Eurovision Song Contest 2022 - 14th May, Turin, Italy

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Welcome to the UKMix thread for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 which will be hosted by Italy.

In the post below, you should find all of the latest news and information relating to the contest.

The subsequent posts are arranged alphabetically and dedicated to each of the countries that are likely to enter. Please note that at present, many countries have yet to confirm their participation. As more information and music becomes available, I will update these posts with the relevant links and videos. The final few posts are reserved for information about other countries that are either part of the EBU or are connected to the contest in some other way.

Please feel free to comment on and discuss everything Eurovision 2022 in this thread.

Finally, a huge thank you to Mainshow who has traditionally ran and maintained these threads in past years. Unfortunately, other commitments mean that he does not have time to run the thread this year. However, I hope that he will still join us here for discussion. The general format and layout of this thread is all borrowed from his threads, and I must therefore credit him for doing the hard work in previous years.


Key Dates:

First Semi-Final - Tuesday, 10 May, 2022, 21:00 CEST

Second Semi-Final - Thursday, 12 May, 2022, 21:00 CEST

Grand Final - Saturday, 14 May, 2022, 21:00 CEST

You can also find all of the information about upcoming events including national selection heats and finals here.

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News & Information

The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 is set to be the 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It will take place in Italy, following the country's victory at the 2021 contest with the song Zitti e buoni by Måneskin. This will be the third time that Italy hosts the contest, having previously done so for the 1965 and 1991 contests, held in Naples and Rome respectively, as well as the first EBU event to be held in the country since the last edition of Jeux Sans Frontières in 1999. The contest is due to be organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI).

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Turin to host Eurovision 2022

Following a hugely competitive selection process that saw 17 individual bids, the honour of hosting the 66th Eurovision Song Contest has been won by Turin.

The capital of Piedmont will be the third Italian city to host the event after Naples (1965) and Rome (1991), thanks to Måneskin’s magnificent victory in Rotterdam the previous year.

Eurovision Song Contest Executive Supervisor Martin Österdahl had this to say: “Turin is the perfect Host City for the 66th Eurovision Song Contest.

As we saw during the 2006 Winter Olympics, Pala Olimpico exceeds all the requirements needed to stage a global event of this scale and we have been very impressed with the enthusiasm and commitment from the City of Turin who will welcome thousands of fans next May.

This will be the first Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Italy in 30 years and, together with our Host broadcaster Rai, we are determined to make it a special one.”

Further details about the shows, tickets and accompanying events will be revealed in the coming weeks and months – so make sure you sign up to the Douze Points newsletter for ticketing and event information as it’s released.

Fans planning to attend the Contest are advised to keep a close eye on existing and potential travel restrictions between their home country and the Host City.

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Eurovision Song Contest 2022 theme revealed: The Sound of Beauty

One of the most highly anticipated aspects of any Eurovision Song Contest is the visual identity and how that ties in with the Host City and the show they want to deliver.

We are delighted to be able to reveal the Turin 2022 logo, as well as the new slogan…

‘The Sound of Beauty’.

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The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 will be hosted by three fantastic presenters: Laura Pausini, Alessandro Cattelan and Mika.

Laura Pausini is, right now, possibly the most highly regarded Italian recording artist in the world. In 2021 alone she won four Latin Grammys, a Grammy Award, a Golden Globe, and received a historic Oscars nod (for the first ever song sung entirely in Italian to be nominated) before performing Io sì (Seen) at the 93rd Academy Awards.

Joining Laura is Alessandro Cattelan; this year celebrating 20 years of presenting, there are few more recognisable faces on Italian television. As the creator and host of late shows, entertainment evenings and brand new formats, Alessandro is probably best known for hosting Total Request Live, Le Iene, and The X Factor (Italy).

And completing the lineup is the incredible Mika. Since his debut single Grace Kelly (2007), the Lebanese-British singer-songwriter has enjoyed a career without artistic barriers set by genre, geography or societal expectations. After Eurovision, this eclectic pop star will be touring across North American (including the prestigious Coachella Festival) before continuing to gig across Europe and Italy.

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ALBANIA

Ronela Hajati - Sekret

Revamp:

The 'Sekret' is out: Ronela Hajati will represent Albania

The 60th ‘Festivali i Këngës’ reached a dramatic conclusion after three nights of competition, with Ronela Hajati stepping onto the stage one final time as the show’s winner and Albania’s representative in Turin next year!

