VOXXNEWS WEEKLY| Check Out The Latest Eurovision News From This Week
Junior Eurovision Netherlands Semi Final One
The Netherlands have held the first of their Songfestival 2017 semi-finals. It consisted of three artists all vying for a place in the final, that will be held on September 16th 2017. After last years internal selection, the Netherlands have decided on a 100% jury vote to decide the winner. The three acts had to cover well known hits as opposed to their own original songs. Next week will see the second semi final, and a wild card being chosen by the juries which will add a third person to the Songfestival grand final.
Last night the juries chose Sezina as the winner. The complete results are as follows:
1) Sezina with the song "Symphony" by Clean Bandit & Zara Larsson
2) Montana with the song "Hold My Hand" by Jess Glyne
3)Dreamz with the song "Chained To The Rhythm" by Katy Perry
Both Montana and Dreamz are both eligible for the wildcard, so one of them may perform in the Grand Final after all.
Junior Eurovision- Surprise Announcement Coming.
Back in August, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) released a list of the 16 countries that will compete in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2017. However, a recent article published on the official Junior Eurovision official website might suggest otherwise They began their article by saying: “So far 16 countries have confirmed participation”. They then go onto say: “However there may well be some other surprise announcements along the way! Could Bulgaria and Israel be returning?
Greece Confirms Its Eurovision 2018 Participation
The National Broadcaster for Greece, "The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation" (ERT) has made it clear that it will be one of 31 nations to officially declare its intentions to be part of Eurovision 2018. It is not known how they will chose it's entry, however in recent years the artist has been chosen internally, with the public having their say on the song which will be sung. In previous years, the broadcaster has chosen several artists and songs, whilst letting the public decide with a national final. Stay tuned for news on how the country will chose its representative.
Belarus Confirms Eurovision 2018 Participation
It has been announced by the Bulgarian National Broadcaster BTRC that the eastern nation will be joining the party in Lisbon 2018. It is not believed that an internal selection will be used to select the countries entry. Instead it is thought that a national final will be used, which was successfully used last year. As of yet no official details have been given though.
Spain Confirms Eurovision 2018 Participation
It has been confirmed by Spain's National Broadcaster RTVE that Spain will be present in Lisbon in 2018. To the delight of many fans, yet another "Big 5" nation has confirmed it's participation. So far Spain join France and Germany of the "Big 5" nations to announce their participation for next year. Italy and the United Kingdom have yet too. It is likely that the Iberian nation will use "Operacion Triunfo" as their method of choosing their representative. The national final has been used several times before, and given Spain a respectable top ten finish on each occasion . Over the years the country has changed it's national final procedure, even resorting to YouTube to get songs to perform in their televised national finals.
Junior Eurovision- The Search For The Presenters Begins
Georgian Broadcaster GPB have announced a casting call to find the presenters for this years Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Anyone who is interested in being one of the presenters of the show must submit an application along with a photo of themselves and a biography to junioreurovision@gpb.ge or call 2 409 110. They must submit their applications between August 31 and September 6. Successful candidates must be fluent in English and must have previous presenting experience. This is the first time in the history of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest that the presenters of the show will be selected by an open selection, rather than being internally selected.
GPB are set to give more information about the upcoming contest over the next few weeks.
Could America Be Getting It's Own Eurovision?
According to the British paper "Metro", the organisers of Eurovision are looking to their Western neighbour in order to expand the contest, and make the brand truly global. America which has 50 states, could easily mimic the semi finals, and the Grand Final, that us Europeans have in our Eurovision. Although, nothing is confirmed, signed, sealed or delivered, the Eurovision Executive Supervisor, Jon Ola Sand has made no secret on his wish for America to have their own version of the contest. Just two days after it was announced that the broadcaster Viacom were given the rights to broadcast the Eurovision in the US, fans who live in the states could be extremely delighted to know that they have their own show. Of the plans Jon Ola Sand has stated, "We also want to see if it's possible to create an American version of the Eurovision Song Contest, although we haven't concluded that yet... This is a long term strategy for sure to see how far outside of Europe the brand can reach". Would you like to see America have their own version?
Confirmed Luxembourg Will Not Be In Lisbon 2018
Every year amidst the trickle of participation announcements and rumours, we hope for the return of one of the most successful Eurovision nations of all time, however today it was confirmed by the national broadcaster (RTL) that they will not be rejoining the party in Lisbon (source www.esctoday.com). There has been much talk since then of Luxembourg's possible return, including a petition to have the issue of a potential return debated in parliament, however each year fans of the small nation are disappointed.
Confirmed Lichtenstein Will Not Be In Lisbon 2018
The micro state of Lichtenstein has confirmed that they will not be making their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Lisbon 2018. The national broadcaster 1FLTV is not currently a member of the European Broadcasting Union, so is therefore unable to participate. Every year there is rumour, and talk that this small central European nation will take part. maybe 2019?
The First Act For The Melodifestivalen 2018 Has Benn Confirmed.
Stiko Per Larsson with his song "Kumpaner (Vi är som)" has won the latest edition of P4 Nästa, which has earned him a place at Melodifestivalen 2018. However, since his song has been released before September 1st, he will have to sing a different song at Melodifestivalen. Stiko was chosen as the winner by a panel of professional juries. P4 Nästa is an annual music competition organised by Swedish Radio, Sveriges Radio P4. It is aimed at discovering new talent in Sweden and giving unknown artists a platform in which to showcase their music.
A total of 8 acts competed in this years competition, held in Linköping.
Your Favourite Eurovision Stars Have Some New Singles Out
It has been a busy week for all your favourite Eurovision artists releasing new songs, check them all out below:
Sergey Lazarev With The Song "Surrender Сдавайся "
Dima Bilan With The Song "Держи - Derzhi- Hold"
Guy Sebastian With The Song "High On Me"
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