Ukraine: Possibly 10 songs to Compete in Vidbir 2023!

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Ukrainian musical outlet Muzvar revealed some details about Ukraine’s Eurovision pre-selection national final, Vidbir. Its sources state that 10 songs will compete to represent Ukraine in Eurovision Song Contest 2023 that will take place in the United Kingdom. This will be the largest Vidbir final since 2014, when 20 acts competed for a chance to represent Ukraine in Copenhagen.

The country’s national broadcaster UA:PBC on the other hand, decided to use the mobile application Diia for the public voting in an attempt to maintain the largest possible number of voters, taking into consideration the mobile networking issues caused by the conflict.

The final of Vidbir 2023 will take place in December 2022 at Kyiv and the winner that will be selected by a combination of public and jury voting, will represent Ukraine in Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in the United Kingdom. The jury members will be chosen by the public.

Ukraine was represented in Eurovision 2022 by Kalush Orchestra and their song “Stefania”. In the end, they managed to win the contest. They also achieved the greatest televote result in the history of ESC. Due to the ongoing war situation in Ukraine, EBU declared it unable to host Eurovision 2023, making it the first time since 1980 that the contest will not be held at the previous winning country. However, Ukraine will still automatically qualify for the final as it won the last year’s contest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1fl60ypdLs

Source: Eurovoix

OGAE Ukraine withdraws from the OGAE Song Contest

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OGAE Ukraine has announced it will not participate in the OGAE Song Contest 2022.  As we informed before, OGAE Ukraine had requested the disqualification of OGAE Russia as a consequence of the ongoing war.

However, OGAE International did not agree with their request.  As a consequence, OGAE Ukraine withdrew their participation citing legal and moral reasons.  Moreover, in their statement OGAE Ukraine says their branch intends not to participate in any event organized by OGAE International in which OGAE Russia is also participating.

We are deeply saddened by the decision of the clubs that supported the continuation of OGAE Russia’s participation in the activities of the international society of Eurovision Song Contest fans, as well as with the fact that the main idea of this event — to prevent war on the European continent — was distorted.

This decision do not come as a surprise.  In their initial request, OGAE Ukraine warned that their club would not compete with a club they accuse of supporting the acts of their government.

OGAE Australia is hosting the OGAE Song Contest 2022 after Tones and I won in 2021 with ‘Fly Away’.

We are saddened by this development and hope we will see Ukraine participating again under normal circumstances.

 

Ukraine: UA:PBC Reveals That 42 Songs Submitted to Vidbir 2023 So Far!

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The Ukrainian national broadcaster UA:PBC, has announced that so far, 42 songs have been submitted to Vidbir 2023. It also revealed that the most common reason for the submitted songs to be ineligibe for selection, is that they are being over three minutes long and have been publicly performed in the past.

Oksana Skybinska, Head of Delegation for Ukraine, explained:

“It is very important that the song which has been is submitted to the selection has not appeared anywhere before – in whole or in part. This composition, which can be up to 3 minutes long, could have been written specifically for the National Selection or is simply waiting for its time to be sung loudly for the first time for the whole world precisely at the selection. We also urgently ask you to send us the final version of the song so that we can evaluate the composition as fully as possible.”

Submissions for Vidbir 2023 will be open until October 15th, while the national final will take place during December 2022 in Kyiv. The winner that will represent Ukraine at Eurovision 2023, will be selected by a combination of jury and public voting. The jury members will be chosen by the public.

Ukraine was represented in Eurovision 2022 by Kalush Orchestra and their song “Stefania”. In the end, they managed to win the contest. They also achieved the greatest televote result in the history of ESC. Due to the ongoing war situation in Ukraine, EBU declared it unable to host Eurovision 2023, making it the first time since 1980 that the contest will not be held at the previous winning country. However, Ukraine will still automatically qualify for the final as it won the last year’s contest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1fl60ypdLs

Source: Eurovoix

“OGAE Russia allegedly supports actions of their government!”

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OGAE Russia has allegedly published an article that makes reference to the Ukraine-Russia war.  Although the article is from February 26 when the war had started, OGAE Ukraine brought it back into the public eye.

