Sweden (Heat one) - David R

It’s Melodifestivalen time again. The competition starts in Malmo Arena, the host of Eurovision Song Contest 2024. As a dedicated ESC fan, I’m doing this report even in the middle of an African safari. 

This year, there are five heats with six songs and no Andra Chansen. Top two will qualify to the final. And, the third and fourth placers are eligible for the runoffs off at the end of heat 5 for the final two spots. Our host Carina Berg opened the show with an entertaining song and dance number. And, each postcards featured acts helping with backstage stuff in Mello. 

Adam Woods opened the competition with his song “Supernatural”. It’s an EDM pop track showcasing Adam’s vocals. The staging is simple with Adam standing alone on the stage with changing LCD graphics. 

Song 2 is “Hela varlden vantar” from Samir & Viktor. It’s another fun party song from them. The two sung together while having fun like buddies. Samir even gave Viktor a kiss in the cheek. 

Up next is Mello newcomer Melina Borglowe with her song “Min Melodi”. It’s a sweet guitar ballad. Melina was alone on the stage and surrounded by circular lamps. She was smiling all through out, and very happy performing there. 

We’re on to song 4, and it’s Elisa Lindstrom with “Forever Yours”. It’s an energetic schlager. Elisa showcased her singing and dancing skills in this performance. This definitely hyped up the audience the arena. 

Mello veteran Lisa Ajax is up next with her song “Awful Liar”. This is another beautiful ballad from her. She was joined by two interpretative dancers. There was a big pink moon on the LCD screen. And, Lisa turned to the side one time to show her baby bump. She delivered the song very well.  

Closing out this first heat is Smash Into Pieces with “Heroes Are Calling”. They gave another fiery performance showing their strengths with rock songs. The theme is post-apocalyptic. And, there is even a laser show on the second half. 

There is a usual recap and voting portion after the performances. Then, the first winner was announced. Congrats to Smash Into Pieces for making it to the final! They reprised their performance from the green room to the B-stage.  

Another round of voting has been opened. And after that, the band A*teens performed a reunion performance with a medley of their hit songs. This gave many people nostalgia like me. After the interval act, the points from each age groups were announced. Lisa Ajax won the second ticket to the final. She also gave a winning reprise on the B-stage. 

Here are the results of the first heat of Melodifestivalen: 

Finalists 

1. Smash Into Pieces - Heroes Are Calling 

2. Lisa Ajax - Awful Liar 

Run-offs 

3. Elisa Lindstrom - Forever Yours 

4. Adam Woods - Supernatural 

Eliminated

5. Samir & Viktor - Hela varlden vantar 

6. Melina Borglowe - Min Melodi

Sweden (Heat two) - Kevin F

“Mello” part 2 took place in Göteborg with Carina Berg and Björn Gustafsson reprising their roles as hosts from the 2008 fest, where this very long-running joke began of Björn making proposals to Carina on camera. In 2008, Carina was married to Kristian Luuk (coincidentally (?) inducted into the Mello Hall of Fame at this competition). Now, she is famously married to footballer Erik Berg, and their marriage was one focus of the reality TV series BERG’S DREAMHOUSE.

First up was Maria Sur, who fled Ukraine after the Russian invasion. We saw her last year with the song “Never Give Up.” This year’s is called “When I’m Gone” and it’s catchy. She sings it well. They did a great job adding a light show to her performance, and she interacts nicely her backup dancers.

Figure 1: Maria Sur

Next up was Engmans Kapell with a folky song about how there’s no place like “Norrland” (catch-all term for the nine northernmost provinces in Sweden).

Figure 2: Engmans Kapell

 The third entry was a sixteen-year-old competing at Mello for the first time. She entered as Dear Sara, and her song is called “The Silence After You.” This had a great chorus, and she interacted with the light show on stage.

Figure 3: Dear Sara

 C-Joe, a Sierra Leone transplant to Sweden, performed next with a lively Afrobeat number called “Ahumma,” which roughly means the humming sound you make when singing this type of song. This number was super energetic with some cool choreography, but it didn’t catch on with the voters.

Figure 4: C-Joe

 In his fourth appearance at Mello, Liamoo sang “Dragon.” The song stems from something a former vocal coach told him: that he has to imagine himself as a dragon in order to conquer his nerves. (This song won the day and advanced directly to the final.

Figure 5: Liamoo

 Finally, the event we were all waiting for: Fröken Snusk in her pink balaclava. She’s known for racy lyrics, so it was unclear what she might bring to this family-friendly show, but in the end there was nothing to worry about. “Unga & Fria” (Young and Free) has a bit of a traditional melody set to a disco beat. She sang atop a horse, probably in a nod to her huge hit song, “Rid Mig Som En Dalahäst” (Ride Me Like a Dala Horse).

Figure 6: Fröken Snusk atop a regular horse

During the interval, in addition to inducting Kristian Luuk into the Mello Hall of Fame, they also inducted Lotta Berg, who Eurovision viewers will remember as Sweden’s 1987 contestant with “Boogaloo.”

After Liamoo was announced as going straight to the final, Maria Sur won the televote (they take the top vote getter out of the mix immediately and do a revote to give people a chance to pick their next favorite). Dear Sara and Fröken Snusk will get a second chance to compete in the fifth heat this year. C-Joe and Engmans Kapell were eliminated.

Sweden (Heat three) - Richard I

This week, Mello moved to Växjö, 200 km northeast of Malmö and home to 2007’s The Ark (“The Worrying Kind”).