Ronela Hajati won with the song Sekret, and becomes the 7th confirmed participant of the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, following in the footsteps of Jérémie Makiese (Belgium), Intelligent Music Project (Bulgaria), We Are Domi (Czech Republic), Circus Mircus (Georgia), Amanda Tenfjord(Greece) and S10 (the Netherlands).

The songstress, well-loved in her home country, has a reputation for being musically versatile and a string of Albanian Top 10 hits to her name.

Sekret (an uptempo number that alludes to an illicit relationship) was performed with complex choreography which saw a dozen dancers take to the stage – something Ronela will have to consider in the coming months as Eurovision rules limit the number of performers on stage to 6.

Festivali i Këngës is one of Europe’s longest running competitions and broadcasts, having started life on Albanian radio in 1962 it has evolved over its 60 years into one of Radio Televizioni Shqiptar’s most innovative and prestigious shows.

The winner was determined by a jury featuring Festivali i Këngës 2020 winner and Albania’s 2021 Eurovision participant Anxhela Peristeri, along with Agim Doçi, Anxhela Faber, Osman Mula, Rozana Radi, Olsa Toqi and Olti Curri.

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ARMENIA

Rosa Linn - Snap

Rosa Linn Releases Eurovision 2022 Entry “Snap”

The Armenian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 “Snap” has been released.

“Snap” the Armenian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy has been released. The song was written and composed by Rosa Linn, Larzz Principato, Jeremy Dusoulet, Allie Crystal, Tamar Mardirossian and Courtney Harrell.

Rosa Kostandyan, better known as Rosa Linn, is a 21-year old singer living and working in Vanadzor in northern Armenia. the American magazine “Flaunt” named her the first female music producer in Armenia. Rosa is part of Nvak Collective, which was co-founded by Tamar Kaprelian who represented Armenia at Eurovision 2015 as part of Genealogy, and record producer, Alex Salibian.

Armenia is returning to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2022 having withdrawn from the contest in 2021. The broadcaster has opted to return to an internal selection process which was used in 2019. On their last appearance in the contest, Srbuk finished 16th in the second semi-final with “Walking Out”, leaving Armenia out of the final for the second year in a row. Athena Manoukian was due to represent the nation in 2020 with “Chains on You” before the contest was cancelled.

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AUSTRALIA

Sheldon Riley - Not the Same

Australia Decides: it's Sheldon Riley to Eurovision!

After a glittering national final that clocked in at just under 3 hours, it's been decided – Sheldon Riley will fly the Australian flag in Turin in May with the song 'Not The Same'.

Australian broadcaster SBS hosted the third Eurovision – Australia Decides in the early hours of Saturday morning (in Europe, at least!). The large-scale pre-selection has been used to find the land down under’s entry to the Eurovision Song Contest since 2019 (with a break in 2021, when 2020's winner, Montaigne, was kept on as competing artist after the cancellation of the 2020 Contest in Rotterdam). And now the 2022 edition of Eurovision –Australia Decides has a winner, with the 2022 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest getting its Australian entry! Sheldon Riley will make the journey halfway across the globe with the song Not The Same.

The show took place live from the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, hosted by Joel Creasey and Myf Warhurst. During the show, there were guest performances from the aforementioned Montaigne, and also from fan favourites KEiiNO, who represented Norway in 2019 and are currently on an Australian tour.

The result was determined by a jury and a public vote, with 50% being weighted to both.

Earmarked as one of Australia’s most notable up and coming artists, Sheldon Riley’s style of music has been described as ‘dark pop’ with a cinematic and passionate expression. Known for strong visuals almost as much as great music, Sheldon has received acclaim for a clear ability to forge a unique sound and style. Sheldon’s live performances have also resulted in a lot of chatter about this artist, so a lot of eyes were on Not The Same going into Saturday.

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AUSTRIA

LUM!X feat. Pia Maria - Halo

LUM!X and Pia Maria release ”Halo” – the Austrian entry at Eurovision 2022

The broadcaster responsible for the Austrian participation at the Eurovision Song Contest – ORF already announced that their entry will be called ”Halo”. This comes after they previously announced that world renowned DJ, LUM!X would represent Austria alongside newcomer Pia Maria.

