Posts

Eurovision Cruise 2023: the biggest Eurovision cruise party returns!

/0 Comments/in , , /by

The Eurovision Cruise returns one more time after 2020.  The biggest post-eurovision party organized by OGAE Finland will last from Thursday August 24th until August 26th, 2023.

For many years fans all over Europe have enjoyed their favorite Eurovision artists while onboard of a cruise.  Unfortunately, the Eurovision cruise was cancelled in the past two years: in 2021 because of the Covid pandemic restrictions and in 2022 because the original cruise was destined to provide temporary accommodation in the Netherlands from 20 August 2022 for a period of seven months.

The 2023 will welcome fans in their journey from Helsinki to Stockholm and back.  During the journey fans will party with some of their favorite Eurovision acts.

The Artists

Thursday August 24th, 2023

  • Hanna Pakarinen

Hanna Pakkarinen represented Finland at the Eurovision 2007 held in Helsinki after Lordi’s victory with her song Leave Me Alone

  • Lindsay Dracass

Lindsay Dracass represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 with her song No Dream Impossible.

  • Käärijä

Käärijä, probably the artist most of the fans are waiting for to perform during the Cruise does not require further introduction.  He represented Finland in Liverpool this year giving the Nordic country their second best result at the contest.

Friday August 25th, 2023

  • Robin Bengtsson

Swedish representative Robin Bengtsson took part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with his song I Can’t Go On

  • Slavko

Slavko represented Montenegro at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with his song Space.  Although he did not make it to the final that year his song has become an all time favorite for Eurovision fans.

  • Gustaph

This year’s Belgium representative is bringing the vogue moves and the disco with his song Because Of You to the cruise.

Saturday August 26th, 2023

  • Uku  Suviste

Uku Suviste represented Estonia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with his song The Lucky One.

Moreover, the Eurovision Cruise will have other side events including a Karaoke, a Drag Show and live music hosted by DJ  WERNERI, DJ FirstRANK and DJ QX-RONNY!

Here is the whole programme for the Cruise:

Source: OGAE Finland

Stay tuned at EurovisionFun to follow our coverage of the Eurvision Cruise 2023!

Follow us on all social media, so you do not miss any news about the biggest music festival in Europe:

Eurovision 2023: Belgium’s Second Rehearsal!

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Next up is Belgium‘s rehearsal, represented by Gustaph singing “Because of You“.

Who is Gustaph ?

Stef Caers, also known professionally as Gustaph, is 42 years old and he comes from the Flemish speaking part of Belgium. He is an experienced artist regarding the contest, since he has already participated before as a back vocalist for Senek in 2018 and for Hooverphonic in 2021. His debut in the music industry began in 2000 while he was studying in at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent and also he used to be a vocal coach.

Gustaph’s participation in Eurovision is considered to be one of the most unexpected participations, since he was an outsider in Belgium’s Eurosong. He was not the winner of either public’s vote (second) or jury’s vote (third). However the combination of the two results gave Gustaph the golden tickret for Liverpool, who actually beat Starlings by just one point.

No matter the fact that Gustaph has generally gathered negative reviews regarding his qualification, his flawless live performances at pre parties may proove the exact opposite, since he is currently at the odds-in’s eighth place for qualification.

The Rehearsal

Unfortunately this year, accredited journalists don’t get the chance to watch the first and second rehearsals, so we only get the information and content that the organizers officially release to the public.

Belgium is the next country to keep their performance just the way it was in Monday’s first rehearsal. If everyone keeps their outfits from today, the first half of the second Semi-Final is going to be VERY pink.

It’s a pure pop song, full of love for the people who never let us down, with their good and bad moments. Gustaph has his own ladder, three singers and an all LED backdrop with vogueing, drag queens and all the people who make Gustaph’s world a better place.

Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU

Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU

In the afternoon, after the completion of all the rehearsals, a recap video will be released with short excerpts from the footage of all the second rehearsals!

The Dress Rehearsal for Belgium and the rest of Semi Final 2 will be held on the 10th of May.

