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

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: Tonight the Jury Rehearsal of the Grand Final!

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

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?

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the developments!

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

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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Eurovision 2024: These are the ten finalists of the First Semi-Final!

The 68th Eurovision Song Contest has officially started and the First Semi-Final was just concluded.

Tonight’s show was hosted by Malin Åkerman and Petra Mede. Fifteen countries performed tonight competing for ten tickets to Saturday’s Grand Final.

These were tonight’s contestants:

  1. Cyprus: Silia Kapsis – “Liar”
  2. Serbia: Teya Dora – “Ramonda”
  3. Lithuania: Silvester Belt – “Luktelk”
  4. Ireland: Bambie Thug – “Doomsday Blue”
  5. Ukraine: Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil – “Teresa & Maria”
  6. Poland: Luna – “The Tower”
  7. Croatia: Baby Lasagna – “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”
  8. Iceland: Hera Björk – “Scared of Heights”
  9. Slovenia: Raiven – “Veronika”
  10. Finland: Windows95Man – “No Rules”
  11. Moldova: Natalia Barbu – “In the Middle”
  12. Azerbaijan: Fahren ft. Ilkin Dovlatov – “Özünlə apar”
  13. Australia: Electric Fields – “One Milkaki (One Blood)”
  14. Portugal: Iolanda – “Grito”
  15. Luxembourg: Tali – “Fighter”

The results were determined exclusively by public voting and tonight’s ten qualifiers are the following:

    1. Serbia
    2. Portugal
    3. Slovenia
    4. Ukraine
    5. Lithuania
    6. Finland
    7. Cyprus
    8. Croatia
    9. Ireland
    10. Luxembourg

A few words about tonight’s show

Tonight’s show started with an explosive act, which included three Eurovision superstars, who may not have won Eurovision but won people’s hearts instead. We’re talking about Elena Foureira, Eric Saade and Chanel, who all performed their Eurovision entries.

For the first time, the BIG 5 and the host country performed live in the semi-finals. Hence, tonight the following countries performed:

  1. United Kingdom: Olly Alexander – “Dizzy
  2. Germany: ISAAK – “Always On The Run
  3. Sweden: Marcus & Martinus – “Unforgettable

Johnny Logan, also, appeared on stage and performed “Euphoria”, Loreen’s winning entry from 2012. It was an act of great importance, as both Johnny Logan and Loreen are the only performers in Eurovision history having won twice.

Benjamin Ingrosso, a former Swedish participant as well as one of Sweden’s biggest stars, took the stage of Malmö Arena, where he performed some of his hits.

The allocation regarding in which half will the qualifiers perform in the Grand Final, comes next, so stay tuned…


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Eurovision 2024: The odds before the first semi-final – Croatia “prevails”!

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

With rehearsals now complete and dress rehearsals well underway, 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 first 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.

Croatia extends its lead

As expected, yesterday’s Press and Jury Rehearsals brought a lot of shuffling of the betting tables, as it was the first full rehearsals that journalists and the public had access to. With various images having been released online, the mood for many of the participating countries in this year’s competition has changed, having for the first time during this year’s Eurovision season a clearer picture of what the public likes and dislikes.

So the big winner of the last few hours is, by far the runner-up, Croatia. For the first time during this year’s Eurovision season, one country has such a big difference compared to the others. Significantly, at the moment, bookers are offering the Croatian maiden victory at odds between 2.1 and 2.38, the lowest we have seen this year.

This drop in Croatia’s odds also means a parallel rise in the odds for Switzerland, who see their gap to the leading Croatia widening by the hour. Switzerland and Nemo‘s win is now being bet at odds of between 4.5 and 4.75, while on the exchanging offices it is being played close to 5.30.

Italy remains in third place, largely stable in its odds, without losing much ground. Between 5.5 and 7, the Italian win is on offer for those who believe in Angelina Mango‘s potential. Fourth is Ukraine, which after yesterday’s rehearsals lost the momentum it had held up to that point and was on the verge of third place. Up to 9.5 times the stake is returned if the Ukrainians win in Malmö.

The big surprise of the first week of this year’s Eurovision is of course Ireland. Having impressed last week, yesterday’s rehearsals delivered the big bang for Ireland, who are now inside the Top 5, overtaking the Netherlands. The potential for Ireland to win is now offered between 10 and 15.

