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The week of the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest kicks off this week in Turin, Italy. With the first semi-final being held on Tuesday 10th May, followed by the second semi-final on Thursday 12th May, the excitement is on ahead of the grand final this coming weekend which will take place in a glitzy event on Saturday 14th May.
Following the 2021 event which was socially-distanced and partly digital in some sections due to ongoing pandemic restrictions, there are high hopes that the 2022 Eurovision will meet and surpass the high standards set by last year’s show, which managed to overcome Covid difficulties fabulously well.
There are 40 countries participating this year:
How they were chosen:
* – The winner of Italy’s Sanremo Festival is given first right of refusal for the ticket to Eurovision. This year, the winner accepted the invitation.
** – The original winner of the Ukrainian National Final withdrew her candidacy after her win at Vidbir. After some deliberation, runners-up and public-vote winners Kalush Orchestra were granted the ticket to Turin.
*** – Auditions were publicly aired, but the country’s entry for Eurovision was internally selected by a jury panel.
The current favourites to win are Ukraine’s ‘Kalush Orchestra’ with their hip-hop folk song ‘Stefania’, with the group looking to have the full support of audiences everywhere. We wish them all the best.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiEGVYOruLk
Transporting older audiences back to a simpler time are Finnish rockers The Rasmus. Best known for their song ‘In the Shadows’, the group have been together for almost 30 years and are entering with their song ‘Jezebel’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwHijzdNN2A
If you weren’t already feeling the ravages of time, you will when you see LPS (Last Pizza Slice) who are a teenage pop band from Slovenia. The group met at school and have been playing together since 2018. Their song offering for Eurovision ‘Disko’ tells the sad universal tale of vocalist Filip getting broken up with by his girlfriend at a disco.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOOKKVggzXE
Two of Italy’s most popular young artists, Mahmood and BLANCO, will represent the host country in Turin. As with reigning Contest champs Måneskin, Mahmood shot to fame on The X Factor Italia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Beqe14HYY5o
The favourites to come last are often the United Kingdom, with the hilarious tradition of ‘nil points’ ever-present for the Brits. There are mutterings of potentially breaking the cycle with this year’s entry, up-and-coming musician Sam Ryder and his song ‘Space Man’, but we’re not holding our breath.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udsMTb2NIak
The 2021 Eurovision winners Måneskin will also be performing at the 2022 Grand Final show, to great acclaim after a very successful year. It’s certainly looking as though it’s going to be a jam-packed night to remember, and we can’t wait.
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Michelle is a musician and composer from the UK. She has performed across the UK and Europe and is passionate about arts education and opportunities for women and girls.
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