The 19-year-old DJ LUM!X (Luca Michlmayr) has gained success with hits such as “The Passenger (LaLaLa)” and “Thunder“. In 2019, he released the song “Monster” with Gabry Ponte, who is known from the group Eiffel 65. The song has reached over 215 million streams on Spotify and it has sold more than 400,000 copies in Germany, giving the artists a platinum record. Overall, he has over one billion streams, over 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify and multiple platinum and gold certifications.

The broadcaster sent a scout Eberhard Forcher out to look for acts to represent the central European nation and two-time champions. After the scouting took place, him alongside the broadcaster drew up a shortlist of four acts. These four acts were cut down to just two; LUM!X feat. Pia Maria and Anger. After a final cut, ORF announced that LUM!X and Pia Maria won the ticket to Turin.

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AZERBAIJAN

Nadir Rustamli - Fade to Black

Nadir Rustamli Releases Eurovision Entry “Fade to Black”

The Azerbaijani entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 “Fade to Black” has been released. With this news, the full line-up of all 40 entries at the contest this year is now complete.

The song is written and composed by Thomas Stengaard and Andreas Stone Johansson. Thomas Stengaard songs are well known to Eurovision viewers with the songwriter being part of the teams that produced the Eurovision entries “El Diablo” and “Adrenalina” for Cyprus and San Marino respectively in 2021. Swedish songwriter Andreas Stone Johansson is best known for working on 2019 Eurovision entire “Too Late for Love” which was performed and co-written by John Lundvik.

Nadir Rustamli won the most recent series of The Voice in Azerbaijan. He found out about being selected as the Azerbaijani representative live on morning television on February 16.

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BELARUS

SUSPENDED

Belarusian broadcaster suspended until 2024

Ivan Eismont the Director General of BTRC has revealed that the Belarusian broadcaster is currently suspended from the EBU until 2024.

In an interview with SB.by Ivan Eismont has revealed that BTRC is currently suspended from the European Broadcasting Union for a period of three years from July 1, 2021. This means that currently BTRC will not return as a full member of the European Broadcasting Union until July 1, 2024.

ESCPlus has confirmed that three years is the maximum length of time that a member broadcaster of the EBU can be suspended from the organisation. The EBU does have the ability to review the suspension of BTRC at any time during this three year period and reduce the suspension if it so desires.

The 2024 date means that the next competitive EBU organised competition that BTRC could compete in would be the 2024 edition of Junior Eurovision, while they could not compete in the Eurovision Song Contest until 2025.

BTRC was suspended from the EBU as a result of the use of the channel by the Belarusian Government as a propaganda tool. In August 2020, the Presidential election in Belarus in which incumbent Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected to a sixth term was the subject of widespread claims of electoral fraud. International monitors have labeled the election neither free nor fair. Following the election, significant and widespread protests have occurred in Belarus.

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BELGIUM

Jérémie Makiese - Miss You

Jérémie Makiese releases the Eurovision 2022 entry “Miss You”

The Voice Belgique winner Jérémie Makiese had expressed his interest in representing Belgium at Eurovision 2022 in an interview back in June. Jérémie was officially announced as Belgium’s representative in September. He was the first artist to be confirmed to take part in Eurovision Song Contest 2022.

Jérémie was born to Congolese parents in Antwerp, Belgium. Jérémie has learnt to speak both Dutch and French from an early age. In 2021, he auditioned for The Voice Belgique and after his blind audition with “Jealous” by Labrinth, all four coaches turned their chairs for him. He went on to win the whole season in B. J. Scott‘s team.

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BULGARIA

Intelligent Music Project - Intention

First 2022 entry: Intelligent Music Project - Intention

Rock supergroup Intelligent Music Project along with Ronnie Romero will represent Bulgaria at the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin with the song ‘Intention’.

The band’s participation was announced at a special press conference given by the CEO of broadcaster BNT Emil Koshlukov and Dr. Milen Vrabevski; creator of Intelligent Music Project, with its ever-changing line-up of superstars.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is that rock god Ronnie Romero (lead vocalist of legendary Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow) will front the ensemble!

The band also features Bisser Ivanov, Slavin Slavchev (the winner of X-Factor Bulgaria), Ivo Stefanov, Dimiter Sirakov and drummer Stoyan Yankoulov.

