Eurovision 2020: 750 sq.m. LED on stage at Ahoy Arena!

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It looks like we are making progress on the issue of the Eurovision 2020 Song Contest in Rotterdam, as a Dutch company announced that it will participate in the preparation of the event, even revealing that it will be responsible for the creation of a 750-square-foot LED wall.

HD Rent, an Amsterdam-based lighting, audio and events company, posted on its Instagram page that it has won a Eurovision 2020 contest and will work with another Dutch company, LED Screen Solutions, to build a wall 750m2 LED for the stage of next year’s competition, at the Ahoy Arena.

The company stated it was “honored to conclude this agreement with Dutch Public Television and look forward to the next steps in the process”. This post was subsequently deleted, apparently because the organizers did not want to provide any details about the stage now.

The Netherlands looks like it is getting ready for Eurovision 2020, which will take place on May 12, 14 and 16 in Rotterdam, with a wish to present something spectacular!

Source: escunited.com

Estonia: These are the first 12 participants of the Eesti Laul 2020

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During the ETV’s program, Ringvaates, the first 12 names and titles  from the 24 total Eesti Laul 2020 entries were announced.

Estonian radio and television, ERR, also released the names of the 14-member panel that selected the finalists, among the 178 entries filed, comprising people from the country’s music industry and the entertainment industry in general.

In the list below you will find the top 12 artists and candidate songs for Eesti Laul 2020:

  • STEFAN – By My Side
  • Kruuv – Leelo
  • SHIRA – Out In Space
  • Jaagup Tuisk – Beautiful Lie
  • Little Mess – Without A Reason
  • Ziggy Wild – Lean On Me
  • Uku Suviste – What Love Is
  • Traffic – Üks kord veel
  • Rasmus Rändvee – Young
  • Mariliis Jõgeva – Unistustes
  • Renate – Videomäng
  • Laura – Break Me

Tomorrow, November 14th, we will meet the other 12 entries. The songs will be heard for the first time on November 30 and December 1 respectively.

The semifinals will take place on February 13 and 15 in Tartu, while the grand final will be traditionally held at Saku Suurhall in Tallinn, where Eurovision 2002 took place. Tickets are already on sale. Eesti Laul 2020 will be presented by Karl-Erik Taukar and Tõnis Niinemets.

Eesti Laul, the Estonian selection method, has been in use since 2009. The winners of this institution have awarded some of its most successful entries in the country – including: Urban Symphony (2009), Kuula (2012), La Forza (2018).

Victor Crone was the winner of Eesti Laul 2019 and Estonia’s representative at Eurovision 2019. He performed “Storm” on Tel Aviv Stage and took 20th place.

Eurovision 2020: 41 countries will travel to Rotterdam

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For long time, we all were eagerly awaiting the official list of participating countries at the upcoming Eurovision in Rotterdam, as the deadline for the submissions has passed since October. Many countries since then have announced their participation or not, while there have been rumors of several others, which have not been confirmed.

Today, finally, the rumors and scenarios  have finally come to an end, with EBU officially announcing the countries that will take part in the Eurovision 2020 in Rotterdam. Their number has been finalized at 41 and are the following:

  • Albania (RTSH)
  • Armenia (AMPTV)
  • Australia (SBS)
  • Austria (ORF)
  • Azerbaijan (ICTIMAI)
  • Belarus (BTRC)
  • Belgium (VRT)
  • Bulgaria (BNT)
  • Croatia (HRT)
  • Cyprus (CYBC)
  • Czech Republic (CT)
  • Denmark (DR)
  • Estonia (ERR)
  • Finland (YLE)
  • France (FT)
  • Germany (ARD/NDR)
  • Georgia (GPB)
  • Greece (ERT)
  • Iceland (RUV)
  • Ireland (RTE)
  • Israel (IPBC/KAN)
  • Italy (RAI)
  • Latvia (LTV)
  • Lithuania (LRT)
  • Malta (PBS)
  • Moldova (TRM)
  • The Netherlands (AVROTROS)
  • North Macedonia (MKRTV)
  • Norway (NRK)
  • Poland (TVP)
  • Portugal (RTP)
  • Romania (TVR)
  • Russia (Channel One)
  • San Marino (RTV)
  • Serbia (RTS)
  • Slovenia (RTVSLO)
  • Spain (TVE)
  • Sweden (SVT)
  • Switzerland (SRG SSR)
  • Ukraine (UA:PBC)
  • United Kingdom (BBC)

35 of them will compete in the 2 semifinals with ten from each semifinal qualifying to the big final where they will meet the host country (The Netherlands) as well as the Big 5 (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) and a total of 26 will compete in the big final on May 16th. The draw for the  countries and the semifinal they will compete  will take place on 28 January in Rotterdam.

