Netherlands: Cornald Maas Almost Resigned Amid Netherlands’ Eurovision 2023 Controversy

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Cornald Maas, revealed that the controversy surrounding the Netherlands’ Eurovision 2023 entry nearly pushed him to step down from his role.

The controversy revolved around the Netherlands’ choice of Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper for Eurovision 2023, particularly their live performances of their song “Burning Daylight” at pre-parties leading up to the competition. These performances faced intense criticism and even ridicule within the Dutch media.

Speaking on the NPO radio program ‘Mischa!’ earlier this week, Maas expressed how the relentless criticism by Dutch media of Mia & Dion had a lasting and detrimental impact on him and those close to him. Despite these challenges, Maas ultimately decided to remain part of the Dutch Eurovision team, as Eurovision has a special place in his heart.

Even though the song was revamped to help the artists better perform it, “Burning Daylight” did not advance to the Grand Final of Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool, marking the first Dutch entry not to qualify since 2015.

Maas says that the criticism by local media affected even his family. He also added:

“It was not over in a day or a week. There were so many untruths that were debated. In consultation with AVROTROS, I did not respond to this so that the oil slick would not get bigger. That went against my character and my nature.”

Affected by this controversy was also Eurovision 2019 winner Duncan Laurence, who was one of the writers of the entry and was appointed to train the artists for the Eurovision stage.

After the end of Eurovision 2023, AVROTROS acknowledged that mistakes were made in selecting “Burning Daylight” for Eurovision 2023. Consequently, there have been changes within the Dutch Eurovision team, with Twan van de Nieuwenhuijze appointed as the Head of Delegation for the Netherlands and the new chairman of the selection committee.

The Netherlands will select its entry internally for Eurovision 2024 and Cornald Maas remains as part of the selecting jury.

Source: RTL Boulevard

 

 

Marina Satti will represent Greece in Eurovision 2024!

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The performer who will represent Greece in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest was revealed by ERT today, through the tv-show “Studio 4” with Nancy Zampetoglou and Thanasis Anagnostopoulos. Greece will be represented by Marina Satti on the 50th anniversary of its debut in the competition in 1974.

This choice was made through an internal selection process by ERT. Marina Satti’s selection shows confidence in Marina Satti as an artist because, in contrast to prior years, there was no competitive process and no selection by the appropriate ERT committee.

The song has not yet been selected. Soon, a platform for interested composers to submit their proposals will open. In the coming months, further information about the stage director and the rest of her team will be made public.

Are you happy with this choice? Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun to stay up today on all the latest news about the world’s biggest music competition!

Australia: SBS in discussions with EBU regarding Eurovision participation!

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The Australian public broadcaster, SBS, revealed today that they are in discussions with the EBU as far as the future participation at the Eurovision Song Contest in concerned.

Initially Australia were invited to participate for a one-off for the 60th anniversary of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2015. After finished in 5th place of the Grand Final – where they automatically qualified – the country were invited for the years followed until 2019 when a 5-year contract was signed between SBS and EBU allowing Australia to take part without an invitation.

However 2023 was the last year that Australia were able to do so, something that has already triggered questions in Eurofans circles regarding the participation of the biggest country of Oceania at the upcoming 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden.

SBS commented the following on the matter:

“Eurovision is a cherished part of the SBS family. Australia’s future participation in the song contest is currently in discussion. We understand Eurovision fans are eager for an update and appreciate their patience as we work through these next steps. We’ll confirm details as soon as we are able.”

The deadline for the nations to withdraw without any penalty is on 11th of October which means that there is still time for SBS and EBU to reach an agreement.

In 2023 Australia was represented by Voyager and the song Promise and after managing to win the Second Semi-Final, they finished in the top ten of the Grand Final and specifically in 9th place with 151 points.

https://youtu.be/GSoy_mJMlMY

What do you think the outcome of the negotiations between SBS and EBU? Will we see Australia in Malmö next year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the updates around the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest!

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Eurovision 2024: Eurovision Song Contest Workshop scheduled to take place tonight in Berlin!

