State Champ Radio Eurovision
Page: 2
The first of three live broadcasts of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest yielded the initial results of the competition, with 10 countries out of 15 moving forward into the grand final on Saturday (May 11) and five countries going home.
Most notable among the 10 winning countries are Luxembourg, which returned to the pan-European competition this year after a 31-year absence, and Ireland, which holds the record for the most wins with Sweden at seven each.
However, Ireland has failed to qualify for the grand final 11 times since the semifinals were introduced in 2005. Bambie Thug breaks that spell with “Doomsday Blue,” a self-described “electro-metal breakdown.” Thug (real name: Bambie Ray Robinson) is the first nonbinary artist to represent Ireland in Eurovision and will be the first Irish contestant in the competition since Ryan O’Shaugnessy placed 16th with “Together” in 2018.
Thug’s entry is expected to place high in the grand final rankings. If they end up in the top five, it will be Ireland’s biggest Eurovision success since Marc Roberts’ “Mysterious Ways,” which finished second to Katrina & the Waves winning U.K. entry “Love Shine a Light” in 1997.
Trending on Billboard
Talia, an Israeli-born singer living in Luxembourg, will be the first person from that small European country — the only grand duchy (a country ruled by a monarch with the title of grand duke or duchess) remaining in the world — to sing in Eurovision since Modern Times placed 20th with “Donne-Moi Une Chance” in 1993.
The other eight countries that qualified for the grand final are Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Lithuania, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia and Ukraine. The five countries relegated out, by public vote during the live broadcast, are Australia, Azerbaijan, Iceland, Moldova and Poland.
The oddsmakers have Croatia heavily tipped to win; it would be that nation’s first victory in 30 attempts, although Riva, a band from Croatia, triumphed in 1990 when their country was still part of Yugoslavia.
A second semifinal will be broadcast live on Thursday (May 9). There will be 16 countries fighting for a spot in the grand final top 10 that night: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Israel, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland.
Pre-qualified, and thus able to skip the semifinals, are the host country (Sweden) and the “Big Five” (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom), so-named because they contribute the largest amounts to the production budget.
Semifinal No 2 of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest will be live on Peacock in the U.S. on Thursday starting at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT. The grand final will also be live, on Saturday at the same times.
Nutsa Buzaladze received raves from the American Idol judges when she competed last year on season 21 of the long-running television talent series. Eliminated from the top 12 on April 30, 2023, the singer from the nation of Georgia didn’t sit still. This week she will perform on another televised song contest when she represents her country in the Eurovision Song Contest, which normally reaches a worldwide audience in the hundreds of millions.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
One year after interviewing Nutsa in Hollywood during her time on Idol, Billboard sat down with her again, this time in Malmö, Sweden, to talk about her life since then and what will be the biggest moment of her career so far.
When we talked last year in California, I suggested you sing for Georgia in Eurovision, and here you are. What have the last 12 months been like for you?
Trending on Billboard
First of all, American Idol was the biggest thing I’ve done in my life. They gave me an open door to new opportunities. Like Lionel [Richie] said to me, “It doesn’t matter what number, you’re a star.” American Idol was a starter for my international career. Being on Idol makes your life much easier because people look at you and say you’re the real deal. I have an agent in America and he had me perform the National Anthem at a Lakers game and a Dodgers game. I had an amazing summer living in Miami and was in the Hamptons for a weekend when a producer [with Georgia’s national broadcaster] called and said, “Nutsa, we are thinking of having you represent your country at Eurovision. When are you coming to Georgia?”
So you said yes to Eurovision?
I told them I only had one condition: I’m going to be involved with every little detail. And they said, “Yes, for sure. We want you to be at your best. We want you to sing the song that you love to sing.” So I had the freedom to be myself and not someone that they want me to be and that is the greatest thing they’ve done for me. And it’s coming from the director of the broadcast.
You’re singing “Firefighter” as the Georgian entry. Who found the song?
We had an open call. We received amazing songs, and we listened to all 300 of them. We had three favorites, and we chose one that I feel very confident in. “Firefighter” was from Darko Dimitrov, a Macedonian producer who has a lot of experience in Eurovision. The writer of the lyrics was Ada Skitka from Estonia. I really loved the song, but only the chorus. I flew from Miami to Macedonia, and we spent three days in the studio finishing the song. It was a very creative process.
[embedded content]
What does representing Georgia in Eurovision mean to you?
I have loved my country ever since I was a very little girl. Because of my country’s history and our people, I want to make them proud. I want to show the world how great Georgia is and how many talented people we have. We are a very small nation and that makes me more motivated to put Georgia on the map everywhere I can. Because especially in America, they think that Georgia is a state.
You competed on Idol and now you’re competing again in Eurovision. What are your thoughts about the competition?
I don’t really think of it as a competition, to be honest. I do it for my career and I do it to become better and to have more experience, because all my life I wanted to have a career where you can go everywhere and sing everywhere. Not only in my country, but everywhere. I think big competitions give you the possibilities to be heard by millions and millions of people and that’s the main reason I’m doing it. I don’t like to compete with anybody. The only person I’m competing with always is myself, because I always want to do something bigger and better.
What was the main lesson you learned during your run on American Idol?
On American Idol, I realized that I had done hard work before, but Idol is the hardest work. I pushed myself to the limits. When I was in my hotel room, I cried because I was so exhausted from the emotions. By the time we were doing the live shows, it was better. I became friends with the contestants and then I became friends with the crew.
