Portugal: Maro is announced as the Portuguese spokesperson for Eurovision 2023!

On their official Festival da Canção Instagram account, RTP announced that the spokesperson to announce the points from the juries of Portugal would be Maro. Maro performed last year in Turin with the song “Saudade, Saudade” and placed 9th in the Grand Final.

Confirmed Spokespersons for Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool:

  • Albania – Andri Xhahu
  • Austria – Philip Hansa
  • Australia – Catherine Martin
  • Azerbaijan – Narmin Salmanova
  • Belgium – Bart Cannaerts
  • Cyprus – Loukas Hamatsos
  • Estonia – Ragnar Klavan
  • France – Anggun
  • Germany – Elton
  • Greece – Fotis Sergoulopoulos
  • Israel – Ilanit
  • Italy – Kaze
  • Lithuania – Monika Liu
  • Malta – Ryan Hili
  • Netherlands – S10
  • Norway – Ben Adams
  • Poland – Ida Nowakowska
  • San Marino – John Kennedy O’Connor
  • Slovenia – Melani Mekicar
  • Spain – Ruth Lorenzo
  • Switzerland – Chiara Dubey
  • Ukraine – Zlata Ognevich
  • United Kingdom – Catherine Tate

Below you can watch the Eurovisionfun team commenting on this year’s Portuguese entry.

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Πηγή: RTP

Eurovision 2023: Dress Rehearsal of the Grand Final – Live Commentary! (Updated Live)

After the Semi-Finals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, the contestants that got the golden ticket to the Grand Final are ready for their Dress Rehearsal.

EurovisionFun will be watching all the 26 countries competing and will serve you feedback and opinions of the show.

This article gets updated in real-time, all you need to do is hit the refresh button on your browser!

So stay tuned to this article as we update it with all details, preparing you for what you will see in the Grand Final tomorrow May 13th, at 21:00 CEST.

The Show

The contest begins with an introductory video featuring the Kalush Orchestra singing the winning song “Stefania” in the Kyiv subway, while Sam Ryder is featured playing guitar. We actually listen to a remix of “Stefania” with lyrics in English as well. Then we move to the M&S Bank Arena stage where the Kalush Orchestra are now singing live.

Next comes the flag parade, during which Go_A (Ukraine 2020-2021), Jamala (Ukraine 2016), Tina Karol (Ukraine 2006) and Verka Serduchka (Ukraine 2007) perform.

We also had a second run of the flag parade due to Jamala’s unnatural appearance in the first run.

After the flag parade, the 4 presenters present themselves and welcome us. A very interesting addition is the display of the ranking of the countries with the most wins in the competition and the show begins!

The Competing Countries – LIVE COMMENTARY

Austria

First on stage are Teya & Salena. Overall a very good performance, without any change from what we saw yesterday. Personally, I find them a bit sloppy for this particular song. It’s undoubtedly a great opening entry for Saturday’s Grand Final, though, even if that reduces the chances of a very good placing in the voting and may be forgotten in the flow of the show.

Portugal

Portugal is a country that made a surprise and got the ticket to the Grand Final. Mimicat’s weapons are her incredible temperament and vocal abilities. The order of appearance, however, certainly doesn’t help Mimicat and perhaps speaks to her narrowly missed Final. Portugal will probably be ranked very low tomorrow night!

Switzerland

Another vocally solid performance from Remo Forrer with a purely professional and contemporary approach to a dynamic ballad. However, it’s not the most interesting song in this year’s competition, and the order of appearance certainly doesn’t help. This in relation to the public vote, because the juries’ support for Switzerland’s participation is a given, due to the exceptional vocal abilities of the singer, as well as the jury-friendly genre of the song.

Poland

That’s how you turn a weakness to power! Despite all the hate she got, bejba managed to qualify to the Grand Final! Today’s performance was nothing different from what we have already seen, but being a rehearsal we had the opportunity to see Blanka without make-up! I don’t know what will be the fate of participating in the competition, but Blanka will definitely be one of our winners of Eurovision 2023.

Serbia

Another very nice performance from Luke Black. The video game graphics add a very nice touch to the look. Doubtful, of course, his fate in the final situation!

France

Perhaps La Zarra’s best vocal appearance. With the air of a French diva, she marches into the final and everything suggests that France will be placed very high in the ranking table.

Cyprus

Very strong performance from Andrew Lambrou. Although it was a rehearsal, he was vocally perfect, while the LED graphics blend very well with the song and make the whole look impressive.

Spain

Blanca Paloma has powerful vocals. Powerful! Spain’s stage appearance is similar to that of Benidorm Fest. Red dominates and there is a lot of smoke. Juries will love it, televoting hardly.

This is followed by a break with a Junior Eurovision-related video.

Sweden

It’s time for the odds’ favourite with more than 50% winning chance, Sweden. Loreen serves vocals, as always and the performance is the same to what we have seen. Great camera angles hiding the ”disadvantage” of having much smaller led screens than in national selection performance.

Albania

Albania was the outsider for qualification from semi-final 2, being 13th at the odds before the rehearsals. As in Poland, once again we get the chance to see the singers without make-up! Very powerful performance, showing in a great way the connection of the family.

