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Eurovision 2024: Israel’s Second Rehearsal

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Next up on the stage of Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is Israel. Eden Golan with her song “Hurricane” is ready for her second rehearsal on the stage of Malmö Arena!

Who is Eden Golan?

Born in Israel and raised in Israel and Russia, Eden’s talents span singing, songwriting, composing, musical production and dancing.

Starting at the age of 9 years old, she garnered recognition by participating in competitions and winning numerous awards.

The young singer was the lead vocalist in a girl group for two years, captivating audiences on various stages, festivals and TV shows, before joining label and publishing house Session42 at the age of 18. She has tried to represent Russia in Junior Eurovision in 2015 and she was also a finalist on The Voice Kids in 2018.

Eden Golan won HaKokhav HaBa, an Israeli talent show via which the country’s act for Eurovision 2024 was selected. Her song “Hurricane” was selected at a later stage.

The Rehearsal

On stage Israel has a big circular prop – it’s the same style as Latvia’s, but smaller, lit up with neon and featuring a built-in wind machine. It’s also has ladders each side, so it can be used as a support for five dancers – three male, two female – who take their complex contemporary dance routine from around the circle to the front of the stage.

Israel’s Second Rehearsal – Sarah Louise Bennett

The dancers’ costumes are off-white and grey, to complement Eden’s long flowing dress. The whole performance has the same aesthetic as the official video – and as you’d expect for a song called Hurricane, the LED wall features lots of swirling colour. Our second big ballad of the day, with huge vocals to match.

Israel’s Second Rehearsal – Sarah Louise Bennett

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

The Dress Rehearsal for Israel and the rest of Semi Final 2 is scheduled for Wednesday the 8th of May!

Source: eurovision.tv

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the updates around the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest!

Eurovision 2024: Czechia’s Second Rehearsal!

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After Switzerland the next central European country to take the stage for the second rehearsal is Czechia. Czechia is being represented by Aiko and the song “Pedestal”!

Who is Aiko? 

Alena Shirmanova-Kostebelova, widely known by her stage name Aiko, is a visionary artist who delves into profound themes such as love, solitude and self-understanding, using her music as a medium for introspection and connection. 

She has hit several milestones in her career as an artist, including being the first Czech artist to feature on the Times Square screens and the first Czech female to take part in the Spotify Equal Campaign, embracing her principles of fostering inclusivity and equality. 

The Rehearsal 

Time for our first pop/rock anthem of the season, with Czechia’s Aiko singing her high energy belter Pedestal. Aiko was born in Russia, raised in Czechia, and now splits her time between London and Prague.

Aiko’s staging concept represents the five stages of grief during a breakup – Aiko is accompanied on stage by four female dancers, each representing Denial, Anger, Bargaining and Depression. Aiko herself represents the fifth and final stage – Acceptance.

The costumes are black bodystockings with mesh sections and lots of sparkle, and Aiko’s dancers have sparkly mesh face coverings. Aiko has a similar top section but with wide-legged trousers.

Also the CUBES are fully deployed in this performance – starting just a few feet above the performers’ heads, creating a more enclosed, domestic-feel environment that gets bigger and less confined as the cubes lift. Lots of black and red strobe lighting.

Czechia second rehearsal Eurovision 2024. Credit: Alma Bengtsson/EBU

Czechia second rehearsal Eurovision 2024. Credit: Alma Bengtsson/EBU

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

The Dress Rehearsal for Czechia and the rest of Semi Final 2 is scheduled for Wednesday the 8th of May!

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the updates around the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest!

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Eurovision 2024: Greece’s Second Rehearsal!

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The third country of the second semi-final to hold its second rehearsal on the Malmö stage is Greece with Marina Satti. The acclaimed singer-songwriter will perform “Zari”, an upbeat track that combines Greek, Balkan and urban sounds.

Who is Marina Satti?

Over her career, the star has developed a unique sound that combines the different musical traditions she grew up with, such as Greek, Arabic and Balkan.

Having represented Greece in the EBU’s Euroradio Jazz Orchestra with works by Peter Herbolzheimer; singing at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington with the World Jazz Nonet; and participating in the a cappella vocal group The Singing Tribe in collaboration with Bobby McFerrin, it’s safe to say that Marina is an artist who defies categorisation.

In May 2022, Satti released her first full-length album YENNA, while in 2023 she experimented by delivering the short documentary FLABOURO, as well as TUCUTUM, a song-commentary on Balkan trap, which went viral that summer.

The Rehearsal 

In terms of staging, Marina brings the same sass and attitude we saw in the official video – the kilt has been swapped for a shiny purple dress with a puffball skirt, paired with black heeled boots. Marina has four backing dancers – three male, one female – who join Marina to fuse precision street dance moves with traditional elements. There’s lots of close-up camerawork – Marina really connects with the TV audience, and it looks great live on stage too.

