As we continue our weekly series Around The Continent, we will discuss the news and tell the story of each country’s preparation for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.
General
The semi-final allocation draw will be held at the end of January 2023.
The ceremony will also include the Host City Insignia Exchange.
Turin will give Liverpool the symbol of the host city.
Traditionally, the semi-final allocation draw is held on the last Tuesday of January month.
Therefore, we expect the date to. be 31st of January 2023.
Other important events in the timeline:
- January – Slogan and theme revealed
- January – Eurovision Liverpool’s press centre revealed
- February– Eurovision 2023 hosts revealed
- February – First wave of tickets on sale
- March – Delegations meeting
- March – All countries choosing songs
- March – Semi-final running order determined
- April – Eurovision village concept revealed and construction
- April – Stage construction and beginning of rehearsals
According to the Azeri website 12xal, around 200 songs were submitted for the Eurovision 2023 internal selection.
The majority of them were written by foreign musicians.
However, the national broadcaster will try to priotitize songs that were written by local artists.
Belgium will select an artist and a song for Eurovision 2023 on Saturday, 14th of January.
14 songs are included in the line-up (2 per artist), but only 7 of them will qualify for the final (1 per artist):
- Ameerah – The Carnival
- Ameerah – Armageddon
- Chérine – Ça m’ennuie pas (From French: I Don’t Mind)
- Chérine – Mon étoile (From French: My Star)
- Gala Dragot – Emotion ollie
- Gala Dragot – t ‘inquiète (From French: Don’t Worry)
- Gustaph – Because Of You
- Gustaph – The Nail
- Hunter Falls – Home
- Hunter Falls – Ooh La La
- Loredana – Dream In Colors
- Loredana – You Lift Me Up
- The Starlings – Oceanside
- The Starlings – Rollercoaster
You can watch and listen to the snippets in the following video:
VRT revealed that 15 music experts will be included in the professional jury panel and these are:
- Laura Tesoro (Belgium, Eurovision 2016)
- Jérémie Makiese (Belgium, Eurovision 2022)
- NikkieTutorials (Host Eurovision 2021, The Netherlands)
- Alexander Rybak (2009 Eurovision winner, Norway)
- Laura Govaerts (Presenter MNM)
- Ann Reymen (Presenter Radio 2)
- Korneel De Clercq (Presenter Radio 1)
- Thibault Christiaensen (Presenter Studio Brussels)
- Francisco Schuster (Actor, singer, dancer)
- Leslie Cable (Head of Delegation Eurovision Song Contest RTBF)
- Jasper Van Biesen (Songfestival.be and author 65 years of Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest)
- Stephan Monsieur (President OGAE Belgium)
- André Vermeulen (Retired VRT journalist)
- Els Germonpré (Music Coordinator One)
- Manu Lammens (Music manager MNM)
The first 4 judged will be present in the arena alongside the show. While the remaining 11 will stay behind the scenes,
They will make expert comments following the live performances.
The jury panel (all 15 members) will grant points that will have a weight of 50% of the final decision.
Here’s the timeline for each preliminary show, ahead of the final:
Monday, 9th of January, 19:45 CET
- Loredana will perform her 2 songs and will decide which one will be performed in the final.
Tuesday, 10th of January, 19:45 CET
- Chérine will perform her 2 songs and will decide which one will be performed in the final
- Hunter Falls will perform one of his songs.
Wednesday, 11th of January, 19:45 CET:
- Ameerah will perform her 2 songs and will decide which one will be performed in the final
- Hunter Falls will perform his second song and will decide which one will be performed in the final
Thursday, 12th of January, 19:45 CET:
- Gala Dragot will perform her 2 songs and will decide which one will be performed in the final
- Gustaph will perform one of his songs.
Friday, 13th of January, 19:45 CET:
- Gustaph will perform his second song and will decide which one will be performed in the final.