Italy

Similar performance to Sanremo, but there is an addition of a staircase prop with 2 dancers. Marco Mengoni is vocally perfect and emotional. Juries will love this.

Estonia

Alika suprisingly managed to reached to the Grand Final, even though her song is not that televote-friendly. She is rehearsing without make-up and she seems to holding strength for the juries tonight!

Finland

The only entry that can ”fight” Sweden for the win. An energetic performance, hoping to get as much as televoting support to reach the trophy. Not sure if the juries will appreciate this tonight.

Czechia

A song with a strong message! The singers, without make-up, seem to be holding back and not giving their 100%. The juries tonight will appreciate this, but also the televote from the slavic countries will support this entry a lot! A top 10 performance.

Australia

Uplifting performance from Australia and Voyager. Not much differences from what we have already seen. A powerful and memorable performance, there is no way the audience won’t remember this after the show. Not sure how massive the televoting support will be, as Australia is usually not getting much support from the audience. Also, not sure if the juries will give this many points.

Belgium

Gustaph, considered as sure non-qualifier when first selected, managed to turn the table around and qualify to the Grand Final as a sure qualifier. A rehearsal with improvisations to the singing and dancing. Potential Top 10 at televoting, and could also do very well at juries!

Armenia

Brunette with the suprise dance-break is next on the stage. Could be better vocally, but Brunette undoubtedly has one of the best stagings this year. A big question mark how the televote and juries are going to react to this entry. Deserves a top 10, though

Moldova

Definitely a memorable entry! Folk is greatly represented by the flute. The dwarf will help Moldova get many televoting points. Predicting a Top 10 at televoting, but don’t think that the juries will go for it.

Ukraine

Time for the co-host country to rehearse. This song with ”The Weeknd” vibe would get a great result, even if it was sung by another country. Great use of the LED screens and the singer seems to be holding back. There is no doubt Ukraine won’t get the Top 5 result, especially in the televoting.

Norway

The entry that got viral on Tik Tok and will likely get a massive televoting score. Alessandra is not vocally perfect and underwhelming, hoping to see her more energetic tomorrow. Predicting a low Top 10

Germany

A shock performance and not because of the staging or the song, but the lead singers’ clothes. He is not wearing the typical costume, but a black sleeveless, a pants with a cat over his black and white trousers and sunglasses.

Lithuania

Even though it is a rehearsal, Monika is vocally excellent. She is without make-up and seems to enjoying the rehearsal. Juries will love this song, but would not be surprised with a bottom 5 in televoting.

Israel

Noa Kirel is a goddess and could do the surprise at televoting tomorrow. Vocally, she is quite unstable, but she is definitely delivers a great show, that is going to be appreciated at the Grand Final tomorrow.

Slovenia

A performance full of energy! Joker Out know how to rouse the audience. The lead singer is vocally great and give an uplifting number. Could get a suprise result tomorrow.

Croatia

Even though the lead singer was ill, it isn’t obvious in this performance. Not a flattering entry for Croatia, but will get the country’s best result in years. The juries won’t give it much points, but the televoting will go for it.

United Kingdom

Last but not least, Mae Muller comes on stage for her rehearsal. The worst vocal performance today, but she gives a great and colourful show! Predicting below 20th place.

 

Intervals acts

The interval acts start with Sam Ryder.

Later, “Liverpool Song Book” follows.

First up is Mahmood (Italy 2019 and 2022), who performs “Imagine” by John Lehnon, whose birthplace was Liverpool. Next is Netta (Israel 2018) singing “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)”. Then, Daði Freyr (Iceland 2020 and 2021) with “Whole Again” and Cornelia Jakobs (Sweden 2022) with “I Turn to You”. Last, Sonia (United Kingdom 1993) sings after 30 years her participation “Better the Devil You Know” and also Duncan Laurence (Netherlands 2019). In some moments we also see Ruslana from Ukraine. The common denominator of all these appearances is the city of Liverpool. Very moving interval act.

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Eurovision 2023: The Grand Final allocation for the Second Semi Final qualifiers!

The first semi-final has just finished, with the first ten finalists being:

Before the press conference that is currently taking place these ten countries chose the half in which they will appear in the Grand Final on Saturday.

This is the half each qualifier drew, from semi final 2:

🇦🇱 Albania will perform in the FIRST HALF of the Grand Final

🇨🇾 Cyprus will perform in the FIRST HALF of the Grand Final

🇪🇪 Estonia will perform in the FIRST HALF of the Grand Final

🇧🇪 Belgium will perform in the SECOND HALF of the Grand Final

🇦🇹 Austria will perform in the FIRST HALF of the Grand Final

🇱🇹 Lithuania will perform in the SECOND HALF of the Grand Final

🇵🇱 Poland will perform in the FIRST HALF of the Grand Final

🇦🇺 Australia will perform in the SECOND HALF of the Grand Final

🇦🇲 Armenia will perform in the SECOND HALF of the Grand Final

🇸🇮 Slovenia will perform in the SECOND HALF of the Grand Final


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Eurovision 2023: Family Show of the Second Semi-Final – Live Commentary! (Updated Live)

Just hours before the Second Semi-Final of the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, its time for the third and the last general rehearsal before the Semi-Final. The family show has just started and the the Liverpool Arena is filled with eurofans! Like every year, the evening before each live show, a more financially convenient show for families, identical to the live one, takes place.