First was Jacqline, with “Effortless,” a catchy, funky banger co-written by, among others, the very successful Dino Medanhodzic, the prolific Thomas G:son, and “Tattoo” co-writer (and fellow competitor) Cazzi Opeia. The lyrics are middling (“Call the police, ’cause you just stole my heart… / Epiphany in the backseat of your car”), but everything else was a cut above: the red staging and red-clad dancers behind her feathery black outfit, the sultry choreo, the hook… Best song this year so far.

Next: Clara Klingenström (5th in Mello 2021), who brought another guitar ballad, “Aldrig mer” (Never Again), about loving oneself. Against a backdrop of billowing strips (“Holding my own hand / I have to believe it'll turn out well / Cutting all the bands”), she strummed and sang until the song built to quasi-anthemic proportions. However, it did not equal her previous effort.

First-timer Kim Cesarion sang “Take My Breath Away,” featuring a plucky electronic sound reminiscent of Marcus & Martinus. Alas, it was a bit repetitive, and the stage performance was lacking. His sparkly shirt and dress pants did not do him many favors. Lyrics included “It's in the air / I give it all up / Show me the edge / You know that I'll jump.”

Clad in a beige sweater vest, white shirt, and gray pants, first-timer Klaudy (24) crooned “För dig” (For You), a ballad written for his (possibly terrified) girlfriend: “Let me love you / Until my lungs shut down… / And I'll hold you so hard / That my fingers change color.” It had some rousing parts, but was not as impressive as the foggy, leafy island on which he performed.

Sixty-five-year-old a model, actor, reality star, and TV host Gunilla Persson sparkled in a snazzy, short, silver dress, for “I Won’t Shake (La La Gunilla),” which had an upbeat western theme. The four cowboy backup dancers and graphics served her well, but her vocals were just okay, and she seemed a little stiff. The lyrics illustrate the Swedish attitude toward swearing: “Talking shit behind closed doors / Spreading rumors to even scores / La la Gunil-la / I won't bend / No, I won't break… Honesty as our guiding light / Let's leave the bullshit / And do what's right.”

Finally, Cazzi Opeia (9th in Mello 2022) also co-wrote her own memorable song, “Give My Heart a Break,” along with Thomas G:son and others. Starting out in a big, flowery keyhole, she sang well to this bop featuring bold colors, dazzling flower and jellyfish graphics, and fancifully dressed backup dancers (reminiscent of Dr. Seuss) with eyes on their gloves. In all, a treat! “Wanna be weightless like a butterfly / Sometimes I wanna fly away / From all the expectations / Just need to have a little fun tonight.”

Jacqline was rightfully sent “direkt till finalen,” giving Thomas G:son the most songs that have made it there. Following the public vote totals, Cazzi Opeia (and G:son) had a doubly good night, as she too won a ticket to the finals. (This is also the first time two songs going to the finals both had more than one woman co-writer.) Klaudy clawed into third place at the last moment, and Gunilla will join him in the “final qual” phase of Heat 5. On to Eskilstuna!

Sweden (Heat four) - Dennis F

The fourth leg of the six week Melodifestivalen marathon took place in the southeastern city of Eskilstuna. Six more songs competed for two places in the final, while the third and fourth place acts would continue on to the Final Vote, a run-off round at the conclusion of next week's show. The trio Chattanooga, who finished fourth in Melodifestivalen 1982, was inducted into the Melodifestivalen Hall of Fame. 

Done Getting Over You - Albin Tingwal

(Text/Music: Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Linnea Deb, Joy Deb)

The Swedish Idol 2022 runner-up makes his Melfest debut  with an upbeat pop rock number. Albin is joined by two dancers on a cyan/magenta/yellow themed stage. Some light choreography pulls together a polished look for Albin. The song itself is very upbeat, I could see it being a road trip type song, very radio-friendly, not overly showy, but a great way to start the show. 

30 km/h - Lia Larsson

(Text/Music: Axel Schylström, Jimmn, y Jansso, Lia Larsson, My Söderholm, Thomas G:son)

The young TikToker (not related to Zara) makes her debut and continues the night with even more colour. Bright colours for Lia - pink, yellow, and orange. Staging relies heavily on the LED wall-- from text, sitting in a truck, and driving-themed graphics. Lia is joined with four dancers in a very Samir & Viktor type song (jumpy choreo, CO2 cannons, and pyro in a child-friendly electropop song). Definitely see this one appealing to the younger crowd and not so much for the adult viewers. 

It's Not Easy to Write a Love Song - Dotter

(Text/Music: Dino Medanhodzic, Dotter)

Dotter returns to Melodifestivalen for the fourth time with an uptempo power ballad. The LED screens are turned off for this number, Dotter and a grand piano are showcased in a circle of lights and fog, the camera follows Dotter on top of and running around the piano in an intimate and emotion-evoking journey. The stripped-back staging is very reminiscent of Cornelia Jacobs' "Hold Me Closer" and Barbara Pravi's "Voila." 

Circus X - Scarlet

(Text/Music: Emil Behmer, Henric Pierroff, Ian-Paolo Lira, Jessica Rachel Chertock, Scarlet, Simon Boustedt, Staffan Amberlind, Thirsty)

If you ever wondered what a Tim Burton and Melodifestivalen collab would look like, look no further. The number starts with one-half of the skeleton duo sitting on a swing holding a balloon later eventually leading up to a goth metal dance break (with dancers I believe who are dressed as crows?) Very audible audience approval for this spooky circus. 

