Spain: The reveal of Benidorm Fest 2025 participants will take place on November 7th!

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The sixteen contestants hoping to win Benidorm Fest 2025 and represent Spain in the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, will be announced by RTVE in a week from now.

ESCPlus reports that RTVE will reveal the contestants for Benidorm Fest 2025, Spain’s Eurovision contest, at a press conference at the Prado del Rey studios in Madrid on November 7.

A record number of submissions for Benidorm Fest 2025

Artists interested in participating in Benidorm Fest 2025 had until October 10th to submit their creations. With nearly a thousand submissions—two hundred more than the previous year’s edition—RTVE saw an increase in interest.

A special jury panel appointed by RTVE, consisting of music experts, evaluated the songs submitted. Among the songs, the panel selected sixteen which will compete in Benidorm Fest’s televised shows and six more back-up entries.

Benidorm Fest 2025

The planning for all Benidorm Fest’s shows will be as following:

  • First Semi-Final: January 28, 2025
  • Second Semi-Final: January 30, 2025
  • Grand Final: February 1, 2025

Meanwhile and in contrast to previous Benidorm Fest editions, the specific outcomes of the semifinals will not be made public during the show. Rather, no additional information will be released other than the names of the finalists, until Benidorm Fest is concluded.

The previous winners of Benidorm Fest and Spain’s representatives in Eurovision 2024 were Nebulossa, with their songs “Zorra” and ended up in 22nd place of the Final.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: ESCPlus

Junior Eurovision 2024: Andria Putkaradze will not be alone on stage!

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More information is released as the 2024 Junior Eurovision Song Contest draws near. It has now been made public that Andria will not be performing alone at Junior Eurovision.

In particular, GPB revealed that on November 16, Gabriel Machabeli, age 10, will perform with Andria Putkaradze at Caja Mágica in Madrid. Gabriel’s role isn’t yet known, though.

Gabriel Machabeli might perform with Andria as a dancer or even co-singer on stage. If that’s true, it won’t be the first time a main contestant is joined by someone else on stage. Sophie Lennon, the Irish representative in Junior Eurovision 2022, joined last year’s Irish representative Jessica McKean on stage providing live vocals without being credited.

How was Andria selected?

Andria Putkaradze competed along with two other young artists in the final of Ranina 2024. Specifically, the artists competing in Ranina 2024 were the following:

  • Sandro Gurgenadze
  • Barbare Morgoshia
  • Andria Putkaradze

All three artists performed covers of patriotic songs composed by Gogi Dolidze, as the day of Ranina’s final collided with the Georgian Independence Day.

The winner was crowned after the decision of a three member professional jury who selected the Georgian representative based on four criteria: vocals, performance, artistry and collaboration. Meanwhile the exact result has not yet been revealed.

Who is Andria Putkaradze?

Andria was born in 2013, in the Black Sea city of Batumi. He began singing at the age of two and has been a member of the vocal ensemble ‘Children of the Sea’ since he was 6 and currently studies piano at the Zakaria Paliashvili Music School.

Junior Eurovision 2024

Seventeen countries will take part in the 22nd edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest:

  1. Italy: Simone Grande – “Pigiama Party”
  2. Estonia: Annabelle – “Tänavad”
  3. Albania: Nikol Çabeli – “Vallëzoj”
  4. Armenia: Leo – “Cosmic Friend”
  5. Cyprus: Maria Pissarides – “Crystal Waters”
  6. France: Titouan – “Comme ci, comme ça”
  7. North Macedonia: Ana and Aleksej – “Marathon”
  8. Poland: Dominik Arim – “All Together”
  9. Georgia: Andria Putkaradze – “To My Mom”
  10. Spain: Chloe DelaRosa – “Como la Lola”
  11. Germany: Bjarne – “Save the Best For Us”
  12. Netherlands: Stay Tuned – “Music”
  13. San Marino: Idols SM – “Come noi”
  14. Ukraine: Artem Kotenko – “Hear Me Now”
  15. Portugal: Victoria Nicole – “Esperança”
  16. Ireland – Enya Cox Dempsey – “Le Chéile”
  17. Malta: Ramires Sciberras – “Stilla ċkejkna”

The 22nd edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest will be held on November 16 in Madrid, Spain, following the country’s second-place finish last year and the refusal of the winning country, France, to host for the second year in a row. The slogan for this year’s contest is “Let’s Bloom!”, while Ruth Lorenzo, Marc Clotet and Melani Garcia will serve as this year’s hosts.

