Albania: Participants for Festivali i Këngës 63 to be revealed on Monday

/0 Comments/in , /by

The announcement date for the participants of Festivali i Këngës 63 has been moved up to Monday, October 7.

The artists competing in the 63rd edition of Festivali i Këngës will be unveiled this coming Monday. This news comes just a week after the submission window for entries closed, with a jury currently reviewing the songs submitted to RTSH.

 

Δείτε αυτή τη δημοσίευση στο Instagram.

 

Η δημοσίευση κοινοποιήθηκε από το χρήστη RTSH (@rtshqiptar)

Festivali i Këngës has been used as Albania’s selection method for the Eurovision Song Contest since the country’s debut. In May, it was revealed that a “Nostalgia Night” would mark Albania’s 20 years in Eurovision. The festival is also expected to serve as the selection platform for Albania’s Eurovision 2025 representative.

Besa represented Albania at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with her song “Titan,” finishing 14th out of 15 in the first semi-final. Albania received a total of 15 points, with the highest score being 5 points from Greece.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Junior Eurovision 2024: Listen to the Sanmarinese entry!

/0 Comments/in , , /by

San Marino returns to the children’s contest for the first time after nine years. Back in September and during a charity event, RTV San Marino announced that a girl band named Idols SM will represent the country in Madrid with their song “Come Noi“. Just moments ago, “Come Noi” was released and its music video was uploaded on Junior Eurovision’s official YouTube channel.

You can listen to “Come Noi” below:

How were Idols SM selected?

The artists’ announcement took place during “Sogna ragazzo sogna“, a fundraising event held in San Marino for research into pediatric cancer diseases.

The girls were selected internally by RTV. In fact and for its return, RTV San Marino decided to choose young artists based in San Marino, after last being represented by Kamilla Ismailova, who was born and raised in Russia.

The two candidate songs, “Poesia” and “Come Noi,” were played for the audience during “Sogna Ragazzo Sogna.” “Come Noi” was chosen as th Sanmarinese entry for Junior Eurovision 2024 after a jury vote. In fact, both songs were composed by Miodio, the first Sanmarinese representative in Eurovision, back in 2008.

Idols SM consists of four girls aged between 11 and 12 years old, namely Asia Ceccoli, Giulia Rinaldi, Giorgia De Descisolo and Vera Stefania Olkhovskaya.

Junior Eurovision 2024

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

  • Albania – RTSH
  • Armenia – AMPTV
  • Cyprus – RIK
  • Estonia – ERR
  • France – FT
  • Georgia – GPB
  • Germany – ARD/NDR
  • Ireland – RTÉ
  • Italy – RAI
  • Malta – PBS
  • North Macedonia – MRT
  • Poland – TVP
  • Portugal – RTP
  • San Marino – RTV San Marino
  • Spain – TVE
  • The Netherlands – AVROTROS
  • Ukraine – UA:PBC

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.

Italy will open the show, while Malta will close the contest. Spain will perform tenth.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Azerbaijan: Nurlana Jafarova will serve as Head of Delegation for Eurovision 2025!

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Azerbaijan will be making changes to its Eurovision 2025 team. It has been decided that Nurlana Jafarova will now serve as the Head of Delegation.

Jafarova, an Azeri presenter, served as the national Eurovision delegation’s Head of Press until recently. Since 2006, Nurlana Jafarova has been involved in radio and television. She had previously held positions as director of 106 FM radio from 2014 to 2016, chief editor of Azerbaijan Television’s Music and Entertainment Programs from 2017 to 2020, and presenter at Public Television. She served as İctimai’s television commentator for the 2024 Eurovision contest, and in 2018, she was a member of the national jury.

Additionally, Maksim Tsirkov, the director of İctimai Television’s department of International Relations, will now advice the Director General of İctimai on all issues related to the Eurovision Song Contest.

Azerbaijan in Eurovision 2025

154 entries were submitted to İctimai Television in total, as it was revealed after the submission window closed on September 15. Notably, the broadcaster observed an increase in the number of Azerbaijani composers expressing interest; last year, their participation rate was 43%; this year, it is 49%, accounting for nearly half of the submissions.

Although, there is no further information about the progress of this selection stage, it seems that İTV will first review the entries submitted. Then and if last year’s procedure is followed, we can assume that the broadcaster will test its Eurovision candidates’ vocal and performance skills. The candidate who has the best song and can deliver it vocal and performance wise, will be the one to represent the nation to Basel.

Fahree and Ilkin Dovlatov, were İTV’s picks for Eurovision 2024 with their song “Özünlə apar”. Unfortunately, the duo did not manage to qualify for the Grand Final for the second consecutive year.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: INFE Azerbaijan

Junior Eurovision 2024: Listen to the Estonian entry!

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Back in May, Annabelle Ats won Tähtede Lava, the Estonian artist selection format for Junior Eurovision, being the first Junior Eurovision 2024 participant to be revealed. Just moments ago, the music video of Annabelle’s entry titled “Tänavad” was released on the official Junior Eurovision YouTube channel.

You can listen to “Tänavad”, below:

How was Annabelle Ats selected?

