Estonia: The semi-finals of Eesti Laul will not have live audience!

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Estonian viewers will attend the semi-finals of Eesti Laul through their TVs and the public broadcaster’s channels, ERR, this year, since the Estonian song team and the producers of the show decided that there will be no live audience. However, viewers cam still come to the Saku Great Hall on the day of the final.

The semi-finals will be broadcasted on February 3 and 5 from Estonia’s channels ETV, ETV+, Raadio 2, while those who do not live in Estonia can watch Eesti Laul 2022 from the public broadcaster’s website eer.ee.

The Grand Final of the Estonian national selection, will take place on Saturday, February 12, when the public can attend the morning rehearsal and the evening final.

The division of the participants between the two semi-finals is:

First Semi- Final – February 3 (in alphabetical order):

1. Alabama Watchdog: “Move On“
2. Andrei Zevakin feat. Grete Paia: “Mis nüüd saab“
3. Elina Nechayeva: “Remedy“
4. Elysa: “Fire“
5. Helen: “Vaata minu poole“
6. Kaia-Liisa Kesler: “Vaikus“
7. Merilin Mälk: “Little Girl“
8. Ott Lepland: “Aovalguses“
9. Stig Rästa: “Interstellar“
10. Triin Niitoja and Frants Tikerpuu: “Laululind“

Second Semi-Final – February 5  (in alphabetical order) :

1. Anna Sahlene: “Champion“
2. Black Velvet: “Sandra“
3. Boamadu: “Mitte kauaks“
4. Evelin Samuel: “Waterfall“
5. Jaagup Tuisk: “Kui vaid“
6. Jyrise: “Plaksuta“
7. Maian: “Meeletu“
8. Minimal Wind ft. Elisabeth Tiffany: “What To Make Of This“
9. Pur Mudd, Shira: “Golden Shores“
10. Stefan: “Hope“

Eesti Laul, as a method of selecting the Estonian song, is applied since 2009. The winners of the competition have given Estonia some of its best songs – among them: Urban Symphony (2009), Kuula (2012), La Forza (2018).

The winner of last year’s Eesti Laul was Uku Suviste with the song “The Lucky One” and came 13th in the second semi-final with 58 points.

Stay tuned in Eurovisionfun for everything new regarding Estonia’s participations in Eurovision 2022!

Πηγή: err.ee

Estonia: Hosts reaveled for the Eesti Laul Semifinals!

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Eesti Laul 2022 will start with the semifinals where singer Maarja-Liis Ilus and actor Priit Loog will be the hosts of those evenings.

The presenters of the semifinals were announced on “Ringvaate” on January 11th. It’s the first time Maarja-Liis Ilus and Priit Loog will collaborate as hosts for a show.

Maarja-Liis Ilus stated:

It’s a bigger challenge for me to direct a show than to sing it myself.

Priit Loog said that the call from the producer of Eesti Laul came to him unexpectedly, but he felt it was quite a pleasant proposal.

Everything seemed very exciting to me and I was so anxious.

This year, 20 artists will appear in the semifinals of Eesti Laul, who qualified to the next stage through the Quarterfinals, which held for the first time.

We remind you that the Semifinals of Eesti Laul will take place on February 3rd and 5th at Saku Grand Hall while the Final will take place on February 12th. Five artists will advance from the semifinals combining the votes of the audience and the jury. Ten artists will fight for the ticket to Turin.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the developments regarding the Estonian participation in Eurovision 2022!

Estonia: The Eesti Laul 2022 semi-finalists allocation!

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The public broadcaster of Estonia, EER, revealed today the allocation of the 20 candidates in the two semi-finals of Eesti Laul 2022.