Andria will represent Georgia with “To My Mom” and will perform ninth.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: GPB

France Télévisions faces backlash over sexual harassment allegations against Slimane!

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France Télévisions is facing accusations and criticism over the selection of Slimane, as the country’s representative for Eurovision 2024 following the allegations of sexual harassment by the latter.

The chronicle

Past Monday a complain was filed on Slimane for sexually harassing one of the technicians on his tour in late 2023. Specifically, the events mentioned took place on December 17, 2023 at Saint-Etienne’s Zénith.

After Slimane’s performance that night, a technician claims that the singer “blocked him against a wall” and then “imposed an embrace” on him before strongly requesting they have sexual intercourse.

The technician allegedly returned to the tour bus after Slimane’s requests were turned down. The 35-year-old singer allegedly sent him “a multitude of messages and videos of a sexual, even pornographic nature” over the course of two and a half hours that night.

The following morning, the technician in question informed the production company and they decided to remove him from the tour along with another individual. Slimane’s tour was launched two weeks before these events took place and was not cancelled then.

Le Parisien gave publicity to the aforementioned event, having investigating the story since January. The victim was identified but did not wish to make it public until a few days ago.

Why did France Télévisions continued their collaboration with Slimane?

A month prior to the events, Slimane and his song “Mon Amour” were selected for Eurovision 2024. France Télévisions now faces questions about whether they knew about the incident and the singer’s inappropriate behavior, and if they did, why they kept working with him.

According to Le Parisien, the company that employed the technician in question notified France Télévisions of the incident by late December, and the broadcaster had been formally aware of it since early January.

On the other hand, a representative of France Télévisions claims that:

At the time, it was all about rumours, not proven facts. And our work does not depend on rumours.

Was France Télévisions afraid of a potential backlash?

The 2023 selection of La Zarra, whose inappropriate behavior sparked backlash in France, put France Télévisions in a weak spot and made them vulnerable to criticism. The singer herself let out a frustrated “middle finger” during the Liverpool voting sequence and after the public’s score for La Zarra’s entry was revealed.

France Télévisions may have wished to avoid making things public and drawing unfavorable attention out of fear of receiving additional criticism from the national media.

With sold-out dates on his upcoming tour, Slimane became a pan-European sensation after “Mon Amour” finished fourth overall and was unquestionably one of Europe’s favorites in Malmö.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: Le Parisien

Germany: The details for Chefsache ESC revealed!

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ARD, RTL, and Raab Entertainment have published more information about the German national final for Eurovision 2025.

Germany will select their representative through the final Chefsache ESC Wer singt für Deutschland?.  The final will take place on March 01, 2025 in Cologne.

This is the first time ARD, RTL, and Raab Entertainment are joining forces to select the Eurovision representative for Germany.  ARD Programme Director, Christine Strobl said:

Special events require special cooperation: I am delighted to be working with Stefan Raab and RTL to spark an for the ESC 2025

The road to Eurovision Chefsache ESC Wer singt für Deutschland?

The German national final will have preliminary shows.  A total of Four shows will take place as part of the selection.  Barbara Schöneberger will host all the preliminary shows of the German national final.  She had already hosted the German national final for Eurovision in 2024.  Stefan Raab will be one of the jurors in the shows together with his colleagues.

A total of 24 songs will compete initially in Chefsache ESC Wer singt für Deutschland?  The entries will be split in two groups that will perform in the first two shows. Up to 14 participants will advance to the third show.  However, only 9 finalists will make it to the final.

