Greece - Alper Yurtseven

This year Victor Vernicos will represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, UK. His song is called “What They Say” and it was composed by 16-year-old Victor himself. 

The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) selected Victor through an internal selection process, which started back in August 2022 when ERT opened a submission period for artists and composers to submit their work for consideration until October 2022. A total of 106 songs were received, after which 7 of them were shortlisted by an internal artistic committee and were announced in December 2022. 

These 7 acts were later evaluated by a 70-member public committee, selected randomly out of 2,982 applications that were sent in to ERT, and in January 2023 ERT shortlisted 3 final songs as voted by the public committee and evaluated by the artistic committee. The final three were announced publicly on an ERT show, called “Proian se eidon tin mesimvrian”. The two other shortlisted songs and artists were: “Liar” by Melissa Mantzoukis, and “Shout Out!” By Antonia Kaouri and Maria Maragkou.

Based on the combination of votes from the public committee and the artistic committee the Greek-Danish singer Victor Vernicos was announced as the Greek representative on 30 January 2023, and a music video, directed by Yiannis Georgioudakis, to promote the song was released on 12 March 2023. 

Throughout the video we see Victor expressing his angst, anger and frustration. He sings about pain, loss, ache, panic, hurt and similar overwhelming emotions. We see him in a relatively dark environment on a sofa, surrounded with water, and as it starts raining he is anxiously gesturing, shaking, jumping and kicking the water surrounding him. As the song builds continuously with pulsating electronic rhythms there is an undertone of optimism but overall Victor is struggling to work through his feelings, and the song ends in a cliffhanger. 

You cannot help but wonder if he is simply projecting the age-old and universal teenage angst or is he channeling something darker with the all the ongoing catastrophes surrounding us in these worrisome times.

Either way it is raw and heartfelt. Wishing Victor good luck in Liverpool!

Armenia - Elise Newman

The Armenian Eurovision entry this year is also another rising young star after the global (read: TikTok) success of Rosa Linn’s “Snap” in 2022 

In February AMPTV announced the Armenian entry would be 21 year old Brunette (Elen Yeremyan). 

Brunette has performance in her blood, singing and performing since she was just an infant in primary school. She also writes her own music, writing her first song at age 15. She has a solid performance fan-base on her Instagram and Spotify accounts and also performs with a Girl-band named En Aghjiknery which is popular around Armenian fans and is gaining followers online.

After a long- awaited announcement, Brunette finally released her song “Future Lover” on 15th March 2023.

Future lover is a melding of many eclectic sounds. The song begins with a soft piano melody,  offset by her sultry and broody vocal tones. Flowing onto a breathy and whimsical chorus which is very catchy and builds in strength as the song continues. Out of nowhere the song transforms to a bass- heavy/ rap hybrid with loud back beats. It seems slightly out of character with the rest of the song, so some may struggle with the lack of cohesion. At this stage we only have access to a video clip so staging will have to wait. Although there is some striking imagery and great upbeat dancing in her video clip at times, there is plenty of typical scenes including smoke machines and emotive hand gestures as she sings. I hope there is some interesting choreography and background images to enhance Brunettes performances.

She is no doubt a talented young artist and I hope to see her live performances soon. Good Luck Armenia!

Estonia - Chris Hockman

Estonia has selected Alika with Bridges for Eurovision 2023 following the familiar path through Eesti Laul in January and February.

It was a convoluted format to reach the final this year. Two semi-finals of 10 were wittled down to a final 10. Semifinals were decided by a 50/50 televote/jury split for four qualifiers. The remaining six songs faced another vote, with a full televote deciding the final qualifier.

The first semi-final was a tight battle for the top two with Ollie winning the televote by 62 votes to get the maximum 24, followed by Bedwetterz in second. Janek’s unpopularity with the jury cost it an automatic spot but the fans rescued the song sending it to the final.

The second semi-final was an indication of what was coming. Aika only came second with the jury but powered through the televote with almost 3,000 more than the next best to win the semi-final. Sissi won the jury vote and finished second overall despite only managing seven points from the televote. This semi-final had a big split between jury and public opinion.

After the semi-finals there were two more wildcard places with a public vote to pick those from the losing semifinalists. Mia and Elysa were granted a spot they just missed out on getting rescued to the final.

The final was the same process, with a 50/50 split getting the competitors down to three with the superfinal being decided by a televote.

Poor Mia wasn’t able to do more after getting the wildcard spot earning zero points. Alika swept the voting in the first round joined in the super final by Ollie and Bedwetterz, the trio finishing well ahead of the other finalists.

It was almost inevitable what would happen in the final round as Alika easily claimed the win, getting 41.83% of the vote to win the honor of representing Estonia in Liverpool.

France - Dimitry Pompee

Fatima Zahra Hafdi, also known as La Zarra, is a Canadian singer and will be France's representative at Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool. She was internally selected by the French national broadcaster, France Télévisions, in lieu of a national final.

