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Norway: With Alessandra Mele and the “Queen of Kings” in Liverpool!

After the three semi-final rounds, the 2023 edition of the Melodi Grand Prix came to its end with the Grand Final which once again determined the representative of the Scandinavian kingdom at the upcoming 2023 Eurovision Song Contest which is going to take place in Liverpool, the United Kingdom in May.  The final show took place in Trondheim Spektrum.

9 artists competed for the gold ticket that leads to Liverpool. This year’s Final was quite different in comparison to the previous editions. For the very first time the auto-tune technology was introduced while the final result was determined after four years again by the combination of the votes from the televoting and from the international jury.

The hosts of the show were Arian Engebø and Stian Thorbjørnsen

The participants

The 9 finalists of the show were as follows:

  1. JONE — “Ekko inni meg” (Echo in me)
  2. Eline Thorp — Not Meant to Be
  3. Skrellex — Love Again
  4. Ulrikke Brandstorp – “Honestly“
  5. Umami Tsunami – “Geronimo“
  6. Atle Pettersen — Masterpiece” 
  7. Swing’it — “Prohibition”
  8. Elsie Bay — “Love you in a dream”
  9. Alessandra Mele – Queen of Kings“

After the performances of the aforementioned artists, we enjoyed last year’s winners Subwoolfers who also removed the masks and revealed their real faces. The people behind the masks are Gaute Ormåsen and Ben Adams as we have mentioned almost a year ago in our article here.

Results

The votes of the international jury were announced and afterwards the televoting points were added up.

The 10 countries that formed the international jury were the United Kingdom, Finland, Azerbaijan, Spain, Ukraine, Czechia, France, Iceland, the Netherlands and Sweden.

After the votes of the jury the first part of the voting process was as per below

With the aggregation of the votes from the jury and the televoting, the representative of Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 is Alessandra Mele.

Alessandra Mele and Norway are going to participate in the first half of the first semi-final which is scheduled on 9th of May. Do you think that Norway is going to achieve a better placement than last year’s 10th place? Let us know in the comments below!

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun.com for all the developments regarding the Norwegian entry at the upcoming 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. 

 

Ireland: Wild Youth won Eurosong 2023!

Tonight Ireland voted for their Eurovision representative.  Ireland chose Eurosong 2023 as their national selection, a special broadcast for The Late Late Show.

Ryan Tubridy hosted the national selection.

The Candidates

Six acts were competing to represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023:

1 Leila Jane – “Wild”

2 Adgy – “Too Good for Your Love”

3 Public Image Limited – “Hawaii”

4 Connolly – “Midnight Summer Night”

5 Wild Youth – “We Are One”

6 K Muni & ND – “Down in the Rain”

The Voting

A combination of Televote an International Jury and professional National Jury decided the winner of Eurosong 2023.  In case of a tie the public vote would define the winner

The results were as follows:

International Jury vote

Midnight Summer Night 12 points

We Are One 10 points

Too Good For Your Love 8 points

Hawaii 6 points

Down In The Rain 4 points

Wild 2 points

National Jury Vote

We Are One 12 points

Midnight Summer Night 10 points

Down In The Rain 8 points

Hawaii 6 points

Too Good For Your Love 4 points

Wild 2 points

Public Vote

We Are One 12 points

Midnight Summer Night 10 points

Down In The Rain 8 points

Hawaii 6 points

Too Good For Your Love 4 points

Wild 2 points

Overall Ranking

1 Wild Youth – “We Are One” 34 points

2 Connolly – “Midnight Summer Night” 32 points

3 K Muni & ND – “Down in the Rain” 20 points

4 Public Image Limited – “Hawaii” 18 points

5  Adgy – “Too Good for Your Love” 16 points

6 Leila Jane – “Wild” 6 points

 

Spain: The running order of the Benidorm Fest 2023 Final!

A few minutes ago the Spanish Public Broadcaster RTVE revealed the running order of the artists and their songs who are going to take part in the Grand Final of the Benidorm Fest 2023, tomorrow, Saturday 4th of February.

