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Eurovision 2024: Six countries wanted to withdraw 25 minutes before the Grand Final!

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Two weeks after the Grand Final of Eurovision 2024, it became known from the Norwegian newspaper VG that six countries participating in the Saturday’s show wanted to withdraw up to twenty-five minutes before the start of the final.

The 11th of May was crucial for the contest, as reported by the newspaper, the EBU and SVT found themselves in a major critical meeting as six countries wanted to withdraw until they decided to participate.

The six countries that wanted to withdraw were the winning Switzerland, Ireland, Portugal, Norway, Greece and the United Kingdom.

Specifically, Magnus Børmark, a member of the Norwegian band Gåte, stated that:

We were considering withdrawing until the last moment. Many of us reacted to the fact that Israel had the opportunity to use Eurovision as its own political tool.

The reason the six countries wanted to withdraw was the participation of Israel and the exclusion of Joost Klein. VG writes that Israel’s participation, the extensive security measures, and the behavior of the Israeli delegation during the week were reasons for the protests,” adds Børmark:

Our common point was that we did not want to participate in Eurovision to be used and stigmatized in a war propaganda machine in Israel. We participated to create a space where we can unite in music – in a political situation where everyone chooses sides and hates each other.

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding Eurovision Song Contest 2025!

Source: VG

Ireland: Bambie Thug calls for ceasefire from Eurovision stage!

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Bambie Thug, Ireland’s representative, took to the Eurovision stage again for the dress rehearsal with the song “Doomsday Blue.” Despite the impressive performance, attention was drawn to a small detail that could potentially violate competition rules and protest against Israel’s participation.

On Bambie Thug’s face appeared line makeup, seemingly innocent at first glance but actually depicting an ancient Irish address system called Ogham, spelling out “Ceasefire.” Bambie Thug is known for their pro-Palestinian stance and activism against Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2024.

Thug is among the leading voices in the anti-Israel camp at Eurovision 2024. At the “PrePartyES 2024” event in Madrid, Thug led a sharp pro-Palestinian demonstration along with nine other competing artists, wearing red scarves calling for a ceasefire, accompanied by a joint statement on social media expressing dissatisfaction with Israel’s participation and standing in solidarity with the pro-Palestinian side.

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Eurovision 2024: Which rehearsal has the most views on TikTok?

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Two days ago, the first rehearsals for all 37 entries officially concluded, and today the second rehearsals are expected to be completed, with the Big 5 and the host country Sweden taking the stage at the Malmö Arena for the second time! This means that we are getting closer to the Eurovision week, with the Dress and Jury Rehearsals for the first semi-final starting on Monday.

However, as we know on TikTok, all the first rehearsals are uploaded. Apart from their performances, we’ll also get a sneak peek backstage before they take the stage for the first time in a video of about one minute.

One of the many features of TikTok is the ability to add songs to each user’s video creation. However, the TikTok algorithm is usually able to detect the song used in the video, assign it to the correct track, and then include it in the total number of videos where that sound has been used. Based on this capability, the most popular songs before rehearsals were from the Netherlands and Italy. Will they receive the same promotion as before?

The ranking with all the entries (in brackets will be the day of the rehearsal) based on the increasing number of views after one week from the start of the first rehearsals on TikTok is as follows:

  1. Netherlands: Joost (fourth day) – Europapa – 3.2 milion views
  2. Greece: Marina Satti (third day) – ZARI – 2.7 million views
  3. Poland: LUNA (first day)– The Tower –1.5 million views
  4. Switzerland: Nemo (third day) – The Code – 1.2 million views
  5. Serbia: Teya Dora (first day) – Ramonda – 980.1 thousand views
  6. Ukraine: alyona alyona & Jerry Heil (first day) – Teressa & Maria – 971.2 thousand views
  7. Croatia: Baby Lasagna (first day) – Rim Tim Tagi Dim – 812.3 thousand views
  8. Georgia: Nutsa (fourth day) – FireFighter – 637.4 thousand views
  9. Israel: Eden Golan (fourth day) – Hurricane – 607.1 thousand views
  10. Belgium: Mustii (fourth day) – Before The Party Is Over – 585.7 thousand views
  11. United Kingdom: Olly Alexander (sixth day) – Dizzy – 567.4 thousand views
  12. Armenia: LADANIVA (third day)  – Jako – 528.6 thousand views
  13. Sweden: Marcus & Martinus (sixth day) – Unforgettable – 515.6 thousand views
  14. Spain: Nebulossa (sixth day)– Zorra – 448.5 thousand views
  15. Albania: Besa (third day) – TiTan – 413.5 thousand views
  16. France: Slimane (sixth day) – Mon Amour – 412.5 thousand views
  17. Ireland: Bambie Thug (first day) – Doomsday Blue – 388.2 thousand views
  18. Latvia: Dons (fourth day) – Hollow – 383.2 thousand viewsc
  19. Austria: Kaleen (third day)  – We Will Rave – 366.2 thousand views
  20. Azerbaijan: FAHREE feat. Ilkin Dovlatov (second day) – Özünlə Apar – 363.5 thousand views
  21. Cyrpus: Silia Kapsis (first day) – Liar – 324.8 thousand views
  22. Lithuania: Silvester Belt (first day) – Luktelk – 306.2 thousand views
  23. Luxembourg: TALI (second day) – Fighter – 304.3 thousand views
  24. Estonia: 5MIINUST x Puuluup (fourth day) – (Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi – 292.0 thousand views
  25. Malta: Sarah Bonnici (third day) – Loop –  291.7 thousand views
  26. Czechia: Aiko (third day) – Pedestal – 284.9 thousand views
  27. Denmark: SABA (third day) – SAND – 262.0 thousand views
  28. Norway: Gåte (fourth day) – Ulveham – 255.4 thousand views
  29. San Marino: Megara (fourth day) – 11:11 – 238.2 thousand views
  30. Australia: Electric Fields (sexond day) – One Milkali (One Blood) – 229.9 thousand views
  31. Moldova: Natalia Barbu (second day) – In The Middle – 211.0 thousand views
  32. Germany: Isaak (sixth day) – Always On The Run – 210.2 thousand views
  33. Portugal: iolanda (second day) – Grito – 192.3 thousand views
  34. Italy: Angelina Mango (sixth day)– La Noia – 186.0 thousand views
  35. Iceland: Hera Bjork (second day) – Scared of Heights –  180.3 thousand views
  36. Finland: Windows95man (second day) – No Rules – 172.2 thousand views
  37. Slovenia: Raiven (second day) – Veronika – 162.4 thousand views

The views were counted at 17:45 CET.

Based on the views from the first semi-final, the following countries will qualify (in ascending order): Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, Croatia, Ireland, Azerbaijan, Cyprus (seventh), Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Australia.

Similarly, from the second semi-final, the following countries will qualify: Netherlands, Greece, Switzerland, Georgia, Israel, Belgium, Armenia, Albania, Latvia, and Austria.

TikTok has played a significant role in the success of Eurovision songs in recent years. For example, Duncan Laurence’s winning entry “Arcade” became a global hit a year after winning the competition when it was used in over a million videos on TikTok. One of the earliest TikTok successes from Eurovision was Getter Jaani’s “Rockefeller Street”, which went viral on the platform in 2018 and has since been used in over two million videos. Let’s not forget that Armenia’s entry in 2022 by Rosa Linn with “Snap” gained over a billion views on the platform. Finally, Norway’s entry last year gained significant worldwide publicity months before the competition week, where it secured fifth place.

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Stay tuned at EurovisionFun for all the latest developments regarding Eurovision 2024!

Eurovision 2024: Ireland’s Second Rehearsal!

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Bambie Thug from Ireland with the unique song ”Doomsday Blue” is the next act on the stage for the Second Rehearsal.

Who is Bambie Thug?

Bambie Thug breaks gender and socio-political stereotypes to create a sound that defines its time, with elements of pop, rock, electronic and more.

“Doomsday Blue” speaks to the feeling of overlooking your potential and is an ode to the queer community.

Bambie is no stranger to the big stage, having torn up stages at festivals around the world, including Download Festival, The Great Escape and Trans Musicales, earning critical acclaim.

The Rehearsal

THE WITCH IS BACK! Bambie Thug is making a amazing second rehearsal today. The staging is dark and mysterious and the whole performance is totally theatrical. The colours is light purple and black and the circle with the circle with the candles adds to the horror that they want to convey.

Sarah-Louise-Bennett

They are accompanied by a male dancer and the dance routine is simple yet effective. On the last run we can see a lot of smoke and fire that totally heats the whole arena.

Sarah-Louise-Bennett_EBU

After all today’s second rehearsals a recap video will be published on the official Youtube channel! Stay tuned!

The Dress Rehearsal for Ireland and the rest of Semi Final 1 will be held on the 6th of May.