Eurovision fans will recognise Stoyan from his two previous outings at the Contest with vocalist Elitsa: Voda (Water) finished 5th in Helsinki 2007, while Samo Shampioni narrowly missed out on a Grand Final place in Malmö 2013.

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CROATIA

Mia Dimšić - Guilty Pleasure

Mia Dimšić for Eurovision 2022

Mia Dimšić wins Dora 2022 and will represent Croatia at Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with the song "Guilty Pleasure"

Tonight's show was hosted by former Eurovision representative Franka Batelić (Croatia 2018), TV host Duško Ćurlić and actress Elizabeta Brodić. The event was aired live from Marino Cvetković Sports Hall in Opatija.

Overall, 14 songs were performed and, at the end, the jury and the public at home decided on who should travel do Turin and represent Croatia at Eurovision. They chose Mia Dimšić with the song "Guilty Pleasure".

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CYPRUS

Andromache - Ela

Andromache will represent Cyprus at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with the song 'Ela'.

It was in 2015 during which Andromache first rose to wide fame and acclaim when she competed in The Voice of Greece, making a big impression on both mentors and viewers with what was considered by most to be a distinctive voice worth paying attention to.

In 2017, the artist signed to Panik Records and released her debut single, To Feggari, and on the follow-up singles, Den Mporo and Den Se Dialeksa, the singer got to flex her songwriting skills, too. The next single, however, Na Soun Psema, became Andromache's big breaktrhough hit across radio and streaming platforms, cementing her status as an unmissable new artist on the rise.

Ela serves as the star's latest single, and will see Andromache debut to the biggest international audience possible, from the Eurovision Song Contest stage in Turin.

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CZECH REPUBLIC

We Are Domi - Lights Off

Czech out the latest Eurovision participants: We Are Domi

Česká Televize has revealed that the winner of ESCZ 2022 and therefore Czech Republic’s representative in Italy is… We Are Domi!

We Are Domi is an electro-pop band, formed in the United Kingdom in 2018 and currently based in the Czech Republic. They beat 6 other competitors (dominating the jury vote, as well as winning the public vote) to take the ticket to Turin with their song Lights Off.

The band, known for their high energy performances, channel a unique sonic blend of dance, electro and Scandi influences, thanks to their origins on the dance floors of London, Prague and Oslo.

The band made their way through a new ESCZ 2022 format which saw the contest take place earlier than usual to give the winning participant an extra month to prepare, and a new judging ratio: 50% international jury; 25% international fans; 25% Czech fans.

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DENMARK

Reddi - The Show

Denmark brings 'The Show' to Turin: REDDI win 'Melodi Grand Prix'

The Danes have decided! The Nordic nation will be sending forth REDDI to Turin, to represent Denmark at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest. The song, and the winning entry of 'Melodi Grand Prix' 2022, is 'The Show'.

At Melodi Grand Prix 2022, 8 songs were in the running to represent Denmark at Eurovision in May. From the field of 8, after all had been performed, 3 were voted through to a 'superfinal’ by the Danish voting public. The superfinalists were Conf3ssions with the song Hallelujah, Josie Elinor & Jack Warren with Let Me Go, and REDDI’s The Show.

These 3 songs were performed once more, and the Danes were encouraged to pick their favourite from that trinity of treats. REDDI emerged as the people’s champion, and will head to Turin with the song The Show.

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ESTONIA

Stefan - Hope

Estonia heads to Turin with a message of optimism for the 66th Eurovision Song Contest.

The artist Stefan represents the Baltic nation with his song 'Hope'.

They say third time’s a charm, but in the end it was Stefan’s fourth outing at Eesti Laul, Estonia’s annual pre-selection process for Eurovision, that saw Stefan finally claim that victory at the national song contest. After 3 attempts in 2018, 2019 and 2020, sitting it out in 2021 proved to be all the time that the artist needed to inspire him to write Hope with Karl-Ander Reismann; a song that may or may not be about his dream of winning Eesti Laul, but is one which certainly saw him achieve that very ambition. He did so by receiving 62% of the televote in the contest’s super-final, double that of the song which finished in second place.

Stefan Airapetjan was born in Viljandi, a town in the south of Estonia, to Armenian parents. He started singing from an early age, and his penchant for song contests was already visible while he was attending school, where he participated in several singing competitions, proudly bringing home a few victories while he was at it.