Top 10

The big loser before the shows is clearly the Netherlands. Having lost three places compared to before the start of the rehearsals and now outside the top five, a potential win for Joost Klein and “Europapa” could return up to seventeen times the stakes.

Absolutely stable and in seventh place is France, as they are now playing at odds between 15 and 21. One place down compared to our last analysis is Israel, now seen as the eighth favourite to win the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, at odds close to 36,

One place below is Greece, in ninth place. A possible victory for “ZARI” and Marina Satti is currently being played at odds between 26 and 67, clearly higher after the release of the clip from the second rehearsal of the Greek delegation last Thursday.

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 91 times the stake returns the UK’s first win inside the 21st century.

First Semifinal

As we are just a few hours away from the first 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 Croatia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Ireland, Finland, Ireland and Luxembourg 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.

The countries following the top six seem to have a very big chance of qualifying for the grand final. Portugal, Poland and Cyprus have over 80% chances of qualifying, with their eventual qualification being bet at odds of close to 1.20-1.25.

Beyond that, with a place in the grand final seemingly up for grabs, the edge appears to be with Serbia, whose qualification returns up to 1.67 times the stakes. Australia also seem to have a fairly strong chance, with Australia being played at odds under 2.

Underdogs are now considered to be Slovenia, whose eventual qualification returns almost 3 times the stake, an increase too significant compared to our last analysis.

The following countries, namely Azerbaijan, Moldova and Iceland, are considered less likely to qualify. More chances of qualification for the Azeris played between 3.25 and 5.5, the same is more or less true for Moldova played at similar odds. In contrast, Iceland are far from the rest in last place.

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?

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the developments!

Eurovision 2024: Family Show of the First Semifinal- Live Commentary (Updated Live)

The family show of the Eurovision 2024 First Semi-Final in Malmö at the Malmö Arena! We are just a couple of hours before the First Semifinal kicks in but, before we get to know the first results the artists competing in the First Semifinal will perform once again for the Family Show.  The Family Show is more financially convenient, identical to the live one for families and takes place earlier on the same day of the Semifinal. EurovisionFun will be watching all the shows live both at the on-site press centre in Malmöä and at the online press centre and will be commenting on the full performances of the 15 participating countries and the United Kingdom, Germany, and Sweden.  This year we will watch the automatic qualifiers perform their entire songs as part of the Semifinal

 

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

So stay tuned to this article as we update it with all the details, preparing you for what you will see in the Semi-Final today May 7th, at 21:00 CEST.

The Show

The show opens with the iconic Cyprus representative Eleni Foureira singing her 2018 Eurovision song, Fuego! She is performing an oriental-inspired version of Fuego. After Eleni, Eric Saade comes to the stage to sing Popular in an explosive performance. Last but not least, Chanel rocks the stage.  The 2022 Spanish representative sings SloMo with a different dance performance than what we saw in Turin two years ago. An amazing way to start this year’s Eurovision Season!

The host of the show is Petra Mede who is familiar to Eurofans as she has hosted the contest twice before in 2013 and 2016.  She is joined by actress Malin Åkerman. The female duo are dressed in pink and orange neon suits that are suitable for the LED background.

Petra welcomes us back in Sweden and she made a joke about her voting for Finland last year. They also thank last year’s organizers for hosting an incredible show back in 2023. Malin praises Petra for hosting for a third time the contest and Petra said that she never tried to host with a woman and she was thrilled about this experience.

The hosts are explaining the voting process in English AND French this year.  We’ve missed so much Petra speaking French!! Malmo are we ready? Let the Eurovision Song Contest begin!

The Competing Countries – LIVE COMMENTARY

Cyprus: Silia Kapsis – Liar

Silia becomes the youngest artist to open a Eurovision Song Contest.  With 17 years Silia opened the First Semi-final! She’s joined by 4 male dancers all in white t-shirts which they removed by the end of the song. The LED’s are mostly in neon turquoise colours. Silia has improved her vocals from her previous attempts. She danced in the whole performance. The dancebreak looks better than the second rehearsal, the camera shots are improved by a lot!! In the last 20 seconds, the colours of the LED turn red.

