Photo credit: RTVE
For the third year running, Benidorm Fest is back with a brand new lineup of artists all hoping to represent Spain at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.
The contest has seen both highs and lows for Spain: in 2022 Chanel went on to place third at Eurovision with her song âSloMoâ, while (in what was a shock to many eurofans) last year Blanca Paloma placed 17th with her song âEaeaâ. Therefore, all eyes will be on Spain this year to see if they can get back on track.
Read on to learn all about the artists competing in the first semi-final.
LĂ©rica â Astronauta
LĂ©rica are a duo consisting of Tony Mateo and Juan Carlos Arauzo hailing from Madrid. Initially operating as a trio alongside former member RubĂ©n Noel, the group initially found success posting covers on social media. In 2014, they began turning their hand at posting original compositions, including âEres Ese Milagroâ (âYou Are That Miracleâ), which was written by Tonyâs brother, the well-known musician Abraham Mateo. This featured on LĂ©ricaâs 2016 debut album âCien Mil Motivosâ (âOne Hundred Thousand Reasonsâ). The following years have seen even more success for LĂ©rica, including the 2020 hit single âFlamenkitoâ which has almost 73 million streams on Spotify, and their 2021 follow-up album âCocoterapiaâ.
The pairâs Benidorm Fest entry âAstronautaâ blends pop and dance elements with an anthemic chorus. Theyâve already conquered the Spanish music scene so can they go one step further and snatch victory? You can hear their song below:
Noan â Te Echo De â
Iñigo Samaniego chose the stage name Noan as a combination of the first names of his two biggest musical influences: Noel Gallagher from Oasis and Anthony Kiedis from Red Hot Chilli Peppers. He is a 25-year-old musician who was born in Zarautz but is based in Aturias. He has enjoyed success with a number of his songs, including the 2022 duet with Paula Koops âOdio que te quieroâ (âI Hate That I Love Youâ) which entered Spotifyâs Viral 50 and has over 10 million streams on the platform to date. He also released the duet âMejores Momentosâ (âBest Momentsâ) in July 2023 with Edurne, who represented Spain in 2015 with her song âAmanecerâ (âSunriseâ).
Noan will be performing his entry âTe Echo De -â (âI Miss You -â), a ballad that starts out with a simple guitar accompaniment before building into a more pop-rock chorus that allows Noan to build up emotion throughout the song. Could this move the juries and televoters? You can listen for yourself below:
Sofia Coll â Here To Stay
Sofia Coll i Benito, best known as Sofia Coll, is a 25-year-old actress, singer and dancer from Barcelona. In 2014, she participated in the Spanish edition of The Voice Kids, where she made it as far as the battle rounds. In 2019, she released her debut single âBefore I Forget Whatâs Loveâ, followed by her 2020 debut album âGĂ©nesisâ. She also worked as an actress during this time with her credits including a starring role in the Spanish TV comedy series âBany Compartitâ (âShared Bathroomâ). She cites a number of musical influences, from pop stars Beyonce and Christina Aguilera to soul legends Etta James and James Brown.
Sofia Collâs entry âHere To Stayâ features pop, electronic and urban elements and is sung in English, Spanish and Catalan. Speaking to broadcaster RTVE about the song, Sofia said:
This song was born from imagining âWhat if?â If I imagine that I am really there, on the stage of the Benidorm Fest, at Eurovision: How would I feel? How do I feel? What do I think about? I think about everything I have had to fight to get here, in those who did not believe in me, in those who did, in each of the decisions that I have made throughout my life.
Sofia Coll, RTVE
Will Sofia truly be âHere To Stayâ and go on to represent Spain at Eurovision? You can listen to her song below:
Mantra â Me vas a ver
Mantra is a group consisting of Carlos Marco (who has helped pen two Benidorm Fest entries in the past: âEcoâ by XEINN and âFlamencoâ by Aritz), Paula PĂ©rez and Carlos âCharlyâ Weinberg. They formed in 2020, releasing their debut single âNo Te Esperabaâ (âI Was Not Expecting Youâ) in the same year followed by their 2021 debut album âPrĂłlogoâ (âForewordâ). Their 2023 follow-up album âEpicentroâ (âEpicentreâ) was the #1 best-selling physical album in Spain upon its release and remained in the chart for a further 10 weeks.
The trio will be performing their song âMe vas a verâ (âYouâre Gonna See Meâ) which is a feel-good pop number about being so over your ex that you donât care about running into them at a party and instead dance the night away. It has over a million Spotify streams at the time of writing but will it have people moving on the night? You can listen to the song below:
Miss Caffeina â Bla bla bla
Another group performing tonight are Miss Caffeina whose members are Alberto JimĂ©nez, Antonio Poza and Sergio Sastre. They first formed in 2006 and have become known for combining pop, rock and indie with a characteristically Spanish feel. They have released five LPs, with their 2016 album âDetroitâ shooting them to fame: the single âMira cĂłmo vueloâ (âSee How I Flyâ) from this album has over 35 million streams on Spotify. Their 2019 album âOh Long Johnsonâ brought them further success, staying in the Spanish album charts for ten weeks and peaking at #1 in March 2019. Finally, their 2022 album âEl año del tigreâ (âThe Year of the Tigerâ) has seen the bandâs star continue to rise, reaching #1 in physical album sales and #3 in global sales in the Spanish album charts.
