Eurovision takes place this Saturday, but in reality, the competition begins this Tuesday evening with around twenty representatives on stage and live… Including the winner announced by the predictions!
It’s quite disturbing every year. Eurovision 2024, whose final has been set for this Saturday, May 11, actually begins this Tuesday evening, in Malmö, Sweden, the organizing country. The great European song competition begins with a series of semi-finals which will end this Thursday. The first semi-final of Eurovision takes place this Tuesday, May 7, from 9 p.m. French time. For fans, it is already possible to watch the performances of around fifteen participants on France 4, channel 14 of TNT. The show will also be broadcast live on the Eurovision YouTube channel.
In this Eurovision semi-final, only 10 countries will qualify for Saturday’s grand final from the following competitors: Ukraine, Cyprus, Poland, Serbia, Lithuania, Croatia, Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland, Finland, Portugal, Luxembourg, Australia, Azerbaijan and Moldova. Germany, the United Kingdom and Sweden will also send their foals on stage, but without any challenges for them. These three countries are in fact automatically qualified for the Eurovision final, the first two being part of the “Big Five”, the countries that contribute the most to the competition, and the third being the organizing country.
This Eurovision before time will be hosted, on France 4, by Nicky Doll, known for her role as host in the show “Drag Race France”. And then fans will have to wait until Thursday to see the other semi-final with 15 other contenders and 10 new qualifiers at the end. This second semi-final will also be the first opportunity to see Slimane, France’s candidate, perform his song “Mon Amour” live. Note that on this date, fans will also be able to start voting, the rules of Eurovision this year being that voters can vote from the first performance of their country. For Slimane, the place in the final is also a given, with France also being part of the “Big Five”.
The “real” big evening of Eurovision 2024 will therefore take place Saturday May 11, in Malmö, Sweden. And while a favorite seemed unbeatable a few days ago, the bookmakers’ rankings have been completely turned upside down in recent days. It is now the Croatian Baby Lasagna (yes, that’s his stage name), with the title “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”, who is the announced winner of the competition with almost a 30% chance of winning, according to the aggregation of the odds of around fifteen online betting sites. Never seen ! He will also be on stage in Malmö this Tuesday evening. If the semi-final should be a formality, he is also ahead of the Swiss Nemo in the final, who remained at the top of the bookmakers’ predictions for several weeks, with his song “The Code” and who nevertheless seemed unbeatable
Eurovision is therefore completely relaunched even though we still thought the matter was over last Friday. Baby Lasagna had already taken the lead in the bookmakers’ rankings at the start of the year, but had not managed to reach such a position among the favorites for weeks, with Nemo having reached more than a quarter of the winning chances at the height of his domination. The turnaround is such that at the time of writing, Croatia is credited with 32% of the chances of victory compared to only 16% for Switzerland. Still follows Ukraine, represented by alyona alyona
What are France’s chances at Eurovision 2024 in all this and how does Slimane rank in this ranking? According to data from Eurovisionworld.com, which brings together odds from all bookmakers, Slimane is between 6th and 7th position among 37 participants, with just a 5% chance of winning. It was even at 4% on Tuesday morning. The hope of putting an end to a long period of scarcity, which has lasted since 1977 with the victory of Marie Myriam at Eurovision, is therefore undermined despite a relatively good position in the ranking. Despite his millions of albums sold in France (notably with Vitaa), the forecasts for the artist seem less than encouraging one week before the competition.
Presented at Eurovision, Slimane’s song, entitled “Mon amour” is a melancholic ballad telling a tormented love story in a heartbreaking voice. A style that contrasts with the usually more exuberant performances of Eurovision. A style opposition out of step with public expectations? In Télé 7 Jours recently, Slimane seemed convinced by his song. “When I finished this one, I sent it to the WhatsApp group that I share with my team, telling them: ‘This is what I should do Eurovision with if I go there go’.”