During the final, the public alone will decide the winner and German representative for Eurovision.

The submissions have already opened.  Musicians can send their potential entries until 28 November, at 11:59pm.  Artists do not need to send an original song, a cover will be enough for the first phase of the selection.

Source: Eurovision.de | ESC Discord

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Eurovision 2025: Novartis is the official sponsor for the competition in Basel!

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A few hours ago the EBU announced its official sponsor for the Eurovision 2025 contest that will take place in Basel next May. The pharmaceutical company Novartis will be the “official partner” of the competition!

Martin Österdahl, head of the organisation of the 2025 contest, said specifically:

‘We are thrilled to announce Novartis as an official partner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025! With their headquarters in next year’s Host City, it’s great to have Novartis, a global leader in healthcare, supporting the Contest in Basel. This partnership marks an exciting collaboration between two iconic brands known for their commitment to innovation and excellence. Together, we stand for a vision of unity, hope, and the belief that through collaboration, we can achieve extraordinary things.’

The choice of Novartis was made in the unifying spirit promoted by Eurovision and is closely linked to the company’s identity, which is based in the city that will host the contest. Novartis actively promotes diversity and a sense of belonging as an employer of people from all countries of the world. Through this commitment, it fosters cultural diversity and creates an environment where all employees feel accepted and respected.

Rob Kowalski, Chief People & Organization Officer at Novartis, said:

‘Novartis is honoured to be an official partner of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Basel – our home city. Both our organisations were born in Switzerland and believe deeply in the power of collaboration and bringing people together.’

 

Reto Peritz and Moritz Stadler, executive producers of SRG, said of the partnership:

‘We are delighted to welcome Novartis on board and are excited about their commitment and engagement. Their support will play a key role in helping us reach our goals and make a meaningful impact.’

The city of Basel will host the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in May 2025 after Nemo’s victory with The Code.

Source: Eurovision.Tv

For all the news about the competition, stay tuned to Eurovision Fun!

Turkey: The country almost made a return in Eurovision 2017!

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Turkey remains absent from the Eurovision Song Contest since 2013. However and according to “The Euro Trip” podcast, Turkey was very close to making a return to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2017.

According to Paul Jordan, who served as the Director of Digital Communications at Scrn from 2015 to 2018, a company previously outsourced to run some Eurovision brand services, there were continuous talks between the EBU and the Turkish broadcaster TRT.

Specifically, Paul Jordan noted that:

In 2017 they [the EBU] were very close to having Turkey come back. They were in talks with the Turkish broadcaster, and it fell apart. There was an eagerness for a time for them to return. Maybe the door isn’t shut.

They got so close that Jon Ola Sand was engaging in talks with the broadcaster, so it could have very nearly happened. Then time went on… I don’t know if they changed their mind, or they ran out of time, or if there was an embargo from the government.

There was definitely a desire from the broadcaster and from the EBU to make this happen, and it nearly did happen. It would have been a great surprise, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.

Turkey in Eurovision

Turkey has not participated in the Eurovision Song Contest for 12 years, with its last appearance in 2012 during the event held in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Since 2013, Turkey has refrained from entering the contest, initially voicing objections to certain regulations, including the status of the Big-Five countries and the introduction of juries that account for 50% of the final results. Additionally, Turkey expressed concerns about the representation of LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly referencing the comments made by the then-director of TRT regarding the drag artist Conchita Wurst, who won the contest for Austria in 2014.

Moreover, TRT was unhappy with the country’s results under the 50/50 voting system. When this voting format was fully implemented for all three shows in 2010, Turkey placed second overall. The public ranked the entry “We Could Be The Same” second, while the juries placed it eighth.

Turkey failed to qualify for the Grand Final for the first time in 2011. However, in 2012, Can Bonomo’s song “Love Me Back” experienced a significant disparity, ranking 22nd with the juries while achieving fourth place with the televoting.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: The Euro Trip

The reunion of t.A.T.u is here!

