State Champ Radio Eurovision
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It’s that time of year again! Thirty-seven countries around Europe competed in the 67th annual Eurovision Song Contest, searching for the greatest new piece of songwriting on the continent. On May 13, Sweden’s Loreen took home top honors for “Tattoo,” sending streams and sales for the song soaring. It leads a pack of titles from the competition on Billboard’s May 27-dated global charts.
“Tattoo” debuts on the Billboard Global 200 at No. 15, while shooting from No. 146 to No. 7 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. tally. In the week ending May 18, the ballad generated 32 million official streams and sold 12,000 downloads worldwide, according to Luminate, up by 245% in streams and 737% in sales from the week prior.
Not only is Loreen the first woman to win Eurovision twice (following her victory with “Euphoria” in 2012), “Tattoo” instantly becomes the highest charting Eurovision song in each chart’s two-and-a-half-year history. It surpasses Måneskin’s “Zitti E Buoni,” which hit No. 10 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 22 on the Global 200, following its victory in 2021. The Italian band later reached the top three of both lists with its cover of The Four Seasons’ 1967 hit “Beggin’.”
Finland’s Käärijä follows with this year’s Eurovision runner-up, “Cha Cha Cha.” The song debuts at No. 13 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 27 on the Global 200, with 24.4 million streams and 4,000 downloads sold worldwide. Norway’s “Queen of Kings” by Alessandra is next, at Nos. 29 and 58, respectively (19.5 million streams; 5,000 sold). Israel’s Noa Kirel arrives on Global Excl. U.S. at No. 153, while Italy’s Marco Mengoni’s re-enters Global Excl. U.S. with “Due Vite” at No. 174, after reaching No. 32 following its victory at Sanremo, previewing Eurovision, in February.
Eurovision’s three entries on the Global 200 matches hauls from 2022 and 2021, while the count of five on Global Excl. U.S. marks a decline from last year’s six and 2021’s seven. Still, Loreen, Käärijä and Alessandra boast three of the four top streaming figures for charted competing songs following the contest’s final round in that spain. Below the 32 million for “Tattoo” are Måneskin’s “Zitti E Buoni,” which drew 30.1 million global streams in the week ending May 27, 2021; “Cha Cha Cha” (24.4 million) and “Queen of Kings” (19.5 million).
Meanwhile, this year’s group of chart entries averaged 3.6% of their streams from the U.S. and 96.4% from beyond, with each hitting Billboard European Hits of the World charts. Unsurprisingly, Loreen leads again, as “Tattoo” crowns lists in Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Here is a look at top 10 ranks for this year’s charting Eurovision titles on the latest Hits of the World surveys.
Käärijä is also No. 1 on four lists, including his native Finland, Poland, Iceland and, perhaps unexpectedly, Sweden, despite Loreen’s home-field advantage. There, “Tattoo” is No. 3, while Alessandra’s “Queen of Kings” is No. 7.
Ultimately, Loreen appears on 21 Hits of the World charts, hitting the top 10 on 15. Käärijä follows on 17 charts, in the top 10 on 11. Next is “Queen of Kings,” on 14 rankings (eight top 10 placements), while “Unicorn” is on four international tallies (two top 10s). Plus, Mengoni is No. 19 in Iceland.
On Iceland Songs, the group nearly pulls off a clean sweep, as Käärijä, Loreen and Alessandra line up at Nos. 1-3, with Kirel at No. 5.
Loreen very nearly made it two wins in the space of a week.
Sweden’s representative at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest won by a landslide with “Tattoo”. And in the U.K., “Tattoo” (via UMG International) has made a big impression with music fans, as it gathered momentum through the chart week.
“Tattoo” debuts at No. 2 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published last Friday (May 19), in a tight race won by Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding’s “Miracle” (Columbia).
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According to the Official Charts Company, “Miracle” clocked up a market-leading 5.1 million U.K. streams during the latest seven-day stretch, for its sixth non-consecutive week at No. 1.
Meanwhile, Loreen lands a new career high, beating the No. 3 best for “Euphoria,” her winning entry from the 2012 Eurovision.
“Tattoo” leads a “record-breaking” charge for Eurovision songs in the U.K. top 10, the OCC reports, as Finland act Käärijä’s “Cha Cha Cha” (No. 6 via WM Finland), U.K. entry Mae Muller’s “I Wrote A Song” (up 45-9 via Capitol) and Norway singer Alessandra’s “Queen of Kings” (No. 10 via Universal Music AS) all enter the top tier for the first time, following the recent song contest, the final of which took place held at May 13 at Liverpool’s M&S Arena.