La Zarra was born in Montreal to parents of Moroccan descent on August 25, 1997. While she long dreamed of a career in music, she did not take singing lessons in her early youth, as one might expect. Instead, she honed her craft by listening to and absorbing the music of Barbara Streisand while working as a hairdresser, a job she held until her very recent transition into the music industry. In fact, La Zarra only considered music as a real option after she suddenly became allergic to hair dye, bringing her hairdressing career to an auspicious end.

Benny Adam, a producer in Montreal who also has Moroccan roots, has played an important role in La Zarra's ascent. La Zarra pitched a few songs to him over the course of several years, and those songs went on to become hits in Europe, including her debut single, "Printemps blanc" in 2016. That success got the attention of record labels in Europe, who then gave La Zarra the support and tools that allowed her to create and produce on a professional level. In 2021, her single “Tu t'en iras” was certified platinum, earning her a nomination for Francophone Revelation of the Year from a prestigious French radio station's annual award show in November 2021. La Zarra was signed to deals with Universal Music Canada and Polydor France and released her first album, Traîtrise, the next month.

La Zarra's musical lodestars are évident the moment you hear her perform. Alongside her original inspiration Barbara Streisand, the observant ear will detect elements of Audrey Hepburn, Edith Piaf, and Lady Gaga in her performance. La Zarra seamlessly blends the influences of her forbearers with a style all her own to create a dynamic, timeless experience. Her Eurovision entry "Évidemment" is simultaneously classic, modern, and innovative, an exemplary demonstration of how La Zarra combines traditional chanson with modern musical sensibilities to fantastic results. Here’s to an excellent placement in the Grand Final and her continued career success!

Azerbaijan - Sevket Yigit

In contrast to previous years, Ictimai TV of Azerbaijan decided to take a different path to select their representative for ESC 2023. This year, the competition was open to all artists and every candidate had a chance to apply with their own song.

During this year's selection for the ESC, special attention was paid to the fact that the songwriters were Azerbaijani.  Based on this ,five performers and their songs were shortlisted.  Those musicians were Leyla Izzatova, Humay Aslanova and Amrah Musayev , Mamagama group, Turan and Tural Bagmanovlar and Azer Nasibov. Focus group of Ictimai TV decided Turan and Tural brothers under the stage name of TuralTuranX would represent Azerbaijan with their song” Tell me more”

The story of twin brothers:

The brothers were born in 2000 in Zagatala. Their father's musical taste was very close to western music and their elder brother always listened to new hits which had a huge impact on their musical taste. Having sympathized with children who went to music school , the brothers started to play the piano on their own at their school  and studied different songs at age 13. Seeing their interest in music ,their father bought them a secondhand synthesizer. However, after the sudden death of their brother and father, they had to put the music aside for some time.

During that time, they started to go deep into the music scene and spend their teenage years listening to rock bands like Pink Floyd, Queen and Guns N’ Roses. They enrolled in exams for "Vocal Art" and although they both passed the exams, only Turan entered the Sumgayit Music College. Turan had to leave for military service in April 2019 after studying "Vocal Art" for one and a half years. Tural was registered as unfit for military service due to the limitation of his vision.

During the time Turan was in the army, Tural had already moved to Baku. In July 2019, he created a music group called "TheRedJungle" with the help of a friend.

After Turan returned from military service, they began to perform together. Tural, who was interested in street art, began to participate in the "street artist" project organized by the Turizm Information Agency.

Between 2021 and 2023, they performed together at the state event with the orchestra of Sumgayit Music College, as a vocalist at the "Late Summer Jam" concert held at the Yarat Modern Art center organized by "YARAT", and as a guest at the "Karaoke Special” broadcast on ARB TV channel.

As for creativity and talent, the brothers, who love to make music in the genres of funk and rock, can play musical instruments including guitar, bass, piano and harmonica, and are also involved in acting. They played the role of twins in the 2nd episode of the  Azeri TV show “Ifsa Cetin Hedef " on the ARB TV channel

Australia - Fernando Cigala

Eurovision: Australia 2023 – Fernando Cigala

After the cancellation of Australia Decides in 2023, and instead opting for an Internal selection artist this year, Eurovision fans across the world had to wait weeks to find out who will represent Australia in ESC this year.

Well, the wait is finally over and the chosen artist, or should I say band, this year is….. VOYAGER!

The band was originally formed in 1999 at the University of Western Australia and has toured the world many times over and built an extremely loyal fanbase,

The band members are:

Danny Estrin: Vocals / Keytar

Simone Dow: Guitar

Scott Kay: Guitar

Alex Canion: Bass

Ashley Doodkorte: Drums

The progressive/metal band who are originally from Perth, Western Australia took part of last year’s Eurovision: Australia Decides with their song “Dreamer” where they placed second and getting the most televotes.

This year the group will travel to Liverpool where they’ll be representing their country with the song “Promise”, a pop track with some metal infusion that transports the listener on an emotive story of adventure and redemption, and made for the Eurovision stage. Voyager are set to perform in the second half of the second Semi-final on 11th May 2023.

United Kingdom - Mike Whalley

Following the roaring success of Sam Ryder’s Spaceman in 2022, the BBC decided to go once again with a song selection from global management company TaP Music, which has Lana Del Rey and Ellie Goulding among its clients.

