Netherlands: No decision regarding Eurovision participation taken yet!

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Despite the hopeful news that were published yesterday in many different media, the Dutch public broadcaster, stated through the channel’s Director, that they have yet to make a decision regarding their participation in Eurovision 2025.

Taco Zimmerman, chairman of AVROTROS, gave an interview to “Spreek Buis”, and he said that there is no decision regarding the Dutch participation in Eurovision 2025.

“You will hear about that soon, but we would not have asked for a postponement if it was not a serious consideration.”

There are many rumours in recent days in Dutch press, saying that AVROTROS intends to take part in the Contest in Basel, and that they have already selected Joost Klein as their representative.

Going on with his interview, the chairman was asked why isn’t the Dutch broadcaster more open, regarding they way they will make this decision:

“It is a delicate matter. We are in talks with the EBU about the fact that things have to change there. We want guarantees first, before we decide to participate again. Leaving the contest was the feeling present within the company at one point. It applied to the upcoming edition, but we never considered quitting for good.”

The EBU has given AVROTROS a further deadline to confirm their entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, until November 1.

The deadline of the Netherlands is in a few days, and that means that we will soon have news regarding the country’s participation!

https://youtu.be/IiHFnmI8pxg

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Dutch participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, in Basel!

Source: spreekbuis.nl

Germany: Changes underway for Eurovision 2025?

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According to the German website DWDL the production company that was involved for three years in the preparation of the selection process for Germany’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest has withdrawn.

The DWDL website reports that Bildergarten is no longer the responsible production company behind Germany’s Eurovision entry selection process. Bildergarten had collaborated with the NDR channel in the production of the last three domestic televised contests for the selection of the German representative.

NDR commented that:

“We will announce shortly how the German act for the ESC 2025 will be selected.”

There has been speculation since last year that German broadcaster ARD is considering changes to the national approach to Eurovision. Another speculation was that the NDR channel would lose the rights to the competition which would be transfered to the MDR channel, however NDR retained them.

Additionally, last April, Stefan Raab proposed a new selection method that would revive Germany’s Eurovision hopes. Raab had proposed the contribution of all four major German broadcasters (ARD, ZDF, RTL Deutschland, ProSiebenSat.1) in organizing the national selection.

Source: DWDL

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2025!

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Junior Eurovision 2024: Listen to the Armenian entry!

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A few weeks ago, AMPTV revealed that Leo will represent Armenia in the 22nd Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Just a while ago the Armenian entry “Cosmic Friend” was released and uploaded alongside a music video on Junior Eurovision’s official YouTube channel.

You can listen to “Cosmic Friend”, below:

How was Leo selected?

AMPTV chose its Junior Eurovision 2024 participant via an internal selection as it has done for the past years. Aspiring artists were auditioned and evaluated by a focus group consisting both local and international industry professionals.

Who is Leo?

He was raised in a family of singers and began entertaining as soon as he could talk at 8 months old. His favorite artists are Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Justin Timberlake and Teddy Swims. In addition to music, he enjoys football and reading.

Taking part in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest has been a dream for Leo:

I love my country and the world of music. Representing Armenia on an international stage through music is both joyful and incredibly responsible. I was taught to always believe in myself and I am sure that each and every human has a great power to reach for their dreams!

Junior Eurovision 2024

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

  1. Italy – RAI
  2. Estonia – ERR
  3. Albania – RTSH
  4. Armenia – AMPTV
  5. Cyprus – RIK
  6. France – FT
  7. North Macedonia – MRT
  8. Poland – TVP
  9. Georgia – GPB
  10. Spain – RTVE
  11. Germany – ARD/NDR
  12. Netherlands – AVROTROS
  13. San Marino – RTV San Marino
  14. Ukraine – UA:PBC
  15. Portugal – RTP
  16. Ireland – RTÉ
  17. Malta – PBS

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.

Armenia with Leo will perform fourth.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news! 

Malta: The submissions process for the Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2025 begins!

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Malta is officially the 33rd State to confirm its participation in the 69th Eurovision Song Contest of May 2025 in Basel, Switzerland!

PBS, the national broadcaster of Malta, confirmed their participation in Eurovision 2025 by publishing the rules of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest (MESC) for 2025, the television show through which the nation selects its representative in the Eurovision Song Contest.

The songs submission process begins on 18th of November and is concluded on 29th of the same month. 24 entries will compete to fly the flag of Malta, through two semifinals that are scheduled to take place on 4th and 6th of February 2025, while the grand final is about to take place on 8th of February with 16 finalists.