Annabelle Ats competed in ETV’s competition Tähtede Lava early in 2024. Among four finalists and following the combination of public and jury voting, Annabelle Ats was crowned the winner of the selection and therefore the Estonian representative in Madrid.

Her song “Tänavad” was selected internally by ETV and was written by Sven Lõhmus, who has composed the Estonian entries for Eurovision in 2005, 2009, 2011 and 2017.

Who is Annabelle Ats?

13-year-old Annabelle is from Tartu County and has been involved in music since the age of 6. She studies solo singing at a singing studio and is also a talented pianist, which she spends time studying too.

In the past, Annabelle has participated successfully in many Estonian and international piano and singing competitions. And her win at Tähtede Lava looks set to be her greatest prize yet! Annabelle loves everything related to music, and talks enthusiastically about her greatest passion of all.

Junior Eurovision 2024

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

  • Albania – RTSH
  • Armenia – AMPTV
  • Cyprus – RIK
  • Estonia – ERR
  • France – FT
  • Georgia – GPB
  • Germany – ARD/NDR
  • Ireland – RTÉ
  • Italy – RAI
  • Malta – PBS
  • North Macedonia – MRT
  • Poland – TVP
  • Portugal – RTP
  • San Marino – RTV San Marino
  • Spain – TVE
  • The Netherlands – AVROTROS
  • Ukraine – UA:PBC

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!

Junior Eurovision 2024: Listen to the entry of North Macedonia!

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Back in June, MRT announced that Ana & Aleksej will represent North Macedonia in the 22nd Junior Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held in Madrid. Just moments ago, their entry titled “Marathon” was released and the music video was uploaded on the official Junior Eurovision YouTube channel.

You can listen to “Marathon“, below:

Who are Anna & Aleksej?

The two performers come from Bitola, a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia.

Ana was born in March 2010, and has participated in numerous music festivals, while also excelling in her favourite subjects at school; mathematics, physics and French.

Aleksej was born in December 2011 and has already made a name for himself performing in music competitions. The singer shares Ana’s enthusiasm for mathematics and French, and is also a keen learner of English, too.

Both were selected via auditions held by MRT in Skopje.

Junior Eurovision 2024

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

  • Albania – RTSH
  • Armenia – AMPTV
  • Cyprus – RIK
  • Estonia – ERR
  • France – FT
  • Georgia – GPB
  • Germany – ARD/NDR
  • Ireland – RTÉ
  • Italy – RAI
  • Malta – PBS
  • North Macedonia – MRT
  • Poland – TVP
  • Portugal – RTP
  • San Marino – RTV San Marino
  • Spain – TVE
  • The Netherlands – AVROTROS
  • Ukraine – UA:PBC

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! 

Greece: Good Job Nicky’s Participation in the National Final Uncertain

/0 Comments/in , /by

In statements made during the show “To Proino” with Giorgos Liagas on ANT1, Good Job Nicky mentioned that his participation in the Eurovision national final is not yet certain, despite having ready songs for submission.

Giorgos Liagas expressed his desire to see Good Job Nicky in the Eurovision competition, believing that it would be an excellent entry. However, the artist responded that he does not want to be repetitive, as he has revealed for some time that he has prepared candidate songs. Nevertheless, he explained that he may not participate in the national final this year.

“I don’t think I will participate. The songs are ready, but I’m not sure about this year due to other priorities. We’ll see. I don’t rule anything out,” he stated.

Although Good Job Nicky did not completely dismiss the possibility of participating, he did not seem particularly confident about his presence in the Eurovision national final.

The situation is expected to clarify soon, and of course, Eurovisionfun will be monitoring the developments and keeping you updated with any news.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest updates!

Luxembourg: Details for the Songwriting Camp!

/1 Comment/in , , /by

A songwriting camp took place in Luxembourg the past few days, as the Grand Duchy has started the search of its participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025!

According to the country’s national broadcaster RTL, Rocklab organized the camp in Esch-Belval to help artists produce songs that could compete in next year’s Eurovision. The camp was led by Greig Watts, an experienced A&R representive who organized the first ‘Eurovision Camp’ in the Netherlands in 2015.

The Grand Duchy returned to Eurovision this year after a 31-year hiatus and created the Luxembourg Song Contest as a new national final for the country. Several of the performers who competed in this year’s competition were among the 20 artists accepted into the camp.

Joel Marques, CHAiLD, Edsun, Naomi Ayé, Krick and many members of One Last Time participated, along with other Luxembourgish talents. At the camp, each of the artists had to write and produce a song for Eurovision within eight hours. The artists were assisted by international music producers and songwriters.

One of the songwriters who came to Luxembourg for the camp was Linda Dale – who knows how to write a winning song. Dale was one of the composers behind “The Code”, Eurovision winner Nemo for Switzerland this year in Sweden.

However, it is unclear whether these songs were written specifically for the Luxembourg Song Contest. In addition, the artists selected to participate in the camp will not necessarily be in the LSC lineup – a decision has yet to be made on who will compete in next year’s national final.