However, that’s where the similarity ends. This single female act (born in 1997, when the UK last won the contest!) is from Kentish Town, London (where this author lived for a few years in the naughties!) and the sound is quite different to last year’s entry. It actually has a touch of (Irish) Brooke from 2022, mixed in with a kind of Dua Lipa vibe. It’s very ‘poppy’, and is of the current chart trend of a ‘revenge’ track.

In a link to Eurovision 2022 host Mika, when Mae was younger, she appeared in the music video for ‘Grace Kelly’. (The little girl sitting on the piano: ‘the last time we talked Mr Smith, you reduced me to tears. I promise you, it won’t happen again’)

Can the UK repeat their success of 2022? I’m not sure if ‘I Wrote a Song’ has quite the stand out quality of last year’s entry, but as always it’ll come down to the staging and the performance on the night!

Finland - Kieran Hegarty

It wouldn't be an overstatement to call Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2023 the most anticipated national final, from any country, in Eurovision history. After winning the hearts of the nation with Erika Vikman's "Cicciolina," scoring a top 10 result with Blind Channel's "Dark Side" and topping the year-end music charts with Bess' "Ram Pam Pam," national broadcaster Yle had proven that its selection show UMK was a stage worthy of the best artists Finland has to offer. Tickets for the live show sold out in under 24 hours before anyone even knew who was competing. Promotional material was confident and grand, and after some information about the artists and songs was revealed, it became clear that it wasn't only thanks to the show's slick visual identity.

From a submission pool of 363 songs, the competition featured seven of Finland's brightest musical talents, new and old: Keira, an energetic young artist debuting in UMK fresh off her stint on The Voice; Benjamin, whose dance single "GAY" recently re-energized his decade-long career; Robin Packalen, a teen heartthrob known as the Finnish Justin Bieber who has been on the scene for just as long; Lxandra, an indie darling who contributed the lineup's only ballad; Käärijä, a singer, rapper and favorite of many young Finns who couldn't care less about Eurovision; KUUMAA, a band who scored their first few hits on the Finnish charts in the previous year; and Portion Boys, the definitive masters of modern Finnish party anthems.

As the songs were released day by day, the Eurovision community stood with the Finnish public in utter shock at how good each song was. There was no way the next competitor could be as good as the last, yet they always were. All seven songs appeared in the Spotify Viral 50, and five charted in the official top 20 singles (with KUUMAA and Käärijä both hitting number one). As the date of the live show in Turku approached, people wondered not whether Finland would have a good entry, but where in the top 10 they would finish at ESC.

The only way Yle could live up to the hype was to craft a killer live show, and they blew the roof off. Slick live and graphic production, a charismatic host in Samu Haber, and everyone in Logomo screaming the words to all seven entries came together for the most electrifying night in Eurovision memory. A member of ROTW was even spotted on camera several times (though no one knows what he was saying when Haber handed him the microphone during the interval performance of "Syödään sieniä"). And the voting sequence, with UMK's now signature 25% jury, 75% televote split, was just as exciting as the rest of the show, despite everyone knowing Käärijä's beloved half-rock, half-dance anthem "Cha Cha Cha" would win. It did win, with 52.9% of the public vote, pulling Finland ahead in the odds and leaving the whole country hoping for his semifinal performance on the 9th of May.

Sweden Heat 4 - Alex White

Melodifestivalen Heat 4 – Malmo

The fourth and final heat of the 2023 edition of Sweden’s Melodifestivalen arrived in Malmo with a great dose of anticipation. The so-called “Queen of Eurovision,” Loreen, was back to avenge her 2017 disappointment in Melfest and return to her glory days of 2012. That being said, success wasn’t guaranteed as this fourth heat brought a slew of strong newcomers and established Melfest veterans into the fray.

First up in the heat was the teenager Kiana with “Where Did You Go?” A strong singer considering her age, Kiana showed off tremendous stage presence with her radio-friendly banger. While the overall package wasn’t quite strong enough to advance directly to the final this time, Kiana is surely a contender to win Melodifestivalen in the future. Result: Advanced to Semifinal

Second up were newcomers, Signe & Hjordis. A song that would have fit very well into the Danish or Icelandic finals this year, this effort was objectively sub-par. A calm song isn’t always a recipe for doom at Melfest but these ladies seemed like they wanted to get off the stage as soon as they began. Sadly, the audience wanted them off the stage too. Result: Eliminated

The third act of the night brought millennium-era rock into the Melfest world with band Smash Into Pieces. With one of the most impressive stage shows in this year’s contest and an accessible song that sounded familiar to so many, the Swedish rockers were destined for success. The band easily advanced to the final and avoided the semifinal that the press had expected them to fall into. Result: Direct to Final

Longtime Melfest queen Mariette returned to the contest in the fourth slot in this heat. Competent, enjoyable and well-performed is Mariette’s game and this entry didn’t disappoint. Nothing super remarkable here but a pleasant upbeat song pleased the crowd JUST enough to survive for another round. Result: Advanced to Semifinal

Fifth up was Emil Henrohn. Filled with an energetic persona, Emil was hoping his bright personality would get him over the line. Unfortunately, voice issues in rehearsals and a song that felt almost 20 years too late didn’t do him any favors. This entry was dead on arrival. Result: Eliminated

Coming into the contest with a tragic yet powerful backstory, the sixth act Axel Schylstrom tried to carry a ballad into the further rounds of Melfest. Strongly performed and fairly simply staged, Axel did his best to accomplish exactly that. Unfortunately, the public didn’t quite give him the love he needed and the unlucky singer fell just one point short of survival. Result: Eliminated

Israel - Asher Stuhlman

Kirel's discography and style might remind a new listener of Ariana Grande or K-pop depending on the song, so expectations for her to deliver a catchy pop song as a Eurovision representative were high.