En sång om sommaren - Lasse Stefanz

(Text/Music: Anders Wigelius, Anderz Wrethov, Robert Norberg)

Yee-haw! It's not Melodifestivalen if there isn't at leas one country song. Donned with cowboy hats and fiddles, the Swedish dansband makes its return to the competition with a slow, yet upbeat number. The  song is very similar to Hasse Andersson's "Guld och gröna skoga," except more relaxed. Staging is clever, features the band on a wooden dock above the LED floor made to look like water. This would appeal to the traditional schlager fans. 

Happy That You Found Me - Danny Saucedo

(Text/Music: Anders Wigelius, Anderz Wrethov, Robert Norberg)

Melodifestivalen veteran returns for his fifth time as a performing artist. Set consists of multiple arches and stairs. This song is reminiscent of his dance-heavy entries ("In the Club"  and "Amazing"), but without the slick choreography-- just Danny alone on stage, probably to focus more on the song itself rather than the theatrics of his usual entries. 

Results

Voting (via app and telephone) is split into two rounds, after the first round of voting, the act that receives the most votes determines the first qualifier. Voting opens again for the remaining five acts, and votes from both rounds are combined and points are weighted and awarded by viewer demographics groups (3-9 years, 10-15 years, 16-29 years, 30-44 years, 45-59 years, 60-74 years, 75 years and above, and Televotes). 

Voting Round 1 Results: 

FINALIST: Danny Saucedo

Voting Round 2 Results:

FINALIST: Dotter (84 points, 12 points from 10-15y, 16-29y, 45-59y, 60-75y)

RUN-OFF: Albin Tingwall (63 points, 12 points from 75y+)

RUN-OFF: Scarlet (60 points, 12 points from 30-44y)

5th Place: Lia Larsson (49 points, 12 points from 3-9y)

6th Place: Lasse Stefanz (48 points, 12 points from Televote)

Sweden (Heat Five) - Jose Luis A

The final heat of the ultra-famous Melodifestivalen took place in Karlstad’s

Löfbergs Arena on the 2nd of March 2024. It was hosted by Carina Berg and

the special guest host, Björn Gustafsson, also appeared on some acts.

Melodifestivalen veteran, Frederik Kempe, graced us with his presence to

accept his plaque for being part of Melodifestivalen’s Hall of Fame. A medley

of his songs was performed by Sanna Nielsen, Kristin Amparo, Natalie

Carrion, and the incredible choirs "Söt Likör" and "Sällskapet CMB”. We also

watched and listened to Johan Östling and Björn perform songs throughout

the night to entertain us.

Now let’s jump to the important part. The six competing songs and artists

were as follows:

1.) Unforgettable (Marcus and Martinus) - What a light show! Their

performance was definitely a step up from last year’s Air. They meant

business! Did I like it? It’s all right. I understand why this will get a lot of

votes.

2.) Controlla (Chelsea Muco) - Another song with Afro-inspired beats. It had a

jazzy, sultry start then the rhythm turned faster. She has a strong voice but

you can still sense her nervousness while performing.

3.) Back to My Roots (Jay Smith) - A powerful country rock song. This genre

isn’t my cup of tea, but country song lovers would appreciate his solid

performance.

4.) Banne Maj (Elecktra) - I expected a lot from Elektra as my friends who are

fanatics of Drag Race Sweden hyped her so much. It felt that it lacked a little

bit of mmmpppph. Hearing Banne Maj over and over again was borderlining

cringy.

5.) Light (Annika Wikihalder) - Wow! It was a powerful ballad yet typical of

Melodifestivalen to have. It was a flawless performance from her but it felt

that Annika was just mad and hateful. I don’t think that was the message that

the song conveys.

6.) Que Sera (Medina) - An upbeat, playful song that shouts Medina. You

cannot deny that they are a crowd pleaser and that they were chosen to end

the performances with a bang. One thing that I like the most about their

performance is that they maximized their staging!

My predictions:

Direkt till final: Marcus and Martinus and Medina

For Run-off Voting: Elecktra and Annika Wikihalder

Results:

Direkt till final: Marcus and Martinus and Medina (82 points)

For Run-off Voting: Annika Wikihalder (79 points) and Jay Smith (73 points)

Run-Off Voting

The songs that ended in third and fourth places on the five semifinal heats

were given one last round of run-off voting. Each song was given points

based on the votes that they got from their first performance. Then, the

points from the run-off voting were added. In the end, Annika Wikihalder (245

points) and Jay Smith (235 points) secured their spots on the final night.

Iceland (Semi-Final two) - Tony P

Iceland’s national final, Söngvakeppnin, is back for 2024 and it will consist of two Semi-finals on 17 February and 24 February and a Final on 2 March. 

Five songs will compete in each Semi-final, with Icelanders choosing two songs to progress to the Final by a public vote. There will also a wildcard allowed for the broadcaster, RÚV, to bring a fifth song into the Final if they so wish.

So to recap the 2nd Semi-final held on 24 February 2024....

The show itself was again hosted by Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson, Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir and Sigurður Þorri Gunnarsson.

