Semi-Final 1 of Eurovision 2023 exploded onto TV screens on Tuesday evening. And after all the smoke and pyro cleared, the ten qualifiers drew “first half” or “second half” for the grand final running order.
Following the second semi-final, producers will then decide the exact starting position for each act. They’ll consider several factors in order to create the best show. This includes diversity of musical genres and visual texture — no one wants five ballads one after the other! — but also practicality. Different acts require different stage setups, some of which take a lot of time. Producers factor in the ease of moving one act on and one act off, based on their props and staging.
First half
Finland: Käärijä — “Cha Cha Cha”
Portugal: Mimicat — “Ai coração”
Serbia: Luke Black — “Samo mi se spava”
Sweden: Loreen — “Tattoo”
Switzerland: Remo Forrer — “Watergun”
Second half
Croatia: Let 3 — “Mama ŠČ!”
🇨🇿 Czechia: Vesna — “My Sister’s Crown”
🇮🇱 Israel: Noa Kirel — “Unicorn”
Moldova: Pasha Parfeni — “Soarele si luna”
Norway: Alessandra — “Queen of Kings”
Do you think that the first half is too stacked? When does your favourite sing? Let us know down below!
Loreens tattoo had 1.4 million spotify streams yesterday and is now nr #103 on spotify global top 200 charts as the only esc artist. I’m guessing that could be a reason behind her odds
Spotify is a Swedish company. They love to promote Swedish acts on it.
Israel doesn’t belong in Eurovision and should be out, for the same reasons Russia is out… killing innocent civilians, besides this because of the toxic fans
Learn the facts. Israeli civilians have been under attack for years and Israel is defending itself. Euro countries should be the last in the world to judge any country and after what they did in the last 1000 years to a lot of people around the globe including the Jewish people.
I think that finland should return to their previous staging…i think the new one is less impactfull…
I ?? need ?? fresh ?? analysis ????
A video is up. It’s good.
Apart from chunky, sexy Luis, I don’t want to see two twinks squeal about how homophobic Blanka is now a “kween”.
Excuse me?
With this level of boredom Blanka will fly through comfortably. EBU is killing the fun by constantly making one semifinal overly strong and the other looking like an extended toilet break.
To be fair when the draw was done, we didn‘t know the majority of songs.
Well, SF1 is not as strong as it should be. Tho SF2 songs may not be the most popular or as extraordinary, we have several best vocals there. So maybe it will be better than SF1. Let’s see,
@Kuhkatz you’re right, and it only shows that premature decisions based solely on the voting patterns rather than song quality are pointless. We lost Latvia in a significantly stronger SF, but now we will have a bunch of bland qualifiers from a weaker semi. @fever I respect your opinion, but having Tattoo, Unicorn, Cha-cha-cha and “Queen” in one semi while having effectively no candidates for a victory, or actually no even TOP5 candidates in the other semi? They need to find a better way to split the songs between semifinals, rather than just the voting history. Apart from Greece and… Read more »
Come on… The EBU makes a draw to decide in which semi each country performs, so they can’t prevent one semi from being stronger than the other.
Having said that, though she doesn’t deserve it, BEJBA is probably in the final.
Why is there nothing about semi-final 2 on Wiwi?
It’s a really bad semi, with less than 10 songs worth qualifying.
So these the semi-final 2 artists need to be treated different because it’s “a bad semi”?
Yes, this is a bit weird and it’s silence across all of the YouTube channels too. Maybe people are busy in Liverpool but, like, I need fresh analysis!
Yes, I noticed this too and it’s the same across the YouTube channels. Maybe people are busy in Liverpool but, like, I need fresh analysis!
No Loreen – no news 😉
Just kidding! Don’t come for me loreeners…
I guess there’s really much less interest in this semi, and Wiwi is being a bit unprofessional, going with the flow…
Chanel didn’t invite “dance break” Many years before her, 2009 fourth placer had a dance break too (belly dance)
Not invite, it’s invent
More like “discover” I guess.
