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Armenia: “Great news soon”, said the head of the delegation!

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Armenian head of delegation, David Tserunyan, noted a possible return of the country to the next Eurovision Song Contest and most probably Junior Eurovision too, in 2022, after their withdrawal this year.

David Tserunyan, who is also an elected member of the Reference Group, took part in the group’s first meeting with RAI lately. The Italian broadcaster, has already started setting up the forecoming contest of 2022.

Publishing the photo from the conference of the Reference Group, Tserunyan expressed his gratitude for his reelection and concluded that soon we will have some wonderful news, sparking hopes for the return of Armenia to the contest.

Armenian prime minister got a vote of confidence, not more than two days ago, which is a first step towards the recovery of the country, after their conflicts with Azerbaijan with regards to Artsakh.

We really hope that Armenia makes a return in 2022, along with other numerous withdrawn countries!

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the developments related to our favorite contest!

Czech Republic: Listen to the 2021 entry!

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The song which is going to be the 9th entry of the Czech Republic at Eurovision was released today. After the cancelation of the 2020 edition, the representation of the central European nation was tasked once again to Benny Cristo.

The title of the song is Omaga written in English including one line in the Czech language.

Below you can listen to the 2021 entry of Czechia!! Will they have a better chance for a high place this year? Let us know in the comments!!

 

EBU releases Eurovision 2021 new branding!!

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At the end of 2020, EBU revealed Eurovision 2021 new logo. Now EBU releases the fully new branding design for the next contest in Rotterdam, alongside with the relevant design patterns that will decorate Rotterdam in the upcoming May.

The colour palette used, is based on the flags colours of the participating countries, mostly primary colours. They are also combined with additional colours like pink, purple, light green which EBU says emphasise the festivity.

 

 

Moreover, the branding incorporates six patterns which include features of the Netherlands: landscapes, water, bridges, fields, creativity and resilience. Worth to be mentioned is the fact that there is not a single windmill. Those symbols where chosen so that people outside the Netherlands can be familiar with them as well.

 

The Branding of Eurovision 2021 will include The Track.

The aforementioned patterns will be used in backgrounds as well as in an additional part of the 2021 branding which is called the Track.

The Track takes its cue from the rays of the logo. It is made up of a number of triangular shapes which together form a long pathway type of design. The EBU says it’s based on the “symbol and perspective” of the Rotterdam stage design.

 

Source: Wiwibloggs

Andriamad: “Our main goal is to bring people together, to give joy and positive emotions” | Exclusive interview! (video)

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EurovisionFun had the pleasure and honor of hosting Andriamad, in an exclusive interview. Andriamad is a music duo characterized by its pop, electronic and tropical music and consists of Cécile and Kévin. This year, they are going to take part in the national final of France for Eurovision, Eurovision France, c’est vous qui décidez !, with the song “Alléluia“. The final will take place next January and will be organized by France Télévisions in collaboration with the French television station France 2.

 

 

Interview with Andriamad

 

First of all, thank you very much for this interview. You are one of the finalists of the French national final for Eurovision 2021. How did you decide to participate and how did you feel after the announcement that you were finally selected?

Hi ! First of all thank you for your support! We decided this year to try the national selection of Eurovision, our goal is to bring people together, this is our way to help the situation, with art, joy, music, positive energy and a message of peace. We are very happy and excited about our choice! This opportunity is amazing for us, it brings a kind of magic in the air.

What does France’s representation at Eurovision mean to you?

We want to represent the open mind of France, the mix of every culture, the respect for the different in a global way. France has always been a hospitable country, so we want to show this part of it.

Tell us more about you. What was the central idea behind the creation of your band?

We met 4 years ago, and the central idea was to combine our personality in music, influence and state of mind. Andriamad is from the beginning a project about sharing, with tolerance and an open mind. In every song we release, we try to put a positive message and we try in our music and on stage, to bring people together.

In Greece, you are popular both for your music and for your covers of popular songs. Have you ever visited or would you like to visit our country?

