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Hungary: MTVA is not going to broadcast Eurovision 2024!

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This year’s Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will not be broadcast in Hungary!

Hungary’s national broadcaster, MTVA, will not broadcast the Eurovision contest this year either. The last time this central European country took part was in 2019 and since then it has not broadcast the competition again. The previous time the country withdrew from the competition, in 2010 for financial reasons, the three nights were broadcast normally.

Hungary withdrew in 2019 ahead of Eurovision 2020. When the EBU in November 2019 published the list of participating countries, Hungary was missing. The state channel did not make any public statement about the reasons for the withdrawal.

In the country’s last participation in Eurovision 2019, it was represented for the second time by Joci Pápai and the song “Az én apám” without, however, being able to qualify for the final as it finished in 12th place in the first semi-final.

Source: Mediaklikk

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Eurovision 2024: Greece’s first rehearsal!

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The next artist to take the stage is Marina Satti from Greece, for her long-awaited Eurovision rehearsal. The acclaimed singer-songwriter will perform “Zari”, an upbeat track that combines Greek, Balkan and urban sounds. Marina aims to live up to the expectations, given that she is currently ranked in the top ten of most fan polls and betting odds.

Who is Marina Satti?

Over her career, the star has developed a unique sound that combines the different musical traditions she grew up with, such as Greek, Arabic and Balkan.

Having represented Greece in the EBU’s Euroradio Jazz Orchestra with works by Peter Herbolzheimer; singing at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington with the World Jazz Nonet; and participating in the a cappella vocal group The Singing Tribe in collaboration with Bobby McFerrin, it’s safe to say that Marina is an artist who defies categorisation.

In May 2022, Satti released her first full-length album YENNA, while in 2023 she experimented by delivering the short documentary FLABOURO, as well as TUCUTUM, a song-commentary on Balkan trap, which went viral that summer.

The Rehearsal 

In terms of staging, Marina brings the same sass and attitude we saw in the official video – the kilt has been swapped for a shiny purple dress with a puffball skirt, paired with black heeled boots. Marina has four backing dancers – three male, one female – who join Marina to fuse precision street dance moves with traditional elements. There’s lots of close-up camerawork – Marina really connects with the TV audience, and it looks great live on stage too.

In terms of graphics, there’s loads of colour and energy – with neon pink floating ZARI graphics on the cubes, and grafitti-style visuals on the LED wall bringing that same urban vibe we saw in the official video.

It’s also another track this year with deep bass, so the TA TA TA really vibrates through the floor of the arena. Officially a banger.

Greece first rehearsal at Eurovision 2024. Credit: Corinne Cumming/EBU

 

 

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The official Eurovision account on TikTok shared a short clip of Greece’s rehearsal, which you can watch below:

@eurovision Put your hands up! @SATTI just achieved pop perfection at Greece’s first rehearsal #Eurovision2024 ♬ original sound – Eurovision

On Thursday, May 2, Greece will have its second rehearsal. This is when we will get a better look at Marina Satti’s performance on the Eurovision stage, as the official TV snippet will be released.

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Greek Eurovision 2024 entry!

Source: eurovision.tv

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Eurovision 2024: Albania’s first rehearsal!

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We’re moving to the Balkans, as Albania‘s representative Besa is the next artist to take the stage. She performs the song “Titan”, hoping to prove the odds wrong and win a ticket for the grand final, on Saturday May 11th.

Who is Besa?

Besa Kokëdhima was born in Fier, Albania to mathematician parents, who encouraged her to develop her artistry from a very early age.

This is reflected in her creativity, as BESA’s music is a unique blend of different genres ranging from pop to electronic, R&B to ballads, and everything in between.

Domestically, she’s known for her catchy hooks and exuberant performances that are always full of surprises, suspense and emotion.

She has a strong, passionate fanbase, who admire her as much for her singing as they do for her activism on animal rights, social causes and equality.

The Rehearsal 

Besa’s costume is bringing the first pointy shoulders of the day, as part of a blue and black pantsuit with gold detailing. She also has two backing singers, and three female dancers in nude bodysuits who perform a contemporary routine. Projections of more dancers on the LED wall and the cubes give it even more scope and drama, so it feels like they fill the stage. Simple, but really effective.

The way this song goes full drum ‘n’ bass in the final chorus gives it a really epic finish, and the tempo of the dancing is ramped up to match. No sign of pyro on this performance.

