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Israel: Eurovision 2024 Trailer! (Video)

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With HaKokhav Haba now entering its final phase, Israel is now closer and closer to selecting the artist that will represent the country in Eurovision Song Contest 2024. For this reason, a special trailer is airing for some days now, that talks about Israel participation in general, as well as in this special year.

The trailer starts with some articles from international press, and some images of pro-Palestinian rallies, asking to boycott the Israeli participation in Eurovision 2024.

It then goes on, with the fact that Israel is first in the betting odds and EBU’s announcement of the participating countries, with Israel being present.

Then we can listen to the voice of a judge from HaKokhav Haba, quoting some verses from the old testament, which were also being used in a known song.

“In every generation our lives will be threatened, but God will save us from them.”

The trailer ends with the commentator stating that it will be a great honor for whoever represents the country this year and we see the famous wall of HaKokhav Haba covered with the flag of Israel.

You can see the trailer, in the video below:

14 artists are still in the race to represent Israel in Eurovision 2024. From Wednesday, January 3, and in each episode of HaKokhav Haba, an artist will be eliminated, until the we reach the Grand Final, when an artists will take on the task of waving the flag of Israel in Malmö.

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Israeli participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Malmö!

Italy: World famous acts as guests in Sanremo 2024!

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A little more than a month separates us from the 74th edition of the Sanremo Festival. Today, Amadeus has announced the guests who will perform on the floating stage of the ship Costa Smeralda.

The italian rapper Tedua is going to perform on the first and fifth nights. The world famous DJ Bob Sinclar is going to perform on the second night, while another rapper, Bresh will perform on the third night. Gigi D’Agostino, the hit maker of the 90s is going to perform on the fourth night.

The result announcement of Sanremo 2024

The Sanremo festival is a musical marathon, with different votings taking place each night and a fairly complex scoring system. In the press conference that preceded Sanremo Giovanni, Amadeus revealed that the results will be announced on each of the five nights of the festival.

  • At the end of the first night 6/2 the top10 will be revealed (all 30 artists will compete)
  • At the end of the second night 7/2 the top5 will be revealed (15 artists will compete)
  • At the end of the third night 8/2 the top5 will be revealed (15 artists will compete)
  • At the end of the fourth night 9/2 the top10 will be revealed (all 30 artists will compete)
  • At the end of the fifth night 10/2 the final scoreboard of all 30 artists will be revealed

The Program of Sanremo 2024

1ST DAY – TUESDAY, 6TH FEBRUARY 2024

The 30 songs will be performed for the first time, with the results of that day being 100% determined by the press, TV and web jury – no elimination

2ND DAY – WEDNESDAY, 7TH FEBRUARY 2024

The first 15 songs will be performed again, with the results of that day being determined by a dual voting: 50% televoting and 50% radio jury – no elimination

3RD DAY – THURSDAY, 8TH FEBRUARY 2024

The last 15 songs will be performed again, with the results of that day being determined by a dual voting: 50% televoting and 50% radio jury – no elimination

4TH DAY – FRIDAY, 9TH FEBRUARY 2024 – COVER DAY

The 30 acts will perform (alongside a guest act or acts of their choice) a cover version of either an italian or an non-italian song with the result of that day being determined a threesome voting: 34% televoting, 33% press, TV and web jury and 33% radio jury – no elimination

5TH DAY – SATURDAY, 10TH FEBRUARY 2024

The 30 songs will be performed again, with the results of that day being 100% determined by the televoting After that, the results of the day will join those of Sanremo 2024’s previous 4 days.

The sum of all those results will then determine the top-5 (even the 4th day will count, despite the fact the acts sing covers as opposed to their original songs) (Note that during each show, they reveal a part of the results from those days just before the end of the current show… and they show only a part of the provisory general results either just before the end of the current show or at the start of the following show) – The top-5 will either perform their entries again or a recap will be shown and then the winner will be determined by a threesome voting: 34% televoting, 33% press, TV and web jury and 33% radio jury

POST SANREMO 2024 – EUROVISION SONG CONTEST

Any of the 30 acts (and its respective record labels) who are interested in going to the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will have to fill a special form concerning ESC – The winning act of Sanremo 2024 is automatically considered to be the Eurovision 2024 act. The winning act also has first refusal on that matter, though – in case it doesn’t accept going to Eurovision at all, the show’s organizing committee will then pick the Eurovision 2024 act according to their own criteria (this is especially important to those who have filled the form that determines its interest in going to ESC)

Sanremo 2024, will have different hosts every night alongside Amadeus:

  • Marco Mengoni, the Italian representative for Eurovision 2023 will be the co-host of Night 1.
  • Giorgia, a well-known Italian singer who has participated in Sanremo four times and was crowned its winner in 1995, will be the co-host of Night 2.
  • Teressa Mannino, Italian actress and comedian, will co-host Night 3.
  • Lorella Cuccarini, Italian dancer, TV presenter, singer and actress, will co-host Night 4.
  • Fiorello, Italian actor, will co-host among with Amadeus the big night of the Festival’s Final.

So for those who are fans of the Italian music scene, are not bored of the endless TV shows and are ready for a week of night and day, we at Eurovisionfun will keep you the best company!

 

Finland: The rumored artists for UMK 2024!

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It is true that a single photo is able to bring chaos to the Eurovision community. In fact, a leaked photo has sparked interest this weekend, just a week before the artists’ reveal for UMK 2024.

The photo, which has since gone viral, depicts a schedule for the UMK final. The document is in English, but that’s not what’s strange about it. The UMK production team has expanded to include non-Finns in recent years, putting documents in English to make them more comprehensive and accessible to non-Finnish speakers.

According to this document, Käärijä and Erika Vikman(UMK 2020) will serve as the show-openers, but the rest of the list is what has caught the attention of everyone.

Are these the competing artists in UMK 2024?

The following seven artists are mentioned in this leaked photo, along with their song titles:

  1. Mikael Gabriel & Nublu – “Serenaad”
  2. Sini Saboage – “Taivaan Valo”
  3. Sexmane – “TULTA”
  4. Windows95man & Henri Piispanen – “I Remember”
  5. Jesse Markin – “Anthem”
  6. Cyan Kicks – “Whisper”
  7. Sara Siipola – “Tupre Tunt”

 

Δείτε αυτή τη δημοσίευση στο Instagram.

 

Η δημοσίευση κοινοποιήθηκε από το χρήστη wiwibloggs (@wiwibloggs)

 

What’s even more suspicious is that five of the seven nominees were mentioned in a tweet posted back in November by a journalist named Mari Pudas.

The detailed schedule of the artists’ reveal

The candidates of UMK 2024 will be revealed on Wednesday, January 10 at 19:00 CET during a broadcast on Yle TV1, Yle Areena and UMK’s YouTube channel. Also, the broadcast will include commentary in Finnish, Swedish as well as in English, for the international audience.

Following the reveal of the candidates, the seven nominee’s songs will be released gradually, starting on January 11 and ending on January 19. The release will be conducted in the following order:

  • Thursday 11/1 – First nominated song
  • Friday 12/1 – Second nominated song
  • Monday 15/1 – Third nominated song
  • Tuesday 16/1 – Fourth nominated song
  • Wednesday 17/1 – Fifth nominated song
  • Thursday 18/1 – Sixth nominated song
  • Friday 19/1 – Seventh nominated song

UMK 2024 will consist of a final which will be held on Saturday, February 10 at 20:00 CET.

Last year’s UMK winner and hence the country’s representative in Liverpool was Käärijä with his song “Cha Cha Cha“. Käärijä ended up in the second place, giving his country its best result since Lordi’s win in 2006.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: wiwibloggs

Estonia: “Cha Cha Cha” voted as the Best International Hit for 2023!