In terms of graphics, there’s loads of colour and energy – with neon pink floating ZARI graphics on the cubes, and grafitti-style visuals on the LED wall bringing that same urban vibe we saw in the official video.

It’s also another track this year with deep bass, so the TA TA TA really vibrates through the floor of the arena. Officially a banger.

There are no changes with regard to the first rehearsal.

Greece second rehearsal Eurovision 2024. Credit: Alma Bengtsson/EBU

Greece second rehearsal Eurovision 2024. Credit: Alma Bengtsson/EBU

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

The Dress Rehearsal for Greece and the rest of Semi Final 2 is scheduled for Wednesday the 8th of May!

Source: eurovision.tv

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the updates around the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest!

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

Eurovision 2024: Moldova’s Second Rehearsal!

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The first day of the second round of rehearsals for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 continues with Moldova which is represented by Natalia Barbu who returns to the contest after 2007, with the song “In The Middle”.

Who is Natalia Barbu ?

Natalia Barbu, born on 22nd of August 1979, is a Moldovan singer songwriter and violinist. Her rise to fame began in 1998 in the city of Mamaia, where she won a singing competition. Since then, she has released 4 studio albums and 20 singles. An avid storyteller, Natalia Barbu writes the lyrics for most of her songs herself. Throughout her career Natalia has worked with a group of musicians called Trigon on an alternative jazz-folk experiment.

In the world of Eurovision she is known for having already represented Moldova in the contest in the past, and particularly in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki with the song “Fight”. That year she managed to qualify for the grand final from the biggest semi-final that had ever took place, finishing 10th, a result that she repeated again on the night of the grand final of that year.

The Rehearsal

The staging has the static routine that we saw at Etapa Națională, the Moldovan national final – with hand claps and armography and a white violin – but Natalia is no longer flanked by backing singers – she’s entirely alone, in front of a beautiful backdrop of seascapes and trees and flowers and butterflies.

Moldova Second Rehearsal 2024. Credit: Alma Bengtsson/EBU

During the violin section the LED wall turns to huge wings, so when viewed from the front Natalia looks like an angel.

Moldova Second Rehearsal 2024. Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett/EBU

Natalia once again hits every one of those high notes.

Moldova Second Rehearsal 2024. Credit: Alma Bengtsson/EBU

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

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

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

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

Source: eurovision.tv

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.

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

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

Source: eurovision.tv

 

Eurovision 2023: France’s second rehearsal!

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The next country to have its second rehearsal today is France with La Zarra and “ Évidemment ”

Who is La Zarra?

Fatima-Zahra Hafdi, known with her artist name La Zarra, was internally selected by France Télévisions to represent France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, making her the second Canadian singer to represent the country after Natasha St-Pier in 2001.

As a self-taught musician, La Zarra embodies the style and essence of iconic figures like Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe, while also embracing the tragic sensibility reminiscent of Édith Piaf. Her breakthrough came in 2016 with the release of her debut single “Printemps blanc,” a collaboration with French rapper Niro. In 2021, her popularity soared with the success of the single “Tu t’en iras,” which received extensive airplay. This achievement led to her nomination for the NRJ Music Awards, one of the most prestigious music awards in France, in the category of Francophone Revelation of the Year. Adding to her accomplishments, La Zarra’s debut and currently only album, “Traîtrise,” further contributed to her rising fame.

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 through eurovision.tv and the official social media accounts of the contest.

Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU

As we saw from the first rehearsal snippet, La Zarra is elevated on a shimmering platform adorned with sparkles, dressed in a form-fitting gown crafted entirely from black and red sequins. The ‘platform’ is actually a moving column five meters tall, draped in sparkly black fabric all the way to the floor. The fabric disappears to reveal a cylindrical column with a mirror-tiled top. At the end of the performance there is pyro and the french flag appears on the led wall behind La Zarra. This is very French, dramatic, very Eurovision, as the eurovision.tv blog live feed describes. And that’s why we are looking forward to see the full performance!

Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU

Tonight, after the completion of all the second rehearsals of the Big 6, a recap video will be released with 30 second snippets of the performances, giving us a glimpse of how the acts will look on stage.

Follow us on 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!

Source: Eurovision.tv

Eurovision 2023: Germany’s second rehearsal!

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Good morning! Today is the seventh day of the Eurovision 2023 rehearsals and the Big 5 plus last year’s winner Ukraine, will have their second rehearsal at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool. You can find the schedule of today’s rehearsals here.

Germany is the first country to take the stage today and rehearse for the second time. The country is represented by Lord of the Lost and the song “Blood&Glitter“.

Who is Lord of the Lost?

