Sprinkle the sequins and pump up the quantity: The annual Eurovision Track Contest reaches its climax on Saturday with a grand ultimate broadcast stay from the UK’s metropolis of Liverpool.
There will probably be catchy choruses, a kaleidoscope of costumes and tributes to the spirit of Ukraine in a contest that since 1956 has captured the altering zeitgeist of a continent.
Final 12 months, 161 million individuals watched the competitors, in response to the organiser, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), making it one of many world’s most-watched occasions.
Right here’s what to anticipate as acts from throughout Europe – and past – vie for the continent’s pop crown.
Who’s competing?
This 12 months, 37 nations despatched an act to Eurovision, chosen by way of nationwide competitions or inner choices by broadcasters. The winner of the earlier 12 months’s occasion often hosts the competition however, as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues, the UK is doing the honours this 12 months on behalf of 2022’s winner, Ukraine.
Six nations robotically qualify for the ultimate: final 12 months’s winner and the 5 nations that contribute essentially the most funding to the competition – France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.
The others should carry out within the semi-finals with 20 acts chosen by public vote on Tuesday and Thursday.
The qualifiers are: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Israel, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland.
The ultimate takes place on Saturday on the Liverpool Enviornment.
Australia?
Eurovision isn’t just geography. Eurovision is massively well-liked in Australia and the nation was allowed to affix the competitors in 2015. Different entrants from outdoors Europe’s borders embody Israel and Azerbaijan.
Who’re the favourites?
It’s laborious to foretell the winners in a contest whose previous winners have ranged from ABBA to Finnish steel band Lordi, however bookmakers say Swedish diva Loreen, who received in 2012, is the favorite together with her energy ballad Tattoo.
Finland’s Käärijä was a crowd-pleaser within the semifinals together with his pop-metal occasion tune Cha Cha Cha and Canadian singer La Zarra, competing for France, can also be extremely ranked for her Edith Piaf-style track Évidemment.
And by no means underestimate left-field entries like Croatia’s Let 3, whose track Mama ŠČ! is pure Eurovision camp: an anti-war rock opera that performs like Monty Python meets Dr Strangelove.
What occurs within the ultimate?
About 6,000 individuals will attend the ultimate, hosted by longtime BBC Eurovision presenter Graham Norton, Ted Lasso and West Finish star Hannah Waddingham, British singer Alesha Dixon and Ukrainian rock star Julia Sanina.
Every competing act should sing stay and follow a three-minute restrict however is in any other case free to create its personal staging – the flashier the pyrotechnics and extra elaborate the choreography, the higher.
Russia’s warfare in Ukraine will lend a solemn word to a contest famed for celebrating tacky pop.
The present will open with a efficiency by final 12 months’s winner, folk-rap band Kalush Orchestra, and singer Jamala, who received the competition in 2016, will carry out a tribute to her Crimean Tatar tradition. Ukraine has received the competitors 3 times for the reason that nation began collaborating in 2003.
One one that is not going to be showing is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He requested to handle the ultimate by video however the EBU mentioned that such a chat would breach “the nonpolitical nature of the occasion”.
How is the winner determined?
After all of the acts have carried out, viewers in collaborating nations can vote by telephone, textual content message or app however will not be allowed to vote for their very own nation.
This 12 months for the primary time, viewers watching from non-participating nations also can vote on-line, with the mixed “remainder of the world” votes being given the load of 1 particular person nation.
Nationwide juries of music business professionals additionally allocate between one and 12 factors to their favorite songs, with an announcer from every nation popping as much as declare which has been granted the coveted “douze factors” (12 factors).
Public and jury votes are mixed to present every nation a single rating. Ending up with “nul factors” (zero factors) is taken into account a nationwide embarrassment. The UK has suffered that destiny a number of occasions – most not too long ago in 2021. It bounced again final 12 months, nevertheless, when Sam Ryder got here second and is hoping this 12 months’s contestant, Mae Muller, can even flip in a powerful efficiency.
The place can I watch?
Eurovision is being proven by nationwide broadcasters that belong to the EBU, together with the BBC within the UK, and on the Eurovision YouTube channel. In america, it’s being proven on NBC’s Peacock streaming service.