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Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova, best known as the duo t.A.T.u, seem to be making a dynamic comeback and it is said that their reunion is closer than ever! The duo had represented Russia at the 2003 Eurovision contest in Riga, Latvia with the song Ne Ver’, Ne Boisia which means “Don’t believe, don’t be afraid” and managed to take 3rd place! The duet was loved by the audience and continues to have fans to this day!

After their great success around the world, the two singers decided to split up and pursue solo careers in 2011. However, this venture of theirs doesn’t seem to have been a great success. So, the two will become a duo again, performing at various events singing many of his hits, making their fans very happy. It should be noted that as far as their earnings are concerned, it seems that as a duo they have more financial power!

For Yulia, things have not been so simple in recent years. The singer was diagnosed with thyroid cancer after a simple routine check-up and after a mistake during the surgery she almost lost her voice. Specifically, the artist said of her experience:

“After the operation I didn’t speak for a year: whispering, whistling, whistling, going to doctors until the first operation in Germany. Then surgeries in Japan, Korea. After Korea, I was able to start speaking normally, making sounds.”

We are looking forward to the band’s comeback! What do you think? Tell us in the comments!

Source: vokrug

For all the news regarding the competition stay tuned to Eurovision Fun!

Switzerland: The pro-Eurovision referendum campaign commences!

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The Basel-Stadt canton is up for an unprecedented referendum. A little less than four thousand people have signed a petition opposing the canton’s decision to finance Eurovision 2025 on behalf of an ultra-conservative Swiss party that is not represented in the national parliament.

The pro-Eurovision campaign began after the request to include a question on the ballot was approved and the referendum will be held on November 24.

Basel’s trade association supports the hosting

Reto Baumgartner, the director of the Basel Trade Association, has been tasked with making sure that the canton’s Eurovision fund contribution is approved by the majority of Basel voters. In addition, he is the current president of FC Basel and a former professional football player.

The trade association was asked to take the initiative, according to Baumgartner. It is expected that owners and staff of restaurants and hotels will support Eurovision 2025 because they anticipate an increase in business and profit. Their primary argument is that the 38.5 million CHF fund will result in 60 million CHF in direct added value.

Theoretically, it will be an easy choice among the members of Basel’s Trade Association.

The campaign

It is unclear what the anti-Eurovision supporters have planned and whether anti-ESC coalitions will emerge in the upcoming weeks.

Both sides will have a shorter referendum campaign than in the past. No specific plans for a paid advertising campaign have been made. At the moment, the pro-ESC side is only seeking people to join a social media campaign.

Three slogans are available to participants:

  • “Basel in the spotlight – Europe is watching”
  • “Occupied beds, strengthened economy – Basel wins”
  • “Celebrate together – diversity connects”

The referendum

With 87 votes in favor, 4 against, and 4 abstentions, Basel’s cantonal parliament approved the funding for Eurovision 2025 on September 11. The only political party opposed to this funding, though, is the EDU. It needed outside support to collect enough signatures because of its limited presence in Basel City.

The tiny Christian party had earlier declared that it would launch a referendum to stop public support for what it called a “propaganda event.”

Ultimately, the aforementioned political party gathered the signatures needed and on November 24, voters are going to vote on this and two other cantonal and four federal proposals. The question on the ballot regarding Eurovision 2025 will be the following:

Do you want to accept the decision of the great council, taken on the 11th of September 2024, in regards to the allocated funds for the ESC 2025 in Basel?

However, there is no need to worry about a potential cancelation of the upcoming contest. In the worst case scenario that the voters go with EDU’s proposal, the only implication will be a smaller contest with less funding than originally planned.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: BZBasel

Junior Eurovision 2024: The stage construction started!

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Spain is in the midst of intense preparations for the 22nd Junior Eurovision Song Contest. On the twentieth anniversary of their first and only victory in 2004, the Iberian nation is prepared to host Junior Eurovision for the first time. This will be the first Eurovision event in the country since 1969. Given the significance of the event for the nation, there is a lot of interest, and the Spanish are excited to have us in Madrid in two weeks.

