After the massive success of “Benidorm Fest 2022″ which led Spain to a Podium achievement in Eurovision 2022, Spain has decided to continue with the same mechanism for Eurovision 2023.
“Benidorm Fest” will be used as a mechanism to choose an artist and a song for Spain at Eurovision 2023:
The festival will include 3 shows: 2 semi-finals and a grand final.
The dates of the festival are:
- Semi-Final 1: Tuesday, 31st of January 2023
- Semi-Final 2: Thursday 2nd of February 2023
- Grand Final: Saturday, 4th of February 2023
Welcome, Your Hosts!
The festival will have 2 presenters that will emphasize women’s empowerment:
Mónica Naranjo is one of the most successful singers in Spain and Latin America, well known for her powerful voice.
Mónica commented:
“At the Benidorm Fest, we will celebrate music and culture”
Next to her, we will have Inés Hernand.
Last year, she was the host of the green room at “Benidorm Fest 2022“
Initial Details
- The festival will include 2 semi-finals and a grand final.
- The shows will be held on the 31st of January, the 2nd of February, and the 4th of February 2023.
- This means that Spain will probably be one of the first countries to reveal its song for Eurovision 2023
- 16 artists will be shortlisted to participate. 8 artists will compete in each semi-final, and 4 of them will qualify for the final.
- Despite the Eurovision fans’ reviews, the results method will remain the same as it was for 2022. The results will be determined by a combination of 50% professional jury, 25% dermoscopic jury, and 25% public vote.
- The submission window opened on September 1st and will close on October 10th.
- The lyrics must be in one of the official Spanish languages: Spanish, Basque, Galician, or Catalan. However, it is allowed that up to 40% of the lyrics will be in another language (English for example).
- Solo artists must be Spanish residents or citizens. For groups, at least 50% of the members must meet the condition.
- At least one of the songwriters and composers must be a Spanish resident or citizen.
- The festival will take place at the Palau d’Esports L’Illa in Benidorm
Familiar Faces of the Festival
The professional jury will consist of 3 Spanish members and 2 international members.
One of the international members will be no other than Christer Bjorkman.
The well-known Swedish producer will bring a long experience with him to the jury table.
He represented Sweden at Eurovision 1992 and has been one of the “Melodifestivalen” producers for 19 years. In addition, he was one of the producers of the Eurovision Song Contest, and currently he is involved in the “American Song Content”, “Eurovision Latin America” and “Eurovision Canada”.
The head of the jury panel will be the Spanish musician Nacho Cano. He is the founder of the Spanish group Mecano.
Promotion
The 16 artists will participate in a Christmas gala that RTVE will broadcast at the end of the year.
Furthermore, there will be a daily show that will focus on the festival during the show’s week.
The presenters of the 2022 edition will follow the project.
Máximo Huerta will present a special program during the selection week. Alaska will present a Christmas gala with some participants from the first edition.
We will probably see Chanel at the promotional events as well.
Chanel represented Spain at Eurovision 2022 with the song “SloMo“.
She ended up in 3rd place