Unlike past Israeli Eurovision acts, Kirel was given artistic freedom to choose her song. She held a songwriting camp and invited Israeli artists, with the goal of submitting a song with Israeli and Mediterranean flavor.

Longtime Israeli Eurovision entrant songwriter Doron Medalie (Feker Libi in 2020, Toy in 2018, Made of Stars in 2016, Golden Boy in 2015) returns as head songwriter, with songwriting contributions from Yinon Yahel (who also has credits on Feker Libi and Golden Boy), May Sfadia, and Noa Kirel herself.

The song starts with a standard verse-chorus-verse-bridge-chorus structure for the first two minutes, with the last minute having a dance breakdown that never returns to the original verse or chorus. This is an unusual song format for pop and Eurovision - the last song I can think of in Eurovision that didn't end on its chorus or main hook is, well, Feker Libi.

In my editorial opinion, I think it's a weak song that does't live up to Kirel's strong discography. The lyrics are incoherent, the hooks are weak, and the ending doesn't connect to the rest of the song. Kirel's staging team might be able to put together a strong performance, and I will be eager to see it, but it's one of the weaker songs in this year's competition.

That said, it's promising to see Israel give its chosen artist creative control over their entry. Even if that resulted in a weaker song than usual this year, it's a good direction to see a country move in for Eurovision, because the best entrants at Eurovision have always been artists showing their particular style.

Serbia - Slaviša Mijatović

SERBIA – PESMA ZA EVROVIZIJU FINALE

Having followed Serbia’s Eurovision selections over the years, I must say that this one was certainly the most competitive one since 2004. Sure, there were some notable snubs from the semis – or rather, semi 1 (Tijana Dapčević, Angellina, Savo Perović) but overall the show was stacked with good songs and performances. A notable thing was also the highly visible presence of minorities. There were a number of LGBTQ2+ performers and three (or more?) acts who were Roma. Going into the finale, there was no clear favourite for victory, but several acts that were of interest and/or have caught people’s attention.

The winner of the televote (although by a narrow margin of 328 votes) was Princ od Vranje, who sang an ethnic-pop mid-tempo song, that was reminiscent of the Zeljko Joksimovic school of ESC songs from Serbia, but had more oomph to it. The (surprise) winner of the jury vote was the previously unknown Nađa, who stormed into the #1 slot with the juries with two 12s, two 10s and an 8. When the votes were all combined, both performers received 18 points, placing them in 2nd and 3rd place (Princ being second due to the televote win).

One of the folks in contention was Filip Baloš, with his synth-pop, Lady Gaga-inspired “Novi plan drugi san”. He had worked with Konstrakta’s stage designer, which could be seen from the relatively minimalist approach. Ultimately, Filip finished in 4th place, with being 3rd for the juries and 4th in the televote.

Two Roma artists were talked about as potential winners: Zejna and Dzipsii. Dzipsii actually ended up winning the second semi-final, but ended up 5th in the finale. His Michael Jackson-inspired 80’s number was hailed as a quality song with great representation for the LGBTQ+ and Roma communities. Zejna had the most Youtube views from any performer before the contest, but ultimately ended up in 7th place after underwhelming the juries, who gave her only 1 point.

The new assembly of Eurovision-favourites Hurricane, was also tipped for a potential win with “Zumi zimi zami”. Ultimately, their inexperience showed on stage and they underwhelmed both audiences and juries, and placed 12th (out of 16) with only 1 point from the televote.

The actual winner of the selection was the London-based Luke Black with “Samo mi se spava.” His angsty number seemed to hit the right note with both performance and concept, getting 10 points each from juries and televote. He was second to Princ of Vranje by only 328 votes. The song is about the existential angst of living in a world that has so many problems and is, in many ways literally, on fire.

Overall, great contest with some interesting voting by the juries but overall 100% deserved victory by Luke. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of some of these artists in the coming years…

Romania - David Dewhurst

Selecția Națională 2023  was the TV show to select Romania’s entry for ESC 2023. An expert panel selected the twelve competing songs from 85 submissions. Sadly, the panel did not include Lulu, Graham Norton or Sam Ryder

The show was a drawn out affair at just over three hours long. It had an air of familiarity about it as some the dancers performing were WRS’ backing dancers for his Eurovision banger, Llámame in 2022.

