What is the Eurovision Song Contest?
Started way back in 1956 as a way of drawing a fractured Europe back together with the healing power of music, the Eurovision Song Contest, or Concours Eurovision de la Chanson – the contest is telecast in both English and French – is open to all active members of the European Broadcasting Union, which oversees the competition.
Each country is permitted to submit one three-minute song to the contest – a song which is selected by a variety of means, usually a winner-takes-all competition such as Sweden’s renowned Melodifestivalen – which their selected entrant performs in one of two semi-finals in the hopes of making it to the glittering grand final.
Only six countries have direct entry into the grand final:
- The Big Five who fund most of the contest – UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain
- The host country (which is the winner of the previous year’s contest)
In a change for 2024, the grand final six will now perform in full in the semi-final in which their countries are voting; so Germany, Sweden and the UK will perform in semifinal one while France, Italy and Spain will perform in the second semifinal.
The winner is chosen by a 50/50 mix of viewer votes (you cannot vote for your own country and for 2024, voting will now be permitted from the start of the grand final) and a jury of music industry professionals in each country, a method which was chosen to counter the alleged skewing of votes based on political and/or cultural lines when voting was purely the preserve of viewers at home.
Past winners include, of course, ABBA in 1974 with “Waterloo” and Celine Dion who won for Switzerland in 1988 with “Ne partez pas sans moi”.Above all though, the Eurovision Song Contest is bright, over the top and deliciously camp, a celebration of music, inclusiveness and togetherness that draws annual viewing figures in the hundreds of millions.
This year’s event
The Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will take place in the Malmö Arena on Saturday 11 May with Semi-Finals on Tuesday 7 and Thursday 9 May. The 68th Eurovision Song Contest will be hosted by a Hollywood star and an iconic Eurovision-veteran; Malin Åkerman and Petra Mede will together lead the three broadcasts, live from Malmö Arena. Swedish broadcaster SVT, together with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), will organise the Contest thanks to Loreen’s historic win in Liverpool in 2023. (courtesy and (c) Eurovision.tv)
FRANCE: “Mon Amour” by Slimane
THE ARTIST
The career of France’s 2024 Eurovision representative Slimane just keeps getting bigger and bigger … and no, we’re not just talking about chart accolades and the like.
As his musical success has increased, he has gone from the intimate piano bars of the Quartier Pigalle in Paris to arena tours – all sold-out, thank you very much – and now to the biggest stage Europe can offer aspiring musicians.
All of this ever-growing success had to start somewhere, of course, and in Slimane’s case that was winning France’s iteration of The Voice on 2016, a spectacular moment for the French singer-songwriter who has gone to garner, according to his official Eurovision bio, “2 billion worldwide streams, 7 million followers on social media and a Victories de la Musique [an annual award from the Frnch Ministry of Culture] to his name”.
Add to that three albums that peaked at number on the French Album Charts, and you have someone who doesn’t just have the talent to do well in the Eurovision Song Contest but the runs on the board to make it clear he, and by extension, France, will be a contender.
(courtesy Eurovision.tv)
THE SONG
The good news is that his entry, “Mon Amour (My Love)” – he penned the lyrics and co-composed the music with Meïr Salah and Yaacov Salah – is one of those songs that will absolutely knock it out of the park on grand final night on Saturday 11 May.
A soaring, highly emotive ballad that stays comfortably on the acceptable side of cheesy is elevated still further by a voice that sounds like it is living and feeling each and every emotion backed into the song.
“Mon Amour” is a thing of a beauty and rich, affecting emotion, more than standout moment in the grand final, one of those showstopper moments that will absolutely make people stop and take notice, be moved and hopefully vote accordingly.
Slimane is in with a real chance to take this home and the only thing that may stop France doing brilliantly well on the night will be the seeming antipathy to some of the Big Five which seems to influence voting much of the time more than the song itself.
GERMANY: “Always on the Run” by ISAAK
THE ARTIST
Let the mononymously singers rise and shine!
ISAAK, who has gone the all caps route which seems to be quite in vogue this year, has stuck to just his first name as a stage moniker and to his passion for music which saw its first manifestation when he hit the streets at the age of 12 as a performing musician.
According to his official Eurovision bio, “His early experiences as a street performer have shaped his artistry today, instilling in him a deep connection to both his craft and his audience”, and it’s clear that the success of his career since has greatly benefited from the up-close-and-personal nature of his early performances.
It seems to have inspired a love of bringing music to the masses with ISAAK starting up a company at 18 that organises local and alternative events; when that came to a halt during the depths of the pandemic years, the artist turned to composing music and preparing himself no doubt to win Show Your Talent in 2021.