Lord of the Lost is a band from Hamburg, Germany that has gained a significant following in Germany’s industrial rock scene. Initially started as a solo project by lead singer Chris Harms in 2007 the band released their debut single Dry the Rain and first album Fears in 2009 and 2010 respectively. Today, they have a total of eight albums in their discography, with their most recent four reaching the top 10 of the German charts. Their latest album, named after their Eurovision entry “Blood & Glitter”, quickly reached the number one spot on German charts just six days after pre-orders were made. Their recent European tour was sold out and after the contest, they will be supporting Iron Maiden on tour!

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 through eurovision.tv and the official social media accounts of the contest.

Sarah Louisse Bennet / EBU

The stage performance is similar to the one in the national final but definitely upgraded. On stage there is a metal construction in a triangle form where 2 of the band members are placed higher than the rest, while red and black are the primary colors on the led screens. Flashing lights make the performance more impactful while pyro and red flames are used. Such a dynamic performance! Seems that Germany will not be on the last places of the leaderboard this year.

Chloe Hashemi / EBU

Tonight, after the completion of all the second rehearsals of the Big 6, a recap video will be released with 30 second snippets of the performances, giving us a glimpse of how the acts will look on stage.

Follow us on 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!

Source: Eurovision.tv

Eurovision 2023: Austria’s Second Rehearsal!

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Next up on stage we will be seeing Teya & Salena on their second rehearsal as the representatives of Austria in this year’s competition with “Who the Hell is Edgar?”.

Who are Teya & Salena?

Teya may not be known as a singer yet, but she has been working successfully as a songwriter for some time now. She has participated in several singing camps in Unified Songs, as well as Eurovision.

TEYA’s newest single, “EX ME” is available on all platforms and is released through Unified Records.

24-year-old Salena comes from a big musical family. She lived in Berlin and Cologne due to her extensive recordings and television appearances on The Voice of Germany.

She moved to Vienna in 2019. In addition, she participated in several preliminary rounds for the national Eurovision selection.

In addition to collaborating with professional songwriters/producers from around the world, she participated in Austria’s show “Starmania” 2021. Her debut single is titled “Pretty Imperfection”.

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.

Teya and Salena look and sound great on their second rehearsal. It’s got a message, it’s got a thumping bassline, it’s got huge vocals, it’s got an insanely polished dance routine that everybody needs to learn immediately, and it’s got the line “Oh mio padre, there’s a ghost in my body” sung like it’s the Vienna Boys’ Choir. This is such a fun performance.

Corinne Cumming / 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 Austria 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 Austria’s entry in Eurovision 2023!

Eurovision 2023: San Marino’s Second Rehearsal!

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The next group that sets foot on stage for their second rehearsal are Piqued Jacks, representing San Marino with the alternative rock song “Like An Animal”.

Who are the Piqued Jacks?

The Piqued Jacks are an Italian rock band formed in 2006 in Italy. It’s consisted by Andrea Lazzeretti, Francesco Bini, Tommaso Oliveri and Marco Sgaramella. In 2010 and 2011, the band released their first two extended plays and their first debut album was released in 2015 named “Climb Like Ivy Does”. In 2019, Piqued Jacks won the award for the Rock category at the Italian Sanremo Rock.

This year, the group participated in the San Marinize National Selection “Una Voce Per San Marino” which was the biggest national final of the year. Piqued Jacks managed to win and represent San Marino to Eurovision in Liverpool.

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.

San Marino’s performance is still full of sequins and mood lighting! The group uses the LED wall as a sea with red and black graphics,and it’s clear they’re not leaving until they’ve left their heart and soul on that stage. The main singer has a huge stage presence and charisma which leads the whole performance is gritty and raw in the best possible way.

Corinne Cumming / EBU

Corinne Cumming / 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 San Marino 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 San Marino’s entry in Eurovision 2023!

Eurovision 2023: Georgia’s Second Rehearshal!

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Next up is Georgia‘s rehearsal, represented by Iru singing “Echo“.

Who is Iru?

Irina “Iru” Khechanovi is a twenty-three year old young artist from Georgia with Armenian descent. You may know her because she won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2011 as a member of the girl group Candy with the song “Candy Music”. In 2019, she tried to expand her career as a participant in the “Georgian Idol“. She also co-written Georgia’s song “I Believe” for Junior Eurovision last year. The entry finished in third place.

In 2023, she won the fifth season of “The Voice Georgia” and therefore she won the right to represent her country to Eurovision in Liverpool.

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.

Georgia has had an outfit adjustment, changing Iru’s dress train to a much bigger one than the one wearing on Tuesday’s first rehearsal. Reasonable considering the wind machines are going full blast in this act!

Chloe Hashemi / EBU

Chloe Hashemi / 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 Georgia 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 Georgia’s entry in Eurovision 2023!