What are your plans for your career after Eurovision?
My new single is coming out on May 12. I shot a music video before flying to Malmö. The song is called “Mother’s Day” and I’m releasing it on Mother’s Day. It’s about my mom and she is in the music video with me. I’m sure a lot of people are going to cry because I love my mother very much and I wanted to have a song about her.
What else lies ahead?
There is other news I haven’t told anybody, so I’ve saved it for Billboard. I’ve been invited to audition for Broadway on May 11 [the same day as Eurovision]. So I need to go to New York as soon as possible for that.
Can you tell me for what show?
I don’t think they want me to. It’s a modern musical. The character that they want me to play is very near to who I am in real life and the voice of that character in the songs is my style.
Nutsa Buzaladze will sing “Firefighter” in the first semi-final of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest on Tuesday (May 7) in Malmö, Sweden. The live broadcast can be seen in the U.S. on Peacock at 3 p.m. ET. If “Firefighter” is one of 10 songs from the 15 semi-final entries that qualifies for the grand final, she will perform the song again on Saturday (May 11). That four-hour show will be seen on Peacock, also at 3 p.m. ET.
Hundreds of songs have been entered into Eurovision Song Contest since its inaugural competition in 1956, but only a dozen have ever reached so much overseas popularity as to chart on the United States Billboard Hot 100. Rare as it may be, though, a handful of original songs — which are submitted for competition by […]
At last year’s Eurovision Song Contest, Graham Norton identified him as “Mr. Eurovision” and said he just calls him “the boss.” While almost everyone on the production team for the Eurovision Song Contest does their work behind the cameras, the European Broadcasting Union’s executive supervisor Martin Österdahl is visible every year on the live broadcast. When it comes time to reveal the votes of the participating countries, the hosts turn to Österdahl to confirm that the votes of the juries and the public are checked and that there is a verified result. He then tells the hosts that they are “good to go.”
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Before he was named executive supervisor in 2020, Österdahl was executive producer of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013 and 2016, both produced by Sveriges Television (SVT) following Sweden’s victories in 2012 and 2015. He has also produced past versions of Melodifestivalen, Sweden’s televised national final to select the country’s entry for the annual Eurovision competition.
Trending on Billboard
To find out what to watch for in the 2024 contest airing next week, Billboard talked to Österdahl via Zoom to get a preview of this year’s 68th edition of the popular pan-European event.
How are things in Malmö with just a few days to go before the two semi-finals and grand final of the 2024 contest?
The rehearsals are going really well. All the delegations are here now. I wish the world could see what the atmosphere is like. People are hugging, high-fiving. It’s great to be together again and great to be getting the job done.
What are five things we should be looking out for this year?
The first thing is that for the first time ever, we are finally going to see the Big Five and the host country perform full-length performances on stage [in the semi-finals], which is great. We’ve never done that before, as you know. It will give more entertainment to the viewers and more value to the fans, so I think that’s a great change.
In recent history, the Big Five (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom – the five countries that contribute the most to the production budget) don’t have to compete in the semi-finals to qualify for the grand final, so we would only see snippets in the two semi-finals. Why was this change made?
We’re very much about the even playing field and we have felt from time to time that the Big Five perhaps had a disadvantage. We’ve looked at ways to correct that. The Big Five have been doing much better recently, but still we feel the time is right to make this change now. And it has to do with [the second thing to watch out for].
That is to increase the engagement in this show. For an entertainment show in Europe, we have a lot of young viewers. We’re quadrupling the channel average when it comes to reach and the youth segments, which is fantastic, but the voting system is quite old fashioned with SMS [texting] and televoting and also the fact you had to wait for two hours before you can cast your vote. So we’re trying out this new thing this year where you can vote in the grand final from the very top of the show. If you see something that you like, you can cast your vote, which is something that is more in line with the behavior of young people today, who are used to interacting straightaway with the shows.
We introduced the rest-of-the-world vote last year and we’re increasing the window for that to be 24 hours before the show, so that people in Asia and in South America don’t have to sit up and watch this live on Central European Time. We get votes from 180 countries around the world in the show, so we want to embrace that love for Eurovision in other parts of the world.
How did that rest-of-the-world vote work last year?
Very well. We do a show called the Junior Eurovision Song Contest as well and we’ve had an online voting platform for that. We did a show in Warsaw a couple of years ago during the darkest days of the pandemic, so we couldn’t have the delegations on site. There were pre-recorded performances from the different countries. And then we had a studio in Warsaw where I sat with the presenters and the interval acts and Polish TV did a great job with that.
But when we saw the online voting come in, it was a real eye-opener for me, because there were 12 participating countries as opposed to 40 in Eurovision and it’s a kid show. We saw the votes coming in from 180 countries around the world on this European kids’ show. It was amazing, so I thought, “We need to tap into this.” My expectations are high when it comes to the engagement here.
Does the fact that U.S. viewers can watch live on Peacock greatly increase the number of people watching?
Yes, the engagement from the U.S. is great. The United States is the second biggest ticket buyer [for the live shows]. If you forget about [host country] Sweden, the biggest country of ticket buyers is the U.K. followed by the U.S. Amazing, right? We have ticket buyers from 89 countries coming to Malmö.
And what is the third thing we should watch out for?