EurovisionFun will be watching all the 16 countries competing and will serve you feedback and opinions of the show. Also, the journalists have the chance to fully watch the rehearsals of United KingdomSpain and the winner of last year’s edition, Ukraine.

This article gets updated in real-time, all you need to do is hit the refresh button on your browser!

So stay tuned to this article as we update it with all details, preparing you for what you will see in the Semi-Final today, at 21:00 CEST.

The Show

The show has started and we are watching a recap from everything that happened in Tuesday night with the First Semi-Final. The three female presenters are on stage and welcome everyone on the show again! The explain the voting system, the united vibe between Ukraine and United Kingdom and within the first five minutes the show begins!

The Competing Countries – LIVE COMMENTARY

Denmark: Reiley – Breaking My Heart

Reiley is dressed in pink inside a prop that looks like a house. The prop rotates in different rooms with different colour but the performance is based in pink. In the middle of the perfomance, Reiley walks to the second stage and the led wall becomes in lime colours with a lot of white shaped hearts. Reiley seems to be vocally weak and annoying enough with the backing autotuned vocal.

Armenia: Brunette – Future Lover

This act starts with Brunnete laying in a inclined plane in pink and purple colors. Then in the rap part the lights become in black and white. After the rap part, THERE IS A DANCE BREAK EVERYONE!!!! The goosebumps I got from this performance. She literally KILLED IT. She was vocally on point and she will qualify for sure. Congratulations Armenia!

Romania: Theodor Andrei – D.G.T (Off And On)

Theodor is charismatic and a great performer but the song ain’t it… sadly the entire performance and staging, with distasteful led content and awkward choreography from Theodor and his dancer, seems very amateurish. Romania will be lucky if they avoid the absolute last place of this Semi-Final.

Estonia: Alika – Bridges

The performance begins with Alike sitting in a piano, the croud has their flashlights open, the song become even more intense and dramatic when she singer elevates her vocals even more. The staging is based in blue and white colours, matching her dress.

Belgium: Gustaph – Because Of You

Without any doubt, Gustaph carries on the performance with his vocals allong with the backing singers and a dancer doing voguing. Gustaph gives the show some much needed energy, with his 90s themed song. The LED are like the videoclip, some shadows dancing on the rhythm of the song and also him on the outfit of the video clip. A very energetic performance!

First Break

Cyprus: Andrew Lambrou – Break A Broken Heart

The performance starts with Andrew being alone in a blue LED scene,it reminds me of the water element. He looks good dressed in black and vocally good. In the first chorus we see a waterfall behind him and towards the end it becomes a huge flame with many fire jets. The whole performance is based on the nature elements. An easy qualification for Cyprus.

Iceland: Diljá – Power

A very energetic and hyperactive perfocmance from the Icelandic singer. Vocally was a bit off and the performance feels completely all over the place, with the young singer doing unnecessary acrobatics and coming off rather aggresive. The camera shots aren’t great, making the viewer feel dizzy and overall quite bored, if not annoyed.

Greece: Victor Vernicos – What They Say

The younger artists takes the stages with a emotional and dynamic ballad reminding us that we need to be ourselves. He is very improved vocally, compered to his previous attempts. The beginning of the performance, with him laying on the floor is very interesting visually but the rest of the staging is quite messy. Victor is not bouncing a lot so vocally was more stable and he seems like he enjoyed it a lot! Maybe he could sneak into the final but I’m not so sure…

Poland: Blanka – Solo

It’s time for our BEJBA! The biggest suprise of the rehearsals.  The dance break is nice, she seems confident and there’s no blur effect BUT the whole performance give the vibe of last year’s Poland with the SFX effects and it’s not really good. The Blanka hologram doesn’t seem real at all. Vocally is so improved and I enjoyed the whole performance. Europe will vote for this for sure!

Slovenia: Joker Out – Carpe Diem

The charismatic band is on stage… the audience gives the pulse, elevating the performace in the 150%. They really own the stage and the croud seemed to love this! The seem confident and cool with their 80s style of clothing. The singer is vocally just like the recorded version and the whole lights are red. In the end, the members of the group, bowed towards the crowd and we see a huge “Joker Out” in the LED. They are fighting for the first place in this semi-final.

Georgia: Iru – Echo

Iru is standing in a small platform the whole perfomace wearing a white dress with silver jewels. ED behind her are dark and in the end everything become brighter. A wind machine is helping her to serve a very dramatic look. A very statc performance and vocally was bit off, seemed annoying.

Second Break 

San Marino: Piqued Jacks – Like An Animal

The show starts with a huge mouth in the LED. In generall, the LED is in red shades in the whole performance. The singer is vocally on point and the staging is decent but the song by it’s self is really repetitive and weak to make it through.

Austria: Teya & Salena – Who The Hell Is Edgar?

It’s time for the favourites of this semi-final.  The croud is clapping and singing in Poe Poe rhythms in the whole performance. Visualy this performance is amaizng in black and red colors but the singers are very static. Both of them are on point and everyne enjoyed it! The biggest clap in the show.

