Representatives at Eurovision by year. Eurovision
The Eurovision Song Contest is an event that every year attracts millions of people to their screens in many countries; in 2018, Portugal won the right to host the competition. Singer Salvador Sobral won the competition last year. His lyrical ballad literally fell in love with the audience. Therefore, the next 63rd competition will be held in Lisbon, two semi-finals will be held on May 8 and 10, respectively, and the grand finale of the show will take place on May 12. Loyal fans of the show are interested in who will go to Eurovision 2018 from Russia and from other countries. At the moment, participants from many countries are known, and in some they will be announced in the very near future.
After Yulia Samoilova was not allowed into Ukraine last year, she will represent Russia again this year. For the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, Samoilova was chosen from many competitors, among whom were: singer Nyusha, Elena Temnikova, who had already participated in the show as part of the group “Serebro”, Alexander Panayotov and Daria Antonyuk, the group “Leningrad”, “Turetsky Choir”, which have not a typical format for Eurovision. The song that Yulia Samoilova will perform has not yet been chosen.
Who will go from Ukraine?
The performer MÉLOVIN will represent Ukraine at Eurovision in 2018. The singer took part in the vocal show “X-Factor”, the 6th season of which he won, as well as in the 2017 selection, he was one of the three winners, taking third place. But he didn't have enough jury votes. And already in 2018, the singer tried his hand again and this time took first place. On February 24, 2018, he became the country's official representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Under The Ladder"
Who will represent Belarus?
The representative of Belarus is the singer of Ukrainian origin Alekseev with the song “Forever”. The final selection took place on February 16, 2018, where it was announced that he would go to Eurovision 2018 from Belarus. The song has a scandalous history; the singer's competitors believed that it was created in violation of the rules of the competition. But the European Broadcasting Union carefully checked the composition, as a result of which its uniqueness was revealed, and no violations were found.
Kazakhstan's participation
Kazakhstan has never participated in the Eurovision Song Contest before. In 2016, the country got the opportunity to participate in it, as the Khabar TV channel became a member of the European Broadcasting Union. But in the near future the country will not be able to participate in the competition, since it is not a member of the Council of Europe. As an example, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan can be cited; they are members of the Council of Europe, and therefore participate in the competition. At the end of 2017, information appeared about Kazakhstan’s debut at the competition in 2019; according to the general director of Channel 31 Baghdad Kozhakhmetov, representatives of Kazakhstan will go in 2018 to participate in the qualifying round. In 2019 they will participate in the big Eurovision. However, there was no confirmation from the EBU. Therefore, Kazakhstan is not on the list of participating countries.
List of participants and who made it to the finals
Most of the countries' representatives for the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 and their songs have already been determined.
The finalists are highlighted in green.
| A country | Participant | Song |
| Australia | Jessica Mauboy | "We Got Love" |
| Austria | Cesar Sampson | "Nobody But You" |
| Azerbaijan | Aysel Mamedova | "X My Heart" |
| Albania | Eugent Bushpepa | "Mall" |
| Armenia | Sevak Khanagyan | "Qami" |
| Belarus | Alekseev | "Forever" |
| Belgium | Laura Gruseneken | "A Matter of Time" |
| Bulgaria | Equinox | "Bones" |
| Great Britain | SuRie | "Storm" |
| Hungary | AWS | "Viszlát nyár" |
| Germany | Michael Schulte | "You Let Me Walk Alone" |
| Greece | Gianna Terzi | "Oneiro Mou" |
| Georgia | Iriao | "Sheni Gulistvis" |
| Denmark | Rasmussen | "Higher Ground" |
| Israel | Netta Barzilai | "Toy" |
| Ireland | Ryan O'Shaughnessy | "Together" |
| Spain | Alfred and Amaya | "Tu cancion" |
| Iceland | Ari Olafson | "Our choice" |
| Italy | Ermal Meta and Fabrizio Mora | "Non mi avete fatto niente" |