Celebration. We have so much to celebrate this year. Sweden has taken the number one position now alongside Ireland with seven wins in history. Loreen is only the second ever female artist to win twice and she and Johnny Logan are the only artists to have won twice, so we’re celebrating that. And of course, it’s 50 years since ABBA won with “Waterloo” and we’re going to celebrate all these things in the show, so that’s another one to look out for.
How exactly are we going to celebrate “Waterloo” and ABBA in the show?
There’s an easy reply to that. Tune into the show and you’ll see.
I didn’t think you were going to give that one away. And the fourth thing to watch out for?
Number four, you should look out for the new hit phenomena. When I started working on Eurovision a long time ago, we used to refer to the classics like Celine Dion and ABBA when it came to who had the international global hits from this show, but that’s not the case anymore. We churn out international hits every year and you’ve probably seen the success of Duncan Laurence, Rosa Linn and Måneskin. That’s a really exciting trend with modern day Eurovision and I think it’s going to continue. It’s a really strong field this year.
Alright, you’ve given us four things to watch out for. What is the fifth?
Number five is that we’re going to have a really exciting climax to this show. The Eurovision Song Contest voting sequence is arguably one of the longest, but also one of the most nail-biting sequences of any show on TV and I think this year we don’t really have one standout favorite. We’ve got a couple who are talked about a lot but not that one standout. So I think it’s going to be exciting this year and I think it’s going to lead to a really exciting climax.
Speaking of the voting sequence, do you track the ratings on different parts of the show, and if so, how does this part of the contest do?
Normally the voting sequence is the most viewed part of the show.
In the past, some years were runaways and we knew who the winner was going to be long before the final vote was cast. Other years we didn’t know until the last moments.
When Loreen first won in Baku [in 2012], everyone knew 35 minutes before the show ended that she was going to win, because you could do the math. But we still had to go around all of these countries and listen to their 12 and 10 and eight points. It seemed this show deserved a better climax, so that’s when we made that change [to report the juries votes first and add in the public voting at the very end] and now it’s all down to the very last delivery of points.
One last question. As an EBU official, how would you describe your interaction with the production team, which is from the host broadcaster.
My job covers a lot of different areas, but when it comes to the production, this is a co-production between 37 different national broadcasters in Europe and beyond and as such it needs a central coordinator or supervisor for the whole thing and that’s me. That means I have final say in all questions, including all of the show content. I work very closely with the producers every year. My main mission is to transfer knowledge and best practice. Of course, this year it’s special, because the knowledge is already here and it’s my old team. We work together really well.
Viewers in the U.S. can watch the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest live on Peacock (and on demand). The first semi-final will air on Tuesday, May 7 at 3 p.m. ET. The second semi-final will air at the same time on Thursday, May 9. The grand final will also air at the same time, on Saturday, May 11.
Just two weeks after Olly Alexander rejected calls for him to withdraw from and boycott the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest over Israel’s inclusion, the European Broadcast Union has issued a statement denouncing the “harassment” of Eurovision artists for the same reason.
The statement, which was delivered by Jean Philip De Tender, deputy director general of the EBU, began with an acknowledgment of “the depth of feeling and the strong opinions that this year’s Eurovision Song Contest – set against the backdrop of a terrible war in the Middle East – has provoked.”
De Tender then turns his attention to the “targeted social media campaigns” launched against certain Eurovision artists, saying, “The decision to include any broadcaster, including the Israeli broadcaster Kan, in the Eurovision Song Contest is the sole responsibility of the EBU’s governing bodies and not that of the individual artists. These artists come to Eurovision to share their music, culture, and the universal message of unity through the language of music.”
Trending on Billboard
Earlier this year (Jan. 30), several Swedish artists signed an open letter calling for Israel’s exclusion from Eurovision, writing, “Allowing Israel’s participation undermines not only the spirit of the competition but the entire public service mission. It also sends the signal that governments can commit war crimes without consequences.”
That same month (Jan. 11), more than 14,000 Finnish artists joined Icelandic artists in signing a petition calling for Israel to be banned from the competition. “It is not in accordance with our values that a country that commits war crimes and continues a military occupation is given a public stage to polish its image in the name of music,” read the petition, which all threatened the absence of a Finnish delegation at this year’s Eurovision should the EBU not weigh in on the matter.
Directly addressing the controversy, the EBU’s statement reads, “While we strongly support freedom of speech and the right to express opinions in a democratic society, we firmly oppose any form of online abuse, hate speech, or harassment directed at our artists or any individuals associated with the contest. This is unacceptable and totally unfair, given the artists have no role in this decision.”
The EBU has explanations for the reasoning for the inclusion of Kan, Israel’s eligibility and their response to potential protests available on their website.
“The EBU is dedicated to providing a safe and supportive environment for all participants, staff, and fans of the Eurovision Song Contest,” the statement continued. “We will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to promote the values of respect, inclusivity, and understanding, both online and offline. We urge everyone to engage in respectful and constructive dialogue and support the artists who are working tirelessly – on what is a music and entertainment show – to share their music with the world.”
The 2024 edition of Eurovision is slated to take place in Malmö, Sweden between May 7-11. Last year’s victor was Sweden’s Loreen, who sang her way to the winners’ circle with “Tattoo,” which hit No. 2 on the U.K. Official Singles Chart.
Click here to read the EBU’s full statement.