As we previously informed, OGAE Ukraine asked OGAE International to disqualify Russia from its annual OGAE Song Contest.  However, the request from OGAE Ukraine has received mixed responses.  There are people who agree to support this petition to show support to Ukraine.  On the other hand, there are fans that consider such a ban would be a “punishment” against Russian artists and fans.  It must be highlighted that OGAE is a fans only organization with no connections to the government of the country.

OGAE Russia publication

 

OGAE Russia published the message above on their website which is still available in this link.  In the last message OGAE Russia is apparently giving a contradictory message stating they are an apolitical organization but at the same time supporting the war.  The sentence roughly translates:

OGAE Russia considers it necessary to express its apolitical position on what is happening in support of the actions of our country. 

OGAE Ukraine has condemned this message.  In a recent publication on Instagram, OGAE Ukraine points out that “this means NOT the support for broadcasters’ decisions, NOT the support for artists, but the support for the actions of their country specifically.  Additionally, they mention that in their statement, OGAE Russia used the picture of a house in Ukraine hit by a Russan missile.

According to OGAE Ukraine, their condemnation also extends to one of the chosen Russian contestants. Vladimir Presniakov has  supposedly expressed his support for the war and took part in a concert in support of the Russian invasion.

 

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for more updates in this and other eurovision related news!

 

Ukraine: OGAE Ukraine demands total ban of Russian OGAE branch!

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In a official statement OGAE Ukraine has requested OGAE International to disqualify Russia from its annual OGAE Song Contest.  OGAE International Network (French: Organisation Générale des Amateurs de l’Eurovision, English: General Organization of Eurovision Fans) is the network of official Eurovision fan clubs across the world.  Among their activities, OGAE organizes a pre-Eurovision poll, the OGAE Second Chance Contest and the OGAE Song Contest.

OGAE Song Contest

Every year OGAE International Network organizes the OGAE Song Contest.  Each national branch of OGAE can submit an original song sung in one of the country’s official languages released in the previous 12 months.

OGAE Russia chose Leonid Agutin and Vladimir Presnjakov with ‘ДНК [DNA]’ to participate at the OGAE Song Contest.

OGAE Ukraine statement

OGAE Ukraine published an official statement on its Instagram stories demanding OGAE International “to ban representatives from Russia, as well as their club, from participating in the OGAE Song Contest.”

While hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians suffer from Russian aggression and genocide (…) we find heartbreaking that OGAE International allows Russia to participate in the competition or any kind of activity related.

The statement ends up stating that if Russia is not disqualified, OGAE Ukraine will be forced to withdraw from the OGAE Song Contest.

OGAE Australia is hosting the OGAE Song Contest 2022 after Tones and I won in 2021 with ‘Fly Away’.

 

Eurovision 2023: The new season has just started!

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For many, including us on Eurovisionfun, Eurovision never ends! However, September 1st is a special date. Any song that is released after that date is eligible to be chosen to take part in the next years contest. Therefore, any song from now on can be a potential Eurovision 2o23 entry!

What we know so far

After the landslide victory of Ukraine and Kalush Orchestra in Turin, EBU has already announced that due to the ongoing war since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the contest will be held in the United Kingdom instead, to ensure safety of everyone involved in the production.

During August, BBC announced a shortlist of seven cities that will compete to host the contest next year, while the deadline to submit the finalized bids is set for September 8th. BBC and EBU representatives will visit these cities to inspect the facilities and discuss with local authorities on the proposed bids.

Around late September/early October and after there is potentially a dialogue with the British government, BBC and EBU will announce the Eurovision 2023 hosting city.

The shortlisted cities are:

  • Birmingham
  • Glasgow
  • Leeds
  • Liverpool
  • Manchester
  • Newcastle
  • Sheffield

Betting odds are every year a topic of discussion within and outside the Eurovision fandom. As of the time of writing, the odds about which city will host Eurovision 2023 predict Glasgow as the hosting city, with 65% chances, indicating a one-horse race for the hosting of the contest next year.

Participating countries

As of now, 27 countries have officially or unofficially confirmed that they will take part in Eurovision 2023. These are:

  • Albania
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Cyprus
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Iceland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • San Marino
  • Serbia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom

Within the next months more countries are expected to confirm their participation, with the goal to have 40 countries as in 2022. Russia and Belarus are not eligible to take part in the contest, since their broadcasters are not EBU members anymore.