A public vote, consisting of lelevotes and online voting, determined who would represent Romania in Liverpool. Of the twelve songs, an eclectic mix of five songs resonated with the public:

• ‘Puppet’ sung by Amia

• ‘Statues’ sung by Andrei Dutu

• ‘D.G.T (off and on)’ sung by Theodor Andrei

• ‘Bla Bla Bla’ sung by Aledaida

• ‘Perinița mea’ sung by Andreea D Folclor Orchestra

‘Perinița mea’ led the televoting but ‘D.G.T (off and on)’ took the online vote and placed first overall.

‘D.G.T. (off and on)’ apparently means ‘fingers’ in Romanian. The song was performed by Theodor and four backing dancers; a key theme of the performance being removal of clothing. There is a clear disconnect currently between the song and the staging. The song itself is good and Theodor sings it well; lets help the staging quality does the song justice in Liverpool.

Mult succes la Liverpool!

Austria - Michaela Sowden

https://youtu.be/ZMmLeV47Au4

ORF decided on another internal selection and released the song Who the He’ll is Edgar on the 8th March. The song is a catchy little number written by Teya and Selena in collaboration with Ronald Janeček  and Pele Loria

Theodora Spirić: now  known professionally as Teya  and formerly as Thea Devy, is a is an Austrian Serbian singer and songwriter.  In 2018, Špirić released her debut single "Waiting For". At the end of 2019, she applied to represent Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Judgement Day. She was one of  three shortlisted , but was not selected as the Austrian representative. She  submitted the song to Beovizija 2020, the Serbian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, under the title "Sudnji dan". Her parents had  translated the song into Serbian  She was selected to participate in the competition and qualified for the final, where she finished in tenth place with 4 points.

In 2021, Špirić went on to participate in  Starmania She made it to the top eight contestants, but was eliminated before the final.  She released the single "Runaway (Stay)" with Croatian singer Ninski, using the stage name Teya.

She met  Salena on  Starmania. They decided to enter Who the Hell is Edgar, their song  written at a songwriting camp in the Czech Republic. Salena has also competed on the Voice of Germany. After seeing Conchita on stage,  it became Selina’s dream to participate at Eurovision.

Selina states that their song is a snapshot of the fun they had writing it, and it started with wanting to convey what it feels like, when a good song is made.She further said that sometimes creativity just rushes through, and it seems you are possessed by a ghost.

Teya said that they wanted to pack their personal experiences as songwriters in the song.

It often felt like they have to keep proving themselves to be taken seriously. She ends up stating that by presenting Edgar Allan Poe as the writer of the song, they wanted to draw attention to that part of the music industry.in her own words, it’s all satire.

It is a catchy , fun song., great to dance to. Fingers crossed for Teya and Selina.

Switzerland - Alan Tubery

SRF, the Swiss national broadcaster, have released their entry for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, in Liverpool and it is Remo Forrer. He will be performing “Watergun” 

Watergun is an all-English pop ballad. It was written by Ashley Hicklin (Me and My Guitar, Run With The Lions, River), Argyle Singh and Mikolaj Trybulec (Friend of a Friend, Solo). The song is about soldiers who don't want to go to war. It means a lot to Remo who, in a press release from the SRF, says he wants to touch people with his song, and more particularly his generation, faced with global crises and wars. “We have to live with the consequences of decisions we don't make. It's frustrating, but I still have hope that change is possible. So, I see the song as a call for peace and a future of hope“ 

According to Remo, “Watergun” has a catchy melody that has been following him for months. He reached everything with his voice, from very low to very high (one of the young singer's strengths).  

It will not be easy for Switzerland to qualify for the final. 

The negative of Remo's proposal: 

– the general atmosphere of the song, not very festive, indeed. 

– the construction and the melody, very classic for Eurovision, but it lacks a hook. 

The positive of Remo's proposal: 

– the text that plays on the news and can hit the mark 

– the interesting voice of the performer: for once, a male vocal range that does not seek high-pitched performance but plays on power.  He should perform live well, as he has experience of the Voice Switzerland. 

But the big question is the staging, which will undoubtedly be decisive for the qualification. 

But as it is, I like it and they should better than last year.

Netherlands - Sascha Stolp

Netherlands 2023

Mia & Dion – Burning Daylight

As has been the case since 2013, the Netherlands Eurovision broadcaster AVROTROS has once again decided on internal selection for their 2023 Eurovision entry.  The selection committee consisted of AVROTROS General Director Eric van Stade, television presenter Cornald Maas, singer and presenter Jan Smit, and radio Dj’s Hila Noorzai, Carolien Borgers and Sander Lantinga.

In November 2022, it was announced that the Netherlands would be represented my Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper.  Not much was known about the song at that stage, but we did know that it was being written by Duncan Laurence, the winner of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with his song “Arcade”.

On the 1st March 2023, Mia and Dion’s entry “Burning Daylight” was officially presented during the Khalid & Sophie Show on the NPO1 channel in the Netherlands.  In the studio, guests included Cornald Maas and Sander Lantinga from the selection committee, Dutch Eurovision super fan Emma Wortelboer and the Belgian Eurovision commentator Pieter Van Der Veide.  According to Cornald, they had over 400 submissions to represent The Netherlands this year.  They were looking for a song that you would be able to recognise after just 1 listen, and believe they found that with “Burning Daylight”.  Cornald said that you have to want to win, and that they do want to win.

