Eurovision

The head of delegation for Cyprus and therefore will lead her team to Rotterdam in 2021 representing the broadcaster responsible for the Cypriot entry in the Eurovision Song Contest RIK, Evi Papamichael has given an interview to TV Ethnos magazine on her plans over the coming year. This comes as it was reported that their representative for Eurovision in 2020, Sandro was not returning to the contest in 2021 even though that he was selected via an internal selection. The 2020 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest was due to take place in Rotterdam but due to the global Covid_19 pandemic the contest was cancelled and rearranged for May 2021. This was of course the first time that the contest was cancelled in its 64 year history since its debut edition in 1956. This is at odds with other nations that selected their representatives via internal selection for example Efendi for Azerbaijan. Their choice is also at odds with their fellow Hellenic sisters Greece who have re entered their 2020 representative Stefania for competition in 2021. What was said by Evi Papamichael? This interview comes after Katerina Stikoudi, another Greek artist that has joined the long list of artists that …

Sveriges Radio has announced all 25 of the songs that are up for contention to compete in the P4 Nästa competition, whose final will be on September 12. All 25 regional P4 Radio stations in Sweden selected one act to represent their region. On August 23, Sveriges Radio will reveal which 8 songs out of this shortlist will be in the P4 Nästa final. One P4 Nästa act will receive a wildcard to compete in Melodifestivalen, Sweden’s Eurovision national selection. While the official P4 Nästa winner is chosen by a public vote, the Melodifestivalen wildcard act will be selected by a professional jury. Though this wildcard has been given out since 2013, none of the acts to receive it have ever made it out of the semifinal. The best placing P4 Nästa winners were Terese Fredenwall and Smilo, placing 5th in their semifinal in 2013 and 2016, respectively. The most recent winner of P4 Nästa was Amanda Aasa, participating in Melfest with he song “Late.” Despite a small cult following among fans, especially on Twitter, she failed to qualify from her semifinal, placing 6th. The P4 Nästa Shortlist The 25 acts on the shortlist are as follows: Skaraborg: “Friendzone” by …

As countries plan for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest season, broadcasters are debating how they will carry out their national selections in the future. With the COVID-19 pandemic, there is still uncertainty as to what restrictions will be in place in regards to large gatherings. Even the Grand Final of the 2020 Melodifestivalen was nearly held without an audience due to concerns. As the preparations for Melodifestivalen 2021 is being undertaken, Swedish Newspaper Aftonbladet has reported that the Melodifestivalen tour (which has been in place since 2002), may be cancelled. Six Shows to be shown from Stockholm? The 2021 edition of Melodifestivalen would have been the 20th consecutive year, where the tour was undertaken. According to Aftonbladet’s report, it is revealed that SVT executives fear poor publicity, and the potential spread of infections. The article revels that a few options are being looked into, in regards to the 2021 edition of Melodifestivalen. One of the alternative plans being put forward, would be to use one venue in Stockholm and proceed with the six shows with the possibility of a small or no audience. This was done in the 2020 summer season, where Swedish shows such as “Allsång på Skansen” and …

Ukraine’s GO_A have confirmed that work on songs for Eurovision 2021 commenced earlier this summer. Speaking to Ukrainian media, the band have revealed that they took part in a songwriting camp last month, featuring a number of well known songwriters. They also revealed that the band had been working on material in English. As we previously reported, GO_A are looking to present 5 possible entries to the public next year. Although the details of the selection haven’t been fully confirmed, the band are well into the process of creating these songs. According to UA:PBC, the band participated in an international songwriting camp in early July. Although not all of the songs will be revealed in the planned selection, it is highly likely that some will be presented to the public next year. Further, it was revealed that some of the material was specifically written in English, whereas the band’s work tends to be in Ukrainian. The camp was organised by Unified Songs and featured a number of well-known songwriters with Eurovision experience, including: Mikolaj Trybulec – Composer of “Friend of a Friend” (Lake Malawi, Czech Republic 2019)Ashley Hicklin – Composer of “Me and My Guitar” (Tom Dice, Belgium 2010)Unified Songs …

Some unfortunate, albeit rather expected, news from Slovakia. The national broadcaster RTVS confirmed that the country will not be represented at the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam. This is the ninth year running that Slovakia have not participated in the contest. Their last ‘break’ from the contest lasted 11 years, from 1999-2008 finally returning in 2009. Hope on the horizon? In a response given to the Eurovision website ESCToday, Slovakian broadcaster RTVS gave ‘financial constraints’ and ‘low viewing figures’ as the driving forces behind their continued absence. However, some good news was buried among the disappointment. The broadcaster also made it clear that they “do not rule out future cooperation”. This could hint at future involvement at the Eurovision Song Contest, but also a debut at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. The possibility of such was heightened by rumours spread last summer suggesting interest in Junior Eurovision participation. Slovakia’s history at the Eurovision Song Contest After the Iron Curtain fell, Slovakia along with several other countries rushed to enter the Eurovision. Due to a limit on the amount of participants, they needed to pass a pre-qualification round titled ‘Kvalifikacija za Millstreet’. Three countries progressed further while Slovakia and their …