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Raadio 2, of ERR, the Estonian public broadcaster, announced the most successful songs of the, now, previous year, according to public voting.

Among the most successful songs in the Baltic country, there is “Cha Cha Cha” by Käärijä, which was voted as the best International Hit of 2023!

https://youtu.be/l6rS8Dv5g-8

Of course, in the list,there are more songs that took part bith in Eurovision Song Contest 2023 and Eesti Laul 2023.

The most successful Eesti Laul 2023 songs:

  • 7. Ollie – “Venom”
  • 13. Alika – “Bridges”
  • 17. Bedwetters – “Monsters”
  • 19. Meelik – “Tuju”
  • 25. M Els – “So Good (At What You Do)”

It’s also worth mentioning that Ollie and “Venom” (runner-up of Eesti Laul 2023), ended up in a higher place, compared to the winner and Estonia’s representative in Eurovision 2023, Alika and “Bridges”.

As for the most successful Eurovision 2023 songs, there were three entries, that standed out:

  •  1. Käärijä – “Cha Cha Cha”
  • 10. Loreen –“Tattoo”
  • 35. Joker Out – “Carpe Diem”

The winner of Eesti Laul and Estonia’s representative in Eurovision 2023, was Alika with the song “Bridges”, that ended up in eighth place of the Grand Final, getting the country’s best placement since 2018:

https://youtu.be/HsbC-OYMA3s

 Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Estonian participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Malmö!

Source: err.ee

France: The first televised live performance of “Mon Amour” by Slimane!

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During the New Year’s Eve special program, conducted by the French public television, Slimane gave the first televised live performance of his song “Mon Amour”.

The French representative in Eurovision Song Contest 2024, performed his song during “La soirée du 31 de Paris” just below the Arc de Triomphe.

https://youtu.be/9pNPhNJL7aQ

Slimane Nebchi is 34 years old and is of algerian origin. He won The Voice of France in 2016 and ever since his career has exploded. His four studio albums have all reached the first place in the french charts and he has also charted in other countries’ charts. He was a coach in the Voice of Belgium. He has also participated in musicals and some films as an actor, while he is also a philanthropist.

Read more

Israel: The 14 artists competing to represent the country in Eurovision 2024!

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The auditions’ stage of HaKokhav Haba, the Israeli artist’s selection format for Eurovision 2024, was concluded the past Wednesday following ten episodes. A total of thirty-five artists made it to the next stage, but only fourteen of them advanced to the main part of the show and will therefore compete for the Israeli representation in Malmö.

The procedure under which the fourteen artists were selected

During this evaluation process, all the contestants went on stage one by one and performed in front of the six judges.

  • Contestants who received a “blue yes” from all six judges automatically reserved their place in the show.
  • Contestants who received four or five “blue yeses” continued to the next stage where the judges discussed about which contestants deserved to stay on the show.
  • Contestants who received less than three “blue yeses” were eliminated from the show.

As a reminder HaKokhav Haba’s jury panel consists of Eden Hasson, Shiri Maimon, Itay Levy, Assaf Amdorsky, Ran Dankar, and Keren Pels.

The fourteen artists that passed to the next stage

  1. Leanne Byrne
  2. Eden Golan
  3. Arik Sinai
  4. Yehuda Sadoo
  5. Shay Tamino
  6. Ido Bartel
  7. Or Cohen
  8. Jonathan Biton
  9. Mika Moshe
  10. Dor Shimoni
  11. Mika Curtis
  12. Gal Kafri
  13. Moria Angel
  14. Oral Ravid

What’s next for HaKokhav HaBa?

Starting this Wednesday we will have to say goodbye to one contestant in each episode. As the episodes go by, we will approach to the finals, which will take place in a month and then we will know the next Israeli representative in Eurovision.