First Semi-Final – 3rd of February (alphabetical order) :

1. Alabama Watchdog: “Move On“
2. Andrei Zevakin feat. Grete Paia: “Mis nüüd saab“
3. Elina Nechayeva: “Remedy“
4. Elysa: “Fire“
5. Helen: “Vaata minu poole“
6. Kaia-Liisa Kesler: “Vaikus“
7. Merilin Mälk: “Little Girl“
8. Ott Lepland: “Aovalguses“
9. Stig Rästa: “Interstellar“
10. Triin Niitoja and Frants Tikerpuu: “Laululind“

Second Semi-Final – 5th of February (alphabetical order) :

1. Anna Sahlene: “Champion“
2. Black Velvet: “Sandra“
3. Boamadu: “Mitte kauaks“
4. Evelin Samuel: “Waterfall“
5. Jaagup Tuisk: “Kui vaid“
6. Jyrise: “Plaksuta“
7. Maian: “Meeletu“
8. Minimal Wind ft. Elisabeth Tiffany: “What To Make Of This“
9. Pur Mudd, Shira: “Golden Shores“
10. Stefan: “Hope“

The 20 semi-finalists of Eesti Laul have qualified through the Quarter-Finals that took place for the first time this year. “Three shows are going to take place, in which, apart from the contestants, are going to perform some of the most famous local artists”, as Tomi Rahula, the executive producer of Eesti Laul, promised.

There are going to be surprises as far as the presenters of the shows are concerned, who are going to be revealed very soon. “Such a couple has never been appeared in front of the audience before” Rahula said.

The Eesti Laulu Semifinals is going to take place on February 3rd and 5th at the Saku Grand Hall, while the Grand Final on February 12th. Five artists are going to qualify from each Semifinal based on the votes of the audience and the jury and in the Final they will claim the country’s representation in Eurovision 2022.

Eesti Laul, as a method of selecting Estonian participation, has been used since 2009. Through this selection process have been achieved some of the best results for this baltic nation – including: Urban Symphony (2009), Kuula (2012), La Forza (2018).

Source: EER

Stay tuned on Eurovision Fun for all the developments related to Estonia’s participation in Eurovision 2022!

Estonia: What Spotify streams say about Eesti Laul 2022?

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Almost a month separates us from the first semifinal of Eesti Laul 2022 and we took a look at the 20 candidate songs and their popularity on Spotify. There we saw some surprises that could possibly overturn the – until now – predictions!

The ranking of the 20 candidates based on the number of streams is as follows:

  1. Maian – “Meeletu”    124652
  2. Andrei Zevakin feat. Grete Paia – Mis nüüd saab  93250
  3. Púr Múdd & Shira – “Golden Shores”  61657
  4. STEFAN – “Hope” 49002
  5. Anna Sahlene – “Champion”   41345
  6. Merilin Mälk – “Little Girl”  37252
  7. Jaagup Tuisk – “Kui vaid”  35498
  8. Elina Nechayeva – “Remedy”  29236
  9. Stig Rästa – “Interstellar”  28139
  10. ELYSA – “Fire”  25935
  11. Ott Lepland – “Aovalguses”  18993
  12. Jyrise – Plaksuta 18001
  13. Triin Niitoja ja Frants Tikerpuu – Laululind  16797
  14. Black Velvet –“Sandra” 13946
  15. Kaia-Liisa Kesler – Vaikus 12597
  16. Minimal Wind ft. Elisabeth Tiffany – “What To Make Of This”   10098
  17. Helen – Vaata minu poole  9702
  18. Boamadu – “Mitte kauaks” 8683
  19. Evelin Samuel – “Waterfall” 7857
  20. Alabama Watchdog – “Move On” 6385

Maian, with a large lead, is at the top of the rankings, followed by the duet of Andrei Zevakin and Grete Paia. In third place we find the band Púr Múdd. Fan favorite Stefan is in fourth place, while songs by Eurostars Anna Sahlene, Elina Nechayeva, Stig Rästa and Ott Lepland do not seem to be so popular. Especially, 1999 Estonian representative, Evelin Samuel is just in second to last place.

Will Maian be able to win the televoting of the Eesti Laul final?

See you on February 3 with the First Semifinal of Eesti Laul 2022!

Stay tuned to Eurovision Fun for all the developments related to Estonia’s participation in Eurovision 2022!

Source of image: ERR/Eesti Laul

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

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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!

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

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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 2021: Seven countries will be directed by Marvin Dietmann!

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Not one, not two, but seven countries will be directed by the talented Austrian director Marvin Dietmann! He is truly without exaggeration one of the people who will be discussed more during the Eurovision 2021 season next May!

Who is Marvin Dietmann?

Marvin Dietmann is a director – who has produced numerous television shows, films, music videos, theatrical productions and concerts throughout Europe. Marvin was born in Vienna, Austria and started dancing at the age of six. At the age of 13 he started a professional ballet class and appeared in many classical ballets, including Swanlake and Nutcracker. At the age of 16, he changed his educational direction and studied musical theater, where he trained in singing and acting.

As a young music actor, he has worked in some of the leading theaters and television channels in Austria and Germany. After a huge injury at the age of 22, he changed his career again, studying photography and began his first productions as an art director.

It is not at all unrelated to the Eurovision contest, since we mention that he was responsible for directing the winning participation of Austria in 2014 with Conchita Wurst, but also the winning participation in the ranking of committees, Austria in 2018. director of the Viewing Room at the Tel Aviv event.

The countries he will direct

Seven countries have entrusted him with directing their participation on the stage of the Ahoy Arena in the 65th Eurovision Song Contest. These are:

  • Austria
  • Czech republic
  • Bulgaria
  • Cyprus
  • Spain
  • Croatian
  • Estonia

Other directors who will be editing more than one country are of course Fokas Evangelinos, who has taken over Greece and Moldova, but also Sacha Jean-Baptiste who will direct the entries of Switzerland, Sweden, Georgia and Albania.

Estonia: Listen to the Eesti Laul 2021 entries!

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Estonian public television recently released the 24 songs of Eesti Laul 2021. The semifinals of Eesti Laul 2021 will be held on February 18 and 20, while the grand Final on March 6, 2021.

You can listen to the songs by clicking on the song titles in the following list:

Unlike in previous years, Eesti Laul 2021 will take place entirely in the country’s capital, Tallinn. The semi-finals of the Estonian national final will take place in a TV studio, while it is still unknown whether the final will take place as usual in Saku Suurhall, or due to the pandemic it will be moved elsewhere. Presenter of Eesti Laul 2021 will be Tonis Niinemets.

Eesti Laul, as a method of selecting Estonian participation, has been applied since 2009. The winners of this institution have given the country some of its most successful participations – including: Urban Symphony (2009), Kuula (2012), La Forza (2018).

Let us remember once again the winning song of Uku Suviste at Eesti Laul 2020, composed by Dimitris Kontopoulos and Sharon Vaughn:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4I3vvQzQ-E

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

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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?

Dream Team is in Moscow for the final mix of songs by Natalia Gordienko and Uku Suviste!

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Dimitris Kontopoulos and Elias Kokotos are in Moscow for the last few days, meeting with their close friends Philipp Kirkorov, Sergey Lazarev and Ani Lorak, as we saw through their social networks. Of course, this visit to Moscow could not be unrelated to their obligations for the Eurovision Song Contest.

After a communication we had with the project manager of Dream Team, Elias Kokoto, he informed us that the reason for their visit to Moscow is the final mix of the songs of Natalia Gordienko and Uku Suviste for Eurovision 2021.

The travel restrictions that have been set in Greece and prohibit travel from the countries of Eastern Europe, has made the work of the creators difficult this year. So, in order to make the final production of the two songs instead of the two artists coming to Athens, as they did this year, Dimitris Kontopoulos went to Moscow.

As you read through Eurovisionfun but also based on what Natalia Gordienko herself revealed, her new song has nothing to do with Prison. This is an uptempo dance track, much younger than the previous one.

The same is true to some extent for Uku Suviste. The Lucky One is a modern radio midtempo song, which definitely has nothing to do with the classic ballad, with which he won this year’s Eesti Laul!

Stay tuned to Eurovision Fun for all the news regarding Dream Team’s entris in Eurovision 2021!