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Albania: Elvana Gjata and “Me tana” sweeps on YouTube trends in Europe

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With the air of the favorite it looks like Elvana Gjata will be competing at the 2019 Festivali i Këngës 2019 with “Me Tana”, the song to compete with, having already surpassed 900,000 views on YouTube and it is only a matter of hours before it reaches 1,000 .000.

The song as it is reasonable and the number of views has not only made sense in Albania. In fact, ethnic-pop “Me tana” is currently at # 28 on Greek YouTube trends with a steady rise since it was at # 37 just hours ago.

The song is also featured at # 9 in Trends in Northern Macedonia, at # 23 in Switzerland, at # 44 in Germany while at # 35 in Turkey.

Second in the “battle” of the projections is Arilena Ara’s “Shaj” ballad with about 600,000 fewer views than Elvana while third is Kanita and “Ankth” with about 110,000 views.

Will Elvana Gjata be Albania’s spokesperson in Rotterdam, The Netherlands?

The two FiK semifinals will take place on December 19th and 20th, while the Grand Final, where we will also learn Albania’s 17th representative at the Eurovision Song Contest, will take place on December 22nd. Alketa Vejsiu will be the host of the Festivali i Kenges 58.

 

Eurovision 2020: Sietse Bakker: “Eurovision final may last less”

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An interesting interview was given by Eurovision 2020’s executive producer, Sietse Bakker. Speaking at singfestival.bg, he revealed several aspects of the Dutch organizers’ preparation, but also expressed his conviction that unlike his two semifinal contests, the big final lasts long, given that it is always a television program. At the end of the interview, Sietse Bakker said that while he had never been interested in the position of executive supervisor of the contest, he did not rule out the possibility of seeing him succeed Jon Ola Sand.

It was a complete cycle
Prior to taking over as executive producer of Eurovision 2020, Sietse, with his own website designing company, had worked with the EBU on numerous occasions and even served as Supervisor Event. In 2016 he decided to stop. “The first Eurovision Song Contest I attended was in Stockholm, so when it was in Stockholm again in 2016, it was a complete one for me. It was time to quit the competition and get more involved in my own business”.

It all started for one girl 
“It all started when I tried to impress a girl from another class who was a big fan of the competition,” Sietse said when asked where his interest in the competition came from. “I wanted to impress her by making a website mentioning the contest, ESCToday. After attending the Eurovision Song Contest in Riga for the first time in 2003, I was addicted and in the meantime our site had become very big. He didn’t work with the girl, but it was the beginning of my career. “

Proud Dutchman
The Netherlands had a hard time competing, so when asked how Sietse lived up to Duncan’s victory, he said: “AVROTROS has built this beautifully from 2013 onwards, from Anouk to Duncan now winning. Of course this makes us proud, but it’s also a weird feeling. I’m part of the team that has ultimate responsibility is a complete honor, but it’s a very difficult job”.

The final may last less
The most important news that comes out of the interview is Sietse Bakker’s phrase about the duration of the final: “The semifinals are relatively short, but it is true that the final takes a long time and can be less long”.

Does this mean that we will see a shorter broadcast of the Eurovision final, coming to Rotterdam in May? It is worth noting here that the duration of its final competition in recent years is approximately three and a half hours.

Happy with the hosts
“We didn’t find the presenters overnight. We’ve been working since July on who could present it. Everything came to mind: from presenters to singers, actors and dancers. After several meetings, this combination is the best result and we are very proud of this trio “.

More news about hotels coming soon
Sietse Bakker had, of course, to respond to the high hotel prices during the competition. High hotel prices are a problem for many Eurovision fans who would like to watch the event up close. “We have booked 3,000 rooms in the bidding phase, for which we will soon publish more news. Keep in mind that the Netherlands is a relatively small country and you should also look outside Rotterdam for accommodation”.

Successor to Jon Ola Sand?
Will he seek to replace Jon Ola Sand in the future? “I have never pursued this job and now I focus exclusively on the role I have. And for the story, I haven’t been called by the EBU yet”.

