Earlier in the month, the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) confirmed that they would participate in Eurovision 2019. Now the broadcaster has revealed the way Georgia will select their artist for Tel Aviv. The winner of the upcoming series of Georgian Idol will represent their country at Eurovision 2019.
The news was confirmed in a brief announcement by GPB. The broadcaster stated that the decision had been approved by their board of trustees.
The announcement doesn’t give any details of how the song for Eurovision will be selected. However, it is likely that it will be internally selected by the broadcaster after the winner of Idol has been decided.
Georgian Idol has been running since 2008. Two Idol winners have previously gone on to represent Georgia at Eurovision. Series two winner Nodiko Tatishvili was internally selected to represent Georgia in 2013, where he performed “Waterfall” with Sopho Gelovani.
The unstoppable Nina Sublatti won series six of Idol. Two years later she won the Georgian national final and performed “Warrior” at Eurovision 2015. Sublatti became a judge on the revamped version of Georgian Idol in 2017.
Georgia is known for never using the same Eurovision selection method twice. In 2015, Nina Sublatti was chosen via a modest five-act national final. The following year, Nika Kocharov & Young Georgian Lolitaz were internally selected but their song was chosen in a national final.
In 2017, Georgia went all out with an extravagant 25-act national final, thought to have been held as an “audition” for hosting Junior Eurovision 2017. And earlier this year, Ethno-Jazz Band Iriao were internally selected.
Georgia is now the fourth country who will use a television talent show to help select their act for Eurovision 2019.
Malta has ditched their long-running national final and will instead use the upcoming series of X Factor Malta. The show will begin broadcast on 7 October and the eventual winner will also be Malta’s Eurovision singer.
Israel will again use its successful Rising Star show. This time the show will select both the singer and the song they will perform as the host act at Eurovision 2019.
Spain is again using its popular talent/reality show Operación Triunfo. The format of the Eurovision Gala has not been confirmed, but the broadcaster has said the gala may be open to all 16 competing acts, not just the ones left in the competition at the time of the gala.
Georgia last qualified for the Eurovision grand final in 2016, when Nika Kocharov & Young Georgian Lolitaz placed 20th with “Midnight Gold”.
Series eight of Georgian Idol is expected to begin in January 2019.
What do you think? Should Georgia use Idol to select its act for Eurovision 2019? Who would you like to see represent Georgia in Tel Aviv? Leave your thoughts below!
Great idea, after the atrocity sent this year. Lesson learned, hopefully? Seems not, after another atrocity in 2014 (The Shin & Mariko – Three Minutes to Earth) they sent same poor recipy, the horrible Iriao band ??
Can they send Tamara again?
So they are trying something similar to what Israel does. It could be really good for them.
Ok then if Malta chooses through X Factor and Georgia through Idol then I’m pretty sure a country will use The Voice to select its representative.
Hopefully something like 2012 again but that is unlikely sadly 🙁
Georgia’s 2012 entry was an embarrassment of a song, how could you like that, I know people are entitled to their own opinion, but seriously HOW could you like that entry ???
I love how Georgia never comes up with a “normal” entry, there’s always something in their songs and artists that makes them stand out. Hopefully next year they deliver.
What was anormal in 2013? The fact that the woman couldn’t hit a single not maybe, but the song itself was your very typical if pleasant and decent Eurovision G:sson ballad.
* single note
The only thing abnormal about Georgia 2013 is, well, Georgia.
Eurovision needs experienced artists with songwriters and good staging
Georgia are so interesting. You never know what they’re going to do next. I think this could work if the song is good.
2015 – Multiple artist NF, top 5 from submissions selected
2016- Single artist NF, multiple songs
2017- Multiple artist NF, all the songs in contention.
2018- Internal Selection
2019- Talent Show
Gotta give it to Georgia, they aren’t shy in trying different approaches.
At least they’re trying!
I’m always a bit wary when countries use talent shows to find their artist, as the people who take part aren’t necessarily the same sort of people who would take part in a national final. Then again, it worked for Israel last year, so I guess we just have to wait and see!
Netta was a known artist in the indie scene before the show, she just wasn’t performing on big stages. The production of Rising Star saw her performing and have practically begged her to give the show a try for years but she refused, till last year
Plus it’s not just Netta, if you check the contestants of 2018 a lot of them participated in talent shows in the past: Ukraine, Estonia, Australia, Finland, Lithuania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Armenia, Ireland, etc etc.
Well, their persistence paid off handsomely.