On Saturday the time has finally come: The Eurovision Song Contest goes into the next round in Liverpool. The ten candidates have been determined. Who will take victory after Ukraine? But ESC organizers forbid a greeting from the Ukrainian President Selenskyj. All highlights in the big FOCUS online ticker.
ESC 2023: The 26 finalists at a glance
3:28 p.m.: These 26 participants will take part in the ESC finals on Saturday evening. Here you will find an overview with the starting order of artists, titles and a short comment:
- Austria: Teya & Salena (“Who the hell is Edgar?”) An electro pop song with a catchy beat about the suffering of authors.
- Portugal: Mimicat („Oh heart“) Ein Retro-Pop-Lied mit Gitarrenelementen.
- Switzerland: Remo Forrer (“Watergun”) A pathetic mid-tempo song about growing up.
- Poland: Blanka (“Solo”) A loud jumping number with summer hit qualities and a sexy stage show.
- Serbia: Luke Blake (“Samo mi se spava”) A snappy pop number with a breathy voice and video game look.
- France: La Zarra (“Évidemment”) A catchy tune between classic French chanson singing and 70s disco anthem.
- Cyprus: Andrew Lambrou (“Break A Broken Heart”) A heartbreak power ballad with head voice man.
- Spain: Blanca Paloma (“Eaea”) A bulky lullaby between flamenco and experimental sounds, between Macarena and Ofra Haza.
- Sweden: Loreen (“Tattoo”) The favorite with a dance-pop song and everything a winning title needs – catchy tune, trance dynamics, subtle quotes between Abba and her own winning title “Euphoria” from 2012.
- Albania: Albina & Familja Kelmendi (“Duje”) Not only the Kellys are successful as a family. Here comes danceable world music, as it used to shape the ESC much more.
- Italy: Marco Mengoni (“Due vite”) An Italian ballad that could also be from the 1980s, by a charismatic ESC repeat offender.
- Estonia: Alika (“Bridges”) Experienced and powerful languishing ballad, in which the singer sometimes accompanies herself on the grand piano.
- Finland: Käärijä (“Cha Cha Cha”) It is THE catchy tune of this ESC. A favorite of many hearts that leaves no one indifferent; Mix of rap, metal, electro with very different parts.
- Czech Republic: Vesna (“My Sister’s Crown”) Female empowerment in the guise of a powerful chant with a catchy chorus.
- Australia: Voyager (“Promise”) Rock song with a bit of metal and at the same time synthesizer 80s sound.
- Belgium: Gustaph (“Because Of You”) Look and music somewhere between Boy George and Simply Red.
- Armenia: Brunette (“Future Lover”) Elven ballad pop with a rap interlude.
- Moldova: Pasha Parfeni (“Soarele ?i luna”) Electronic world music with a great ethno look.
- Ukraine: Tvorchi (“Heart Of Steel”) A surprisingly different R’n’B song without any folk element.
- Norway: Alessandra (“Queen Of Kings”) In the costume of a warrior, the Norwegian has a gossip song in her luggage that has been heard hundreds of times at the ESC.
- Germany: Lord Of The Lost (“Blood & Glitter”) Germany’s rock hope at the ESC – somewhere between Lordi (ESC winner 2006) and Måneskin (2021).
- Lithuania: Monika Linkyt? (“Stay”) One of the quieter songs in this competition, the song is a bit reminiscent of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball.”
- Israel: Noa Kirel (“Unicorn”) An overloaded pop song with dance elements and R’n’B.
- Slovenia: Joker Out (“Carpe Diem”) A snappy piece. It sounds a bit like the early ’90s pop anthems of HIM and Héroes del Silencio. A bit monotonous though.
- Croatia: Let 3 (“Mama Š?”) The number with the trash appeal of the ESC, which is dying out in view of the many leaked numbers, and a singer with a Freddie Mercury mustache.
- UK: Mae Muller (“I Wrote A Song”) An uptempo pop song in the vein of Dua Lipa.
These candidates are through after the second semi-final
4:04 p.m.: After yesterday’s semi-final, Germany sometimes made it to a good place. The other winners of the evening were:
- Albanian: Albina & Family Kelmendi mit “Duje”
- Zypern: Andrew Lambrou mit „Break A Broken Heart“
- Estland: Alika mit „Bridges“
- Belgien: Gustaph mit „Because Of You“
- Austria: Teya & Salena with “Who The Hell Is Edgar?”