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The Eurovision Song Contest’s workshop is set to take place in the German capital,featuring people who are inextricably linked to the contest.

Sweden’s Public Broadcaster SVT is bound to provide the attendees with useful information on next year’s contest,taking place in Malmö

on the 7th,the 9th and the 11th of May.

This workshop aims to bring together the contest’s aficionados to interact,exchange ideas and bring them together with team leaders and music producers involved with the contest.The workshop is taking place four days before the deadline for the 2024 contest’s submissions.

It is worth mentioning that the Greek broadcaster ERT will not be taking part in the workshop as it has not confirmed its entry in the next year’s contest yet.To this point,only 29 countries have confirmed their intention to take part in the 68th Eurovision Contest taking place in Sweden.

Sweden earned the right to host the 2024 contest after having won this year’s contest with Loreen and her song “Tattoo”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE2Fj0W4jP4

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for more news about your favorite contest!

 

 

EXCLUSIVE: Cyprus will internally select its entry for Eurovision 2024 | The artist announcement soon to be made!

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As the “Fame Story” selection format is opted out, Cyprus will choose its entry for Eurovision 2024 internally and we are really close to the announcement of the artist that will fly the Cypriot flag to Malmö next year.

Internal selection is the final solution for Cyprus

Regardless the initial idea of hosting a national final in January live from Nicosia, with 3 to 5 competing participants, the Cypriot National television decided to use the method of internal selection in order to select its next Eurovision act. Cyprus has been choosing its Eurovision acts internally since 2016 and RIK’s choice is proven to have an effect. Since 2016, Cyprus has managed to qualify to the Grand Final every time, except in one occasion, in 2022.

RIK’s team, considering that they have a strong song in their hands, but also an artist who can impress on the stage of the competition and wanting to defuse the tension between RIK and ERT regarding Fame Story, accelerated all the internal procedures needed for the internal selection.

Fame Story goes to OMEGA

It is indicative that Fame Story, no longer associated with the Eurovision contest and the Cypriot representation in it, will not even be broadcast on RIK. Based on what it was announced to the media in the last few hours, the musical talent show will be broadcast by OMEGA TV, as is the case with all STAR programs in Cyprus.

The official announcement in the coming days

Barring the unexpected, Cyprus will be the first country to announce its artist for Eurovision 2024.

It is just a matter of time till the official announcements are made from RIK, naming the artist who will succeed Andrew Lambrou on the stage of the competition.

We are sure the this announcement will cause a sensation among Eurovision fans. We will soon find out!

Stay tuned on EurovisionFun for all news regarding the Cypriot entry in Eurovision 2024!

Kazakhstan: Withdraws from Junior Eurovision 2023!

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The first country that announces their withdrawal from the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023 is Kazakhstan!

After a satisfactory debut in 2018 (6th place) and two consecutive second places in 2019 and 2020 the national broadcaster of Kazakhstan announced according to EUROVISION NEWS post on Instagram, that they won’t take part in the upcoming Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023  in Nice, France!

 

Δείτε αυτή τη δημοσίευση στο Instagram.

 

Η δημοσίευση κοινοποιήθηκε από το χρήστη EUROVISION NEWS (@esc_news_)

Last year Kazakhstan was represented by David Charlin and the song “Jer-Ana (Mother Earth)” (Жер-Ана)”. The country ended up in the 15th place with 47 points.

https://youtu.be/sgx61ms2jP4

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Eurovision 2023: These are the 10 finalists of the Second Semi-Final!

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The Eurovision 2023 Semi-Final season comes to an end as the 10 finalists of the second semi-final of this year’s edition have been officially chosen,with the final line-up coming to its completion.

Tonight’s show was hosted by Alesha Dixon, Hannah Waddingham and the Ukrainian star Julia Sanina.

A total of 16 acts competed for a ticket to Saturday’s Grand Final on Saturday,with the a total of 19 countries (including Italy,Spain,the UK and Ukraine) voting for their favorite acts,ten of which proceed to the Grand Final.

