The Benidorm Fest voting system will remain the same for the 2023 edition of Spain’s national selection for Eurovision.

As in 2022, the results will be determined using three different sets of votes. Televoting will account for 25%; a demographic panel (of television viewers thought to represent the nation as a whole) will account for another 25%; and an expert jury consisting of both national and international figures will make up the remaining 50%. 

RTVE communications boss Maria Eizaguirre confirmed two of the jury members on Tuesday: Nacho Cano and Christer Björkman.

 
 
 
 
 
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Nacho is a noted composer, musician and record producer. He was a founding member of the Spanish pop band Mecano, which achieved huge success in the 1980s.

In 2004, Madrid City Hall commissioned Nacho to write the official wedding music for Prince Felipe of Spain. In 2010, he composed music for the European Athletics Championships, which were held in Barcelona that year.

Christer, you’ll already know, turned Melodifestivalen into a pop music factory that churned out Eurovision contenders and two winners in Loreen and Måns Zelmerlöw. Since retiring from Swedish television after Eurovision 2021, he’s created the American Song Contest and is now working on subsequent editions, including Eurovision Song Contest Latin America.

RTVE added that the juries will be much broader than in 2022 and that the international jury will have a stronger presence. Last year’s jury consisted of just five people, three from Spain and two from abroad. 

Last year, as often happens when the jury and public disagree, Eurodrama erupted. Tanxugueiras won both the public vote and the demoscopic jury. But the expert jury ranked the Galician group way down in 5th.

Expanding the jury will go a long way to dampen inevitable conspiracy theories. With more members, each individual carries less weight, which reduces the typical criticism at national finals that any individual has too much power. The presence of international jurors will also reduce the risk of conspiracy theories that flow freely when a juror knows someone who knows someone who knows the artist or songwriter. Connections like that are a lot less likely if you pluck jurors from abroad. 

Last year’s jury included:

🇮🇸 Felix Bergsson (Iceland’s Head of Delegation)

🇦🇹 Marvin Dietmann (Artistic director)

🇪🇸 Natália Calderon (vocal coach)

🇪🇸 Estefanía García Nieto (inspector-coordinator of RTVE’s choir)

🇪🇸 Miryam Benedited (choreographer)

Chanel has encouraged all artists to submit for the next edition.

“I would tell them not to be afraid, that nothing has been written about cowards. It is a unique experience, let them keep the positive and know that I will be there to support them. It’s a spectacular and once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Are you happy to see Nacho and Christer? How many people do you think a jury should include? And what should the breakdown be between Spanish jurors and international jurors? Let us know down below!

55 Comments
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Pauly
Pauly
1 year ago

I am glad Chanel won this year thanks to the jury BUT they really need to change the format. Why 4 people have so much power? Just add more power in the jury if you insist on keeping their share of power.

Pauly
Pauly
1 year ago

why do they bring a foreigners to have a say in a Spanish song festival? It’s cringy.

Eurovision fan
Eurovision fan
1 year ago

ESC fans are the most hypocritical fans ever. Yes, Chanel was 3rd, but this format needs change. Only 3% of people who voted wanted her to represent them, saying how it does not matter because she had good result and performance was good is just hypocritical and unprofessional statement.

Efraim
Efraim
1 year ago

Also of note, presumably in order to avoid another Luna Ki incident, the rules for the 2023 Benidorm Fest explicitly state that “the performer(s) will sing live and without any voice-distorting or voice-enhancing effects, accompanied by a recording of the instrumental track of their song, which they will have to provide to RTVE.”

Lou
Lou
1 year ago

so you write about spain and their new jury members but you dont write that geogira AND north macedonia just choose their artists for jesc 2022 which actually has more to do with esc then spains new jury members.

Escfan
1 year ago
Reply to  Lou

I don’t think wiwibloggs usually writes much about jesc unfortunately.

Jonkonfui
Jonkonfui
1 year ago
Reply to  Lou

Jesc thingy should be cancelled… It is sooo corny.

Esc addict
Esc addict
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonkonfui

How corny?! It’s your comment that should be cancelled.

Jonkonfui
Jonkonfui
1 year ago
Reply to  Esc addict

Ok then both my comment and this Jesc thing. Watching a bunch of kids singing weird songs about peace and love reminds me of that song in Matilda’s musical: we are revolting children living in revolting times we sing revolting songs using revolting rhymes…

Esc addict
Esc addict
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonkonfui

Nobody asks you to watch, if there’s a public for it, if it makes the kids happy, you should respect that. And very often the songs are very good so I really don’t know what you mean. The jesc songs have nothing to envy to the esc songs and are really less weird that some esc songs.