- Lithuania: Monika Linkyté with “Stay”
- Poland: Blanka with “Solo”
- Australia: Voyager with “Promise”
- Armenia: Brunette my “Future Lover”
- Slovenia: Joker Out with “Carpe Diem”
The countries Iceland, Georgia, Romania, Denmark, San Marino and Greece were eliminated on Thursday evening. The ten candidates will compete against the winners of the first semi-final, as well as against Ukraine as last year’s winners and Great Britain as hosts this year.
After 30 years: Luxembourg is doing it again ESC with
1:04 p.m.: After a 30-year break, Luxembourg will again take part in the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in 2024. This was announced by the government of the Grand Duchy on Friday. “The Government believes that a return to the most important song competition ever is an excellent opportunity to reaffirm Luxembourg’s European and international spirit in the field of media and music,” it said in a statement.
The government has decided to provide the necessary financial support for participation in the ESC. Details on this were not given. Luxembourg was last at the ESC in 1993. Since then, the country, which has a population of around 660,000, has decided not to take part, mainly for financial reasons.
The government statement states that the return to the ESC is expected to have positive effects in the cultural sector in terms of the economic impact on the creative industries. Luxembourg’s participation in the ESC will “also contribute to the promotion of Luxembourg as a travel destination, its values and its brand image”. There will be further information on the process of selecting candidates in July, it said.
As early as 1956, Luxembourg was one of the participants in the first ESC, which at that time was still known as the Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson. By 1993, Luxembourg had won the ESC five times. One of the winners was Vicky Leandros with “Après toi” in 1972.
ESC2023: Germany has gotten a very good starting place
11:22 am: Germany got a very good starting place in the field of participants at the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). As the organizers of the event announced on Friday, the Hamburg band Lord Of The Lost will take the stage in Liverpool, England, in 21st place on Saturday. There are a total of 26 acts on the evening. Experience has shown that ESC bands that perform towards the end of the competition do well. Because they are better remembered by the TV audience later when it comes to the viewer vote.
At the ESC 2010 in Oslo, Germany’s last ESC victory, the singer Lena took 21st place with “Satellite”. At the ESC in Turin in 2022, however, the German Malik Harris had double bad luck with “Rockstars”: He caught an unfavorable position in 13th place and also had to appear directly after Ukraine, which attracted the most attention of the evening. Harris finished last.
For Barbara Schöneberger ESC is political
08:22: For TV presenter Barbara Schöneberger, the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) is much more than a singing competition. “The ESC doesn’t want to be political, but of course it is to the highest degree,” the 49-year-old told the editorial network Germany (RND) on Friday. “We saw that from last year’s result,” she added.
In 2022 the Ukrainian group Kalush Orchestra won the ESC. Due to the ongoing war, however, this year’s final cannot take place in the country of last year’s winner as usual for the first time, instead Liverpool is the venue. “And everyone who takes part in the ESC always raves about how much the participants – no matter what nation – love each other, how happy they are in each other’s arms, how much everyone is friends with each other,” said Schöneberger. More political message is not possible.
The presenter finds the German starter Lord of the Lost “super”. The boys are “really cool – they exude a lot of self-confidence,” she added.
ESC–organizerprohibitgreetingvonSelenskyj
Friday, May 12, 2023 at 08:15: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not be able to appear with a video message at the final of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced on Thursday that Selenskyj’s request to be able to address the audience of the Eurovision Song Contest “cannot be accepted because it violates the rules of the event”.
One of the cornerstones of the competition is the non-political nature of the event. This principle prohibits the possibility of political or similar statements within the framework of the competition,” the organizers explained. Even if Zelenskyy’s request was made with “laudable intentions”, “unfortunately it cannot be granted because it would be against the rules”.
The ESC will be held in Liverpool this year. Last year, the Ukrainian group Kalush Orchestra won the ESC. Because of the ongoing war, however, the final cannot take place as usual in the country of the previous year’s winner for the first time.
At the finale on Saturday, Ukraine is to be given special recognition: Eleven artists from Ukraine will be performing, including last year’s winners. Various regions of the country are shown in video clips.
Can Germany ESC? Lord of the Lost song “Blood and Glitter” could be misunderstood
1:17 p.m.: The Hamburg band Lord of the Lost wants to convince with their ESC song “Blood & Glitter” at the ESC final on Saturday. Remarkable: The heavy metal boys’ song is not only intended to be loud and eccentric – but it also has a message – given the war in Ukraine, some people could misunderstand it. But the band isn’t worried about that: “Blood is something very important, it’s our lifeblood that connects us all,” says the frontman of the Hamburg band. “We are all of the same blood, that’s the message.” It fits perfectly with this year’s motto of the ESC: “United by Music”. The band’s political message is particularly convincing this year.