| Cyprus | Eleni Foureira | "Fuego" |
| Latvia | Laura Rizzotto | "Funny Girl" |
| Lithuania | Eva Zasimauskaite | "When We're Old" |
| Macedonia | Eye Cue | "Lost and Found" |
| Malta | Christabel | "Taboo" |
| Moldova | DoReDoS | "My Lucky Day" |
| Netherlands | Waylon | "Outlaw in 'Em" |
| Norway | Alexander Rybak | "That's How You Write a Song" |
| Poland | Gromee & Lukas Meijer |
"Light Me Up" |
| Portugal | Claudia Pascal | "O jardim" |
| Russia | Yulia Samoilova | "I Won't Break" |
| Romania | The Humans | "Goodbye" |
| San Marino | Jessica and Jennifer Brenning | "Who We Are" |
| Serbia | Sanya Ilic and Balkanika | "Nova Deca" |
| Slovenia | Lea Sirk | "Hvala, ne" |
| Ukraine | MELOVIN | "Under the Ladder" |
| Finland | Saara Alto | "Monsters" |
| France | Madame Monsieur |
On January 8, 2018, the hosts of the competition were announced, they were 4 girls: Daniela Rua, Silvia Alberta, Catarina Furtado and Filomena Cautela. The competition will be held in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. On January 7, the logo and slogan of the competition were presented, since Lisbon was historically considered the center of sea routes, the main theme of the symbolism was the theme of travel across the seas. From 13 options, a stylized sink was chosen. The slogan of the competition was the phrase “All aboard,” which is translated into Russian as “all aboard.” Rule changesIn connection with the scandal that took place in 2017, when Yulia Samoilova was not allowed into the Eurovision host country, EBU fines were imposed on Russia and Ukraine. The host country of the 62nd Eurovision Song Contest, Ukraine, was fined, and Russia was given a verbal warning because it refused to broadcast the competition on official television channels. For this reason, the European Broadcasting Union has made changes to the competition regulations. They concern performers; participating countries do not have the right to choose those representatives who cannot enter the host country. Also, the organizers must meet all established deadlines, otherwise the competition may be transferred to another country. In addition, jury members are required to vote completely objectively and not have any connections with the songwriters or performers. |
From 8 to 12 May 2018, the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest was held in Portugal. 42 countries took part in it. 37 contestants competed for the right to reach the final of the show through the semi-final system, and Great Britain, Italy, France, Germany, Spain and a representative of the host country of the competition, Portugal, reached the final automatically.
In the final, on May 12, 2018, 25 solo performers and musical groups competed for the main prize.
Eurovision final 2018 in Lisbon
Netta Barzilai scored 317 points from viewers, which ensured her a landslide victory.
6 countries immediately qualified for the finals.
1. UK/SuRie. The British have participated in Eurovision 60 times, winning 5 times: Sandie Shaw in 1967, Lulu in 1969, Brotherhood of Man in 1976, Bucks Fizz in 1981, Katrina and the Waves in 1997. Three times the British finished last. Suzanne Marie Cork, who performs under the pseudonym SuRie, will perform the song "Storm". According to bookmakers, Sandy will take a place in the second ten.
2. Germany/Michael Schulte. Germany is one of seven countries that have taken part in the Eurovision Song Contest since the very first competition. The Germans were first only twice: in 1982 by Nicole and in 2010 by Lena Mayer-Landrut. Seven times Germany's representatives ended up in last place. Michael Schulte will sing "You Let Me Walk Alone", but is unlikely to rise above 15th place.
3. Spain/Alfred & Amaya. She has been participating in the competition since 1961, and was the winner for 2 years in a row: in 1968 - Massiel, in 1969 - Salomé. Eight times the Spaniards were last. Alfred & Amaya will perform a composition in Spanish "Tu canción", with which they can hit the top ten.
4. Italy/Ermal Meta & Fabrizio Moro. She took part in the competition 43 times and won twice. In 1964 Gigliola Cinquetti won, and in 1990 Toto Cutugno won with the song "Insieme: 1992". The Italians took the last place only once - in 1966. The duet Ermal Meta and Fabrizio Moro will perform the song "Non mi avete fatto niente" in Italian. Bookmakers do not give Italians any place higher than 12th.