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Stay tuned at EurovisionFun for all the latest about Eurovision 2024!

Source: eurovision.tv

 

Eurovision 2024: Which rehearsal had the most views on the first day?

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Yesterday, the big moment we’ve all been waiting for has arrived! Rehearsals began with the first seven countries of the first semi-final taking the stage.

However, as we know on TikTok, all the first rehearsals are uploaded. Apart from their performances, we’ll also get a sneak peek backstage before they take the stage for the first time in a video of about one minute.

One of the many features of TikTok is the ability to add songs to each user’s video creation. However, the TikTok algorithm is usually able to detect the song used in the video, assign it to the correct track, and then include it in the total number of videos where that sound has been used. Based on this capability, the most popular songs before rehearsals were from the Netherlands and Italy. Will they receive the same promotion as before?

In less than 24 hours (April 28, 2024, time 17:20 CET), since the first clip from the rehearsals was uploaded, we have a indicative sample of which rehearsal was favored by the audience (here it should be noted that the videos were uploaded one after the other with a one and a half hour interval and there was a significant delay in their publication).

The rehearsals that had the most views are:

  1. Poland: LUNA – The Tower – 711.3 thousand views
  2. Ukraine: alyona alyona & Jerry Heil – Teressa & Maria – 608.1 thousand views
  3. Serbia: Teya Dora – Ramonda – 606.7 thousand views
  4. Croatia: Baby Lasagna – Rim Tim Tagi Dim – 484.7 thousand views
  5. Ireland: Bambie Thug – Doomsday Blue – 208.7 thousand views
  6. Cyprus: Silia Kapsis – Liar -195.8 thousand views
  7. Lithiania: Silvester Belt – Luktelk – 193 thousand views

With this small sample, we can infer that:

  • Poland’s performance possibly appealed to fans, with the caveat that the stage presence was a surprise – either positively or negatively.
  • The rehearsals of Ukraine and Serbia also gained huge popularity, surpassing the following four positions in views, demonstrating their strength in the semifinal.
  • Croatia, as one of the major favorites of the competition, did not gather particularly high views, although fans and betting companies have placed it at the top for victory, resulting in the stage presence not making enough of an impression.
  • Similarly, Lithuania did not impress fans at all, as it maintained the same appearance as its national final.

TikTok has played a significant role in the success of Eurovision songs in recent years. For example, Duncan Laurence’s winning entry “Arcade” became a global hit a year after winning the competition when it was used in over a million videos on TikTok. One of the earliest TikTok successes from Eurovision was Getter Jaani’s “Rockefeller Street”, which went viral on the platform in 2018 and has since been used in over two million videos. Let’s not forget that Armenia’s entry in 2022 by Rosa Linn with “Snap” gained over a billion views on the platform. Finally, Norway’s entry last year gained significant worldwide publicity months before the competition week, where it secured fifth place.

For detailed information about the rehearsals, you can check out our related articles:

The second rehearsal for the first semi-final countries will be held on the 1st of May, when we will know how things will appear on screen for the representatives.

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Stay tuned at EurovisionFun for all the latest developments regarding the Croatian entry in Eurovision 2024!

Eurovision 2024: Ireland’s First Rehearsal!

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Next up onstage for their first rehearsal in Malmö Arena is Bambie Thug from Ireland with the unique song ”Doomsday Blue”!

Who is Bambie Thug?

Bambie Thug breaks gender and socio-political stereotypes to create a sound that defines its time, with elements of pop, rock, electronic and more.

“Doomsday Blue” speaks to the feeling of overlooking your potential and is an ode to the queer community.

Bambie is no stranger to the big stage, having torn up stages at festivals around the world, including Download Festival, The Great Escape and Trans Musicales, earning critical acclaim.

The Rehearsal

Bambie is inside a circle of candles, wearing a black dress with a tutu skirt and shoulder horns. Their usual dramatic white face makeup is topped with hair styled into antlers. There’s also a bare-chested dancer giving centaur vibes, who accompanies Bambie in some balletic choreography.

In the final section the candle circle raises up, and the big screamo finish concludes with a graphic backdrop of CROWN THE WITCH. Pure Eurovision theatre, and testament to the diversity of musical styles we’re going to see at Eurovision this year.

PYRO UPDATE: In the final run-through there is both low-level ground smoke throughout, AND our first flame jets of the day, right at the end. We are twenty metres from the stage and can feel the heat.