Elton replaces Schöneberger when announcing points in the ESC final
Thursday, May 11, 1:11 p.m.: Change of personnel at the ESC final: The presenter Elton will announce the twelve points of the German jury at the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday evening, replacing Barbara Schöneberger. The reason for the moderator change: The requirements of the European Broadcasting Union EBU. Accordingly, the presenters of the jury points should be in their own country and then switched to Liverpool from there. However, Schöneberger is in Liverpool to moderate the supporting program of the ESC final from the Tate Museum.
These 10 ESC candidates are on after the first semi-final
Wednesday, May 10, 11:06 a.m.: The first semi-final of the Eurovis took place yesterday evening ion Song Contest held in Liverpool. 15 acts presented themselves with a spectacular show on stage. In the end, 10 candidates advanced:
- Finland: Käärijä with the song “Cha Cha Cha”
- Croatia: Year 3 with the Song “Mama ŠČ”
- Moldau: Pasha Parfeni mit dem Song “The Sun and the Moon”
- Switzerland: Remo Forrer with the song “Watergun”
- Tschechien: Vesna with the song “My Sister’s Crown”
- Israel: Noa Kirel with the song “Unicorn”
- Portugal: Mimicat mit dem Song „Ai Coração“
- Sweden: Loreen with the song “Tattoo”
- Serbia: Luke Blake mit dem Song “I’m just sleepy”
- Norway: Alessandra with the song “Queen Of Kings”
The candidates from Malta, Latvia, Ireland, Azerbaijan and the Netherlands are no longer there. On May 11, another 15 candidates will fight in the semi-finals. Detailed information about the ESC can be found here:
Eurovision Song Contest – ESC 2023: candidates, dates and songs: the most important information at a glance
Music fans can be happy again, because the most important singing competition in Europe is just around the corner! It starts on May 9th with the first round of the semifinals. The second part of the preliminary round will be held on May 11th. Ten countries from the first group and ten artists from the second group will then have the opportunity to sing the coveted title in the grand finale on May 13th!
“United By Music”: This year’s motto is dedicated to peace
The motto of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest is “United By Music” – a motto that fits the current situation perfectly. In the midst of the Ukraine war, music is a universal language that connects all people. It is a call for unity and coming together, no matter what country you come from or what background you come from.
Reading tip: TV column – ESC preliminary decision shows why Germany will remain at the bottom again
These countries are not included this year
While most European countries can look forward to a peaceful celebration, two participants in the singing contest are not welcome: Belarus and Russia.
In addition, the three Balkan states of Montenegro, North Macedonia and Bulgaria are not sending any representatives to the race. This reduces the number of participating countries to 37.
This year’s ESC was not held in the country of last year’s winners
The “Eurovision Song Contest” has been held for 67 years, always in the country of the previous year’s winner. But this year everything is different. With the country of last year’s winners, Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra, at war with Russia, Britain is stepping into the role of host. The competition will be held in Liverpool at the M&S Bank Arena. However, the helpful hosts are not on their own, but are actively supported by the Ukrainians. In order to give the show a touch that is typical of the country, last year’s winners support the organizers with the decoration.
So far, there have only been six times in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest that another country has had to stand in for the previous year’s winner. The last time was in 1980, when Israel won the contest for the second time in a row and was unable to host again for financial reasons. At that time, the Netherlands stood in for the state founded in 1948.
Reading tip: Votes show clear results – Loreen, Käärijä & Co.: Scandinavians are already ESC favorites in advance
Eurovision Song Contest: Red carpet is replaced by a turquoise ending
Before the first semi-final, all ESC bands and candidates present themselves to the press and the public in Liverpool. This year, however, the show will not take place on a red carpet, but on a turquoise one.
How did such a color choice come about? The color of the carpet is dedicated to the main sponsor, which has been Moroccanoil since 2021. The beauty brand wears the eye-catching coloring on almost all of their products. The ESC carpet is around 200 meters long and therefore offers enough space for the candidates with their sometimes eye-catching costumes.
All information at a glance about the ESC can be found here:
- Eurovision Song Contest – ESC 2023: candidates, dates and songs: the most important information at a glance