5. Portugal/Claudia Pascoal. This country has sent its representatives to Europe's largest song show 49 times. But the victory went to Salvador Sobral in 2017 in Kyiv, where he performed the song “Amar pelos dois” in Portuguese. Claudia Pascoal took part in the Portuguese music show "Ídolos", as well as the "X Factor" finals and "The Voice of the Country". Claudia will perform the song "O jardim" in Portuguese.
6. France/Madame Monsieur. Participants have competed at Eurovision 60 times and won five times: André Claveu in 1958, Jacqueline Boyer in 1960, Isabelle Oubre in 1962, Frida Boccara in 1969, Marie Miriam in 1977. The last time was only once - in 2014. Madame Monsieur, a duo of vocalist Emily Sutt and producer Jean-Carl Lucá, will perform the single "Mercy" in French. The French have a high chance of winning in Portugal; they are predicted to take second place.
Based on the results of the two semi-finals, in addition to the six participants listed above, the Eurovision 2018 final included:
- Serbia: Sanja Ilić & Balkanika - Nova deca
- Moldova: DoReDos - My Lucky Day
- Romania: The Humans - Goodbye
- Ukraine: MELOVIN - Under the Ladder
- Sweden: Benjamin Ingrosso - Dance You Off
- Australia: Jessica Mauboy - We Got Love
- Norway: Alexander Rybak - That"S How You Write ASong
- Denmark: Rasmussen - Higher Ground
- Slovenia: Lea Sirk - Hvala, ne!
- Netherlands: Waylon - Outlaw in "Em"
- Austria - Cesar Sampson "Nobody But You"
- Estonia - Elina Nechaeva "La Forza"
- Cyprus - Eleni Foureira "Fuego"
- Lithuania - Eva Zasimauskaite "When We"re Old"
- Israel - Netta Barzilai "Toy"
- Czech Republic - Mykolas Josef "Lie to Me"
- Bulgaria - EQUINOX "Bones"
- Albania - Eugene Bushpepa "Mall"
- Finland - Saara Aalto "Monsters"
- Ireland - Ryan O'Shaughnessy "Together"
First semi-final at Eurovision 2018
Azerbaijan/Aysel Mammadova. The country has been participating in Eurovision since 2008. In 2011 in Düsseldorf, the duet Ell & Nikki won the competition with the song "Running Scared". In 2012, Eurovision was held in Baku. In just ten years of participation in the competition, Azerbaijan received 1359 points. The worst result, 22nd place, was achieved by representatives of Azerbaijan in 2014. According to bookmakers' forecasts, Aysel Mamedova will not make it to the final this year.
Iceland/Ari Olavsson. The country has taken part in the competition 30 times since 1986, missing out on the song action only in 1998 and 2002. Twice the representatives of Iceland were one step away from victory. In 1999 through the efforts of Selma and in 2009 in Moscow thanks to Johanna. Iceland showed its worst result in 2005 - 16th place. Bookmakers are confident that Ari Olavsson will not make it to the final.
Albania/Eugent Bushpepa. The country has been participating in the competition since 2004 and has never come close to winning. The best result was 5th place in 2012, and the worst performance was in 2007, 17th place. The Albanian representative is not considered as a finalist in the 2018 song show.
Evgen Bushpepa (photo: YouTube)
Belgium/Sennec. The country has participated in the competition 59 times, of which 51 times in the finals. Once upon a time, the Belgians became Eurovision winners. It was in 1986, when Sandra Kim triumphed with the song in French "J" aime la vie". The worst result of the Belgian representatives was in 2007 - 26th place. Sennek should perform in the final, bookmakers are sure.
Czech Republic/Mykolas Josef. The country made its debut at the competition in 2007 and participated in the show 6 times and only once - in the final. The best result is 25th place, the worst is last. Mikolas Josef has a good chance of making it to the final, and bookmakers promise him 7th place.
Lithuania/Eva Zasimauskaite. The country has taken part in Eurovision 14 times since 1994. The best result was sixth place in 2006, and the worst was last place in 2005. Lithuania has minimal chances of reaching the final, according to bookmakers.