- The Starlings will perform their 2 songs and will decide which one will be performed in the final
Duncan Laurence will perform as a special guest in the final
The 18 songs from “Dora 2023″ will be released on Thursday, the 12th of January 2023
In addition, HRT will hold a special show: “Ususret Dori 2023″ (Eng: Meeting Dora 2023) that will include 4 episodes. It will be broadcast each Saturday, starting the 14th of January 2023 for 4 weeks.
Singer Mia Negovetić who participted in “Dora” 3 times, will host the show.
In each episode we will meet 4-5 of “Dora 2023″ participants and will get to watch the official video clips of their songs!
“Dora 2023″ will be held on 11th of February 2023.
Andrew Labmrou will record the official video clip for his Eurovision 2023 towards the end of January 2023.
That’s why the estimated date for the song release is delayed to mid February.
In his most recent interview, he mentioned that the song will be different from the recent songs by Cyprus at Eurovision
The Czech Republic will hold “ESCZ 2023″ on Monday, the 30th of January 2023.
This will include live performances, in contrast to previous years.
170 songs were submitted for selection. All of them are performed by Czech singers, but some of them were written by foreign musicians.
The national broadcaster will shortlist 3-5 songs to be performed in the national final.
The results will be determined by a combination of international expert jury, Czech public and international public
The 8 participants of the “Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2023” will be known during January 2023
Estonian broadcaster ERR published the semi-final running order for “Eesti Laul 2023“:
Semi-Final 1 – Thursday, 12th of January 2023
- Janek – House Of Glass
- Ellip – Pretty Girl
- Kaw – Valik
- MERLYN – Unicorn Vibes
- MIA – Üks samm korraga
- Neon Letters & Maiko – Tokimeki
- OLLIE – Venom
- Andreas – Why Do You Love Me?
- Bedwetters – Monsters
- Anett x Fredi – You Need to Move On
Semi-Final 2 – Saturday, 14th of January 2023
- Inger – Awaiting You
- Linalakk & Bonzo – Aeg
- Meelik – Tuju
- Elysa – Bad Philosophy
- Robin Juhkental – Kurbuse matused
- M els – So Good At What You Do
- Wiiralt – Salalik
- Sissi – Lighthouse
- Carlos Ukareda – Whiskey Won’t Forget
- Alika – Bridges
You can read our full review here:
Semi-Final 1 Review
Semi-Final 2 Review
Links to the digital platform playlist:
YouTube
AppleMusic
Spotify
YLE revealed some more hints about “UMK 2023” participants:
Artist 1
- This is the youngest artist from “UMK”
- The song is upbeat and danceable
- The artist has participated in reality show
Artist 2
- The artist has something in common with Samu Haber (“UMK 2023” host)
- The artist knows how to make the listener emotional.
- The artist has started his/her career in a very young age.
Artist 3
- A returning artist who has already competed in “UMK”
- This artist is not Danny (so maybe it is Erika Vikman?)
- The artist is iconic and considered very experienced.
Artist 4
- An international artist, related to the USA.
- His/her name was found in credits of a movie
French television hasn’t revealed its plans for Eurovision 2023.
However, local media suggests several names as potential candidates to represent the country:
According to the website eurovision-quotidien, we can count the names:
- Tom Leeb (Eurovision 2020)
- Yseult (C’est vous qui décidez 2022 jury member)
- Anisha (Star academy winner)
- Juliette Emrose
- Anne Sila
- Silmane
- Yelle
- La Zarra
- Nour
“The Voice of Georgia” kept on going with the battles round.
Each jury member held 4 battles between his 8 team members.
At the end of the process, each jury member remained with 6 members.
However, some candidates move from one team to another (stoles by another mentor, due to loss in the battle).