In 2020, Stefan became the winner of the first season of the Estonian version of the series The Masked Singer. Appearing on national television all overheated and under groomed from beneath the heavy costume did his reputation in the looks department no harm; later that year the the popular magazine Kroonika named him as the sexiest man of the year in Estonia!

The following year, Stefan released his first song in Estonian, Doomino, which was a duet with Liis Lemsalu. It ended up becoming the most played song on Estonian radio in 2021. And if the reaction of the Baltic nation to Hope at Eesti Laul is anything to go by, he may well have yet another year-end chart topping hit on his hands by the time 2022 has played out.

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FINLAND

The Rasmus - Jezebel

The Finnish flag will be flown by The Rasmus at Eurovision in Turin

Finland has spoken – and the Nordic nation now has its entry to the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in May. The Rasmus will head to Turin and represent the Finns with the song 'Jezebel'.

The Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) national final format was once again the pre-selection used by Finnish broadcaster YLE to choose the country’s Eurovision Song Contest entry. After record TV ratings of UMK in 2021, which was followed by a 6th-place Finnish finish at the Contest in Rotterdam, thanks to Blind Channel and Dark Side, a lot of eyes in Finland were on the UMK selection process once more on Saturday night.

These eyes would of course turn into votes, with the televote accounting for 75% of the result, compared to 25% from the jury.

In the end, after the 7 songs were performed, it was The Rasmus that impressed the most, winning both the jury vote and the all-important public televote.

Together for nearly 30 years now, The Rasmus are one of Finland’s most internationally successful groups. Their biggest hit, In the Shadows, has broken the 100 million streaming mark on Spotify, despite being released many years before the streaming platform was even invented. Upon the song’s release in 2003, it was one of the top-selling hits across the globe, cementing Finland’s international status as a rock republic to be reckoned with. The Rasmus have released several albums, won numerous music industry awards, and played gigs all over the world.

According to the band, Jezebel is a song for strong, independent women, who blaze their own trail.

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FRANCE

Alvan & Ahez - Fulenn

Alvan & Ahez will represent France in Italy with 'Fulenn'

Et voilà! After a 'tres magnifique' night of music in France, the country has voted for the song that will represent them at the Eurovision Song Contest in May. Alvan & Ahez are heading to Turin with 'Fulenn'.

Eurovision France: C’est Vous Qui Décidez is the one-night national final that France used to select its Eurovision song on Saturday night. 12 songs competed, but there could only be 1 set of 12 points!

The winner was selected over 2 rounds of voting. In the first round, the top 5 songs were determined by public televoting and then advanced to the second round, the 'superfinal’. A 10-member jury panel then selected a wildcard entry from the remaining 7 entries, to proceed to this superfinal. The 6 songs in the superfinal were then voted on by both the public and the jury, with a 50% weighting applied to each.

Fulenn emerged as the victor of the evening, performed by Alvan & Ahez. A feat that the French will be hoping the song can repeat in May!

Performing France’s Eurovision 2022 entry, we have Alvan (a multi-instrumentalist musician specialising in electro) and Ahez (a trio comprised of Marine, Sterenn D. and Sterenn L., 3 Breton singers of traditional heritage, who perform contemporary stories mixed with the myths of their region). The song tackles the Breton legend of a young woman who emancipates herself from societal norms by dancing at night bathed in the light from a bonfire.

The victory in France on Saturday night was secured by the act scoring top marks with both the jury and the public televote. They finished on 222 points, compared to the runner-up’s (Nuit Pauline by Pauline Chagne) 172.

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GEORGIA

Circus Mircus - Lock Me In

Georgia releases their Eurovision 2022 entry: Circus Mircus with “Lock Me In”

Georgia were one of the first countries to announce their artist for Eurovision 2022, confirming that Circus Mircus would represent them in November. Today, they have released their song “Lock Me In”, which the band of “circus academy dropouts” will perform in Turin.

Initially, there was some confusion as to who Circus Mircus were. They appeared to be a small, previously unknown band. The band was formed in Tbilisi and all three members are local circus academy dropouts who consider themselves ‘the worst in the circus crew’.

In their music, they try to neglect as many common frameworks as potentially possible. They started the band in late 2020. Previously released songs have had unusual titles, such as “The Ode to Bishkek Stone”, “23:24”, and “Weather Support”.

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GERMANY

Malik Harris - Rockstars

It's 'Rockstars' to Turin – Malik Harris wins in Germany!