Follow us on all social media, so you do not miss a moment of what will happen in Liverpool:

Stay tuned at EurovisionFun for all the latest developments regarding Belgium’s entry in Eurovision 2023!

Belgium: Watch exclusive rehearsal footage from Gustaph’s first rehearsal!

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Gustaph’s first technical rehearsal took place yesterday and VRT, one of Belgium’s national broadcasters, shared a backstage video from yesterday’s rehearsal. In the backstage video we can also take a glimpse of how the televised performance of Gustaph will look like on the day of the 2nd Semifinal on May 11.

This backstage video provides us also with a better picture about the TV coverage of the stage in Liverpool.

More information about Belgium’s first rehearsal:

Eurovision 2023: Belgium’s First Rehearsal!

The second rehearsal of Belgium is scheduled for Thursday 4/5 when we will have more details on Gustaph’s performance.

Belgium with Gustaph and his song Because of You participates in the 2nd Semifinal on May 11, performing 5th.

You can also watch the reaction video of EurovisionFun on Because of You below:

Follow us in all our social media, so that you’ll not lose a thing of what’s happening in Liverpool:

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, in Liverpool!

Eurovision 2023: Belgium’s First Rehearsal!

/0 Comments/in , /by

Just one place before the last one for today and it is Belgium‘s rehearsal, represented by Gustaph singing “Because of You“.

Who is Gustaph ?

Stef Caers, also known professionally as Gustaph, is 42 years old and he comes from the Flemish speaking part of Belgium. He is an experienced artist regarding the contest, since he has already participated before as a back vocalist for Senek in 2018 and for Hooverphonic in 2021. His debut in the music industry began in 2000 while he was studying in at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent and also he used to be a vocal coach.

Gustaph’s participation in Eurovision is considered to be one of the most unexpected participations, since he was an outsider in Belgium’s Eurosong. He was not the winner of either public’s vote (second) or jury’s vote (third). However the combination of the two results gave Gustaph the golden tickret for Liverpool, who actually beat Starlings by just one point.

No matter the fact that Gustaph has generally gathered negative reviews regarding his qualification, his flawless live performances at pre parties may proove the exact opposite, since he is currently at the odds-in’s eighth place for qualification.

The rehearsal

This is such a feelgood track, and Gustaph’s pink and white outfit is incredibly stylish. It’s a love-filled inspo bop about the people who never let us down, though good times and bad. Gustaph has his own flight of stairs, three backing singers, and an LED backdrop of vogueing, drag queens and all the people who make Gustaph’s world a better place. We’re having a Green Room dance, and can’t wait to see the crowd go mad for this next Thursday.

 

Gustaph rehearsing

Gustaph rehearsing at the first rehearsal – Sarah Louise Bennett

@eurovision The party gets started in Liverpool and it’s all because of YOU Gustaph 🤩🇧🇪 #Eurovision2023 #Eurovision @Gustaph ♬ original sound – Eurovision

Belgium’s second rehearsal is about to take place on Thursday 4/5 when we are going to get a full picture of Gustaph’s performance on stage.

Source: https://eurovision.tv/

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for even more details regarding Belgium’s entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023!

Follow and subscribe on all Eurovisionfun’s social media platforms so you not miss out on any moment of Eurovision!

On Facebook

On Twitter

On Instagram

On TikTok

On YouTube

On Spotify

 

Belgium: Gustaph promises a more dynamic show for Eurovision 2023!

/0 Comments/in , , /by

In an interview with Belgium’s public broadcaster, VRT, the country’s representative in this year’s contest, Gustaph, spoke about his performance on the Eurovision stage and his hopes for a qualification to the Final.

With only a week away from the start of rehearsals and consequently the beginning of the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, Gustaph spoke to VRT about his preparation for the contest. As Gustaph has said before, his performance at Eurovision will be different from that of the national final:

“There will be a lot more interaction with the backing singers and with the screens. And it will be much more dynamic. I’m going to have to jump around on that stage a lot more.

I would find it an insult to dancers if I called myself a dancer. I’m just going to move a lot. Although that is not easy if you have to sing at the same time.”

