Loreen: “I do not support the boycott of the Eurovision song contest”

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Twice Eurovision winner, Loreen has spoken up against the boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest. 

The singer of Euphoria and Tatoo talked with iNews about the current contest.  Loreen said that although she understood the frustration, she thought it was the wrong way to go. 

According to GB News Loreen said:

We have to find other, more constructive ways to change what is going on, says Loreen

The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 Final is taking place tomorrow, May 11, 2024, in Malmö.  Many fans and even participants have expressed dissatisfaction with Israel’s participation in the contest. Since the war broke out on October 7 last year, the boycott discussion has been persistent on social media. 

However, Loreen is not among the people supporting a boycott.

“I understand the frustration about the situation in the world. This is a community, a hub, a source of energy. Music is created and it creates happiness.  To boycott a hub of love and creativity to make a stand? Is that what we do? To actually silence sound and music and the only language we have in common? So we’re going to shut it down to make a stand? For what? I don’t believe it” Loreen. 

 

Source: GB News

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Sweden: Alcazar to reunite for the Grand Final of Eurovision 2024!

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SVT has managed to persuade one of the most iconic Swedish pop groups of all time to reunite… Alcazar!

At the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, ABBA’s historic victory with Waterloo, which happened 50 years ago, is in focus and being celebrated.

Eurovision 2024: Eurovision winners pay tribute to ABBA in the Grand Final!

And reunited on the Grand in Malmö a huge favourite in the Eurovision universe for decades – Alcazar!

The deities of disco-pop have competed 5 times in the Swedish pre-selection for Eurovision, Melodifestivalen. But they’ve never made it to the Contest. Until now!

Per Blankens, TV producer for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, says:

“If there’s anyone who can get the festive atmosphere we want to create in the Malmö Arena to celebrate the 50th anniversary, it’s Alcazar. That’s why we’re so happy that we found a fun way to involve them so they could reunite with us for one evening.”

Alcazar – made up of Andreas Lundstedt, Lina Hedlund and Tess Merkel – will put on a show that will get the party properly started as we wait for those results to come in.

As well as their Melodifestivalen hits Not A Sinner Nor A Saint, Alcastar, Stay The Night, Headlines and Blame It On The Disco, the trio have enjoyed international chart hits such as Crying At The Discotheque, This Is The World We Live In, Sexual Guarantee, Physical and Don’t You Want Me.

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Source: Eurovision.tv

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Bets: Derby for two for the victory| Lots of shuffling after the second semi-final!

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The two semi-finals brought upsets upon upsets to the betting tables, with several countries standing out and others losing ground. The leak of the Italian public’s votes in the second semi-final changed the scene dramatically, with everything we wrote yesterday going out the window.

With less than 36 hours to go until the Eurovision 2024 grand final, we take a look at the betting companies’ odds regarding each country’s chances of winning this year’s contest.

Derby at the top

Israel‘s “breath” is now felt by Croatia, with last night’s RAI leak moving Eden Golan up six places, with room to move up even further. The sweeping wave of support for Israel‘s entry, which counted around 40% of the Italian public vote, may indicate a Europe-wide trend of support for the Hurricane.

When yesterday, in a total of 16 countries, one song has received 40% of the votes and the second, the Netherlands, has just under 8%, then we can talk about a situation that could have a profound effect on the development of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest.

In any case, even at the time of writing this article, the first favourite is Croatia. Baby Lasagna‘s supersonic performance in the first semi-final had given Croatia a clear margin of victory, with its maiden win as an independent country “just around the corner” according to bookers who offered that possibility at odds of 1.62 to 1.91 before the second semi-final. At the moment, you can bet on a maiden Croatian victory at odds between 1.83 and 2.25.

Second is Israel, who yesterday before their appearance in the second semi-final and, especially, the Italian broadcaster’s leak, were considered the eighth favourite to win the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, at odds close to 67. As expected, those odds are now a thing of the past. Thus, Israel‘s win at Eurovision 2024 is being played at odds between 2.75 and 3.5. This is the biggest odds drop recorded from semi-final to final in Eurovision history, and it is not unlikely that in the next few hours Croatia will get even closer in the next few hours.