The running order of the 8 Finalists is as follows:

  1. Karmento – Quiero y duelo
  2. Megara – Arcadia
  3. Alice Wonder – Yo quisiera
  4. Fusa Nocta – Mi familia
  5. Agoney – Quiero arder
  6. Blanca Paloma – Eaea
  7. José Otero – Inviernos en Marte
  8. Vicco – Nochentera

In the Grand Final, as in the two semi-finals, the result will be decided 50% by a jury, 25% by a demoscopic jury and 25% by public vote.

Who do you think will be the winner of the Benidorm Fest 2023 and eventually will represent the Iberian kingdom in the upcoming 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, in May? Let us know your though in the comments below!

Stay tuned on Eurovision Fun for all the news around  the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest!

Tone Sekelius: “After competing with ‘My Way’ people see me more as an artist rather than an influencer” | Exclusive interview!

Tone Sekelius debuted last year at Melodifestivalen 2022 by placing fifth , also earned a spot in the hearts of die-hard Melodifestivalen fans.

For a second year in a row she hopes to be selected to represent Sweden , with the song ” Rhythm of my Show ” which is one of the favorites to qualify to the final, out of all seven competing numbers of the Swedish national selection procedure.

Eurovisionfun is in Gothenburg and Tone spoke exclusively to Andreas Papagiannakis, just a few hours before competing in the first heat. She commented on her appearance this year, the impact that her participation last year has had on her life and about the Swedish representative of 2022, Cornelia Jakobs!

She started by commenting on her first rehearsal experience this year and jokes about the rehearsal being so early in the morning that she just woke up and had to immediately start singing:

“This year’s number has a lot of singing and dancing and I have to stay focused, because the moment I start overanalyzing what’s going on, that’s when I forget what I need to do next. I have to keep in mind that I know what to do, I know the choreography, I know my song and I just have to have fun on stage!”

When asked how much of an impact her participation at Melodifestivalen 2022 has had on her life, she commented:

“It was an unforgettable experience. Since then I have done much music and the people have already started to see me more as an artist rather than an influencer who just makes music! Last year I was afraid that people wouldn’t see me as an artist, but that didn’t happen and that makes me very happy!”

She also commented on her getting awarded as the LGBT person of the year at the QX Gaygala 2022 , stating:

“I am excited, I felt very honored! I have left my mark on the community and the things I do move the community forward. This was my goal from the very first moment I was on the internet, not just to exist, but to have an impact on others!”

About her song she co-wrote among others with Anderz Wrethov she said:

“This year I wanted to make an uptempo song with party vibes, with attitude but at the same time be still approachabe make people want to party with me. Textwise, it’s about confidence, loving yourself and dancing to the ‘rhythm of your show’!”

Regarding her staging, she told us that regarding the rehearsals there will be some minor changes and improvements until her televised appearance, this Saturday:

“Today at my first rehearsal, it was the first time I actually saw how my number would look like on TV. We figured out it’s maybe a bit too dark. So we’ll make some changes and improvements by adding more light to it. From the beginning we aimed to give viewers the feeling of clubbing, we are very close to what we initially had in mind with the creative team!”

She is very happy that Melodifestivalen is back on tour and that she will perform in Gothenburg :

“Last year I was supposed to be competing in Gothenburg, but as you said, all the shows had to take place in Stockholm. This year is a different experience, last year I was in my hometown, this year we are all together hanging out in a Mellobubble . I am very happy to sing for the people in Gothenburg, I have been told many good comments about them!”

Last year’s representative of Sweden Cornelia Jakobs is gonna appear as a guest in the first heat, Tone jokingly told us:

“There is no rivalry! (laughs) I love her as an artist, she’s an icon, I love her song and I’m glad she’s back. Her year was great, it was great that I got to see all of her performance backstage and then I saw it all happen on the Eurovision stage!”

Regarding this year’s contestants of the first heat, she commented:

“I haven’t listened to all of the songs. I got to see the performances of Loulou Lamotte and Rejhan which I liked a lot. But I still haven’t listened to them all and at Melodifestivalen, you know, you can’t predict who’s going to win, who’s going to qualify just by ones name!”