The Belgian representative confirmed that his clothing will be designed by Walter Van Beirendinck. He will however keep his Eurosong hat, but his new look will be full of colour:

Looking forward to the competition in Liverpool, Gustaph is aiming to qualify for the Grand Final and finish well. He has strong hopes about his chances:

“The song is an instant party, people will probably get a good feeling immediately. And we are the only one of our kind in the second semi-final where there are a lot of ballads and intense performances. With us it’s a party and that could be turn out well for a public vote.”

You can watch the EurovisionFun team’s reaction to Belgium’s participation in Eurovision 2023 below:

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news about Belgium in Eurovision 2023!

Source: vrt.be

The Netherlands: All the performances of “Eurovision in Concert 2023”!

/0 Comments/in , /by

Eurovision in Concert 2023 took place in AFAS Live in Amsterdam, last night, with 29 of this year’s entrants performing live.

The concert was hosted by Cornald Maas and Hila Noorzai. Cornald has been the Dutch Eurovision commentator since 2006. Hila is a radio DJ and member of the committee that selected this year’s Dutch representatives (Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper). She also hosted the Eurovision 2021 press conference in Rotterdam.

The artists that performed last night were the following:

Albania – Albina & Kelmendi Familija

Balcan sounds and consistent vocals is what we got from Albina and the Kelmendi Family! Might be the suprise entry of this year.

Armenia – Brunette

Brunette singing about her Future Lover with ethereal vocals and the crowds singing along. Beautiful performance!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KspC8I7MXl0

Australia – Voyager

Voyager give what they promise! Rock and electronic sounds, so 2025! What is concerning though, is that even though their song is supposed to be very uplifting, the crowd was too static. Also falsetto was not always on point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx73Q68eWwU

Austria – Teya & Salena

That’s not a song where you can show off some unreal vocals, however it’s the song that will definitely make you dance! And Teya & Salena deliver, solid vocals and much much fun! One of my personal favourites and if you ask me, a finalist and highly likely a Top5 entry!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdh6cFfcfKo

Azerbaijan – TuralTuranX

TuralTuranX “tell us more” about their entry this year, however I’m still not getting it. A song that I could listen to the radio without complaining, but wouldn’t catch my eye/ear at the contest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XiT0RvJPn0

Belgium – Gustaph

The queerest entry of the year! His vocals are as good as the studio version! He is a fun guy! This is the kind of entries that I would like to qualify, even though that’s not the style of songs that I normally listen to!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgx-CPHRx5A

Czechia – Vesna

I can only comment on their vocals. They were okay. However, this entry started off as a potential winner, but I’m not getting that vibe, at least not yet. But hey! It’s just a party performance! Let’s wait for their contest rehearsals!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CocNlkxpxdg

Denmark – Reiley

Danish heart-throb Reiley, had his best performance to date. Some minor vocal issues, but overall a nice performance!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuT–QEIyag

Estonia – Alika

Nice song and great vocals! But for me, it’s no more than just that. I wouldn’t be surprised if Estonia got disqualified.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UKYFFFWjgU

Finland – Käärijä

Normally, that’s a song that I can’t stand listening to for more than 10 seconds. Strangely, combined to his eccentric looks and his super nice personality, I could now handle listening to his entire Amsterdam performance! Personal opinion aside, I can totally see why this is a contender for the win.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd0n_sNDiAo

France – La Zarra

Unfortunately, after a statement in her personal Twitter account, La Zarra announced that she has to cancel her appearance in Amsterdam, due to personal circumstances.

Germany – Lord of the Lost

I can’t be objective, I don’t like this style of music. I can only be objective about their vocal abilities, which are on point I must admit!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmPSRnNpd0A

Iceland – Diljá

That’s a song that I would add to my daily playlist, however, this song lacks something that I still don’t know what it is! Diljá’s voice is great admitedly!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjjsWy1R93k

Ireland – Wild Youth

“Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall” x “Ritmo De La Noche” x “We Are One” would be a great mashup! I low-key like this song and I loved their Amsterdam performance. But something tells me that they will struggle to qualify this year. Let’s see what happens!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NY6OODALZU

Latvia – Sudden Lights

Another performance that sounds exactly like the recorded version of their song! I didn’t see the love from the AFAS Live crowd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1qFm5Wtkgg

Lithuania – Monika Linkytė

Monika definitely sounds even better than the studio version of the song. She will try to claim a high placement in the rankings of the jury voting in this year’s contest! In the beginning I didn’t quite like “Stay“, I can now say that I love her vocals on this track!