Through the HaKokhav HaBa format, Israel has managed to qualify to the Grand Final every year from 2015 to 2020 and even won the contest in 2018 with Netta and her song “Toy“.

In 2023, Israel was represented in Liverpool by Noa Kirel and her song “Unicorn“, ending up in the third place of the scoreboard.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: Euromix

Poland: Funding of public broadcaster is officially suspended! | Polish Eurovision participation in jeopardy?

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A few days ago there were rumours of Justyna Steczkowska representing Poland in next year’s contest to be held in Malmö, Sweden.

After the Polish elections that took place in mid October and Donald Tusk got elected as the prime minister of the country, there have been changes in the national broadcaster and its funding got suspended.

Yesterday, we could read on a post of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland that following the suspension of funding of public media, a liquidation of the respective companies would follow. The tweet reads the following:

“Announcement of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage In connection with the decision of the President of the Republic of Poland to suspend the financing of public media, I have decided to liquidate the following companies: Telewizja Polska S.A., Polskie Radio S.A. and Polska Agencja Prase S.A. In the current situation, such action will allow to secure the further functioning of these companies, carry out the necessary restructuring in them and prevent redundancies employees in the above-mentioned companies due to lack of financing. The liquidation status can be revoked at any time by the owner. Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz Minister of Culture and National Heritage“

Could this decision pose a threat to the Polish Eurovision participation in Malmö next year? It remains to be seen in the next few months.

Do you think that Poland would still participate, following the circumastances? Let us know in the comment section below.

Stay tuned at EurovisionFun for all the latest news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest!

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Portugal: This is the allocation of the composers in the semi-finals of Festival da Canção 2024!

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A month ago, RTP, the public broadcaster of Portugal, announced the 20 composers that will take part in Festival da Canção 2024 where the country’s representative for Eurovision 2024, will be decided. Today, the public broadcaster made an Instagram post, announcing the allocation of the 20 composers in the two semi-finals of Festival da Canção 2024.

The semi-final allocation is:

First Semifinal:

  1. Bispo
  2. Iolanda
  3. LEFT.
  4. João Borsch
  5. MELA
  6. Mila Dores
  7. Nena
  8. NOBLE
  9. Perpétua
  10. Rita Rocha

Second Semifinal:

  1. Buba Espinho
  2. Cristina Clara
  3. FILIPA
  4. Huca
  5. João Couto
  6. Leo Middea
  7. Maria João
  8. No Maka
  9. Rita Onofre
  10. Silk Nobre

Festival da Canção will once again consist of two semi-finals, with five song advancing to the final from each. We remind you that the Grand Final will take place with ten song, and the winner will be determined by 50% public vote and 50% jury vote.

The previous winner of Festival da Canção and Portugal’s representative in Eurovision 2023, was Mimicat with her song “Ai Coração”, ending up in 23rd place of the Grand Final, while keeping the country’s qualifying streak, for the third year in a row:

https://youtu.be/HYfkxX4PFyw

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Portuguese participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Malmö!

A “Popular” eurostar take on Israel: “Israel is the most dangerous and disgusting nation in the world.”

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Over the last couple of months, many Eurostars have expressed their views publicly in their social media, about the ongoing Middle-Eastern conflict between Israel and Palestine.

The Swedish–Lebanese superstar Eric Saade has been expressing his opposition to Israel on a daily basis, after Israel started their operations in Gaza. On one of his Instagram stories one day before Christmas, he described Israel as “the most dangerous and disgusting nation in the world“, on a story that can be seen below:

Saade was also one of the many Swedish stars that on the 20th of October signed a petition addressing the Swedish government, to condemn all violence against civilians and every violation of the international law.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Eric Saade (@ericsaadeofficial)

Eurovision 2024

At the moment, Eric‘s role in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest is unclear. There have been rumours of Gina Dirawi leading the contest to be held in Malmö, Sweden, but it will be no surprise if the Swedish–Lebanese superstar is involved in the show in any way. It remains to be seen in the following weeks or months.