Slimane Nebchi, his real name, adopts a bold stance in the face of the challenge of Eurovision, as he expressed in an interview for 20 Minutes a few weeks ago: “either you love it or you hate it. Sans boasting, whether for good or for evil, I will not go unnoticed.” The artist seems to embrace his challenger status and approaches the competition without undue pressure: “I have the impression that everyone is so aware that we haven’t won in a very long time that I almost have the feeling that ‘They don’t ask too much of me, so that reassures me’…
Croatia, with Marko Puriši? alias “Baby Lasagna” and his rock song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”, are already establishing themselves as the favorites of the bookmakers, a few days before the final, ahead of Switzerland, with Nemo and his song “The Code.” The Dutchman Joost Klein, the Ukrainian duo Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil as well as the Italian Angelina Mango are not far behind. Here are all the predictions compiled in real time according to the odds of around fifteen bookmakers:
Since mid-March, the list of 37 participants in the major European song contest has been known, as well as the titles which will have the heavy responsibility of representing their respective countries at Eurovision. Like every year when scrutinizing the Eurovision candidates and their songs, we are amazed. In every sense of the word.
Among the Eurovision participants who are sure to stand out, the special mention is awarded, as is often the case, to Scandinavia. The group that will represent Finland this year has already managed to make an impression with an astonishing performance during the national selections. To perform the title “No Rules!”, the duo Windows95man (that’s their name) didn’t pull any punches. One of the two artists, sporting big glasses and a mustache, appears on stage half-naked, simply dressed in a t-shirt with the Windows 95 logo, a cap and flesh-colored underwear. After blasting out some ’90s DJ-style beats, he finally grabs a pair of shorts hanging from a clothesline and puts them on. We are obviously waiting for a reaction from Bill Gates.
Obviously, the Finns will not be the only oddballs at Eurovision 2024. Dutch singer Joost Klein should also stand out with “Europapa”, a completely crazy techno track, accompanied by lyrics singing about the unity of Europe. All with an ideal look to leave a lasting memory with the jurors. Eurovision in all its glory.
In addition to its somewhat excessive staging, Eurovision is, as we know, reserved for fans of high-pitched voices. And the latter will still be served in 2024, the number of participants who will box in this category is already numerous, with candidates from Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Portugal, Norway (and sometimes it really screams loudly)… Another candidate who should not only make friends this time: the Irish Bambie Thug, with her title “Doomsday Blue”. A kind of electro-punk-hardcore nightmare with an occult atmosphere which should make sensitive ears have a painful time. But who knows? Bambie Ray Robinson, his real name, who says he practices witchcraft between two shows, may be able to bewitch a few juries.
To make you wince at Eurovision, looks and music are not the only allies of the candidates. Israel was able to observe this with difficulty in being accepted in the 2024 competition, given the international context and a controversy over its representatives (read below). It is ultimately the singer Eden Golan who will perform “Hurricane” during the competition, a cloying love song (“Baby, promise me that you will still hold me”) to avoid any political interpretation.
The Spanish duo Nebulossa, on the other hand, arrives in Sweden, the host country of Eurovision 2024, with a more discussed song. The track, which borrows from the purest disco kitsch style of the 1980s, is titled “Zorra”, synonymous with “slut” or “prostitute” in French. If the singer explains this title by her desire to “transform this word into something beautiful”, this does not delight the feminist associations who have already cried scandal.
Also remarkable but for another reason, the representative of the United Kingdom Olly Alexander will also be closely watched. Not only for the singer’s openly queer side, but especially because he appeared on French television recently, at prime time. Because Olly Alexander is also an actor and is in the cast of the British series It’s a sin, broadcast on France 2 in mid-March. A clear passage after a discovery on Canal in 2021 for this super mini-series recounting the ravages of AIDS in the 1980s within the homosexual community.
Finally, it’s difficult to tour the Eurovision 2024 candidates without spotting the Croatian candidate, Baby Lasagna, who obviously didn’t look for his stage name for too long. His song, “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”, has been very often cited among bookmakers’ favorites. A hybrid song between supercharged heavy-metal and electro, which proves that this 68th edition of Eurovision Song Contest once again promises shows as diverse as they are surprising…
Eurovision fans can listen to the 37 songs of the 2024 program, from the most sober to the most baroque, thanks to a video playlist accessible for free on the official YouTube account of the competition. Discover the songs of each candidate in the competition with a preview of their productions:
For Eurovision 2024, the French delegation therefore focused on an artist who has already sold two million albums and won 5 NRJ Music Awards. It was in fact Slimane who was chosen to represent the tricolor flag in Malmö on May 11. “It is an obvious choice, but it is also a choice of an artist of generosity, of authenticity which corresponds perfectly to what Eurovision expects”, justified the head of the French delegation, Alexandra Redde-Amiel. Her song “Mon amour” was written especially for the competition.