Deutschland has decided – and the Big Five nation now has its entry to the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in May. Malik Harris will head to Turin and represent the Germans with the song 'Rockstars'.

Germany 12 Points was the country’s national final that took place on Friday night –3 words the Germans will no doubt be hoping will be spoken aplenty and with aplomb as the results come rolling in on that Saturday night in May in Turin!

The German national final to find its Eurovision song had a nice and concise selection of 6 tunes in contention for the sought-after win. In the end, it was the song Rockstars which triumphed, performed by Malik Harris.

The German-American pop singer, rapper and songwriter Malik Harris (24) grew up near Landsberg am Lech. He comes from a very musical family: 'My grandpa was an opera singer, my grandma was a pianist and my dad plays several different instruments and teaches cello'. Malik’s first singles, Say The Name (2018) and Welcome to the Rumble (2019), were hits both on the airplay chart and on streaming platforms, too. He began his first solo tour in May 2019. He has also opened for international acts like James Blunt, Alex Clare, Jeremy Loops, Tom Odell and LP. His debut album, Anonymous Colonist, came out in August 2021.

With no jury involved, it was 100% down to the public who got to represent Germany in Turin. That result was determined 50% by TV viewers watching on the night, and 50% by radio listeners who had been voting all week for their favourite song.

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GREECE

Amanda Tenfjord - Die Together

Amanda Tenfjord releases Eurovision 2022 entry “Die Together”

Amanda Tenfjord was confirmed to represent Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in December. Now her entry “Die Together” was premiered on ERT’s program Studio 4.

Born to a Greek father and Norwegian mother, Amanda Tenfjord spent the early years of her life living in Greece, before later relocating to Norway with her family, where she has remained since. This year she was selected to represent Greece by the broadcaster ERT internally.

Today her song “Die Together” was officially released during ERT’s program Studio 4. The entry was selected for a total of 40 songs. Amanda has written the song herself together with Bjørn Helge Gammelsæter.

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HUNGARY

NOT PARTICIPATING

Hungary did not appear on the final list of participants for the later-cancelled 2020 contest. MTVA (the Hungarian national broadcaster) stated that they would "support the valuable productions created by the talents of Hungarian pop music directly" instead of participating in the contest. The withdrawal came during a rise of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment among the leadership of Hungary and MTVA; while no official reason for the withdrawal was given by the broadcaster, an inside source speaking with the website Index.hu stated that the contest was considered "too gay" for MTVA to participate. Hungary also did not participate in the 2021 contest, and will not participate in the 2022 contest as well.

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ICELAND

Sigga, Beta og Elín - Með Hækkandi Sól

Sigga, Beta and Elín win 'Söngvakeppnin', will go to Turin

The Icelandic people have voted! They've decided that it will be Sigga, Beta & Elín representing Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest in May. Sigga, Beta and Elín will head to Turin with the song 'Með Hækkandi Sól'.

After 2 semi-finals, which saw 10 songs reduced to 5, Icelandic broadcaster RÚV hosted the grand final of Söngvakeppnin on Saturday night, the Nordic nation’s popular pre-selection process to find its Eurovision entry. Iceland tuned in (and it will have been the majority of Iceland, based on past viewing figures) to see, and to decide, which song will be the successor to 10 Years by Daði & Gagnamagnið, and proudly fly the Icelandic flag at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Turin.

For maximum excitement and precision, there were 2 rounds of voting. In the first round, once all 5 songs had been performed, a combination of public voting and jury voting resulted in the 2 songs which got the highest scores, progressing to a 'super final’. These 2 songs (Turn This Around by Daughters of Reykjavík, as well as Með Hækkandi Sól by Sigga, Beta and Elín) were then perfomed again, but this time only the Icelandic viewers were tasked with deciding upon a winner, having total say on which song gets to represent them in Turin!

In the end, it was Sigga, Beta and Elín that the majority of their votes went to, with the song Með Hækkandi Sól.

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IRELAND

Brooke Scullion - That’s Rich

Brooke Scullion won 'The Late Late Eurosong Special' and will represent Ireland at the 66th Eurovision Song Contest

Brooke has won Eurosong 2022 and will represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with the song “That’s Rich”.