Although not present in the studio, Mia and Dion were interviewed live from the launch event held in Rotterdam that same night.  When asked about the song, Mia said that it was about being human and how everyone makes mistakes but how you can let go of those mistakes and embrace life.

Joining Duncan on the songwriting team for “Burning Daylight” is his partner Jordan Garfield, composer/producer Loek van der Grinten, and the performers themselves, Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper. 

It was Duncan Laurence who first brought Mia and Dion together after hearing them sing and realising they would sound good together.  Mia, a 26 year old singer originally from Amsterdam, currently resides in Los Angeles.  She released her debut single “Set Me Free” in 2020.  Mia is also one of the songwriters for an entry in this year’s Moldovan national final - “When Love’s Real” performed by Corina Ivanov.  28 year old Dion, a former entrant of “The Voice of Holland”, was the opening act to Duncan’s tour in 2021.  They co-wrote Dion’s song “Blue Jeans” together and Dion released his first EP “Too Young Too Dumb” in 2021.

Burning Daylight can be described as a pop ballad, telling the story of falling down but being able to get back up again.  You can definitely hear Duncan’s contribution to the song as it feels very much in the same genre as Arcade.  Mia and Dion’s voices do indeed blend very well together, resulting in a stunning vocal performance.  Not much is known about the staging, although we do know that Jordan Garfield will be the Creative Director.  We wish Mia and Dion all the best In Liverpool.

Portugal SF2 - James Lindley

Semi-final 2 of Festival da Canção (FC) 2023

DATE: March 4th 2023
PLACE: The newly renovated RTP studios
HOSTS: Sónia Araújo and Jorge Gabriel on stage; Inês Lopes Gonçalves in the Green Room.

Song #1: Edmundo Inácio sings “A Festa” (the party)

We have here an ethno-pop song and Edmundo is alone on stage. Delivers a very good performance for this song that is all about a party, where he really can go in and enjoy himself but... does he wants to? This party seams like some corridors in life where power and politics take over. It is a very good performance.

Song #2: The Happy Mess sing “O impossível” (the impossible)

All six members are on stage singing, playing and easy dancing to this soft pop song. The impossible things in life sometimes can be worked out, but for that people must come together. It is a very nice performance but looks like this song won’t go anywhere.

Song #3 Teresinha Landeiro sings “Enquanto é tempo” (while it is time)

This fado style song is about the power of the songs which can save us when love is gone and we are alone. Especially those songs which have not been written yet. Performance is nice, but not as strong as you would think it would be if we think this is a fado.

Song #4 Bandua sing “Bandeiras” (flags)

This is probably the most “different” song in this semi-final. The two members of Bandua are on stage

together with another person who is playing a huge adufe (traditional square tambourine of Moorish

origin). Traditional sounds from the center of Portugal are here mixed with some electronic beat to ask us

why people keep raising flags is we don’t really know where the borders are in life. Their performance is

very impressive.Song #5 Bárbara Tinoco sings “Goodnight”

She almost got the ticket to Rotterdam 2020 and now she is back with a song in English. Sweet love song, and Bárbara delivers it very well in her own “soft” style of singing.

Song #6 Inês Apenas sings “Fim do mundo” (the end of the World)

The end of the World is almost here but we should not be afraid if we are together and we have our memories to cherish. The performance is good, especially the part where she plays the piano, but the transition to an up-tempo song does not work very well.

Song #7 Ivandro sings “Povo” (people)

Almost in a bossa nova style, “Povo” tells us about the pain and disillusions in life but also about the hope and will to move (far away) and find that peace we all look for. The stage is impressive, but the performance is a bit of a let down.

Song #8 Dapunksportif sing “World needs therapy”
The meaning of the song is exactly what the title says: nobody wants to live in a World with problems,

angry people and issues. This is the rock proposal in this semi-final. Great beat, very good performance.

Song #9 Lara Li sings “Funâmbula” (funambulist)

There is no need to explain who Lara Li is. Bringing back the sounds that made her famous in the late

70s/80s, Lara in her own unique style gives us this soft pop ballad about life and the journey till now.

And she sings about the will to keep going now but not in a danger way, it is better keep life going easily

and nice. This is an amazing performance.Song #10 Voodoo Marmelade sing “Tormento” (torment)

Song #10 Voodoo Marmelade sing “Tormento” (torment)

They probably saved the most danceable song till the end. This is a very energetic and good performance. All the torments and worries were already left behind and in order not to get into those issues again there is always the need to believe and ... sing!

RESULTS:
Qualified: SONG 1, SONG 5, SONG 6, SONG 7 and SONG 10 Qualified (second chance): SONG 8.

Sweden - Final - Therese Wahlsten

Well, after 6 weeks, 6 cities, 28 entries, and one stage invasion, the yearly marathon known as Melodifestivalen has come to an end. 

Going into the evening, Queen Loreen was sitting at $1.01 with the bookmakers. Eurovisionworld had her at an 87% chance of winning. As she entered the arena, it roared with applause several times louder than for anyone else.