The schedule of MESC 2025 is as per below:

  • 18 November 2024, Open Submissions time-window of MESC 2025
  • 29 November 2024, Submissions Deadline of MESC 2025
  • 12 December 2024, Announcement of Semifinalists
  • 23 December 2024, Deadline for remastering
  • January 2025, Draw of Semifinals & Production Meetings
  • 4 February 2025, Semifinal 1 of MESC 2025
  • 6 February 2025, Semifinal 2 of MESC 2025
  • 8 February 2025, Grand Final of MESC 2025

In this year’s contest Malta was represented in Malmö by Sarah Bonnici and the song “Loop” without success as the country finished for the second consecutive year in the last place of its semifinal (Semifinal 2) missing out the grand final of Eurovision for a third consecutive year.

https://youtu.be/uG-JHeia13c

Source: PBS

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2025!

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Sweden: Tickets for Melodifestivalen 2025 go on sale on November 6!

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Good news from Sweden and the fans of Melodifestivalen! Tickets for the six nights of Melodifestivalen 2025 will be on sale from 6 November 2024. Specifically, the tickets are for eighteen shows in total. The six televised live shows, six evening rehearsals and six evening shows.

Tickets will be available on the TicketMaster platform. The platform in a press release announced among other things that:

“The 2025 edition of the Melodifestival tour features an exciting mix of new and old host cities from north to south. The festivities kick off on 31 January in Luleå and then continue in Gothenburg, Västerås, Malmö and Jönköping and end, in keeping with tradition, with the grand finale in Stockholm on 8 March.

From the glittering live performances to the excitement when the winners are announced, Melodifestivalen is an event that brings generations together and offers unforgettable moments.”

 

 Tickets will be available for the following 18 performances:

Semi-Final #1: Luleå (January 31 & February 1) Coop Norrbotten Arena
Semi-final #2: Gothenburg (7-8 February) Scandinavium
Semifinal #3: Västerås (February 14-15) ABB Arena Syd
Semifinal #4: Malmö (21-22 February) Malmö Arena
Semi-Final #5: Jonkoping (28 February & 1 March) Husqvarna Garden

Grand Final: Stockholm (7-8 March) Strawberry Arena

The Melodifestivalen 2025 journey starts on 1 February 2025 and ends on 8 March 2025. It will travel to Luleå, Gothenburg, Västerås, Malmö, Jönköping and Stockholm on the following dates:

01/02/2025 – Melodifestivalen 2025 Semi-Final #1 – Luleå
08/02/2025 – Melodifestivalen 2025 Semi-Final #2 – Gothenburg
15/02/2025 – Melodifestivalen 2025 Semi-Final #3 – Västerås
22/02/2025 – Melodifestivalen 2025 Semi-Final #4 – Malmö
01/03/2025 – Melodifestivalen 2025 Semi-Final #5 – Jönköping
08/03/2025 – Melodifestivalen 2025 Grand Final – Stockholm

 

The songs that will compete to participate in the grand final of Melodifestivalen 2025 will be thirty. Six songs will participate in each semi-final. In the final, twelve songs will be competing for Sweden’s big win and representation in Basel in 2025 at the Eurovision Song Contest. The final song selection will result from a combination of public voting and voting by an international jury.

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

Source: esctoday

Albania: Elvana Gjata will sing “Karnaval” in Festivali I Këngës 63!

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RTSH progressively reveals the song titles of the contestants following the announcement of the list of participants for Festivali I Këngës 63, the Albanian selection format for Eurovision 2025.

Elvana Gjata is the sixth contestant whose song title and credits are made public. She is unquestionably one of the most well received artists from this year’s competition and a strong contender to win.

“Karnaval” for Elvana Gjata

As unveiled in RTSH’s instagram post, Elvana’s bid for Eurovision 2025 is titled “Karnaval“. Her entry is penned by Elvana herself along with Lira Blakaj. The fact that “Karnaval” will be a dance song is also disclosed.

The other song titles we know so far

As previously mentioned, RTSH progressively reveals the song titles of the competitors in this edition. The following song titles have been revealed thus far:

  • Algert Sala will sing “Bosh” – Ballad
  • Alis will sing “Mjegull” – Ballad
  • Ardit Çuni will sing “Amane” – Pop/Dance
  • Devis Xherahu will sing “Ka Momente” – Ballad
  • Djemtë e Detit will sing “Larg” – Folk Rock
  • Elvana Gjata will sing “Karnaval” – Dance

Festivali i Këngës 63

Following the closing of the submission window for artists interested in participating on September 29, these are the thirty participants of Festivali i Këngës 63:

  1. Algert Sala
  2. Alis Kallacej
  3. Ardit Çuni
  4. Devis Xherahu
  5. Djemtë e Detit
  6. Elvana Gjata
  7. Endrik Beba
  8. Epos Grup
  9. Erma Mici
  10. Frensi Revania
  11. Gjergj Kaçinari
  12. Gresa Gjocera
  13. Jet
  14. Kejsi Jazxhi
  15. Kleansa Susaj
  16. Laurjan Ejlli ft. Adelina Corraj
  17. Lorenc Hasrama
  18. Luna Çausholli
  19. Mal Retkoceri
  20. Martina Serreqi
  21. Mihallaq Andrea
  22. Nita Latifi
  23. Olsi Bylyku
  24. Orgesa Zaimi
  25. Rea Nuhu
  26. Ronaldo Mesuli
  27. Santino De Bartolo
  28. Shkodra Elektronike
  29. Stine
  30. Vesa Smolica