Despite Nemo‘s excellent performance in last night’s second semi-final, Switzerland has dropped to third place as a direct result of Israel’s rapid rise. Switzerland and Nemo‘s victory is now being bet at odds between 6 and 9, up from 3.5 to 4 last night.

The second winner of last night’s show is undoubtedly France, which is the only country along with Israel to see its odds fall by the hour. Between 17 and 26 was being played last night for France to win, while it is now being played between 11 and 17. Slimane‘s outstanding performance, which moved millions of viewers across Europe, lifted the French above the Ukrainians, Irish and Italians.

The top five is completed by Ukraine, being the big loser after the second semi-final, losing two places from where they were in our last analysis. With the odds on offer having almost doubled, currently as much as 26 times the stakes are returning on a Ukrainian win in Malmö.

Top 10

At similar odds to Ukraine, you can also play Ireland, who have dropped to sixth place, having been in fourth before the second semi-final. The possibility of Ireland winning is now offered between 13 and 26.

A loss of one place for Italy too, with a win for Angelina Mango tomorrow night returning up to 36 times the money of anyone who bets on her. Rising odds for Italy, who have lost whatever momentum they had before the contest.

The same is true, but to an even greater extent, for eighth-placed Netherlands. Having lost five places compared to before the start of the rehearsals and now outside the top five in eighth place, a potential win for Joost Klein and “Europapa” could return up to 81 times the stake.

Greece remains in ninth place at the time of writing, with the fluctuations during the day being huge. In the early hours of the morning of May 10 we have seen too many countries move up and down continuously, with some time of the day being within the top ten and others even lower. The same has happened in the case of Greece, which is now ninth, but was earlier in 15th place. A possible win for “ZARI” and Marina Satti is currently being played at odds between 81 and 251, higher than in our analysis the day before yesterday where it was played at odds between 51 and 151.

At the same maximum odds as Greece, one finds the United Kingdom, which completes the top ten. Up to 251 times the stake is returned on the UK’s first win within the 21st century.

Conclusions

We await with great interest in the coming hours whether the betting tables will be further affected, following the leak of Italy‘s votes in last night’s semi-final with its sweeping support for Israel. In any case, we’ll be back with additional betting articles ahead of the grand final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest.

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Eurovision 2024: The viewers of the second semi-final in Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Iceland and Austria!

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The second semi-final of Eurovision 2024 took place yesterday with ten more countries getting the ticket to the Grand Final of Saturday.

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Eurovision 2024: First Dress Rehearsal of the Grand Final – Live Commentary! (Updated Live)

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Following the conclusion of the two semi-finals, the countries that received the golden tickets for Saturday’s Grand Final will now join the Big 5 along with the host country Sweden on Grand Final’s First Dress Rehearsal.

This article gets updated in real-time, all you need to do is hit the refresh button on your browser!

The show

 

Competing countries

Sweden

A very sleek performance from this year’s hosts. Marcus & Martinus are as professional as it gets and are ready to bring Sweden once again in the top ten. Will they make it? I’m sure they will, as they have a huge fanbase all around Europe.

Ukraine

A strong and impactful performance by Ukraine. The act is touching, emotional and the vocals are on point. Visually it is impressive. A top five placement for Ukraine is sure despite the controversial running order.

Germany

Vocally wise a good performance. Visually wise it is not indifferent in any terms. However, the song feels bland and forgettable. We would not be surprised if it finishes in bottom five.

Luxembourg

Luxembourg is back to Eurovision after 31 years and will “fight” for a top ten finish. The performance is really good, Tali sounds good and I think that juries will love it and reward it as much as possible. Will the top ten finish be possible for Luxembourg? I think it is, all thanks to the juries’ vote.

Break

The Netherlands

Joost did not perform today, due to an “incident” backstage!