Malta – The Busker

They were not bad, not at all sounding bad live, but were they as good as it needs to be to qualify to the final show of Eurovision Song Contest? Song-wise I think not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIswu3YrrfU

Moldova – Pasha Parfeni

Despite the technical issues with his Madrid performance, Pasha, the Moldovan 2012 representative and returning artist of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, managed to pull off his performance. Great vocals and energy overall!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7LsW-dA_0U

Netherlands – Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper

It’s really sad to see my 2nd place to perform questionably in their own country’s party concert. Their vocals sound a bit off at times and as a duo their vocals don’t seem to connect on their live performance. I hope they fix it till their semi-final, I don’t want to see them become the shocking non-qualifier of the year.

Norway – Alessandra

Very much improved vocally, Alessandra, gets carried away by the strength of her song and her fans are absolutely loving it! The whistle note was so-so. She will improve, I am sure!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F97_a4eMpK0

Romania – Theodor Andrei

Theodor has a nice voice, but this song is totally “Off and On” so one would either like it or not. I don’t.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyin57pzpcc

San Marino – Piqued Jacks

Their are very very good vocally. Their lead vocalist sounds like Klaus Meine, frontman of Scorpions band. Their song is not at all bad after all.

Slovenia – Joker Out

I simply love this band and this song! One of my favourites! I love how they sound in each and every appearance they make before the contest. I hope they continue delivering up until the Eurovision finals!

Spain – Blanca Paloma

A blend of flamenco and modern sounds, bringing Spanish tradition to 2023. Her vocals are absolutely amazing. I just don’t get the hype around this entry, it is a great entry for Spain, but definitely not a top 3 entry as many fans are claiming over at social media!

Sweden – Loreen

Her vocals are out of this world! Another amazing performance of the former Eurovision 2012 winner and potential 2023 winner! And for those that claim that she sings with the assistance of an Auto-Tune device, I can assure you that even when she rehearsed in the corridors of Malmö Arena or Friends Arena during the Melodifestivalen season, she sounded exactly the same, or even better than the studio version! My winner for sure!

Switzerland – Remo Forrer

I absolutely love his Amsterdam (and every single one of his) live performance! I can’t wait to see this song complete and staged and Remo joined by his four dancers! I think he will qualify! But let’s wait and see!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGsRTZ5sPcA

Ukraine – TVORCHI

I love TVORCHI and their song and their Amsterdam performance. They sounded really really good, I am a fan of their style of music, but I don’t see this entry winning. Let’s see another country winning this year!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOFkzKOkc_k

United Kingdom – Mae Muller

Come on, she doesn’t sound as atrocious as most of the Twitter people claim. And at least she enjoys it and the crowd loves her! I hope she will do much better in Liverpool!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EMepsNxZUU

 

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news about the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool!

Photo: EurovisionInConcert

Netherlands: Eurovision in Concert 2023 takes place tonight in Amsterdam!

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Eurovision in Concert 2023 takes place in The Netherlands tonight , with 29 of this year’s entrants performing live.

The concert will be hosted by Cornald Maas and Hila Noorzai. Cornald has been the Dutch Eurovision commentator since 2006. Hila is a radio DJ and member of the committee that selected this year’s Dutch representatives (Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper). She also hosted the Eurovision 2021 press conference in Rotterdam.