Here in France people think that performing in the 1st half is more like bad luck than anything but the funny thing is that this year bookies’ other favorites Sweden and Finland also got the first half. It will be interesting to see the exact winner but for sure the winner is amongst them.
(the exact order)
More people actually watch during the first half and then skip to the voting. And most recent winners came from first half!
I’d like to share my opinions and predictions on semi 2. Will there be a thread for that? Thanks in advance.
I ended up with more or less the bookies prediction for semi-final 2. I initially expected surprises but since semi 1 contained no surprises whatsoever, I have started believing that with televote only the bookies are more correct than otherwise. I personally have a feeling Albania might qualify but I will leave them out of my predictions as it seems. And for the tenth spot I will put in Estonia and leave out Denmark. Of course though many surprises may happen
Sweden would be an amazing show opener! Just saying…
True, but we know Sweden will be placed 10-13:-)
Just think if Sweden, France, Finland are back to back ?
more likely 9-11-13
It’s to slow to be opener. Usually they open with party anthem. This is not one..
It will be Austria of course, and Serbia second.
Or if Poland qualifies it would be good opener too.
It’s to slow to be opener. They go with the party songs. This is not one of them..
I think it’s increasingly clear that, unless something major happens, ‘Tattoo’ will win this year. It would be nice to be able to have a conversation about whether it deserves to win without a small army shouting about “negativity towards Sweden” or, as someone said to me on here the other day, “jealously of Loreen”. Yes, gurl, I’m jealous of a woman twice my age in an industry I wouldn’t work in for love nor money. I don’t really share the strong love or hate energies that many in the fandom have towards Sweden/Melo. If the song is good enough,… Read more »
I think it’s decreasingly clear!
Finland and Sweden have competition.
Czechia could win the jury.
Croatia could win the televote.
Armenia, Austria and Australia are all very hot in SF2.
France and Spain could do very well in both.
Agreed on Croatia. Otherwise…
Both Finland and Czechia have clear vocal issues. If Käärijä remains this bad on the jury show or the final night, I do not see the possibility.
Armenia, Austria, and Australia are hot, but they do not stand out that much.
Personally, the only competitor is Blanca Paloma (Spain), who has all of the core ingredients: quality song, amazing vocals, great staging, and impressive performance, etc. I am just not certain whether she is as popular in televoting as Sweden Finland, or Croatia.
Czechia rely a little too much on pre recorded vocals to appeal to the juries. I mean the group had like 6 singers and all of the sudden they are 3 singers and 3 dancers. They probably didn’t sound great together live so they decided to just focus on the show.
Still better to have them in the performance alltogether than putting the 3 non-singers behind instruments as it was in the preparties.
Gurl, they’re 50% in the odds. That’s higher than Duncan Lawrence was in 2019.
On a song + performance combo, Blanca Paloma is already the moral winner of this edition for me and I don’t need any results to validate that.
Agreed.
Honestly, I still feel this year is very weak, esp. after two amazing years in a row.
If we should put Loreen back to 2021 or 2022, she would have several competitors; she would not even be 100% sure top-10. But this year, only Blanca has the same all-round quality. We do have other nice entries, but just not that competitive.
It’s true. I wouldn’t mind Loreen winning but it’s almost cheapening to her Euphoria win because the song is *incredibly* derivative, unfortunately. From the “you ouh ouh” to the strings to the chord progressions in all sections of the song, *all* of this has been recycled just way too much. There’s literally a song by Mika Newton that sounds exactly the same lol
Not to say I don’t enjoy Loreen singing still 🙂
Accordi g to me – Every winner deserves to win. It is a fun competetion and as long as you follow the rules everyone deserves. All songs in this competition rely on influences and are more or less copies. Finland on that song by electric callboy more than Sweden relies on any song and Italy sounds like a thousand Italian ballads I heard before. Finland’s choreography/dance is moreover made by a Swede. Pop music is in the core of Swedis music. Loreen uses Swedish choreographers and song writers, it is as authentic as it can get. So of course she… Read more »
According to Electric Callboy Cha Cha Cha is not a copy of their song and they have said that they like it. Mika Newton’s comments about Tattoo comparing to V plenu were not as positive…
It is true that there is a Swedish choreographer behind Cha Cha Cha stage show and one of the dancers is Dutch. But the song is as Finnish as it can be.
For electric call boy it is commercially good that they get more attention. They probably also lended or was inspired by someone. That is how music is made. How’ve et cha cha cha is very much alike in the whole structure, message and style. The whole song is a kind of copying one song. People claim with Loreen’s bits and parts from many different songs – some that are hardly ever heard and that is ridiculous. In Finlands case it is really alike from the strart to the end.
Moreover the choreography in Cha Cha Cha makes 100 % of the interest of the song. So I guess Finland has to thank a Swede for that.
Why do the Swedes then listen to Cha Cha Cha so much that is has made it to your most streamed lists?
I did not say we don’t like Finland- quite the opposite. I was just arguing against the idea that Sweden is less authentic and original than for example Finland or Italy.
The thing is that you can’t understand the lyrics. I don’t get what Loreen is saying in English, and I get it is “artistic”. It will win the juries, but the public?
And where did Madonna got her inspiration to Frozen? From Moroccan culture, more specifically a film called “Under The Sheltering Sky. So who is really lifting here?
At least Loreen is authentic to her roots, Madonna is just doing it because she wanted to..
OK, we don’t criticise old school Madonna but you are right that ‘Frozen’ was inspired by The Sheltering Sky. That’s a fair point.
Finally some wise criticism. Thank you.
It would be so sad that Portugal takes that 2nd place on running order
It would be sad if Sweden doesn’t take it.
Sweden should, that would shut the conspiracy theorists up! 😀
I swear, if the producers put Kaarija 3rd and Loreen 13th… 🙁
it could open the grand final
After that performance last night I think Mme. Mimicat would take that energy and make it work for her anyway. She’d still finish Top 10.
You know the Sweden hate on this site is really tragic! It’s supposed to be a fun contest with the purpose to unite, find new music and find a safe space. Maybe even find new friends..
Yet all I see are comments about lobbying, Sweden mafia and conspiracy theories about Sweden doing this and this without backing it up..
Oh well, have fun watching it fellow “fans! I know I won’t.
Don’t let them bring you down. Hope you enjoy the live shows, Denis. Semi Final 2 is going to be much better than people imagined, and the interval acts are beautiful and celebrate the joy and unity you talk about.
Yeah, I will be watching Guardians of The Galaxy 3 instead on Saturday. Probably less cruel and heartbreaking than this site..
The movie is fine, but it’s quite disappointing
Well, Sweden ruined that, bozo
Then dont watch it, f boy..
Where or when did I say I was watching it, ruco?
Because the song “Tattoo” isn’t more remarkable or special than Estonia or Romania. (And this is not a hate comment.)
Do people also spread vicious theories about lobbying? Or that Estonian TV rules everything?
Ah, here you are, playing the victim card now. Can’t be more funnier.
Sweden, try next year harder, with and authentic product, away from mass production factories.
So because Sweden sends pop it deserves to be hated?
Other countries sends pop too. Denmark and UK sends pop every year too, yet people never hate them..
Yes, it does, and I’m tired to pretend not
So because Sweden sends pop it deserves hate?
Other countries send pop too, yet they don’t get hate. Does UK get hate for sending pop? Iceland?
Then you’ll be replacing public broadcast media as well.
Surely Serbia would be the best choice as the opener?
Tbh i don’t agree, but we will probably get some sh*tty position anyways so…
Also, happy for Czechia drawing second half, that’s awesome!!
Personally I could see France being the opener. The dramatic orchestral introduction seems very fitting for opening the show. The rest is still a toe tapper for those who are watching blind. Also, the song is pretty popular with fans and bookies, but not quite to the same level as Sweden/Finland, who I don’t see opening. Seems plausible to me!
