as a singer. He performed Adele’s “When We Were Young,” showcasing impressive vocal abilities, earning an outstanding score of 96%.

Amit Sade

Amit Sade, a 23-year-old sales assistant, chose to sing “Scars to Your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara. Her rare voice resembles that of international pop-soul stars, garnering unanimous approval from the judges. Amit advanced to the next stage with a score of 96%.

Tamir Vaknin

Tamir Vaknin revealed that he had a troubled youth, struggling with anger issues and spending time in rehabilitation institutions. With experience performing on small stages such as nightclubs and parties, Tamir sang “Eir Nemal” by Eyal Golan. He scored 81% and progressed to the next round, although Assaf Amdorsky voted against him.

Red Band and Moran Aharoni

The Red Band is an Israeli puppet performance group founded in 2005 by Ari Pepper, Micah Doman, and Ami Weisel, blending unique music with comedy. Featuring puppet characters like Red Auerbach (vocals), Poncho (guitar), and Lefty (keyboards), the group has toured both nationally and internationally, performing rock and folk song covers.

They were joined by Moran Aharoni, a singer-songwriter who rose to prominence on the fourth season of Kohav Nold. He later participated in The Next Star for Eurovision 2020, reaching the semifinals. Known for his wide vocal range, Moran brings drama to their act, while Red Band adds rock and comedy. Together, they performed “Human” by Rag’n’Bone Man, scoring 82%. Despite advancing, they received a negative vote from Assaf Amdorsky.

More About HaKokhav Haba

The show continues with more auditions in the upcoming episodes. From 2015 to 2020, HaKokhav Haba successfully secured Israel’s spot in Eurovision’s grand final every year, with Netta winning the competition in 2018 with her song “Toy.”

Last year’s winner of HaKokhav Haba and Israel’s Eurovision 2024 representative, Eden Golan, placed fifth in the final rankings with her song “Hurricane.”

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Israeli participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, in Basel!

Voting for #ESC250 has just begun – Vote for your favorites!

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The annual voting for the selection of the 250 best songs in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest begins today on the website Songfestival.be in collaboration with EFR12Radio.

You can vote for your ten favorite songs of all time in this poll, which closes on December 15 at 12:00 CET, while the results will be revealed on New Year’s Eve as always.

How to register your vote?

You can register your vote by clicking here .

To register your vote, you must first connect to your personal account via a social network (Facebook, Google, or Twitter). Once logged in, you can search for your favorite song by country or year in which it was performed.

Then, after the entry shows up, click the Like button, and it will be added to your ranking. You may adjust the songs you’ve selected by dragging the entries up or down.

You award 12 points to your favorite entry, 10 to the second favorite, and so on. If you want to erase an entry from your ranking, press the x to the right of each participation. You can vote for up to ten songs.

After selecting your ten favorite entries, press the “Send Votes“  button to register your vote. Press the “Vote“ button to confirm your vote.

You may be unable to access the page immediately due to the hundreds of users attempting to vote. But keep in mind that you have until December 15 to vote.

Eurovision Top 250

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the annual Eurovision Top 250 online poll, which attracts thousands of voters from around the world each year. The results are announced on the last day of the year, and all songs from the competition’s 66-year history are included.

Last year, Käärijä with his song “Cha Cha Cha” came first. Loreen came in second place with “Tattoo“, and third place with her song “Euphoria“.

Will Käärijä be able to maintain his lead or will Loreen return to the top? What are your ten favorite innings of all time? Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all developments regarding the Eurovision Top 250. 

 

Israel: All the highlights from the second episode of HaKokhav Haba!

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The highly anticipated Israeli selection process for Eurovision 2025 conitnued tonight with the second episode of HaKokhav Haba 2025. This competition, known in English as “The Next Star”, is the format used by Israel to choose its representative for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Read more

Junior Eurovision 2024: The Online Voting Starts now | How to vote for your favorites!

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The excitement is building as we approach the Grand Final of Junior Eurovision 2024, set to take place tomorrow at Caja Mágica in Madrid. Seventeen talented artists from across Europe are ready to showcase their talent, but only one will emerge as the winner.

As we eagerly await the live show, the Online Voting has officially opened and will determine half of the final result.

How to Vote for Your Favorite Song: Voting Rules

In line with previous editions, Junior Eurovision 2024 voting is open to the public, allowing fans from all around the world to have their say in the outcome. To participate, you will need:

  1. An internet connection.
  2. A device to access the official Junior Eurovision website at JuniorEurovision.tv.

Once you’ve connected to the website, you will be able to watch a short recap video of all 17 performances. This video features highlights from the second rehearsals, offering a sneak peek of the performances viewers will see during the live show. After watching the recap, fans can vote for their three favorite songs — no more, no less.

