Armenia: One of these 4 artists is likely to represent the country in Turin!

Armenia is quiet as per usual and will probably reveal its entry at the last moment. However, according to the speculations and rumours, one of these 4 artists/bands is likely to represent Armenia in the 2022 Contest which will be held in Turin, Italy. Their names are – Ladaniva, Saro Gevorgyan, Athena Manoukian, Brunette.

Ladaniva is a multicultural band creating world music with a fresh touch of Armenian folk and other traditional forms, such as maloya, Balkan, reggae, Arabic, African. The group was founded in October 2019 by Armenian singer Jacqueline Baghdasaryan and French multi-instrumentalist Louis Thomas. Ladaniva is very popular among Armenians. During the tough times, the only thing that would bring happiness to Armenians all over the world was their single ‘Kef Chilini’. Ladaniva would be a fascinating and outstanding choice to represent the country and could easily be in the run to win the televoting in Italy this year.

Saro Gevorgyan is a talented singer and songwriter. In 2016, Saro Gevorgyan took part in the Depi Evratesil show, the Armenian national selection for ESC 2017, where he got into Aram MP3’s team. In 2019, he participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv as the backing vocalist of Armenia’s participant Srbuk. In 2021, he won the New Wave competition in Sochi, becoming the third participant to bring victory to Armenia in the entire history of its participation. He amazed with his fabulous vocals such big names as Philipp Kirkorov, Dimitris Kontopoulos, Dimash and etc. Saro is very close to the delegation and lately we’ve heard a famous Armenian artist Erik Karapetyan say that Saro is a future Eurovision winner. He could bring an amazing result to Armenia with a modern and emotional ballad!

Athena Manoukian is a Greek-Armenian singer and songwriter. She’s the biggest favourite of eurofans all around the world to represent Armenia in the contest this year. Athena won the Armenian National Selection in 2020 with her song ‘Chains On You’ which automatically became Armenia’s entry for the contest which got cancelled later. Lately, she went to Armenia and as she had mentioned, that trip had something to do with Eurovision. Athena is capable of getting an amazing result with something as modern and catchy as her 2020 entry!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpQHGMM8c5U

Brunette hails from Yerevan, Armenia. She’s part of Nvak (a non-profit organisation that nurtures artists who live in countries experiencing social, political and/or cultural turmoil) which was founded by Tamar Kaprelian (Armenia ESC 2015, Depi Evratesil 2018). She’s very close with Saro Gevorgyan. Brunette was also rumoured for Depi Evratesil 2020, but unfortunately she wasn’t on the list. This year she’s once again rumoured to be one of the 4 main candidates to fly the Armenian flag in Turin. With a high-quality modern and catchy song the newcomer could possibly bring one of Armenia’s best results if not the best to the country.

The minority of Armenians are also claiming that the winner of the first edition of The Masked Singer Armenia, Erik Karapetyan, Sona Rubenyan and Ani Kristi could be in the run as well. Sadly, there’s no certain information about Armenia but it definitely could arrive later.

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Eurovision 2022: Semi Final Allocation Draw to take place on January 25!

One of the most important dates of the 66th Eurovision Song Contest was revealed a few hours ago, as the draw for the Eurovision 2022 semi-finals will take place on January 25th.

As revealed by the Montenegrin state radio, RTCG, in the context of the announcement of Vladana Vučinić as the representative of the Balkan country in Turin, the draw of the semi-finals will take place in exactly three weeks from today.

During the ceremony, the emblem of the event will be handed over from the city of Rotterdam to the Mayor of Turin. The draw will take place either at the Mole Antonelliana, the tallest building in Turin, or at the Palazzo Madama, which housed the first Senate of the Italian Kingdom.

The draw

The first part of the draw will determine the semi-final that will be broadcasted and voted by each of the five countries that are directly in the final (Italy, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom).

The second part of the draw will determine in which semi-final and in which half the other 36 participating countries will compete. As in recent years, the exact order of appearance will be determined by the producers of the event at a later time.

The 36 countries will be distributed in five or six pots, based on historical voting patterns as calculated by the official television partner Digame. This separation is done in order to avoid the gathering of many neighboring countries in a semifinal that would significantly affect the final result.