Expectations are growing as the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, scheduled for May 11, approaches. This year, Spain will be represented by the duo Nebulossa, formed by singer María “Mery” Bas, 55, and keyboardist and producer Mark Dasousa, 47.
Owners of an electro-pop project with an ’80s touch, Nebulossa has stood out from the start for its unique style, releasing several singles and an album, Poliédrica De Mí — home to songs such as “Anoche,” “Glam” and “Armada Roja” — with which they have been able to tour stages all over Spain.
Although their music career began in 2018, their union as a couple goes back more than two decades, during which time they have formed a solid family with two children and have undertaken other business projects. Specifically, Mark stands out as a recognized producer in the Valencian alternative scene through his company Atomic Studio, while Mery runs an aesthetic beauty clinic that she inherited from her mother.
Trending on Billboard
Since their victory at Benidorm Fest 2024, where they won over the audience with their song “Zorra,” Nebulossa’s rise has been meteoric. The duo never expected to find themselves representing Spain at Eurovision when they started out. However, fate had other plans for them. In fact, Mery submitted the candidacy to Benidorm Fest without telling Mark: “I thought it was a good opportunity, a way to make ourselves known, but I didn’t think that everything that has happened would happen,” she tells Billboard Español.
After their victory at the Benidorm Fest, an unexpected controversy arose around the title of “Zorra,” as many felt that it was inappropriate for Eurovision (zorra in Spanish slang roughly translates to slut). However, María Eizaguirre, director of communication of RTVE (the Spanish radio and television corporation), counters that the song is in accordance with the current regulations — and, in addition, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has given it its approval.
[embedded content]
The success of “Zorra” speaks for itself. In a period of almost three months since its release on December 15, 2023, it reached more than 10 million plays on Spotify. “It is very big what is happening with ‘Zorra’ and the controversy is behind us. We are slightly on the margins with the networks and we have been focused on what we had to be; we have not been affected almost at all by the controversy around the song,” adds Mery.
“The song comes from an experience, it’s an emotion that Mery had inside that she wanted to get out, so people got the message and liked it,” adds Mark. “Our intention was simply that, there was no premeditation. When we were selected we decided to go with it and have fun; we still have the same attitude. We are enjoying this, we are of an age now, which is something the song also talks about, ageism, and we take things differently. Everyone is free to have their own opinion.”
Thanks to the success of “Zorra,” Nebulossa teamed up with Gloria Trevi for a new remix of the song that they recorded in Miami and premiered on March 15 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, in front of 6,000 people, closing the Mexican artist’s show. “The anecdote is incredible, because María tells us: ‘I have managed to get Gloria Trevi to come and record the song tomorrow,’” Mark recalls. “So from one day to the next we set to work to find a studio, Gloria lent herself to this and came, something that was very cosmic, very magical; everything aligned. And so one thing led to another. Then, when we were proposed to go to Radio City Music Hall, we didn’t have to think about it for more than two seconds, obviously.”
Gloria Trevi and Nebulossa perform at New York’s Radio City Music Hall on March 15, 2024.
Great Talent Entertainment
As the Eurovision 2024 date approaches, Nebulossa is preparing to face its biggest challenge yet. With “Zorra” as its introduction letter, the duo is ready to conquer the stage in Malmö, Sweden, and bring their music to international audiences. Throughout April, the pair will travel to London, Amsterdam, Stockholm and Rome as part of the official pre-Eurovision festivities, to which they are eager to see the public’s response. But first, they will pass through Madrid and Barcelona, aware that “it is a tour that many emerging artists would like to live, especially with the people’s acceptance,” says Mark.
Regardless of the competition’s outcome, the duo from Alicante, Spain is grateful for the experience. “We already feel like the winners of hearts of so many people who have told us that they identify with our message. I think the song itself is already a winner,” Mery reflects. Mark adds, “Whatever position we finish in, we would like it to be the best, especially for all the people who are putting their enthusiasm in this, both from RTVE and the audience. We are happy. If we land in a good position, even better, if not, nothing will tarnish us.”
With a steadily growing fan base, they are both ready to continue captivating audiences with their music and unmistakable style. While they have concerts and festivals already booked for the upcoming months, Nebulossa is also poised to drop their EP, Virturrosismo, containing new songs that they had planned to release before Benidorm Fest. But for now, all the focus is on the May 11th date in Malmö.
Following calls for him to withdraw from and boycott the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest over Israel’s inclusion amid the ongoing war in Gaza, Olly Alexander explained why he will still be participating in the annual competition on Friday (March 29).
In a statement posted to his Instagram, Alexander responded to activist group Queers for Palestine, who wrote the singer an open letter asking him to withdraw from the contest. “I wholeheartedly support action being taken to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the return of all hostages and the safety and security of all civilians in Palestine and Israel,” he wrote. “I know some people will choose to boycott this year’s Eurovision and I understand and respect their decision.”
The “Dizzy” singer continued, saying that he took “a lot of time to deliberate” over the correct course of action, and decided that withdrawing from Eurovision “wouldn’t bring us any closer to our shared goal.” Alexander said he and a number of other contestants spoke and decided that “by taking part we can use our platform to come together and call for peace.”
Trending on Billboard
In its original open letter, Queers for Palestine applauded Alexander’s “vision of queer joy and abundance you’ve offered through your music, and share your belief in collective liberation for all,” then asked him to “heed the Palestinian call to withdraw from Eurovision … There can be no party with a state committing apartheid and genocide.”