Jonkonfui
Jonkonfui
1 year ago
Reply to  Esc addict

If there is a public for bullfighting, kickboxing 4 kids, dog fightings you should respect that. Children must have their own spaces. Nowadays you see kids on tv only if they are USED for adults entertainment. The Voice kids, Masterchef kids, idol kids and my ass kids all tv shows at adult hours. This is really bad and Jesc follows this trend of using kids for adult entertainment. Let children be children and not these mini adults who care for war and peace in the world and all those imposed speeches they are forced to sing. When you watch Jesc… Read more »

Jonkonfui
Jonkonfui
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonkonfui

Have you ever considered what happens to kids who end up last on this kind of shows? You force them to compete and be the winner and then once they have fulfilled your need to be entertained you dismiss them and… Next!. Children do not have to play adult games, children do not have to compete, children do not have to represent their countries on a music competition.
What would be next Olympic Games 4 kids? Welcome to madness.

Esc addict
Esc addict
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonkonfui

Jesc is at 4pm on Sunday, it’s done for the children so not in prime time. The children love this competitive spirit, in the playground at school for example they always play for competitions. Nobody forces them to compete in the jesc, and they are very aware about how a contest works, there’s a first and a last and there’s no shame to be last in this kind of contest. The children are often more clever than the adults on this aspect of the competition.

Jonkonfui
Jonkonfui
1 year ago
Reply to  Esc addict

Too many words to say nothing… Of course it is ‘bad’ to be last… The winner takes it all the loser standing small. Most of those kids will be broken toys… But of course you dont give a dam as long as they entertain you on a Sunday afternoon.

Lou
Lou
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonkonfui

no , jesc shouldnt be cancelled at all , its a way for kids to show their talent to the world , they have every right to want to do that as much as an adult can

Jonkonfui
Jonkonfui
1 year ago
Reply to  Lou

Kids dont have to show anything to the world. They have to play n learn… Most of those kids when they reach a certain age and their voices crack… Well bye bye talent and hello despair.
You can check how have ended up most of the prodigy children of movies, music and showbusiness in general.

Pauly
Pauly
1 year ago
Reply to  Lou

No one watches jESC other than Poland and maybe Georgia and Armenia.

Pauly
Pauly
1 year ago
Reply to  Lou

no one cares about jESC

Ivar
Ivar
1 year ago

Why bother with a popular vote at all when that vote has very little significance? I understand they want the money, but still.

xelx
xelx
1 year ago
Reply to  Ivar

It’s not that insignificant, Rigoberta Bandini was very close to winning thanks to placing second in both the expert jury vote and the televote. If Rigoberta had placed second also in the demoscopic panel vote over Chanel (a difference of only 0.36%) she would have won.

Pauly
Pauly
1 year ago
Reply to  xelx

and Spain wouldn’t have experienced what they experienced this year!

Polegend Godnova
1 year ago

i hope this backfires for them next year. it makes no sense to me that half of the result is decided by five people lol

Lorena
Lorena
1 year ago

María’s Muérdeme performance was awful, while Miki did a good performance. La Venda was actually 14th in televote, I think it deserved better.

Escfan
1 year ago

The thing is typically a jury is going totry and pick anaxt that they think has the best chance to do well at ESC. Whilst it sounds bad phrasing it like 5 people decide the act for a country, I do think its important to realise that jurors go with entries that they think could do the best at ESC and also especially for international jurors, they’re less likely to be swayed by popularity of contestants or picking an act because of the region they’re from. Whilst its certainly not a bad thing to pick acts like that, I do… Read more »

Efraim
Efraim
1 year ago

First, Muérdeme tanked because María couldn’t deliver live.

And second, Do It for Your Lover is actually on the jury. Contigo won the televote that year, but the jury (which, allow me to remind you, for some reason included a radio host that had already been promoting Do It for Your Lover on his show) had the tiebreaker vote. Not that Contigo was that much better, but we have to regard 2017 as the exception to the rule.

Jonkonfui
Jonkonfui
1 year ago
Reply to  Efraim

Muerdeme tanked as if La Venda shone?? The jury chose Do it for your lover bc previously the people voted and put that piece of garbage on the final.
Last, tu canción over Lo Malo… Crazy much??

Efraim
Efraim
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonkonfui

Wrong again with Do It for Your Lover. The winner of the pre-Objetivo Eurovisión public selection was Ouch!. The other five finalists were hand-picked by TVE.

Jonkonfui
Jonkonfui
1 year ago
Reply to  Efraim

Nop. There was an online voting to choose the songs that went yo the Final. People voted for Do It for your lover to be at the NF.

xelx
xelx
1 year ago

The article explains that expert jury is getting expanded.

Pauly
Pauly
1 year ago

Do it for you lover was not chosen by the public.

Tanxu got a massive lead in televoting because half of Galicians voted for them.