We remind you that Eurovision 2022 will be held on May 10, 12 and 14 at the PalaOlimpico in the capital of Piedmont. Thus, Turin will become the third city in Italy where the Eurovision Song Contest will be held. The previous two were Naples in 1965 and Rome in 1991.

We remind you that the 66th Eurovision Song Contest will take place at the Pala Alpitour in Turin, on 10, 12 and 14 May 2022, with 41 participating countries.Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news related to the 66th Eurovision Song Contest!

Armenia 2022: Saro hints at possible Eurovision participation

Armenian singer Saro Gevorgyan took his Instagram to hint a possible Eurovision participation.  However he did not go as far as confirming that Armenian broadcaster AMPTV internally selected him for Turin.  In any case, the singer seems very interested to represent Armenia in the European competition.

Saro Gevorgyan shared on his Instagram stories a video where we can see Armenian singer Erik Karapetyan.  As a New Wave winner and X-factor jury, Karapetyan is a well known name in the music industry in his country.  In the video shared by Saro, Erik Karapetyan seems to be talking about the Armenian national selection when he says:

Saro is the winner of New Wave and the future winner of Eurovision

Saro shared this comment with his audience.  Nevertheless, he stopped short from confirming his participation on Eurovision 2022.

Saro Gevorgyan won the 2021 edition of New Wave.  He was one of the backing vocalist of Srbuk at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv.  Furthermore, as a winner of New Wave Saro has closed relations with Philipp Kirkorov.  This increases the chances of him being the Armenian representative in the near future.

 

 

Eurovision 2022: 41 countries joining the 66th contest in Turin!

Public broadcasters from 41 countries will take part in the Eurovision Song Contest when it returns to our screens next May.

Fans of the Contest will welcome back ARMTV from Armenia and RTCG from Montenegro, both taking to the stage for the first time since Tel Aviv in 2019.

It’s also a special year for Norwegian broadcaster NRK as they will be celebrating the selection of their 60th Eurovision entry during the Melodi Grand Prix grand final on Saturday 19 February.

We will also witness the 300th ‘Big Five’ performance – that’s a song from one of either France, Germany, Italy, Spain or United Kingdom.

Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, shared his thoughts on the line-up:

‘We are so excited that we once again have over 40 broadcasters competing to win the iconic Eurovision trophy in Turin next May.

The team from Rai are working hard on preparations to welcome all the delegations to a new Host City and ensuring the Eurovision Song Contest will provide the excitement and state-of-the-art spectacle expected by nearly 200 million viewers.’

On the announcement of the 41 participants, Simona Martorelli and Claudio Fasulo from Italian broadcaster Rai added:

‘After 31 years, Italy is proud to host the Eurovision Song Contest again! As Executive Producers, we are incredibly excited to set up this amazing event and welcome delegations from 41 nations to Turin next year.

Above all, we strongly believe the Eurovision Song Contest will allow us to showcase and share the beauty of Italy with a global audience via the elements that unite us all: music and harmony.’

The Italian city of Turin won the race to become the Host City of the 66th Eurovision Song Contest, setting Saturday 14 May as the date of the Grand Final, which will be held in PalaOlimpico along with two Semi-Finals on 10 and 12 May.

Source: Eurovision.tv

Eurovision 2022: More than 40 countries will compete in Turin!

Through the official account of the Eurovision Contest on Twitter, a few minutes ago we had an important piece of information. The countries that will take part in Eurovision 2022, will be more than 40!

A few days ago again through Twitter, the Eurovision account asked fans how many countries they think will take part in Turin.

About 62% answered more than 40 countries and today we learned that this answer was the right one!

The above practically means that apart from Montenegro, which has already announced its return to Eurovision 2022, but also Armenia, which, although it has not yet opened its papers, its participation in Junior Eurovision in December makes us almost sure that the Caucasian country will return. We may have other countries that will either return or make their debut in the contest that will take place next May in Turin.