Further down the list, Chicago hip-hop artist Lil Durk bags his third U.K. top 40 appearance as “All My Life” (Ministry of Sound) featuring J Cole starts at No. 17, while east coast drill rapper Lil Mabu cracks the top 40 for the first time with “Mathematical Disrespect” (Lil Mabu), new at No. 27.
Finally, two songs are enjoying revivals for totally different reasons. Florence + The Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over” (Island), which appeared on the English act’s 2009 album Lungs, is on the rise following its sync to Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3. It’s up 27-21.
And as the U.K. leg of her Renaissance World Tour gets underway, Beyonce’s “Cuff It” (Columbia/Parkwood Ent) reenters the chart at No. 24.
Sweden’s Loreen overcame strong competition from Finland and Israel to win 2023’s Eurovision Song Contest in a closely fought final that featured guest appearances from Queen drummer Roger Taylor and, in a pre-recorded video, the Princess of Wales.
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39-year-old Loreen, whose real name is Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui, was the fans and bookmakers’ frontrunner going into Saturday’s Grand Final, held in Liverpool, England, on behalf of war-torn Ukraine.
Having previously triumphed in the annual competition in 2012, Loreen is the first woman to win the contest twice. Her song “Tattoo,” a bombastic electro-pop ballad, placed first with 583 points.
“The only thing I feel right now is so much love. Not in my wildest dreams did I think this was going to happen,” said the singer in a press conference that took place immediately after the show wrapped.
Finnish rapper Käärijä, one of the breakout stars of this year’s Eurovision thanks to his song “Cha Cha Cha” and eye-catching costume of spikey black trousers paired with green bolero sleeves, came second with 526 points.
It is the seventh victory for Sweden in the contest’s 67-year history, equalling Ireland as the country with the most Eurovision wins. The first Swedish act to take home the crown was ABBA in 1974 with “Waterloo.” Prior to Loreen, Sweden’s most recent win came in 2015 with Måns Zelmerlöw’s “Heroes.” The only other artist to win Eurovision twice is Ireland’s Johnny Logan, who finished top in 1980 and 1987.
The rest of the top five was made up of Israel (362 points), Italy (350 points) and Norway (268 points).
The United Kingdom is hosting this year’s Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine, which won 2022’s competition with “Stefania” by Ukrainian rap-folk band Kalush Orchestra (the U.K. finished second through Sam Ryder’s “Space Man”). The tag-line for this year’s event is “United By Music,” referencing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The home city of Ukraine’s Eurovision act, Tvorchi, was hit by Russian missiles moments before the act took to the stage in Liverpool, according to reports. Two people were injured in the attack in Ternopil, Western Ukraine, the chief of the regional state administration, Volodymyr Trush, said.
Writing on Instagram after their performance, Tvorchi said: “Ternopil is the name of our hometown, which was bombed by Russia while we sang on the Eurovision stage about our steel hearts, indomitability and will.”
“Europe, unite against evil for the sake of peace,” said the Ukrainian duo.
It is the first time that the U.K. has held the contest in 25 years, although being the host country was no advantage to the country’s entry, Mae Muller. She finished second to last with her track “I Wrote a Song” picking up just 24 points.
26 acts competed in Saturday’s final, held at Liverpool’s 11,000-capacity M&S Bank Arena, including artists from the so-called “big five” countries: the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, who automatically qualify for the main show because of their broadcaster’s financial contributions to the event. (The other 20 finalists qualified via two semi-finals, held earlier in the week. Ukraine also got a free pass to the final as reigning winners).
Kalush Orchestra opened the show with a spirited run through their 2022 winning song “Stefania” and new single “Changes,” joined by a procession of drummers wearing pink bucket hats in homage to the band’s frontman Oleh Psiuk.
Prior to arriving onstage, Kalush Orchestra featured in a pre-recorded opening film, part filmed in a metro station in Kyiv, Ukraine, that also contained guest appearances from British stars Joss Stone, Sam Ryder, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and, in a surprise 10-second cameo, a piano playing Princess of Wales.
The princess, who learned to play the instrument as a child, recorded her contribution at Windsor Castle earlier this month, said organizers after the segment aired.