The five competing songs were:

Sigga Ózk – “Um allan alheiminn” (Into the Atmosphere)

Basic pop from yesteryear with Sigga giving a very “memorable” high note. Oh Tiffany!

https://youtu.be/Oa0G48fy6uA?si=cg5vSBMwrK1iDOPy

Heiðrún Anna – “Þjakaður af ást” (Tormented by Love)

The song went nowhere and the performance kind of matched. Dancing on the table at her age, I was a bit concerned.

https://youtu.be/FmJS1NAhJ1Y?si=GU-cskZojM0OtTyw

Bashar Murad – “Vestrið villt” (Wild West)

A pretty lame nod to country, Bashar is no Orville Peck. Not the worst though.

https://youtu.be/UQYZKrZOjAg?si=ybeSJEOyNmLUAMaO

Maiaa – “Fljúga burt” (Break Away)

A cute performance that struggled vocally in some parts.

https://youtu.be/I05UfjbNar4?si=NbpQhVhAy8W9QkUB

Hera Björk – “Við förum hærra” (Scared of Heights)

Crowd favourite and Eurovision royalty Hera delivered her trademark vocals with a confident performance. A “competent grandmother with wind machine” vibe.

https://youtu.be/93ZhyLj9GAA?si=WBHzpZizF_nJG9uE

And the two songs selected by the public were:

• Bashar Murad – “Vestrið villt” (Wild West)

• Hera Björk – “Við förum hærra” (Scared of Heights)

And winning through with the wildcard was:

• Sigga Ózk – “Um allan alheiminn” (Into the Atmosphere)

Iceland (Grand Final) - Madeline N

Iceland has made its choice for 2024! In the penultimate weekend of a truly riveting national selection season, Söngvakeppnin kept both the bookies and the viewers on the edge of their stólar. The show was, per its literal translation, “a singing competition”; however, it was anything but predictable.

 Hosted at Laugardalshöll in Reykjavík, the 143-minute broadcast (yes, indeed) began charmingly with a look back at Selma Björnsdóttir’s beloved 1999 entry “All Out of Luck.” Selma herself, a stunner at 49, set the stage for a fabulous evening.

 Brothers VÆB were the first competitors to perform with their song “Bíómynd.” An ode to the cinema, this act featured a gorilla, a princess, and an assortment of astronauts—one of whom accepted a film award mid-performance. “Bíómynd” was the only song performed in Icelandic, though a combined English/Icelandic version has also been released.

 Next was Hera Björk, seeking a return to the Eurovision spotlight after 14 years. Her song “Scared of Heights”—the more triumphant but perhaps less catchy sibling (or cousin?) to 2010’s “Je ne sais quoi”—showcased her powerhouse vocals. Atop the first of three tiny staircases used in the Söngvakeppnin final, Hera did in fact look a tad acrophobic.

 In an uncomfortable albeit endearing interlude, hosts encouraged the audience to sing just the “cha cha cha” portion of Käärijä’s 2023 hit by the same name. In the background, Icelandic children flailed to make themselves visible on camera—a staple of every national final.

 Then, it was Anita’s turn. Obviously very comfortable on-stage, she and her dancers gave a performance built for Eurovision—bedazzled Roomba® and all. Though Anita was one of four artists to switch to English lyrics for the Söngvakeppnin final, her vocals seemed most impacted by the language change, as “Downfall” took on a different timbre than “Stingum af.”

 Fourth to perform was the bookmakers’ favourite: Bashar Murad. Credited for Iceland’s high position in the overall ESC odds, Bashar’s entry made no comment on the genocide unfolding in his home nation of Palestine but instead offered an understated and catchy foray into the realm of country music. Concluding dramatically upon the evening’s second tiny staircase, “Wild West” was arguably the most unique entry of the show.

 Finally, wildcard Sigga Ózk gave a flawless and upbeat performance of her song “Into the Atmosphere.” Employing one last tiny staircase, Sigga brought the hús down with the revelation that she had not actually been saying “Go Tiffany” all along. Nonetheless, she ended with a shout-out to Tiffany for good measure.

 In the Söngvakeppnin superfinal, Hera Björk and Bashar Murad went head-to-head. While Hera’s performance was partially bungled by out-of-sync playback (whoopsie, guess that wasn’t live), Bashar seemed more comfortable the second time around—heart reveal notwithstanding.

 The audience enjoyed an impressive revamp of Diljá’s 2023 entry “Power” whilst awaiting the final results. At last, we learned that it was Hera, not Bashar, who dominated the second televote. And with that, the 51-year-old from Reykjavík is off to Eurovision once more.

Italy (Night four) - Ilya M

This year’s highly anticipated Sanremo week has concluded, crowning Angelina Mango as the

festival’s winner and Italy’s representative to Eurovision. Sanremo is a week-long affair;

however, did you know that the festival’s fourth night is quite different from all the others? Let

me tell you about it!

On the fourth night, contestants perform covers of other songs and can invite guests of their

choosing. This night has become my absolute favorite because we get a little reprieve from the

same songs we have been listening to all week, and that start playing in your head at random

intervals.

Inspired by flowers, I must say this year’s stage was nothing short of impressive. Hosting the

show was the legendary Amadeus, who’s been the artistic director for last five years. Amadeus

has been praised for making Sanremo exciting again, attracting a younger audience and

breaking the stereotype of “a festival for the elderly”. The numbers don’t lie - this year’s edition

in particular has broken all past viewership records.

The show ran until the early hours of the morning, for what seemed like an eternity, with 30

acts performing (not including the guest artists). The host remarked that there were 171 artists

backstage and even joked: “If you tried opening Spotify now, it will say “Closed” because all the

Italian artists are here at Sanremo.”

These are the performances that stood out to me the most:

 Annalisa sang Sweet Dreams (with La Rappresentate di Lisa), giving us incredible vocals

and an energetic performance.

http://tinyurl.com/2zyma8mz

 Ghali started off in Arabic, with Bayna (from his 2022 album), an homage to his

Tunisian origins, and transitioned to Toto Cutugnos’s classic “Italiano

Vero”. His message was that you can be Italian even if you have other

origins. Ghali later mentioned this was the only Italian song his mom used

to sing when he was a kid, and it was the last memory he had of his

parents together.

http://tinyurl.com/ptmkbkcv

 Angelina Mango sang “La rondine”, an homage to her late father Mango, a famed Italian

singer who died from a heart attack in 2013 when Angelina was just 13 years old. It was

an incredibly moving performance, receiviving a long standing ovation. There was not a

single person in the audience without a tear in their eye.

http://tinyurl.com/32b3x3vf

When the covers night winner, Geolier, was announced, the audience would not stop booing.