Andorra, Monaco, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia and Hungary do not seem willing to return. On the other hand, Turkey has so far kept a low profile. However, the EBU’s announcement this summer, for discussions with the country’s public broadcaster regarding the possibility of its return, leaves some hope.

Soon, however, we will find out the full list of countries that will compete in the 66th Eurovision Song Contest and all our questions will be answered!

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the developments related to our favorite contest!

Armenia: “Great news soon”, said the head of the delegation!

Armenian head of delegation, David Tserunyan, noted a possible return of the country to the next Eurovision Song Contest and most probably Junior Eurovision too, in 2022, after their withdrawal this year.

David Tserunyan, who is also an elected member of the Reference Group, took part in the group’s first meeting with RAI lately. The Italian broadcaster, has already started setting up the forecoming contest of 2022.

Publishing the photo from the conference of the Reference Group, Tserunyan expressed his gratitude for his reelection and concluded that soon we will have some wonderful news, sparking hopes for the return of Armenia to the contest.

Armenian prime minister got a vote of confidence, not more than two days ago, which is a first step towards the recovery of the country, after their conflicts with Azerbaijan with regards to Artsakh.

We really hope that Armenia makes a return in 2022, along with other numerous withdrawn countries!

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the developments related to our favorite contest!

Armenia: With Sirusho at Eurovision 2021?

A literally last minute news. Through her personal Twitter account, the popular singer Sirusho, who successfully represented her country in 2008 – occupying the fourth place with Qele Qele, hints with her continuous Tweets that she will represent Armenia in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest!

It all started with this post, in which Sirusho reveals that very soon we will have an important news from her, while at the same time she states that a lot of work awaits her this year…

A few minutes later, she returns with a new post, in her mother tongue this time, in which she promises that she will do her best to represent Armenia worthily, but without telling us where she will represent her country!

 

Immediately after, wanting to shed light on the mystery of her posts (?), She asks her followers, which Eurovision artist is the one with whom a new song will be released very soon and in fact it will be something big…

 

Is Sirusho the artists that the Armenian public television chose for Eurovision 2021? Will she represent her country in a duet with another Armenian eurostar? If all the above are true then you realize that Athena Manoukian will not have the opportunity to be on the stage of the competition, at least for 2021.

In recent days, the internet has been flooded with rumors, coming mainly from social media, according to which Armenia would make announcements about its Eurovision entry on February 10. There were many who expected that in a special and difficult year for Armenia, the country’s public broadcaster would decide to abstain from the contest, as happened in Junior Eurovision. However, it seems that Armenia is recruiting its bests for Eurovision 2021, wanting a very strong representation!

While we wait for the landscape to clear up, let’s remember Sirusho Qele Qele once again:

Would you like to see Sirusho representing Armenia in Eurovision 2021?

Editorial: How fair will the “live on tape video” be for Eurovision 2021?

The announcement of the EBU and the Dutch organizers for the live on tape video that will be made by the 41 participants of Eurovision 2021, although it ensures that the contest will take place even in the worst case scenario regarding the course of the pandemic, but leaves many questions in the part of justice and equal conditions that should govern the competition.

What exactly is live on tape video?

According to what was announced, all participating broadcasters were asked to record a live performance of their entry in their country. This recording will be delivered before the contest and will take place in a studio. The recording will take place in real time (as it would in the Contest) without making changes to the vocals or any part of the show itself after the recording.

There will be freedom in the delegations, to present as they consider their entries better, but instructions will be given which will ensure the fairness and integrity of the competition. There will be no audience and the recording should be unique and not be published before the event in May.

Delegations are allowed to use similar technical capabilities and dimensions that would be available on stage in Rotterdam, but are also free to choose a more limited production facility. Video recordings must not contain augmented or virtual reality, overlays, confetti, drone shots, water, color use or green screen.

How to ensure meritocracy and fairness in the contest?

In addition to the above, the EBU also announced a series of safety valves, which will ensure that the 41 live video tapes will have been made under the same conditions. Indicatively, we mention that those present in the video recording will be a representative of the Dutch public broadcaster, while the shooting will be watched by the executive supervisor of the contest, as well as a representative from an independent voting observer (E&Y). The duration of the shooting will be one hour and at this time the participants will be able to videotape up to three times their appearance. The selection of the shot will be made by the Head of Delegation and another authorized representative.

