Image Credit: PA / EBU / BBC
The Grand Final of Eurovision 2023 is here!
Tonight, 26 artists will compete for the opportunity to take home the Eurovision trophy. These artists are the 10 qualifiers from Semi Final 1, the 10 qualifiers from Semi Final 2 and the Big 5 plus host Ukraine.
As Liverpool gets ready to put on another spectacular show, here’s your guide on what to expect from tonight’s contest…
The Hosts
Hannah Waddingham, Alesha Dixon and Julia Sanina will all return for hosting duties. They’ll be joined tonight by Graham Norton.
Graham Norton has been the UK’s commentator since 2009, and will be doing a job similar to Terry Wogan in 1998 – for UK viewers, Graham will share commentary duties with Mel Giedroyc, and will be doing the voting sequence on stage alongside Hannah. Mel will become the first ever woman to commentate on a Eurovision Final on the BBC.
The Running Order
The EBU revealed the running order for the Final in the early hours of May 12th 2023, just after Semi Final 2 had concluded.
The UK & Ukraine drew their positions at the Head of Delegations meeting in March as the host country & previous winner. Ukraine will perform at #19, and the UK last at #26.
The running order is as follows:
The Favourites
Going into the final, there are a few songs tipped to be taking home the glass microphone trophy tonight. Here are the 5 favourites…
Sweden 🇸🇪: Loreen – ‘Tattoo’
Despite concerns that her staging from Melodifestivalen couldn’t be replicated, Sweden’s Loreen managed to pull off a relatively similar performance at Eurovision on Tuesday night during Semi Final 1. She’s currently the runaway favourite to win, sitting at 52% in the odds at the time of writing. Viewers may recognise her as the artist behind ‘Euphoria’, which won the contest back in 2012. Should she win, she’d be the only female artist to win the contest twice, and only the second artist ever to win twice alongside Johnny Logan. Sweden would also equal Ireland’s record of 7 contest wins. Will Loreen do it again? You can see her Semi 1 performance below.
Finland 🇫🇮: Käärijä – ‘Cha Cha Cha’
Finland’s Käärijä has truly taken Eurovision 2023 by storm. With a huge crowd response in Semi Final 1 pushing his chances to win up to 22% in the odds, we may see ourselves returning to the Nordic nation in 2024. Käärijä has become popular over the Eurovision season for his catchphrase ‘it’s crazy, it’s party’, his fun and positive attitude and of course, for his song ‘Cha Cha Cha’ – which may well end up being the televote winner tonight. Finland have also taken Käärijä to its heart, decorating multiple statues, shops and even train services in his iconic neon green colour and bolero. Should Finland win, it’ll be their second ever win after Lordi in 2006, and if they place in the top 5, it will only be the second time they’ve ever come in a top 5 position since 2006, despite debuting all the way back in 1961. Will we be taking the Eurovision party to Finland next year? You can see his Semi 1 performance below.
Spain 🇪🇸: Blanca Paloma – ‘Eaea’
Blanca Paloma’s flamenco style song ‘Eaea’ has become a firm fan favourite ever since she took to the stage at Benidorm Fest. Not only is it visually stunning, but it also has an incredible vocal to back it up. After Chanel took Spain up to 3rd with ‘SloMo’ in 2022, it’s clear to see the nation are once again going for the win this time around. If Blanca were to win the contest, it would be the 3rd time ever for Spain, who last won way back in 1969. If viewers are looking for that authentic, traditional sound then ‘Eaea’ may be the song that captures their attention. You can see Blanca’s performance in the Semi Final 2 evening preview below.
France 🇫🇷: La Zarra – ‘Évidemment’
La Zarra could become the second ever Canadian (after Celine Dion) to win the contest tonight for France with her song ‘Évidemment’. The staging sees her high up above the stage, with pyro and lighting that resembles the French flag in parts backing up her disco-chanson style track. France last won the contest in 1977, missing out on a later win to Sweden on a tiebreak in 1991. Since then, the closest they have come to a win is in 2021, when Barbara Pravi came second with ‘Voilà ’. France did however win Junior Eurovision in 2022, so could La Zarra do the double and get France the 1st spot in the main contest? You can see her performance in the Semi Final 1 evening preview below:
Israel 🇮🇱: Noa Kirel – ‘Unicorn’
Noa Kirel is one of the biggest pop stars in Israel, and could well be on her way to win the contest tonight. Her performance of ‘Unicorn’ saw an impressive dance break, that has proven itself to work in favour for other artists (Chanel in 2022, Eleni Fouriera in 2018), so viewers may be swayed once again. Should Noa win, it would take Israel up to 5 wins in total. They last won with ‘Toy’ by Netta in 2018, and with ‘Unicorn’ having the same team behind it, they may have found the winning formula. You can see her performance in Semi Final 1 below.
The Opening & Intervals
Opening: Kalush Orchestra
2022 winners & reigning Eurovision champions Kalush Orchestra will return to the stage to open the final, performing new song ‘Changes’ alongside their winning entry ‘Stefania’.
Flag Parade
The Flag Parade will see Ukrainian singers and past Eurovision artists Jamala (2016), Go_A (2021), Tina Karol (2006) and Verka Seduchka (2007) perform parts of their Eurovision entries alongside some iconic British songs as the 26 artists enter the stage.
Interval: Sam Ryder
Sam Ryder, who came 2nd for the United Kingdom in 2022, will return to the Eurovision stage to perform his brand new single ‘Mountain’ alongside Roger Taylor from the legendary British band Queen.
Interval: Liverpool Songbook
Former Eurovision artists Dadi Freyr (Iceland 2020 & 2021), Duncan Laurence (Netherlands 2019), Cornelia Jakobs (Sweden 2022), Netta (Israel 2018), Mahmood (Italy 2019, 2022) and Sonia (United Kingdom 1993) will perform some iconic songs from Liverpool’s rich musical history, and Sonia will celebrate 30 years since she entered the contest with ‘Better The Devil You Know’, which came 2nd.
The Voting
As always, we’ll begin with the jury votes, followed by the televotes – going from last to first in the jury with the televote points in order to keep the tension until the very end. The Rest of The World will also get a vote for the first time ever in the contests history.
More information on voting can be found on Eurovision.TV.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 Grand Final will take place at 9pm CEST // 8pm BST live on your countries chosen broadcaster, and alternatively without commentary on the official Eurovision YouTube channel.
Enjoy the show, and good luck to all competing artists! Let the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 begin!