A combination of jury and public vote will decide

For the past two editions, Festivali i Këngës had two separate winners. The winner of the jury voting was crowned as the winner of the festival and the winner of the public vote was the chosen one for the Albanian representation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Indicatively,

  • Elsa Lila and Mal Retkoceri won the jury voting and were crowned as the winners of Festivali i Këngës 61 and 62 respectively, while
  • Albina & Familja Kelmendi and Besa won the public vote, won the tickets to Liverpool and Malmö

This year and according to Euromix.il, the winner and consecutively the Eurovision 2024 Albanian representative will be chosen accordingly through a combination of jury and public vote. Hence, a 60/40 format will be used in order to select the next Albanian act.

This is another change that Festivali i Këngës sees in its voting format. Festivali i Këngës has now started to implement the public opinion more, especially when it comes to Eurovision. For many years it was accused of corruption and the country’s inability to respond to the modern-day Eurovision standards.

The dates of the Festivali i Këngës this year have not yet been disclosed, while the renowned Albanian singer and former Eurovision representative, Elhaida Dani will take over the artistic direction of this year’s FiK edition.

The Albanian public’s pick for Eurovision 2024 was Besa with her song “Zemrën n’dorë“. Besa released a revamped version in English titled “Titan” for Eurovision, where she did not make it to the Grand Final, finishing fourteenth in the second semi-final.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news! 

Source: RTSH

 

Estonia: 175 entries submitted for Eesti Laul 2025!

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The submission window for Eesti Laul 2025, the Estonian national selection for Eurovision, opened a month ago, marking the official beginning of the Eurovision 2025 season. The submission’s period ended today, October 21, after being opened for a month.

Hence, ERR revealed that 175 entries were submitted for Eesti Laul 2025 and will compete for the Estonian representation in Basel.

Eesti Laul 2025 statistics

As it was revealed, out of the 175 submissions:

  • 65 of them are in Estonian
  • 110 of them are sung in foreign languages, including English, Italian, French and German

Regarding the artists, there are both established and emerging performers. The Head of ERR’s programs, Karmel Killandi, mentions:

I am especially happy that there are talented young performers among the contestants, as well as famous artists. We still hope, that this competition lays the foundation for a stage career at home or internationally. It is certain that the [Estonian] music scene is richer by 175 songs, and that’s why we do this competition!

The interest on Eesti Laul 2025 is not only confined inside Estonia but extends internationally.

This year’s Eesti Laul proves that music knows no borders and Eesti Laul is a valued platform abroad as well.

According to Vanni, many “creative” forces from abroad take part in the competition, including creators from Norway, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Malta, Spain, Turkey, USA, Great Britain, Latvia, Austria, Denmark, Holland, Croatia and Lithuania.

We take it as recognition that Eesti Laul has its place on the international scene.

Rumored artists

The following artists have teased their participation in Eesti Laul so far:

  • Tommy Cash uploaded a “Transfer Complete” image in his instagram messages channel yesterday, while
  • Ant Nurhan said he’s “not allowed to comment on it”

Eesti Laul 2025 – what’s next?

A jury made up of singers, composers, producers, presenters, singing instructors, and music enthusiasts in general will now assess the songs that were submitted to Eesti Laul 2025. The 35-member panel will assess the songs in an anonymous manner without being aware of the songwriters’ or artists’ identities. Fifteen of the competing songs will advance straight to the finals, where the public can vote on the sixteenth song.

The jury’s decision will be published by the Estonian National Broadcasting Company at the beginning of November. On December 6, the songs will be played for the first time on the “Start” program. At the beginning of January, the sixteenth competitor will be revealed.

The Estonian selection will only consist of one night-show, in which sixteen songs are going to compete and will take place on February 15, 2025.

This year’s Eesti Laul’s winners and therefore the Estonian representatives in Malmö were 5miinust and Puuluup, finishing in the twentieth place in the Grand Final.

Source: menu.err, X

The Netherlands returns to Eurovision 2025: Joost Klein as a potential candidate

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Following successful negotiations between AVROTROS, NPO, and the EBU, the Netherlands is set to participate in Eurovision 2025. Despite lingering disagreements over last year’s disqualification, the EBU maintains that the decision was justified based on internal regulations. Nevertheless, AVROTROS is satisfied with the commitments made concerning the safety of participants and the appointment of Martin Green.

