Time for Eurovision: Right here’s how the exuberant track contest works | Leisure Information
Sprinkle the sequins and pump up the quantity: The annual Eurovision Music Contest reaches its climax on Saturday with a grand closing broadcast dwell from the UK’s metropolis of Liverpool.
There shall be catchy choruses, a kaleidoscope of costumes and tributes to the spirit of Ukraine in a contest that since 1956 has captured the altering zeitgeist of a continent.
Final 12 months, 161 million folks watched the competitors, based on the organiser, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), making it one of many world’s most-watched occasions.
Right here’s what to anticipate as acts from throughout Europe – and past – vie for the continent’s pop crown.
Who’s competing?
This 12 months, 37 nations despatched an act to Eurovision, chosen by nationwide competitions or inside choices by broadcasters. The winner of the earlier 12 months’s occasion normally hosts the competition however, as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues, the UK is doing the honours this 12 months on behalf of 2022’s winner, Ukraine.
Six nations mechanically qualify for the ultimate: final 12 months’s winner and the 5 nations that contribute probably the most funding to the competition – France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.
The others should carry out within the semi-finals 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 ultimate takes place on Saturday on the Liverpool Enviornment.
Australia?
Eurovision is not only geography. Eurovision is massively well-liked in Australia and the nation was allowed to affix the competitors in 2015. Different entrants from outdoors Europe’s borders embody Israel and Azerbaijan.
Who’re the favourites?
It’s arduous to foretell the winners in a contest whose previous winners have ranged from ABBA to Finnish steel band Lordi, however bookmakers say Swedish diva Loreen, who received in 2012, is the favorite together with her energy ballad Tattoo.
Finland’s Käärijä was a crowd-pleaser within the semifinals along with his pop-metal get together tune Cha Cha Cha and Canadian singer La Zarra, competing for France, can be extremely ranked for her Edith Piaf-style track Évidemment.
And by no means underestimate left-field entries like Croatia’s Let 3, whose track Mama ŠČ! is pure Eurovision camp: an anti-war rock opera that performs like Monty Python meets Dr Strangelove.
What occurs within the closing?
About 6,000 folks will attend the ultimate, hosted by longtime BBC Eurovision presenter Graham Norton, Ted Lasso and West Finish star Hannah Waddingham, British singer Alesha Dixon and Ukrainian rock star Julia Sanina.
Every competing act should sing dwell and persist with a three-minute restrict however is in any other case free to create its personal staging – the flashier the pyrotechnics and extra elaborate the choreography, the higher.
Russia’s struggle in Ukraine will lend a solemn word to a contest famed for celebrating tacky pop.
The present will open with a efficiency by final 12 months’s winner, folk-rap band Kalush Orchestra, and singer Jamala, who received the competition in 2016, will carry out a tribute to her Crimean Tatar tradition. Ukraine has received the competitors thrice for the reason that nation began collaborating in 2003.
One one that won’t be showing is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He requested to deal with the ultimate by video however the EBU stated that such a chat would breach “the nonpolitical nature of the occasion”.
How is the winner determined?
After all of the acts have carried out, viewers in collaborating nations can vote by cellphone, textual content message or app however will not be allowed to vote for their very own nation.
This 12 months for the primary time, viewers watching from non-participating nations may vote on-line, with the mixed “remainder of the world” votes being given the burden of 1 particular person nation.
Nationwide juries of music trade professionals additionally allocate between one and 12 factors to their favorite songs, with an announcer from every nation popping as much as declare which has been granted the coveted “douze factors” (12 factors).
Public and jury votes are mixed to present every nation a single rating. Ending up with “nul factors” (zero factors) is taken into account a nationwide embarrassment. The UK has suffered that destiny a number of occasions – most lately in 2021. It bounced again final 12 months, nonetheless, when Sam Ryder got here second and is hoping this 12 months’s contestant, Mae Muller, can even flip in a robust efficiency.
The place can I watch?
Eurovision is being proven by nationwide broadcasters that belong to the EBU, together with the BBC within the UK, and on the Eurovision YouTube channel. In america, it’s being proven on NBC’s Peacock streaming service.