Certain countries have already announced that they will not take part in Eurovision 2023, with some of them extending their long-lasting absence from the contest. Andorra, Monaco, Luxemburg, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, Maroco and Hungary will not be present in the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, while Turkey and Bosnia-Herzegovina are yet to announce their plans but the chances to see them returning are low for various reasons.

Until March 14th the announcement of all the entries

It won’t be before March 14th until we know all competing artists and entries for 2023, since on that day is the meeting of the Head of Delegations where all entries will be officially submitted. However, Israel has already selected its artist and its Noa Kirel, a local superstar with many of her songs conquering the charts.

Albania and Ukraine will be the next to select their entries before the end of 2022, unless there is a surprise as with Czech Republic last year.

Join us on the road to Eurovision 2023!

Eurovisionfun will bring you Eurofun-tastic news throughout the season, while you should be ready for exclusives and surprises! Our 24/7 coverage in Greek and English includes articles, reactions, discussions and many more!

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Let the Eurovision 2023 season begin! Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun!

 

 

 

Ukraine: Kalush Orchestra launch fundraiser for Azov fighters

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The Ukrainian winners of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest on Wednesday launched a 24-hour fundraiser on behalf of soldiers who defended a besieged steel plant, as the country marked 31 years of independence and six months of war.

In a video posted on Instagram, Kalush Orchestra called on Ukrainians to donate 24 hryvnia (65 cents) each over 24 hours for those who fought on the frontlines at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.

“We are opening donations for wounded fighters from Azovstal,” the band said.

“This money will help our heroes become healthy and strong again,” the group added in a caption translated into English, also congratulatingUkrainians on the country’s Independence Day.

Mariupol was under siege for months. Fighters from the Azov Regiment, a unit of the national guard, fought for weeks from bunkers and tunnels below the steelworks before many surrendered in May.

Kalush Orchestra won Eurovision with “Stefania” the same month, later raising $900,000 for the Ukrainian military by selling their trophy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1fl60ypdLs

Source: Reuters

Eurovision 2023: The first odds for next May’s winner!

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The next Eurovision season may officially begin in two weeks, but your favorite column is back to give you a first taste of the betting odds ahead of the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.

While you are on holiday and preparing for a “hot” Eurovision winter, the bookers are already busy, with the Eurovision 2023 winner section already being offered to some companies. So we take the opportunity and present you the first bets for the next contest.

Advantage: Ukraine

With the war in Ukraine not over and the EBU making the decision that the next contest will not be held on the territory of the winner of Eurovision 2022, there are not a few who believe that Ukraine starts as the absolute favorite to win the 67th version of our favorite contest.

It is noteworthy that for the first time in history the winner of the next contest has been played at odds below 5-6 since August, nine months before the Eurovision. From this alone we understand that there are not a few who rushed to bet their money on the Ukrainian back-to-back win. The Ukrainian victory is played at odds between 2.84 and 3.25.

Second favourite, behind Ukraine, is Italy. The last host and 2021 winner, which is also the most successful country of the competition in recent years, could not be missing from the highest positions of the bookies, who, based on the long tradition of Sanremo, believe that Italians can well claim their fourth victory.

The same more or less applies to the third Sweden which is played at almost the same odds as Italy, with the Scandinavians wanting to get the coveted seventh victory and equal the record of the “Queen of Eurovision”, Ireland. Italy and Sweden return ten times the bet of those who bet on them.

The UK and Spain are in fourth and fifth place respectively according to the bookers, with both European powerhouses cashing in on second and third place in Turin. The success of Sam Ryder and Chanel has sparked interest in Eurovision in two countries that love the contest, but have not had particularly successful results in recent years.

With this renewed interest in the contest, and with the contest taking place on British soil giving the Brits a chance to throw a huge party to accompany the UK’s sixth win, the bookers are tipping a British win at odds between 8 and 13, while the corresponding Spanish one between 15 and 16.5.

Top 10

Behind the United Kingdom and Spain is another Big 5 country, France, which could not continue on the path of success this year in Turin, after Barbara Pravi’s second place in 2021 in Rotterdam, as it was ranked only 25th. Nevertheless, the bookers place France in 6th place at odds of between 17 and 19.