Liechtenstein, one of only 3 recognised European states to have never participated in the contest, will not be debuting in 2021. Speaking to ESCToday, 1FL TV confirmed that the microstate will not debut at the 2021 Eurovision edition next year due to the high participation costs. 1 FLT TV, Liechtenstein’s broadcaster, has been trying to apply for an EBU membership for years. However, the broadcaster is still not an active member of the EBU and therefore ineligible to participate in the contest. All the way back in 2017, the broadcaster noted their intention to debut in the 2019 contest. However, they later confirmed that they had not applied for EBU membership the following year. Last year, the broadcaster highlighted the need for government approval for joining the EBU, as well as the cost associated. The death of former 1 FLT TV director Peter Kolbel, who had been leading the bid for EBU membership, was also a factor in the delaying of progress. Financial hurdles remain Speaking to ESCToday, a 1FL TV spokesperson reiterated the challenges the microstate faces in joining the EBU, and therefore the contest. Firstly, the government would have to agree to the ongoing cost of EBU membership, …

RTL, the national broadcaster for Luxembourg, have confirmed that they will not take part in the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam. They are the second country, after Andorra, to confirm their non-participation for next year. The five-time winners, who took part in the very first Eurovision in 1956, last took part in the contest in 1993. Their final entrant, Modern Times, were one of only nine Luxembourgish acts to represent the nation. News is the focus for RTL Speaking to ESCToday, the national broadcaster stated that they do not currently have a focus on music and entertainment shows. They are instead concentrating on news features. They also stated that taking part in Eurovision again would put the broadcaster under a financial strain. The reason for their continued non-participation in the contest is the same as last year, showing there has no shift in interest or focus from the broadcaster. Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest Making their debut in contest number one, Luxembourg took part 37 times between 1956 and 1993. Due to poor results in prior years, they were relegated in 1994 meaning they would have to sit out for a year. Instead, they withdrew and have not …

Financial trouble RTVSLO, Slovenia’s national broadcaster, has found itself in financial trouble. The broadcaster that is used to select Slovenia’s Eurovision entry has not changed its license fee since 2012, which has resulted in financial challenges. As a result of this, a new budget has been proposed for RTVSLO: approximately 13 million euros. This means that Slovenia is planning on reducing the role of their national broadcaster, thus reducing the information and education that is shared with the Slovenian population. The country will be suggesting changes to both the Mass Media Act and the Slovenia Press Agency Act. Furthermore, they have initiated a small period of 5 days for public discussion of the budget cuts. If the new budget is approved, Eurovision fans might have to prepare for the absence of Slovenia in the upcoming contests. Reactions from European organizations Slovenia’s plans for their media has caught the attention of several European organizations, including the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Noel Curran, General Director of the EBU, has spoken up about the issue, saying that: “We are profoundly concerned about the future of public service broadcasting in Slovenia. We have written to the Slovenian authorities today to raise our concerns and …

Alicja, who was set to represent Poland at Eurovision 2020, has stated in an interview that she hopes to represent Poland again in 2021 as she works on new material. She is still awaiting a decision from TVP on whether she will be selected to represent Poland again. Currently, TVP has not announced whether they will re-select Alicja for 2021, or select a new act to fly the Polish flag in Rotterdam. It is thought that the broadcaster will only invite Alicja back if she has ‘the right song’. Playing the waiting game? Speaking in an interview with Pomponik, Alicja revealed that she is working on new songs, which suggests that she may be preparing entries to present to the Polish broadcaster TVP if she is reselected next year. With TVP only looking to send her again with ‘the right song’, any songs she submits to the broadcaster will most likely have to be assessed by the team in charge of Poland’s Eurovision selection. Local media suggest that TVP will not announce their plans for Eurovision 2021 until after this year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held in the Polish capital Warsaw. Poland are no strangers to selecting …

Remember Eurovision 2020? 41 artists planned to storm the stage in Rotterdam to take home that coveted trophy. That painful fact aside, there’s still plenty to remember and cherish as we cry into our pillows while listening to all these entries on a loop. Thank to Athena Manoukian, we now get a small little glimpse into how one of the most interesting and stylish music videos of this year’s contest came to be made. This almost four minute long video flashes and zooms through various scenes featuring lots of rehearsing, crew members running around, Athena shining bright like a diamond and cameras trying to capture all the action until it all comes together to create the visual feast that was the ‘Chains on You’ music video. Check it out for yourselves: Athena was off the chain! It has been one LONG year. It’s easy to forget that at one point we actually had a season full of national finals. Among them Depi Evratesil, which crowned Athena Manoukian as the winner. I’m talking about a literal crown here! She can be seen wearing one in the flashy music video, which looked like it came straight from the combined minds of Marilyn …