“Around The Continent” is a series of posts where we will give you all the main news of the week.
For this year “Festivali i Këngës”, only 47 songs were submitted, where 26 among them were accepted for the national selection:
Devis Xherahu – Peng (Hostage)
Orgesa Zaimi – Valixhja e kujtimeve (The suitcase of memories)
Festina Mejzini – Kush je ti dashuri (Who is the one you love)
Franc Koruni – E morën botën (They took the world)
Inis Neziri – Pendesë (Reprentance)
Sardi Strugaj – Kam me t’ba me kajt (“I’ll make you cry”)
Gjergj Kaçinari – Më jep jetë (Give me life)
Durim Morina (Mirud) – Nëse vdes (If I die)
Evi Reçi – Tjerr (Spin)
Rosela Gjylbegu – Vashëzo (Daughter)
Klevis Bega (Kastro Ziso) – Vallja e jetës (Dance of life)
Klinti Çollaku – Do t’ja dal (I will do it)
Anxhela Peristeri – Karma
Wendi Mancaku – Si ajo (Like Her)
Fatos Shabani – Ty (You)
Florent Abrashi – Vajzë (Girl)
Enxhi Nasufi – Njësoj (Same)
Kamela Islamaj – Ajo vajza (That girl)
Era Rusi – Zjarri im (My fire)
Erikson Lloshi – Jo (No)
Xhesika Polo – Më mbron (Protect me)
Manjola Nallbani – Ora e jetës (Hour of Life)
Giliola Haveriku – E lirë (Free)
Viktor Tahiraj – Nënë (Mother)
Agim Poshka – Vendi im (My place)
Stefan Marena – Meteor
The songs will be published until Friday the 20th of November 2020.
In order to publish the songs on YouTube, the broadcaster RTSH organized photo shooting of the candidates in the festival:
The delegation of Azerbaijan are already working on a song for Eurovision 2021.
In a video that was published by The Eurovision Song Contest account on Twitter, the singer Efendi sends her love to the fans and promises that we will love the new song as much a fans love “Cleopatra”:
Drama hit the fandom this week, as the Hooverphonic band (Belgium artists for Eurovision 2020 +2021) announced on a change in the line-up The lead vocalist Luka Cruysberghs was replaced by one of the former lead singers of the band: Geike Arnaert .
Geike was the lead singer of the band in 1997-2008. She is well known as the lead vocalist of the band in their most successful years.
Actually, she was the singer behind the masterpiece “Mad About You“
You can watch the Instagram post where the band informed the news:
Geike Arnaert will be off course the voice behind the Belgian act for Eurovision 2021:
Croatia will chose their act for Eurovision 2021 via the “Dora 2021” festival.
The number of competing acts will reduce from 16 to only 14.
The national selection will include only one show that will be held on the 13th of February 2020.
HRT will prepare 4 versions of the festival, as does the Eurovision Song Contest, and the selection of Croatian songs and representatives for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest will certainly take place, but according to which scenario, it depends on the situation with the Covid- 19 in February 2021.
Several singers have already announced they will submit a song for “Dora 2021”:
Nina Kraljić who represented the country in 2016, wants to come back this year
This week, the whole line-up (24 candidates) were reveled by the broadcaster ERR.
The semi-finals allocation draw an the songs will be published on the 5th of December 2020.
The full list of artists and songs is:
Uku Suviste – “The Lucky One” (“Eesti Laul 2020” winner , “Eesti Laul 2019” runner up)
Gram Of Fun – “Lost In A Dance”
Tuuli Rand – “Üks öö” (Eng: One night)
Jüri Pootsmann – Magus Melanhoolia (Eng: Sweet Melancholy)/ The singer represented Estonia at Eurovision 2016.
Redel – Tartu
Kéa – Hypnotized
(The producer of the show hinted it’s a catchy pop song)
Hans Neyna – “One By One”
Nika Merula – “Calm Down”
Andrei Zevakin & Plouuto – “Wingman”
WIIRALT – “Tuuled” (Eng: The winds)
It will be an American rock song
Helen – “Nii Korgele” (Eng: “So high”)
Koit Toome- “We could have been beautiful” (The singer represented Estonia in Eurovision 2017 + 1998).