Watch our full exlcusive interview with Tone Sekelius below:

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Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all Eurovision related news!

Norway: The results of the 3rd Semi Final of Melodi Grand Prix!

The third and last Semi-Final of 2023 Melodi Grand Prix, the show that is going to determine the Norwegian representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, took place tonight. 7 more artist gave it all on stage for the three last tickets that lead to the Grand Final on the 4th of February.

The hosts of the show were Arian Engebø and Stian Thorbjørnsen

The 7 contestants of the third semi-final were:

  1. Akuvi – “Triumph”
  2. Tiril – “Break It”
  3. Skrellex – “Love Again”
  4. Eline Thorp – “Not Meant to Be”
  5. Stig van Eijk – “Someday”
  6. Maria Celin – “Freya”
  7. Atle Pettersen – “Masterpiece”

The voting lines opened after all the aforementioned artists had performed. The outcome of every show is solely in the hands of the televoters.

The Norwegian public decided that the three best performances of the third semi final were:

    Eline Thorp – “Not Meant to Be”

     Atle Pettersen – “Masterpiece”

    Skrellex – “Love Again”

The Grand Final is going to take place next Saturday at 19:50 CET! You can watch MGP 2023 by clicking HERE.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun, for all the news regarding Norway’s participation at Eurovision Song Contest 2023!

BREAKING NEWS : Victor Vernicos’ entry “What They Say” leaked!

The thriller with the Greek representation in Eurovision 2023 continues after the leak of Shout Out by Antonia Kaouris and Maria Maragou, a while ago Victor Vernicos’ What They Say was leaked on Twitter.

It’s about 25 seconds of the song but pretty messed up and not in the best possible quality. It is worth mentioning that the user who uploaded it on Twitter also leaked the demo of Die Together, Amanda’s song, last year.

We remind you that ERT did not cancel Shout Out because of the leak and is expected to do the same now. Any leak at this time is not a breach of EBU regulations.

ERT continues normally with these three songs the process of selecting the Greek participation for Eurovision 2023, with the aim that very soon there will be official announcements about the artist and the song that will represent us in Liverpool.

We remind you that the three songs that precede the combined voting of the public committee and the artistic committee of ERT are the following:

  • Melissa Mantzoukis – Liar
  • Victor Vernicos – What They Say
  • Antonia Kaouris and Maria Maragou – Shout Out

Austria: With a female singer in Eurovision 2023 – Official announcement next week!

The Eurovision Scout of ORF, the national public broadcaster of Austria, Eberhard Forcher posted on his Facebook account today that the official announcement for the representation of Austria at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom, is going to take place in less than a week.

Eberhard Forcher has been the Eurovision Scout of ORF since 2016 and thanks to him the central European nation was represented in the Contest by Nathan Trent, César Sampson and LUM!X.

Aside from the fact that the representative is going to be a woman, Eberhard Forcher mentioned that what Austria is up to, is something unprecedented while he also pointed out the vocal skills of the singer.

Last year Austria was represented in Turin by Pia Maria & LUM!X with the song Halo. They unfortunately didn’t manage to qualify to the Grand Final as they ended up in the 15th place of the First Semi-Final.

https://youtu.be/dMgjHYwXSuo

Stay tuned on Eurovision Fun for all the news regarding Austria in Eurovision 2023!

Source: escxtra

Norway: The results of the 2nd Semi Final of Melodi Grand Prix!

The second Semi-Final of the 2023 Melodi Grand Prix took place tonight, the selection show that is going to determine the representative of Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. 7 artists again fought for the three tickets that lead to the Grand Final on the 4th of February.

The hosts of the show were Arian Engebø and Stian Thorbjørnsen

The 7 contestants of the second semi-final were:

  1. JONE — “Ekko inni meg” (Echo in me)
  2. Sandra Lyng — “Drøm d bort” (Dream it away)
  3. Alejandro Fuentes — “Fuego” 
  4. Swing’it — “Prohibition”
  5. Elsie Bay — “Love you in a dream”
  6. Ella — “Waist”
  7. Bjørn Olav Edvardsen — “Turn Off My Heart”

The voting lines opened after all the aforementioned artists had performed. The outcome of every show is solely in the hands of the televoters.