Please tell me that the rumors aren’t true that “Future Lover” is getting a dance break. What an awful idea that would be.
Ah I see it downthread, sorry. Still, let me express my profound disapproval!
They are not.
She was phenomenal. She is breaking the curse of Spot 2.
I should correct this. There’s a sort of dance break. It’s not nearly as long as Noa’s thought, it’s very short and just feels more like a bridge. The performance is so mesmerising, I didn’t even think about it as a dance break.
Sweeden’s betting odd winning chances are getting insane.
I do concur that she has the best shot on Saturday, given the juries will get in the mix but almost 50%? I do not think it is that open. It will be a close one.
What I know is that Mimicat was not allowed to bring a sofa on stage, but Loreen could bring a giant toaster…
It’s not true.. Serbia bring giant flower, Finland bring box, Malta 3 rooms , but Portugal couldn’t sofa
If this is true it’s certainly not because of the production… perhaps Portuguese delegation don’t want to pay extra to bring props at Eurovision? Have you ever thought about this?
Interesting point there. :-/
It was not the reason, I followed all Mimicat’s interviews. Anyway, the post was just sarcasm…
she already confirmed that she dropped it becuase it seemed too small in this stage.
Not true! It was a Mimicat decision not to bring…and thank God!
However yes the portuguese act that we are seing it wasn’t what Mimicat and rtp wanted… the vision they had for the LEDs were not sucessfull, maybe cause bad rtp instrutions, maybe cause of bbc…nevermind!
This plan B was awesome! Congratz Portugal 3 in a row
If Austria ends up in the 1st half of the Grand Final tomorrow, they’ll inevitably open the show.
Austria or Australia. If one of them pull the 1st half then they’re opening.
Or Belgium ??
Please place Finland second in running order. If it’s really strong, it shouldn’t matter right? Eurovision gods, please hear our prayers 😀
HELLZ NO! 🙁
Or sweden and stop with all the advantages…no??? Hmmm wonder why…!
(If it’s that strong…shouldn’t matter)
Maybe in ESC 2147 we may see Sweden in a weird position like 2nd
For all i care, Sweden & Finland could be placed in 1&2 in the running order as both are overrated, just sayin. But since Finland seems to be perceived as the messiah, then let’s test how infallible it is if placed 2nd on the running order
Well, at least the qualifiers are evenly divided into first and second half. How this is going to be organized I don’t know.
To prove that Finland song is really strong, put it on the death spot & see if it wins
And put Sweden as the opener or the 3rd pls
Sure, Sweden opens & Finland 2nd in running order. If both are really strong, running order should matter right? 😀
Definitely agree, they’ll put on a show no matter their position in the RO 😀
I think one saving grace for Saturday is that we have 100% televote in the semis, so we should at least have songs that people actually want to see in the second half. Last year, there was a turgid run of 4 or 5 songs that (literally) no-one voted for, so hopefully it will still be an entertaining show come the weekend.
Putting similar entries of Australia, UK and Poland back-to-back and then breaking the momentum of the show by not clearing the stage in time for 2 of them was terrible!
The producers have their job cut out for them. I really have no idea what they’re gonna do with Finland and Sweden. And after sf-2 if we get another fave in the 1st half, then it’s gonna be chaos supreme.
Plus France AND Spain are in first half!!! Omg it’s gonna be chaos supreme anyway (can’t believe I forgot!)
Uhm completely off topic but Brunette seems to have a dancebreak incorporated after the rap part and before the climax. I am not pleased with this decision in a song like Future Lover. It feels forced and out of place the way I saw it in the videos uploaded. Rather cheap for an artsy up to now song. I am disappointed. I can’t understand why everyone feels the need for dancebreaks this year.
I just watched it on youtube. With the nice lighting, the atmosphere feels subtle. I was worried about her breath as Brunette sounds a little breathy in her former performances, but there is some time span after the dance break and she sounds managed to catch up.