Who is Eric Saade?

Eric Saade is a Swedish–Lebanese singer and songwriter, born on October 29, 1990, in Kattarp, Sweden from a Swedish mum and a Lebanese of Palestinian origin father. With a career that spans pop, R&B, and dance music, Saade has been a notable presence in the Melodifestivalen, Sweden‘s annual music competition to select their Eurovision entry. His first foray was in 2010 with the song “Manboy” securing a respectable third place. The following year, in 2011, Saade not only competed but triumphed with the electro-pop hit “Popular” earning him the Melodifestivalen title and subsequently giving him the chance to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest in Düsseldorf, Germany.

His Mello-presence continued in 2015 when he returned with the song “Sting” finishing in fifth place. His final and fourth participation at the Swedish national selection process was in 2021, when he almost represented Sweden with the song “Every Minute” after placing second at the grand final.

In 2019 he was one of the presenters of Melodifestivalen and along with Sarah Dawn Finer, Marika Carlsson and Kodjo Akolor he performed an Israel mashup, following the Eurovision victory of Israel and Netta with the song “Toy“, which is something that, due to the latest circumstances, we will probably not see him do in the foreseeable future.

Eric Saade‘s Melodifestivalen journey showcases his versatility and enduring popularity in the Swedish music scene. His contributions to the music industry extend beyond Eurovision, as he has released several successful albums and singles, establishing himself as a prominent figure in the Swedish music scene.

Stay tuned at EurovisionFun for all the latest news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest!

Photo: Stina Stjernkvist, SVT

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Israel: Everything that happened in the ninth HaKokhav Haba episode!

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The ninth episode of HaKokhav Haba (special edition), the talent show through which Israel‘s representative for Eurovision 2024 will be selected, aired on Monday, December 25!

In episode nine, five auditions aired and four more artists went through to the next round. Assi Azar and Rotem Sela, who have been hosting HaKokhav Haba since 2014, are the show’s presenters. The jury is made up of Eden Hasson, Shiri Maimon, Itay Levy, Assaf Amdorsky, Ran Dankar, and Keren Pels.

One of the 32cartists that have already qualified for the contest’s subsequent phase will ultimately represent Israel at Eurovision 2024. The presenters announced that the auditions will conclude the next week.

Michel Cohen

Michel, 25-year-old from Dimona, won the first season of “Μusic School” as a child and now he tries to represent Israel in Eurovision. He gave concerts in Israel and the whole world and he keeps on engaging with music With an 88% vote, and the vote of all the judges, Michel qualifies for the next phase.

Itai Ben Shalom

Itay, 23-year-old from Binyamina, and he studied in a music high school and at Ramon, he served in a military compound and he now dreams of representing Israel in Eurovision. Two judges thought his performance was old-fashioned and they didn’t vote. With the minimum threshold of 70%, he qualifies to the next phase.

Roman Belove

Roman, a 24-year-old refugee from Russia, left Moscow when the Russo-Ukrainian war started. His music style is rock. His performance confused the judges, with some being amazed and some not. He qualifies with a score of 72% to the next phase.

Sharon Kiddoshin

Sharon, 30-year-old from Tel Aviv, took part in the fourth season of  “The Star is Born” and ended up in fourth place. In the end of the season, she didn’t know how to keep on with her career and so abstained. Sharon chose to sing a new song, which she devotes to all women of Israel, that have gaced the cruelties of war. With the vote of all the judges, he qualifies with 79%.

In the upcoming episode—the airdate of which is still unknown— additional auditions will be broadcasted. Israel qualified for the finals every year from 2015 to 2020 through HaKokhav HaBa, and Netta won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2018 with the song “Toy”.

Israel was represented this year by Noa Kirel and the song “Unicorn”, which came in third place with 362 points overall.

https://youtu.be/Z3mIcCllJXY

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Israeli participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Malmö!