Israel

Israel performed before The Netherlands in this Dress Rehearsal, as Joost denied to perform!

Eden Golan is also here for the win. Impressive vocals and a breathtaking performance. The most controversial entry of Eurovision 2024 has either a strong fanbase or extreme haters. Personally, I think that Israel will win the public vote. We will see tomorrow!

Lithuania

Silvester Belt’s energy is haunting. It is definitely a song for the audience in the arena. Everyone is dancing along. However, this time I’m not really confident for the support of Lithuanian diaspora.

Spain

“ZORRA, ZORRA, ZORRA”. This is what everyone is screaming. The fans are gonna love it, but the audience at home? Don’t now…evidently not a family-friendly show.

Estonia

An energetic performance. That’s all. It’s fate, unknown!

Ireland

Will the Queen return to its throne? Even if she will not, the best result the country has achieved for years it’s on its way. Impressive performance by Bambie.

Latvia

The biggest surprise of the Second Semi-Final. I have a feeling that the juries will like it a lot and award it as it is one of the few ballads this year.

Greece

Probably Marina’s best performance so far. Vocally she sounds better and the performance is both urban and colorful.

United Kingdom

One of the most impressive TV shows of the year. The performance is mind-blowing. However, Olly’s vocals remain weak. A good finish for the UK? I hope so!

Norway

A haunting performance by Gåte as we’re used to. However, the running order is not quite helpful and I don’t see it as well received by the public as some might think.

Italy

Angelina Mango is another contender for victory. She brings sass, attitude, vocals and Mediterranean vibes to the Eurovision stage. Her outfit is not the one we saw on the Second Semi-Final and I think it suits her better. Overall, it might have been her best performance so far.

Serbia

Serbia’s performance is touching yet effective. Teya Dora’s vocals always on point. No differences from all the performances we have already seen.

Finland

You will either love it or hate it. It is up to the European audience to decide. The performance is always on point.

Portugal

The Portuguese element is here and Iolanda always sounds magnificent. Not quite sure how it will end on the scoreboard.

Armenia

One of the most energetic performances of the show. If I could describe LADANIVA with one word, it could be charisma. Best of luck to Armenia.

Cyprus

Silia gets better every time, more confident, more sassy. The vocals are great, the choreography always on point. Silia is the youngest performer this year and I don’t think you can tell!

Switzerland

We are all shocked about how can Nemo do all these things on stage and be vocally on point. Jury winner alert!

Slovenia

A mystical performance by Raiven. Vocally impressive as always, however I think that she cannot escape the bottom five in such a year.

Croatia

Baby Lasagna gives another energetic performance and he proves what he is one of the hot favorites to win the contest. Zagreb 2025? A possible scenario.

Georgia

A fiery performance by Nutsa Buzaladze and we could not expect anything less. Georgia is back to the Final after eight years and Nutsa is already a winner for that.

France

Another jury winner alert. Slimane’s performance is breathtaking bringing the audience to tears. Are we heading to France?

Austria

WE WILL RAAAAVE!!!

Don’t know about us, but we sure did here. Vocals are okay, she is energetic and sexy at the same time.

Interval Acts

It is a year of anniversaries as the hosts mention. 25 years since Charlotte Perrelli’s win, 40 years since Herrey’s win and 50 years since ABBA’s win. It’s time for a reunion, basically for two.

Alcazar, the famous Swedish group, reunited an took the stage singing their all-time classic “Crying at the discotheque”.

Then, ABBA sent their message to Eurovision fans and divas Charlotte Perreli, Carola and Conchita Wurst sang “Waterloo”, Sweden’s first winning entry.

Later, Loreen takes the stage and performs her new song “Forever” as well as her winning entry “Tattoo” on a new version.

The Dress Rehearsals will continue tonight with the Jury Show, which will determine half of the Grand Final’s outcome, as the 37 national juries will cast their votes.

