Eurovision 2022: What to Know and How to Watch


LONDON – The Eurovision Song Contest began in 1956 as a friendly music competition between public service television broadcasters and has since grown into the largest – and perhaps most eccentric – live music event in the world.

This year it takes place while there is a competition. a war in europe; In February, the event’s organizers announced Russia will be banned from competitionHe referred to the “unprecedented crisis in Ukraine”.

This week, 35 other nations, including Ukraine, competed in the semi-finals before Saturday’s final. 180 million viewers worldwide. The event, held in Italy this year, rewards the live audience with clips from performances and reactions that spread rapidly on social media.

Below is a summary of the most extreme events, advice on how to watch from the US, and insights on how the war in Ukraine will affect competition.

Each country chooses an actor with an original song that must be performed live on stage. The song is chosen either by the national broadcaster or through some form of competition. (For example, Sweden has “Melodifestivalen” to choose its entry.) There are a number of rules that participants must follow, including a three-minute limit for song length and the prohibition of lyrics or gestures considered political by the organizers. .

Despite the name, countries beyond Europe’s traditional geographic boundaries also compete in Eurovision. For example, Israel debuted in 1973 and Australia has been participating since 2015. This year, Armenia and Montenegro are returning to competing after not competing in 2021. Smaller countries are also represented, such as San Marino, a landlocked enclave in Italy. It has a population of just over 30,000. Last year, San Marino’s entranceThere was an appearance of American rapper Flo Rida, voiced by singer Senhit.

The winner of Eurovision is chosen by a combination of votes from the home audience and the national juries in each country. First, the scores from the national juries are collected, and then the fan votes are announced step by step, starting from the countries with the lowest jury scores. This part of the show is tense and even it’s annoying to watchlast year it showed contestants from the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, each of whom received dreadful “zero points” from the public, with cameras.

After the two semi-finals have reduced entrants, the qualifiers join entries from the “big five” countries (England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain) that automatically advance to the finals, as they make the biggest financial contribution. competition. Twenty-five countries will compete in this year’s final.

Traditionally, the competition is held in the country that won the previous year. Turin in Italy is hosting this year after rock band Maneskin triumphs in 2021.

Streaming service Peacock will air the finale on Saturday from 3 p.m. Eastern time. The service also broadcast the semi-finals of the competition. Figure skater Johnny Weir will comment on the air.

Commentary can often add some humor to the long hours of televised competition. In Britain, comedy host Graham Norton became famous for his reactions and jokes.

“We have a real range of music tonight,” Norton said While promoting the 2021 competition from Rotterdam, Netherlands. “Excellent staging, great lighting, some great vocalists and others – well, some are as straight as Holland.”

The European Broadcasting Union, which originally organized Eurovision, I said He said Russia could continue to participate, as the contest was a “cultural non-political event”.

But the day after the invasion, the broadcasting union backed off when Ukraine and other countries threatened to withdraw. Russia could not participate, The union said in a statement.because the inclusion of the country would “discredit the competition”.

Emotionality, friendly bias, and politics can influence voting. Ukraine this year chose to win, with the rap and folk band Kalush Orchestra, which represents the country. Song, “Stefania”, a tribute to the mother of one of the band members. The law received special permission from the Ukrainian government to travel for the competition and was implemented throughout Europe. raise funds for the war effort.

Ukraine won the contest with “” in 2016.1944” by Jamala. Song, II. It was a monument to the Crimean Tatars during World War II, but also interpreted as a comment over Russian invasion of Crimeatook place two years ago.

If Ukraine takes the title, the war and humanitarian crisis in the country will most likely create difficulties for it to host the contest in 2023.

In the past, when one country could not host, another stepped in. It last happened to Israel in 1980. refused to host after winning a second consecutive year. The competition was held in the Netherlands instead.

According to the European Broadcasting Union, if Australia wins the competition, the logistical challenges of hosting a primarily European competition on a different continent mean that a European country and broadcaster will co-host the next year’s competition with Australia.

Sweden has won Eurovision six times (second only to Ireland), ABBA is one of the acts claiming victory for the country. This year’s Swedish contestant is Cornelia Jakobs, who sang her song.Hold Me Closer” is a warm and emotional pop track that builds with each next line.

It is estimated that the Spanish song performed by Chanel will also be successful in the final with a catchy song, “slow motion”, accompanied by a high-energy dance routine.

After an overall zero score last year, Britain’s prospects are rising. entry of the country,spaceman”, by TikTok star Sam Ryder, is gaining some momentum.

There’s also praise for Australia’s entry,”not the same”, voiced by Sheldon Riley. The song reflects on childhood experiences, including a diagnosis. Asperger’s Syndrome Got it at 6 years old.

Maneskin has gained worldwide fame He has been performing on “Saturday Night Live” since winning the 2021 competition and at the Coachella festival this year.

Eurovision attendees have a tradition of using surreal staging, lyrics and costumes to stand out.

This year, pop duo Subwoolfer’s Norwegian entry attracted attention. their song,Give That Wolf A Banana”, the couple wear wolf masks with back dancers in yellow morph suits.

Moldovan entry, “Trenuletul”, by Zdob si Zdub and the Advahov Brothers, has built a following by pairing traditional instruments like the accordion with the electric guitar. The cheerful lyrics of their songs match the group’s enthusiastic choreography.

NBC show”American Song ContestIt reimagines Eurovision for the USA with 56 entries from 50 states, five territories and the District of Columbia. Instead of airing for a week as Eurovision does, the contest has been airing weekly on the network since March.

The final took place on Monday when AleXa, representing Oklahoma, won with “.Wonderland” Song received a total of 710 points Ahead of 207 second-row entries from the jury and public vote, Colorado.

However overwhelming ratings They claim that the “American Song Contest” failed to capture the excitement of Eurovision. in an interview with New York Times, one of the show’s executives, Audrey Morrissey, suggested that US viewers may need time to get used to the format. “It’s such a different mechanism—there’s no other show where performance happens, and there’s no critique right after,” she said.

will be held next year Eurovision Canada, where entries from three regions of the country and 10 provinces will compete in one branch of the original. International expansion has been a passion for Eurovision. Martin Österdahl, the managing director of the competition, told a podcast recently, “We’re shifting our focus a bit in our strategy from running a contest to running a brand, and this brand will become a global entertainment superbrand.”





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