Alexander also shared a statement from a collective of other Eurovision participants — signed by himself, Ireland’s Bambie Thug, Norway’s Gåte, Portugal’s Iolanda, San Marino’s Megara, Switzerland’s Nemo, Denmark’s Saba, Lithuania’s Silvester Belt and Finland’s Windows95Man — saying that they “stand in solidarity with the oppressed and communicate our heartfelt wish for peace, an immediate and lasting ceasefire and the safe return of all hostages.” They added that they felt “it is our duty to create and uphold this space, with a strong hope that it will inspire greater compassion and empathy.”
Queers for Palestine later responded to Alexander’s decision, saying that while they “welcome” responses from both the singer and his fellow contestants, they found both statements lacking. “When [Alexander et al] use that voice to downplay the genocide in Gaza by vaguely calling it a mere ‘situation,’ they misuse their power. When they choose to ignore the call for a boycott issued by the largest Palestinian coalition, in historic Palestine and in exile, they risk condescending to the people who are being occupied and massacred and are asking for our solidarity.”
This is not Alexander’s first time sharing his thoughts on the ongoing war in Gaza. Shortly before he was announced as a participant in Eurovision 2024, the singer signed an October 2023 open letter from LGBTQ activist group Voices4London calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and calling out Israel as an “apartheid regime.” After Alexander was announced as the U.K.’s representative for the annual contest, a source for the Conservative Party spoke to The Daily Telegraph to criticize the BBC for choosing the singer as a representative for the U.K., calling the decision “either a massive oversight or sheer brass neck from the BBC.”
Read both of Olly Alexander’s full statements below:
With the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest less than seven weeks away, production in host country Sweden has kicked into high gear. Taking on the role of showrunner, Per Blankens has produced 10 seasons of Idol in Sweden; seasons 13 and 14 of American Idol; and the annual Melodifestivalen in Sweden, the competition the country uses to select its Eurovision entry.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Billboard spoke to Blankens via Zoom to get an early preview of this year’s pan-European song competition.
You grew up in Sweden, a country that has a long-lasting love for Eurovision. What is your earliest memory of the contest?
Trending on Billboard
I was only two years old when ABBA won (in 1974 with “Waterloo”), but I was 12 when Herrey’s won (in 1984 with “Diggi-Loo, Diggi-Ley”), so I have a definite memory of that year. I have great memories of Eurovision because back in the day the whole family would gather in front of the TV and it would be the special event and amazing show that it still is today. Once in a year, it showed up and you saw all these different countries and different people and different outfits and different songs. So I watched it from a very young age.
I was going to save this question for last, but since you mentioned them – this is the 50th anniversary of ABBA winning Eurovision and everyone is expecting the four members to participate in some way in the 2024 contest. What can you tell me about that possibility?
We’ve had discussions with ABBA and about ABBA, but do we think that they will sing “Waterloo” together on the stage live? Not sure about that, but for sure there’s going to be an ABBA component in the shows from Sweden this year.
I tell people I’ll be surprised if they perform. I won’t be surprised if they’re there.
I feel the same as you. I’ll be surprised if they perform. We’ll see if they’re going to be there. They turn down a lot of stuff and my personal reflection is they do that because they want to have people’s memories be the way they were in their heyday. The group only lasted for eight years and during those eight years, they came out with a tremendous amount of songs. If you look at the song list, it’s 25 or 30 hits. It’s amazing how productive they were and that’s what they want people to remember. So I understand why they are cautious, but we’re hoping to do something together.
When you were asked to produce this year’s Eurovision, what were your thoughts about taking the job?
When Sweden won in 2015, they asked me then, but I was living in the U.S. and I couldn’t figure out a way to make it work, because you really need to be in the production office and be very hands-on. So I had to decline and have regretted that ever since because it’s the world championship in television-making with all the resources and all the fun and all the nationalities and all the viewers. That’s something that if you had the chance, you would want to be engaged in. When Loreen won last year, I was hoping that they would ask me again and they did. After we won in early May 2023, SVT (Sweden’s national broadcaster) sent out a feeler to me and then a month later it was decided. I told my bosses at Idol, “I still have another six months, but after that, I’m going to do Eurovision.” I’ve done Idol for so many years, so there weren’t any hard feelings. They congratulated me and said they understood this was something I wanted to do.
People always ask me, “What does a producer do?” I tell them it’s different on every show. As a producer, what are your responsibilities for Eurovision 2024?
I am the showrunner. My title is show producer. We do have an executive producer. Ebba Adielsson is in charge of the whole thing and that would mean the event and security and sponsors and staff, you name it. And then there is our contest producer, Christer Björkman, and he is in charge of all the delegations and all the artists and the songs and realizing what they want to do on stage and help them create what they want to present. As the TV producer, I put all of this into the framework of a show. So my responsibility would be running orders, posts, graphics, music and the actual broadcast. I approve the stage design and all of the interval acts and the segments and the postcards. Everything that’s not the competition. The production is huge. It’s one of the biggest (in the world). I’m in charge of the actual show and the rules of the competition and the spokespersons that are going to show up and deliver the points. I get to do the fun stuff. Everybody else is very stressed out. Figuring out how much stuff you can put in that arena without it imploding, that’s not my responsibility.
And all of this comes under the aegis of the European Broadcasting Union, an alliance of public broadcasters from all over Europe and beyond. How do you interact with the EBU?