You can watch the entire interview below:

Eurovision 2020: The contest so far or “The Good EurovisionFun’s Calendar”

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With 160 days left for the biggest celebration of music, less than half a year, the interest in the entire european continent begins to peak. It also contributes to this, in addition to breaking the 12-month mark as we are already halfway through, the fact that as December is moving forward,the first national final,that of Albania is going to take place which means that we can officially talk about the beginning of the key processes: artist and song!

Across the European continent, the participating countries and their public broadcasters are preparing feverishly for the finding of the best act and the most impressive appearance in general.

ESC 2020, as is well known, will take place on 11-16 May 2020 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands with the two semifinals taking place on 12 and 14 May,respectively and the grand final on Saturday 16 May at Ahoy Stadium. We also recently learned about this year’s Euroclub venue, which will be Maassilo. Our slogan for this year is “Open Up” and this year’s logo is as below:

Image result for open up eurovision

In addition, the first pictures of the stage were released as well as details of its construction and the event’s setting up while the creative team that will lift the burden of this year’s semi-finals and grand final was announced. The stage was designed by Florian Wieder and the composition of the creative team is as follows:

  • Eric van Tijn– Musical Director 
  • Gerald van Windt – Choreographer
  • Natasja Lammers–  Choreographer
  • Sietse Bakker-Head of Show
  • Twan van Nieuwenhuijzen–Head of Contest
  • Marnix Kaart–  Show Director
  • Marc Pos– Show Director
  • Florian Wieder- Designer

-Participating countries

Although the deadline for broadcasters’ submitting applications  – substantially, countries  – has expired in October, EBU only in mid of November, released the official list of participating countries. So, 41 countries,will parade on Ahoy’s stage this year and more specifically, :

  1. Albania (RTSH)
  2. Armenia (AMPTV)
  3. Australia (SBS)
  4. Austria (ORF)
  5. Azerbaijan (ICTIMAI)
  6. Belarus (BTRC)
  7. Belgium (VRT)
  8. Bulgaria (BNT)
  9. Croatia (HRT)
  10. Cyprus (CYBC)
  11. Czech Rep. (CT)
  12. Denmark (DR)
  13. Estonia (ERR)
  14. Finland (YLE)
  15. France (FT)
  16. Germany (ARD/NDR)
  17. Georgia (GPB)
  18. Greece (ERT)
  19. Ireland  (RUV)
  20. Iceland (RTE)
  21. Israel (IPBC/KAN)
  22. Italy (RAI)
  23. Latvia (LTV)
  24. Lithuania (LRT)
  25. Malta (PBS)
  26. Moldova (TRM)
  27. Netherlands (AVROTROS)
  28. North Macedonia (MKRTV)
  29. Norway (NRK)
  30. Poland (TVP)
  31. Portugal (RTP)
  32. Romania (TVR)
  33. Russia (Channel One)
  34. San Marino (RTV)
  35. Serbia (RTS)
  36. Slovenia (RTVSLO)
  37. Spain (TVE)
  38. Sweden (SVT)
  39. Switzerland (SRG SSR)
  40. Ukraine (UA:PBC)
  41. United Kingdom (BBC)

Together with us in Rotterdam this year there will be two countries abducted last year (Bulgaria and Ukraine), while we will not see two others (Hungary and Montenegro) which travelled traveling to Tel Aviv last year.

Of these, 35 will split and compete in the two semifinals, with only ten of each semifinal qualifying for the grand final where they will meet the host countries and the Big 5 (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom),as they qualify directly to the final. So in total we will see 26 countries claiming the grand prize.

Artist and song: The crucial choice

As time goes on, the key question, of course, that concerns all Eurofans across Europe is “who and what”! Who will represent each country and with what song? There are basically two options for this choice: internal selection (by the broadcaster) and national final (which includes active public participation). There is no EBU rule for this choice, and each country is free to choose, without necessarily having a regular method.

