She won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998 and has since blazed a multifaceted career across the globe.
And now Dana International will bring it all home, opening the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv.
She’ll open the show with a two song medley including “Tel Aviv” and a special rendition of her 1998 winner “Diva”.
“Tel Aviv” was originally performed by Omer Adam and Arisa. Adam himself ruled out an appearance at Eurovision since it would involve working during the Shabbat.
Israeli media reports it will be a new version of the song. The new version will have an “oriental” feel and feature a performance with dozens of dancers.
Details for what may be this year’s parade of flags segment have also been released.
Each country’s act will arrive by plane and meet Dana International on a special platform.
Not content with kicking things off, Dana will also appear later in the show.
She’ll share the screen in a sketch with UK Eurovision commentator Graham Norton. It is a year of anniversaries for both acts. It is twenty years since Dana brought the contest back to Israel and ten years since Norton began commentating on the contest for the BBC.
International will also feature during the semi-finals.
Addressing the news, Israeli Eurovision broadcaster KAN said:
“We are happy about the great interest in the Eurovision Song Contest in general and the performances in particular. The audience in the venue and the TV viewers will get to watch a show that has not yet been seen before in Israel. We recommend to be patient until the first semi-final on May 14.”
Are you excited to see Dana on stage? What do you make of the grand final news? How do you think the new version of “Diva” will sound? Let us know below!
All the comments here just make me hate Eurovision fans.
What I think is great is that Dana started the 1999 Grand Final with her performance of the song “Free” with dozens of dancers around the walls of Jerusalem. I think this opening sequence is an ode to that opening performance and I like that KAN is coming full circle.
That was not the opening in 1999, it was the main interval act between the songs and voting.
I’m just hoping, that she will really sing live.
Let’s hope she doesn’t, for the sake of our ears.
I agree, I don’t want her to sing live, but I do hope it looks semi-realistic.
She was supposed to be an advocate for tolerance and acceptance back when she won in 1998. Since then, she’s just been showing how hateful and ignorant she is, with her regular bursts of anger and hate speeches. She has nothing to do on the ESC stage.
+ I’ve said it again: I’m getting tired of all these special guests: Israel, in case you haven’t noticed you’re hosting Eurovision, not the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Stick to your job and stop trying to grab every celerity you can, no one cares.
Please elaborate on her “anger” and “hate speeches”…I know she made some problematic comments about Loreen (in character?), but what else?
I’m 100% happy that Dana is going to open the Final 🙂
There will be more interval acts than the actual entries.
I respect the artist, but really I am getting tired of her. She is everywhere lol.
Who cares about Dana? He’s not even relevant, i just don’t like him
Can ESC fans officially be announced the most complaining and unsatisfied ever?
I feel so bad for them. Poor babies…
The answer is in your question: they’re ESC fans, no one signed up to see a stupid catwalk of random celebrities. So it’s understandable that people are complaining.
ESC fans want to see singers representing the countries, a cool scoreboard and an exciting voting sequence. No one cares about Madonna, Gal Gadot, now Dana International and next who knows? Natalie Portman? Roger Federer? Daniel Radcliffe? Sacha Baron Cohen? This is ridiculous.
It’s almost like having big names in the interval acts has 0 effect on the things you’re complaining that “ESC fans want to see.”
Live or playback?
Hosted by Tel Aviv and Israel, Madonna and now this! Annus horribilis!
😀
Don’t watch, then.
If they won’t include Nadav Guedj showing us Tel Aviv I’m going to be so upset.
He is in the army, I think
He got discharged last year i think.
Who cares for Netta if you can have Diva Dana…
Heaven forbid!
”Each country’s act will arrive by plane and meet Dana International on a special platform.”
So it’s not only about opening the show. Dana will welcome the artists. This is different than opening with 2 songs. At this point I think Israel is ashamed of Netta’s looks.
So this is officially a Gay Parade?
no. they picked her bc she is a part of eurovision history and well-represents her country. she just happens to be trans.
She’s not gay, so your comment makes little sense.
I adore Dana and call me old fashioned but it doesn’t feel right having anyone but the previous winner open the Grand Final. It sets the tone for the epic final to the Eurovision season.
Neither last year nor the year before opened with the previous winner.
I know, and it’s wrong.
Yes, it’s wrong. Can you see Salvador wanting this responsibility? Portugal had no choice.
The opening act of Semi final 1 is always the previous years winning song performed as an opening to the next winners contest.
its been that way the last few years, but the winner always performs a new song in the final interval act as well
2018 SF1 didn’t start with Salvador Sobral.
Sorry your right, the song was performed but not by Salvador
I think Netta should open the Grand Final and Dana semi 1 for all the obvious reasons
Cool. From the general audience’s point of view it’s a familiar face and a familiar song. Also, it would be a nice touch if she added “Viva Netta” to the lyrics.
Y’all are impossible to please.
Saw her perform in Amsterdam Eurovision party and really not interested in a repeat performance…
Mahmood better open the show
Close the show, you mean ?
Hope she will perform ding dong 🙂
How about some “unkown” local artists? Come on…
The Idan Reichel Project will perform in the interval act with this song
https://youtu.be/_uJLsc05ZE4
Nice to know, however, there’s not one time mentioned here on wiwiblogs. Last year they covered the interval acts a couple of times that I can remember.
Yuk!
Agree, dana should open semi final 1 and netta the final.
2016 was the best opening. Introducing all 26 acts while half naked models dancing and twerking on the stage
Why is it all about Dana? Yes, she wrote history in 1998 but she’s been in every national final and ESC party since then, it’s enough! What about Netta? It’s a shame really.
Netta will open the 1st semi final with a new version of TOY, and she’ll also sing a new song in the final during the interval act.
Also, Netta will hand over the trophy at the end (I assume).
Netta will open the shows in the first semi final and will also sing during the interval in the final.
With all these opening acts and interval acts it’s going to be a long show. Will be tired out before the contestants start to sing!
The show really needs to be shorter. Last year’s winner opens, parade of flags and then on with it.
The show is exactly the same length every year including this one so it’s not going to be longer but rather more interesting.
Why does it need to be shorter? You just followed the contest a whole year trough, and all of a sudden a grand finale of three hours and fifty minutes is too much. Interval acts mostly take place during the voting procedure so they barely add any extra time to the show.
What about 2015? The final was 5 hours long.
seems like it will be a veeeery long show.