A country wins and then as congratulations, you get to produce the show next year. Some countries are excited. Some countries are terrified because it is a big event. SVT has done it before. It will be the seventh time, which is a record apart from Ireland, and we did it in recent years as well, so there are some colleagues and coworkers who were part of it last time, which is always great. The EBU gives you the paperwork and off you go. Then there are a lot of meetings which I’m not a part of, but the other grown-ups make decisions about budgets and so forth. And then when it reaches me, I come up with the angle for this year. If we want to make any changes to the format (we take them to the) reference group, which is a Eurovision board made up of former executive producers from previous years, and the EBU’s Martin Osterdahl, who happens to be Swedish.
You go in front of that board and you present what you want to do and maybe you get some homework and then you go back to the board in the next meeting and things get approved or rejected. Right now we have a lot of contact with the EBU on a daily basis about everything from how long the graphics should be on screen to how big the songs need to be, things that that EBU keeps track of. It’s a very complicated technical production in terms of a worldwide broadcast. Each country puts an overlay of their own graphics because we have tele-voting, and there’s not the same phone number in each country. Each country has a commentator and most of them are there (at the venue). Some are commentating from home. They also have a spokesperson who’s going to show up and there are uplinks that need to be booked for that. So we interact with EBU in many ways but now that we’re so close to the production all the big stuff is decided and now we’re getting the practicalities in place.
With less than two months to go before the live broadcast of the two semi-finals on May 7 and 9 and the grand final on May 11, where are you right now in the process?
All 37 delegations visited Malmö a couple of weeks ago to meet with Christer and his team and introduce their artists, who were not present. They had the opportunity to introduce their creative thoughts about their performances. Either they want to do it exactly the way it looked back home in their own (national final) or they want to do something else. Our production is providing the lights and the stage and if there’s something to be built or if you need live elephants, we need to provide that. We’re writing scripts. We’re dry rehearsing all the intro acts. We’re also trying to get all the paperwork in place because it’s such a nightmare to clear all the music worldwide. That takes time.
I think we’re in a good place. We haven’t moved to Malmö yet. That’s going to happen on April 16. The whole production office moves down there and we won’t get on the actual stage until very late in rehearsal, at the end of April. It will be the beginning of May before all 37 countries come down and occupy the stage.
You mentioned making changes in the broadcast. Can you tell me what they are?
One change that was brought up early on was to make the broadcast shorter. Last year’s U.K. show ran four hours, 14 minutes. It’s hard because there are so many songs and we need time for the voting and it’s also the time for us to entertain the world so you don’t want take out too much.
We did get through another change: starting the voting when the show begins. That’s something I introduced on American Idol. That means you don’t have to wait until for all 26 songs to be performed before you can start voting. Because of the length of the show, it gets very late into the night in some parts of the world before you can start interacting and chances are that you dozed off or went to bed. But if you can start when the competition starts, then you’re interacting. I think that’s also how the kids want it these days. One way of doing that is to make sure we’ve already seen all the performances before and that means that the five big countries that are already qualified for the final, and the host nation, get to also be on stage in the semi-finals. Instead of putting them as interval acts or as a block at the end, I wanted to intertwine it within the rest of the performances. I’m sure it will go smoothly in the broadcast to explain to the viewers that 15 of these performances need your votes to go to the finale. Three of them don’t need your votes because they’re already qualified. We have the hosts and we also have the commentators, and we also have graphics to explain the difference when you see it. So those are the biggest changes so far in the show.
Will having the big five and the host country perform their full songs in the semi-finals make those shows longer?
A tiny bit longer. It all depends how many countries are participating, so it has varied over the years. Last year we ran about two hours. This time, we’re going to end up at two hours and 10 minutes.
You mentioned shortening the grand final. Do you have a target time for that live broadcast?
The allotted time is four hours. Every year, it’s been longer and longer and longer. The question is, what can we do to keep it under four hours. We’ll see when everything is in place and we’ve timed everything.
There are 26 performances. It all depends on how much stuff the artists want to bring on stage and take it out and bring it in again. Where can you find the seconds you need? Even though the voting starts when the first performance begins, it will still be open after the last performance. We won’t close it, so people can either decide if they want to vote when they see something they like or do they want to watch the whole thing and then decide, like it’s been in the past. So starting the voting early doesn’t mean that the show is going to be shorter. Just having the spokespersons from the different countries takes about an hour to go through all their votes. That can obviously be done more efficiently, but why? It’s part of the show. It’s good entertainment and it’s part of what I remember I thought was funny when I watched the show as a young person. I was watching all these people showing up from different parts of the world. So you don’t want to take out too much, but obviously what you can do to make it more efficient, that would be great.
For decades, Eurovision was a worldwide phenomenon, with live broadcasts to non-participating countries like China and Uruguay. But somehow the U.S. was left out of the equation. Do you think the U.S. is more aware of Eurovision today? And did Will Ferrell’s movie for Netflix help?
Regarding Americans watching Eurovision, it has transitioned in recent years. Ever since Måneskin and Duncan Laurence and Loreen won, that has turned Eurovision into a totally new thing. Artists are still coming to entertain, but it’s transitioned into something that really has an impact on popular culture and you can become a star by winning Eurovision, which was not always the case. But then again think of ABBA celebrating 50 years now since they started with Eurovision and we get to produce it in Sweden on the 50th anniversary. It’s amazing.