In view of the above, let’s have a  look in detail at the information available to us so that each of the 41 participating countries will choose to participate this year*:

        NATIONAL FINAL                      DIRECT ASSIGNMENT            NO INFORMATION
ALBANIA AUSTRIA AZERBAIJAN
ARMENIA BELGIUM BELARUS
AUSTRALIA BULGARIA NORTH MACEDONIA
CROATIA CYPRUS POLAND
DENMARK GERMANY SAN MARINO
ESTONIA IRELAND
FINLAND MOLDOVA
FRANCE** SWITZERLAND
GEORGIA GREECE
ICELAND NETHERLANDS
ISRAEL SPAIN
ITALY*** United Kingdom
LATVIA CZECH REP. (on-line voting)
LITHUANIA RUSSIA
MALTA
NORWAY
PORTUGAL
ROMANIA
SERBIA
SLOVENIA
UKRAINE
SWEDEN

 

So, it seems from the above table that:

-22 countries will hold national final

-14 will select internally and

– for 5 more we have no data

* Of course, it should be noted here that the above data can at any time change and some countries may change the designation for this year’s selection.

**France used the national final “Eurovision Destination” last year to select its representative and it looks like it will do the same this year. However, the information we receive from France 2 is ambiguous and there is a high likelihood of making an internal selection this year.

***Italy uses for the selection of its representative the famous San Remo festival, which is also the ancestor of ESC, but it is not compulsory the winner of this festival to represent the country in Eurovision as well.

To date, the artists we know are:

-Spain: Blas Cantó

-Belgium: Hooverphonic

-Cyprus: Sandro Nicolas

-Bulgaria: Victoria Georgieva

In the last hours, there are also rumors that Austria will choose Vincent Bueno.

Save the dates!!!!

But let’s look in detail now, especially as since December we are getting into full Eurovsion mood, the key dates by country regarding the selection procedures for this year’s contestants, so as not to miss any critical developments for your beloved country and our beloved contest.

Let’s start with the the countries that will choose through a national final:

1.Albania: 22 December- Final Fik 58 (traditionally, the first country with a national final which decides)

2.Armenia: 31 December- End of entries submission at “Depi Evratesil”

3.Australia: 8 February- Final “Eurovision: Australia Decides” 

4.Croatia: 29 February- Final “Dora”

5.Denmark: 7 MArch- Final “DMGP” (Dansk Melodi Grand Prix)

6.Estonia: 13 & 15 February-Semifinals “Eesti laul”

29 February-Final “Eesti Laul”

7.Finland: 21 January-Finalists announcement, UMK 2020 (Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu)

9 March- Final UMK 2020

8.Georgia: Final “Georgian Idol” in late December (if the last year’s nine-week format will be followed)

9. Iceland: January-Announcement of 10 finalists, Söngvakeppnin 2020

8 & 15 Februatry-Semifinals öngvakeppnin 2020

29 February-Final  Söngvakeppnin 2020

10.Israel: HaKokhav HaBa L’Eurovizion (Rising Star) is already being aired but no date for Final announced

11.Italy: 4 February-10 first Campioni present their entries at San Remo Festival

5 February- 10 next Campioni present their entries at San Remo Festival

6 February-Cover night for all 20 Campioni

7 February-2η Cover night

8 February-Final San Remo Festival

12.Latvia: 8 February-Final “Supernova 2020”

13. Lithuania: 8 December-End of entries submissions at Eurovizijos Atranka 2020

14. Malta: 8 February-Final “X Factor 2020”

15. Norway: 11 January- 1st Semi final “Melodi Grand Prix 2020”

18 January- 2nd Semi final “Melodi Grand Prix”

23 January- 3rd  Semi final “Melodi Grand Prix”

1 February- 4th  Semi final “Melodi Grand Prix”

8 February- 5th Semi final “Melodi Grand Prix”

15 February- Final “Melodi Grand Prix”

16. Portugal: 22 & 29 February- Semifinals Festival da Canção 2020

7 March- Final Festival da Canção 2020

17. Serbia: 9 December- End of entries submissions at Beovizija 2020

18. Sweden:  1 February- 1st Semifinal Melodifestivalen

8 February- 2nd Semifinal Melodifestivalen

15 February- 3rd Semifinal Melodifestivalen

22 February- 4th Semifinal Melodifestivalen

29 February- Second Chance Melodifestivalen

7 March- Final Melodifestivalen

19. Ukraine: 22 February- Final Vidbir

So far,we have no information on the course of their national finals from France, Romania and Slovenia.

As far as the countries that will internally select, we have the artist only from Belgium, Spain, Bulgaria and Cyprus.