Among the competitors of this Eurovision, France obviously hopes to shine with Slimane and his title “Mon amour”, or in any case to do better than the Quebecois La Zarra, 16th last year, Alvan
Since its creation in 1956, France has won the Eurovision contest five times: in 1958, 1960, 1962, 1969 and 1977. Our country is therefore placed just behind Ireland, which holds the record with seven victories. In 1958, it was the singer André Claveau who won France’s first victory with the title “Dors, mon amour”. Two years later, in 1960, the artist Jacqueline Boyer achieved unanimous acclaim with the song “Tom Pillibi”.
In 1962, Isabelle Aubret won Eurovision with the song “Un premier amour”. Then, in 1969, Frida Boccara won the Eurovision contest with the song “Un jour, un enfant”. Finally, in 1977, the singer Marie Myriam was the latest to win by performing “The Bird and the Child”, a title that has become cult over time for the public.
The Eurovision 2024 semi-finals have been set for May 7-9. They will be an opportunity for 31 participating countries to compete for the ten places available for the grand final. The members of the “Big Five”, in other words the 5 largest financial contributors to Eurovision, are automatically qualified. These 5 countries are Germany, Spain, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. They will be joined by Sweden, host of the event and therefore also automatically qualified.
The first semi-final of Eurovision 2024 has therefore been scheduled for Tuesday May 7 from 9 p.m. Here is the list of participating countries:
The second semi-final of Eurovision 2024 has been set for Thursday, May 9, also from 9 p.m., with France and these participating countries:
The date of the Eurovision grand final has been scheduled for Saturday May 11, 2024. This crucial stage will reveal the big winner at the end of a (very) long evening. As every year for several editions already, the winning country of Eurovision will be determined by the votes of the professional juries combined with the votes of viewers.
As is the tradition of Eurovision, after the big show, the spokespersons of the participating broadcasters will in fact announce the professional votes for each nation, according to the logic of “twelve points” (from 1 to 12 points awarded according to their preferences). The presenters will then announce the added viewer votes, again in ascending order.
The winner of Eurovision last year, Loreen, won over the national jurors but also the public with her title “Tattoo”, a strange musical UFO between big pop artillery and electro ballad, with a melody which was reminiscent of ABBA’s finest hours.
She had obtained a total of 583 points, giving Sweden its seventh victory. More unusual: Loreen’s victory was also her second Eurovision victory, having already been crowned in 2012. On the podium, she was followed by Finland (526 points) and Israel (362 points).
Eurovision 2024 therefore takes place at the Malmö Arena, a large hall with around 15,000 seats located in the third city of Sweden. This is the third time the city has hosted the event. On the microphone and on mondovision, comedian Petra Mede and actress Malin Åkerman will host the ceremony live. On France Télévisions, Stéphane Bern and Laurence Boccolini should once again provide the presentation.
Among the new features of this 2024 edition, the competition sees the return of Luxembourg after an absence of more than three decades and the notable withdrawal of Romania. But this year, the competition is also the scene of strong political and social positions. The debate around Israel’s participation, in a context of tensions with Palestine, raises questions in particular, while several artists call for an “immediate ceasefire”, saying they do not want to “remain silent”.
On April 9, Eurovision organizers had to publish a long statement to denounce “targeted social media campaigns” against certain participants. If she was not mentioned, Israeli singer Eden Golan, victim of death threats on Instagram, was clearly on people’s minds. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), organizer of Eurovision, said it understood “the strong emotions (…) and the intense debate sparked by Israeli participation” and assured its support “firmly […] freedom of expression and the right to express opinions in a democratic society”, but stands against “any form of online abuse, hate speech or harassment targeting our artists or anyone associated with the competition”.
“The Israeli public broadcaster is a member of the EBU and can therefore participate in the Eurovision contest”, also indicates the press release, recalling in passing that the event is above all dependent on the broadcasting rights for the evening, paid by a fifty countries which provide most of its income. Beyond words, Malmö will have to be subject to a reinforced security system, to prevent any incident.