Therefore, we currently have 24 artists competing in the race to represent Georgia at Eurovision 2023:
- Sopho Toroshelidze Team: Salome Tsintsadze, Lika Siradze, Tina Datikashvili, Sopho Batilashvili, Ana Vashakmadze, Mariam Toronjadze
- Dato Porchkhidze Team: Tsotne Barbakadze, Erekle Turkadze, Iru Khechanov, Irakli Kapanadze, Tako Kakalashvili, Ekaterine Mdivani
- Stephane Mgebrishvili Team: Likuna Tutisani, Saba Chachua, Dato Rusadze, Anka Tatarashvili, Nini Alisiani, Mariam Kokeladze,
- Dato Evgenidze Team: Giorgi Dataishvili, Gvantsa Kupatadze, Alegro, Giorgi Putkaradze, Kakha Aslamazashvili, Ani Nozadze
A total of 132 songs were submitted for “Söngvakeppnin 2023“.
The 10 shortlisted artists and their songs will be revealed on the 28th of January 2023. On this date, we will have the official songs on YouTube, as well as revealing of the acts on a special show on RÚV
The dates for “Söngvakeppnin 2023” are:
- Semi-Final 1: 18th of February 2023
- Semi-Final 2: 25th of February 2023.
- Grand Final: 4th of March 2023
Latvian broadcaster LTV has published the names of 14 acts who will take part in the national selection “Supernova 2023″:
- 24. Avēnija – “You Said”
- Adriana Miglāne – “Like I Wanna”
- Alise Haijima – “Tricky” (Supernova 2020)
- Artūrs Hatti – “Love Vibes” (Supernova 2019)
- Avéi – “Let Me Go”
- Inspo – “Sway” (Supernova 2022)
- Justs – “Stranger” (Eurovision 2016)
- Katrine Miller – “Beaten Down”
- Luīze – “You To Hold Me”
- Markus Riva – “Forever” (Supernova 2015-2022)
- Patrisha – “Hush” (Supernova 2019)
- Raum – “Fake Love” (Supernova 2022)
Saule – “Finally Happy”[disqulaified, due to song release beofre September 1st]- Sudden Lights – “Aijā” (Supernova 2018)
- Toms Kalderauskis – “When It All Falls” (Supernova 2022 preliminary round)
Main details:
- Supernova 2023” will feature 2 shows:
- Semi-Final on Saturday, the 4th of February 2023
- Final on Saturday, the 11th of February 2023
- The results of each show will be determined by a 50% public vote and 50% professional jury
Playlists can be found here:
YouTube
Spotify
AppleMusic
A few of the songs from “Pabandom iš Naujo 2023” have been released and you can find them here:
YouTube
The Dates
40 songs will compete in “MESC 2023″ – the national selection for Eurovision 2023.
Maltese broadcaster TVM revealed the quarter-finals split:
You can listen to 30 seconds snippets here
It is worth mentioning that TVM has changed the format.
We will have 3 quarter-finals, instead of 4!
Quarter-Final 1 – 13th of January 2023
- Haley – Tik Tok
- Stefan Xuereb – What do you Want?
- Clintess – Lura Qatt
- Fabizio Faniello – Try To Be Better
- Eliana Gomez Blanco – Guess what
- Christian Arding – Eku Car
- Jason Scerri – Anything can happen
- Maria Debono – X’allegrija
- Geo Debono – The Mirror
- Mike – Lehen Fic-Cpar
- Aidan – Regina
- Nathan – Creeping Walls
- Klinsmann – Piranah
Quarter-Final 2 – 20th of January 2023
- Dan – It’ll Be Ok
- Dario – Pawn in a game
- Dario Bezzina – Bridle Road
- Francesca Sciberras – Masquerade
- Ian – On My Own
- Kirstie – Girls Get Down
- Lyndsay – Haunted
- Mark Anthony Bartolo – Tears
- Marie Claire – Thankful
- Matt Blxck – UP.
- Maxine Pace – Alone
- The Busker – Dance (Our Own Party)
- Brooke – Checkmate
Quarter-Final 3 – 27th of January 2023
- Andre – Broken hill
- Bradley Debono – Blackout
- Cheryl Balzan – La La Land
- Chris Grech – Indescribable
- Dominic and Anna – Whatever the Wind May Blow
- Giada – I depend on You
- Greta Tude – Sound of my stilettos
- Jake – Love you like that
- James Louis – Dream
- Jessika – Unapologetic
- John Galea – Trailblazer
- Maria Christina – Our Flame
- Ryan Hili – In the Silence
- Stefan – Heartbreaker
About “MESC 2023”
- The selection process will include 3 quarter-finals, 1 semi-final, and a final.