Due to time constraints, there won’t be an open selection process like last year. Instead, the broadcaster is in direct talks with potential artists. One of the names being considered is Joost Klein, who had previously been mentioned by RTL Boulevard. Joost’s chances are significant for two reasons: first, the AVROTROS team believes he should be given the chance to complete his project; second, other artists, such as Davina Michelle, are reluctant to participate in the upcoming competition.

Additionally, AVROTROS wants to send a message that last year’s disqualification was unjust. While the EBU cannot block Joost’s participation, there are concerns about his unpredictable behavior. If he does represent the Netherlands, he must adhere to strict guidelines on how he conducts himself during the event.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Source: parool

EBU: Code of Conduct for Participants with Mandatory Political Neutrality

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During the Eurovision Song Contest, set to take place in Basel, artists are expected to have a specially designated space where they can retreat and relax without being filmed or recorded, as stated by the head of the competition, Bakel Walden, to the newspaper Sonntagsblick. Additionally, the EBU is expected to implement a code of conduct for participants, requiring political neutrality while they are on stage.

These actions are part of a broader effort to protect the well-being of participants and maintain calm among the delegations during the competition.

Walden emphasized that the organization has a duty to ensure the mental and physical health of the artists, something that will be taken seriously in the future.

Referring to the 2024 contest in Malmö, Walden noted that although the event was successful, certain issues must not be repeated, particularly regarding communication before, during, and after the competition. He also stressed the need to keep Eurovision as neutral as possible from political matters, stating that Eurovision cannot solve global conflicts and wars.

In Malmö, the contest was overshadowed by protests and calls for a boycott against Israel, due to the war in Gaza following the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. Israeli artist Eden Golan mostly stayed in her hotel room for safety reasons and faced exclusion by other artists.

Finally, Walden addressed the importance of adhering to a code of conduct for participants, stressing mutual understanding and respect among the contestants. While he asked participants to maintain a neutral stance on stage, outside of performances, they are free to express their views.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Source: zeit.news

Sweden: Two additional artists added to the Melodifestivalen 2025 line-up!

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As the reveal date of the line-up of the upcoming Melodifestival edition approaches, rumors continue strong in Sweden. The list of competitors for Sweden’s representation in Eurovision 2025 will now include two additional artists, in addition to the rumored names we previously informed you about.

Melodifestivalen 2025 – two more rumored artists

Among the following two artists, one of them has already participated in the Swedish selection, while there is also a Melodifestivalen debutant.

Hence and according to Expressen ‘s sources , the following will be compete in Melodifestivalen 2025:

  • Angelino: At the age of 25, he has already participated in Melodifestivalen in 2022. He performed his song “The End” in the competition’s fourth heat, finishing fifth and missing out on the final.
  • Kristofer Greczula: The 32-year-old Kristofer Greczula started out as a vocalist in the rock group “Damn Delicious” before going solo in 2017. Additionally, Kristofer has made appearances on TV4’s “Nyhetsmorgon” and the show “Allsång på Skansen.” Kristofer will take part in the Swedish selection for the first time.

Who else will take part in Melodifestivalen 2025?

According to the lists published before, the following artists will be present in the upcoming edition of Melodifestivalen:

  • Frans
  • Måns Zelmerlöw
  • Arvingarna
  • John Lundvik
  • Kalifa
  • Andreas Lundstedt
  • Dolly-Style
  • Malou Prytz
  • Klara Hammarström
  • Scarlet
  • Maja Ivarsson
  • Meira Omar
  • Annika Wickihalder
  • Tennessee Tears

Fran might not appear prepared for the competition, so it is mentioned that his participation is not entirely certain. Though not as certain as the others listed, it is not unlike to see him perform at Melodifestivalen in 2025.

Melodifestivalen 2025

Six live televised performances—five semifinals and a Grand Final—will make up Melodifestivalen 2025.

The Swedish national selection will consist of 30 songs in total, with 6 songs competing in each semi-final. Twelve songs will eventually compete in the Grand Final for the opportunity to represent Sweden in Switzerland at Eurovision 2025. An international jury and public voting will be used to select the winner.

Melodifestivalen 2025 will visit cities like Luleå, Gothenburg, Västerås, Malmö, Jönköping, and Stockholm as it travels throughout Sweden. On Saturday, February 1, 2025, the competition will begin, and it will end on Saturday, March 8, 2025.

  • February 1st: Semi-final 1 – Luleå
  • February 8th: Semi-final 2 – Gothenburg
  • February 15th: Semi-final 3 – Västerås
  • February 22nd: Semi-final 4 – Malmö
  • March 1st: Semi-final 5 – Jönköping
  • March 8th: Grand Final – Stockholm

The winners of Melodifestivalen 2024 and therefore Sweden’s representatives in Eurovision were Marcus & Martinus with “Unforgettable“, who finished in ninth place.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: expressen