In the meantime, stage construction has already begun, and Casa Mágica is ready to welcome all seventeen delegations competing in the children’s competition.

Junior Eurovision 2024

Seventeen countries will take part in the 22nd edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest:

  1. Italy: Simone Grande – “Pigiama Party”
  2. Estonia: Annabelle – “Tänavad”
  3. Albania: Nikol Çabeli – “Vallëzoj”
  4. Armenia: Leo – “Cosmic Friend”
  5. Cyprus: Maria Pissarides – “Crystal Waters”
  6. France: Titouan – “Comme ci, comme ça”
  7. North Macedonia: Ana and Aleksej – “Marathon”
  8. Poland: Dominik Arim – “All Together”
  9. Georgia: Andria Putkaradze – “To My Mom”
  10. Spain: Chloe DelaRosa – “Como la Lola”
  11. Germany: Bjarne – “Save the Best For Us”
  12. Netherlands: Stay Tuned – “Music”
  13. San Marino: Idols SM – “Come noi”
  14. Ukraine: Artem Kotenko – “Hear Me Now”
  15. Portugal: Victoria Nicole – “Esperança”
  16. Ireland – Enya Cox Dempsey – “Le Chéile”
  17. Malta: Ramires Sciberras – “Stilla ċkejkna”

The 22nd edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest will be held on November 16 in Madrid, Spain, following the country’s second-place finish last year and the refusal of the winning country, France, to host for the second year in a row. The slogan for this year’s contest is “Let’s Bloom!”, while Ruth Lorenzo, Marc Clotet and Melani Garcia will serve as this year’s hosts.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source:ESCPlus

Norway: Tarjei Strøm to be the new music director of MGP

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An era ends for Stig Karlsen at MGP as he resigns from his position. His successor is Tarjei Strøm, known in the Norwegian music industry and a former contestant of MGP.

The NRK announces the new appointment in a press release.

“I am humble and grateful for this incredibly exciting opportunity. This is truly the job of my dreams, and I cannot wait to get started,” said Strøm.

He previously participated in Melodi Grand Prix (MGP) with his band Datarock in 2013.

“I know the world of MGP very well, both from the inside and the outside. Now, I look forward to combining my love for MGP, my network in the Norwegian music scene, and my passion for Norwegian music with the country’s largest music competition,” Strøm stated.

Strøm will take on the task of selecting and developing the music for the country’s biggest music show, in close collaboration with the editorial team and the music community at NRK.

Much of his work will involve outreach in the music industry, evaluating submissions for the competition, and assembling new musical constellations that will shine on Norway’s largest music stage, according to the state broadcaster.

Strøm is known for his own bands, such as Datarock and Ralph Myerz & The Jack Herren Band, and he has performed and played with some of Norway’s biggest artists.

NRK also informs that, given that the process of selecting songs for Melodi Grand Prix is long-term and occurs throughout the year, Stig Karlsen will select the songs that will participate in the 2025 competition.

Mads Tørklep has also taken on a new role and will be the head of the Norwegian delegation for the Eurovision Song Contest. This means he will be responsible for the MGP winner and the team participating in the international competition to be held in Basel in May.

Tørklep already has the role of project manager for Melodi Grand Prix and is also a producer.

“I love this ‘circus.’ Eurovision is the largest music competition in the world, and Melodi Grand Prix is Norway’s most talked-about and endlessly debated TV broadcast. This work is demanding but incredibly rewarding,” Tørklep stated.

This year’s Eurovision was marked by several scandals. It was after these events that Stig Karlsen stepped down from his position. However, he emphasized that this was not the reason for his departure.

“The reason is this new opportunity that was offered to me. I believe that music and culture are bridges, and I am optimistic that the EBU will get the organization back on track.”

Karlsen will now work in communication and media alongside Jannicke Mikkelsen, Norway’s first female astronaut.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest updates!

Source: VG