So, officially, we have two returns, after a year of absence, Ukraine and Bulgaria, while Hungary and Montenegro will not participate of this year. The query, also for Turkey,Russia and Moldova, was resolved as Turkey will be out and the two others will  compete normally.

Following that announcement, we also saw the reaction of Jon Ola Sand, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, who stated:

“We can’t wait to “open up” to participants from 41 countries in Rotterdam next year. We are thrilled that so many public broadcasters will be presenting their nation’s best musical talent as we celebrate the 65th Eurovision Song Contest. The team from NPO, NOS and AVROTROS have 3 fantastic state-of-the-art shows planned and the excitement around the event in the Netherlands is incredible.”

Source: Eurovision.tv

Norway: MGP From Oslo to Trondheim

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For the first time since 1989, the final of the MGP 2020, Norway’s national final for Eurovision 2020, will take place outside Oslo. Specifically as the country’s public broadcaster announced, the final of the MGP 2020 on February 15 will take place in Trondheim, at the brand new Trondheim Spektrum.

At Trondheim Spektrum the MGP 2020 final

This will be the first time since 1989 that the MGP final will not be held in Oslo and the first time since 2001 that it will not be hosted at Oslo Spektrum. Trondheim is Norway’s fourth largest city and the Trondheim Spektrum launched a month ago is now the country’s largest indoor arena, with 12,000 capacity. Tickets to go on sale from Thursday will be 8,000. The final of the MGP 2020 will have more spectators than the final of the Eurovision 2019!

This is how the Norwegian representative at Eurovision 2020 will be selected

We remind you that MGP 2020 will consist of six shows, five semifinals and the grand final.

1st Semifinal, 11/1 – Northern Norway
2nd Semifinal, 18/1 – Central Norway
3rd Semifinal, 25/1 – Western Norway
4th Semifinal, 1/2 – Eastern Norway
5th Semifinal, 8/2 – Southern Norway
Final, 15/2 – Tronheim

Each semifinal will feature four songs in duels (as in Melodifestivalen’s second chance) and the final winner will qualify for the final. But along with the five songs that will come out of the semifinals, another five songs that have been directly qualified and selected by the jury that evaluated all submissions will feature the final in 15/2.

The names of the finalists will be announced on January 3, while the names of the contenders in each semifinal will be announced on Monday before each semifinal. The day before each semifinal the songs will be unveiled , while at the semifinals we will have the opportunity to listen to a song by the finalists.

Results in both the semifinals and the final will be determined exclusively by the television audience

MGP chief Stig Karlsen revealed that just like in 2019, at MGP 2020 we will have big names of the Norwegian music scene. Presenters will be announced in December. The semifinals will take place at the H3 Arena in Fornebu, next to Oslo Airport, with the grand final as we said above at Trondheim Spektrum.

This year, Norway was represented by KeiiNO after their victory at MGP 2019 with the song “Spirit In The Sky”, which took sixth overall in the Grand Final, but won the audience’s vote.

Sweden: Two eurostars return to Melodifestivalen

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Aftonbladet yesterday unveiled three more names to participate in Melodifestivalen 2020, raising the number to 14 confirmed artists according to its report. Anna Bergendahl and Robin Bengtsson stand out among them, both previous winners of the Melodifestivalen and representatives of Sweden in the ESC.

Return for Robin Bengtsson, three years after his victory

Robin Bengtsson won the 2017 Melodifestivalen with “I Can Go Go On”, winning fifth place in the Eurovision contest in Kiev. The 29-year-old artist has not done great things in music since then, focusing his attention on the hairdressing chain he opened. This will be his third appearance at Melodifestivalen, for Robin, who has been counting on an 11-year career since it all started for him in 2008 when he took third place on Pop Idol.

Third return for  Anna Bergendahl

Anna Bergendahl, 28, has the unfortunate privilege of being Sweden’s only representative, who failed to qualify for the Eurovision final. She has a relevant career with Robin after joining Pop Idol that same year. In 2010 she won the Melodifestivalen with “This Is My Life”, but lost the qualification from Cyprus, taking the eleventh place in the semifinal. This year, he participated in Melodifestivalen for the second time with a song by Thomas G: Son, “Ashes To Ashes,” reaching the final through the second chance. The song,although not winning the Melodifestivalen, was widely heard on Swedish radios, marking the successful return of Anna Bergendahl.

A Dj at Melodifestivalen

Aftonbladet’s third name revealed is Dj, Anis Don Demina. He became known not so much as Dj, but as YouTuber. He participated in a duet in this year’s Melodifestivalen.

The artists who have so far confirmed for Melodifestivalen 2020

Thirteen contestants have so far secured a place in the Melodifestivalen 2020 semifinals:

Amanda Aasa (from P4 Nästa)
Victor Crone
Hanna Ferm
Jakob Karlberg
The Mamas
Albin Johnsén
 Suzi P.
 Linda Bengtzing
 Frida Öhrn
 Paul Rey
 Robin Bengtsson
 Anna Bergendahl
 Anis Don Demina
Two names have been targeted by SVT, but have not yet confirmed their involvement:

Carola
Eric Saade

Recall that 14 of the 28 participants of the Melodifestivalen result from the open invitation to SVT creators, 13 are selected through an invitation to SVT and 1 is from the P4 Nästa radio competition.

In detail the program of Melodifestivalen 2020 is as follows:

Linkoping – First Semifinal – 1 February
Gothenburg – Second Semifinal – 8 February
Lulea – Third Semifinal – February 15
Malmo – Fourth Semifinal – February 22
Eskilestone – Second Opportunity – February 29
Stockholm – Final – 7 March

David Sundin, Linnea Henriksson and Lina Hedlund will all be presenting the six nights of the show. Aftonbladet correctly predicted 26 of the 28 Melodifestivalen 2019 names.

Source: Aftonbladet

Italy: Nicola Caligiore resigns as Head of Delegation

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According to what became publicly, Nicola Caligiore resigned from RAI and subsequently from his  posts in Italian public broadcaster. This means that he is leaving the post of Head of Delegation, but also of the Reference Group, of which he was a member.

This is certainly an unpleasant development, as Nicola Caligiore was essentially the soul of the contest in Italy and was the main reason RAI decided in 2011 to return to Eurovision. Within a few years, he managed to get Eurovision at quite high viewing rates and increase domestic interest, sending out standings that were almost always in the top three. In the nine years since returning to Italy, RAI has won two second and one third place, with four more in the top ten. A key element of this success was the reconnection of the Sanremo Festival with the Eurovision Contest.

We look forward to his replacement, both in the position of Head of delegation and in the Reference Group. Montenegro’s head of delegation, Sabrija Vulic, was the first runner-up in the election for the Reference Group’s elected members last March. The fact that Montenegro is not participating in Eurovision 2020 is not a problem, as its public television is normally an active member of EBU.

What remains to be seen now is whether the resignation of Nicola Caligiore is related to the claim of the EBU Executive Supervisor position, as is likely the case of the resignation of Czech Head of Mission, Jan Bors.

Source: HOD45

Czech Republic: Former Head of delegation,Jan Bors reveals the reasons of his resignation

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The Czech Republic was one of the countries which were much discussed in the previous days. Initially the resignation of former Head of delegation Jan Bors and the replacement of the new one, Cyril Hirsch. Then, of course, the most important was the cancellation of the television national final they had announced and planned, by restoring the well-known online process that had taken place in the last two years. These events appear to be related to each otherr, as revealed in a Q&A on his Instagram profile by Jan Bors.

The cancellation of the national television finale, the reason for the resignation of Jan Frost Bors

One of the questions Jan Bors received was whether the cancellation of the national television final by the Czech public television was also the reason for his resignation from the post of Head of delegation in the competition.