The following 10 acts secured a spot for Saturday’s Grand Final:

  • Albania
  • Cyprus
  • Estonia
  • Belgium
  • Austria
  • Poland
  • Lithuania
  • Australia
  • Armenia
  • Slovenia

Eurovision 2023 Semi-final 2 result

A few words about the second semi-final

The hosts of the second semi-final were Julia Sanina from The Hardkiss, Hannah Waddingham and Alesha Dixon.

The acts that performed tonight were:

Running Order

Country

Performer

Song
01 🇩🇰Denmark Reiley “Breaking My Heart“
02 🇦🇲Armenia Brunette “Future Lover“
03 🇷🇴Romania Theodor Andrei “D.G.T.”
04 🇪🇪Estonia Alika “Bridges“
05 🇧🇪Belgium Gustaph “Because Of You“
06 🇨🇾Cyprus Andrew Lambrou “Break A Broken Heart“
07 🇮🇸Iceland Diljá “Power“
08 🇬🇷Greece Victor Vernicos “What They Say“
09 🇵🇱Poland Blanka (Beijba) “Solo“
10 🇸🇮Slovenia Joker Out “Carpe Diem“
11 🇬🇪Georgia Iru “Echo“
12 🇸🇲San Marino Piqued Jacks “Like an Animal“
13 🇦🇹Austria Teya & Salena “Who The Hell is Edgar?“
14 🇦🇱Albania Albina & Kelmendi Family “Duje“
15 🇱🇹Lithuania Monika Linkyte “Stay“
16 🇦🇺Australia Voyager “Promise“

 

Interval Acts

The second semi-final included live interval performances. The first was a contemporary montage led by Mariya Yarmechuk, who represented Ukraine in Eurovision 2014 and reached a respectable 6th place.

The ‘Music Unites Generations’ performance delved into the connection between different generations of Ukrainians and their love for music. The piece will be accompanied by a collaborative performance from OTOY, Zlata Dziunka, and Mariya.

Spain,Ukraine and the United Kingdom

Moreover,the second semi-final featured appearances by the rest of the automatic qualifiers of Saturday’s Grand Final:Spain,Ukraine and the United Kingdom.You can check their performances below:

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Eurovision 2023: These are the 10 finalists of the First Semi Final!

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Eurovision 2023 has officially started with the First Semi Final of this year’s edition live from M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.

Tonight’s show was hosted by Alesha Dixon, Hannah Waddingham and the Ukrainian star Julia Sanina.

Tonight, 15 acts competed in order to qualify to the Grand Final of Saturday. The results were determined only by 100% televoting from the 15 countries competing as well as Germany, France and Italy that were voting on this Semi Final.

Only 10 acts made it and advanced to the Grand Final and they are the following:

  • Croatia
  • Moldova
  • Switzerland
  • Finland
  • Czechia
  • Israel
  • Portugal
  • Sweden
  • Serbia
  • Norway

10 qualifiers semi final 1 2023

A few words about tonight’s show

Tonight’s show started with an opening video which included a young boy from Liverpool being excited about its city hosting Eurovision 2023. Then, he joins the Eurovision stage and Julia Sanina performs “Mayak” by The Hardkiss. The female trio of superstars Julia Sanina of The Hardkiss, Hannah Waddingham, and Alesha Dixon, tonight’s hosts joined the stage and so Eurovision 2023 just begins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg5EOvVPwMQ

Then it was the time for the representatives from 15 countries participating tonight to take the stage and perform their entries:

  1. Norway: Alessandra – “Queen of Kings“
  2. Malta: The Busker – “Dance (Our Own Party)“
  3. Serbia: Luke Black – “Samo Mi Se Spava“
  4. Latvia: Sudden Lights – “Aijā“
  5. Portugal: Mimicat – “Ai Coração“
  6. Ireland: Wild Youth – “We Are One“
  7. Croatia: Let 3 – “Mama ŠČ!”
  8. Switzerland: Remo Forrer – “Watergun“
  9. Israel: Noa Kirel – “Unicorn“
  10. Moldova: Pasha Parfeni – “Soarele şi Luna“
  11. Sweden: Loreen – “Tattoo“
  12. Azerbaijan: TuralTuranX – “Tell Me More“
  13. Czechia: Vesna – “My Sister’s Crown“
  14. Netherlands: Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper – “Burning Daylight“
  15. Finland: Käärijä – “Cha Cha Cha“

Interval Acts

Wordwide superstar Rita Ora performs a medley of her hits, as well as a world premiere of ‘Praising You’. Alyosha (Ukraine 2010) and Rebecca Fergusson perform together a cover of “Ordinary World”.