While Geolier did win the televote, Angelina won the jury and press votes and came in a close

second.

Italy (Grand Final) - Ricardo A

For lot of us, the Sanremo Music Festival week is one of the most anticipated shows in the ESC Season. It is older than Eurovision itself, and it is where all the best italian singers and composers  try to show their best songs of the year to Italy.

And of course it has live orchestra, the best TV ratings of the year (74% share the grand final) and success in the Italian charts for all the contestants.

It is not even a national selection indeed. The winner has the right to represent Italy in Eurovision if he or she wants to do it.

Amadeus were the host, joined by Rosario Fiorello. This will be his last year presenting.

This year we have 30 contestants during the week, in four shows from Tuesday to Friday, and in the Grand Final (Quinta serata) on 10th February. In each show, each artist has been voted in a mix of televote, Radio Jury and Press Jury.

Before the final started, the provisional ranking was topped by Geolier, Angelina Mango and Annalisa.

In the Grand Final there are two rounds of voting.

In a first one, the 100% televote ranked again all the songs, and this is added to the aggregated results of the week.

Then we have the five qualified for the superfinal vote.

In a second round of voting, the songs was ranked again by televote, Radio Jury and Press Jury,,, but this time everyone started without points.

The final result  after SIX hours of were:

1-    Angelina Mango “La noia”; A pop song with sounds of cumbia. She won both jury’s votes. Angelina accepted be the italian representative in Malmö

2-    Geolier “I p’ me, tu p’ te”; Sung in napoletano, even when the rules of the festival says the songs have to be in italian. This is why he has huge support of people from Napoli in televote (60% in this round, against a combined 40% of the other 4 songs). This of course was a little controversial.

3-    Annalisa “Sinceramente”; The betting favorite before the contest and a hit after it.

4-    Ghali “Casa mia”;  where the singer asks an alien if they have wars and problems like ours in their home. This was controversial as well when Ghali asked for  “stop the genocide” after he sang.

5-    Irama “Tu no”

Between all that weren’t in the superfinal there were some participants in ESC like: Il Volo “Capolavoro”; Diodato “Ti muovi”; Ricchi e Poveri (just two this time) “Ma non tutta la vita”; Emma “Apnea”; and Mahmood with “Tuta Gold”, wich is one of the radio hits in Italy before the Festival

SanRemo is exhausting, but also is so Italian, so Mediterranean, full of great songs, composers and singers. It is wonderful year after year. We think Angelina can do it very good in Malmö this year.

Grazie per la musica Italia

Lithuania (heat two) Dave A

We start off heat 2 with a brightly coloured dance group, before a welcome from our hosts,

one of whom seems to be dressed up as leftover holiday sweets and is rather distracting as I

can’t figure out what the dress is made from. Anyway…

Another eight artists performing tonight, with only two going through to the final. But first,

an introduction to this weeks jury panel

- Ramunas Zilnys

- Ieva Narkute

- Vytautas Bikus

- Ieva Zasimauskaite

- Kristupas Naraskevicius

First up is Andrius Pojavis (the Lithuanian entrant in 2013) with “Sing Me A Hug” – this is a

competent effort, if nothing exciting, and reminds me of something I can’t put my finger on.

Something missing from that and not grabbing me.

Next up we have Eley, with “Rock My Body” a catchy, 80s inspired pop number. This looks

like it’s had more money spent on it, though I’d question whether it was all worth it. Vocal

performance was good, but certainly some choices made in costuming, prop and most of all

lighting. It’s pretty dark. Oh, and there’s a dance break *yawn*.

Onto Deividas Valma now, and his song “Blood on your Hands”. Again with fairly dark

staging, being largely a black and red backdrop, with his backing vocalists and a dancer all in

black. He’s performing well, though sounds like he’s struggling a little with vocals at times.

Fourth up for this heat is Aiste with her song “We Will Rule the World” and now we appear

to be back in the 70s, maybe. She’s having fun and selling it, but this isn’t one to send to

ESC. I’m a little confused as to what’s going on, vocally, sonically and on stage generally.

Fifth up is Zalvarinis with their song “Gaude Vejai” and… I’m not even sure what genre this

is. Lithuanian country rock maybe? It’s an engaging performance, certainly the best put

together we’ve seen so far this heat.

Sixth tonight is Paula Urbana and “It is what it is”, maybe the most current sounding track

this evening, and well performed. She’s alone on stage but draws the attention.

Penultimate entry tonight is Thomas G and “Us” – he seems young and a bit nervous on

stage. Vocals a little shaky, and this is a fairly standard guitar led pop song. It’s a no from me

on this one.

Lastly for now we have Multiks and “Vejas Galvoje”, they were here last year and have

come back for another try. This reminds me of 90s indie/britpop and is fairly enjoyable,

though I don’t think it would fare well at ESC.

Ieva Zasimauskaite gives us a performance, before we get the voting results of jury and

public votes.

Jury place Aiste first and Zalvarinis second, with the public vote doing the reverse of that,

and with that there’s nothing any of the other competitors can catch up so it’s Aiste and

Zalvarinis heading to the final.