Our doubts about live on tape video

First of all, let’s say that even under normal conditions, not everyone competes on equal terms. What do we mean by that? We see in recent years on the eurovision stage, impressive appearances, with the help of the use of technology. Technology that not all broadcasters can use. Fro example Serbian public broadcaster cannot spend the money that Swedish public broadcaster spends. Albanian television cannot spend the money spent by Russian or Azerbaijani television and so on.

So, many times the countries participating in the contest can start from different points of view, but what mitigates the above a bit is that they share the same stage and it is ensured that everyone sings live. With the advancement of technology, and given that each country can use any studio it wants, even that is in question.

We read that Russia uses virtual reality in its appearance for Junior Eurovision 2020, where the contest will take place via live on tape video. An effect that other countries probably will not have at their disposal, for economic and technical reasons.

Of course for the live on tape videos of Eurovision 2021 the EBU has banned such special effects. However, LEDs are not prohibited and it is possible for different sized scenes, something that, as you understand, will differentiate the final result.

What we all hope is that everything you read remains on a theoretical level only. The situation with the pandemic to improve and to have a Eurovision as close to normal as possible, with the 41 artists performing their songs on the stage of the Ahoy Arena!

What is your opinion about the live on tape video? Are equal conditions guaranteed for all?

Eurovision 2021: Participants will record their songs “live-on-tape” to ensure Contest will happen!

The EBU recently revealed how to ensure that Eurovision 2021 will happen, even in the worst case scenario with the course of the coronary pandemic.

Eurovision 2021 will take place in every way

After yesterday’s announcement that the distribution of countries in the two semifinals remains the same as that of Eurovision 2020, but also the presentation of the four possible scenarios for the conduct of Eurovision 2021, now another detail is given, concerning scenario D. In the new announcement of the EBU, concern the case in which in May the situation with the pandemic will be such that it will not allow air travel and reconnaissance, having a contest as Junior Eurovision 2020 will happen in a few days . With video appearances of the participants!

What is the process

All participating broadcasters were asked to record a live performance of their entries in their country. This recording will be delivered before the contest and will take place in a studio. The recording will take place in real time (as it would in the contest) without making changes to the vocals or any part of the show itself after the recording.

There will be freedom in the delegations, to present as they consider their participations better, but instructions will be given which will ensure the fairness and integrity of the competition. There will be no audience and the recording should be unique and not be published before the event in May.

Delegations are allowed to use similar technical capabilities and dimensions that would be available on stage in Rotterdam, but are also free to choose a more limited production facility. Video recordings must not contain augmented or virtual reality, overlays, confetti, drone shots, water, color use or green screen.

How will it be fair?

Normally in the Eurovision Song Contest all the artists would appear on the same stage under the same conditions giving everyone the same opportunity to shine. For the live recordings, the Reference Group of the Eurovision Song Contest approved additional measures to guarantee the fairness of the contest.

Prior to the recording, each participating broadcaster will meet with a representative from Host Broadcasters and submit a recording session schedule, studio setup and camera schedule.

The Head of Delegation will be on site during the registration period of 60 minutes and up to three authorized expirations, either alone or with an appropriate mandate, to make the final decision on the selection of the final receipt (from three).

A live link will be created during the recording to allow the Eurovision Executive Supervisor and a representative from an independent voting observer (E&Y) and Host Broadcaster to monitor the recording, provide assistance and support, and ensure the integrity and fairness of the contest.

No videos of the appearances from the national finals can be submitted, but each country can record on the same stage. The “live-on-tape” recordings must be delivered by the end of March.

Of course, as we mentioned at the beginning of the article, all of the above will apply in the case of contestants who will not be able to attend Rotterdam in May. The 65th Eurovision Song Contest will take place anyway!

Source: Eurovision.tv

Eurovision 2021: Allocation draw in semi-finals remains the same as in 2020!

A little while ago through the official social networks of the contest, it was announced that the draw of the semi-finals of this year’s contest will also apply to Eurovision 2021. Read more