Albania first rehearsal at Eurovision 2024. Credit: Corinne Cumming/EBU

 

 

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The official Eurovision account on TikTok shared a short clip of Albania’s rehearsal, which you can watch below:

@eurovision A TITAN of a first rehearsal from Albania’s @Besa #Eurovision2024 ♬ original sound – Eurovision

On Thursday, May 2, Albania will have its second rehearsal. This is when we will get a better look at Besa’s performance on the Eurovision stage, as the official TV snippet will be released.

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Albanian Eurovision 2024 entry!

Source: eurovision.tv

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Eurovision 2024: Malta’s first rehearsal!

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The acts from the second semi-final take the stage today for their first rehearsals for Eurovision 2024. Sarah Bonnici from Malta kicks off today’s rehearsals, since she is set to perform first on the Semi Final, on May 9th. The singer represents her country with “Loop”, a highly upbeat track that showcases her dancing abilities.

Who is Sarah Bonnici?

Sarah has had vocal lessons from Miriam Christine, who was Malta’s Eurovision entry in 1996, performing In A Woman’s Heart at the Contest in Oslo. Miriam encouraged Sarah to take part in competitions herself, and from there she went on to take 3rd place in Malta Junior Eurosong in 2009.

Sarah has a star-studded songwriting team for Loop, and has also been part of the artistry. Linnea Deb and Joy Deb are well-known in the world of Eurovision, having written Måns Zelmerlöw’s Heroes which won the Contest for Sweden in 2015. Michael Joe Cini, known as Micimago, co-wrote Malta’s 2023 entry for The Busker, Dance (Our Own Party). And for Kevin Lee, this will be his 5th time working behind the scenes at the Eurovision Song Contest in some form or another. They’re joined by Leire Gotxi Angel and Sebastian Pritchard-James, who started as street performers and have now racked up over 9 million streams on their tracks.

The Rehearsal

The main dancing routine is largely the same as in the music video, other than having been polished up a bit in places. BUT the dance break has had a rework – it still has the flip, but with added shirt removal by the four male backing dancers, and also…blindfolds. There’s a very impressive salsa-style shoulder lift.

Costume-wise, Sarah is in a sparkly silver bodysuit, and THE CUBES are getting their first LED action of the day. Not that anyone will be looking at the graphics – this is QUITE the show.

PYRO UPDATE! Fireworks during the big note in the bridge before the final chorus, and a big firework finish. We are now fully awake.

Malta first rehearsal at Eurovision 2024. Credit: Corinne Cumming/EBU

 

 

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The official Eurovision account on TikTok shared a short clip of Malta’s rehearsal, which you can watch below:

@eurovision Malta’s @Sarah Bonnici has got the m-m-m-moves #Eurovision2024 ♬ original sound – Eurovision

On Thursday, May 2, Malta will have its second rehearsal. This is when we will get a better look at Sarah Bonnici’s performance on the Eurovision stage, as the official TV snippet will be released.

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Maltese Eurovision 2024 entry!

Source: eurovision.tv

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Eurovision 2024: Australia’s First Rehearsal!

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Now it’s time for the biggest country that competes in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest to have their first rehearsal and that is Australia. The country of Oceania is represented this year by Electric Fields and their entry “One Milkali (One Blood)”

Who are Electric Fields?

Electric Fields are the first duo to represent Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Electric Fields is an Australian electronic music duo made up of vocalist Zaachariaha Fielding and keyboard player and producer Michael Ross. Electric Fields combine modern electric-soul music with Aboriginal culture. Fans might well remember the pair from SBS’ 2019 national selection show, Eurovision – Australia Decides, where they came a close second to Kate Miller-Heidke with their unforgettable track “2000 And Whatever”. Their song incorporates Yankunytjatjara; an Aboriginal language of the Anangu peoples, one of the oldest living cultures on earth.

Zaachariaha Fielding born in 1991 studied Indigenous Australian music and started producing his own work at the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music at the University of Adelaide.

Michael Ross is a singer, songwriter, pianist and producer from Adelaide. His musical influences growing up were mainly Mariah Carey, along with The Cranberries, Tracy Chapman, and Lauryn Hill. Before joining Electric Fields, Ross was a contestant on the X Factor Australia in 2013.

The Rehearsal

Time for Australia’s Electric Fields – fans may remember them from Australia Decides in 2019, when they were runners up to Kate Miller-Heidke and her wobbly pole.

The mathematics enthusiasts amongst you will know that the reference to ‘0.618’ is a Fibonacci sequence thing – hence ‘I stand in the eye of the spiral’. Sincere thanks to Electric Fields for bringing the golden ratio to Eurovision, it was long overdue. Art class yesterday, mathematics today.

Zaachariaha Fielding’s fabulous white dress captures the arena light and transforms into a rainbow at the start, and then this whole performance builds into an uplifting cosmic explosion of light and colour across both the LED wall and the floor. Zaachariaha is supported by Michael Ross on keyboards, two backing singers, and of course the didgeridoo.

There’s a lot of movement around the stage, which makes it feel like it’s a performance that aims to welcome in every corner of the arena – just pure joy from start to finish, and we’re delighted to add Yankunytjatjara, an Aboriginal language, to the Eurovision canon.

Australia’s first rehearsal – Eurovision 2024. Credit: Corinne Cumming/EBU

Below you can also watch a short video from the rehearsal uploaded on TikTok

@eurovision @Electric Fields are lighting up rehearsals for Australia in Malmö #Eurovision2024 ♬ original sound – Eurovision

The second rehearsal of Australia is going to take place on Wednesday 1st of May and we are going to have a better picture of the stage performance.

Source: eurovision.tv

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Eurovision 2024: Azerbaijan’s First Rehearsal!

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Next on the stage of Eurovision 2024 in Malmö for their first rehearsal is Azerbaijan which is represented by Fahree feat. Ilkin Dovlatov and their song “Özünlə apar”.

Who are Fahree and Ilkin Dovlatov?

Fahree, full name Fakhri Ismayilov, was born on 11th of April 1995 in Baku and is an Azeri singer and songwriter. He was raised in an artistic family, his father being a jazz drummer and his grandfather being an actor. He has both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in law. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he devoted himself more to music and pursued his childhood dream of becoming a musician

Ilkin Dovlatov born on 16th June 1990 is is an Azeri mugham singer. He was raised in a musical family, his father being a major inspiration for him to start pursuing a musical career. At the age of four, Dovlatov performed his first song “Qəlbimdə qaldı”. During his school years, a music teacher discovered Dovlatov’s talent in singing and encouraged him to perform his music. He rose to prominence after finishing second in The Voice of Azerbaijan in 2023.

The Rehearsal

Time for Azerbaijan, with FAHREE performing a huge ballad sung in English and Azerbaijani. It has some lovely orchestral strings that fill the arena – additional Mugham vocals are provided by Ilkin Dovlatov, and the whole thing comes together to create a mix of traditional Azeri sounds with a really contemporary edge.

FAHREE’s outfit is black and silver and gives off an armoured vibe, and Ilkin is in black with sparkly sleeves. For most of the song FAHREE is alone in the centre of the stage, backed my monochrome graphics that show an animated figure slowly emerging from water. In the second half two huge cupped hands appear on the stage so FAHREE can sing the final verse and chorus standing between them.

This is a really difficult performance to describe in words, because it’s less about the individual staging elements and more about the powerful atmosphere they create together – a combination of shadowy lighting, graphics, contrasting vocals and FAHREE’s expressive body movements.

The official video to this song came out yesterday, and if you watch that you’ll get a good feel for the energy on stage right now.

Azerbaijan’s first rehearsal – Eurovision 2024. Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett/EBU 

 

Below you can also watch a short video from the rehearsal uploaded on TikTok

@eurovision Glittering graphics and powerhouse vocals, @Fahree feat. @İlkinDövlətov have got rehearsals in hand #Eurovision2024 ♬ original sound – Eurovision

The second rehearsal of Azerbaijan is going to take place on Wednesday 1st of May and we are going to have a better picture of the stage performance.

Source: eurovision.tv

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Eurovision 2024: Moldova’s First Rehearsal!

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The second day of the first round of rehearsals for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 continues with Moldova which is represented by Natalia Barbu who returns to the contest after 2007, with the song “In The Middle”.

Who is Natalia Barbu ?

Natalia Barbu, born on 22nd of August 1979, is a Moldovan singer songwriter and violinist. Her rise to fame began in 1998 in the city of Mamaia, where she won a singing competition. Since then, she has released 4 studio albums and 20 singles. An avid storyteller, Natalia Barbu writes the lyrics for most of her songs herself. Throughout her career Natalia has worked with a group of musicians called Trigon on an alternative jazz-folk experiment.