Lithuania (heat four) - Alex W

What is old is new again for Lithuania. A different year brings a different Monika into the Eurovision

spotlight as Monika Marija began her journey to become the third consecutive Monika to represent

Lithuania at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo.

The singer-songwriter arrived with a soft mid-tempo ballad, “Unlove You Starting Tomorrow” that

wowed the juries with its late-night campfire aesthetic earning their top placement for the heat. The

song wasn’t as instantly addictive to the public as the previous Monika-led entries, but the public still

gave the 2024 Monika enough support to earn eight public points. Those public points as well as the

twelve points from the juries were enough to earn Monika 2 nd place over all and a trip to the final.

That second place finish opened the door for the odd and operatic Il Senso to take the title of heat

winner with their song “Time.” Despite being a bizarre, disjointed and borderline over-the-top

contemporary theatre piece rather than a normal song, the public ate it up. Il Senso pulled in 40% of the

total televote for the heat which earned them the public’s twelve points. That top televote finish along

with a second-place finish with the juries allowed Il Senso to win the fourth heat of Eurovizija.LT.

After their individual triumphs, Monika and Il Senso will compete against eight other acts in the

Eurovizjia.LT final on the 17 th of February.

Lithuania (Grand Final) - Mark P

In a dazzling showcase, the final of Eurovizija.LT pre-selection event unfolded with all the drama and excitement expected from Lithuania’s National final.

First up was Aiste, whose infectious energy and catchy tune drew comparisons to Olivia Newton-John’s iconic hit “Physical,” channeling a hint of the legendary Dazzler from the X-Men.

Next was Zalvarinus, whose lively folk rock anthem electrified the audience despite the challenging #2 slot. Pluie de Comètes took the stage next, offering a mesmerizing performance that fell just short of usual Eurovision standards.

Sylvester Belt and Luktelk commanded attention with their pulsating electronic pop, leaving the audience in awe. However, a brief livestream failure momentarily halted the proceedings, adding an unexpected twist to the evening.

VB Gang burst onto the scene with a visually striking appearance, but their song “KABOOM” failed to ignite the excitement as the name suggests, earning it the dubious title of an “absolute disaster bop.” Meanwhile, Il Senso delivered a pleasant melody and strong vocals, albeit lacking the Eurovision wow factor.

Shower’s performance of “Impossible” left viewers questioning its potential to secure victory, while Monika Marija captivated hearts with her poignant country pop ballad, showcasing both simplicity and emotional depth.

The crowd erupted into applause as Queen of Roses channeled Serbia’s 2022 entry, “Loco Loco,” setting the stage for a heated superfinal showdown. Finally, The Roop closed the first round with a deceptively simple performance that left some questioning its Eurovision potential.

As the dust settled, acts 4, 7, and 10 advanced to the superfinal, with Monika Linkyte taking the stage to perform ‘Stay’ while the second round of voting commenced.

With tensions running high, only time would tell which act would emerge victorious and earn the coveted ticket to Eurovision. In the end, the winner was Silvester Belt with Luktelk. 

San Marino (Grand Final) - David LR

ESC's "taking all applicants" national final had semi-finals on 19 - 23 February and the finale on 24 February.  Like previous years, they separated acts into two groups - emerging artists and Big (established) artists, with the selected 8 Big artists qualifying to the finale. A song written using artificial intelligence qualified straight to the final, something new this year. Of 4 contenders, The Last Polar Bear by Dana Gillespie, a song from the polar bear's perspective, was chosen.

One artist qualified for the finale from each of the 4 main semi-finals, while 4 others went to the second chance round.  A 5th semi-final was for artists from San Marino, with one of six chosen for the finale.  Three artists out of the 16 qualified to the finale from the second chance. It was a jury only selection for every round. 

The 8 Big artists, 1 AI song, 5 from the semi-finals, and 3 from the second chance round, comprised the 17 songs for the finale held at Teatro Nuovo di Dogana. There were two judges for the semi-finals and five judges for the final, and the original two weren't in the five-person jury for the finale.

Piqued Jacks opened with last year's song. The hosts then started the competition, going straight into the first four songs, proceeding quickly like the semi-finals moved.  

Then, a children's choir appeared for an interval act, Sanremo style. It was a long night. The next 13 songs took all evening, interval acts and talks interspersed among them.

The last artist, Spain's Megara, finally took the stage at 12:25 am with their song 11:11.The "expected" end time was midnight. With more interval acts and talking from the two hosts, 1 am came. OMG. Piqued Jacks then played their new song Aria. (It's a banger.)

They then had several special awards, first being the best look fashion award going to Jalisse!! 

The hosts called Jalisse's name, and they were nowhere around. The hosts laughed nervously, sat on the floor, and they went to commercial.  They quickly announced the other awards including a fan award from OGAE Italy to Loredana. Megara won the best emerging artist award. 

The results started with #17 to #4. The top three were announced as La Rua, Loredana Bertè, and Megara.  La Rua won an award for the most radio friendly song but finished third.  Megara and Loredana were the top two. The audience chanted Loredana's name while the hosts stalled the announcement of the winner.   

The legend Loredana finished second though, and Megara won!  Megara didn't win their semi-final, qualifying via the second chance round, but the judges for the final were different, though. 

The audience chanted Loredana *again*, while the hosts encouraged applause for Megara.  The audience started walking out immediately as they announced the winner's reprise. With about 1/3 of the audience remaining, they rushed out the instruments and staging, and at about 1:40am, the wild ride that was Una voce per San Marino 2024 ended with Megara's reprise.

Armenia - Vanessa J

Armenia has selected the dynamic group Ladaniva to represent them in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with their spirited entry “Jako”. The song was internally chosen by the Armenian broadcaster Public Television of Armenia (AMPTV).