The remaining four positions in the top ten are filled by countries, which do not belong to the Big 5, but betting companies consider that they start from a more advantageous position compared to their competitors. Seventh is Norway, which is a not inconsiderable size for the competition and annually holds one of the most difficult national finals, the Melodi Grand Prix. The Nordic country is played at odds between 15 and 19.5.

Eighth is Switzerland, who have been one of the fastest growing powers in the competition from 2019 onwards. The Swiss victory is found at odds of 21 in three different companies.

The recovery of Greece‘s momentum in the Eurovision Song Contest is confirmed by the ninth place given by the bookers to the possibility of a second victory for the Mediterranean country.

Being one of only three countries that count consecutive placements within the top ten, Greece is considered if nothing else to be a highly reckonable size by the betting companies, who recognize the positive results of the 2021-2022 biennium and the change of approach by ERT within the current decade. Greece is played at odds between 17 and 23, being in one company in seventh place.

The top ten is completed by Australia, with the bookers – surprisingly – showing confidence in the distant Oceanian country, at the same time that the European viewers “turned their backs” once again on Australia’s participation, giving just two points to Sheldon Riley. An Australian win returns 24 times the bet.

Do you think Ukraine can make it back-to-back and become the first country since Ireland in the early 90s to achieve back-to-back wins in our beloved contest?

Ukraine: Submissions for Vidbir 2023 started | The Final will take place in December!

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The champions of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, Ukraine, announced through their broadcaster’s Eurovision-themed social media, the rules with which their national selection for the 2023 Contest will be held. Ukrainian Television will accept song submissions from today until October 15, 2022. Applications for participation in the national final can be sent through the website www.eurovision.ua.

The rules of the Ukrainian national final, exactly as they were announced are as follows:

  • An online voting will determine the composition of the jury for the National Final and also the Ukrainian jury for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023
  • Both solo performers and bands, already existing or specificially created for this event, are allowed to participate
  • Songs can be submitted in any language, except the language of the aggressor state
  • Personal participation in listening to the longlisted participants is mandatory
  • The final of the National Selection will be held in December 2022 in Kyiv and broadcasted on Suspilne TV channels and digital platforms.

Two of the announced rules are of exceptional interest. First of all, the national final will be held relatively early, in December 2022, whereas previous versions of Vidbir usually determined Ukraine’s representative in February. The Albanian Festivali i Këngës is usually the first national final of each Eurovision season but also the only one to be held so early. So this may result in Ukraine being one of the first countries choosing their song for Eurovision 2023.

The second rule makes a very clear statement. The rule says that every language is allowed except for the language of the aggressor state, meaning obviously Russian.

Another announcement was made by the Ukrainian broadcaster, saying that Dmitry Šurov (also known as Pianoboy) will be the official music producer of the Ukrainian team for Eurovision. This is what he said:

“I’m glad to have the opportunity to work as a music producer of this year’s selection. I want Europe to hear and see a modern Ukrainian musician who is part of the global musical context.I know that we have such people, and although it is very difficult to create now, I invite and urge musicians of all styles and genres to urgently pick up their favorite instrument and join the selection.Acceptance of applications will last until October 15, so you have almost two months to create your winning song that breathes new Ukraine, a song that will touch and inspire the world”
Kalush Orchestra won Eurovision Song Contest 2022 for Ukraine, setting a new record of winning 28 sets of twelve points from the other cometing countries ans 439 televote points. Due to the ongoing war, the EBU decided that the contest can’t be held in Ukraine, but in the United Kingdom instead. However the Ukrainian entry will automatically qualify for the final to defend their title, while the EBU has promised that the contest will have many influences from Ukrainian style.

https://youtu.be/F1fl60ypdLs

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Ukrainian participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, in the United Kingdom!

Eurovision 2023: Irish Eurovision winners support Belfast as Host City

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Amidst the increasing interest by cities within UK to host the ESC, Northern Ireland’s local press reports that seven past winners from across the island of Ireland, together with three Belfast City Councillors, are putting forward a strong case for Northern Ireland’s capital city, Belfast.

As we have previously reported, the Eurovision 2023 host city will be decided upon by the BBC and the EBU, with the final decision expected in early Fall ahead of the May 2023 contest.

A number of UK cities have already submitted bids, but to date Belfast City Council has not yet had a formal meeting about a potential proposal.

