Global Courant 2023-05-13 06:40:38
Sprinkle the sequins and pump up the volume: the annual Eurovision Song Contest climaxes on Saturday with a grand final broadcast live from the UK city of Liverpool.
There will be catchy choruses, a kaleidoscope of costumes and tributes to the spirit of Ukraine in a competition that has captured the changing zeitgeist of a continent since 1956.
Last year, 161 million people watched the contest, according to the organiser, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), making it one of the world’s most watched events.
Here’s what to expect as acts from across Europe – and beyond – compete for the continent’s pop crown.
Who is in?
This year, 37 countries sent an act to Eurovision, selected through national competitions or internal selections by broadcasters. The winner of last year’s event usually hosts the contest, but as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues, this year the UK is doing the honors on behalf of 2022’s winner, Ukraine.
Alyosha will play for Ukraine this year. The country has won three times since it started competing in 2003 (Martin Meissner/AP Photo)
Six countries automatically qualify for the final: last year’s winner and the five countries that contribute the most to the competition: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.
The others must perform in the semi-final with 20 acts chosen by public vote on Tuesday and Thursday.
The qualifiers are: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Israel, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland.
The final will take place at the Liverpool Arena on Saturday.
Australia?
Eurovision is not just geography. Eurovision is hugely popular in Australia and the country was allowed to enter the competition in 2015. Other participants from outside the European borders are Israel and Azerbaijan.
Who are the favourites?
It’s hard to predict the winners in a contest where past winners have ranged from ABBA to Finnish metal band Lordi, but bookies say Swedish diva Loreen, who won in 2012, is the favorite with her power ballad Tattoo.
Finland’s Käärijä was a crowd pleaser in the semi-finals with his pop-metal party number Cha Cha Cha and Canadian singer La Zarra, who competes for France, is also highly regarded for her Edith Piaf-esque song Évidemment.
UK’s Mae Muller hopes to put in a strong performance on Saturday night (Martin Meissner/AP Photo)
And never underestimate leftist entries like Let 3 from Croatia, whose song Mama ŠČ! is pure Eurovision camp: an anti-war rock opera that plays like Monty Python meets Dr Strangelove.
What happens in the final?
Around 6,000 people will attend the final, hosted by longtime BBC Eurovision presenter Graham Norton, Ted Lasso and West End star Hannah Waddingham, British singer Alesha Dixon and Ukrainian rock star Julia Sanina.
Each participating act must sing live and adhere to a three-minute limit, but is otherwise free to create their own staging – the flashier the pyrotechnics and elaborate the choreography, the better.
The Russian war in Ukraine will add a solemn note to a contest famous for celebrating cheesy pop.
The show opens with a performance by last year’s winner, the folk-rap band Kalush Orchestra, and singer Jamala, who won the competition in 2016, pays tribute to her Crimean Tatar culture. Ukraine has won the competition three times since it started participating in 2003.
One person who will not appear is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He asked to address the final by video, but the EBU said such a talk would violate “the non-political nature of the event”.
How is the winner determined?
After all acts have performed, viewers in participating countries can vote by phone, text or app, but are not allowed to vote for their own country.
This year, viewers from non-participating countries will also be able to vote online for the first time, with the combined “rest of the world” votes given the weight of one individual country.
Let 3 from Croatia sing an anti-war rock opera (Martin Meissner/AP Photo)
National juries of music industry professionals also award between 1 and 12 points to their favorite songs, with an announcer from each country emerging to declare who received the coveted “douze points” (12 points).
The votes of the public and the jury are combined to give each country one score. Ending with “zero points” (zero points) is considered a national disgrace. The UK has suffered that fate several times – most recently in 2021. However, it bounced back last year, as Sam Ryder came second and hopes this year’s entrant Mae Muller will also put in a strong performance.
Where can I look?
Eurovision is broadcast by national broadcasters belonging to the EBU, including the BBC in the UK, and on the Eurovision YouTube channel. In the United States, it is shown on NBC’s streaming service Peacock.
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