Serbia: Teya Dora – Ramonda

Following Teya Dora brings a Serbian ballad.  Teya Dora is standing and sitting on a rock during the performance.  The performance is introspective and very emotional.   The LED screens show thunders and a flower by the end of the song and the atmosphere is dark throughout the performance.  Will this be enough for Teya Dora to get to the Grand Final?

Lithuania: Silvester Belt – Luktelk

Lithuania is next with Luktelk! His performance has most of the elements from their national final one. The LED’s are based in red and blue colours. Silvester enjoys his performance and is very energetic. A sure qualifier!

Ireland: Bambie Thug – Doomsday Blue

Bambie Thug has grown in the weeks.  The change from her national final to Malmö is incredible. Bambie really knows how to pull a live performance with their voice and their face expressions. They are accompanied by a shirtless dancer who seems that he is their lover in the performance. The dancer dresses off Bambie revealing a very thin suit. On the bridge of the song, the candles rise upwards, and the lighting turns red. At the end of the song they scream and the performance is finished with a LED phrase “Crown The Witch”. The crowd was clapping for a long time.  Ireland is back in the game!

Break

Petra Mede interacts with the audience.  She is tested on her Eurovision knowledge from previous songs but fails.

United Kingdom: Olly Alexander – Dizzy (not competing)

Olly is the first of the Big 5 plus Sweden to sing live in one of the Semifinals.  He is performing in a Box that has a shower.  He is accompanied by 4 male dancers in boxer shorts. The whole performance is very physical and sensual. The choreography increases this sexual tension. In the last chorus, he leaves the box with his dancers and he’s performing in the front part of the stage. Olly’s vocals were not the best.

Ukraine: alyona alyona & Jerry Heil – Teresa & Maria

The folk duo is next to perform. In the first chorus the shots are from above with the LED floor being in grey and blue colours making a hurricane. Aliona comes to the stage for her rap part and she is vocally perfect. After that, we can see Jerry in the LED wall being as mother Teresa.  The images on the LED screens and the light work elevates this song. At the end of the performance, Jerry and alyona are lying on the floor and the LED is full of women.   A very moving performance that could give Ukraine another victory!

Poland: Luna – The Tower

Luna honors the name of her song with a floor that resembles a chessboard and two towers onstage.  Luna is surrounded by two dancers dressed in black and white as chess pieces. Then, a red figure appears forming the shadow of the singer. At the final point of the song, the two towers come together and change color to red, while we also have fireworks.  Overall it is not a very impressive performance.  It seems to me that Poland risks not qualifying this year.

Croatia: Baby Lasagna – Rim Tim Tagi Dim

The fan and bookers favourite is next on the stage.  We start with smoke and a setup resembling a rock concert. There are fireworks, and the lights are in various colors with alternations. At the last chorus we can see many smoke and many fireworks also. In general, the dancers and the choreography is an upgraded version of the national final. The crowd went crazy with Croatia’s performance you can listen them joining the chorus.

Iceland: Hera Björk – Scared Of Heights

Eurovision legend Hera Björk, started her performance with her standing at the top of some stairs. The LED backdrop is in golden colours and it suits her iconic dress of the same color. Vocally Hera never disappoints. At the middle of her performance, the colours are transformed in red colours. Up until the second chorus, she is alone on stage, and then her backing singers joined her. The platform rises, and we see fireworks as well. It seems that she enjoyed the performance by 100%!

Break

Malin Åkerman shares her love for Swedish cinema as well as Eurovision music.  A segment that mixes classic Swedish movies such as “The Seventh Deal” and “Fanny Alexander” with Eurovision songs entries.

Germany: ISAAK – Always On The Run (not competing)

The performance starts in an apartment with a fire in a barrel. In the chorus, the whole living room catches on fire, and Isaak stands in the middle. In the end, we see the backing vocalists on stage, while the fires go out.  Isaak’s vocals are impeccable but he risks going unnoticed by the audience in the final.

Slovenia: Raiven – Veronika

After Germany, next on stage is Raiven. She is dressed in a transparent bodysuit, at the beginning of the performance she is laid on the floor by herself, and then in the chorus, she is accompanied by her dancers wearing light beige underwear.  The choreography is good but the whole work is not as impactful.  At the end of the song, the LED floor is in blue colours like they are floating in the sea.