Karl Killing – “Kiss Me”
Egert Milder – “Free Again” (The singer participated in last year national final)
Rahel – “Sunday Night”
Sissi – “Time” (The singer participated in “Eesti Laul 2019”, she’s the daughter of Dave Benton)
Alabama Watchdog – “Alabama Watchdog“
Kristin Kalnapenk – “Find a Way”
The producer hinted that it is a jazz song
Tanja – “Best Night Ever” (The singer represented the country at ESC 2014)
Heleza – 6
Uku Haasma – “Kaos”
Suured tudrukud -, “Heaven’s Not That far Tonight”
Kardi Voorand – “Energy”
Ivo Linna, Robert Linna, Supernova – “Ma olen siin” (Ivo was part of the duo that represented Estonia in 1996)
Daði Freyr and Gagnamagnið will represent Iceland at Eurovision 2021.
The singer revealed that he is working on 11 demo versions , one of them will be Iceland’s song for Eurovision 2021.
A few months ago, the Israeli broadcaster KAN revealed their plans for the selection Process for Eurovision 2021.
The original plan was selecting 16 song among the submitted songs. Those songs should have been published in November 2020 and face public voting and jury voting. 4 songs among them would have been selected by the public voting while 4 others selected by the expert jury.
In the next round, the 8 songs would have been allocated in 2 semi-finals, so only 4 among them would have qualified for the final.
Eden would have performed the 4 songs in a televised show where the winner should have been her song for Eurovision 2021.
However, according to information that was published today by several of the writers and composers we can infer that things have been changed!
First of all, 220 songs were submitted by various writers and composers for this year’s national
According to an unofficial source, the majority of them were ballads.
selection. Surprisingly, the jury panel that was organised by the broadcaster chose only 10 songs among them to advance for the next round (although the promise that 16 songs will advance).
Second of all, those 10 songs will face online voting and additional jury voting where only 3 among them will qualified for the final round: 2 will be chosen by the public, while the third will be selected by a jury panel.
The final round will be again held online. The public will vote for their favorite song.
The winner will be announced in a special show that will held in the end of January 2021 or in the beginning of February 2021.
The 10 selected songs will be reveled probably until the end of November 2020.
Meanwhile, we can tell that one of the 10 songs that advanced for the next round is probably a song by the Israeli singer, song-writer and TV host Ester- Rada
While another song has been composed by Yinon Yahel
As always, Sweden will select their act for Eurovision via the “Melodifestivalen” competition.
The national selection will include 4 semi-finals, “second chance” round and grand final.
The dates for Melodifestivalen 2021 are:
Semi-final 1 – February the 6th 2021
Semi-final 2 – February the 13th 2021
Semi-final 3 – February the 20th 2021
Semi-final 4 – February the 27th 2021
Second Chance- March the 6th 2021
Grand Final – March the 13th 2021
All of the shows will be held in one city only and without any live audience. Stockholm will be the host city. The venue will be the Annex hall of Globe Arena or the large television studio at NEP Studios. Another change will be probably different hosts in each week.
And what about rumored artists?
According to the Swedish website Aftonbladet, we may watch the following artists competing at “Melodifestivlen 2021”:
1. Arvingarna
The band represented Sweden at Eurovision 1993 with the song “Eloise” and ended in the 7 the place in the grand final.
They have already participated 5 times in “Melodifestivalen” where the list time was in 2019 with the song “I Do”
Paul Rey
Paul Rey participated in “Melodifestivalen 2020” with the song “Talking In My Sleep” and finished in 8th place in the final.
Eric Saade
The singer represented Sweden at Eurovision 2011 with the pop song “Popular” and ended in the 3rd place in the grand final.
In 2015, he participated in “Melodifestivalen 2015” with the song “Sting” and ended in the 5th place in the final, losing to Måns Zelmerlöw who afterward won Eurovision 2015
However, at the moment it seems that Eric is still considering his participation in “Melodifestivalen 2021″
Last week, it has been rumored that the following artists may participate in “Melodifestivlen 2021”:
The Mamas, Jessica Andersson, Alvaro Estrella, Klara Hammarström, Dotter, Tusse Chiza Sannex, Sam-E & Wahl.
A single name that’s already known in the line-up is Julia Alfrida who won the golden ticket for “Melodifestivalen” via the competition P4 Nästa 2020
According to the Twitter page of SRF (One of the Swiss broadcasters) , Gjon’s Tears is already working on a video clip for his Eurovision 2021 song:
