Sanremo 2023: list of potential contestants revealed!

There are still more than 5 months before the Sanremo Festival kicks of and we already have a list of potential candidates.  According to Recensiamo Musica, a music portal specialized on Italian music these are some of the names that may compete next year:

  • Emma
  • Michele Bravi
  • Aka 7even
  • Tananai
  • Alessandra Amoroso
  • Marco Mengoni
  • Biagio Antonacci
  • Girogia
  • Tiziano Ferro
  • Arisa
  • Annalisa
  • Levante
  • Paola Turci
  • Malika Ayane
  • Diodato
  • Pinguini Tattici Nucleari
  • Modà
  • Boomdabash
  • Elodie
  • Madame
  • Margherita Vicario
  • Mara Sattei
  • Ariete
  • Nina Zilli
  • Chiara Galiazzo
  • Enrico Nigiotti
  • Albano
  • Ivana Spagna
  • Marcella Bella
  • Fausto Leali
  • Anna Oxa
  • Gianluca Grignani

 

The list includes several well known names in the italian music scene and previous Sanremo participants such as Tiziano Ferro, Annalisa, Elodie and Ivana Spagna.  Moreover, we may see the return of some contestants that already wave the Italian flag in Eurovision like Marco Mengoni (2013), Nina Zilli (2012) and Albano (1976).  It must be noted the potential return of Sanremo winner Diodato set to represent Italy in 2020 before the festival was cancelled.  Diodato could perform as an interval act this year.

It must be noted that, according to Recensiamo Music nothing is official yet.  These are just names that are being mentioned.

Which acts would you like to see returning for Sanremo?  Stay tuned in Eurovisionfun for more updates on Sanremo and Italy in Eurovision!

Eurovision 2023: The first odds for next May’s winner!

The next Eurovision season may officially begin in two weeks, but your favorite column is back to give you a first taste of the betting odds ahead of the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.

While you are on holiday and preparing for a “hot” Eurovision winter, the bookers are already busy, with the Eurovision 2023 winner section already being offered to some companies. So we take the opportunity and present you the first bets for the next contest.

Advantage: Ukraine

With the war in Ukraine not over and the EBU making the decision that the next contest will not be held on the territory of the winner of Eurovision 2022, there are not a few who believe that Ukraine starts as the absolute favorite to win the 67th version of our favorite contest.

It is noteworthy that for the first time in history the winner of the next contest has been played at odds below 5-6 since August, nine months before the Eurovision. From this alone we understand that there are not a few who rushed to bet their money on the Ukrainian back-to-back win. The Ukrainian victory is played at odds between 2.84 and 3.25.

Second favourite, behind Ukraine, is Italy. The last host and 2021 winner, which is also the most successful country of the competition in recent years, could not be missing from the highest positions of the bookies, who, based on the long tradition of Sanremo, believe that Italians can well claim their fourth victory.

The same more or less applies to the third Sweden which is played at almost the same odds as Italy, with the Scandinavians wanting to get the coveted seventh victory and equal the record of the “Queen of Eurovision”, Ireland. Italy and Sweden return ten times the bet of those who bet on them.

The UK and Spain are in fourth and fifth place respectively according to the bookers, with both European powerhouses cashing in on second and third place in Turin. The success of Sam Ryder and Chanel has sparked interest in Eurovision in two countries that love the contest, but have not had particularly successful results in recent years.

With this renewed interest in the contest, and with the contest taking place on British soil giving the Brits a chance to throw a huge party to accompany the UK’s sixth win, the bookers are tipping a British win at odds between 8 and 13, while the corresponding Spanish one between 15 and 16.5.

Top 10

Behind the United Kingdom and Spain is another Big 5 country, France, which could not continue on the path of success this year in Turin, after Barbara Pravi’s second place in 2021 in Rotterdam, as it was ranked only 25th. Nevertheless, the bookers place France in 6th place at odds of between 17 and 19.

The remaining four positions in the top ten are filled by countries, which do not belong to the Big 5, but betting companies consider that they start from a more advantageous position compared to their competitors. Seventh is Norway, which is a not inconsiderable size for the competition and annually holds one of the most difficult national finals, the Melodi Grand Prix. The Nordic country is played at odds between 15 and 19.5.

Eighth is Switzerland, who have been one of the fastest growing powers in the competition from 2019 onwards. The Swiss victory is found at odds of 21 in three different companies.

The recovery of Greece‘s momentum in the Eurovision Song Contest is confirmed by the ninth place given by the bookers to the possibility of a second victory for the Mediterranean country.

Being one of only three countries that count consecutive placements within the top ten, Greece is considered if nothing else to be a highly reckonable size by the betting companies, who recognize the positive results of the 2021-2022 biennium and the change of approach by ERT within the current decade. Greece is played at odds between 17 and 23, being in one company in seventh place.

The top ten is completed by Australia, with the bookers – surprisingly – showing confidence in the distant Oceanian country, at the same time that the European viewers “turned their backs” once again on Australia’s participation, giving just two points to Sheldon Riley. An Australian win returns 24 times the bet.

Do you think Ukraine can make it back-to-back and become the first country since Ireland in the early 90s to achieve back-to-back wins in our beloved contest?

Sanremo 2023: Amadeus wants Britney Spears and Lady Gaga as special guests

The first rumors about the 73rd Sanremo Festival are emerging.  The artistic director of the Italian festival wants pop superstars Britney Spears and Lady Gaga as international guests.

According to the website Coming Soon, Amadeus wants to have the pop princess in Sanremo.

In the early 2000s Britney Spears, was one of the most renowned and highest paid pop stars in the world. However, in 2008 she ended in a conservatorship with her father as conservator.  Britney continued working but suffered the lack of freedom until August 2021. Winner of countless music awards, Britney had her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at the age of 21.

According to these rumors, the managers of Britney Spears have already been contacted and therefore the negotiation is underway. In addition, someone revealed that Amadeus was undecided whether to call Britney Spears or Lady Gaga and that the choice was not easy. Finally, it seems that Spears will receive at least 200,000 euros for her participation.

Source: Comingsoon

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for more news about the next Sanremo festival

The most successful Eurovision countries in the 20s!

Eurovision is heading to the third decade of the 21st century and it has clearly changed not only in comparison with the past, but also with the recent years. In this article we investigate how countries scored during the first 2 years of the 20s, as well as their average score.

As you can see below, we cannot identify a group of 5-6 performing performing always well, as it used to happen the last years. Only a few countries are consistently doing well, despite the fact that the scores studied are only of the last 2 years. Tougher competition, the success of the contest on social media (TikTok had a business partnership with the contest this year featuring exclusive clips of the first rehearsals on the platform), as well as the high interest by record labels are only some of the reasons why it is harder to perform consistently well, since entries are of higher lever than the past.

Lets see in detail the average score of the countries during this decade:

Country        2022   2021    Average

  1. Ukraine           1          5             3
  2. Italy                 6          1            3,5
  3. Greece             8         10            9
  4. Sweden           4         14             9
  5. Russia             –           9             9
  6. Switzerland    17        3             10
  7. Moldova          7        13            10
  8. Serbia              5         15            10
  9. Portugal          9         12           10.5
  10. Lithuania       14         8             11
  11. France            24         2             13
  12. Spain               3         24           13.5
  13. Iceland          23          4            13.5
  14. Finland          21          6            13.5
  15. United Kingdom 2     26           14
  16. Norway           10         18            14
  17. The Netherlands 11     23          17
  18. Azerbaijan     16          20            18
  19. Belgium          19         19             19
  20. Armenia         20          –              20
  21. Malta               35          7             21
  22. Estonia           13         31             22
  23. Poland            12         33            22.5
  24. Cyprus            29         16            22.5
  25. Romania        18          28            23
  26. Israel              30          17           23.5
  27. Albania          28          21           24.5
  28. Australia        15          34           24.5
  29. Bulgaria         38          11           24.5
  30. Germany        25          25            25
  31. Croatia           26          27           26.5
  32. St. Marino     33          22           27.5
  33. Czech Republic 22     36             29
  34. Denmark        31         29             30
  35. North Macedonia 27 35             31
  36. Austria           36         30             33
  37. Ireland           34         37            35.5
  38. Latvia             32         39            35.5
  39. Slovenia         40        32              36
  40. Montenegro   37         –                37
  41. Georgia           39       38             38.5

As you can see in the table above, there are very few countries where the average of their positions in these two years is below 10. This proves how difficult it has become to be in the top ten. It is even more difficult to have continuous results within top 10, since only three countries have achieved this, Ukraine, Italy and Greece!

It is evident that Italy and Ukraine are the two powerhouses of the competition for this decade (so far). Sweden remains high on the list, but far from the first place it was in the last decade. Greece is recovering dynamically since it is in third place, when in the previous decade it was out of the 20s. Cyprus gets lower scores year by year, unfortunately making us believe that 2018 was just a coincidence and is currently in 24th place!

Regardless of personal taste and opinions, the numbers speak themselves and is clear that Ukraine, Italy and Greece are doing great during this decade. The new strategy of the management of ERT to chose the artist and the song internally, is proven to be successful, after years of bad results and 2 NQ (2016,2018).

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun because the journey to Eurovision 2023 has already begun!

Italy: Sanremo 2023 regulation published!

The regulation of the 73rd Italian Song Festival, the fourth branded Amadeus in the role of Artistic Director and Conductor, anticipates the times. The decision to publish it in June confirms that Amadeus is already at work in constant dialogue with the musical world.

“The goal is to have a longer preparation time available to transfer an exciting story of Italian music today from the Ariston stage to the homes of viewers, giving voice to new talents and already established artists, cast, also on the basis of the musical proposals that will arrive to me will be chosen, as always, giving weight to the value of the songs and their potential compared to the market, with particular attention to their ‘radio appeal’ “.

25 champions in competition

The 2023 kermesse of the Sanremo Festival will be broadcast from 7 to 11 February. Also in this edition 25 champions are confirmed in the competition, including the 3 finalists of Sanremo Giovani who will have to participate in the festival with a different song than the one proposed in December. The fourth evening will be dedicated to the Covers: on this occasion the artists will be able to draw from a repertoire ranging from 1 January 1960 to 31 December 1999, reinterpreting a song together with a guest identified by them and approved by the Artistic Direction. The most voted interpretation will receive a Special award.

The competing songs of the 25 Champions

The competing songs of the 25 Champions will be judged by the public at home through televoting (from landline and mobile telephones), by the Jury of the Press Room, TV, Radio and Web (150 representatives of the media accredited to the Festival) and by the Opinion Jury. (300 components). In the first and second evening, the jury of the press room, TV, radio and web will vote and will carry out its vote by dividing itself into three independent components: a third for TV and print media, a third for the radio and a third for the web jury. . In the third evening the vote will be entrusted for 50% to televoting and for the other 50% to the opinion poll jury. During the fourth evening the voting will be tripartite: 34% entrusted to televoting, 33% to the press room, TV, radio, web jury and 33% to the opinion poll jury, while in the fifth the 25 samples will be judged by televoting alone. it will add up to the previous rankings. At the end of the fifth evening to decide the winner of the 73rd Sanremo Festival among the 3 finalists, a new vote by televoting, press room jury, TV, radio, web and opinion poll jury.

The winner of the festival will have the right to represent Italy at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. If the winner refuses then RAI will choose another finalist, based on its own criteria!

Stay tuned for more Sanremo 2023 updates!

 

 

Italian commentator apologizes after comparing Chanel with J.Lo during the Grand Final!

Cristiano Magliolo, one of the Italian commentators made some impolite comments about Spanish representative, Chanel.  During the Grand Final, Magliolo called Chanel “a cheap Jennifer Lopez”.  Not only that, the RAI commentator also added that the Slo Mo singer “was good to go to the beach in summer but there is only one Jennifer Lopez!”.  Magliolo made these comments during the recap of the songs in the Eurovision Grand Final.

According to the rules, Eurovision commentators should remain neutral during the broadcasting of the show.  It is against the rules to try to influence the public against an entry.  It was thus a matter of time before the fans found out about these comments.  Fans have expressed their discontent with Magliolo through social media.  The pressure mounted to the point that Magliolo was forced to apologize.