The aspirant bid

Belfast City Council’s idleness regarding a possible proposal propelled past Eurovision winners to join forces in order to trigger interest about the event’s multiple benefits for the local economy.

In the same context, three Belfast City Councillors are exerting their efforts in preparing for a bid as a matter of urgency.

One of the Councillors, Mr. Seamas de Faoite, commented that Belfast “is the best city to host the Ukrainian victors”, because people in Belfast “understand the promise and importance of peace more than any other host”.

According to the local press, Belfast ticks all of the EBU’s boxes and more:

  • The SSE Arena can seat 11,000 with the iconic Titanic Exhibition Centre next door
  • Belfast has a minimum of 9,600 hotel rooms, twice the number the EBU believes would be needed
  • Belfast International Airport, Belfast City Airport, along with the proximity of Dublin Airport and even City of Derry Airport

The winners

Dana Brown 

Rosemary Dana Brown won Eurovision back in 1970 when she was only 18 years old. She said about the prospect of Belfast hosting the Contest:

People in Northern Ireland have experienced the devastation of years of unrest and have successfully come through it. We understand and empathise with so much of the pain suffered by Ukraine’s people.

And like them, the people of Northern Ireland are steeped in music, culture, the arts, creativity and in particular, Eurovision success. An all-inclusive Northern Ireland bid for Eurovision 2023 should be held in the capital city Belfast, I believe it’s the very best place to represent the people of Ukraine.

Linda Martin is from Belfast, Niamh Cavanagh is now living near Belfast, myself and Johnny Logan’s father are from Derry Londonderry so that adds up to five Eurovision wins. Add Phil Coulter, the composer of UK’s first ever Eurovision win, Puppet on a String.

Belfast also has the full support of Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan who won Eurovision with “Rock and Roll Kids” so that takes us to seven winners.

Is it not fitting that Belfast could be the Eurovision host for Ukraine? We have the huge capacity SSE venue right next door to the globally recognised Titanic centre. We have very talented people at BBC NI and TV production companies as well as excellent logistics to facilitate.

Northern Ireland and Belfast can do justice to the people of Ukraine in hosting Eurovision 2023, not only because of our logistical abilities but because of our big-hearted and community-driven people.

Johnny Logan

Johnny Logan is the only performer to win the Eurovision Song Contest twice, first in 1980 with ‘What’s Another Year’, written by Shay Healy and then in 1987 with ‘Hold Me Now’ which he composed and performed himself. Johnny said:

Belfast should host Ukraine for Eurovision 2023 – and why not Belfast? Northern Ireland has produced so many great musicians and singers, my father Patrick O’Hagan among them, and hosting Eurovision 2023 would be a wonderful opportunity to highlight the positive side of the north of Ireland and its people.

So yes, I fully support the Belfast bid, it’s a great musical city with great people and I believe it can deliver.

Linda Martin 

Linda performed at the Eurovision Song Contest contest twice and won in 1992 with “Why Me?”. She said:

Belfast is perfect for Eurovision 2023. It’s a beautiful city with an 11,000 seater arena, thousands of hotel rooms and two airports, one of them right beside the world renowned Titanic experience.

Niamh Kavanagh 

Niamh won the competition in 1993 with the song “In your Eyes”. Niamh said:

Belfast would be an amazing choice to host the Eurovision on behalf of the Ukraine, it’s a thriving city with a great heart that understands surviving conflict.

Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan

They won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994, with “Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids”. Paul said:

I think it’s a brilliant idea. I lived and worked in Belfast for some years and it’s a sparkling place and the people are creative and talented. Music can unite and triumph. So yes, I fully support Belfast for Eurovision 2023.

Brendan Graham

Brendan is the writer of “Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids” in 1994, and Eimear Quinn’s winning song, “The Voice”, in 1996. Brendan said:

Belfast would be a super city to host Eurovision 2023, in partnership with Ukraine. The amenities are all there, not to mention the history and the surrounding beauty of Northern Ireland.

In some elemental and visceral way Belfast and its people might have a more natural empatico with the cities and people of Ukraine than perhaps other cities might have. Belfast is a city of hope and belief in the future…and would be a city of huge welcome and embrace for Ukraine.

What do you think? Is Belfast a suitable host city for Eurovision 2023?