Join us as we dive into the Eurovision Song Contest 2023
CONGRATULATIONS SWEDEN
EUROVISION LIVE BLOG
UPDATE 23 – MEET THE ARTISTS – TVORCHI (UKRAINE 🇺🇦)
Reigning champions Ukraine are sending duo TVORCHI to defend their Eurovision title.
Jeffery and Andrii, two friends who met at University, have enjoyed plenty of domestic success, with 4 albums and several hit singles to their name.
In the years since they started recording together, the pair have released 4 albums, with each of them hitting the number-one spot in Ukraine’s main music chart. Their latest album, ROAD, even beat Kanye West and Drake to the top spot and racked up more than 3 million streams.
As might be expected, Heart of Steel is about bravery. The team says the song is about being free in your actions, expressions and thoughts and to keep going no matter how exhausted and wounded you are.
UPDATE 22 – MEET THE ARTISTS – TEYA & SALENA (AUSTRIA 🇦🇹)
For Teya & Salena, it’s all about Eurovision.
The duo met while competing in the Austrian talent show Starmania 21, bonding over their love for the Eurovision Song Contest. When they later put their heads together at a songwriting camp, their dream took hold, and they united specifically to enter Eurovision.
Both artists have come close to Eurovision stardom before Salena came second in Austria’s 2019 pre-selection, where PÆNDA beat her to the draw, and Teya had a similar experience, losing out to Vincent Bueno in 2020. However, the girls can lay those ghosts to rest if they deliver Austria’s first qualification from the Eurovision Semi-Finals since Cesár Sampson in 2018.
The talented twosome wrote the satirical Who The Hell Is Edgar? by drawing on their experiences as female songwriters in an industry that all too often doesn’t give women enough credit for their hard work and expertise.
UPDATE 21 – MEET THE ARTISTS – JOKER OUT (SLOVENIA 🇸🇮)
Joker Out (made up of Bojan, Jure, Kris, Jan, and Nace) are one of Slovenia’s most successful groups, having enjoyed both chart success and critical acclaim in recent years.
The wide range of the band members’ personalities – from the methodically astute to blissfully spontaneous – has led them to develop a unique sound, which they refer to as ‘shagadelic rock ‘n’ roll’.
Their energetic but seductive brand of softboi rock has taken the Balkans by storm, with their critically acclaimed debut studio album Umazane Misli (Indecent Notions) setting new streaming records domestically and leading to sold-out gigs across their home country.
Now, they’re heading to Liverpool with Carpe Diem, which, like all the other tracks, they’ve penned themselves. In their own words, ‘All of us are huge Eurovision lovers.’
UPDATE 21 – MEET THE ARTISTS – VOYAGER (AUSTRALIA 🇦🇺)
Voyager is a 5-piece Perth-based band that has been performing together since 1999 and have toured the world several times over.
The group are massive Eurovision fans and have launched several attempts to compete since Australia joined the Contest in 2015, coming closest last year when they took the runner-up spot at Australia Decides.
Having recognised their enthusiasm, broad appeal, and knack for producing synth-metal stompers, Aussie broadcaster SBS selected the band to head to Liverpool without a national competition.
The United Kingdom is a home away from home for guitarist Simone Dow, as she was born in Scotland. The other members are all big fans of British sitcoms too, so if they can’t be found in the green room, they might be watching The Young Ones in the delegation bubble.
UPDATE 20 – MEET THE ARTISTS – PASHA PARFENI (MOLDOVA 🇲🇩)
Eurovision runs through Pasha Parfeni’s veins, having been involved with multiple national final songs in Moldova, as well as representing the nation at the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2012, where he finished 11th.
The following year, he joined forces with his wife Yuliana to compose Moldova’s entry O Mie for Aliona Moon. Aliona had been a backing vocalist for Pasha in 2012, and this time he took to the Eurovision stage to accompany her on the piano.
The lyrics of Pasha’s 2023 entry Soarele și Luna, were written by his wife and muse, Yuliana Scutaru.
Pasha is also known for his activism, using his music and performances to stand up for freedom.
UPDATE 19 – MEET THE ARTISTS – VESNA (CZECHIA 🇨🇿)
Vesna is an all-female band led by acclaimed singer and songwriter Patricia Kaňok.
They launched their debut album, Pátá bohyně (The Fifth Goddess), during a fairytale-inspired concert with the Prague Symphony Orchestra. It was quickly nominated for the Anděl Award for ‘Discovery of the Year’.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vesna used the lockdown time to record a new album called Anima, which solidified their position on the pop scene while at the same time allowing them to retain their distinctive folk soul and dreaminess. The band scored a radio hit with the song Na Dračích Perutích (On the Wings of a Dragon).
