With rehearsals in Rotterdam well underway, the artists of Eurovision 2021 are revealing their performances for this year’s shows. However, while organisers have shared a number of details of the guests we can expect on stage, there is still room for surprises. Yesterday it emerged that Eurovision 2016 winner Jamala could be making an appearance.
Although we had no contest last year, the replacement broadcast Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light set a precedent for incorporating cameos from Eurovision alum via digital means. Hell, we even saw Duncan Laurence perform at Junior Eurovision 2020 via hologram.
Back in March, it was revealed that six former winners will be participating in a “Rock The Roof” interval act for the Grand Final. The winners involved are Lenny Kuhr (De Troubadour, Netherlands 1969), Teach-In with Getty Kaspers (Ding-a-dong, Netherlands 1975), Sandra Kim (J’aime La Vie, Belgium 1986), Helena Paparizou (My Number One, Greece 2005), Lordi (Hard Rock Hallelujah, Finland 2006) and Måns Zelmerlöw (Heroes, Sweden 2015).
According to Eurovision UA, we they may not be the only former winners appearing this year. Jamala explained that she recorded performances for both the 2020 and 2021 contests, so she may be on the roster also! She revealed that she recorded a performance of “1944” on a bridge in Rotterdam. It has not yet been confirmed if this performance will be used, and if so, which show it will be shown in.
As previously confirmed, the Grand Final interval will also involve performances from Dutch artists Afrojack, Glennis Grace and Wulf, accompanied by an orchestra. The eclectic mix of genres will represent the power of music, and was intended to be created on a larger scale for the 2020 contest. Part of the scaling down of this plan will be the orchestra joining them via a pre-recorded performance from Rotterdam’s Erasmus Bridge.
About Eurovision 2021 (so far)
With rehearsals underway, delegations are spending most of their time in hotel quarantine outside of rehearsals in order to minimise transmission risks.
We have asked them to stay in the hotel and only use our official transport. In this way we hope to keep the virus out as much as possible.
Sietse Bakker, Executive Producer of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021
Bakker also confirmed that the current plan is for 3,500 spectators to be in the audience, with 4,500 seats remaining empty. However, in practice this means that the second tier of seating will not be visible on the broadcast. Plans for the audience have since been confirmed by the Dutch government.
We think that those 3,500 people can also create a fantastic atmosphere.
Sietse Bakker, Executive Producer of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021
Previously, the city of Rotterdam decided to cancel plans for an in-person Eurovision Village due to the ongoing pandemic. Instead, from 15 – 23 May 2021, the doors of the Online Eurovision Village will open up to visitors from around the world. Despite this, an in-person opening ceremony with a ‘Turquoise Carpet’ will be held on May 16.
Previously, we learned that Sietse Bakker is aiming for a shorter Grand Final run time than previous years at around 3 hours and 45 minutes. You can catch the latest updates from the online press centre via our daily streams in the run up to the Grand Final:
Are you excited to see Jamala’s performance? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify and YouTube to see our reactions to the news in the run up to Rotterdam!