Eva Z asimauskaite (photo: euroinvision.ru/blog/eva_zasimauskajte)
Israel/Netta Barzilai. Representatives of the country stormed the Eurovision Olympus 40 times and succeeded three times, and for two years in a row. In 1978, Izhar Cohen and the Alphabet brought victory to the country, in 1979 Gali Atari & Milk and Honey, and in 1998 Dana International triumphed with the hit “iva”. Bookmakers are confident that Netta Barzilai with the song “Toy” will not only make it to the finals, but will also win Eurovision 2018.
Belarus/Alekseev. The country is participating in the competition for the 15th time. Previously, representatives of Belarus appeared in the finals 5 times. The best performance was by Dmitry Koldun - 6th place, the worst - by Ruslan Alekhno, who did not make it to the finals. Ukrainian performer representing Belarus, Nikita Alekseev, most likely will not qualify for the finals in 2018.
Estonia/Elina Nechaeva. Participated since 1994 and the best performance was in 2001, when Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL won the song show in Copenhagen with the song "Everybody". The last place was taken by Estonia in 2016. Elina Nechaeva gets to the final according to bookmakers' forecasts, where she will probably take 6th place.
Elina Nechaeva (photo: ru.sputnik-news.ee)
Bulgaria/Equinox. She made her debut in competitions in Kyiv in 2005, taking 19th place. Last year, again in Kyiv, Christian Kostov took second place, losing only to the Portuguese Salvador Sobral. The Equinox group is not only the favorite of the first semi-final, but also a contender for victory in the competition; they are in the top five.
Macedonia/Eye Cue. Out of 17 participations, the Macedonians made it to the finals 8 times. The Balkans did this best in 2006 and 2012 (12th place), worse in 2011 and 2013 (16th place). The Eurovision 2018 participant is not expected to make it to the final.
Croatia/Franka. She has been participating since 1993, and was fourth twice in 1996 and 1999. They performed worst in 2007, failing to even reach the final five times. Franke is predicted to miss the semi-finals.
Frank (photo: YuoTube)
Austria/Cesar Sampson. Representatives of the country have participated in the song show since its inception in 1957. The Austrians were disqualified twice and refused to take part 9 times. Austria has won Eurovision twice. In 1966, Udo Jurgens triumphed with the song “Merci, Chérie”, and in 2014, the scandalous Conchita Wurst triumphed with the single “Rise Like a Phoenix”. Cesar Sampson will advance to the finals, where he will be in the middle of the second ten.
Greece/Gianna Terzi. They have been performing in the competition since 1974, six times the show was held without Greeks. In 2005 in Kyiv, Elena Paparizou with the composition My Number One brought Greece its first and last victory to date. Gianna Terzi will be in the final, bookmakers say, but she will not be the winner.
Finland/Saara Aalto. She began performing in 1961, and since then - 51 times. Once the Finns triumphed. Lordi achieved success in 2006 with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah". Last place in 2015 is the worst performance of Finnish representatives. Saara Aalto may make it to the final of the song show.
Saara Aalto (photo: YuoTube)
Armenia/Sevak Khanagyan. The country has been participating in Eurovision since 2006, taking fourth place twice: in 2008 and 2014. Armenia has never fallen below 12th place. This year, participant Sevak Khanagyan has a good chance of making it to the finals, where he is predicted to place in the second ten.
Switzerland/Zibbz. The Swiss did not take part in Eurovision only four times. Twice representatives of this country won the song show. The first time Liz Assia triumphed with Refrain, the second - Celine Dion with Ne partez pas sans moi. The Zibbz duo is unlikely to make it to the finals.
Ireland/Ryan O'Shaughnessy. The country has participated in the competition 51 times, 44 of which in the finals. More than anyone else, and this is 7 times, representatives of Ireland achieved victory, three of which in a row. So, in 1970, Dana Rosemary Scallon celebrated the victory in Amsterdam, in 1980 - Johnny Logan, aka in 1987, in 1992 - Linda Martin, in 1993 - Neve Kavanagh, in 1994 - Paul Harrington and Charles McGettigan and in 1996 year in Oslo - Eimear Quinn. Performer Ryan O'Shaughnessy will not be able to overcome the semi-final barrier.
Ryan O'Shaughnessy photo: esckaz.com)
Cyprus/Eleni Foureira. The country made its Eurovision debut in 1981 and achieved its best result (5th place) four times, in: 1982, 1997, 2002 and 2004. The lowest place was 18th in 2011. The Cypriot has a good chance of singing in the final and even entering the top ten.
Second semi-final
Norway/Alexander Rybak. Participates in the competition almost every year since its inception, and this is 57 times. Three times, through the efforts of Bobbysocks in 1985, Secret Garden in 1995 and Alexander Rybak with his “Fairytale” in 2009, the country celebrated the victory. The Norwegians performed very poorly (18th place) in 2007. Alexander Rybak easily gets to the final, where he will be a clear contender for victory and can only lose to the Israeli Netta Barzilai.
Romania/The Humans. Romanians have sung at Eurovision 18 times and have always made it to the final stage. At the same time, they never won, but were third twice (2005,2010). In 1998, fortune did not smile on them and they became 22nd. The Humans has slim hopes for the finale.
The Humans (photo: uchastniki.com)
Serbia/Sanja Ilic and Balkanica. The country participated in the song show 10 times, but in its debut year, 2007, they became the winning country. In 2008, the competition was brought to Belgrade by Maria Šerifović, who performed the legendary “Prayer”. Sani Ilic has no chance to please the audience in the final.
San Marino/Jessica and Jennifer Brening. Representatives of the country sang at Eurovision only eight times and always took last place. The female duet will not advance from the semi-final stage to the final show.
Denmark/Rasmussen. The Danes have been participating since 1957 and have been winners three times. In 1963 in London Greta and Jürgen Ingmann, in 2000 - Olsen Brothers, in 2013 - Emily de Forest. The Danes also took last place in 2002. Rasmussen will advance to the final stage of the competition.
Rasmussen photo (YouTube)
Russia/Yulia Samoilova. The country took part in the song show 20 times and was always in the finals. At the same time, the Russians won only once - in 2008 in Belgrade, Russia’s victory was brought to Russia by Dima Bilan. The representatives of Russia performed worst of all in 1995 and it was Philip Kirkorov (17th place). Yulia Samoilova will reach the final, but she has no chance of winning there.
Moldova/DoReDo s. Moldovans have been participating since 2005 and almost always make it to the finals. In 2017, thanks to the efforts of the SunStroke Project, the country was third. The last place was taken in 2014. DoReDos will sing their fiery song, the music for which was written by Philip Kirkorov, in the finale.
Netherlands/Waylon. This country is one of the seven participants in the first Eurovision in 1956. Since then, she has participated 58 times and won four times: Corrie Brocken in 1957, Teddy Scholten in 1959, Lenny Cure in 1969, Teach-In in 1975. But in 2011, the Netherlands came in last place. Waylon is likely to confidently overcome the semi-final stage.
From Philip Kirkorov to Judith through Alexey Vorobyov and Yulia Savicheva.
Dima Bilan with his first place in 2008 (and second in 2006) and our grandchildren will remember. Eurovision fans will not forget Alsou, “Buranovskie Babushki” and Polina Gagarina (second places in 2000, 2012 and 2015). Forever in our hearts are the groups “t.A.T.u” and “Serebro” (third positions in 2003 and 2007).
We decided to once again show you our worst performances at this funny competition - not for the sake of gloating, but... Well, just for fun.
Important: When we say “worst,” we mean the lowest placed places, which sometimes cost the most resounding victories. And sometimes they don’t. Watch and listen for yourself.
1. Philip Kirkorov: 17th place in 1995, Dublin (Ireland).
"Lullaby for a Volcano"
Philip was only the second Russian participant at this celebration of life. He was young and full of desire to tear the audience apart. To put it mildly, it didn’t work out—he didn’t yet know the laws and tricks of the competition. Neither the sparkling eyes, nor the jet-black mane of hair, nor even the unbuttoned shirt, revealing a moderately overgrown chest, helped. Everything that worked in Russia was not useful on the Eurovision stage. And he sang in Russian, mysterious to the European public.
In subsequent years, Philip made up for the defeat: his players more than once came close to winning Eurovision.