- 13-14 artists will participate in each quarter-final, and 8 of them will qualify for the semi-final
- 24 artists will compete in the semi-finals, and 16 of them will qualify for the final
- 16 artists will compete in the final and the winner will represent Malta at Eurovision 2023
- The results of each show will be determined by a combination of a national jury and a public vote
- The qualifiers from the quarter-finals will be announced at the end of the last quarter-final
- The dates of selection are – might be changed later on:
- Quarter-Final 1 – 13th of January 2023
- Quarter-Final 2 – 20th of January 2023
- Quarter-Final 3 – 27th of January 2023
- Semi-Final – 9th of February 2023
- Grand Final – 11th of February 2023
The 21 participants of the “Melodi Grand Prix” were revealed.
This year’s main change will be the permission to use autotune in live performances!
The road to the final night will include 3 semi finals featuring these 21 acts:
Semi-Final 1: Saturday, 14th of January 2023
- Ulrikke — Honestly (Eurovision 2020)
- Erik Næss — Wave
- Kate Gulbrandsen — Tårer I Paradis (Eurovision 1987)
- Rasmus Thall — TRESKO
- Alessandra Mele — Queen of Kings (The Voice of Norway)
- Jowst & Byron Williams Jr — Freaky for the Weekend (JOWST: Eurovision 2017)
- Umami Tsunami — Geronimo
Snippets (made by EuroAlfa):
Semi-Final 2: Saturday, 21st of January 2023
- Sandra Lyng — Drøm D Bort (The Voice of Norway)
- Jone — Ekke Inni Meg
- Swing’it — Prohibition
- Ella A — Waist
- Alejandro Fuentes — Fuego (MGP 2018)
- Bjørn Olav — Turn Off My Heart
- Elsie Bay — Love You In A Dream (MGP 2022)
Snippets (made by EuroAlfa):
Semi-Final 3: Saturday, 28th of January 2023
- Skrellex — Love Again
- Tiril — Break It
- Akuvi — Triumph (MGP 2020)
- Atle Pettersen — Masterpiece (MGP 2021)
- Eline Thorp — Not Meant to Be
- Maria Cein — Freya
- Stig Van Eijk — Someday (Eurovision 1999)
Snippets (made by EuroAlfa):
The important dates for the “Melodi Grand Prix 2023″ are:
- Semi-Final 1 Songs Revealed: Monday, 9th of January 2023
- Semi-Final 1: Saturday, 14th January 2023
- Semi-Final 2 Songs Revealed: Monday, 16th of January 2023
- Semi-Final 2: Saturday, 21st January 2023
- Semi-Final 3 Songs Revealed: Monday, 23rd of January 2023
- Semi-Final 3: Saturday, 28th January 2023
- Grand Final: Saturday, 4th February 2023
“Melodi Grand Prix 2023” – Format
- The selection will include 3 semi-finals and a grand final.
- 7 artists will compete in each semi-final.
- 3 artists will qualify for the final, each semi-final.
- A 100% public vote will determine the results of the semi-finals.
- The final results will be determined by a 50% public vote and a 50% international jury.
The list of participants for “Pesma za Evroviziju 2023” will be officially revealed on Monday, the 9th of January 2023.
Local media have suggested some lists, but national broadcaster RTS denied the lists.
We expect to have 20-36 participants in this year’s national selection.
The dates are:
- Semi-Final 1: Wednesday, 1st of March 2023
- Semi-Final 2: Thursday, 2nd of March 2023
- Grand Final: Saturday, 4th of March 2023
You’re welcome to read Doron‘s review of “Benidorm Fest 2023” here:
You can find the playlist on different digital platforms here:
