Croatia: Let 3 lead singer falls sick!

Lead singer from Let 3 Zoran Prodanović Prlja has fallen sick recently.  The band qualified in the First Semi-Final of Eurovision 2023 this Tuesday.

The bassist of Let 3, Damir Martinović Mrle talked about this situation during an interview with HRT 1.  During the programme Kod nas doma, Martinović Mrle revealed the lead singer has fallen sick right after the First Semifinal:

“We have been in those spaces for days where we have rehearsals and performances that are constantly under air conditioning and ventilation and when a person stays there for 10, 12 hours, then it is a little problematic because it affects some people’s throats. And when it affects the singers’ throats, then it’s not good.  He caught that last night. You could feel it in that vocal, I don’t know how much the audience felt it, but this morning he woke up sick, his nose and throat are blocked, he can hardly speak, so now he is lying in bed and let’s hope that he can recover in two days.”

 

The Croatian Head of Delegation for Croatia, Mr. Tomislav Štengl has also commented on these recent news.  He is however more positive that Prlja will get a quick recovery:

“Everyone had a bit of a cold but Prlja might have got it a little worse. I think everything will be fine for Friday and Saturday.  The atmosphere is great. Everyone congratulates us, everyone is delighted.”

Last Semi-Final marked the first time Croatia qualifies for a Grand Final since 2017 and the first time Croatia qualifies with a song in Croatian since 2008.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for more news about Croatia in Eurovision 2023

Source: HRT

USA: Partners looking at options for the American Song Contest!

The EBU provided an update on the status of the American Song Contest following its cancellation by NBC earlier this year.

The American Song Contest was cancelled after its first season on NBC due to disappointing ratings and lack of impact on the music charts. Martin Österdahl the Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest commented at a press conference in Liverpool earlier today:

Partners in America are looking at other options

The Eurovision franchise in the US is operated by Voxovation, which holds the exclusive rights to the Eurovision brand beyond the European region.

The winner of the 2022 Contest was AleXa, from Oklahoma, with the song Wonderland.

Source: Eurovoix

Stay tuned at EurovisionFun for all the latest news regarding the American Song Contest!


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Spain: Eurovision 2024 participation confirmed| Benidorm Fest 2024 rules published!

RTVE confirmed Spain’s participation in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, revealing the rules of Benidorm Fest 2024.

What if the 2023 edition of Eurovision Song Contest is still under away, the Spanish national broadcaster is already looking at the 2024 edition, as the rules of Benidorm Fest 2024, the contest through which the Kingdom of the Iberian Peninsula chooses their representative, were released.

The submission process commences on 16th of May and is going to last until 10th of October. The reason behind the early beginning of the preparation is because RTVE wants they candidates to have plenty of time to prepare properly their entries. 16 artists are going to take part in the 2024 Benidorm Fest, while 6 will be under back-up status in case of circumstances changes.

This year Spain is being represented by Blanca Paloma and the song “Eaea” and they compete directly in the Grand Final of Saturday 13th of May, as the country is a Big 5 member.

In the following video you can also watch the reaction of the Eurovision Fun team to the Spanish entry.

Source: Eurovoix

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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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Kosovo: RTK pushing for full EBU membership!

The Chairman of RTK confirmed that the national broadcaster of Kosovo continues pushing for full membership in the European Broadcasting Union.

Speaking to the Board of RTK regarding the first month of 2023, Besnik Boletini, the Chairman of the national broadcaster confirmed that organisation continues lobbying for full EBU membership, through attending EBU events and hoping for full membership and invitation for participation the Eurovision Song Contest.

In order to be eligible to participate in the Song Contest, Kosovo must become member of the International Television Union and of course a member of the United Nations. Earlier this year the broadcaster launched Festivalit të Këngës which would be used as the nation’s Eurovision selection should it be able to compete.

In the past Kosovo has been allowed to participate in other Eurovision related events. In 2011 it took part in the Eurovision Young Dancers represented by Tringa Hsya. In this year’s Eurovision Song Contest the partially recognised nation of the Balkans is somehow present as the Albanian representatives hail from Kosovo.

Source: Eurovoix

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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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Canada: Eurovision Canada Has Taken a Step Back!

It seems like the launch of Eurovision Canada in 2023 is unlikely after what was said at the EBU press conference today in Liverpool.

Martin Österdahl talked about Eurovision Canada at a press conference for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. He said that ever since the contest was announced in 2022:

“We thought it would happen and it kind of took a step back, we are still hoping. The original avenue that was pursued closed, but we are hopeful”

The Eurovision franchise in Canada is operated by Voxovation, which holds the exclusive rights to the Eurovision brand beyond the European region. The announcement of the competition was made for the very first time in April of 2022.

The competition was designed to feature artists from every Canadian province and territory, who would vie for victory through a series of Qualifying rounds, Semi-Finals, and a Grand Final.

Source: Eurovoix

Stay tuned at EurovisionFun for all the latest news regarding Eurovision Canada!


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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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Austria: Teya & Salena wins SF2 Eurovision Audience Poll!

Teya & Salena won the Eurovision Audience Poll for the Second Semi-Final.  The duo who is one of the favorites to win the second semi-final of Eurovision 2023 received 27,9% of the votes.  In close second place Belgium ended with 24,5% of the vote share.

Here are the results of the Eurovision Audience Poll for Semi Final 2:

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for every update on the Second Semifinal of Eurovision 2023!

Source: ESCXTRA