The winner was all but decided two weeks ago, when she debuted her entry “Tattoo” in the fourth heat.

Until, her song began. Everyone held their breath. Would someone try to invade the stage again? Would the roof of friends arena support the 1,800 kg platform hanging above her (apparently the roof in Liverpool cannot)? And then, smoke rolled in from the smoke machines behind her. And kept rolling and rolling and rolling and rolling and rolling until she disappeared completely.

Had the overzealous smoke machine operator ruined her chances?

Of course not.

Loreen went on to easily win the jury vote (getting 7 of the evening’s 8 12 points) and the public vote, finishing 39 points ahead of the next closest artist, Marcus & Martinus. 

Sorry, it’s just hard to make this final sound exciting. But maybe that’s not the worst thing in the world. For once, it’s nice to see a song that almost everyone can get behind. No drama, no arguments about people being robbed, no arguments about if the juries ruined it for the public. Just a absolutely deserved winner that even the other artists competing can agree with.

Portugal SF 1 - Luis Braga

Semi-final 1 of Festival da Canção (FC) 2023

DATE: 2023/FEB/25
PLACE: The newly renovated RTP studios

HOSTS: Tânia Ribas de Oliveira and José Carlos Malato on stage; Inês Lopes Gonçalves in the Green Room.

1 “Too much sauce” Moyah

A hip hop song, about all the things life brings and with four backing singers/dancers on stage. The performance was full of energy.

2 "Sonhos da Liberdade” Bolha
This song has a bit of jazz, a bit of traditional sounds and it is all about having a positive attitude in life.

3 "Modo voo” April Ivy

“Modo voo” is for sure a “very Portuguese” pop sound and, again, another message of positive attitude,

4 "Encruzilhada” Churky

The importance of having someone special in our live and the will to find that special person...otherwise

nothing is worth: basically, this is the “Encruzilhada” (crossroads) of live, as this light pop song tells us,

5 "Nasci Maria” Cláudia Pascoal

“Nasci Maria” (I was born Maria) is about the fate many people still think a woman has at birth. Lots of “activities” on stage resembling what was (especially in the past) linked to women’s duties in life. Lyric wise the song is very repetitive and not very rich.

6 "Viver” Sal
“Viver” is a great rock song mixed with traditional sounds and it is all about the need to live to the

fullest, to leave the past behind and keep going.

7 "Ai Coração” Mimicat

In a sort-of Moulin Rouge scenario, this “Spanish” flavoured song “Ai Coração” deals with the internal struggle with love feelings (and the visible effects, lack of sleep, feeling lost and confused and almost in panic), and they way our heart many times has its own way so... what better than to talk to the heart directly?

8 "Contraste mudo” You Can't Win, Charlie Brown
“Contraste mudo”, with very short lyrics, is all about the waiting for that special one. A very intimate

performance.

9 “Endless World” Neon Soho

“Endless World” is perhaps the most unique proposal of ths semifinal, as it is the only song totally sung

in English and brings a very electronic sound in this love song.

10 “Sapatos de Cimento” Esse Povo

A very happy performance for this song which, like songs #2 and #3, another message of positive attitude, taking a new and better path in life.

INTERVAL ACTS: HMB and guests, Fernando Tordo (Eurovision 1973) and Blanca Paloma (Eurovision 2023).

RESULTS:
Qualified: SONG 4, SONG 5, SONG 6, SONG 7 and SONG 8 Qualified (problem with voting lines): SONG 10.
Qualified (second chance): SONG 9.

Poland - Edward Till

Poland Eurovision Selection 2023

For the second year, Polish Television (TVP) organized a national final select the country’s entry „Tu bije serce Europy! Wybieramy hit na Eurowizję! ” or “Here Beats Europe’s Heart!  Let’s Choose a Hit for Eurovision!”.

The process kicked off in September 2022, when TVP opened nominations.  300 songs were submitted, from which a jury selected ten finalists.  The chosen acts gathered in Warsaw’s Transcolor stadium on Sunday 26 February, joined by Eurovision alumni.  50% of the vote came from the public and 50% from a jury of professionals.  They selected Blanka Stajkow’s entry, Solo, to fly the red and white flag in Liverpool.

The ten finalists were:

1.      Natasza Urbańska, Lift U Up

Defying the title, Natasza was lowered in from the ceiling upside down to open this mid-tempo rocky number.

2.      Kuba Szmajkowski, You Do Me

This teen pop number in a minor key was spiced up with pyrotechnics.

3.      Ahlena, Booty

This controversial R&B song was apparently about relationships, but the dancing reflected the title!

4.      Dominik Dudek, Be Good

The winner of The Voice Poland presented an up-tempo, cheerful folk-rock number.

5.      Alicja Szemplińska, New Home

Poland’s pick for the cancelled 2020 contest sang an emotional ballad about those forced from their homes by war and disaster.

6.      Felivers, Never Back Down

Sochaczew’s own “Fab 4” gave us a rocky number in a sea of dry ice with Polish language rapping and a key change.