The “good EurovisionFun” calendar!

MONTH                                        DAY                                   COUNTRY                                   EVENT
DECEMBER 9 Albania  Song release Festivali i Këngës
19 Albania 1st show Festivali i Këngës
20 Albania 2nd show Festivali i Këngës
22 Albania Final Festivali i Këngës
JANUARY 6 Czech Rep. Artists announcement for the internal selection 
11 Norway 1st show Melodi Grand Prix
13 Czech Rep. Songs release  for the internal selection
18 Norway 2nd show Melodi Grand Prix
21 Finland Artists announcement for UMK 2020
25 Norway 3rd show Melodi Grand Prix
28 ESC 2020 Tel Aviv Delivery Ceremony in Rotterdam
28 ESC 2020 Semifinals Draw
FEBRUARY 1 Sweden Α΄Semifinal Melodifestivalen
1 Norway 4th show Melodi Grand Prix
4 Italy 1st show San Remo Festival
5 Italy 2nd show San Remo Festival
6 Italy 3rd show San Remo Festival
7 Italy 4th show San Remo Festival
8 Australia Final Eurovision: Australia Decides
8 Sweden Β΄Semifinal Melodifestivalen
8 Norway 5th show Melodi Grand Prix
8 Iceland 1st Semifinal Söngvakeppnin
8 Ukraine 1st Semifinal Vidbir 2020
8 Malta Final X factor 2020
8 Italy Final San Remo Festival
8 Latvia Final Supernova 2020
13 Estonia Α΄ Semifinal Eesti Laul 2020
15 Sweden 3rd show Melodifestivalen
15 Estonia Β΄ Semifinal Eesti Laul 2020
15 Iceland 2nd Semifinal Söngvakeppnin
15 Ukraine  2nd Semifinal Vidbir 2020
15 Norway Τελικος Melodi Grand Prix
22 Sweden 4th  show Melodifestivalen
22 Portugal Α΄ Semifinal Festival da Canção 2020
22 Ukraine Final Vidbir 2020
29 Sweden “Second Chance” Melodifestivalen
29 Portugal Β΄ Semifinal Festival da Canção 2020
29 Croatia Final Dora 2020
29 Estonia Final Eesti Laul 2020
29 Iceland Final Söngvakeppnin 2020
MARCH 7 Denmark Final Melodi Grand Prix 2020
7 Sweden Final Melodifestivalen 2020
7 Portugal Final Festival da Canção 2020
7 Finland  Final Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2020
9 ESC 2020 End of deadline for songs submissions 
9 ESC 2020 Head of delegation Meeting
APRIL 4 ESC 2020 Eurovision in Concert, Amsterdam
10 ESC 2020 Eurovision Pre-Party, Madrid
27-16\5 ESC 2020 Stand-in Rehearsals
MAY 10 ESC 2020 Red Carpet Show
12 ESC 2020 A΄ Semifinal  ESC 2020
14 ESC 2020 B’ Semifinal ESC 2020
16 ESC 2020 Final ESC 2020

 

Meantime, Eurovision  2020 Committee in Rotterdam unveiled  on Wednesday the three hosts of the shows, the presenters of the two semifinals and the grand final which are: Edsilia Rombley, Chantal Jansen and Jan Smit.

 

Finally, regarding the heads of national delegations, we should note here that we still have no information on the issue except from three resignations, that of Czech Jan Bors,Italian Nicola Caligiore and French Steven Clerima,with two of them having already been replaced (Czech Rep-Cyril Hirsch and France-Alexandra Redde). Also, the German Head of delegation had been replaced after his retirement and Alexandra Wolfslast took his place. Also, the first Meeting  of the Referrence Group has taken place on November 11-12, with two more meetings already scheduled for January 27 and March 8.

As far as the tickets concern, the first of three waves of tickets for the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will begin on Thursday, December 12th, 12:00 pm CET. The 2nd and 3rd wave will take place in late January and mid March respectively. Exact dates are expected to be announced at later time. Read all the details about the ticket HERE.