Jan Bors responded that this was essentially the drop that overflowed the glass, implying that there were other friction points between the two sides, but essentially canceling a project that he had struggled with was also the reason he took the decision to resign.

Is budget cut the reason to cancel the national television final?

In another question, whether the reduced budget was the reason for the cancellation of the national television final, Jan Bors replied that this was not the reason. A number of other problems, which he did not name, were the reason because Czech Public Television preferred to reintroduce the well-known online procedure  for the third consecutive year in this way.

Will Jan Bors take over as executive supervisor?

What is widely rumored among fans is that Jan Bors resigned from the post of Head of delegation  to claim the position of Executive Supervisor at the EBU. Obviously he could not be asked in the light of the above, if his next business plans include the Eurovision Contest in general. Jan Bors does not exclude anything, leaving everything open, preserving the rumors they want him as one of Jon Ola Sand’s potential successors.

 

Sweden: Drängarna in the list of participants of “Melodifestivalen” too

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According to Aftonbladet, the well-known Swedish dansband group Drängarna will take part in the Swedish national final, Melodifestivalen for the first time.

On the occasion of its 25 years of operation in the Swedish music industry, the band found the appropriate song to participate in the upcoming Melodifestivalen 2020 event.

The same source revealing the band at Aftonbladet says they had submitted songs to the country’s national finals and other seasons as well, but had apparently been rejected.

In this way, Drängarna will become the 11th participant of this year’s Melodifestivalen 2020. The other names that have secured a place in the semifinals are:

-Amanda Aasa (from P4 Nästa)
-Victor Crone
-Hanna Ferm
-Jakob Karlberg
-The Mamas
-Albin Johnsén
 -Suzi P.
 -Liza Bengtzing
 -Frida Öhrn
 -Paul Rey

At the same time, two names are targeted by SVT, but so far they have not confirmed their participation:

-Carola
-Eric Saade

Recall that 14 of the 28 participants of the Melodifestivalen result from SVT’s  open invitation to  creators, 13 are selected through an invitation of SVT and 1 is from the P4 Nästa radio competition.

Who are the Drängarna?

The Drängarna were formed in 1995 and the same year they became famous with the song “Vill du bli min fru”. It consists of four men, Robert Åhlin and Olav Fossheim, who have been in the band since its inception, while Magnus Olsson and Anders Wigelius have joined the band in recent years.

Source/Image: Aftonbladet

Australia: Is this the first song of “Eurovision: Australia Decides”?

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Australia’s public broadcaster SBS announced yesterday the first two Eurovision nominees of Eurovision: Australia Decides, the country’s national final to be held in Gold Coast on 8 February. EurovisionFun introduces you to the first candidate song, which is also the first song for Eurovision 2020 we have listened to.

The two candidates revealed yesterday were Casey Donovan and Vanessa Amorosi. After the announcement, Vanesa Amorosi did not hide her enthusiasm.

“I’m so excited to be part of Eurovision:Australia Decides 2020. I’m proud to be an Australian and have the opportunity to sing one of my songs on a huge international stage. I look forward to Australia listening my song and working with friends and colleagues on this journey”

Vanesa Amorosi will perform one of the songs on her new album, released today. In fact, the successful singer asked her fans to guess what song she would be competing with in Eurovision: Australia Decides!

The clues are already many, with the overwhelming majority saying that “Lessons Of Love” is the song:

Source: SBS

Armenia: Emmy Bejanyan to participate in Depi Evratesil?

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A few days ago, Armenian Public Television announced its return to the concept it used in 2018 to select the song and artist to represent it in Rotterdam in May, namely through “Depi Evratesil”!

One potential participant seems to be Emmy Bejanyan. Emmy represented Armenia in Dusseldorf in 2011 with the song “Boom Boom”, succeeding Armenia’s first blockade of the Final.

Now, in a series of  posts on  her Instagram account, she asks her fans if they want her back at the Eurovision Contest, with most saying yes to this venture.

Depi Evratesil will take place in 2018’s format. This means that contestants will be participating with

original songs and will not be in a talent show style, which was held in 2017.

Interested creators and performers can submit their entries by December 31st, via the official website of Depi Evratesil.