Albania: Albina & Familja Kelmendi – Duje

The outsiders of this semi-final are on stage with Albina giviving everything vocally and the croud cheering her. Also this performance is based in black and red colors like the Albanian flag. A very emotional performance and the whole family are giving a great show! This definetely stands out as the only ethnic song and is performed professionaly but perhaps has a very limited audience. I hope Europe will see the potential of this song and manages to qualify.

Lithuania: Monika Linkyte – Stay

Reaching almost at the end of the contest part, Monika Linkyte delivers a vocally powerful and visually pleasing, warm performance, accompanied by her backing vocalists. They manage to create a beautiful atmosphere that the audience seems to enjoy. She made the croud to sing with her and it was a very good feeling and for us from home (*screams* CIUTO TUTO FINALLY MY HEART IS BEATING).

Australia: Voyager – Promise 

This song is not my cup of tea BUT vocally the front man was very good! Excellent staging with 80s vaporwave vibes and a car on stage. The arena loves them, as they deliver an excellent performance, full of energy, that is guaranteed to qualify tomorrow night. A great way to close the show!

Certain Qualifiers

Armenia

Belgium

Cyprus

Poland

Slovenia

Austria

Albania

Lithuania

Australia

Borderline Qualifiers

Estonia

Greece

Georgia

Non Qualifiers

Denmark

Romania

Iceland

San Marino

 

Ukrainian singers Mariya Yaremchuk, Otoy and Zlata Dziunka perform a medley of Ukrainian songs. Then we watch another recap and get ready for lines to close.

Three drag queens take the place of the presenters and perform “Be Who You Wanna Be”.

Mans Zelmerlow and Filomena return with the “game” of guessing which countries they have or have not qualified in the past.

Big 5 and Ukraine

We will be watching a small clip from the rehearsal of those countries, down bellow you will find my comments.

Spain: Blanca Paloma – EaEa

A very similar to the national selection perfomance with Blanca serving vocals once again. During her perfomance we see a light hitting her hand and the backing vocals screaming her name. A very impacful perfomance.

Ukraine: TVORCHI – Heart Of Steel

Ukrainians show once again that they are the masters of staging at Eurovision. TVORVHI probably have the most sleek, stylish and modern performance of the year. It starts a bit low energy but that is quickly fixed, when pyro jets join the show. Great act but the song is probably a bit forgettable. Of course, Ukraine’s result is maybe the biggest mystery of the year, as we don’t know how the sympathy and diaspora votes will impact their score.

United Kingdom: Mae Muller – I Wrote A Song

Mae Muller will close Saturday’s Grand Final with a fun and upbeat number, staged cleverly with colorful pop art vibes. Her vocals however are perhaps the worst in this year’s contest and completely destroy the act. She’s struggling to hit the notes and looks uncomfortable, which means United Kingdom could be returning to the bottom of the scoreboard.

The Results

Martin Osterdahl executive producer of Eurovision Song Contest 2022, declares that he is happy to see that we now have a valid result!

The ten countries that (virtually) qualified for the purposes of the rehearsal were the following:

Greece, Denmark, Romania, Georgia, Australia, Albania, Austria, San Marino, Poland and finally Slovenia

 

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Belgium: Bart Cannaerts Will Reveal The Jury Points for Eurovision 2023!

Comedian and famous TV presenter Bart Cannaerts will reveal the results of the Belgian jury in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.

The scores of the Belgian jury in the Grand Final of the 67th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will be announced by Bart Cannaerts, known for his participation in The Masked Singer, De dag vandaag and De Allerslimste Mens ter Wereld 202.

The other spokespersons announced to date are:

Estonia – Ragnar Klavan
Albania – Andri Xhahu
Cyprus – Loukas Hamatsos
Greece – Fotis Sergoulopoulos
Israel – Ilanit
San Marino – John Kennedy O’Connor
Spain – Ruth Lorenzo
Switzerland – Chiara Dubey
Netherlands – S10
Ukraine – Zlata Ognevi
Estonia – Ragnar Klavanch
Poland – Ida Nowakowska
Azerbaijan – Narmin Salmanova
Romania – Eda Marcus
Italy – Kaze
Austria – Philipp Hansa
Sweden – Farah Abadi
Finland – Bess

Below you can enjoy the reaction video of Belgium in Eurovision 2023:

Source: Songfestival.be

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Eurovision 2023: The bets before the second semi-final!

We are just a few hours away from the second Eurovision 2023 semi-final and the betting tables are on fire, with the odds constantly changing.

Your favourite column will bring you everything that has changed in the last few days, both in terms of the case-win, and in terms of qualifying from tonight’s show to Saturday’s final.

Top 10

New shuffles emerged yesterday after the first semi-final and yesterday’s dress rehearsals of the second semi-final in the betting tables. Nevertheless, one thing has remained and will remain constant: Sweden is the heavy favourite to win the 67th Eurovision Song Contest. The performance in the first semi-final has given Loreen a “winning air”, with the Swedish victory being played at some bookmakers at as low as 1.40, with the maximum available odds being 1,55.

In second place, with a clear downward trend in some companies, is Finland. Käärijä and “Cha Cha Cha” are Loreen’s rival in this year’s contest, with Finland‘s odds of winning now ranging between 3 and 4.6.

It is understood that the narrowing of the gap between the two countries in previous days is now a thing of the past, with betting companies largely believing that Sweden will win the Eurovision Song Contest for the seventh time.

Alone in third place is Ukraine, whose maximum odds of winning have fallen to 13. Spain has moved up to fourth with an odds of 23, taking advantage of France‘s drop after the release of La Zarra‘s performance at Monday’s Jury Rehearsal. France is now fifth, offered at odds between 9 and 31.

Sixth is now Israel, which gained slight ground after the first semi-final, where the explosive Noa Kirel won the hearts of the audience. Israel is now playing at 36 and seventh-placed Norway at 41, dropping one place compared to our last analysis.

From there, the differences have widened dramatically, with the last three countries rounding out the top ten offered at odds of up to over 100 at some companies. In particular, a potential bet on eighth-placed Austria returns up to 101 times the stake, while a corresponding bet on the UK and Italy returns 126 times the stake.

2nd Semifinal

As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, today’s article will also deal with the chances of the countries in the second semi-final, according to the bookers.

Looking at the betting tables for the first semi-final, betting companies are almost taking the qualification of 5 countries for granted. Austria, Australia, Cyprus, Armenia and Slovenia are the firm favourites to qualify today, with their qualification odds not exceeding 1.10.

Lithuania and Belgium are also largely assured of a place in the final and are offered slightly higher at around 1.17. Next up is Georgia who are being played at 1.25, while largely assured of qualification for Saturday’s grand final is Poland who are returning up to 1.30 times the stake.

Beyond that, a big battle is expected for the tenth ticket where four countries will be vying for a place in the Eurovision 2023 final. Estonia, Denmark, Albania and Greece are very close, with Estonia seemingly having the edge at the moment. Tenth – at the given time – Estonia are offered at 1.83, at the same time as eleventh placed Denmark are offered at 2.10 and twelfth placed Albania, who are steadily climbing the rankings, are offered at 2.25.

In a particularly difficult position seems to be Greece who are the big loser of the two weeks in Liverpool. From ninth place at the start of the rehearsals it is now in 13th, with Victor Vernicos and “What They Say” steadily losing ground in recent days. It is telling that the maximum odds that can be placed on the Greek qualification is now 2.80.

Finally, Iceland are seen as underdogs for qualification at odds of 4, while San Marino and Romania have already packed their return bags, with bookers at some companies offering qualification at an astronomical 17.

It’s wide open as to the chances of winning the second semi-final, with Austria having the edge, yet four countries are being played at odds of under 10 for a win. Austria, Australia, Armenia and Slovenia are expected to battle it out to win the second semi-final. Maximum odds offered for Austria are 2.5, Australia 4.33, Armenia and Slovenia 9.

Which countries do you think will qualify from the second semi-final to Saturday’s grand final?

Eurovision 2023: Second Semi-Final takes place tonight!

The moment that every Eurofan waited for is finally here! The 67th Eurovision Song Contest officially begun on Tuesday, with the First Semi-Final, and is now continuing, as the Second Semi-Final takes place tonight, live from Liverpool!

The sixteen remaining countries will take part in tonight’s show, with ten of them qualifying to the Grand Final of Saturday, where the winner of Eurovision 2023 will be decided.

The hosts of this evening will be Julia Sanina from The Hardkiss, Hannah Waddingham and Alesha Dixon.

The 16 countries that take part in tonight’s first semi-final are:

Running Order

Country

Performer

Song

01 🇩🇰Denmark Reiley Breaking My Heart
02 🇦🇲Armenia Brunette “Future Lover“
03 🇷🇴Romania Theodor Andrei “D.G.T.”
04 🇪🇪Estonia Alika “Bridges“
05 🇧🇪Belgium Gustaph “Because Of You“
06 🇨🇾Cyprus Andrew Lambrou “Break A Broken Heart“
07 🇮🇸Iceland Diljá “Power“
08 🇬🇷Greece Victor Vernicos “What They Say“
09 🇵🇱Poland Blanka (Beijba) “Solo“
10 🇸🇮Slovenia Joker Out “Carpe Diem“
11 🇬🇪Georgia Iru “Echo“
12 🇸🇲San Marino Piqued Jacks “Like an Animal“
13 🇦🇹Austria Teya & Salena “Who The Hell is Edgar?“
14 🇦🇱Albania Albina & Kelmendi Family “Duje“
15 🇱🇹Lithuania Monika Linkyte “Stay“
16 🇦🇺Australia Voyager “Promise“

Apart from the 16 countries taking part, Spain, Ukraine and the United Kingdom also have the right to vote in the Semi-Final as part of the BIG 5 and previous winner. In addition, there is a new category that can vote in both Semi-Finals, Rest Of The World.