All the same, there is a chance that one of the songs produced at the camp will be Luxembourg’s next Eurovision entry. At the camp, Dale told the artists in attendance that “it’s important to always say yes to the ideas that come up at a camp like this, because that’s how ‘The Code’ was born.”

Source: RTL

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

Follow us on all our social media, so that you’ll not lose a thing of what’s happening Eurovision:

Nana Mouskouri: Officially Retires from Music – The Emotional Decision of the Legendary Singer

/1 Comment/in , , /by

Nana Mouskouri has announced her decision to officially retire from the music scene, as revealed in an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel.

The iconic singer, who is about to celebrate her 90th birthday, mentioned that she plans to give a few more performances before stepping away from the stage for good. “I believe I have done enough,” she stated, expressing that she feels her artistic journey has come full circle.

She also emphasized that she does not wish to perform if she cannot meet the expectations of her audience. “I can’t pretend I’m young anymore, and I don’t want to make my audience suffer. I don’t have the right to get on stage if I can’t sing well, even if the audience applauds out of love,” she explained.

To mark her upcoming birthday, Mouskouri will be releasing a new album featuring some of her greatest hits, re-recorded with an orchestra. “When I listen to these recordings, I can’t hold back my tears,” the singer admitted, clearly moved.

A significant chapter in her career was her participation in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest, where she represented Luxembourg with the song “À force de prier.” While she did not win, her performance helped solidify her name on the international music scene.

It’s worth noting that in 2008, Nana Mouskouri gave a farewell concert in Athens, but by 2009, she returned to live performances, saying she couldn’t stay away from her audience. Now, however, she seems determined to bid a final goodbye to the stage.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Sweden: Klara Hammarström Set to Return to Melodifestivalen 2025 with a Powerful Song

/2 Comments/in , /by

Last year, she performed at the final, but not as a contestant, rather as a guest artist. Now, there’s strong speculation that Klara Hammarström, 24, will return to Melodifestivalen as one of the contestants next year.

Several sources have informed Expressen that the star will be included when the lineup is revealed before the end of the year. The song is described in several places as “powerful,” and one source confirms that Klara Hammarström “feels like an obvious choice for the competition next spring.”

The podcast “Schlagerfesten” reported last week that Måns Zelmerlöw is almost confirmed for Melodifestivalen next year, something that several sources have also confirmed to Expressen. After Expressen’s report on Zelmerlöw, several other media outlets, including Aftonbladet and Omni, also followed up.

Klara Hammarström’s fourth Melodifestivalen

For Hammarström, this would mean her fourth participation in Melodifestivalen – at just 24 years old. She competed in 2020, 2021, and 2022 with the entries “Nobody,” “Beat of Broken Hearts,” and “Run to the Hills.”

After being eliminated in the semi-finals in 2020, she followed it up with two straight finals appearances, finishing sixth both times.

Nearly 2,800 entries have been submitted for Melodifestivalen 2025, and among the applicants are several established artists, according to reports from Expressen. The path from submission to confirmation looks different for each artist and song, and the final lineup of contestants is typically announced in December. Until then, many things can change.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Finland: Tickets for UMK 2025 went sold out!

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu, known as UMK, returns as the Finnish national selection format for Eurovision 2025 and will consist of a televised final which will be held on February 8th in Nokia Arena in Tampere. This version of UMK is expect to be another enormous success, as it is indicated by the ticket sale.

Tickets for UMK 2025 went sold out

The live show tickets sold out in less than an hour after the ticket sale began today, October 3rd. However, tickets for UMK’s dress rehearsal are also on sale for those who intend to attend. In addition, Tampere, the location of UMK, may host a screening for the audience that was unable to find tickets, as it did last year.

 

Δείτε αυτή τη δημοσίευση στο Instagram.

 

Η δημοσίευση κοινοποιήθηκε από το χρήστη UMK (@uudenmusiikinkilpailu)

The aforementioned evidence demonstrates how Käärijä’s success in Liverpool raised the bar for UMK. UMK was transferred from Turku to Tampere, specifically to an arena that is now crowded, as interest in the Finnish national final for Eurovision increased.

A record number of entries submitted to UMK 2025

A total of 485 songs were submitted for the competition this year. This number currently sets a new record of songs submitted for UMK ever.

Modifications were also made to the selection procedure this year. A diverse group of representatives from different fields were invited to participate in the selection process, which included five audience juries in addition to the jury of music industry professionals led by Tapio Hakanen, YleX’s music manager.

This season at UMK, we will see both a fine continuation of the Finnish-language pop tradition and a star of the future, who is waiting to rise to full glory. We get to witness the explosive energy of the band, hear the German language, dance to the rhythm of an epic dance-banger and become sensitized to one of the finest ballads in the history of UMK. Everything is crowned by a song that makes you dance and cry at the same time.

What to expect next?

On Wednesday, January 8, 2025, the UMK 2025 artists will be revealed. From January 9 to January 17, 2025, each song and music video will be released one at a time. A month later the final will be broadcasted live from Nokia Arena in Tampere.

Windows95man won last year’s edition of UMK and therefore represented Finland in Malmö with “No Rules“. The country placed nineteenth overall with thirty-eight points.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: UMK