In the world of Eurovision she is known for having already represented Moldova in the contest in the past, and particularly in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki with the song “Fight”. That year she managed to qualify for the grand final from the biggest semi-final that had ever took place, finishing 10th, a result that she repeated again on the night of the grand final of that year.

The Rehearsal

This is 11th in the running order for the first Semi-Final, or the thirteenth song we’ll hear if you count the United Kingdom and Germany. So not actually right in the middle, but close. It’s also not Natalia’s first time at Eurovision – she competed for Moldova in 2007, where she finished 10th.

The staging has the static routine that we saw at Etapa Națională, the Moldovan national final – with hand claps and armography and a white violin – but Natalia is no longer flanked by backing singers – she’s entirely alone, in front of a beautiful backdrop of seascapes and trees and flowers and butterflies.

During the violin section the LED wall turns to huge wings, so when viewed from the front Natalia looks like an angel. It’s completely different from anything we’ve seen on this stage so far in 2024, and really clever – and of course, Natalia hits every one of those high notes.

Moldova’s first rehearsal – Eurovision 2024. Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett/EBU

Below you can also watch a short video from the rehearsal uploaded on TikTok

@eurovision @Natalia Barbu official sings, plays strings and finds her wings, all at Moldova’s first rehearsal #Eurovision2024 ♬ original sound – Eurovision

The second rehearsal of Moldova is going to take place on Wednesday 1st of May and we are going to have a better picture of the stage performance.

Source: eurovision.tv

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Finland: Changes in their Eurovision Performance!

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A few days before the start of our favorite competition all countries are ready to start rehearsals! Just before taking the stage for the first rehearsal, Finland’s representative Windows95Man shared some information about their stage performance!

Initially, as he stated, he does not know if he is allowed to wear the skin-colored underwear he wore in the Finnish final. He was also forced to make changes to his T-shirt logo as he was not allowed to have the Windows logo on it. So, the artist chose a new t-shirt, with a blurred logo. Speaking tou YLE he stated:

“I have six different (options). Let’s start with the wildest of them and go to the goofiest if the EBU insists.”

He then revealed that in addition to Henri Piispanen, there will also be two dancers with him, one of whom (Jesse Winjnans) was also last year in the Finnish entry with “Cha Cha Cha”

The emblematic “egg” we saw in the national final of Finland will also be on the Eurovision stage.

Finland is scheduled to take part in the First Semi-Final on 7th of May, claiming one of the 10 tickets for the Grand Final of Saturday 11th of May.

Source: YLE

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Poland: Luna’s Eurovision 2024 team!

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The team that will perform alongside Luna on the stage of Malmö Arena was revealed by Poland‘s broadcaster just hours before the country’s first technical rehearsal for Eurovision 2024.

Three dancers—Jordan Garcia, Angus Simpson, and Julia Żytko—participate in the Polish performance. Maciej Starnawski and Marta Dywicka will also be supporting the artist vocally in order to guarantee the greatest outcome for the country’s entry.

More information regarding Luna’s performance in this year’s competition is expected to be revealed in the coming hours.

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the Eurovision 2024 developments!

Source: Eurowizja.org 

Cyprus: “Maybe it was the best rehearsal we ever had!”

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Immediately after the end of the first rehearsal of Silia Kapsis, Eurovisionfun contacted both the Cypriot delegation and the artistic team to inform you about their impression.

Silia and the entire team were amazing

Despite the various issues that existed in the video of the stand-in-rehearsal received by CyBC a week ago, this time everything was perfect.

The organizers took into account all the comments of the Cypriot delegation and Silia’s first rehearsal went impeccable.

The entire stage concept prepared by the artistic team was 100% rendered on stage. The leds and lighting move to the rhythm of the choreography and play a very important role in Liar’s stage appearance. Everything was well tuned, and vocally Silia was fantastic! The four dancers, with their energy and youthfulness, make Liar one of the freshest stage entries of this year’s competition.

There is almost nothing to be corrected

In our question if there was anything they could fix for the second rehearsal, the answer was that there are only very little things.

“Maybe it was the best rehearsal we ever had!”

The next rehearsal of Cyprus is on Wednesday, 1/5 at 12.30 CET. Stay tuned for the TikTok video, but also for a short video to publicized by CyBC!

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

 

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