By the way, even the fact that his then fiasco is still Russia’s most deafening fiasco at the competition once again reminds us that a unique person is unique in everything. The king is always the king!
2. Alexey Vorobyov: 16th place in 2011, Dusseldorf (Germany).
Get You
It’s a pity that formally Kirkorov performed worst of all and Lesha Vorobyov can only be given second place in our “hot ten”. Because the ward of Baroness Katherine von Gechmen-Waldeck, this woman with a nuclear engine, was remembered not only for her surprisingly lackluster performance, rattling off her “hit” as if on one note. Alexey, briefly renamed Alex Sparrow (“sparrow” in English, is a sparrow), was especially good after the first semi-final, when yelled at the camera as loud as he could: "It's Russia,<представьте, что тут нецензурное слово>, look into the eyes,<представьте, что тут нецензурное слово>" This greatly amused the audience from the Slavic states.
Gechmen-Waldek also persuaded the Swedish producer Red One, from whom she bought the song, to pretend to be Vorobyov’s producer. Much has been written about the artist’s future world fame, but for now Alexey is content with roles in Russian TV series and participation in the TNT show “The Bachelor.”
3. Alla Pugacheva: 15th place in 1997, Dublin (Ireland)
"Diva"
She was the third participant from Russia (after Judith and Kirkorov) and also remained misunderstood by Europe. It is noteworthy that AB unexpectedly awarded 12 points to Slovenia. Austria, the Netherlands, Norway and Estonia also added a little more. The rest did not give any points. One had to have Pugachev-like courage in order, being a superstar in his homeland, to agree to be crucified on this notorious calvary. But from then on, the title “Diva” was firmly assigned to Pugacheva herself.
4. Natalia Podolskaya: 15th place in 2005, Kyiv (Ukraine)
Nobody Hurt No One
By this moment, Alsou and “t.A.T.u” had already happened and we all, of course, dreamed of victory. Alas.
5. “Mumiy Troll”: 12th place in 2001, Copenhagen (Denmark)
Lady Alpine Blue
An interesting attempt to conquer Europe with unobtrusive rock-pop. Past! But 2 points from interested Malta and a sudden 5 from Iceland.
6. Yulia Savicheva: 11th place in 2004, Istanbul (Türkiye)
Believe Me
It seemed like just now... An incident happened at the performance: the naked dancers covered in paint turned out to be too slippery, Yulia could not climb on them and take the position she had learned at rehearsals. Perhaps Yulia was let down by her tender age: she was only 17.
7. Anastasia Prikhodko: 11th place in 2009, Moscow
"Mamo"
After Bilan's triumph, we didn't need a second victory in a row. Apparently, for this reason, the Ukrainian Prikhodko was sent to the competition with a more than ambiguous song about her mother and an even stranger production. Perhaps it was then that the singer began to become dizzy with success, which led to the fact that now her main occupation is to publicly swear at Russia.
8. Musical group of Peter Nalich: 11th place in 2010, Oslo (Norway)
Lost And Forgotten
If Peter had sung his great “Guitar” at the competition, he could have competed for victory. Alas, you can only sing a new song at Eurovision, but it turned out somehow mournful. But he sang his own, and not something bought from a Swedish hit factory, as Russian participants do now.
9. "Prime Minister": 10th place in 2002, Tallinn (Estonia)
Northern Girl
There was a time when our producers still believed that they were capable of creating a Euro hit. The authors of “Girls from the North” are our songwriters Kim Breitburg and Karen Kavaleryan. It turned out to be cheerful and energetic, but mostly the neighbors gave points. Well, Malta got emotional again, giving 8 points. Soon the group had a fight with the producer, was forced to change their name and eventually disappeared in the quagmire of show business.
10. Judith: 9th place in 1994, Dublin (Ireland).
"The Eternal Wanderer"
This is whose name is forever inscribed in the tablets of history! 21-year-old Maria Katz became the first Russian woman to go to Eurovision. Yes, the ninth place, but points were given by Great Britain (5), Germany (6), Ireland and Iceland (4 each), and the Netherlands (5). The lyrics of the song were written by Masha herself, and the music by Lev Zemlinsky. It wasn't a victory, but it was a triumph!