My understanding is that Americans have known about Eurovision always but haven’t been that interested. Now because there was a show called American Song Contest, they understand the format and can participate, plus many Europeans are living in the U.S. The Will Ferrell movie for sure helped. That was an amazing movie. And apparently, he is a super nice fellow because he hung around in Portugal when they hosted Eurovision (in 2018). People who met him said he was the sweetest man and very funny, very kind to remember people’s names.
I thought last year’s show, produced by the BBC in Liverpool on behalf of Ukraine, was one of the best shows ever. Has that influenced you in any way?
As a television producer, you always want to top the previous year but it’s going to be hard because the BBC broadcast was so spectacular. Very flawless, beautiful, the hosts were great and the fact they did it together with Ukraine was beautiful. I have watched the three shows (two semi-finals and a grand final) many times and took notes and if we’re lucky, we’ll live up to that standard. I met (last year’s) producer in Malmö and I thanked him for a beautiful show. And they had the coronation of King Charles that same week, so it was a busy time for BBC.
Some countries don’t want to do Eurovision two times in a row because of the expense. When Sweden claims victory for the eighth time, it will set the all-time record for the most wins in the 68 years of the contest. Any thoughts about having Eurovision come back to Sweden in 2025?
If that happens, it’s going to be amazing. I know that (Sweden’s national final) Melodifestivalen was not holding back. It has happened before that countries won twice in a row or even three times in a row. So it could happen and if it does, we’ll be up and running and we’ll make another spectacular edition.
Having heard all the songs and seeing the videos, any thoughts about the overall quality for the 2024 competition?
You should ask Christer because I’m neutral in the competition. I think that it sounds great and it all stands out and there’s a good mix of groups and boys and girls. It’s going to be a spectacular year. I think as a viewer it will be an amazing show. I won’t single out anyone, but there are some artists who are standing out in a good way, and also in a fun way.
Finally, you are in a unique position as someone who has produced Idol in Sweden and the U.S. as well as Eurovision to answer this question: why have so many Idols from all over Europe, especially Sweden, represented their countries at Eurovision? In Sweden, I’m thinking especially of Måns Zelmerlöw, who won with “Heroes” in 2015, Loreen who won with “Euphoria” in 2012 and “Tattoo” in 2023; plus entrants Anna Bergendahl in 2010 and Robin Stjernberg in 2013. And many Idols from Sweden, like Danny Saucedo and Lisa Ajax, have competed in Melodifestivalen.
I think Idols go far in Melodifestivalen is because the audience knows them and are in the habit of voting for them. But they also need to stand out and be super great and a lot of them are, like Måns and Loreen. A TV technical thing can also be that they are already used to learning choreo, cameras, instructions, staging and output very quickly. They know that once you get up on that stage you have one shot. An Idol season prepares them, as they have to do that on a weekly basis and that could be the extra mile needed in a competition with 25 other artists. But obviously they need a great song as well.
A wide-ranging group of more than 400 musicians, actors, agents and managers and studio executives signed an open letter to the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest rejecting attempts by some participating countries to bar Israel from participating in this year’s event. Among those lending their names to the letter from the non-profit entertainment industry organization Creative Community for Peace were: Helen Mirren, Liev Schreiber, KISS’ Gene Simmons, Scooter Braun, Boy George, Sharon Osbourne, Emmy Rossum, Mayim Bialik, Debra Messing, Diane Warren and Selma Blair, among many others.
The letter supports the European Broadcasting Union’s commitment to including Israel in this year’s contest amid calls last month from Swedish and Finnish artists demanding Israel’s exclusion from the contest over their belief that including the country “undermines” the spirit of the competition. The letters cited Israel’s ongoing response to the deadly Oct. 7 surprise assault on the nation from Hamas militants in which more than 1,200 Israelis — mostly civilians — were murdered, sexually assaulted and attacked and more than 250 were taken hostage.
Trending on Billboard
“We have been shocked and disappointed to see some members of the entertainment community calling for Israel to be banished from the Contest for responding to the greatest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust,” the letter reads. “Under the cover of thousands of rockets fired indiscriminately into civilian populations, Hamas murdered and kidnapped innocent men, women, and children.”
Artist manager Braun added, “Music is a place for unity not division. It is a language that should always bring us together. Artists should never be discriminated against for who they are, who they love, or where they’re born. These boycott efforts do nothing but distract from the uplifting and unifying power of music – something we need now more than ever.”
KISS’ Simmons, who was born in Israel to a Holocaust survivor mother, wrote, “Music unites people from all backgrounds. It’s the one language that everyone can understand. It’s a beautiful thing and a great way to bring people together. Those advocating to exclude an Israeli singer from Eurovision don’t move the needle towards peace, but only further divide the world.”
Last month’s letter from a group of more than 1,000 Swedish artists — this year’s Eurovision will be held in the the Swedish city of Malmö from May 7-11 — requested that Israel be barred from participating over it’s “brutal” response to the Hamas attack, citing the “humanitarian disaster” in Gaza.
“We who sign this are 1,000 artists who believe in music as a unifying force. The Eurovision song contest began as a peace project with the ambition to unite countries and citizens through music,” read the Swedish letter, whose signers included Robyn, First Aid Kit and Fever Ray. “Allowing Israel’s participation undermines not only the spirit of the competition but the entire public service mission. It also sends the signal that governments can commit war crimes without consequences. Therefore, we appeal to the EBU: Exclude Israel from the Eurovision song contest 2024.”