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Eurovision 2024: Eurovision winners pay tribute to ABBA in the Grand Final!

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Charlotte Perrelli, Carola and Conchita Wurst are set to perform an homage to ABBA at the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final on Saturday night.

2024 marks 50 years since ABBA earned Sweden its very first victory at the Eurovision Song Contest with the smash-hit schlager banger Waterloo. A historic moment for Sweden, of course, but also a fond memory for the entire Eurovision community around the world.

Naturally, given the gravity of the occasion, this anniversary absolutely must be celebrated and honoured, especially as Sweden proudly hosts the competition for a 7th time in 2024, a whole 50 years after that fateful night at Brighton Dome.

SVT has invited along: Charlotte Perrelli, who won the Contest for Sweden 25 years ago in 1999; Carola, who took the Contest to Malmö for the very first time in 1992 following her win for Sweden the year before; and Conchita Wurst, who scored a memorable victory for Austria 10 years ago in 2014.

Per Blankens, TV producer for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 said:

“Now we all come together in tribute to one of Eurovision’s most famous songs. Everyone knows this song – worldwide. And to help us, we have three fantastic Eurovision winners.”

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Source: Eurovision.tv

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Eurovision 2024: Tonight the Jury Rehearsal of the Grand Final!

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We are now in the final stretch towards crowning the winner of Eurovision 2024, with just one days left until the Grand Final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest.

Tonight, at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, the Jury Rehearsal of the Grand Final will take place. It’s worth emphasizing the significance of tonight’s show, which is not just a mere rehearsal where delegations try out various stage elements, but a show that could determine the scores they receive from a country that might face technical issues tomorrow night and unable to vote.

The juries of the 26 finalists, as well as the juries of the countries that were left out of the final, will tonight determine 50% of the final result, from which the grand winner of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest will emerge.

It’s important to note the running order of the Grand Final:

Hosting tonight’s event, as well as all shows until Saturday, will be Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman.

Through our YouTube channel, you’ll have the opportunity to watch today’s Press and Jury Rehearsals live. So, tune in at 13:30 CET and 21:00 CET to find out how the participating countries in the Grand Final taking place Saturday’s Grand Final fared!

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Eurovision 2024: SVT will reportedly not censor sound from the audience in the arena tonight!

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Eden Golan faced boos from the audience during a rehearsal, as you have read in one of our previous articles, the Israeli broadcaster Kan filed a formal complaint with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) ahead of tonight’s broadcast.

During rehearsals, where the arena audience was limited, there was both imposed applause and a sound carpet added to the broadcast in the press center. This sound carpet created the illusion of a large audience in the arena, even though it wasn’t the case.

Eden Golan, Photo: Andreas Papagiannakis

Eden Golan, Photo: Andreas Papagiannakis

In previous years, Russian artists in the Eurovision contest experienced loud protests and boos during their performances. In 2015, the Austrian TV channel that produced Eurovision in Vienna chose to censor the boos by adding fake shouts during the broadcast.

Aftonbladet‘s Tobbe Ek reached out to SVT’s executive producer, Ebba Adielsson, with a detailed question and she clarified the situation:

“As with any major TV production with an audience, we work with broadcast audio to level the playing field for the TV audience. It is only to get as balanced a soundscape as possible for the viewers, we do not censor sound from the audience in the arena. It’s the same principle for all competing entries, including opening and intermediate acts.“

Let’s see what will happen at tonight’s Second Semi Final which is already on-air!

Source: Schlagerbloggen/Tobbe Ek/Aftonbladet

Stay tuned for more regarding this year’s Eurovision Song Contest that is held in Malmö Arena, in Malmö, Sweden.

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Eurovision 2024: The odds before the second semi-final – “Battle” between two for victory!

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We are just hours away from the second semi-final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, which means that in a few hours from now sixteen countries will compete for one of the ten tickets leading to Saturday’s grand final.

With two days left until the Grand Final, the favourite column of many of you is back, as the betting analysis for the 68th Eurovision Song Contest is back again.