We would like to do a concert after all this time in Greece, with pleasure! Every time we hear about Greece, we see a very beautiful country. We have already visited Corfu and we loved this island. So we would like to visit the other islands of Greece and of course Greece in general.

So you decided to participate with the song “Alléluia”. What is the meaning of the song? What message do you want to convey to the world with this?

We composed the song a few months ago in our small studio in Paris and we decided to write a peaceful song about the period we have just been through and a song about the open mind, the tolerance and the positive curiosity for others, because this is what we hope most, to bring people together no matter who you are or where you are from. It’s just all these positive vibes we want to give. We also wanted to include a word that can be understood by everyone, and to have the ability to celebrate life with joy, so we chose to sing some “Allléuia” among the lyrics.

Is the video clip of the song in your next plans?

We were already working on the lyric video, which is now available on YouTube! We want to insist on the lyrics of the song and its meaning and give the vibe first with this video. We will now work on everything related to the national final. Maybe after all this we can think of a video clip.

Have you thought about how you would like to present the song in the national final?

COLORFUL AND GENEROUS 🙂 and the rest … a surprise!

This year France won the Junior Eurovision. Is the thought of doubling the victories for the country, in such a difficult year for the whole planet, among your goals?

We are already happy to participate in the competition. Our main goal is to bring people together, to give joy and positive emotions. For us, the main idea is to convey our message with our song. The rest is just an amazing bonus. 😉

In closing, I would like to ask you, what is your favorite song that represented France in the competition?

Ne partez pas sans moi by Celine Dion. She is such an amazing artist and we respect her a lot.

*After the interview, Andriamad send a message to the readers of EurovisionFun*

We warmly thank Andriamad for this interview and we wish them best of luck next year in the national final!

Belgium: Luka Gruysberghs left The Hooverphonic. Geike Arnaert returns!!

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Unexpected breaking news received a few moments ago.  The Hooverphonic replaced their current lead singer Luka Gruysberghs with their former one Geike Arnaert, with whom they achieved most of their success.

The Hooverphonic in the simple press release they issued a while ago express their grief for the replacement of Luka, but also their enthusiasm for the return of Geike, with whom they have preserved excellent relations,  through all these years since she left the band.

We met. We started talking. All three of us were willing to work together again, so we felt we had to do it. She is still the core of Hooverphonic.

The seed was planted a long time ago. Geike called me for something practical. The conversation was very pleasant. I told her we were preparing for the 20th anniversary of “The Magnificent Tree” and it suddenly turned out that we were looking forward to working together again. The split in 2008 was certainly not hostile, as many have said and written.

Alex Callier 

 

Geike Arnaert, who works solo since 2008, is very excited for her coming back and says:

We wanted to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the album together. It’s a weird feeling. I return to this with great pleasure. I do not know how the fans will react. But it looks very good to me. I will fit my own story in the songs again.

Geike Arnaert

 

For the forced leaving of Luka, Alex Callier, the leader of the band, states that it is a bittersweet decision, but she will remain the composer, if she wants to.

Of course it’s a little bittersweet for Luka. She is an excellent singer, no doubt on that. We had three wonderful years with her. But our collaboration ends here. We have traveled all over Europe and the United States and had many unforgettable moments together. We continue to support her with all of our heart. She will release a solo single from Universal and if Luka wants, of course I will continue to accompany her.

Alex Callier

 

The Hooverphonic with Geike Arnaert as lead singer released probably their biggest success, Mad About You .

Given the aforementioned developments it is self-evident that Geike will also be on the stage of the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest 2021 for Belgium.

Source: hln.be

 

 

 

Sweden: Jessica Andersson ready for Melodifestivalen 2021. Klara Hammarström and Alvaro Estrella are in too.

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According to the always valid newspaper Aftonbladet, 3 more artists are ready to compete in the next Melodifestivalen.

The 3 new candidates

The first name is the 2003 winner Jessica Andersson, who is ready to take part for the eighth time in the Swedish process for Eurovision. Jessica Andersson made her Melodifestivalen debut in 2003 with the duet Fame and the song “Give Me Your Love”, and represented Sweden at the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in 5th place. Her last participation in the Swedish selection was in 2018 with the song “Party Voice”. The song with which she is expected to participate is in the same style as the last one, modern uptempo schlagerpop.