The second semi-final will be broadcasted on 21:00 CET and you can watch it live from your country’s public broadcaster, or from the livestream on the official Eurovision YouTube channel:


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Eurovision 2023: Jury Rehearsal of the 2nd Semi Final – Live Commentary! (Updated Live)

The “jury” rehearsal of the Eurovision 2023 Second Semi Final has just started and the the Liverpool Arena is filled with eurofans! Even though the Semi-Final results wil be determined 100% by the televote, national juries will watch and score today’s rehearsals and their votes will count in case a country’s televote fails to produce a valid result. Earlier today we saw the First Dress Rehearsal and you can read our commentary here.

Tonight, in addition to the 16 participating countries of the Second Semi-Final, we will also see the United Kingdom, Spain and last year’s winner Ukraine perform their entries.

This article gets updated in real-time, all you need to do is hit the refresh button on your browser!

So stay tuned to this article as we update it with all details, preparing you for what you will see in the Semi-Final tomorrow May 11th, at 21:00 CEST.

The Show

A spoken word piece opens the Second Semi-Final talking through the history of the Eurovision Song Contest.

The hosts, Alesha Dixon, Hannah Waddingham and Julia Sanina welcome us and remind us that the competition is taking place in the UK because of the war in Ukraine. We see the 16 competing artists in the led wall behind the presenters and the voting numbers appear.

The Competing Countries – LIVE COMMENTARY

Denmark – Breaking My Heart

Reiley, the TikTok star from the Faroe Islands, is dressed in pink, inside an elaborate pink prop that looks like a house and rotates to reveal different rooms. Later, Reiley walks to the second stage and the led wall becomes blue and then green. Sadly, it is vocally weak and rather annoying, something that will probably prevent him from reaching the Grand Final.

Armenia – Future Lover

Brunette delivers one of the most impressive performances visually, standing on a curved platform with pink projections on her, and later intense black and white lights. The added dance break is definetely eye-catching and Brunette is a great performer, that will undoubtedly qualify for Saturday’s final and is aiming high.

Romania – D.G.T.(On and Off)

Theodor is a good vocalist but sadly the entire performance and staging, with distasteful led content and awkward choreography from Theodor and his dancer, seems very amateurish. Romania will be lucky if they avoid the absolute last place of this Semi-Final.

Estonia – Bridges

Alika, the talented singer from Estonia, brings a slightly elevated version of her Eesti Laul performance with pretty blue leds and her characteristic piano that plays by itself. It’s an act that will suffer due to the absence of juries from the Semi-Finals, as the televoters could easily find it dull and forget it. It’s qualification feels very uncertain.

Belgium – Because Of You

Gustaph gives the show some much needed energy, with his 90s themed song. The staging is very similar to the one from Belgium’s national final, with an added staircase, a dancer and loads of voguing. Vocally great as always, but will it be enough for Gustaph to make it through? I’m leaning towards yes but I’m not certain.

First Break

Cyprus – Break a Broken Heart

The Australian born Greek-Cypriot singer Andrew Lambrou delivers a great live of his power ballad. The staging is a bit static, with repeated shots of a waterfall but nevertheless professional. The final minute of the song is filled with huge fire jets. A very decent performance that doesn’t scream winner but will easily earn its place in the Grand Final.

Iceland – Power

Next up, we have the energetic Dilja from Iceland. She is very good vocally but the performance feels completely all over the place, with the young singer doing unnecessary acrobatics and coming off rather aggresive. The camera shots aren’t great, making the viewer feel dizzy and overall quite bored, if not annoyed. Iceland’s journey in Eurovision 2023 ends tomorrow.

Greece – What They Say

16-year old Victor from Greece has visibly improved vocally, compared to his previous rehearsals. The beginning of the performance, with him laying on the floor is very interesting visually but the rest of the staging feels quite messy. Victor’s bouncing a lot and looks nervous, but maybe he could get just enough points to sneak into the Final.

Poland – Solo

Coming next, the big surprise of the rehearsals, Blanka from Poland. From certain non-qualifier, Poland now has a guaranteed spot in the Grand Final, thanks to the visually extremely entertaining show and the much improved vocals of Blanka, who looks stunning. Maybe too many effects, but obviously too much is never enough for the iconic “Bejba”.

Slovenia – Carpe Diem

Joker Out, the charismatic Slovenian band, transfer us to their concert, as they own the stage, delivering tons of energy and fun. The lead singer is vocally great and the tone of his voice elevates the song a lot. After 3 years, Slovenia is returning to the Final of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Georgia – Echo

Iru looks stunning in her white dress and sounds pitch perfect. The performance is pretty, with nice lighting and led content, but quite static and overall dated. This would’t be out of place in a 2011 Eurovision National Final. However, it would be a big surprise if Georgia didn’t make it through, as it’s definetely one of the stronger acts in a weak Semi-Final. Georgia will return to the Grand Final, after 7 years, but will struggle to escape the last places once it gets there.

Second Break

San Marino – Like An Animal

Probably the biggest underdogs of the competition, Piqued Jacks from San Marino, deliver a well crafted show, vocally and visually decent. However, the professional staging with black and red pop-art led content isn’t enough to elevate a very weak composition, musically and lyrically. The landlocked microstate won’t escape the bottom two of this Semi-Final.

Austria – Who the hell is Edgar?