Jake
Jake
1 year ago

Chanel made SloMo…few performers could’ve pulled that off
As a track, no one gave that song much chance
but on stage–she turned it out and made the performance outshine the song
Interesting that for us much love as that show got–it didn’t catch on like Maneskin did
And it seems the song that has outlasted the competition this year is SNAP based on current spotify streams–that song has gone viral everywhere

Lorena
Lorena
1 year ago
Reply to  Jake

I agree. As a Spaniard, I’m proud of Chanel, but I’m not proud of Slomo. Our musical industry can do much better than that, so a I am somehow happy because we had a good position this year, but we didn’t win. Happy for the good position because Chanel deserved it. Happy that we didn’t win because when we do, I hope it is with a really good song, we can do it!

Thallo
Thallo
1 year ago

Thank god they’re keeping the same format!

As soon as Chanel was announced as the winner of BeniFest I commented here that I hope they’ll keep the same voting system next year and I received so many downvotes for it. Interesting to see that everyone now supports the same voting format after Chanel placed 3rd.

Dawid
Dawid
1 year ago

Why would you change jury who basically picked Chanel despite fans wanting someone else? Like they proved they’re right people for the job, right? If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it

Esc addict
Esc addict
1 year ago

“Spain can keep the top 3 positions for years to come” well it’s not so easy man, it’s not because it has happened this year that it would be the same each years. Even some acts from San Remo or from the Melfest have failed in Eurovision, so it’s not because you do a festival and that you send an act from it that it will be forcefully successful, it’s not infallible.

Esc addict
Esc addict
1 year ago
Reply to  Esc addict

Btw I thought that a top 3 placement was not enough satisfying for you this year…. so in fact it is as you want it each years 😉 but don’t be too greedy too quickly.

Esc addict
Esc addict
1 year ago

Mr Bjorkman is still and always omnipresent in this esc world….
I just hope that the Benfest will keep getting his own identity, I mean don’t try to be and let this festival growing by itself.
To increase the number of jurors is always a good idea but if there is the same disagreement as this year between the jury and the public, it won’t prevent the drama I think.

Jack
Jack
1 year ago

The current voting gave us Chanel so those who complain need to grow up.

Lorena
Lorena
1 year ago

I don’t know… Chanel got a great position…. with a song that was generic pop.

Esc addict
Esc addict
1 year ago
Reply to  Lorena

There’s nothing bad saying that Slomo is a pop song, it’s a fun and danceable song but not that masterpiece. Actually I can see perfectly Ronela, Lucas Hanni, Wrs, or Eleni among others, performing a Slomo style song brillantly and they don’t come from Spain or from others spanish speaking countries… I mean Spain did well since a long time it’s cool but not with something really unique and not already seen. Slomo was a simple pop song with latin flavor that nobody really cares on the studio version before the Benfest and it’s Chanel herself that upgraded it with… Read more »

Lorena
Lorena
1 year ago
Reply to  Lorena

You have a very wrong concept about Spanish music. Slomo is the type of music that a Latin-North American would do. I’m thinking about JLo or Camilla Cabello, for example. It’s not bad, but it’s not Spanish either.

Lorena
Lorena
1 year ago
Reply to  Lorena

Most of the artists you mention are not Spanish. And two of them (Enrique Iglesias and Miguel Bosé) have lived out of Spain during most of their lives. It’s like saying you like British music because you listen to Dolly Parton and Eminem.

Lorena
Lorena
1 year ago
Reply to  Lorena

Again it is not the same Spanish music and music sang in Spanish.

Jofty
Jofty
1 year ago
Reply to  Lorena

So Romania??

Darren
Darren
1 year ago

Eurovision and the national selections need less Bjorkmann if truth be told.

Him and Kirkorov just give me massive shady vibes.

Jofty
Jofty
1 year ago
Reply to  Darren

Shady Ladies

Alex
Alex
1 year ago

I mean…the ONE thing that people wanted to change was the voting outline and yet, they still didn’t change it. I am hoping that “expanding” the jury means at least 10 jury members. That said, this still isn’t as great as it could be. The festival itself was great expect for this one aspect

Meckie
Meckie
1 year ago

Xeinn sang a Melodifestivalen reject this year. So I guess in 2023 we’ll hear more such songs in Benidorm Fest.

Lorena
Lorena
1 year ago
Reply to  Meckie

Then better Sweden keeps their rejects. Eco was much better than 90% of this year’s Mello songs

Voilà monsieur
Voilà monsieur
1 year ago

Björkman’s like a turd that won’t flush. Thankfully, we managed to flush the turd that once was Kirkorov

Jofty
Jofty
1 year ago

Let’s hope Baarker does not try to get in on the act. Don’t want to see a “reworking” of Space Man or Hold Me Closer.

Eurovision fan
Eurovision fan
1 year ago

Try to have not xenophobic, right-wing jury next time. Thanks.

Marc
Marc
1 year ago
Reply to  Eurovision fan

What did he do or say that can be considered xenophobic? Genuinely asking, I have no idea.

Eurovision fan
Eurovision fan
1 year ago
Reply to  Marc

I refer to this year’s jurors.