Italian commentator apologizes

After the negative reactions, RAI commentator Cristiano Magliolo was forced to apologize.  The commentator spoke in La Vita In Diretta where he said he never meant to offend Chanel with his comments:

When I said “cheap Jennifer Lopez” I meant she is ‘like a little Jennifer Lopez’. It wasn’t an offense but I apologize. (…)  However, I apologize, I’m always ironic. But I didn’t influence anyone, they had already voted.

The Spanish fans made a tragedy of it. They did not understand the irony of my comments. I honestly gave judgments I believed in, always seasoned with a few jokes.  The commentator continued.  Furthermore, he joked about himself “always going to discount stores” where he finds nice things even if they are often imitations of more famous brands.

Chanel represented Spain in Turin with her song Slo Mo.  She finished in third place with 459 points.   This marks Spain’s best result in Eurovision since 1995.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSQYTt4xg3I&ab_channel=EurovisionSongContest

Are you satisfied with this apology?  Stay tuned in Eurovisionary for more news!

Source: Today.it

Eurovision 2022: See the results of Press Poll just before the grand final!

As we informed you in our article, Press Poll 2022 has begun. After all countries have had all technical rehearsals, it is now time for the accredited to vote for the country that believes she will be the winner of the 66th Eurovision Song Contest.

Below are the results of the final of today’s 14/5 at 20:30:

In the vote for the winner, UK leads, Sweden is second, and Spain is third!


Follow us on all social media, so you do not miss a moment of what will happen in Turin:

Source: Ogae International

Eurovision 2022: The Family Show Of The Grand Final! (Updated)

The big day is finally here and the Grand Final is taking place at the PalaOlimpico. The family show of the final has just started! It is addressed, as the title says, to families. Αll entries will once again perform their song, with the show being used more as a warm-up, a final rehearsal for minor corrections before the TV show, tonight!

We are at the press center and will bring you live everything that happens here in real time. We remind you that the jury rehearsal took place yesterday, with 50% of the total score having already been judged. Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for the family show.

The show

The program begins with a large group of people singing “Give peace a chance“! Then we see Mika and Alessandro Cattelan on stage and Laura Pausini songs are performed accompanied by a percussion group.

The parade of countries follows!

Then the presenters of the night appear  and give us all the details about the night that will follow and the voting process.

Czech Republic

We are Domi and “Lights off“  opens the grand final with an energetic performance. We can tell that the singer is  holding back a bit so she can be 100% on point for the final show today! Apart from that, the stage looks great and they can bring a decent result on the final today!

Romania

WRS is bringing the heat on the Eurovision stage this year! For many it came as a surprise that he advanced to the final but he delivers a great performance on stage with not as much differences from what we saw on the 2nd semi-final!

Portugal

Third act for today is MARO with an atmospheric perfomance! Vocally is great and she receives a big applause from the audience in the middle of the song!

Finland

After the soft and calm performance of Portugal, The Rasmus are rocking the stage with a great show! We don’t any differences from the semi final and Lauri delivers good vocals for one more time! The arena seems to love “Jezebel” as they sing a long and they received big applause!

Switzerland

Next up on the stage is Marius Bear with an emotional performance. He delivers great vocals but is hard for him to surprise the audience and have a good result on the grand final!

France

A song that the press center and the crowd on the arena  love and may have a great chance have a good results on tonight show! The staging is beautiful, the vocals on point and France can be the surprise of Grand Final!

Norway

From evocative and mysterious France we go to a party rhythm. Also a participation that can stand out both due to appearance and due to dancing.

Armenia

After the party song of the wolves of Norway we continue with a snap! Armenia delivers good vocals and she really seems to enjoy her performance! The arena claps along the whole song but the running order might be a hard place for her to shine on tonight’s show.

BREAK

Mika and “Laura” show us some shots from the semifinals. Then the presenters are in the green room and talking to us about the plants that surround it.

Italy

The Italian duo are doing an amazing job and they seem like they are back for another great result for Ιtaly! The vocals were improved and the arena went crazy!

Spain

One of the fan favourite to win the show is coming to the stage to bring the party back! Chanel did not gave the energy we know she can deliver and we are sure that tonight can be a great night for Spain after many years!