Finland: Windows95man – No Rules!

Windows95man takes his UMK concept including the jean egg for Malmö. Windows95Man emerges from the egg. The dancers have a 1990-2000s style, and the shots are framed to create an illusion of nudity. In the end, he wears denim shorts with fireworks.  A novelty act that could go either way.  You either love it or hate it.  Windows95man and Henri Piispanen vocals did not sound as good as in UMK.

Moldova: Natalia Barbu – In The Middle

The Malmö version of In The Middle is a much polished one from Natalia’s national final. Natalia’s vocals are really good but the stage feels empty during most of the performance which plays against her. There are images of flowers, a tree, bubbles and butterflies. When Natalia plays the violin the angel wings are displayed.

Sweden: Marcus & Martinus – Unforgetable (not competing)

Twins Marcus & Martinus represent the host country. The performance does not change the concept from Melodifestivalen but expands it. It feels like the inside of a club with flashing lights and dancers. A very professional presentation that will surely do well in the Final.

Azerbaijan: Fahree feat. Ilkin Dovlatov – Özünlə apar

Next act on the stage is the male duo from Azerbaijan, the LED wall displays an unknown character in silver waving his hands and performing some movements.  In the middle of the performance, two huge hand props were revealed on the stage. Overall, the performance is not very memorable.  Azerbaijan may not qualify for a second year.

Australia: Electric Feilds – One Mikali (One Blood)

Electric Fields is the next onstage.  The camera shots are good but there is nothing particularly impressive. “On the LED screens, we see scenes from the video. Then three dancers-vocalists appear, and in the second chorus, the didgeridoo appears, and the title of the song is written on the wall.  In fact the second half of the performance is more eye-catching and colourful.  Will this be enough for Australia to qualify?

Portugal: Iolanda – Grito

Portugal is bringing art to the stage!  A classy performance with an impressive, minimalistic choreography. The vocals of Iolanda are on point and the camera frames and shots are perfect. One of the floating cubes is lower the whole performance based on the other three. The performance is based on white colours as we already saw at Festival da Cançao.

Luxembourg: Tali – Fighter

Luxembourg had not competed in Eurovision since the 90s and is closing the First Semifinal with a French/English pop song, which is unusual based on the previous representatives. Tali is good vocaly but the camera shots are weak. The performance is based on purple and golden colours as well as images of tigers roaring. She has changed her braids from the first rehearsal. There is fog on the stage and shots towards the audience. In the last chorus, we also have fireworks, and the word ‘Fighter’ appears on the LED screens.

A recap of all the entries follows.

Interval Act

Petra Mede present us in a really special interval act the double Irish winner Johnny Logan! Johnny sings Loreen’s Euphoria with a live orchestra. A beautiful performance!

We are now watching a video with the turquoise carpet. Petra jokes that according to social media, “it was the best turquoise carpet ever”.

A recap of all the entries follows.

We go from lighthearted humor to a sad moment. In addition to reminding the audience that Nicole and Hugo were the first performers to dance and sing together for Eurovision, Malin also briefly remembers that Nicole who passed away the previous year.  A compilation of Eurovision dance acts as a tribute to the Belgium representatives in 1973 follows.

Second Interval act for the semi-final one is Benjamin Ingrosso in an amazing medley of three songs.

The hosts highlight the several nations and languages that have participated in the show right before the results are announced, and another video compilation is presented.

Certain Qualifiers

Cyprus

Lithuania

Ireland

Ukraine

Croatia

Finland

Portugal

Luxembourg

Borderline Qualifiers

Serbia

Poland

Slovenia

Australia

Non-Qualifiers

Iceland

Moldova

Azerbaijan

The Results

The green room is behind the stage and the LED wall opens so we can see the contestants behind it. Martin Osterdahl executive producer of Eurovision Song Contest 2024, declares that he is happy to see that we now have a valid result!

Here we have a big change, as the 15 competing acts stand on stage, without their delegations, waiting for the result. The camera shows them one by one, as the presenters announce the qualifiers. After the first 5 qualifiers are announced, Alesha interviews them backstage and then we learn the 5 remaining qualifiers.

The ten countries that (virtually) qualified for the finals for rehearsal purposes only were the following:

  • Australia
  • Ireland
  • Iceland
  • Moldova
  • Finland
  • Croatia
  • Serbia
  • Slovenia
  • Luxembourg
  • Ukraine

Closing the televised show, we will get to watch a recap of the ten finalist songs.

You can watch our live reaction from the Family Show of the First Semi-Final on our YouTube channel:

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Eurovision 2024: Tonight marks the first semifinal!

The moment all Eurofans have been waiting for has arrived! The 68th Eurovision Song Contest officially kicks off today in Malmo with the staging of the first semifinal.

Fifteen countries will participate in tonight’s show, with ten of them advancing to Saturday’s grand final, where the winner of Eurovision 2024 will be crowned.

Among the countries participating in the first semifinal is Cyprus, represented by Silia Kapsis with the song “Liar”. Cyprus is set to open this year’s show, being the first competing country to take the stage in the competition.

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

The 15 participating countries in tonight’s first semifinal are:

R/O
COUNTRY ARTIST SONG
1  Cyprus Silia Kapsis “Liar”
2  Serbia Teya Dora Ramonda
3  Lithuania Silvester Belt Luktelk
4  Ireland Bambie Thug “Doomsday Blue”
5  Ukraine Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil “Teresa & Maria”
6  Poland Luna “The Tower”
7  Croatia Baby Lasagna “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”
8  Iceland Hera Björk “Scared of Heights”
9  Slovenia Raiven “Veronika”
10  Finland Windows95man “No Rules!”
11  Moldova Natalia Barbu “In the Middle”
12  Azerbaijan Fahree feat. Ilkin Dovlatov Özünlə apar
13  Australia Electric Fields “One Milkali (One Blood)”
14  Portugal Iolanda Grito
15  Luxembourg Tali “Fighter”

Let’s not forget that in this year’s contest, for the first time, we will see the Big 5 and the host country, Sweden, present their songs in the semifinals via live stream. Therefore, today we will witness the United Kingdom, Germany, and Sweden perform on stage. These countries, in addition to performing, will also vote for their favorite entries from the first semifinal of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest.

The first semifinal kicks off at 21:00 CET, and you can watch it live on the official Eurovision YouTube channel, as well as on various public broadcaster across Europe.

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Eurovision 2024: The Jury Show of the First Semi Final – Live Commentary! (UPDATED)

The most exciting week of the year for all Eurofans around the world, the Eurovision week, has officially begun!  

The preparations are heated in Malmö Arena so that everything will be set for the Live Shows: The First Semi-Final on May 7th, the Second Semi-Final on May 9th and the Grand Final on May 11th, at 9:00pm CET! EurovisionFun will be watching the rehearsals from both the on-site and the online Press Center to give you a taste of what to expect on the upcoming live shows. 

Ensuing the Dress Rehearsal of the First Semi-Final which occurred earlier today, it is time for the Jury Show, where the 15 competing acts, plus –for the first time- the United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden will take the stage! It is noteworthy that, although the finalists are determined by 100% televote, the national juries are casting their votes tonight as well. This happens in case technical issues arise tomorrow during the live show and a country cannot produce a valid televote result. 

This article gets real-time updated, therefore in order to view the commentary, all you need to do is simply refresh the page! 

The show 

 And the show begins! We see a video of previous winners, from ABBA to Duncan Laurence. Then, the stage is revealed as Eleni Foureira (Cyprus 2018) is bringing her fuego and is performing a slightly different, more oriental version of her Eurovision entry. Up next, it is Eric Saade (Sweden 2011), singing a different version of his song “Popular”. Lastly, Chanel from Spain is taking the stage and is performing her “SloMo”, once again with minor changes. What a start!

Our hosts appear: Petra Mede, who is no stranger to the Eurovision Song Contest as she has hosted the Contest in 2013 and in 2016 as well and Malin Åkerman, a renowned Swedish actress, dressed in neon orange and pink respectively, matching with the background colours.

They are explaining the voting rules and process and we hear the long-awaited “Let the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 begin”!

The competing countries- LIVE COMMENTARY 

01. Cyprus: Silia Kapsis – Liar

The semi final opens with the most dynamic way possible! In the beginning, the background is black, which makes great contrast with Silia’s white outfit. During the performance, we see teal water/smoke-like patterns on the floor and on the back screen and in the end, the lights turn red. Silia’s vocals are stable and full of confidence, despite her dancing for three minutes straight. What an opener for the competitive part of the Contest!

02. Serbia: Teya Dora – Ramonda

We set the tones down now with Serbia. One of the most powerful ballads this year and definitely one of the most haunting voices. An atmospheric setting in gray lighting, with the big rock in the middle. There are some rapid changes with the lights and lightning strikes as the song builds up and in the end, some purple emerges. Such a classy entry.

03. Lithuania: Silvester Belt – Luktelk

Not much has changed for Lithuania staging-wise. But why change something that already works? A very 2024 performance, with the lights turning red and blue and these colours blend in during the dance break. A solid, polished entry and Silvester seems to truly live the moments on stage!

04. Ireland: Bambie Thug – Doomsday Blue

This is how you stage such a song! The beginning is dark, with Bambie sitting down and being surrounded by candles and on the floor LED, there is a pentagram. They are accompanied by a dancer. During the “singing” part, the background is changing and is showing a moon in baby blue and pink colours. In the middle, there is an outfit change as well, from black to blue and pink. During the bridge, the lighting is red and in the end, there’s lot of fire!

Break

United Kingdom: Olly Alexander – Dizzy (not competing) 

The first of the Big5 that will perform tonight! At the start, Olly is upside down, accompanied by 4 male dancers. The camera is tilting during the chorus and as the bridge kicks in, the light turns red. It feels as if we are watching a video clip on stage! At the last chorus, they get out of the “box” and there is lots of pyro and smoke. A very sensual performance I must say.

05. Ukraine: alyona alyona & Jerry Heil – Teresa & Maria

At the start, the lighting has a golden hue and on the floor there is a water visual. Jerry Heil begins to climb on the prop and there is wind, which makes the atmosphere even more haunting. As Alyona begins to rap, the colours turn to black and white. Then, it is golden again and in the end, both are laying on the ground, with the LED floor showing a picture of many women. It is like a Renaissance painting!

06. Poland: Luna – The Tower

Typical Polish extravaganza when it comes to staging. There’s a moon on the background, there are towers on stage, a red horse, a dancer dressed in white, another one in red and lastly, one in black. I find the vocals a bit weak to be honest. In the end we see some pyro. This performance definitely has everything!

07. Croatia: Baby Lasagna – Rim Tim Tagi Dim

A burst of colours! Neon pink, green, smoke, pyro, flames, every possible element in use and they all make sense! Vocally, he has definitely improved and he seems fully confident. During the last chorus, we could hear the audience screaming “OHH”! So much “wow” factor in a performance!

08. Iceland: Hera Björk – Scared Of Heights

Hera is back! Such a charismatic performer, she is shining in her golden outfit, similar colours prevail on her overall staging. After the first chorus, she gets down her stairs and on the background we see shadows of her dancing. During the bridge the light turns red and she is elevated on her stairs again. She is definitely not scared of heights!

Break

Germany: ISAAK – Always On The Run (not competing) 

Isaak is sitting down on a chair with fire close to him. And flames commence as they are all around him. Vocals-wise, he is of course very solid, with a slight raspiness, adding some dynamic to his performance. The flames are put out after the bridge, which turns the viewer’s attentions from the staging to Isaak.

09. Slovenia: Raiven – Veronika

Raiven is sitting on the floor, with a dark blue backdrop and smoke. Then the dancers appear, dancing very close to her and wearing outfits which give off the impression that they are naked. In the end, the floor turns blue as well. Vocally, she is strong.

10. Finland: Windows95man – No Rules!

The infamous egg is the first thing we witness on stage, with the singer standing on it and after the first chorus, he comes down. Much smoke on stage in the beginning. After the bridge, there is jean shorts coming down from the ceiling, where there is pyro coming from during the last chorus. A memorable performance, especially if we take into account Windows95man’s outfit, before he puts on the shorts…

11. Moldova: Natalia Barbu – In The Middle

Natalia is wearing a white gown and vocally, she is great. The colours of the LEDs are beautiful: purple and blue hues as we see behind her white birds flying, a purple tree and butterflies on the cubes. During the violin bridge, wings appear on the background and after that, the stage turns golden with aesthetically pleasing patterns.