Importantly, there are no geographical restrictions, meaning you can vote for any country, including your own if it is participating.

The 17 Participating Countries – VOTE

Here are the countries that will take part in Junior Eurovision 2024, listed in the order they will perform on Sunday:

  1. Italy: Simone Grande – “Pigiama Party”
  2. Estonia: Annabelle – “Tänavad”
  3. Albania: Nikol Çabeli – “Vallëzoj”
  4. Armenia: Leo – “Cosmic Friend”
  5. Cyprus: Maria Pissarides – “Crystal Waters”
  6. France: Titouan – “Comme ci, comme ça”
  7. North Macedonia: Ana and Aleksej – “Marathon”
  8. Poland: Dominik Arim – “All Together”
  9. Georgia: Andria Putkaradze – “To My Mom”
  10. Spain: Chloe DelaRosa – “Como la Lola”
  11. Germany: Bjarne – “Save the Best For Us”
  12. Netherlands: Stay Tuned – “Music”
  13. San Marino: Idols SM – “Come noi”
  14. Ukraine: Artem Kotenko – “Hear Me Now”
  15. Portugal: Victoria Nicole – “Esperança”
  16. Ireland – Enya Cox Dempsey – “Le Chéile”
  17. Malta: Ramires Sciberras – “Stilla ċkejkna”

You can vote for your favorites here.

 

The Two Phases of Online Voting

The Online Voting for Junior Eurovision 2024 will take place in two phases:

  • Phase 1: Voting began at 8:00 PM (CET) today and will remain open until 17:59 PM (CET) on Saturday, November 16, just before the live show starts.
  • Phase 2: Voting will reopen during the live broadcast following the final performance from Malta. It will remain open for approximately 15 minutes, similar to the voting procedure used in the adult Eurovision contest.

Votes from both phases will be combined to form a single, final result.

How will the winner be decided?

The winner of Junior Eurovision 2024 will be determined by a 50/50 split between the Online Voting and the national juries:

  • 50% of the final score will come from the Online Voting conducted in two phases.
  • The remaining 50% will come from the national juries of the participating countries. Each jury consists of three music industry professionals and two children aged 10 to 15.

You can check this explanatory video regarding the voting procedure:

The slogan for this year’s contest is “Let’s Bloom!”, while Ruth Lorenzo, Marc Clotet and Melani Garcia will serve as this year’s hosts.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Moldova: Present in Eurovision 2025| The representative will be selected through a national final!

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As it seems, one more country will join the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, which will take place next year in Basel!

We’re talking about Moldova, which will participate in the contest in Switzerland, hoping to return to the positive results of previous years after last year’s elimination. The submission window is expected to open in the coming days.

The country’s official Eurovision website has been updated, featuring a special section about artist wanting to participate in the national selection for Eurovision 2025, which will once again include a national final as Moldova has done in recent years! The application form and regulations are expected to be posted HERE.

Moldova is the 37th country to confirm its participation in Eurovision 2025, meaning that, in the worst-case scenario, the contest will feature 37 entries, as it has in the past two years.

The only country that has not made any announcement about its participation is Armenia, which will most likely be present, as it usually announces its plans for the contest after the conclusion of Junior Eurovision. Therefore, its current silence is not unusual. The countries confirmed so far are:

  • Switzerland
  • Spain
  • Malta
  • Denmark
  • Belgium
  • Luxembourg
  • Austria
  • Portugal
  • Croatia
  • Serbia
  • Germany
  • Israel
  • Finland
  • Albania
  • Lithuania
  • Sweden
  • Norway
  • Italy
  • Cyprus
  • Latvia
  • United Kingdom
  • San Marino
  • France
  • Azerbaijan
  • Montenegro
  • Georgia
  • Czechia
  • Ukraine
  • Iceland
  • Slovenia
  • Greece
  • Estonia
  • Ireland
  • Netherlands
  • Australia
  • Poland
  • Moldova

If we take Armenia’s participation for granted, all 37 broadcasters from Eurovision 2024 will return, along with Montenegro’s comeback after two years. This would bring the number of participants to 38, the highest since 2022, when 40 countries participated. It remains to be seen if any other countries will join, further increasing the total.

In Eurovision 2024, Moldova was represented by Natalia Barbu with the song “In the Middle” which placed 13th in the first semi-final:

https://youtu.be/evIoGkZXj2s

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Moldovan participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, in Basel!