The Netherland

S10 managed to impress the audience with another captivating performance! She was great vocally but will this be enough after Spain and before Ukraine performances?

Ukraine

The booking favourite to win this year edition is making a great rehearsal with good energy and the receive a big applause from the audience inside the arena!

Germany

One of the calmest entries of this year is undoubtedly that of Germany, with Malik Harris being excellent vocally, but with a weak song. For another year, Germany seems to be heading for the bottom of the standings. Another “bell” for the leaders of the German radio and television, the most powerful in the Old Continent.

Lithuania

Lithuania’s turn to take the stage, with Monika appearing in a different dress compared to the semifinals. It will be difficult, however, to see the maintenance of this dress in the evening show as well. A song with an atmospheric character that is unlikely to be supported by the average Lithuanian viewer. Particularly probable is the end of the last ten of this year’s competition.

Azerbaijan

Next on stage comes the clipped Nadir, who once again is to the point vocally. His voice led him so far and his voice will lead him until two in the evening and the announcement of the final results. Most likely to end up in the top ten.

Belgium

One of the qualifiers-surprises of this year’s competition is Belgium, which many expected to be left out of the final. Nevertheless, Belgium is here, it will compete in the grand final and most likely end up in places 16-25. Moderate response from spectators inside the stadium.

There is a break between Belgium and Greece with Mika and Laura Pausini promoting the official Eurovision 2022 CD and at the same time snapshots from the two semifinals are shown.

Greece

The last rehearsal of Greece before the grand final tonight is next. Amanda once again gives her best, more focused than ever on her goal. Everything went perfectly, with the audience singing with her at the peak of the song in the finale. No special differences compared to the previous days and with the audience adoring Amanda.

Iceland

Greece is followed by one of the surprises of this year’s final, Iceland. A country ballad, which, however, is dug by its presence between our country and Moldova. Their presence is almost certain between 18 and 25.

Moldova

The whole stage on foot for Moldova, which is one of the biggest winners of recent days. A participation that has stood out due to its diversity and its ethnic elements that are so much missing from the grand final. Their impact on the public at night is certain, it remains to be seen what the opinion of the juries will be.

Sweden

The series now has one of the big favorites of this year’s competition, Sweden. Cornelia Jakobs once again raises the crowds at PalaOlimpico, being determined to bring the best possible result for Sweden. Once again in the finale of the song she brings out a crown, which did not exist until yesterday in her appearances.

Australia

Sheldon performs “Not the same” perfectly once again. First male ballad in a series that follows, but the overall result was breath-taking!

 

The presenters are in the green room and talking to various representatives.

United Kingdom

Probably the best male voice of the year. Another favorite for this year with an epic setting on stage and a performance that is simply riveting, especially towards the end of the song with the guitar. A very warm reaction from the audience. This song will probably do very well, especially on the juries.

Poland

Third consecutive male ballad and another very good interpretation. Will all three ballads go equally well?

Serbia

Konstrakta may be one of the biggest surprises from this edition of Eurovision! She delivers a great performance and she will definitely be high on the televote on tonight’s show!

Estonia

Last act from the final is Stefan with “Hope”! He seems to enjoy his time on the stage and the audience love the performance!

The three presenters tell us how we can vote for our favorite songs and see the tab with the phones.

Voting begins!

First recap of the songs.

Interval Act

We are now ready for the interval act of the final. The Maneskin (to be precise their replacements) appear on stage and perform their new song, supermodel (in this rehearsal we only hear the music). Alessandro Cattelan then invites them to the stage where he asks them about their experiences after their victory and then they perform their new song from the movie Elvis that will be released in June.

Laura Pausini then introduces Gigliola Cinquetti, winner of the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest.

Last but not least, Mika makes an appearance on the stage to perform his greatest hits!

Then countdown to closing telephone lines! 

Voting begins with the juries. Then the televoting points are added.

 

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Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun for all the updates regarding Eurovision 2022!

Eurovision 2022: Jury Show of the Grand Final!

The Jury Show of the Grand Final took place today. Twenty-five finalists performed their song once again in front of the experts and audience.

One of the hosts – Laura Pausini opened the show. Right after her performance we witnessed the famous flag parade where all twenty-five acts showed up with their flags when their country’s name was announced.