France, Germany and Italy

Right before the announcement of the aforementioned finalists, we had the chance to see clips from the performances of France, Germany and Italy, the members of the Big 5 who had the right to vote in this Semi Final.

France: La Zarra – “Évidemment”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DQH8CkuCQk

Germany: Lord of The Lost – “Blood And Glitter”

Italy: Marco Mengoni – “Due Vite”

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

Stay tuned on EurovisionFun because the allocation regarding in which half will the qualifiers perform in the Grand Final, comes next!

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These are the Most Eurovision-Obsessed Countries!

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On the occasion of the upcoming competition, Holidu has analysed the Google search queries of the participating countries to find out in which country the contest is most popular!

MISSING: summary MISSING: current-rows. MISSING: sort-direction / ascending MISSING: sort-column
1 Spain 624,900 1,318
2 Sweden 93,700 900
3 Greece 93,200 876
4 Lithuania 23,500 839
5 United Kingdom 552,000 820
6 Finland 44,900 810
7 Italy 414,600 701
8 Norway 36,200 669
9 Ireland 32,360 643
10 The Netherlands 91,100 520
11 Poland 188,000 498
12 Cyprus 6,000 482
13 Iceland 1,600 430
14 Belgium 42,200 364
15 Germany 291,400 350
16 Serbia 18,400 269
17 France 182,100 269
18 Romania 50,540 264
19 Croatia 8,390 215
20 Malta 1,000 193
21 Estonia 2,320 174
22 Portugal 17,500 169
23 Australia 38,900 151
24 Ukraine 63,510 145
25 Austria 12,300 137
26 Israel 10,880 116
27 Slovenia 2,300 109
28 Moldova 2,480 95
29 Latvia 1,590 84
30 Switzerland 5,700 65
31 Denmark 3,200 55
32 Czech Republic 4,300 41
33 Armenia 880 32
34 Albania 720 26
35 Azerbaijan 1,880 19
36 Georgia 390 11
37 San Marino 0 0

Spain, Sweden and Greece the three countries with the most dedicated eurofans are in podium. On the contrary San Marino, Georgia and Azerbaijan are the three countries with the less interesting on Eurovision.

 

Source: Holidu

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Eurovision 2023: Denmark’s Second Rehearsal!

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Continuous to the rehearsals of the previews few days, the first to take the stage today is Reiley from Denmark with the song “Breaking My Heart”.

Who is Riley?

Rani Petersen is known in the music industry as Reiley, is the first person from the Faroe Islands to participate in Eurovision Song Contest. Reiley is twenty-five years old singer and he became known as a social media influencer on TikTok in the early 2019, with nearly 11 million followers.

Since then, Reiley is posting on social media hundreds of covers that many of these became viral across all the internet. On February, he participated on the Danish National Selection Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2023 and won the competition making history in the Eurovision books.

The Rehearsal

Unfortunately this year, accredited journalists don’t get the chance to watch the first and second rehearsals, so we only get the information and content that the organizers officially release to the public.

Reiley’s outfit is different to the one used in his first rehearsal! His beige sequins and white trousers are now changed to a candyfloss pink sparkly suit!

It also seems that the entry’s staging works really good on screen with Reiley’s rotating house being compared by the organizers to what Rosa Linn, from Armenia, did last year!

Chloe Hashemi – EBU

Sarah Louise Bennett – EBU

In the afternoon, after the completion of all the rehearsals, a recap video will be released with short excerpts from the footage of all the second rehearsals!

The Dress Rehearsal for Denmark and the rest of Semi Final 2 will be held on the 10th of May.

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