Their Benidorm Fest entry âBla bla blaâ was produced with the help of Stefano Macarrone who also had a hand in producing Rigoberta Bandiniâs 2022 Benidorm Fest offering âAy Mamaâ. Lyrically, it explores the hyper-connected world we live in through our easy access to technology and social media and how this leads everyone to have an opinion about everything, even if it adds nothing to the discussion. As the band themselves said when talking to RTVE: âEverything becomes a giant noise that often has to do with reality and sounds like a very long and loud blah blah blah.â Will it stand out on the night? You can listen to the song below:
Quique Niza â Prisionero
20-year-old Quique Niza is the youngest of the 16 Benidorm Fest contestants this year. However, that doesnât mean heâs lacking in stage experience. The Madrid native made his stage debut at just ten, playing Kurt Von Trapp in the musical âThe Sound of Musicâ. In 2021, he played Danny Zuko in the musical âGreaseâ and has also acted on television, starring in the TV series âUPA Nextâ and âDĂas mejoresâ (âWhen You Least Expect Itâ). He released his debut single âARDOâ last year.
Quiqueâs Benidorm Fest entry âPrisioneroâ (âPrisonerâ) was composed at the contestâs Composition Camp, which is organised by Sony Music Publishing Spain alongside RTVE. According to Quique, the song:
âŠtalks about the idea of ââbeing a prisoner of something. About that moment when you canât scream and an internal war with yourself is created . Textually, the song says âhow do I win this war with myselfâ, that conflict with yourself about how to be or how not to be indifferent to any context
Quique Niza, RTVE
Like Chanel in 2022, could this musical theatre star be the one to win it all? You can listen to his song below:
Angy FernĂĄndez â SĂ© quiĂ©n soy
Ăngela MarĂa FernĂĄndez GonzĂĄlez, best known as Angy FernĂĄndez, is a singer and actress from Palma. She became known to Spanish audiences in 2007 when she participated in the first series of the Spanish X Factor where she placed as a runner-up. Following her appearance on the TV talent show, Angy had a starring role in the TV series âFĂsica o QuĂmicaâ (âPhysics or Chemistryâ) from 2008-2011. The show dealt with a number of hard-hitting themes, including prejudice, mental illness and drug abuse and further cemented Angyâs status as a household name. Following this, she won the first series of the singing competition âYour Face Sounds Familiarâ, successfully impersonating Lady Gaga, Cyndi Lauper and Christina Aguilera, among others.
âSĂ© quiĂ©n soyâ (âI Know Who I Amâ) was composed by Angy herself alongside Swedish songwriters, Dino Medanhodzic, Henrik Lundberg and Thomas G:son, the latter of whom helped compose both Loreenâs Eurovision winning entries âEuphoriaâ and âTattooâ. After a break from music, the song acts as Angyâs comeback, with the star telling RTVE:
I came to experience stage fright; the anxiety before going out to sing was overwhelming. Now I want to break barriers, overcome the fears that limited me. I want to sing on any stage; it is time to tear down the walls that block my mind. I am here to move forward, because this is what I really am.
Angy FernĂĄndez, RTVE
Sheâs ready to shine but can she win the contest? You can listen to âSĂ© quiĂ©n soyâ below:
Nebulossa â Zorra
Nebulossa is an Alicante-based electropop duo consisting of MarĂa Bas and Mark Dasousa. They released a crop of singles in 2020, starting with their debut âLa Colmenaâ (âThe Hiveâ) and released their debut album âPoliĂ©drica de Miâ (âPolyhedral of Meâ) in 2021. They have attempted to perform at Eurovision before, trying out for Una Voce Per San Marino in the hopes of representing San Marino in 2023. This accolade of course went to Piqued Jacks and their song âLike An Animalâ instead.
Undeterred, Nebulossa are sending their song âZorraâ (which translates as a number of expletives aimed at women, such as âbitchâ or âslutâ) in the hopes of representing Spain at Eurovision. The song has already enjoyed successing, reaching #1 on Spotifyâs Viral 50 at the start of January. Speaking to WECB Radio, MarĂa hoped âZorraâ would be a song many women would identify with, saying:
Many times I have felt marginalised and discriminated against. The word âslutâ, that feeling, is carried inside. Many women are going to feel identified because we are not on equal terms.
MarĂa Bas, WECB Radio
Historically, songs that have been performing well in the charts prior to Benidorm Fest have gone on to do well in the contest, with Rigoberta Bandiniâs âAy Mamaâ placing 2nd in 2022 and Viccoâs âNochenteraâ placing 3rd in 2023. Could Nebulossa enjoy similar success? You can listen to âZorraâ below:
So there you have the eight artists hoping performing in the first semi-final of Benidorm Fest! Only four can make it to the final so who will you be rooting for? Let us know in the comments and donât forget to follow us on all our socials.
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