Here’s the review of all performances:

Czech Republic

Excellent vocals, confident performance. A very jury-friendly song, so juries should’ve definitely paid attention to this. In terms of results, this is probably gonna get a similar result to Cyprus 2021, could be 2-3 places higher or even lower.

Romania

WRS was very happy with his qualification and you definitely could see it, he was happier than ever. The crowd sang the song at the same time with him. Unfortunately, he is performing under statistically the worst slot, so I doubt this will be high enough tomorrow. Not sure juries liked this or not either.

Portugal

Juries should DEFINITELY like this one. So soothing, professional, just wow.

Finland

There were issues vocally as per usual, but it looks effective. Knowing juries pay attention to the vocals, I don’t think juries have ranked this one high, although many jurors could have received nostalgic vibes from the performance and from them as a very famous band.

Switzerland

Marius added some vocal changes and was much better this time. Should definitely come top 10 with the jury voting, even though the televise is gonna rank this one down.

France

Visually excellent, however vocally – lowkey not good. This one is definitely relying on the televoting.

Norway

Professional and slick performance from Norwegian wolves. On other hand, this should be loved by juries since they appreciate quality production, on other hand, this is not ‘jury bait’. Somewhere in the middle with jury voting and relying more on televoting.

Armenia

Rosa was a little bit nervous, but overall a strong vocal performance. Unlike Finland, France and maybe Norway this should be appreciated by professional juries.

Italy

Vocally on the same level as Finland. Atmospheric, the beginning looked fascinating. The outfits were completely different from the rehearsals. As a song, it’s jury bait, but I don’t think it’ll be liked by juries that much.

Spain

First winner vibes here. Nothing else to say.

Netherlands

A very emotional performance from S10, absolutely magnificent. First candidate for jury top 5 maybe?

Ukraine

Their best performance BY FAR. HAS to do well.

Germany

Very emotional, personally enjoyed it a lot. Impressive, but juries won’t go for a rap song.

Lithuania

Excellent! Juries have to have this in their top 10!

Azerbaijan

Everything was on point. Juries should like this one!

Belgium

Jeremy delivered a great performance, even though visually it’s kitschy.

Greece

The jury winner so far. Touching performance, the vocals were astounding! Has to come top 5 overall. Good job, Ellada!

Iceland

This one stands out a lot in the lineup. After so many vocal challenging songs in a row, this feels like something we exactly needed to hear. Probably won’t do that well.

Moldova

FUN!!! However, juries definitely won’t like this one!

Sweden

Professional and slick. Remember, how bookies underestimated Moldova before the rehearsals and how high Sweden was in the odds. Well, it was kind of boring to watch that performance after Moldova. Nevertheless, juries will go crazy about this one. Top 3 contender.

Australia

Sheldon delivered an amazing performance. Kind of worse vocally compared to his other performance but a lock top 10 with juries.

United Kingdom

An obvious jury winner.

Poland

Ochman’s one of the best vocalists of this year’s Eurovision. Only for his vocals alone he should be in the top 10!

Serbia

Winner vibes, but I don’t think juries will support it as much as tele.

Estonia

Everything is on point! Excellent closer.

Prediction of the Jury Voting

Winner: United Kingdom

Top 3: Greece, Australia

Top 5: Sweden, Spain

6-10: Ukraine, Poland, Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland

11-15: Portugal, Belgium, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Norway

16-20: Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Serbia, France,

21-25: Moldova, Iceland, Finland, Romania, Germany.

Eurovision 2022: See the results of the fifth day of Press Poll!

As we informed you in our article, Press Poll 2022 has begun. After all countries have had their three technical rehearsals, it is now time for the accredited to vote for the countries that will advance to the two semifinals, as well as the country that believes she will be the winner of the 66th Eurovision Song Contest.

Below are the results of the semifinals and finals of today’s 13/5 at 21:00:
First Semifinal

Second Semifinal

Grand Final

In the vote for the winner, UK leads, Sweden is second, and Greece is third!


Follow us on all social media, so you do not miss a moment of what will happen in Turin:


Stay tuned to Eurovision Fun for daily updates on Press Poll 2022!
Source: Ogae International