Bamble Thug from Ireland - Eurovision 2024 first rehearsal

Bamble Thug from Ireland – Eurovision 2024 first rehearsal

The second rehearsal of Ireland will take place on Wednesday May 1st, when we will have a better picture of what we will see from Bambie Thug on the Eurovision stage, as we will have the official TV snippet.

Below you can watch a small clip from Ireland’s first rehearsal from TikTok:

@eurovision @Bambie has cast hues of Doomsday Blue onto the Malmö Arena stage #Eurovision2024 ♬ original sound – Eurovision

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

Source: eurovision.tv

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Ireland: “Doomsday Blue” is a potential Eurovision winner according to Johnny Logan!

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This Friday all eyes were on Ireland, which selected its Eurovision entry for 2024. On a special edition of “The Late Late Show” and following the combination of the votes from an international and a national jury along with the public vote, Bambie Thug was declared the winner and therefore the Irish representative in Malmö.

Although Ireland was a true Eurovision powerhouse in the past, dominated the 90’s with three consecutive wins and now shares the record for the most victories in the contest along with Sweden, nowadays it really seems to struggle when it comes to qualifying to the Grand Final. The risky choice of Bambie Thug and their song “Doomsday Blue” appears to be nicely welcomed by the Eurovision fandom, setting the bar high for a qualification and a potential return in the top ten for the first time since 2011.

Moreover, “Doomsday Blue” is praised inside Ireland too, with the two-times Eurovision winner Johnny Logan even predicting that:

They could win the Eurovision with this song.

On an interview he gave to Sunday World, Johnny Logan praises this year’s Irish entry, mentioning that:

I think it’s a very good choice and it will definitely get attention. What I saw last night is that it was eye-catching and different. The people who were watching obviously related to it and that’s why it was chosen.

The thing about Bambie Thug is that it works…it’s a very visual thing the way they presented themselves. It’s different enough to be eye-catching.

He also adds that:

If it doesn’t end up doing really well at Eurovision I will be quite surprised. I’ve always hoped that the Irish songs would do well over the last few years, but I never really felt that they would. This one I think has a really good chance. It just depends on the make up of the jury and the other songs that are in the contest.

According to Johnny Logan, the secret of Bambie Thug’s potential success is that they do not fall into the trap of trying to copy last edition’s winning song. Instead, they reserve their authenticity and originality and they remind nothing of Loreen.

I wish Bambie the very, very best at Eurovision and I would say to them to enjoy the experience.

Hence, the originality of Bambie Thug’s act is the key to success according to Johnny Logan. We can all agree that Logan’s opinion matters as all of his Eurovision involvements were successful, has won the contest twice as a singer and once as a composer for Linda Martin in 1992.

Bambie Thug will represent Ireland at the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held in Malmö, Sweden. The semi-final in which Ireland will be allocated this year will be made public this Tuesday.

You can check out the interview Bambie Thug exclusively gave to EurovisionFun prior to her win in the national selection:

You can also take a look on EurovisionFun’s team reaction video to “Doomsday Blue“, below:

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: sundayworld

Ireland: Eurovisionfun Reacts to Eurovision 2024 Entry “Doomsday Blue”!

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RTÉ’s Irish national final, Eurosong 2024, on ‘The Late Late Show’ has concluded for another year with Bambie Thug with ‘Doomsday Blue‘ as the big winner!

We also had the pleasure of hosting her on our YouTube channel for an exclusive interview!

The Eurovisionfun team once again watched and reacted to the live performance of the country’s entry for the upcoming Eurovision contest! Enjoy Filippos, Apostolis and Spyros in a Reaction video with detailed commentary on Ireland’s participation in Eurovision 2024!

What do you think of Ireland’s participation this year? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel to be the first to enjoy interviews, reaction videos and Live streams for our favorite competition!

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the latest developments regarding Eurovision 2024!

 

Ιreland: Bambie Thug will represent the country in Malmö with “Doomsday Blue”!

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Just a while ago, Eurosong 2024, the Irish national selection for Eurovision 2024, was concluded. Eurosong 2024 served for another year as the country’s selection method for Eurovision and was hosted during a special edition of The Late Late Show, on RTÉ’s studio live from Dublin.

Hosted by Patrick Kielty and following the combination of votes from an international jury, a national jury and public televoting, Bambie Thug was crowned as the winner with their song “Doomsday Blue“.

