Image Credit: EBU / Corinne Cumming
Tonight, Eurovision returns for the second semi final!
After Tuesday’s Semi Final 1, just 10 spots remain in the Grand Final, so tonight’s artists will be doing all they can to have a chance at qualifying.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Semi Final 2!
Semi Final 1 Roundup
Semi Final 1 concluded on Tuesday night, and Liverpool 2023 really got off to a great start. 10 artists qualified to the final, and they are:
Croatia 🇭🇷 – Let 3 – ‘Mama ŠČ’
Moldova 🇲🇩 – Pasha Parfeni – ‘Soarele Si Luna’
Switzerland 🇨🇭 – Remo Forrer – ‘Watergun’
Israel 🇮🇱 – Noa Kirel – ‘Unicorn’
Sweden 🇸🇪 – Loreen – ‘Tattoo’
Finland 🇫🇮 – Käärijä – ‘Cha Cha Cha’
Portugal 🇵🇹 – Mimicat – ‘Ai Coração’
Czechia 🇨🇿 – Vesna – ‘My Sisters Crown’
Serbia 🇷🇸 – Luke Black – ‘Samo Mi Se Spava’
Norway 🇳🇴 – Alessandra – ‘Queen Of Kings’
That means we had to unfortunately say goodbye to The Netherlands, Azerbaijan, Malta, Ireland, and Latvia meaning we won’t be seeing them compete for the Eurovision Trophy this Saturday.
After Semi Final 1, the 10 qualifying artists pulled their Final halves at random. As it stands (along with the Big 5 who pulled their Final halves at the second rehearsal), the Grand Final will do far be as follows:
First Half – Finland 🇫🇮, France 🇫🇷, Italy 🇮🇹, Portugal 🇵🇹, Serbia 🇷🇸, Spain 🇪🇸, Sweden 🇸🇪, Switzerland 🇨🇭
Second Half – Croatia 🇭🇷, Czechia 🇨🇿, Germany 🇩🇪, Israel 🇮🇱, Moldova 🇲🇩, Norway 🇳🇴, Ukraine 🇺🇦, United Kingdom 🇬🇧
Hosts
Alesha Dixon, Hannah Waddingham & Julia Sanina will return to host the show this evening.
This will be the last show where there will be only three hosts, as on Saturday, Graham Norton will join to help with proceedings as well as doing his usual commentary (shared with Mel Giedroyc) for the United Kingdom on the BBC.
Competing Entries & Running Order
Semi Final 2 will see 16 countries compete for the opportunity to qualify for the final in one of the 10 spots left to fill. We’ll also get to see snippets of the remaining Big 5’s performances from the evening preview show on Wednesday 10th May. In Semi Final 2, the featured Big 5 members are Ukraine, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The running order for Semi Final 2 is as follows:
The Favourites
Austria 🇦🇹: Teya & Salena – ‘Who The Hell Is Edgar?’
Austria’s Teya & Salena’s song ‘Who The Hell Is Edgar?’ went from one of the most heavily anticipated songs of the year to one of the contests favourites upon its release back in March. On the surface, the song may just seem like a fun track about Edgar Allan Poe, but it actually has a deeper meaning, exploring what it’s like to be a female songwriter in the industry, and the pay rate for artists when it comes to streaming. You can read more about the meaning behind ‘Who The Hell Is Edgar?’ here. It’s got a super catchy hook and two strong liver performers, making it one of the most possible qualifiers of the semi final. You can see their second rehearsal images below!
Armenia 🇦🇲: Brunette – ‘Future Lover’
It was one of the very last songs to be released, and now Armenia’s Brunette is bringing her R&B ballad ‘Future Lover’ to the Liverpool stage. She’s proven at the pre-parties she can perform this live extremely well, mixing English and Armenian lyrics alongside a rap section in the middle. Although it’s second on to perform, Armenia will be hoping Brunette makes a similar impression to last years Rosa Linn – who despite coming 20th has gained viral success with her song ‘Snap’. Could Armenia continue their qualifying steak? You can see images from her second rehearsal below!
Australia 🇦🇺: Voyager – ‘Promise’
Australia’s Voyager came 2nd to Sheldon Riley at Australia Decides 2022, but were selected internally by broadcaster SBS to represent the nation at Eurovision 2023 with the song ‘Promise’. Despite the overwhelming amount of bands taking part this year, Australia (alongside Germany) are the only two bringing the rock vibes that definitely has a dedicated audience amongst Eurovision viewers – which could see Voyager sailing through to the final. The have been performing live for over 20 years, and that experience shines through. They’re closing off the semi final heats, and could gain Australia their 6th qualification. You can see images from their second rehearsal below!
Slovenia 🇸🇮: Joker Out – ‘Carpe Diem’
Slovenia’s Joker Out became firm fan favourites when their entry was revealed back on February 5th 2023, with their live performance certainly capturing the attention of Eurovision fans. It’s no suprise that due to how well recieved this performance was, that they’re bringing the same vibe to the semi-final. They one of Slovenia’s most current and popular bands, and when you see them live it’s not hard to see why – they’re charismatic performers with great live vocals and a stage presence that is captivating to watch. Slovenia last made the final in 2019 – so it would be a great result if they were to qualify. You can see images from their second rehearsal below!
Of course these are just the favorites – there are 12 other countries taking part too! If you can’t wait until this evening to see them live on TV, you can watch 30 seconds of their rehearsals in the two compilations below!
The Intervals
Interval: ‘Music Unites Generations’
Mariya Yaremchuk, who represented Ukraine in Eurovision 2014 with the song ‘Tick-Tock’, leads ‘Music Unites Generations’, which will see her take centre stage to perform some of the best-known and beloved musical pieces from Ukraine across their history. At the end of this performance, she’ll be joined by rapper OTOY and Zlata Dziunka (who represented Ukraine at Junior Eurovision 2022 with ‘Nezlama’) in order to represent what the EBU describe as ‘the connection of generations of Ukrainians and that music is the light that always overcomes darkness’.
Interval: ‘Be Who You Want To Be’
The second interval in the semi final is titled ‘Be Who You Want To Be’, which will represent the whole spectrum of fans of the Eurovision song contest. Drag stars will take to the stage for a spectacular show, including lots of dancers and some impressive pop-style performances. This interval will hold the values of the contest – specifically inclusivity & diversity – at its heart, with a medley of songs that will be sure to get every fan, young or old, up and dancing!
With that, let Semi Final 2 of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 begin!