In February 2022, Vesna joined other Czechian artists at a charity concert in Wenceslas Square to show their support for Ukraine.
EUROVISION 2023
EUROVISION FIRST SEMI-FINAL (LIVE BLOG)
8.03pm – Welcome to the First Eurovision Semi-Final, my name is Neil, and I am going to be with you all evening.
8.05pm – Reflections, Electric Dreams and pure Euro POP! as the semi-final opens in a blaze of blue, yellow and pink. Liverpool has firmly placed itself on the Eurovision map in the space of just five minutes!
8.13pm – It’s Norway up first in a costume that wouldn’t look out of place in a Marvel movie. It’s catchy but ultimately forgettable.
8.16pm – Busker up next from Malta; like me, they feel better in a sweater. It’s fun sax pop, and the lead singer is cute. But will it prove memorable following that disco costume change? The jury is out.
8.21pm – Luke Black appears to have just arrived from Krypton in a glorious 17th Century shirt. I like it!
8.25pm – Aijā up next from Sudden Lights; I like these guys, and it’s a cracking slice of pop/rock, but I also fear the song might get lost in the voting.
8.33pm – I knew Bucks Fizz would make an appearance at some point! Next up is Portugal, who is taking us back to a 1930s cabaret bar. Minimal staging here, which partially reminds me of a Dario Argento movie without the horror or gore. It’s an upbeat crowd-pleaser.
8.38pm – Hello, Ireland :). I once had an outfit like that, but if I wore it now, I would look like an oversized Christmas bauble. I really like this one, it’s a cracking song, and Ireland deserves to re-claim its Eurovision crown.
8.42pm – It’s time for Croatia, this is pure Eurovision camp, and I love it!
8.44pm – I think Remo’s entry is a serious contender this year. Great song.
8.50pm – Can Isreal win Eurovision again in the UK? It’s a really solid pop number, but will it cut through?
8.54pm – Inspired by Dune, Moldovo’s entry is a bizarre drug-induced mirage. But where are the Sandworms?
9.00pm – It’s one of the favourites next with the previous Eurovision winner, Loreen. It’s a classic Swedish club-belter, and it may well hit the top of the Eurovision charts, but I am not convinced it’s a winner.
9.08pm – It’s back to the sixties with TuralTuranX, and a delightful little ditty, but alas, I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere.
9.10pm – Pink braided hair whips! I have nothing more to say other than that Poland’s entry carries some deep scio-political messages and deserves a second look.
9.14pm – Mia and Dion are a bit too high-pitched and slow for me, but the song finds its feet towards the end and may scrape through.
9.18pm – Nobody puts Käärijä in a box. Finland has once again brought us pure Eurovision joy.
9.20pm – That’s it for now; results coming up shortly.
9.45pm – Results coming in shortly, bravo Liverpool on a great intermission.
10.02pm – Hannah Waddingham is a legend.
10.03pm – Croatia and the Dune-inspired Moldova are through.
10.05pm – Switzerland and Finland are through.
10.06pm – Poland is through, and Isreal has made it!
10.07pm – The 1930s cabaret made it alongside the Swedes (no surprise).
10.08pm – Luke Black’s trip from Krypton was worth it, and Norway took the final place.
10.10pm – I am gutted for Ireland :( they deserved to be in the final this year, as did Sudden Lights. But you can never predict the public vote.
10.12pm – See you again on Thursday.
UPDATE 17 – MEET THE ARTISTS – LORD OF THE LOST (GERMANY 🇩🇪)
This genre-fluid band from Hamburg are big news in Germany, where they’ve built a considerable fanbase.
Their latest album (also titled) Blood & Glitter shot to the top of the German charts after only 6 days of pre-orders, and their most recent European tour completely sold out.
As if performing at the Eurovision Song Contest wasn’t exciting enough, Lord of the Lost will then leave Liverpool to support Iron Maiden on tour almost immediately!
Despite the industrial metal image, frontman Chris Harms has a heart of gold, adopting two kittens that were found abandoned on a street in Poland. They now have a very happy home life in Hamburg.
UPDATE 16 – MEET THE ARTISTS – MIMICAT (PORTUGAL 🇵🇹)
Described as having a ‘sassy-badass’ stage presence, Mimicat (otherwise known as Marisa Mena) likes to marry her soulful voice with catchy melodies in the songs she writes.
She’s been singing and recording since the age of 9 but burst onto the scene big time in 2014 with the release of her critically acclaimed debut album For You.
This year has a lot in store for the singer-songwriter; as well as heading to Liverpool, she’ll be busting out a new album, which will obviously feature Ai Coração – her Eurovision entry which Mimicat wrote and co-produced with Luís Pereira.
For anyone wondering, Mimicat does indeed have a cat. Their name is Brownie.