Ladaniva, a fusion of Armenian vocalist Jaklin Baghdasaryan and French multi-instrumentalist Louis Thomas, brings a fresh perspective to Eurovision. Their music transcends borders, blending Armenian folk elements with contemporary global influences. “Jako” serves as their anthem—a call to dance, celebrate, and break free from societal norms.

Unpacking the Lyrics “Jako” is more than a catchy tune—it’s a declaration of independence. The title itself invites curiosity. What does “Jako” mean? In Armenian, it translates to “I am.” The lyrics echo this sentiment: “I am a free girl, so I will dance, and you will watch!” It’s a bold assertion of individuality, urging listeners to embrace their true selves.

The Excitement Surrounding “Jako”

• Fans’ Buzz: The Eurovision community is abuzz with anticipation. Ladaniva’s fusion of traditional Armenian sounds with modern beats has struck a chord. Jaklin’s soulful vocals resonate, promising an unforgettable live performance.
  Cultural Elements: The music video for “Jako” is a visual feast. Shot against the backdrop of Armenia’s stunning landscapes, it captures the essence of the song and adds to the excitement surrounding Ladaniva’s Eurovision journey.

Countdown to Malmö:

As the Eurovision stage in Malmö awaits, all eyes are on Ladaniva. Their energy, authenticity, and passion promise to set the arena ablaze. When Jaklin takes the mic and Louis strums his guitar, they’ll carry Armenia’s spirit with them. "Jako" isn’t just a song—it's a movement, an invitation to dance, and a celebration of life.

 So, let’s hoist our imaginary flags, groove to the beat, and rally behind Ladaniva as they represent Armenia in Eurovision 2024.

Azerbaijan - Luis B

Once again, Azerbaijan chose their Eurovision entry through an internal selection. After

confirming their participation in the 2024 contest, İTV opened the submission of songs

period, which lasted until late September 2023.

Azerbaijan is always one of the few countries for which we don’t have a lot of updates

during the National Selections season. It is known that after an audition round which

took place on October 29th 2023 in Baku, a jury selected a list of 15 acts, as was

announced by İTV. Among those acts, we could see the name of Aisel, Azerbaijan’s

participant at the Eurovision 2018. That same list was shortened from 15 to 6, on

November 6th 2023.

This February 2024, Eldar Gasimov (Eurovision 2011 winner) as member of the jury,

announced the selection process was almost at its end and international professionals

from Asia and America were involved. A rumour has it Aisel with "Game of Chess" and

Ilkin Dovlatov, Mila Miles & Etibar Asadli with "İnsanlar" were the two acts left in the

running.

However, on March 7th 2024, İTV announce Fahree as their representative to the

Eurovision 2024, with the song “Özünlə apar”. Shortly after, Fahree himself announced

he would be joined on stage by Ilkin Dovlatov, who will perform part of the song in the

traditional Azerbaijani mugham style (one of the styles of traditional classic music from

Azerbaijan, characterized by a large degree of improvisation and proclaimed by UNESCO

in 2003 as a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”).

On March 15th 2024, “Özünlə apar” was the last song to be released among the 37

entries which will be on stage in Malmö.

Fahree was born in Baku in 1995 in a family related to the arts world. He took a master

degree in Law but later he decided to make music is priority. In 2022 he releases his

first single: “Dance”.

Özünlə apar is the Azerbaijan's first entry for the Eurovision with lyrics mainly in

Azerbaijani. It is a modern pop/light electronic song with a heavy but amazing ethnic

flavour.

Azərbaycanın Malmö şəhərində uğurlar!

Austria - Kate BK

This year's Austrian entry for Eurovision is 29 year old Kaleen (Marie-Sophie Kreissl).

As in previous years, Austria has once again internally selected the act to represent the country.

60 songs were initially up for picks. 14 of those songs were picked by the jury and then presented to 25 music experts as well as a selected group of ESC fans. The song "We will rave" by Kaleen was selected.

Kaleen is a singer, dancer and choreographer, who has worked as a stand-in singer, dancer, choreographer since 2018.

While her song is set to be release in March, we already know what her music style is is Dance-Pop with inspiration from Techno.

Considering the title of the song, combined with Kaleens experience as a dancer and choreographer, it is realistic to not only expect a great song for the Euroclub but it is also likely that the stage performance will include quite a bit of dancing.

On the topic of her song, the track has apparently been leaked, however, OFR and Kaleen have stated that the leaked song is an unfinished version. There might be a bit of a change from what you heard in case you already heard the leaked version. Though it was said that the song is likely 90s influenced.

Armenia - David D

This year the Armenian national broadcaster, Public Television of Armenia (AMPTV) has once again internally selected Armenian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. Armenia only confirmed its participation in ESC 2024 in December last year. This will be Armenia’s 16th time at the contest, its first entry being in 2006.

 Armenia tends to announce its entry late in Eurovision season and this year was no exception. The duo Ladaniva was announced on 9 March 2024 and their song Jako was released on 13 March. The duo co-wrote the song with Audrey Leclercq.

 Ladaniva was formed in 2019 as a result of the collaboration between the Armenian singer, Jaklin Baghdasaryan, and the French multi-instrumentalist Louis Thomas. In 2022 they won an emerging artist award – Music Moves Europe Award. Their music has a wide range of influences including Balkan music and Armenian folklore.