Teya and Salena grace the Eurovision stage with one of the most clever and funny songs of the year. Their stage show is very polished but perheps not fun enough. The red, black and white leds with the dancers are nice but quite repetitive, and it feels like the act doesn’t have a clear purpose and lacks energy. Vocally decent, with some weak moments, the female duo from Austria will obviously qualify but I’m not so sure that they can win the Semi Final. Once they get to the Final, I expect them to significantly underperform.

Albania – Duje

The very likable family from Albania give us a stereotypical Albanian act, full of powerful vocals, red, black and orange visuals and lots of fire. This definetely stands out as the only ethnic song and is performed professionaly but perhaps has a very limited audience. The noticable absence of countries with Albanian diaspora from this Semi-Final means Albania’s qualification is far from certain.

Lithuania – Stay

Monika Linkyte delivers a vocally powerful and visually pleasing, warm performance, accompanied by her backing vocalists. They manage to create a beautiful atmosphere that the audience seems to enjoy. This song really shines near the end of the Second Semi Final, making Lithuania’s qualification a certainty.

Australia – Promise

Voyager, the progressive metal band from Australia, are obviously very experienced performers and close the show with a bang. Excellent staging with 80s vaporwave vibes and a car on stage. The arena loves them, as they deliver an excellent performance, full of energy, that is guaranteed to qualify tomorrow night.

Certain Qualifiers

Armenia

Australia

Austria

Slovenia

Poland

Cyprus

Lithuania

Georgia

Borderline Qualifiers

Belgium

Greece

Albania

Estonia

Non Qualifiers

Denmark

Iceland

Romania

San Marino

Interval Acts

Ukrainian singers Mariya Yaremchuk, Otoy and Zlata Dziunka perform a medley of Ukrainian songs. Then we watch another recap and get ready for lines to close.

Three drag queens take the place of the presenters and perform “Be Who You Wanna Be”.

Mans Zelmerlow and Filomena return with the “game” of guessing which countries they have or have not qualified in the past.

Big 5 and Ukraine

Spain

Blanca Paloma transferred her Benidorm performance to the Liverpool stage, with minor improvements. Vocally impeccable and visually captivating, this entry will be greatly appreciated by jurors but maybe also by the European audience. There is quite nothing like it in the competition and viewers will certainly not forget it.

Ukraine

Ukrainians show once again that they are the masters of staging at Eurovision. TVORVHI probably have the most sleek, stylish and modern performance of the year. It starts a bit low energy but that is quickly fixed, when pyro jets join the show. Great act but the song is probably a bit forgettable. Of course, Ukraine’s result is maybe the biggest mystery of the year, as we don’t know how the sympathy and diaspora votes will impact their score.

United Kingdom

Mae Muller will close Saturday’s Grand Final with a fun and upbeat number, staged cleverly with colorful pop art vibes. Her vocals however are perhaps the worst in this year’s contest and completely destroy the act. She’s struggling to hit the notes and looks uncomfortable, which means United Kingdom could be returning to the bottom of the scoreboard.

The Results

Martin Osterdahl executive producer of Eurovision Song Contest 2022, declares that he is happy to see that we now have a valid result!

The ten countries that (virtually) qualified for the purposes of the rehearsal were the following:

San Marino, Lithuania, Belgium, Armenia, Cyprus, Estonia, Romania, Austria, Poland, Slovenia

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Eurovision 2023: Dress Rehearsal of the 2nd Semi Final – Live Commentary! (Updated Live)

After the First Semi Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, the contestants of the Second one are ready for their Dress Rehearsal. It is the very first time that journalists have the chance to watch the full show of the remaining countries.

EurovisionFun will be watching all the 16 countries competing and will serve you feedback and opinions of the show. Also, the journalists have the chance to fully watch the rehearsals of United Kingdom, Spain and the winner of last year’s edition, Ukraine.

This article gets updated in real-time, all you need to do is hit the refresh button on your browser!

So stay tuned to this article as we update it with all details, preparing you for what you will see in the Semi-Final tomorrow May 9th, at 21:00 CEST.

The Show

The three female presenters are one stage and welcome everyone on the show again! The explain the voting system, the united vibe between Ukraine and United Kingdom and within the first five minutes the show begins!

The Competing Countries – LIVE COMMENTARY

Denmark- Break My heart

In the begging, Reiley is inside a shadow of a heart and then we see him in his cute colourful box. We also see him laying on the floor with some pink LED. The lights change from pink to blue and end up green. At the end of the perfomance we see the singer on the small stage in front.Vocally Reiley is not at his best, maybe still keep his power for tomorrow’s show!

Armenia- Future Lover

That was s shock! Brunnete starts at her purple and pink screen and looking amazing. In the rap parts the screen is totally white while the lights are making shadows. The main colours are now black and white. WE HAVE A REVAMP! Brunnete has a dance break with ethnic instruments and she is dancing and laying on the floor! A very cool show.

Romania- D.G.T.(On and Off)

Theodor’s vocals are on point as always but the show is not at the same level. Everything is red while his costume is pink and at the end we see a girl dancing with him. Romania will probably not be in the final of Eurovision 2023.

Estonia- Bridges

Another killer vocals! Alika is in her blue dress playing in the piano, then leave but the keys are still being played magically. The whole stage is blue while she is walking and  moving around. No suprises here, a simple but effective perfomance!

Belgium- Because of you

Gustaph is on the top of a platform with some stairs and his backing singers are down singing with him. The LED are like the videoclip, some shadows dancing on the rhythm of the song and also him on the outfit of the video clip. In the final chorus, we see a dancer in a pink and white outfit dancing around with Gustaph. A very energetic perfomance!

Cyprus- Break a Broker Heart

Andew is alone on stage in a blue scene. The show starts with him hitting the high note and he is looking good in black. In the first chorus we see a waterfall behind him and towards the end it becomes a huge flame. The whole scene is full of fire and Andrew is good vocally. A safe qualifier!

Iceland- Power

Dilja is alone on stage on her silver suit. The staging is quite dark with blue and purple lights and a few green LED like a tree. Towards the end we see some beautiful flowers behind her and in the final chorus she shows all of her vocals, which are impressive! A strong perfomance that will give a fight for a ticket to the frand final.

Greece- What They Say

Victor starts on the floor with some LED greek letters and he sounds good. At the first chorus we see him in the LED behind him and in the end his is in the front small stage with some smoke. He seemed tired towards the end.

Poland- Solo

The first verse starts with a different type of camera len. A lot of fire visual throught the song and not only on the dance break and Blanka is serving looks. The dance break is nice and she seems confident. A good rehearsal!

Slovenia- Carpe Diem

A very concert like perfomance from Joker Out. The seem confident and cool with their 80s style of clothing. The singer is vocally just like the recorded version and the whole lights are red. In the end, the members of the group, bowed towards the crowd and we see a huge “Joker Out” in the LED. A safe qualifer!

Georgia- Echo

Iru is in a small plarform with a white dress and gold jewelleries. Vocally she is on point, the LED behind her are dark and in the end everything become brighter. A wind machine is helping her to serve a very dramatic look. A great perfomance, with no suprises thoughout the show.

San Marino- Like An Animal

The show starts with a huge mouth in the LED. The whole show is full of red lights and red lips on the background. Vocally the singer is on point, his high notes are very strong but the song is not doing enough to qualify.

Austria- Who the hell is Edgar?

The big favourite of the semifinal is on stage and their serving vocals and look. The show starts a typewriter and the face of Edgar Allan Poe and some dancers on the background. The LED next is full of dancers giving the feeling that they are on stage. Both of them are very good vocally and the perfomance is fun! A safe qualifier for the Grand Final!

Albania- Duje

An amazing dramatic start for Albania. The vocals are strong, the aura of the balkan culture is there and the stage is all red. This may be the most impactful and strong perfomance of the semi. I would dare to say a safe qualifier for the Grand Final also!

Lithuania- Stay

Lithuania has a third option for her dress, in my opinion the best one, and it is still orange and short, as it should! Vocally she is on point and the perfomance is very similar to the national final’s one. A very good rehearsal for Monika.

Australia- Promise

A very strong rock perfomance from Voyager! The singer starts inside a car and then he gives a strong perfomance in front of the crowd. Also a safe qualifer if you ask me!

Certain Qualifiers

Armenia

Cyprus

Poland

Slovenia

Austria

Albania

Lithuania

Australia

Borderline Qualifiers

Georgia

Estonia

Belgium

Greece

Non Qualifiers

Denmark

Romania

Iceland

San Marino

Big 5 and Ukraine

Spain

A very similar to the national selection perfomance with Blanca serving vocals once again. During her perfomance we see a light hitting her hand and the backing vocals screaming her name. An impacful perfomance that will probably do well on Saturday night!

Ukraine

Just like the national final, the LED small screens are still here but even better.  More specific, the singer sometimes transform into a steel type of machine with a human body and during the second verse two dancers help him out and also play with those screens. In the LED we see some blue mountains and sometimes the sun appearing. During the chorus, both the back LED screen and the little screen have the future of robots made of still. A very fun perfomance that will probably do well on Saturday!

United Kingdom

Zero make up for Mae Muller and still looking amazing! The visuals are on point with Mae inside her head and dancing around with her female dancers. On the second verse she leaves the platform and goes to the main stage. The staging is fresh and modern, like a VMA perfomance, but the vocals were not there unfortunatelly. She did not sound bad but it felt weak.

Announcement

The hosts after talking to Blanca Paloma, TVORCI and Mae Muller are ready to announce the ten qualifiers. In the rehearsal, those ten countries are:

San Marino, Albania, Iceland, Greece, Georgia, Estonia, Austria, Denmark , Poland and Australia

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Eurovision 2023: Turquoise Carpet takes place today!

The time is here! This afternoon at 16:00 the Opening Ceremony of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, will take place in Liverpool!

Just a day after the completion of the rehearsals, the 37 delegations that take part in the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, are going to attend the opening ceremony of this year’s contest. The Turquoise Carpet will take place in Saint George’s Hall right in the middle of Liverpool!

The Turquoise Carpet will be hosted by the Ukrainian commentator Timur Miroshnychenko and Sam Quek.

The contestants of this year’s Eurovision will commence their walk from the Walker Art Gallery and head towards Saint George’s Hall, where the official Opening Ceremony of the contest will take place.


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