Monica Sandu '24
Production Editor
Anybody who knows me knows I’m obsessed with very passionate about Eurovision. And yet, whenever I bring it up, I’m always met with the question: What is Eurovision?
Eurovision 2022 Winners Kalush Orchestra with their trophy, which they would later auction to raise money for the war effort. Oleh Psiuk’s bright pink bucket hat became a symbol of Ukrainian strength.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61628590
Background:
Eurovision is the world’s longest-running broadcasted music festival. Countries take part through their national broadcasters, who are members of the European Broadcast Union (EBU).[1] Every country selects a song and an artist, either through a national competition or by their broadcaster, to represent them in a Europe-wide battle of the bands typically hosted by the previous year’s winner. 2023’s edition will be held in the UK, which placed second, as 2022 winner Ukraine is currently unable to host.
All participants, with the exception of the “Big Five” (i.e., the EBU’s five largest financial contributors: the UK, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France) and the previous year’s winner are evenly divided by random draw into one of two semifinals. All artists perform live on stage in one massive concert, after which the public votes via text or online for their favorite acts.
Points are allocated by country, where each country gives out one to eight points, ten points, and the coveted twelve points to their top ten performances. The top ten from each semifinal advance to the Grand Final.[2] In the Grand Final, each country also has a national jury of five music industry professionals who judge songs based on performance, composition, and staging, and rank their favorites. The top ten of each national jury receive twelve, ten, and eight to one points. There is also a public vote, which counts for 50 percent of the total points. The song with the most points wins!
Participants:
● Albania – Duje,[3] Albina & Familja Kelmendi
● Armenia – Future Lover, Brunette
● Australia – Promise, Voyager[4]
● Austria – Who the Hell is Edgar?, Teya and Salena
● Azerbaijan – Tell Me More, TuralTuranX
● Belgium – Because of You, Gustaph
● Croatia – Mama ŠČ!, Let 3
● Cyprus – Breaking a Broken Heart, Andrew Lambrou
● Czechia – My Sister’s Crown, Vesna
● Denmark – Breaking My Heart, Reiley
● Estonia – Bridges, Alika
● Finland – Cha Cha Cha, Kääijä
● France – Évidemment,[5] La Zarra
● Georgia – Echo, Iru Khechanovi
● Germany – Blood and Glitter, Lord of the Lost
● Greece – What they Say, Victor Vernicos
● Iceland – Power, Diljá
● Ireland – We Are One, Wild Youth
● Israel – Unicorn, Noa Kirel
● Italy – Due Vite,[6] Marco Mengoni
● Latvia – Aijā,[7] Sudden Lights
● Lithuania – Stay, Monika Linktė
● Malta – Dance (Our Own Party), The Busker
● Moldova – Soarele şi Luna,[8] Pasha Parfeni
● Netherlands – Burning Daylight, Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper
● Norway – Queen of Kings, Alessandra
● Poland – Solo, Blanka
● Portugal – Ai Coração,[9] Mimicat
● Romania – D.G.T. [10] (Off and On), Theodor Andrei
● San Marino – Like an Animal, Piqued Jacks
● Serbia – Samo Mi Se Spava,[11] Luke Black
● Slovenia – Carpe Diem, Joker Out
● Spain – Eaea,[12] Blanca Paloma
● Sweden – Tattoo, Loreen
● Switzerland – Watergun, Remo Forrer
● Ukraine – Heart of Steel, TVORCHI
● United Kingdom – I Wrote a Song, Mae Muller
My Ranking
1 point to Italy
I love a good Italian ballad, and Due Vite is no exception. After all, it did win Sanremo, which is an even bigger deal in Italy than Eurovision. It’s powerful, full of emotion, and quite beautiful.
2 points to Slovenia
I don’t speak a word of Slovenian, but the band is so charming and engaging, especially live, that they more than make up for it. Carpe Diem is exactly what you’d think—a party song with a great beat.
3 points to Malta
This song is so silly and sweet, I can’t help but like it! Plus, it has a Maltese version of Epic Sax Guy (who represented Moldova at Eurovision in 2010 and 2017)!
4 points to Austria
Who the Hell is Edgar? masks its serious critique of the music industry’s poor treatment and payment of songwriters in a silly tune about being possessed by the ghost of UVA alumnus Edgar Allan Poe.
5 points to Czechia
My Sister’s Crown is a song about Slavic sisterhood. With lyrics in Czech, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, and English, it pleads, “My sister’s crown, don’t take it down,” referencing Russia’s attempt to destroy Ukraine’s sovereignty. The chorus is in Ukrainian, repeating, “My beautiful sister, you are so strong. Brave and the only one, the crown is yours.”
6 points to Finland
Imagine a crazy mixture of metal, Euro-pop, and Nordic rap. All in Finnish. Sung by a man wearing bright green puffy sleeves, no shirt, and tight leather pants. With a bowl cut. And it’s brilliant.
7 points to France
Those who know me know this is not a shock. Évidemment, sung by Québécoise singer La Zarra, is a delightful blend of French chanson and upbeat disco pop. Paired with beautifully evocative lyrics about love and lies, it’s exactly what I like to hear.
8 points to Portugal
Though there are four songs this year about the heart, Ai Coração is by far the finest. It’s a unique and charming Portuguese dance song singing about the foils of love. It took Portugal fifty-three years to get from their debut in 1964 to their first victory in 2017, but hopefully, their second victory won’t take nearly as long.
10 points to Moldova
Is it heavily biased to have Moldova in my top two for two years in a row? Perhaps. Do I care? No! Soarele şi Luna is a unique, Romanian-language, ethnic folk bop with a dark and mysterious flair, accompanied by a traditional wooden flute and powerful drums. It has the lyrics of a love song, heavy with imagery from Romanian folk mythology, about how the Sun and the Moon will hold the wedding crowns[13] of a young couple and bless their marriage under a sky of stars.
And finally, 12 points to… SPAIN
Eaea is a beautiful, mystical mixture of traditional flamenco with modern, avant-garde performance flair. A chant to singer Blanca Paloma’s late grandmother, the song speaks of how her grandmother wished to be buried on the moon when she died so that she may watch over Blanca every night, except one, when Blanca joins her. It’s a work of art that I hope will bring Spain their first victory since 1969.
Eurovision 2023 will take place on Tuesday, May 9 (Semi-Final 1); Thursday, May 11 (Semi-Final 2); and Saturday, May 13 (Grand Final), in Liverpool. All three shows can be streamed for free online at SVT, Sweden’s national broadcaster. Alternatively, it can be streamed for American audiences on Peacock. For the first time in Eurovision history, people from non-participating countries will be allowed to vote in a “rest of the world” category. Let the Eurovision Song Contest begin!
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ms7mn@virginia.edu
[1] Plus Australia, which participates as an invited guest of the EBU.
[2] Qualifiers are announced in random order and results are kept secret in order to avoid influencing the final.
[3] “To Love”
[4] Fun fact: Australia’s lead singer this year is also a practicing immigration lawyer and has his own firm! Thus, this entire article is related to law school.
[5] “Obviously”
[6] “Two Lives”
[7] “Rockabye”
[8] “The Sun and the Moon”
[9] “Oh Heart”
[10] Pronounced “de-ge-te,” meaning “fingers”
[11] “I just wanna sleep”.
[12] “The sound of a lullaby”
[13] Orthodox weddings include a traditional crowning of the couple after the bulk of the ceremony is performed, with the crowns linked by a ribbon, symbolizing two becoming one.