His performative focus seems to have prepared him well for the stage of Eurovison, which is bigger sure, but which still relies on an artist connecting intimately and profoundly with their audience which ISAAK has proven he is more than able to do.
(courtesy Eurovison.tv)
THE SONG
But, of course, what good is the ability to perform like a musical god if you’re song is up to the task?
Not much alas, and thankfully, ISAAK’s song “Always on the Run” (which he co-wrote) gives his voice a chance to really power and shine, reflecting what his bio calls “his unmistakable voice, which has resonated deeply with his audiences”.
While it’s relatively straightforward pop that ordinarily might not have cut-through the pack of a crowded grand final roster, it affords the singer the chance what he clearly best which is to absolutely pour his heart and soul into his delivery.
It’s a case of reasonably okay song being pushed way beyond its normal appeal by a singer who knows how to bring out every last emotion of the song he’s singing, and coupled with the performances for which is well known and loved, will mean he could do very well indeed.
ITALY: “La noia” by Angelina Mango
THE ARTIST
Now here’s someone who has really made it clear how awesomely talented she is to anyone with eyes to see and ears to listen.
Singer-songwriter Angelina Mango, real name by the way in case you were wondering (and yes, of course, you were) has to her credit, so says her official Eurovision bio, “4 platinum records, two gold records, and a completely sold-out tour … [making her] one of the break-out stars of 2023 in Italy”.
Armed with a big following on TikTok, Mango really grabbed everyone’s attention with her 2023 singles “Ci pensiamo domani (We’ll Think About It Tomorrow)” and “Che t’o dico a fa’ (What Do I Tell You To Do)” both hit the Italian top ten with the EP that preceed them, Voglia di vivere (Will to Live) peaking impressively at number two on the Italian Albums Chart.
If that wasn’t enough to elicit a considerable numbers of “wows”, then the fact that she came second in twenty-second edition of the Amici di Maria De Filippi talent contest and then went on to win the prestigious and impressive Sanremo Music Festival 2024 – this gives the winner the first right of refusal to represent Italy at Eurovision – which surely establishes her as one of the artists to beat at this year’s contest.
(courtesy Eurovision.tv)
THE SONG
Her entry, “La noia (Boredom)”, which she co-wrote with Madame and Dario Faini, well and truly underscores why she is consistently winning Eurovision fan polls and doing well in the betting odds.
Upbeat, playful and gleefully quirky, “La noia” is one of those songs that is all zest and fun energy, coming even more alive thanks to Mango’s gift for not only singing technically well but investing her delivery of the highly danceable song with the requisite vocal ballaticism to make it really shine.
And shine it does, vibrant and celebratory in the kind of way that should absolutely light up the stage at Malmö Arena where, if she comes up with the performative goods, and all the indications are she will and then some, will mean this is a clear top five finisher.
It might even win Italy the whole contest, and while Switzerland and Croatia are fearsomely good rivals, Mango more than has it within her and her dancey belter of a song to not only equal them but quite possibly beat them.
THE ARTIST
Hailing from the southeastern port city of Alicante, Nebulossa is comprised of husband and wife Mark Dasousa on synths and Mery Bas on lead vocals, with the latter proving to be the exception to the musical prodigious nature of many of her fellow 2024 entrants who started their careers when they were VERY young.
By way of encouraging contrast, Bas only decide to embark on a musical career after she turned 50, no doubt reasoning that age should be a limited on your dreams; in fact, the band’s official Eurovision bio observes that “the artist wants to encourage people to break free from society’s labels and to celebrate their identities and liberty”.
Her willingness to buck orthodoxy infuses the band’s music, which includes one album and a slew of singles, with the bio mentioning that “Mery … needed to express herself [through the lyrics of their duo’s entry song “ZORRA”] to shake all the feelings of discrimination she has felt for being a free-spirited woman.
It’s resonated with people across Spain with the song reaching number five on the Spanish charts and “becoming the second-most viral hit on streaming platforms globally during February”.
Now let’s just hope the rest of Europe feels as similarly beguiled …
(courtesy Eurovision.tv)
THE SONG
Written apparently as a form of therapy for Bas, “ZORRA (BITCH)” is an effervescent burst of lightweight delight.
While you could easily dismiss it as throwaway Europop, there is a compulsively listenable quality to the song which is buoyant, fun and joyful, and which comes with a clear female empowerment vibe, not just lyrically but in the accompanying video.
There is a real passion at work here, and you can expect the song to really come alive on stage with Bas not doubt bringing all her status quo-upsetting zeal to bear.
It won’t come close to winning Spain the contest but it’s vivaciously upbeat and should, if nothing else, provide three minutes of escapist joy on the night.
SWEDEN: “Unforgettable” by Marcus and Martinus
THE ARTIST
Apparently known as M&M, which honestly does save precious pronunciation time, Marcus & Martinus hail from not Sweden, my friends, but Norway where they made a name for themselves in 2012 by winning Melodi Grand Prix Junior.
But that’s not the end of their winning streak; they also took out 2017’s Spellemannprisen (known as the Norwegian Grammy Awards) and 2022’s Masked Singer Sverige, and as you might have guessed from their latest gig as Sweden’s 2024 Eurovision representatives, Melodifestivalen, which selects who will represent this year’s host country.
And if you’re wondering, and yes the thought has likely crossed your mind, how Norwegians are representing Sweden, then here’s how the twins addressed the topic on Eurovision World.
It was due to the COVID-19 pandemic that we decided we wanted to start a new chapter. We were stuck in Norway for a while and decided to move to Sweden and start over in Stockholm, Martinus explains.
We changed labels, we got new managers, and we’ve been there for three years. We joined “The Masked Singer” and won, did Melodifestivalen twice, and Sweden just has a very special place in our hearts. It feels natural to represent Sweden.
That aside, the very successful musical twins have demonstrated via sold-out arena shows and multiple hit singles across Scandinavia and over 1.5 billion streams that they have the support to make a real impact for their adopted home.
(courtesy Eurovision.tv)
THE SONG
Although “Unforgettable” might suggest they won’t deliver quite the usual success Sweden enjoys.
It’s not that the song is good; it’s perfectly lovely, ahem, forgettable piece of disposable pop that is fun enough to listen to but which doesn’t really make much of an impact, disappearing from your mind almost as soon as the song ends.
The staging is impressive true, and there’s no doubt they will make it to the grand final because (a) it’s Sweden and (b) they’re young, cute and right at the heart of pop’s major demo but while that’ll likely attract big support, it won’t be enough to really tip the scales.
Look for Sweden to do well but not spectacularly so which is likely a relief for Swedish national broadcaster SVT who wouldn’t want to host Eurovision two years in a row.
UNITED KINGDOM: “Dizzy” by Olly Alexander
THE ARTIST
For many years Olly Alexander was the lead singer of English pop band Years & Years, serving hits, persona to burn and a sense of playful queer fun that gave the group, among other things, two number one albums, a number one single and five singles sitting snugly in the top ten.
Now a solo artist, the singer, actor and LGBTQ activist, is, as his official Eurovision bio quite rightly describes him, “one of the world’s most trailblazing modern pop stars”.
But it’s not music where he’s making his mark with a starring role in Russell T. Davies show It’s a Sin earning Alexander a nomination for Leading Actor at the 2022 BAFTA Television Awards.
He’s headlined arena shows and musical festivals right around the world, worked with the likes of Sir Elton John, Kylie Minogue and the Pet Shop Boys and now stands on the precipice of bringing glory to the UK at Eurovision again after Sam Ryder’s second placing in 2022.
Can he deliver on all this glittering promise?
(courtesy Eurovision.tv)
THE SONG
He could very well do.
While the song doesn’t quite have the distinctive punch-through of Ryder’s “Space Man”, which had a singularly arresting presence, it’s a cracker of an infectiously listenable pop song that as a sensationally catchy beat, meaningful lyrics and a vocals that turn it a song that’s as emotive as it is danceable.
Given Alexander’s gift for live performance and a stage persona custom-made for Eurovision which thrives on big and camp in equal measure, the UK will likely do very well with a number that will appeal to voters who love to dance their time in the Eurovision arena to high-quality, crisply-delivered pop.
It’s unlikely he’s match Ryder’s dizzying heights given the musical competition this year but Alexander should make his home country proud, burnish the LGBTQI credentials of the contest and give everyone a performance to remember and honestly who wants more form Eurovision than that?
REHEARSE IT!
One of the key things that keeps people fascinated and talking at length in the lead up to the week of the contest itself are the rehearsals where entrants can test and finetune their acts on the actual stage. It’s important because it reveals who is really on point and who isn’t and can reveal that onetime favourites might not be as good as they first seemed or that they even better than expected. It’s not the end of the road since acts can still change things up which is what rehearsals up but it is a good indication of whether all those predictions all of us haven’t made over the last weeks and months actually hold any water.
To track the videos of the rehearsals, head to Eurovision World and for reactions to the rehearsals and commentary, head to Aussievision.
Here’s a round-up of rehearsals so far …
Semi final 1
Semi final 2