 

 

The second name revealed by the newspaper is Klara Hammarström, who took part in this year’s Melodifestivalen with the song “Nobody” but without success. During the summer she took part in various songwriting camps for the Swedish selection process. According to a source of the newspaper, the people in charge of Melodifestivalen have asked for songs about this particular artist.

 

 

The third name revealed by Aftonbladet is that of Alvaro Estrella from Chile. Alvaro’s first appearance at the Melodifestivalen was in 2014 with the song “Bedroom” without success. His last attempt was in this year’s competition with the song “Vamos Amigos” with which he reached the final through the second chance round.

The artists who have confirmed for Melodifestivalen 2021 until now are:

  1. Julia Alfrida  (από τον ραδιοφωνικό διαγωνισμό P4 nästa)
  2. Tusse Chiza
  3. Sannex 
  4. Sami Rekik och Wahl
  5. The Mamas
  6. Dotter
  7. Jessica Andersson
  8. Klara Hammarström
  9. Alvaro Estrella

 

The full list of participants for Melodifestivalen 2021 is expected to be revealed by the end of November.

At this point, let us remind you that up to 2747 songs have been submitted for the upcoming Melodifestivalen.

Stay tuned on Eurovision Fun far all the developments as far as the participation of Sweden is concerned.

Sources: Aftonbladet ESCPanelen 

Hungary: The former head of delegation explains the reasons of absence from ESC 2021

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Lőrinc Bubnó, the former head of delegation of Hungary gave an interview to Jan Bors, the former head of delegation of Czech Republic at the contest. In the third episode of “Humans of Eurovision” Lőrinc Bubnó explained the reasons why his country chose to be absent once again.

We must clarify that Lőrinc Bubnó expresses his own opinion and that he has not come in contact with the public broadcaster MTVA. So, according to his own point of view, there are two reasons that led to the withdrawal.

One being money, participating in Eurovision costs a lot of money, we are not a very rich country, if we have to cut something and it’s not good for the country’s image, then it was pretty sure they would cut this.

On the other hand, Hungarians still need some time to be prepared for “Western Europe” and the LGBTQ+ community and how to accept people.

An additional reason for the withdrawal of Hungary is the great success of A Dal, the show through which the nation used to select its Eurovision representative. The aforementioned success continues despite the non-participation at the song contest.

You can watch the entire interview below.

 

Sweden: The first names for Melodifestivalen 2021!

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Yesterday, the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet gave us the names of the first participants in Melodifestivalen 2021. We use the word “participants” because during the last years the information from Aftonbladet regarding the participants is almost accurate. For Melodifestivalen 2020, for instance, the paper predicted 23 of the 24 participants. The first three names that we will see at Melodifestivalen 2021 are Tusse Chiza, Sannex and Sami Rekik & Wahl.

Tusse

Tusse Chiza is 18 years old from the DR Congo and the winner of last year’s Idol. Christer Björkman as a guest judge at the time had made very positive comments about his talent and performance, so his participation comes as no surprise. “I’m waiting for you at the Melodifestivalen whenever you want,” Christer Björkman told him. During the summer Tusse participated in various songwriting camps looking for the song with which he will participate in Melodifestivalen 2021. Apart from Tusse himslef, Christer Bjöorkman was also looking for a song for Tusse.

 

Sannex

The Grammy awarded band Sannex will also be among the nominees for Melodifestivalen 2021. The Sannex were awarded a Grammy in 2017 for the Best Dance Band of the Year, and have received several other awards along the way.

Sami Rekik & Wahl

Two solo artists are joining their forces for Melodifestivalen 2021. Sami Rekik is 42 years old from Tunisia and part of the group Medina and Wahl ( full name Christopher Vahlberg) is 34 years old from Sweden and part of the group Södrasidan. The song with which the plan to take part will be a pop one with a structure that express the personal music style of both artists.

