Although the first semi-final of Benidorm Fest 2023 is almost four months away, speculation is thriving as to which artists intend to submit a proposal before the expiration of deadline or will be invited directly by RTVE to take part in the Festival.
Drawing on information from Louis Mesa, a journalist with a special interest in Eurovision, we report what has come into light so far, attempting, at the same time, to present briefly the artists in question.
Angy Fernández
Angy is a singer, actress, and presenter, who became famous through her participation in X Factor in 2007. She is also the winner of the Spanish version of the first edition of Your Face Sounds Familiar in the country. In recent years she has mainly focused on her television career . Her last album was published in 2013.
Maria Arnal
The second singer rumored to take part in Benidorm Fest is the Catalan-born Maria Arnal. The artist from Bandalona draws on the musical tradition of the Iberian Peninsula, providing a new, freer approach.
Hugo Cobo
Hugo is from Córdoba and is 22 years old (born 20/12/1999). He became famous through the music reality show Operación Triunfo in 2020 (which was also the means of selecting the representative of Spain at Eurovision), and since then he has released several songs, some of which have become hits.
Abraham Mateo
The biggest name on our list is Abraham Mateo. He is one of the most popular young singers in Spain and Latin America. He has collaborated with Jenifer Lopez, 50 Cent and others, and his songs have billions of views and streams on Youtube and Spotify. His carreer is mostly comprised of Latin pop and reggaeton tracks, although in recent years he has also experimented with trap music.
Borja Escalona
The case of Borja Escalona is extremely interesting! The previously unknown singer found himself in the spotlight due to the threatening messages he received from social media users. These messages, however, were not actually addressed to the singer Borja Escalona, but to his namesake, a well-known Spanish YouTuber, whose views (justifiably) caused a huge backlash in Spain. Due to the unjustified hate he received, a campaign has started, at the initiative of his promotion company, to represent Spain at Eurovision 2023.
Celtian
Celtian, who have confirmed their intention to take part in Benidorm Fest 2023, are a Spanish symphonic folk metal band, formed in 2017 by flutist Diego Palacio. With obvious influences from Nightwish, Eluveitie and Mägo de Oz, the band experiments with new sounds and folk metal.
Durability
The singer from Galicia has also expressed her intention to participate in Benidorm Fest 2023. She is a new indie pop artist who sings mainly in English language.
Megara
The band Megara tried their luck at Benidorm Fest last year as well, without notable success. However, as the members of the rock group have said, they intend to give it another go this year.
Viva Suecia
Another group has expressed its interest in participating in Benidorm Fest. Viva Suecia is a band that moves in indie rock, pop rock, and alternative rock music roads, and has released four albums so far; the last one with the record label Universal Music UK.
Pupi Poisson
Pupi Poisson (stage name of Alberto Zimmer) is a Spanish drag performer who became well-known through Drag Race España. She has hinted that she is taking part in the upcoming Benidorm Fest.
Alfred Garcia Castillo
An old friend of the Contest is not ruling out a return to Eurovision via Benidorm Fest. The 25-year-old Alfred García Castillo, Spanish singer and songwriter who became well-known in Spain when he took part in the ninth edition of Operación Triunfo, finishing in fourth place. Alfred García represented Spain at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon, together with Amaia Romero, and the song “Tu canción”, finishing in the twenty-third place.
Delaporte Music
Another band that looks set to join Benidorm Fest is Delaporte Music. Delaporte Music is mainly focused on Spanish indie pop, with the majority of their songs being up-tempo.
The Prodigious Decade
La Década Prodigiosa (also known as La Década) are a Spanish music group formed in the mid-1980s who participated in the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in the eleventh place. The band has since changed members, but has retained the original (cheesy) pop sounds they are known for.
Trovadorum
The next band comes from Cuenca. Trovadorum, who have already submitted their proposal for Benidorm Fest. Their song is titled “You are not only ready”, and it’s heavily influenced by Celtic music. According to an interview with Trovadorum, the music video of the song has been shot in Cuenca in places like La Toba and Nohales, and will be released on September 30.
Siderland
Another group that confirmed their intention to participate in Benidorm Fest 2023 is Sideland, a Catalan pop group, consisting of young members..
The deadline for the submission of proposals to RTVE expires on October 10, while based on the relevant regulations issued by RTVE, the latter reserves the right to directly invite singers and composers to take part in the Festival.
Could any of the above artists represent Spain at Eurovision? Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all developments regarding Benidorm Fest 2023!
The latest version of this year’s rules indicates that the jury could select up to six substitutes. For the 2022 Benidorm Fest, the jury chose 14 participants and six substitutes. If this year the same system had been repeated, ‘Aire’ by Sharonne and ‘Quiero arder’ by Agoney could also have been left out, which were the fifteenth and sixteenth most valued proposals, respectively.
