Eurovision 2021 | Announcements, confirmations and other news surrounding Eurovision 2021
There has been a lot of news that has been announced over the past couple of days. So ICYMI, here's a summary of the news over the past couple of days.
Songs of 2020 will not be eligible for Eurovision 2021
A few days ago, the EBU made an official statement stating that after a discussing with the reference group, the decision has been made to make the 2020 songs ineligible for 2021. You can see the statement below:
The reaction to this announcement has been somewhat mixed. The Head of Entertainment for the German broadcaster NDR, Thomas Schreiber, made a statement saying that he was not happy with the decision made and that "it destroyed large investments in 41 countries, destroyed the hopes and dreams of many artists, and disappointed the Eurovision family".
The director general of San Marino's broadcaster also believed that the contest should not have been cancelled, instead should have been postponed. They have also stated that they are amongst a number of broadcasters appealing to the EBU to consider reversing the cancellation.
2020 artists confirmed to be taking part in 2021
The Israeli national broadcaster KAN announced a few days ago that Eden Alene will be representing Israel in 2021. She was supposed to be singing "Feker Libi" in Rotterdam this May before getting cancelled.
The Bulgarian broadcaster BNT has also announced that Victoria will be returning in 2021 to represent Bulgaria. She was a frontrunner of this year's competition, being first in the betting odds at the time of cancellation, with the song "Tears Getting Sober".
They will be joining Blas Cantó, Jeangu Macrooy, Efendi, Hooverphonic, Stefania, Tornike Kipiani, Gjon's Tears and Go_A in returning in 2021.
2020 artists not confirmed to be taking part in 2021
Whilst there has already been many artists confirming their participation in the 2021 contest, there are some that have stated they will not be their country's representative next year. Portugal's Elisa has stated on her social media that the Portuguese broacaster RTP have decided not to internally select her as their artist for 2021. Portugal are yet to reveal what their selection process will be for 2021.
The Finnish national broadcaster Yle have confirmed that UMK will remain an open selection and that Aksel will not be internally selected as the Finnish artist for 2021, although they have given him an invitation to take part again if he wishes to. More details surrounding the 2021 edition of UMK will be announced next week.
One of the frontrunners this year, Daði Freyr, has also announced that he will not be taking part in Söngvakeppnin next year, stating "We have already won the contest once, and if I took part again I would feel like people would vote for me just because we won already but didn’t get to go to Eurovision. Also, it wouldn’t look too good for me if I participated again and didn’t win." He has also stated that he wouldn't rule out composing a song for the competition next year.
Despite there being no statement regarding Denmark's participation, the 2020 artists Ben & Tan have expressed their interest in taking part in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix again, should they not be internally selected as the Danish act for 2021.
BBC to air "Eurovision: Come Together"
Cancelling the contest meant that there will be a gap in broadcasting in many countries on the days Eurovision is supposed to air. However the BBC has announced that their will be airing a special called "Eurovision: Come Together". The BBC have stated that the show will feature "classic Eurovision performances, a look of what would have been in 2020 and entertaining interviews, including this year's entry James Newman".
The EBU has also stated that they will be looking into alternate programming that will feature the artists and songs of the 2020 contest.
Pre-Pary-ES to take place online
In the weeks prior to the cancellation, many pre-parties cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pre-party that was supposed to occur in Madrid have confirmed that an online event will take place on 11th April at 22:00 CET. They stated their goals are to pay tribute to the 2020 acts, to accompany Eurovision fans in seclusion and to "vindicate the health emergency, which does not understand borders".
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