Maria still sings, although she has not become a popularly adored singer. Most often she performs in clubs for a small but adoring audience. Known as a highly qualified vocal teacher, she has worked as a backing vocalist with many famous performers.
This music competition is incredibly popular all over the world. Every year talented performers appear on its stage and amaze the audience with their voices. This event is distinguished by its enormous scope and the presence of the most modern special effects. This is confirmed by Eurovision 2018, the latest news of which says that an even larger show will take place in Portugal.
A little background
The last Eurovision took place in Kyiv. Representatives from many countries of the world took part in it, as before. On the eve of the competition, bookmakers make their predictions regarding the future winner. Very often they turn out to be right. However, in the capital of Ukraine, the bookmakers' predictions did not come true. Instead of their favorite Italian, F. Gabbiani, the singer from Portugal, S. Sobral, won the competition. His song conquered the national juries of many European countries and, most importantly, the audience of most of our continent. Since this particular performer received the crystal microphone, the next competition will take place in Portugal.
It should be noted that the representative of Russia did not take part in the European song competition. This happened due to a ban by the Ukrainian authorities, who could not allow a participant into their territory who had violated the laws of that country. We are talking about a visit of a contestant from Russia to annexed Crimea. It must be said that the dispute between Ukraine and Russia over the peninsula continues, and the European Union supports the first country in this matter. In connection with this, sanctions were even imposed on Russia by European countries. All this complicates the situation regarding the next Eurovision Song Contest. It is quite possible that in 2018 Russia will be denied participation in this song festival.
What is already known about the 2018 competition
S. Sobral, who performed the song “Amar Pelos Dois” in Kyiv
brought victory to this country for the first time.
Before this, Portugal achieved at least some significant result only twice:
- in 1999, the Portuguese performer took sixth place;
- in 2010, representatives of this country reached the final.
After it became known that the competition would take place in this country, various cities began to compete for the right to host Eurovision:
- Pharaoh - the city could not succeed because it could not offer a worthy arena for the competition;
- Guimarães - was rejected from the list of applicants due to the lack of an airport;
- Porto did not become the city for the competition due to protracted repair work.
The only city that met all the criteria was Lisbon. There is a large concert venue, developed infrastructure, numerous train stations and an airport. The competition will be organized by the national television and radio company.
Today the slogan of the song competition is already known - “All aboard.” Therefore, it is no coincidence that the stage will be decorated in a marine style. By the way, the competition logo is an ocean shell.
The competition will be designed by Florian Wieder. This is the fourth time he has taken on this responsible task. The stage designer shared his thoughts about its design with the press. He wants the stage where the performers will perform to resemble a ship. The entire festival should be imbued with the history and culture of Portugal. This is exactly the task that the organizers of the competition set themselves. They will try to recreate huge waves and other ocean spectacles using current technology. This is quite possible, since the competition will take place at the largest indoor stadium in Lisbon.
As you know, Eurovision always takes place in the last month of spring between May 10-20. It consists of two semi-finals, which are separated by two days.
The Broadcasting Union of Europe, under whose auspices the competition is held, has already announced the date of the Eurovision:
The hosts of the competition are also already known. They will be four Portuguese beauties:
- F. Cautela is a presenter of various television shows and has an acting education;
- S. Alberto - has been working in radio and television since he was nineteen;
- D. Rua is a film actress, born in America, and now lives in Portugal;
- K. Furtado is a famous TV presenter who is a UN Goodwill Ambassador.
In case anyone forgot, the previous competition was led by three creative men:
- V. Ostapchuk;
- T. Miroshnichenko;
- A. Skichko.
They plan to spend about thirty million euros on organizing Eurovision. This will mainly come from sponsors.
The competition will take place at the third largest indoor stadium in Europe, the Meo Arena. It can accommodate up to twenty thousand spectators. This site was chosen because it has everything necessary for the press, contestants and guests of the competition.
List of participants
In 2018, forty-three countries announced their participation in the competition. So far, each of them is holding qualifying competitions for the right to speak on behalf of the state. Today the names of several participants in the competition are known:
- A. Mamedova from Azerbaijan;
- Waylon from the Netherlands;
- Y. Samoilova from Russia;
- S. Alto from Finland.
Other performers will be announced at the end of February or beginning of March 2018.
Who will go from Russia?
Even during the scandal over the Russian participant of Eurovision 2017, the management of this competition recommended changing the candidacy of the Russian contestant. The head of Channel One, Ernst, refused to make concessions. Due to the ban on participating in the competition, Russia refused to broadcast this competition. As a result, the Russian side was given an impressive fine.
At the same time, the management of the Russian channel announced that Y. Samoilova would also go to Eurovision 2018.
Thus, the same situation may repeat itself. The EBU could easily not let our contestant in, but now in accordance with European sanctions regarding Donbass and Crimea.
Due to political disagreements between Ukraine, Russia and the European Union, Russian viewers may again be left without their favorite competition.
As you know, the competition was created in 1956 and was first held in Lugano, Switzerland. Growing out of the idea of the festival in San Remo, it was intended to unite Europe, which was slowly recovering from the shocks of the war. As you understand, the USSR did not exhibit its performers due to ideological and political differences with the West.
The situation changed in 1994, when singer Judith (Maria Katz) performed at Eurovision for the first time. Her composition was called “Eternal Wanderer” (“Magic Word”). The girl was chosen from 10 applicants by the television “Program A”. In our country, she was widely known as a performer of blues compositions, participated in musicals (for example, Chicago), and voiced films and cartoons (for songs from the cartoon “Anastasia”). even received an award from 20th Century Fox). At the competition, the singer amazed everyone with her impeccable vocals and unusual costume. Having scored 70 points, she received 9th place.
The following years became less successful for Russia. The producers of the ORT channel decided to rely on domestic celebrities. In 1996, Philip Kirkorov went to Dublin. Unfortunately, his song “Lullaby to the Volcano” turned out to be uninteresting and received only 17th place.
About the same thing happened with Alla Pugacheva, who represented Russia in 1997 with the song “Primadonna.” The Europeans did not understand the composition, and the performer’s costume shocked them. Result - 15th place.
Russian Eurovision participants by year
Russia returned to the competition in 2000 and won its first victory. Young singer Alsou from Tatarstan successfully performed the song “Solo” and took silver. Its result will be able to be repeated only in 2006.
In 2003, the group “t.a.T.u.” goes to Eurovision in Latvia. The emphasis was placed on the shocking image of young schoolgirls with non-traditional orientation. The song “Don’t believe, don’t be afraid” attracted attention and became third.
In 2004 and 2005, former participants of the “Factory” project were sent to the competition - Yulia Savicheva (“Believe me” - 11th place) and Natalya Podolskaya (“Nobody hurt no one” - 15th place). 2006 was marked by another breakthrough - Dima Bilan's second place. The composition “Never let you go” lost first place to the punk band Lordi from Finland.
In 2007, the little-known group Serebro unexpectedly won third place in Helsinki.
And then 2008 comes. Russia is sending Dima Bilan to the competition again. His bright composition “Believe me” is accompanied by the magnificent playing of the Hungarian violinist Edwin Marton, as well as ice dancing performed by the famous figure skater Evgeni Plushenko. Deserved 1st place.
In 2009, Eurovision took place in Russia for the first time. Unfortunately, Anastasia Prikhodko and her “Mamo” ended up only in 11th place.
In 2010, Russia was represented at the competition by the unknown Petr Nalich. He passed the selection with the song “Guitar”, the video of which he posted on YouTube. At the competition, both the performer himself and his “Lost and Forgotten” found themselves outside the format and earned only 11th place.
Alexey Vorobyov’s performance in 2011 was remembered more for the scandals associated with the singer’s obscene statements than for the performance itself. As a result - 16th place.
In 2012, the producers made a completely unconventional choice. A folk group from the Udmurt village of Buranovo set off to conquer Europe. “Buranovskie Babushki” captivated everyone with their enthusiasm, strong vocals and bright costumes. Despite the fact that their “Party for Everybody” did not win the Grand Prix, but only took silver, it became a real hit.