So slowly starting our long journey to Rotterdam, the situation is shaped as follows:

COUNTRY

            ARTIST

                 SONG    

SELECTION METHOD
Albania (RTSH) National Final

“Festivali i Këngës 2019”
Armenia (AMPTV) National Final

“Depi Evratesil“
Australia (SBS) National Final

“Australia Decides“
Austria (ORF) Internal Selection
Azerbaijan (ICTIMAI) ?
Belarus (BTRC) ?
Belgium (VRT) Hooverphonic Internal Selection
Bulgaria (BNT) Victoria Georgieva Internal Selection
Croatia (HRT) National Final

“Dora 2020”
Cyprus (CYBC) Sandro Nicolas Internal Selection
Czech Rep. (CT) On line voting
Denmark (DR) National Final

“Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2020“
Estonia (ERR) National Final

“Eesti Laul 2020“
Finland (YLE) National Final

“Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2020”
France (FT) National Final?

“Destination Eurovision”
Germany (ARD/NDR) Internal Selection
Georgia (GPB) National Final

“Georgian Idol 2019”
Greece (ERT) Internal Selection
Iceland (RUV) National Final

“Söngvakeppnin 2020”
Ireland (RTE) Internal Selection
Israel (IPBC/KAN) National Final

“HaKokhan HaBa L’Eurovizion”
Italy (RAI) National Final (?)

“San Remo Festival”
Latvia (LTV) National Final

“Supernova 2020”
Lithuania (LRT) National Final

“Eurovizijos Atranka”
Malta (PBS) National Final

“X Factor”
Moldova (TRM) Internal Selection
Netherlands (AVROTROS) Internal Selection
North Macedonia (MKRTV) Internal Selection
Norway (NRK) National Final

“Melodi Grand Prix”
Poland (TVP) ?
Portugal (RTP) National Final

“Festival da Canção 2020 “
Romania (TVR) National Final (?)

“Selectia Nationala 2020″
Russia (Channel One) Internal Selection
San Marino (RTV) ?
Serbia (RTS) National Final

“Beovizija 2020”
Slovenia (RTVSLO) National Final

“Evrovizijska Melodija 2020”
Spain (TVE) Blas Cantó Internal Selection
Sweden (SVT) National Final

“Melodifestivalen 2020”
Switzerland (SRG SSR) Internal Selection
Ukraine (UA:PBC) National Final

“Vidbir 2020”
United Kingdom (BBC) Internal Selection

Keep this table and watch it filling in !!!

That’s for now!!! Stay tuned for all the latest developments in each country but generally for our favorite Contest as well as for all the updates in the above information in order no to miss ANYTHING!

The Netherlands: The hosting trio just announced: Edsilia Rombley, Chantal Jansen and Jan Smit

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It was announced just minutes ago that Edsilia Rombley, Chantal Jansen and Jan Smit will be the main presenters of the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in May in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

 

Edsilia Rombley represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision competition in 1998 and 2007, and is a renowned artist in the country. Together with Edsilia will be Chantal Jansen, a well-known country presenter and actress, as well as Jan Smit, a singer and member of the band “De Toppers”, who represented the Netherlands at the 2009 contest.

The Netherlands is gearing up for the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, which will take place on Dutch soil after 40 years. Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the developments related to our favorite competition.

 

 

Eurovision 2020: EUR 12.4 million for Eurovision 2020 from the dutch government

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In today’s announcement, the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education and Media, Arie Slob, said that the Dutch government will give 12.4m euros to hold the Eurovision song contest in Rotterdam in May.

The budget was accepted by the ministry at the request of the Dutch public broadcaster NPO, one of the country’s three public channels, which will contribute to the production of the contest.

“With the contribution above, I hope that the Eurovision song contest will be a great success”

Arie Slob, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education and Media

Both the Grand Final and the two semifinals are estimated to cost around 26.5m euros. The NRO is committed to 2.5 million, AVROTROS will cover 2 million, and the 9.6 million will be covered by both the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), sponsors and sales of tickets.

Conditional cost coverage

In his report, the Minister has set the precondition for the delivery of money, such as the public channel to place particular emphasis on the access of people with mobility difficulties and the participation of students:

“I have placed particular emphasis on access to the Eurovision song contest by people with mobility problems. I suppose the NPO will pay particular attention to this issue. Also, the involvement of students in the whole process is essential. This was expressed as a clear wish by the House during the legislative consultation. I have informed the NPO and I want to make further arrangements on this “

He closed his report, hoping that “the Eurovision song contest will be a great success”.

“With the above contribution, I hope that the Eurovision song contest will be a great success. Its transmission will create national and international links, while helping to promote the Netherlands”

The channel full of satisfaction

In a statement made to RTL Boulevard, NPO President Shula Rijxman welcomed the government’s contribution:

“I am very pleased that the government is ready to contribute financially to this unique, international television event. The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the most exciting European traditions waiting for millions of people each year. The two-week Rotterdam event and all three top-quality television productions will positively boost the whole Dutch cultural, creative and innovative industry “

The Eurovision Song Contest will take place on 12, 14 and 16 May 2020 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the developments related to our favorite competition.

Source: songfestival.be

Austria: With Vincent Bueno at Eurovision 2020?

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The rumor in recent days for the Austrian representative at Eurovision 2020 is intensifying. The name that ultimately seems to be chosen is that of Vincent Bueno, 34, originally from the Philippines. The announcement, according to the latest reports, will take place on Thursday 5 December.

Vincent started his music career very early. At the age of 4 he began vocal and piano lessons. He has participated in various competitions and talent shows. Apart from his country of residence, Austria is well known and loved and in his country of origin, the Philippines.

In 2016,he participated in the Austrian national final with the song you can see in the video below. In recent years he has been musically supporting R’n’B. His favorite artists are Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars.

Cyprus: Sandro Nicolas’ first TV interview

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Cyprus’s representative for the upcoming Eurovision 2020 song contest, Sandro Nicolas, has been in Cyprus since Saturday, and this afternoon he made his first tv appearance, after his official announcement, at the Happy Hour show with central presenter Andreas Yortzi.

Η εικόνα ίσως περιέχει: 2 άτομα, , τα οποία χαμογελούν, άτομα κάθονται, οθόνη, πίνακας και εσωτερικός χώρος

“It is my honor to represent Cyprus… It is fantastic, it is a dream for me. […] After The Voice (Germany) I had dreams of going to Eurovision, I didn’t know, but I said that was the next step”

Asked by the presenter if he worries that the Eurovision stage is bigger than the stages shown so far, he replied that:

“Yes it makes me anxious. (laughs) Yes but for me it will be fun, it will be a great experience, and it is my honor to represent Cyprus. It’s a dream to sing to so many millions. It’s a great time for me”

But what was his reaction when he was offered to represent Cyprus?

“I was very happy that… I think Elias (Kokotos) told me that Cyprus wants me. I didn’t believe it at all. I was speechless. […] I am very happy to represent Cyprus, people have loved me since the first time I set foot here”

Η εικόνα ίσως περιέχει: 1 άτομο, χαμογελάει, κάθεται και εσωτερικός χώρος

About IEurovision and whether he likes it or not, Sandro replied:

“I’m not a big Eurovision fan, but I watch it. I really liked Eleni Foureira and Tamta. I was a big fan of “Fuego”, because it was very much played on German radios. […] Eleni did a great job, and Tamta as well. But I wasn’t so much into things about Eurovision, I loved it, but I wasn’t so much into things.

As for the song, he is not so interested in the genre of the song, but in how much it touches the audience and wants always his music to be true and sincere.

Η εικόνα ίσως περιέχει: ένα ή περισσότερα άτομα, άτομα κάθονται και εσωτερικός χώρος

What is the message which gives to Cypriot friends of the contest?

“I promise to give my all. It is my honor to represent the Cyprus flag, and I want to do my best. The most important thing is to stay true to myself and to the world, to be authentic on stage. I’m not good at pretending otherwise. I will definitely sing a song that is sincere and will touch the heart of the world. This is the music at the end of the day. But I promise we will break!

I promise to be myself and show the world my music and give everything. I will try to sing as if this is my last day on this planet. My appearance will definitely be the most important interpretation of my life. At the end of the day, what matters is to have fun and enjoy it. It is my honor to represent this country and this world”

You can watch the entire interview below:

Source / Images: Happy Hour With Andrea Giorgios / CYBC: Eurovision Cyprus

Cyprus: Changes to Candidate Songs for Sandro Nicolas! EXCLUSIVE

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Cyprus is still consulting on the song that Sandro Nicolas will be asked to perform at Eurovision 2020 in May.