But I agree with you, as I have some reservations on how much it can bring to the already a little fragmented song. Hope we are wrong when it comes to the live TV tomorrow.
I agree. My biggest concern is not the vocals since in some of the clips I saw she managed to perform good even after the dancing. But the fact that as you said the song already incorporates many elements. In my book up to now it just managed to stay cohesive enough. With even an upbeat dance part added, things are beginning to look incohesive. Perhaps not Unicorn-level incohesive but still incohesive. And out of place. Of course though let’s wait for the TV performance.
I am not a fan of this particular effect
Don’t worry, it worked for Noa
I am not ready to compare Unicorn with Future Lover. I never thought this day would come 🙂
Sooooo happy and relieved Israel got 2nd half. Had it got 1st, They would have probably made it the show opener, or at least one of the first three as happened so many times in the past.
När vi vinner på lördag, åker vi till Stockholm, Malmö eller Göteborg?
Friends Arena kapacitet: 65 000
Tele2 Arena kapacitet: 40 000
Avicii Arena kapacitet: 16 000
Malmö Arena kapacitet: 15 500
Scandinavium kapacitet: 14 000
Kapacitet kapacitet
Can’t you at least wait until you actually win? Show some humbleness Swedish fans.
He’s just trolling……. Espoo 2024!
I dont think he is Swedish, he is a troll trying to roast Sweden as usual.
Flera av oss här på Wiwibloggs är svenskar, jag, Dennis, Niya, Milla och du Hélène. Varför skulle vi inte känna oss stolta över Loreen, hon ger oss en vinst?
Det är inte ett brott att stödja din egen favorit, du är bara ett av de där Carola-fansen, hon kunde inte vinna två gånger men Loreen kan.
It’s not a crime to support your representative, on the contrary, but talking on this forum about kapacitet when you haven’t even won provokes so much antagonism.
Va, jag förstår inte var du får det från? Jag är inget Carolafan. Lite otrevligt att ta det för givet. Men om du är svensk då drar du bara till dig mer ilska från fansen mot Sverige när du tar ut segern i förskott. Den är inte så säker heller.
Jag är absolut inte säker på vinst. Att Loreen får bra med jurypoäng är man nog rätt så säker på. Men jag är osäker på telefonrösterna. Där ligger Finland bra till, betydligt bättre skulle jag säga. Det här är ju bidrag som är rena raka motsatserna också, så det är så svårt att sia om vad som funkar för kvällen. Det kommer i alla fall bli hur spännande som helst. Skulle Loreen vinna blir det absolut inte överlägset som oddsen visar just nu. Det blir på håret.
Swedish fans (like Spanish fans) don’t need anybody to roast themselves.
If there is one think I know after 15 years in Eurovision community, it’s that Swedish fans are very respectful. So our friend Jon here is either an isolated case, either a troll.
Plus I think that people should stop overthinking over Sweden. They’re good and they work a lot for that.
Respectful as in too full of themselves, right?
La tuya por si acaso
On esctracker Lorren is #1
EVERYBODY SIT DOWN, before you read this…….. We now officially know why exactly “Soldier, soldier” sounds like “Solo, solo”. Guess what. YES, you got it right. The same guy wrote both songs :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
With your reminder, I searched for the songwriters.
And I was shocked that ‘Solo’ is written by SEVEN songwriters…
And the name Blanka originates from the word meaning white… white like a snow, perhaps?
Not surprising in the slightest, the major difference between Switzerland and Poland this year is that Remo can actually sing, but they’re both barren algorithm songs otherwise, pretty much.
I feel bad for every Semi 2 act who gets a first half slot. Austria with a second half slot would probably clinch top 5.
All we need now is Austria in 1st half too and it will be funny.
Remember in 2017, when all favourites for win were put at the end to perform?
I wanna see sweden in the death spot. if anyone can break the curse its loreen. And it would put the conspiracy theories to rest
Havent you noticed that streams of any show get lower figure in the beginning and gains more viewing figures as the time progresses which means less people will see the acts in the beginning and will have less exposure for the general audience. Also a lot of people watching in the beginning wont watch till the end when actually the lines open. This can cost lower for the earlier songs. Not to forget than people remember usually things that have seen minutes ago than hours ago.
There is no death spot in Eurovision, and almost no conspiracy theorists
Serbia doesn’t even sing ! The song pushing so hard to be ”the different” But it is not artsy it is just cringey. It’s nothing near Konstrakta. Staging is complicated and too irksome.
.That song definitely is NOT artistic , it is trying to be but it is not. It’s so artifical / fake
Was it meant to be “artistic”? It’s a circus type of performance, like Finland and Croatia. But of out these three, Croatia’s circus is the best.
True!
Hello
Someone is annoyed their favourite act didn’t go through. Jezz, tell us what you really think…
Austria and Australia are both obvious qualifiers from SF2, so they will put one of those to open.
Blanka 2nd if qualifies.
Poor Mimicat will get 2nd or 3rd.
Sweden 9 (after the mini break)
can see Poe Poe Poe as a show opener, yes
If Youtube views indicate anything, then we could conclude that Croatia won the Semi-Final, Israel came 2nd and Loreen probably 3rd. This is insane 😀
Reaction videos to Croatia garnered many views consistently so many of these views probably come from Croatia itself. But who know, right?
Israel (about 9M inhabitants), Finland (5.5M) and Sweden (about 10M) came 2nd, 3rd and 4th in YouTube views, all of them have bigger populations than Croatia). I guess they have better chance of winning more views if you suppose a person is more prone of revisiting their own country’s performance.
Anyway I’ve done this analysis for some years now and it is usually consistent with televote once all split results are disclosed
But that’s what I meant. Croatia’s views didn’t come from Croatia, yet it’s the most-watched entry. Israel is 2nd and Loreen is effectively 3rd. Kaarija’s views don’t really prove much, as he’s had the loudest and most active fanbase who now probably watch his performance several times each.
Croatia is the most viewed because it’s the weirdest. Israel like’s Israel. Finland has a strong fanbase as you said. Loreen is Loreen.
Views not equal support. How many people liked the video would be slightly better indication, but theres still so many factors to consider. I remember Alekseev – Belarus 2018 got lots of views, because of the wacky staging, but he came only 16th in the semi.
Only croatians watch the video of their representatives? Stupid statement!
Sure
Did Ronela Hajati won televote in the semi last year? Or Hurricane (Loco loco) the year before? They both had the most views after the semi final and you know how they ended up – 8th/9th in the televote. So no, this does not mean anything.
It means nothing. More interesting to count like vs dislike ratio. But now that YouTube has removed that we can’t know,,
Croatia probably is first because it’s crazy. Loreen because it’s Loreen and her comeback. Kärrija because of fans and Noa because it’s ESC
Spain, Sweden, Finland and France in first half of final, it will be intersting. Probably Finland will open the show!
Sweden has the most complicated staging this year. They opened the final segment of the semi-final because of the set up it required. So I expect it to be right after one of the mini-breaks they have.So, at earliest 5th and latest 9th. They could conceivably be the opener, but there is a miniscule chance that happens.
They will put Sweden between 9th and 13th
So they’ll most likely be 9th. Just to much stuff to line up and getting Loreen up and in place. Can’t really do all that in the postcard timeframe.
First half: real shet
Second half: i sleep
It would be interesting to see Loreen performing in 2nd place.
She has high chances of winning this year and it would break the curse of the 2nd place thing. It would also help to put countries like Spain in the 11th or 12th position so we don’t have a lot of favourites all together.
Conclusion: Loreen does not need to perform in a specific spot so don’t waste a good spot in the first half with her.
Loreen has a very heavy staging, which demands quite some time to get installed and uninstalled, as we have already seen yesterday, so I believe it is not very likely to be put in the 2nd place.
They would never put Sweden in death slot. They will throw someone from 2nd semi there. Or maybe Mimicat
MimiCat’s song is better than Loreen one!
Portugal deserves a good spot.
I don’t understand how certain countries are treated in an inferior way to others.
When is the last time Sweden was in a death spot?
Either Kaarija or Loreen should go 2nd and become the first every country in Eurovision history to win it by performing 2nd in the running order.
Did anyone notice how the sound quality varied for each performance? When Malta performed, the sound was too quiet, but when Sweden performed, it improved significantly. Weird…
I felt there was a weird echo when Sweden performed with the backing vocals, making it a bit more muddled than in melfest.
Yes, the audio, or the vocals, overall were horrible last night.
100% right. Was I the only one to hear how the hands of Loreen were moving touching her body in the very beginning of the song?
This is about the artists not the sound. Portugal and Switzerland sounded fantastic.
Okay, Finland could be a very good opener because of the song, but lets be honest if that happens it’s obvious that the organizers want Loreen to win the contest. Also I think that if Finland won the semi or even finsihed second shouldn’t be the opener. For a fair competition Sweden will be 9th and Finland will be 12th in the running order.
I don’t think he will be the opener. On one hand, that will waste one of the few highlights of the night, if not the only. And this is just not good for the viewership and the watching experience. On the other hand, this will be unnecessarily controversial, as you have already suggested. Tho with the vocal last night, I do not think he is competitive anymore.
He was already closing semi. Im pretty sure he’ll be somewhere in the middle
Fair competition? To whom? There are 24 more countries that REQUIRE same level playing field.
F Sweden!
This is interesting because all the favorites are in the first half which means more positions for second semi finalists in the second half. And if the bets are right and we get the top 5 from the first half it means running order doesn’t count .
That’s because the qualities of entries divide too much.
Now this makes the finals more unpredictable. Well, something I’m thankful for. 2022 was very obvious, 2023 not so much.
BBC and the production team are aware of some technical sound issues about last night, where echoes and electrical sizzling inrerrupted a bit of the quality that went through. Today is Jury rehearsal for Semifinal 2 so they’re on a busy schedule, but everything should work by tomorrow.
Thank god they try to get it right after a year of preparation and after semi 1 already happened. Sigh
The big winner after the first semi is Ukraine. They already have a great song and staging and a perfect draw. Combine that with the fact that the entire contest is a reminder of the strife that country is suffering, then add in the multi-millions of displaced Ukrainians who can now vote for their own county. There will be a televote score of at least 250.
All Ukrainian refugees use their phones with Ukrainian numbers using roaming in each country. It seems to me that in such a scenario it is impossible to vote for a Ukrainian artist.
Ukraine has a terrible song this year.
Agree
I hope ukriane can get to top 10 only. Another win is so… no… It will degrade esc for sure
Ukraine wouldn’t be the only country to degrade ESC if they win though
To be frank, the entry this year is among the worst entries and the worst of Ukrainian records. It is understandable and acceptable for the last year, but the moods have been different. If it still has such a high score, then there must be some problems with the competition.
It is not the worst UA offering. It has quality and it may live outside the ESC bubble.
They have the best song this year. At least top 3 material.
I don’t understand how someone can see Finland and Israel both as „quirky songs“. They are totally different genres and while Käärijä’s song is so charming an fun to watch, because it’s about taking yourself not too seriously, Noa’s entry is the total opposite. It looks egocentric, overambitious and partly even grotesque, with ending up in „do you wanna see me dance?“ – as if the ESC was a fitness competition.
What even is this comment? Grotesque?? I don’t like Noa’s song, but I can’t fault her performance whatsoever.
Finland is a talentless sh*t show. The guy just runs and jumps around while barely singing the entire second half of the song. I can get why people see this as entertaining but so is watching videos of dogs scratching their butts on a carpet. So.. There is 0 talent in the Finnish entry.
Your words are harsh – but you’re right! Finland is very much a ballon of nothing blown up by hype. I was looking forward to seeing it yesterday what with all the talk during the week. I was shockingly disappointed. Is this the direction in which we want Eurovision to go?