The full list of participants is expected to be revealed by the end of November.

Stay tuned on Eurovision Fun for all the developments regarding the participation of Sweden in Eurovision 2021

Source: Aftonbladet 

Eurovision 2021: 41 countries to participate!!

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A few moments ago, the EBU revealed the list of the participating countries at the upcoming contest of Eurovision 2021, on 18th, 20th and 22nd of May in Rotterdam the Netherlands. Actually they are the same 41 nations that were about to take part in the 2020 contest that was canceled due to the COVID19 pandemic.

EBU and the Dutch host broadcasters NPO, NOS and AVROTROS have already revealed the 4 scenarios which their are focused on, and they abide by the restrictions and the facts of the pandemic and according to which the Eurovision 2021 will take place. The scenario, which will be chosen, will be announced in due time.

Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, said:

“We are grateful for the commitment of the 41 participating broadcasters in helping us bring the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2021.”

“We have the exact same line up of countries that would have competed in 2020 and we are thrilled that they will all return next year. Together with our host broadcasters we are continuing to develop the 4 different scenarios and maintaining a dialogue with all participants. The team from NPO, NOS and AVROTROS are working hard on ensuring the Eurovision Song Contest will provide the excitement and innovation expected by over 180 million viewers, despite the challenging circumstances.”

 

Of the 41 nations taking part, 35 will compete in two Semi-Finals with 10 successful acts from each Semi-Final joining the Big 5 (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom) and hosts the Netherlands in the Grand Final.

Sietse Bakker, Executive Producer of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, said:

“It is fantastic that the same 41 countries that would have taken part this year still want to come to the Netherlands in May 2021. This demonstrates their confidence in our country still being able to organize a successful Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam next year, after the cancellation of the 2020 edition.”

“We have set the bar high to create 3 amazing live shows for an audience of 180 million people, even in these challenging times. To achieve this, we are working on an extensive protocol that guarantees the health of employees, participants, the press and visitors as much as possible.”

 

Participating broadcasters
The following countries (and EBU Member broadcasters) will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam:

Albania (RTSH)

Armenia (AMPTV)

Australia (SBS)*

Austria (ORF)

Azerbaijan (Ictimai TV)

Belarus (BTRC)

Belgium (VRT)

Bulgaria (BNT)

Croatia (HRT)

Cyprus (CyBC)

Czech Republic (CT)

Denmark (DR)

Estonia (ERR)

Finland (YLE)

France (FT)

Germany (ARD/NDR)

Georgia (GPB)

Greece (ERT)

Iceland (RUV)

Ireland (RTE)

Israel (KAN)

Italy (RAI)

Latvia (LTV)

Lithuania (LRT)

Malta (PBS)

Moldova (TRM)

The Netherlands (AVROTROS)

North Macedonia (MKRTV)

Norway (NRK)

Poland (TVP)

Portugal (RTP)

Romania (TVR)

Russia (Channel One)

San Marino (RTV)

Serbia (RTS)

Slovenia (RTVSLO)

Spain (TVE)

Sweden (SVT)

Switzerland (SRG SSR)

Ukraine (UA:PBC)

United Kingdom (BBC)

*EBU Associate

 

It is worth to be mentioned this is the first time since 1990 that we have the same amount of participating countries in two consecutive years.

Source: Eurovision.tv

Iceland: With Daði Freyr and Gagnamagnið in Eurovision 2021!

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Through his social media accounts, Daði Freyr Pétursson announced that he is going to represent Iceland in Eurovision 2021. Of course, he will be accompanied by the Gagnamagnið.

Iceland becomes 22nd country confirming the same artist from the canceled 2020 edition for the 2021 contest.

Moreover Daði Freyr stated that he has not written a song yet but he is going to do so (write a new one) for the upcoming contest.

Daði Freyr Pétursson with Thing About Things was one of the hot favourites to win the 2020 contest. There weren’t a few those who wanted him back for 2021.

What do you think? Will he manage to bring the first trophy ever to the nation of ice and fire?

https://youtu.be/1HU7ocv3S2o