Change to the three candidate songs by Sandro Nicolas

RIK is in constant contact with the artist and his team to come up with the song that will represent Cyprus in Rotterdam. The aim is, of course, to continue the good presence of Cyprus in the contest, with a good artistic appearance. RIK’s  people are working feverishly for this.

So the three songs that were considered as likely were:

-Mucho Calor (dance track)
-Can’t Look Away (mid tempo)
-Never Let You Down (pop modern track)

Some artistic disagreements between the two songwriters and the artist’s team led to their withdrawal.

Two new songs to the nomination list

Of course, this didn’t bother RIK, as two new songs have already been added to the nomination list, without adding another one.

Thus, the songs that are now candidates to represent Cyprus at Eurovision 2020 are:

-My getaway
-Falling to pieces
-Never Let You Down

CyBC has not officially announced Sandro yet, though it is not expected to be delayed, after the latest details of the deal have been settled. So far the overall response from fans is more than positive!

Estonia: The distribution of songs in the two semifinals of Eesti Laul 2020

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While we all considered that the two-day announcement of the 24 entries of Eesti Laul 2020 essentially showed their distribution to the two Estonian National Semifinals, shortly before the country’s public broadcaster, announced in which semi-finalist each contestant would compete in.

We remind you that the semifinals will take place on February 13 and 15 in Tartu, while the grand final will be traditionally held at Saku Suurhall in Tallinn, where Eurovision 2002 took place. Six contestants will qualify from each semifinal. Tickets are already on sale. Eesti Laul 2020 will be presented by Karl-Erik Taukar and Tõnis Niinemets.

First Semifinal, February 13:

Anett x Fredi – Write About Me
Egert Milder – Georgia (On My Mind)
INGA – Right Time
Jennifer Cohen – Ping Pong
Kruuv – Leelo
Laura – Break Me
Little Mess – Without a Reason
Rasmus Rändvee – Young
Renate – Videomäng
Revals – Kirjutan romaani
STEFAN – By My Side
Synne feat. Väliharf – Majakad

Second Semifinal, February 15:

German & Violina – Heart Winder
INGER – Only Dream
Jaagup Tuisk – Beautiful Lie
Janet – Hingelind
Mariliis Jõgeva – Unistustes
Merilin Mälk – Miljon sammu
SHIRA – Out In Space
Traffic – Üks cord veel
Uku Suviste – What Love Is
Uudo Sepp – Sorry Sorry. I Messed Up
Viinerid – Kapa Kohi-LA
Ziggy Wild – Lean On Me

On 30/11 and 1/12 the 24 songs will be released, one day on the first semifinal and the other on the second. The exact order of appearance will be announced before each semifinal.

Eesti Laul, the Estonian selection method, has been in use since 2009. The winners of this institution have awarded some of its most successful entries in the country – including: Urban Symphony (2009), Kuula (2012), La Forza (2018).

Victor Crone was the winner of Eesti Laul 2019 and Estonia’s representative at Eurovision 2019. He performed “Storm” on Tel Aviv stage and took 20th place.

 

Russia: Direct assignment for Eurovision 2020

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Not surprisingly, it has now been announced that Russia will be selecting its representative internally for the Eurovision Song Contest for another year.

In 2012 we had to go for the last national final of Russia, when Buranovskiye Babushk, the grandmothers, managed to win Dima Bilan and then came second in the contest, which was held in Baku, Azerbaijan that year.

As Iurii Aksiuta, a Eurovision commentator for Channel One, revealed on Instagram Story, Russia is in the midst of an artist selection for Eurovision 2020 a after the end of Junior Eurovision 2019 on Sunday night!

Some names have already been heard: Olga Buzova, Alexander Panayotov and Dima Bilan, who wants to return for the third time. Olga Buzova is a television personality who, a few months ago, invited Philipp Kirkorov to sing together at the next Eurovision, while Alexander Panayotov has been trying to compete at ESC since 2005, but still holds the second place in all the national finals!

Source: Wiwibloggs