With less than a few hours to go until the second semi-final of Eurovision 2024, we take a look at the betting companies’ odds regarding each country’s chances of winning this year’s contest.

Battle of Croatia and Switzerland

The 68th Eurovision Song Contest now has one huge favourite and that is Croatia. Baby Lasagna‘s supersonic performance in the first semi-final has given Croatia a clear winning edge, with their maiden victory as an independent country “just around the corner” according to the bookers. For the first time during this year’s Eurovision season, a song is being played at odds of less than two, between 1.62 and 1.91. The chances of history being made and having a new country win are overwhelmingly in favour of the Croats.

The only threat to Croatia could be Switzerland, always according to the bookers. Nemo has managed to gain slight momentum since yesterday, being the only country in the top ten, with the exception of Croatia, who are offered at lower odds than the day before yesterday. Switzerland and Nemo‘s win is now being bet at odds between 3.5 and 4.

Beyond that, the gap between the top two countries and the rest has increased dramatically. Thus, third is now Ukraine, who gained one place after their performance in the first semi-final. Up to 12 times the stake is returned if the Ukrainians win in Malmö.

A one-place rise for Ireland, which is now in fourth place. The possibility of Ireland winning is now offered between 10 and 19. Rounding out the top five is France, who like Italy return up to 26 times the stake of anyone who believes in them. France‘s win is played between 17 and 26, while Italy‘s is played between 13 and 26. However, Oddschecker shows France fifth and Italy sixth, as Italy’s odds are expected to rise even further in the coming hours.

A big loser before the shows is clearly the Netherlands. Having lost four places compared to before the start of the rehearsals and now outside the top five in seventh place, a potential win for Joost Klein and “Europapa” could return up to 36 times the stakes. Eighth is Israel, seen as the eighth favourite to win the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, at odds of close to 67.

Greece remains in ninth place. A potential win for “ZARI” and Marina Satti is currently being played at odds between 51 and 151, higher than in our analysis the day before yesterday where it was also being played at odds between 51 and 151.

Finally, the top ten is completed by the United Kingdom, which after a long time returns to the higher echelons of the betting tables, with Olly Alexander having built momentum after his first rehearsals. Up to 201 times the stake returns the UK’s first win inside the 21st century.

Second Semifinal

As we are just a few hours away from the second semi-final, in today’s analysis we will take a look at the chances of each of the fifteen participating countries in tonight’s show to qualify.

Six countries are considered a given to qualify, with Switzerland, Netherlands, Armenia, Israel, Norway, and Greece being offered by bookies at odds of under 1.10. Significantly, the odds on the top four countries in particular return almost nothing to those who bet on them. For example, in the event that someone bets ten euros on their qualification, they will only make a profit of fifty euro cents on the best one.

In the same category we could also include Georgia, which has made a big impression in recent days, now having one foot and a half in the grand final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest. Up to 1.14 is offered for Georgia to qualify for the first time since 2016.

Beyond that, it’s a clear-cut case for the final three tickets, with Belgium, Austria and Estonia all having very, very good chances of qualifying. At odds of close to 1.30 you can bet the three countries.

And we go on to the remaining six countries in the semi-final, which are considered by the bookies as underdogs for qualification. Clearly more likely are San Marino and Denmark, who should be considered anything but out of the running, with their qualification being played at close to 3.25 and 3.5 respectively.

Finally, Albania , Czechia, Malta and Latvia seem to be “boiling in the same pot”, whose qualification quadruples, quintuples and sixfold the stakes.

We await the final results tonight with great interest to see if the bookers will be confirmed once again.

Which countries do you think will qualify for the grand final on 11 May?

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Eurovision 2024: The results of the third day of the Press Poll!

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The Eurovision 2024 Press Poll is in full swing. All countries have completed their technical rehearsals, and now it’s time for the press to select their favorites.

Below are the results as of May 8th, 2024, at 9:00 PM

First Semi-Final

Second Semi-Final

Final

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