The full line-up is as follows:

  1. Albania – Albina & Kelmendi Familija
  2. Armenia – Brunette
  3. Australia – Voyager
  4. Austria – Teya & Salena
  5. Azerbaijan – TuralTuranX
  6. Belgium – Gustaph
  7. Czechia – Vesna
  8. Denmark – Reiley
  9. Estonia – Alika
  10. Finland – Käärijä
  11. France – La Zarra
  12. Germany – Lord of the Lost
  13. Iceland – Diljá
  14. Ireland – Wild Youth
  15. Latvia – Sudden Lights
  16. Lithuania – Monika Linkytė
  17. Malta – The Busker
  18. Moldova – Pasha Parfeni
  19. The Netherlands – Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper
  20. Norway – Alessandra
  21. Romania – Theodor Andrei
  22. San Marino – Piqued Jacks
  23. Slovenia – Joker Out
  24. Spain – Blanca Paloma
  25. Sweden – Loreen
  26. Switzerland – Remo Forrer
  27. Ukraine – TVORCHI
  28. United Kingdom – Mae Muller

In addition, Katrina Leskanich (Eurovision 1997, UK, winner, “Love Shine a Light“) will  appear as a special guest.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news about the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool!

Belgium: Gustaph films Eurovision 2023 Postcard!

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Gustaph, Belgium’s representative at Eurovision 2023, was in February anointed to represent his country in the contest, after winning the Eurosong, which was used specifically to highlight the entry, with “Because of You“.

Through a tweet from the BBC‘s official Eurovision account, we learn information about what we will see on the postcard, while we also see some backstage footage of the filming with Gustaph enjoying the process.

With a lot of energy, Gustaph continues his preparations, who competes with “Because of You”, in the Second Semi-Final on May 11th and with an appearance on the spot number 5!

You can watch the EurovisionFun team’s reaction to Belgium’s participation in Eurovision 2023 below:

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news about Belgium in Eurovision 2023!

Belgium: Gustaph unveils Eurovision staging details

/0 Comments/in , /by

Belgium’s representative Gustaph has set in train his intense preparations for the 2023 contest as he explicitly states in Liverpoolecho:

“I can’t tell you too much but when we first saw the stage, I knew we had to make something much more dynamic than what we did in Belgium.It’s going to be different. The idea of static stairs won’t be there anymore and there will be much more interaction with the visuals and the performance as well. Adding to that, we’re now going to have three backing vocalists. The song is written from a gospel perspective so three voices are going to make it bigger than it already is.”

In the interview, Gustaph cites Eurovision 1998 UK’s entry Where are you now? by Imaani as one of his all-time favorite Eurovision performances,as the song’s strong house-music elements and “deep lyricism” played a determining role in his turning into a Eurovision aficionado.

Last weekend,Gustaph made an appearance in RTL’s show Humberto in order to promote his 2023 entry called “Because of You”.The show,which aired on RTL4, received quite a positive response from the audience as it was watched by an average of 488,000 viewers and even reached a high of 1.400.o00 viewers throughout the course of its broadcast.

Gustaph was chosen to represent Belgium after having being crowned the winner of  Eurosong 2023,Belgium’s first national final in seven years.Despite the fact that he did not manage to win the televote,the jury’s votes were more than enough to give him the golden ticket to Liverpool.However,he is already familiar with the Eurovision stage,as he was a backing vocalist both for Sennek (2018) and Hooverphonic (2021).

Gustaph is going to sing his song “Because of You” in the first half of the second semi-final in this year’s Eurovision,scheduled to take place on May 11.

 

What do you think of Belgium’s entry?Could the performance be impactful enough to bring Belgium back in the top 10 after 6 whole years?

Stay tuned in Eurovisionfun for more Eurovision news!

Do not forget to check our team’s reaction video to Belgium’s entry here:

source:eurovoix.com

 

 

 

Belgium: Watch the Music Video of “Because Of You”!

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Two months after winning the Eurosong in Belgium Gustaph is heading for the next big thing and drops the music video for his Eurovision dance song “Because Of You”.

The official music video for “Because of You” was released on the official Eurovision YouTube channel this morning.

Watch the music video of this year entry of Belgium:

Gustaph was selected to represent Belgium after winning Eurosong 2023, the first Belgian national selection for Eurovision since 2016. This year Belgium will be on 2nd Semi-Final (11 May) and on the 1st Half of the show.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates regarding Belgium’s participation in Eurovision 2023, in Liverpool!