The Late Late Show Eurosong Special was held tonight in Dublin and was hosted by Ryan Tubridy. This was the first time since 2015 that the public was involved in choosing the Irish entry for Eurovision. During the interval, there was also a performance from Riverdance, which first appeared as an interval act during Eurovision 1994 and was later developed into a full stage show.

The Irish entry for Turin was selected by public voting, a national jury and for the first time ever in an Irish selection, an international jury.

The critically-acclaimed Brooke Scullion first found fame as a finalist on the 2020 series of The Voice UK, and has since been earmarked by BBC Introducing as one to watch on the British pop scene. The Derry darling cites Blondie and The Gossip as being the major influences for That’s Rich, having written it while devouring Debbie Harry’s autobiography.

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ISRAEL

Michael Ben-David - I.M

Revamp:

Michael Ben-David wins 'The X Factor Israel', will go to Eurovision

'The X Factor Israel' drew to its conclusion on Saturday night, resulting in Israel getting its artist and song to send to the 66th Eurovision Song Contest in May. Michael Ben-David won the grand final, and the honour of representing Israel, with the song 'I,M'.

4 hopefuls competed in Saturday evening’s final of The X Factor Israel, each bringing with them the songs that they hoped to be heading to Eurovision with. However, only 1 of them could secure victory on the night, thereby claiming that ticket from the Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv all the way to Turin. The artists in contention for that win were Sapir Saban, Inbal Bibi, Eli Huli and the eventual victor Michael Ben-David.

Israel’s entry to the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest was selected in 2 rounds. In the 1st round, our 4 finalists performed a cover song, with Sapir Saban being eliminated after the vote. In the 2nd round, our 3 remaining finalists then performed their potential Eurovision songs with the winner being selected by a combination of a public vote (50%) and 2 jury groups, 1 consisting of The X Factor Israel judges (including the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 winner Netta!) and another made up of a professional committee, with both contributing 25% of the vote.

In a fiercely close result, Michael Ben-David won over Eli Huli, with a 214 score to Eli’s 213.

It was a competitive evening of music and entertainment in Tel Aviv, which has put Michael Ben-David in good stead for the experience that lies ahead of them in Turin in May.

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ITALY

Mahmood & Blanco - Brividi

Mahmood & Blanco will represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with the song “Brividi”.

At the 66th Eurovision Song Contest, host nation Italy is represented by the song ‘Brividi’, performed as a duet by Mahmood and Blanco.

The 2 artists earned the honour by winning the 72nd prestigious Festival di Sanremo. With that victory comes the invitation to represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest, an offer that both performers were happy to accept.

Their journey to Turin in May will not only be a short one for the pair, but is also going to be one that can be navigated easier than how most of the other competitors might initially find it; the road to Eurovision is already a familiar one to Mahmood, who represented Italy at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, with his song Soldi.

As with reigning Contest champs Måneskin, Alessandro Mahmoud - known mononymously as Mahmood - first shot to fame on The X Factor Italia. The Milanese musician released a succession of singles thereafter, and has also put out 2 full-length albums. The artist’s biggest hit to date has been Soldi. The song finished 2nd at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2019, and became the most-streamed Eurovision song of all time on Spotify, a record held until January 2021 when it was eventually surpassed by the 2019 Contest winner, Arcade by Duncan Laurence. Mahmood rounded out a successful 2019 by winning the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Italian Act.

Performing with Mahmood on the song Brividi is relative newcomer Blanco. The 19-year-old singer and rapper hails from Brescia, a city in the northern Italian region of Lombardy. At the beginning of the global pandemic, Blanco - the artist moniker of Riccardo Fabbriconi - used his time by starting to channel his passion for music into recording it. In the summer of 2020, he debuted with the EP Quarantine Paranoid, which led to him being noticed and signed by Universal Music. In 2021, his song Mi Fai Impazzire spent 8 weeks at number 1 in Italy, and was followed by the release of his debut album, Blu Celeste, which also shot to number 1 in his native Italy.

The 2 artists recorded Brividi with the intention of releasing it as a collaboration as part of their regular release schedules. It was only when Blanco played the finished recording to his parents, that his father suggested they must submit it to Festival di Sanremo. Blanco pitched the idea to Mahmood, and after some consideration, the pair - concluding that parental intuition is rarely wrong - made the decision to enter the song to the 72nd edition of the iconic contest. A decision which, in hindsight, has proven to be a wise one.

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