To date, the 130-day war has reportedly led to the deaths of more than 28,000 Palestinians, the destruction of much of the Gaza Strip’s infrastructure and the displacement of more than one million Gazans. The Swedish letter joined earlier, similar requests to exclude Israel from more than 1,400 artists in Finland and Iceland.
The open letter from Creative Community for Peace — the first public call of its kind from the entertainment industry voicing unequivocal support of Israel’s inclusion in the contest — highlights Eurovision’s ability to unify people from diverse backgrounds and music’s power to effect positive change in the world.
Other signatories to the open letter include: Julianna Marguiles, Ginnifer Goodwin, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., Skylar Astin, Atlantic Records Group CEO Julie Greenwald, Universal Music Publishing Group CEO Jody Gerson, Warner Records CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck, Patricia Heaton, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Disturbed’s David Draiman, Tom Arnold, Columbia Pictures chairman Tom Rothman and MRC co-founder/co-CEO Modi Wiczyk.
The letter notes that Israel has a long and storied Eurovision history — including hosting in 1979, 1999 and 2019 and winning in 1978, 1979, 1998 and 2018 — while offering up a diverse group of contestants representing the Palestinian, Ethiopian and LGBTQIA+ communities. “Furthermore, we believe that unifying events such as singing competitions are crucial to help bridge our cultural divides and unite people of all backgrounds through their shared love of music,” it reads.
“The annual Eurovision Song Contest embodies this unifying spirit. Every year, millions of people across Europe and around the world join in a massive display of cultural exchange and celebration of music. Those who are calling for Israel’s exclusion are subverting the spirit of the Contest and turning it from a celebration of unity into a tool of politics.” Click here to see the full letter.
A group of artists in Sweden, this year’s Eurovision host country, are requesting that Israel be barred from participating in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest over the nation’s “brutal” war in Gaza. In an open letter signed by more than 1,000 Swedish musicians published in the Swedish paper Aftonbladet, the artists decried the “humanitarian disaster” in Gaza in the wake of Israel’s punishing response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel that saw militants killing more than 1,200 Israelis — mostly civilians — and taking more than 250 hostages.
“We who sign this are 1,000 artists who believe in music as a unifying force. The Eurovision song contest began as a peace project with the ambition to unite countries and citizens through music,” read the letter. “Allowing Israel’s participation undermines not only the spirit of the competition but the entire public service mission. It also sends the signal that governments can commit war crimes without consequences. Therefore, we appeal to the EBU: Exclude Israel from the Eurovision song contest 2024.”
Among the signers of the letter published on Monday (Jan. 29) are such acts as Robyn, Fever Ray and First Aid Kit and Malena Ernman, the opera singing mother of teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, as well as hundreds of other dancers, artists, DJs and choreographers. The letter notes that the now 115-day-old war has reportedly led to the deaths of more than 25,000 Palestinians — including 10,000 children — leading to the destruction of “civilian infrastructure, caused inhumane living conditions and forced 85 percent of the population to flee.”
It noted that the International Court of Justice in the Hague recently took up the case of alleged genocide brought by South Africa, ruling that Israel must act to prevent and punish any public incitements to commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, to preserve evidence related to any allegations of genocide in the territory, as well as improve humanitarian conditions for Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
“The fact that countries that place themselves above humanitarian law are welcomed to participate in international cultural events trivialises violations of international law and makes the suffering of the victims invisible,” the Swedish letter stated. The missive joins earlier similar requests to exclude Israel from more than 1,400 artists in Finland and Iceland. This year’s Eurovision contest is slated to take place in Malmö from May 7-11.
The earlier Finnish note asked the Finnish Broadcasting Company to boycott the competition and refuse to send a Finnish delegation if the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) — which runs Eurovision — doesn’t weigh in to take action. The various efforts are similar to ones made in 2022 following Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine; Russia was subsequently banned from that year’s contest after organizers said inclusion would “bring the competition into disrepute.” That year’s edition was won by the Ukrainian rap/folk group Kalush Orchestra. At press time a spokesperson for Eurovision 2024 had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on the Swedish letter.
“We believe that by allowing Israel’s participation, the EBU is exhibiting a remarkable double standard that undermines the organization’s credibility,” read the Swedish letter.
According to The Guardian, the EBU previously announced that Israel would not be excluded from this year’s contest, while emphasizing that the wildly popular, often outrageous musical contest is apolitical and that it is a battle between public service broadcasters, not states. The paper also reported that Iceland’s national broadcaster, RÚV, said its decision on whether to boycott or participate in Eurovision will be made in mid-March by the winner of its song competition, Söngvakeppnin.
Israel, which has been participating in Eurovision since 1973, has won the competition four times, including in 1978 (Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta, “A-Ba-Ni-Bi”), 1979 (Milk and Honey, “Hallelujah”), 1998 (Dana International, “Diva”) and 2018 (Netta Barzilai, “Toy”). A recent article in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz noted that despite its track record of wins, Israel is no longer the oddmakers’ favorite to win Eurovision this year amid the growing calls for a boycott over the Gaza war; the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation and Keshet are in the process of choosing this year’s Eurovision act via the competition show HaKokhav HaBa (Rising Star).