Sweden: Marcus & Martinus – Unforgettable (not competing) 

The last of tonight’s automatic qualifiers to perform, the host country Sweden! It is pretty much the same as their national final performance, which is aptly translated on the big Eurovision stage. In the beginning, the twins are alone and as the chorus is kicking in, the dancers appear. There are some visuals on the cubes as well. Overall, a very well-curated performance by the host country!

12. Azerbaijan: Fahree feat. Ilkin Dovlatov – Özünlə apar

What we see in the beginning is a beautiful landscape with mountains and water in gray. From the water there is a person emerging, very futuristic-like. There are some purple hues every here and there. Their outfits have something futuristic as well, almost sci-fi. As the song comes to an end, both of the singers stand in between of the huge hands on the stage.

13. Australia: Electric Fields – One Mikali (One Blood)

A celestial backdrop, nova-like, full of colours! At some point, the dancers appear and accompany Zaachariaha, whose voice is so lively. We also see Electric Fields on the LED screen, before they merge into a nova-like visual as well. The traditional elements of the song are enriched with someone who is playing didgeridoo.

14. Portugal: Iolanda – Grito

A total white performance, serving class in Portuguese. Iolanda, who is amazing vocally, is accompanied by 5 masked singers in completely white fits as well. When we say total whiteness, we mean that even the cubes are white!

15. Luxembourg: Tali – Fighter

 After 31 years of absence, Luxembourg is back with Tali and her signature braids! In the beginning, she is standing under a frame along with her 4 dancers. Even from the very first chorus there are fires on stage. There are tigers, smoke during the bridge, the light is switching from bright purple to orange. Close to the end, a big “Fighter” appears on the LED screen. Welcome back Luxembourg!  A strong ending to the competitive part!

Interval acts 

 After a first recap of the competing acts, Petra Mede introduces Johnny Logan, the first two-time winner of the Eurovision Song Contest as a singer and one-time winner as a composer, who is performing his own unique version of Euphoria. It is so moving seeing a Eurovision legend singing the winning entry of another Eurovision legend!

Petra is now in the Green Room, where all the artists are gathered and she is having a conversation with Luxembourg’s Tali.

After that, we are watching a brief video wrap-up of the Turquoise Carpet which took place yesterday, Sunday 5th of May.

Then a second recap follows.

The voting lines have now closed and we see a brief presentation of the acts of the Second Semi Final.

A video medley of iconic Eurovision entries is now on our screens, from Diggi-Loo Diggi-ley and Dschinghis Khan to Rhythm Inside and El Diablo! How many memorable songs in such a short video!

The second artist who is performing as an interval act is Benjamin Ingrosso, the Swedish representative from Eurovision 2018! He is singing a mixture of tracks from his discography.

One more video is shown, in order to highlight the wide variety of cultures and genres that come together in Eurovision!

Given what I watched tonight, I will attempt to predict the certain qualifiers, the borderline and the non-qualifiers. 

Certain qualifiers 

Cyprus

Lithuania

Ireland

Ukraine

Croatia

Finland

Portugal

Luxembourg

Borderline qualifiers 

Serbia

Poland

Slovenia

Azerbaijan

Non-qualifiers 

 Iceland

Moldova

Australia

The results 

Obviously, these are not the official results, but virtual in order to serve the rehearsal’s purposes. 

The executive supervisor Martin Österdahl confirms that the results are valid and “we are good to go”!

The 10 countries that virtually go to the Final are:

Serbia

Portugal

Slovenia

Cyprus

Azerbaijan

Australia

Ireland

Lithuania

Moldova

Croatia

 

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Eurovision 2024: The results of the first day of the press poll!

Earlier today an email was sent to accredited journalists here in Malmö Arena to vote for up to 10 favorites in both semi-finals and the final.

Below are the preliminary results of the semi-finals and the final, as they were determined today, May 6th, at 20:00.

Semi-Final 1:

Semi-Final 2:

 

Final:

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