 Both of these influences feature in ‘Jako’. This upbeat song tells the story of Jako, a young woman whose free spirit , love of dance and mischievous antics, win over members of her village who want her to ‘behave like a girl’. The official video entry has a Disney feel to it  (not dissimilar to Encanto) portraying Jako living in a visually stunning village where cobbled streets, Armenian lace and carpets feature heavily. The video was filmed in Dilijan, a spa town in northern Armenia.

 It will be interesting to see how Ladaniva take a truly captivating video performance to the Eurovision stage.

 Armenia will be hoping to at least do as well as its 2023 entry, Future Lover by Brunette (which finished 14th in the Grand Final) and its 2022 entry, Snap by Rosa Linn, which went on to be a global hit with over 930 million streams.

Australia - David McK

In an announcement that will no doubt have delighted many aussie fans;

electronic music duo Electric Fields will represent Australia at the 2024

Eurovision Song Contest in May. The pair, vocalist Zaachariaha Fielding

and keyboard player Michael Ross, have been described as “Daft Punk

meets Nina Simone in the Deep Forest”.

This internal selection by broadcaster SBS will be the first time Australia

will send a duo to the annual competition, with solo and group acts being

the offerings to date.

Their song is titled “One Mikali” which translates to “One Blood” and is a

great upbeat creation with strong unifying themes.

The electronic music duo, performing in both English and the Indigenous

Yankunytjatjara language should play well to Eurovision’s culturally diverse

audience.

Fielding and Ross have been performing together as Electric Fields since

2015, winning best new talent of the year at the 2017 National Indigenous

Music Awards, performing at the 2020 AFL Grand Final and, in 2023,

performing “We the People”, the official World Pride theme song.

Electric Fields have been rumoured by fans as hot contenders in recent

years after the duo came second in 2019 at the Eurovision pre-selection

event Australia Decides, losing to Kate Miller-Heidke.

The music video released so far gives little away as to what staging could

be, but apparently Zaachariaha is keen to incorporate some of his award-

winning indigenous art into the performance.

One thing is for sure, it will be a colourful, flamboyant, and diverse delight

for the senses at Malmo.

Serbia (Semi-Final one) - Matthew E

Serbia Semi-Final One (the one without Konstrakta or Teya Dora)

The first semifinal of “Pesma za Evroviziju” was held on Thursday, Feb 27, and eight songs move onto the Finals on Saturday out of fourteen alongside some great theming and the expected Abba tribute.

Among the highlights and recommended songs:

-          Zorja ("Lik u ogledalu") was the clear winner of the night.  A strong vocal and intriguing staging involving dancers holding mirrors and removing a wig at the end, this is the one song that I could see winning on Saturday.

-          Marko Mandić was a surprise qualification with the song "Dno." Staged like he was appearing on a talk show, complete with a makeup chair, it made enough of an impression to make the Finals.

-          Lena Kovačević’s performance ("Zovi me Lena") grew on me over her three minutes.  Starting soft and extending into a sequence where it was just her and her band’s silhouette, it turned into something special.  She’s performing next-to-last on Saturday so will benefit from a performance order bump.

-          "Elektroljubav" by Saša Báša and Virtual Ritual was the “interesting” song of the night.  Set inside a computer, I think, game avatars came in over the course of the performance (complete with T-Poses) and were shut off at the end.  It’s worth checking out, even if it had no chance of qualifying.

-          Another non-qualifier worth watching was Ivana Vladović’s "Jaka” aka “Strong.”  As she sang, a bodybuilder dressed as a bull came out and confronted her, and they fought in slow-motion complete with blur effects.  While it didn’t quite work, I enjoyed the attempt.

-          Finally, attention must be paid to Hristina for "Bedem.”  It takes real strength to sing the last minute of your song while hanging from a flying rig.  Points to the production team for attaching the cables while the camera was in closeup.

Overall, a very solid showing that sets Serbia up for a killer Final on Saturday!

Serbia (Semi-Final two) - John B

After a successful first semi-final where eight acts qualified for the finale, Pesma za Evroviziju

continued on Thursday, February 29 with semi-final 2, where an additional eight acts would

qualify.

In Serbia’s continued search for its 2024 Eurovision entry, 14 acts performed in semi-final 2, with

considerable hype and attention being shown for pre-contest favorites Teya Dora and Konstrakta,

Serbia’s 2022 entry who placed fifth in the Grand Final.

Luke Black opened the show with a performance of his winning song from Pesma za Evroviziju '23

"Samo mi se spava." The interval section featured Black performing his songs "God's Too Cool" and

"Chainsaws in Paradise", Sanja Vučić performing "Cha Cha Cha," Hurricane performing "Fuego"

and Princ performing "Soldi."

With results being determined by a 50:50 split between votes from a jury and the public at home,

the following eight acts moved onto the Pesma za Evroviziju 24 grand final:

 Konstrakta – “Novo, bolje”

 Dušan Kurtić – “Zbog tebe živim”

 Zejna – “Najbolja”

 Teya Dora – “Ramonda”

 Milan Bujaković – “Moje tvoje”

 Nemanja Radošević – “Jutra bez tebe”

 Džordži – “Luna park”

Teya Dora won the semi-final with 24 points, winning both the jury and public vote. Konstrakta

placed second with 20 points, finishing second in both the jury and public vote. Zejna rounded out

the top three, finishing with 14 points.

Unfortunately, with eight acts moving on, that meant the following six did not qualify:

 Nadia – “Sudari”

 Hydrogen – “Nemoguća misija”

 Filip Baloš – “Duga je noć”

 Yanx – “Kolo”

 Kat Dosa – “Tajni začin”

 Durlanski – “Muzika”

У Велико финале. Видимо се у Малмеу! (Onto the Grand Final. See you in Malmo!)