The Norwegian public decided that the three best performances of the second semi final were:

   Swing’it — “Prohibition”

   JONE — “Ekko inni meg” (Echo in me)

   Elsie Bay — “Love you in a dream”

The next heat will take place next Saturday at 19:50 CET! You can watch MGP 2023 by clicking HERE.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun, for all the news regarding the Norway’s participation at Eurovision Song Contest 2023!

Estonia: The running order of Eesti Laul’s 2023 final!

A few moments ago, Estonia’s broadcaster, ERR, announced the running order for the final of Eesti Laul 2023!

Meelik with “Tuju” will open the grand final while Sissi will close the night with “Lighthouse“.

The running order of the final is as follows:

  1. Meelik- “Tuju”
  2. Inger – “Awaiting You”
  3. JANEK – “House of Glass”
  4. Elysa – “Bad Philosophy”
  5. m els – “So Good At What You Do”
  6. Bedwetters – “Monsters”
  7. Andreas – “Why Do You Love Me”
  8. Alika – “Bridges”
  9. Anett x Fredi – “You Need to Move On”
  10. OLLIE – “Venom”
  11. MIA – “Üks samm korraga”
  12. Sissi – “Lighthouse”

During the final of Eesti Laul 2023, several guest artists will perform alongside the finalists. The organisers have already announced that Karl-Erik Taukar, 2 Quick Start and last year’s winner, Stefan, will perform on stage.

The Grand Final of Eesti Laul 2023 will take place on 11 February at the Tondiraba Ice Hall in Tallinn with Tõnis Niinemets and Grete Kuld as hosts. There will be two rounds of voting. The first round will determine the entries that will qualify for the Super Final, which will be determined by 50% of the jury and 50% of the TV vote. There, the Estonian representative will be selected exclusively through the televote.

Last year’s winner of Eesti Laul was Stefan Airapetjan with the song “Hope” who came 13th in the final with 141 points.

Stay tuned to Eurovision Fun for all the news regarding Estonia’s participation in Eurovision 2023!

SourceERR

New Zealand in the Eurovision Song Contest: it’s a YES from the EU Ambassador!

Nina Obermaier, the Ambassador of the European Union in New Zealand, is in favor of New Zealand’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.

In an interview she gave to Charlotte Cook, on the radio-show Morning Report of RMZ, the EU Ambassador suggested that should it be supported by the public, the Oceanic nation should apply for participation.

“Yes absolutely … I don’t see any reason why New Zealand would not be able to join [Eurovision]. It would require a bit of enthusiasm though because … Eurovision is massive … [there are] viewing parties all over Europe and [Australia].”

Ambassador Obermaier proposed that New Zealand could apply in the same way Australia and SBS did , by taking into account the fact that they have been an associate member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Television New Zealand (TVNZ) has held this distinction since 1980.

If New Zealand were allowed to compete at the Eurovision Song Contest, Ambassador Obermaier suggested that the country should select its representative through a national show like many other European countries. However she avoided saying who could be the most appropriate representative by saying:

“I think this will be for New Zealanders to nominate.”

This is not the first time the participation of New Zealand in a Eurovision-related competition is being discussed. In 2018 TVNZ discussed the participation in the Eurovision Asia Song Contest. When this contest was abolished, Eurovision fans suggested that New Zealand should debut in the Eurovision Song Contest , with the argument that Australia had started taking part since 2015. Former EU Trade Commissioner, Cecilia Malmström, also supported the idea tweeting it should be given “serious consideration”.

However, in 2021 the EBU stated there were “no plans … to invite New Zealand”, noting that Australia’s participation was due to the fact SBS had been broadcasting the contest for over three decades.

Would you like to see, after Australia, another Oceanian state, New Zealand with a strong European element, taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Source: Aussievision