378 entries were submitted to the Irish broadcaster, out of which six entries were advanced to the televised final aiming for the Irish representation in Malmö. The six competing songs were revealed from January 8 to January 12 on “The Ray D’Arcy Show” and are the following:

  1. Isabella Kearney – “Let Me Be the Fire”
  2. Bambie Thug – “Doomsday Blue”
  3. JyellowL ft. Toshín – “Judas”
  4. Alisha – “Go Tobann” (Suddenly)
  5. Next in Line – “Love Like Us”
  6. Erica-Cody – “Love Me Like I Do”

Eurosong 2024 – in detail

Isabella Kearney – “Let Me Be the Fire”

A nice opener overall. It didn’t feel as the strongest vocal performance of the night. The song is not that memorable too. Nice try with the stage performance, though!

Bambie Thug – “Doomsday Blue”

100% honest. It is a complete chaos. The song is confusing itself and I actually caught myself confused by watching the performance and not in a good way. At least, their vocals were okay and the theatrical expressions on point. I guess you will either love or hate “Doomsday Blue”.

JyellowL ft. Toshín – “Judas”

The song is not that catchy itself and it simply does not give Eurovision vibes. The rap part was not bad at all, while the singing part was not good either. Same with the stage presentation. What both the song and the performance missed was that Eurovision vibe.

Alisha – “Go Tobann”

The song has a nice ethnic vibe. However, the vocal performance was not strong, while the staging felt really messy. The performance needs to be massively elevated for Eurovision stage.

Next in Line – “Love Like Us”

The cheesiest song of the selection. They don’t harmonize good enough and it sounds out of tune. The performance looked like it just came out of a talent-show. The energy is not present either and there is no chemistry between the group members. Personally, I’m not convinced.

Erica-Cody – “Love Me Like I Do”

A song that screams Eurovision. It’s fun, it’s catchy and it has a key-change. The performance was okay bearing in mind the production of the show, as well as Erica’s vocals – except that final high note. Personally, I think that “Love Me Like I Do” would be Ireland’s best choice, although I’m not quite sure whether it would be enough for a spot in the Grand Final.

The voting procedure

An international jury along with a national jury and the public audience vote decided in equal shares who would fly the Irish flag in Malmö.

International Jury

The international jury voted as following:

12 points – “Love Like Us”

10 points – “Love Me Like I Do”

8 points – “Doomsday Blue”

6 points – “Go Tobann”

4 points – “Judas”

2 points – “Let Me Be the Fire”

Next in Line topped the international jury voting, with Erica Cody and Bambie Thug following in the second and third place respectively.

National jury

The national jury voted as following:

12 points – “Doomsday Blue”

10 points – “Go Tobann”

8 points – “Judas”

6 points – “Love Me Like I Do”

4 points – “Let Me Be the Fire”

2 points – “Love Like Us”

Bambie Thug topped the national jury voting, with Alisha and JyellowL ft. Toshín following in the second and third place respectively.

Audience’s vote

The TV audience voted as following:

12 points – “Doomsday Blue”

10 points – “Love Like Us”

8 points – “Go Tobann”

6 points – “Love Me Like I Do”

4 points – “Judas”

2 points – “Let Me Be the Fire”

Bambie Thug won the public voting, followed by Next in Line and Alisha.

The winner

Following the combination of the above and with a total of 32 points, Bambie Thug was crowned as the winner of Eurosong 2024 and will therefore serve as the country’s representative in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest that will take place in Malmö in May.

You can also check out the interview Bambie Thug gave exclusively to EurovisionFun, below:

Do you agree with Ireland’s choice for Eurovision 2024? Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Ireland: The running order of Eurosong 2024!

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Éirevision has announced the line-up for the Irish national Eurosong 2024 final, which will take place tonight at 23:35 and will run for two hours.

Irish broadcaster RTE has given Éirevision the line-up for Eurosong 2024, the Irish selection for the Eurovision 2024 song contest. Patrick Kielty will present the Irish final, while Marty Whelan will be backstage talking to the artists. Tonight’s show on The Late Late Show will be opened by Isabella Kearney, while Erica-Cody will close the contest.

The running order is as follows:

  1. Isabella Kearney – “Let Me Be the Fire”
  2. Bambie Thug – “Doomsday Blue”
  3.  JyellowL ft. Toshín – “Judas”
  4. Alisha – “Go Tobann” 
  5. Next in Line – “Love Like Us”
  6. Erica-Cody – “Love Me Like I Do”

Ireland’s representative at Eurovision 2024 will be decided equally by public vote, the vote of an international jury and a jury in the studio.

Watch Eurosong 2024 live here.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest news on Ireland’s participation in Eurovision 2024!