Source: eurovision.md

Luxembourg: Luxembourg Song Contest will include seven artists!

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There are only three days left until Monday 18th when the names of the artists who will compete in the Luxembourg Song Contest, the national competition that will determine the representative of Luxembourg in the 69th Eurovision Song Contest next May in Basel, Switzerland, are expected to be revealed. In the 2025 Luxembourg Song Contest, the total number of artists to be announced is expected to be seven, one less than this year.

Between November 8 and 10, live auditions of the 79 entries submitted for the Luxembourg Song Contest took place, which were evaluated by the following five-member international jury.

  • Diogo Fernandes,  TV producer – Portugal
  • Eldar Gasimov, singer (Eurovision 2011) – Azerbaijan
  • Marie Myriam, singer (Eurovision 1977) – France
  • Poli Genova, singer (Eurovision 2011, 2016) – Bulgaria
  • Niamh Kavanagh, singer (Eurovision 1993) – Ireland

According to the ESC Discord, two of the seven names to be announced had also competed for this year’s representation of the Grand Duchy.


The Luxembourg Song Contest is scheduled to take place on January 25. 

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2025!

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ERT National Final for Eurovision 2025: The Big Night on Wednesday January 29!

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ERT has officially announced that the national final to select Greece’s entry for Eurovision 2025 will take place on WednesdayJanuary 29 2025. This highly anticipated event is set to be one of the most significant music happenings of the year, capturing the attention of both local and international fans. For the first time in 22 years, Greece will choose its Eurovision entry through an open national final!

Twelve Songs, One Mission

Twelve songs will compete in the national final, selected by a special ERT committee from a record-breaking 187 submissions by artists from various musical genres. The finalists will be announced soon, building excitement and anticipation for the big night.

Public Vote, International, and Greek Jury

For the first time, the voting process will include contributions from the public as well as an international jury, creating a more balanced and representative outcome. Fans will have the chance to support their favorite songs, while experts will offer their insights to help determine the best choice. Additionally, a Greek jury of professionals will also contribute to the decision. Each jury will hold 25% of the final result, with the public vote accounting for the remaining 50%.

A National Final to Set New Standards

The production of the national final promises a spectacular stage and outstanding performances, blending Greek identity with international standards. ERT aims to deliver an entry that will stand out on the Eurovision stage in Basel, Switzerland, in May 2025, bringing Greece as high as possible on the scoreboard.

Stay Tuned

The official announcement of the finalists, along with more details about the voting process and the event’s hosts, is expected in the coming weeks.

Mark the date: Wednesday January 29 2025. Greece is ready to choose the song that will represent the country at Eurovision 2025, with high hopes and big dreams.

Stay connected with Eurovisionfun for all the latest updates!

Source: ERT

BREAKING NEWS: ERT announces record-breaking 187 song submissions for Greece’s Eurovision 2025 national final

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Earlier today, ERT announced that a total of 187 songs were submitted by an equal number of artists for Greece’s national selection for Eurovision 2025, marking a record number for the country. The strong participation from Greek artists and creators reflects the growing popularity of the contest and the high level of interest from both emerging and established artists who are eager to represent Greece on the Eurovision stage.

The submitted songs cover a wide range of musical genres and styles, from traditional and folk sounds to modern pop, rock, and dance tracks, showcasing the diversity of both the contemporary Greek and international music scenes. Greece’s Eurovision representative will be chosen through a national final, featuring the top 12 selected songs. The final participants will be announced at a later date by a designated committee formed by ERT specifically for this purpose.

ERT’s goal for Eurovision 2025 is to deliver an outstanding artistic performance that combines Greek identity with international appeal. The selection process will involve a jury panel made up of music industry experts, as well as the public, which will also play an important role in the final decision. For the first time in ERT’s history of national selections, the jury will consist of both Greek and international members, aiming to bring greater representation and impartiality to the final result.

The Candidates for Greece’s National | Who Will Represent Greece at Eurovision 2025?

Greece aims to build on past successes and achieve a high ranking in Eurovision 2025. ERT’s announcement confirms that Eurovision remains one of the most beloved music events for Greek audiences and that Greek artists are ready to showcase original creations with global potential.

The official date of the national final and details about the contestants are expected to be released soon by ERT, as the public eagerly awaits the reveal of the songs competing for Greece’s spot in Eurovision 2025.

In the meantime, you can watch a video featuring some of the known contestants so far:

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Source: ERT