7.      Maja Hyży, Never Hide

This up-tempo dance number started with tableaus worthy of David Bowie.

8.      Jann, Gladiator

The pre-show favourite was dark, intense, and sexually provocative.  It featured leather and rapping in a rocky style.

9.      Blanka Stajkow, Solo

Half-Polish, half-Bulgarian Blanka presented a song with a Disco Polo/ holiday feel, group dancing and a jungle-like set.

10.   Yan Majewski, Champion

Well known for appearances on TV talent shows, Yan presented a sports-themed anthem with some interesting colour effects.

During the concert, there were several special Eurovision performances:

• Stefania, Last Dance (Greece, 2021)

• Sara James, Somebody (Poland JESC, 2021)

• Efendi, Mata Hari (Azerbaijan, 2021)

• Roxie Węgiel, Anyone I Want to Be (Poland JESC, 2018)

• Kristian Ochman, River (Poland, 2022)

• Edyta Górniak (Poland 1994) presented a recent song Andromeda

Górniak (who remains the most successful Pole in the senior contest) was also the chair of the jury, joined by music journalist Marek Sierocki, choreographer Agustin Egurrola and director of the Polish radio first program Marcin Kusy.  They placed Blanka first, followed by Dudek and Felivers.

The public votes were then added.  Blanka remained in first place, followed by Jann (who had ranked fourth with the jury) and Dudek.

Not for the first time, the Polish results are controversial.  There have been concerns raised about the transparency of the selection process, independent of the jury and the originality of Blanka’s winning song.

Nonetheless, Blanka was presented with her ticket to Liverpool, and we will see her in the second semi-final in Liverpool on 11 May.

Germany - Kate Krause-Boger

The NDR took on the feedback of having not enough variety in the show and presented us with a well rounded selection of 8 candidates from folk to pop to metal. Unfortunately they also decided to hop on to the TikTok Train after Sam Ryders success, but Germany selected: Ikke Hüftgold (with 52% of the votes).

This way the national selection started with 9 acts. However, Frida Gold unfortunately had to drop out of the competition due to sickness. If this is true or the well established band did not want to risk the probable chance to lose to Ikke will likely never be known.

The NDR had received backlash from Eurovision Fans for the timeslot allocated to the event (10.20pm instead of the primetime 8.15pm highlights the value the NRD puts into the selection), however, having Barbara Schöneberger once again host the show with who knows what kind of wake-me-up-pills was painful. Shout-out to Barbara for once wearing a very classy outfit (once she got rid of the gold coat).

Alongside her filling the gaps between acts were Florian Silbereisen (cringy „Volksmusik“ Singer), Ilse DeLange (Common Linnets 2014, who disappeared after about a third of the show, resulting in Twitter tweets saying they would have left too given the chance) and a Conchita lookalike Riccardo Simonetti (a German influencer). Every part of the show involving them (excl. Ilse) was a cringe-fest, from inappropriate flirting to referencing drugs and adult movies.

Focussing on the acts.

The opening artist was Singer-Dancer TRONG with his k-popish song „Dare to be different“. It was a good opener, the dancing was well executed. In the end he did not quite connect with the audience.

Next up was René Miller, a songwriter dabbling in singing with the song „Concrete heart“. For his performance he stole Julia Samoylovas 2018 rock and tried to alleviate his act to new heights, not quite managing.

Anica Russo came next with „Once upon a dream“. Her performance (especially the staging and her gorgeous dress) was really well done but ultimately it did not catch the attention of voters.

Lonely Spring took us back to the early 2000 teenage RomCom-era with „Misfit“. Unfortunately the voters did not want to be transported back to their younger days.

When Will Church started his song „Hold on“, it felt really good and I had said upon the release that I could see him winning, though I preferred different songs. So fortunately for me, he really screwed up the high-note towards the end, ruining his chances with the public even if he ended up being the jury's favourite.

Next up was Patty Gurdy with her Hurdy-gurdy. While I was looking forward to this, her „Melody of hope“ fell rather flat, especially vocally.

Second to last Ikke Hüftgold performed his Ballermann Song "Lied mit gutem Text“. Thanks to every ESC deity, the international jury did not get it and there just were not enough calls for him.

The winning performance was „Blood and Glitter“ by Lord of the Lost. While the jury only had them in 4th place, the televote was enough to catapult them to the well deserved top spot. This performance has everything we need at Eurovision: red latex, glitter, fire and a group that is genuinely nice and respectful towards the other artists.

Highlights of the evening were Katja Ebbstein in the audience (she looked rather uncomfortable to be put in the spotlight), a duet from Isle with German country-rock band the BossHoss and having multiple ESC acts appearing as spokesperson for the juries (from Gjon's tears to SuRie to Blind Channel Singer Joel Hokka).

The ESC-medley performed by all acts was a nice touch. It was good to see Malik Harris, telling us, that 0 points did not hinder him having a successful tour afterwards.

Controversy about the Jury vote being to different from the televote started immediately after the show. Though the Jury likely voted on the videos rather than the live performance. Going forward the jury should vote on a live performance just like the audience. Regardless of that I am happy that we had a jury and very pleased with the result.