Following the opening performance, the Eurovision Grand Final was a characteristically flamboyant mix of kitsch Euro pop, overwrought ballads, elaborate PVC costumes, and soaring rock ballads, interspersed with a jolt of head-banging glam metal courtesy of Germany’s Lord of the Lost.
Among the highlights were Austria’s Teya & Salena, performing dance track “Who the Hell Is Edgar?,” named after American poet Edgar Allen Poe, and Poland’s Blanka, singing her breezy reggae-tinged song “Solo” backed by a troupe of colorfully dressed dancers.
France’s La Zarra was another crowd pleaser with her disco-flavored torch song “Évidemment,” passionately sung in French.
Blanca Paloma, representing Spain, energetically fused flamenco rhythms with pulsing synths and a sinuous melody, while Norway’s entry — a bodice-wearing Alessandra, singing “Queen of Kings” — drew a rapturous reception from fans inside the sold-out arena.
Israel’s Noa Kirel, one of the country’s biggest pop stars, was one of the strongest female solo acts with her bombastic track “Unicorn,” complete with an energetic 30-second dance breakdown.
The night’s biggest cheers, however, went to Finland’s Käärijä and the contest’s eventual winner, Loreen.
A standout moment from the four-hour-long final was a mid-show interval that saw a number of former Eurovision contestants deliver a medley of songs representing Liverpool’s illustrious musical heritage, beginning with Italy’s 2019 entry, Mahmood, singing John Lennon’s “Imagine.”
Also performing in the mid-show segment were Israel’s Netta, singing Dead or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record),” Liverpool-born Sonia, who came second in Eurovision in 1993, and the Netherlands’ Duncan Lawrence, leading the crowd through a rousing cover of Gerry and the Pacemakers‘ “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Other non-competition performers included 2022 Eurovision runner-up Sam Ryder singing his single “Mountain” backed by Queen’s Roger Taylor on drums.
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest was the first in the event’s long history where viewers from countries not taking part could vote, including the United States where Saturday’s final — and the two preceding semi-finals — was streamed on Peacock. Viewer votes make up 50% of the final result, with the remainder determined by a professional jury from each participating country.
As per the two semi-finals, the show’s hosts were British TV personality and singer Alesha Dixon, Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina. Joining them for the final was another U.K. TV star, Irish comedian Graham Norton.
Last year’s Eurovision Song Contest, held in Turin, Italy, was watched by 161 million people across 34 countries, according to organizers the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), making it the world’s biggest music competition.
LIVERPOOL, U.K. — On Saturday, 26 music acts from Europe, Israel and Australia — many dressed in a dazzling display of outlandish outfits — will take the stage at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena to compete in the Grand Final of what can justifiably call itself the biggest music competition in the world: the Eurovision Song Contest.
When it comes to music television shows, Eurovision, taking place this year in Liverpool on behalf of war-torn Ukraine, dwarfs them all. More than 161 million people across 34 countries watched last year’s show, held in Turin, Italy and won by Ukrainian rap-folk band Kalush Orchestra, an increase of 7 million viewers (4.5%) from 2021, according to organizers the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
In audience terms, that puts Eurovision ahead of the Super Bowl, the biggest annual U.S. television event, which drew 113 million TV and online viewers for February’s contest. Comparing to awards shows, 12.5 million viewers tuned into this year’s Grammy Awards, a rise of 31% year-on-year, while 2022’s MTV Video Music Awards averaged 3.9 million viewers, up 3% on the prior edition. This year’s Brit Awards, the U.K.’s biggest music awards show, also drew a television audience of just under 4 million.
While many viewers in the United States and United Kingdom have long regarded Eurovision as little more than a kitsch joke with novelty costumes, the song contest’s enormous audience gives it an unrivaled reach as a marketing platform, making the competition – famous for introducing ABBA to the world — an increasingly attractive launching pad for record labels to develop artists.
Netflix 2020 musical comedy film “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga,” starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams, further elevated the event’s international profile, introducing its idiosyncrasies to a wider global audience.
But it was the success of Italian rock band Måneskin, whose international career exploded after winning 2021’s contest with “Zitti e buoni” (Shut up and behave) that “changed the game completely” in how executives and labels approach the competition, says Andrea Rosi, CEO of Sony Music Italy, which counts Måneskin on its roster.
Earlier this week, the Italian act played a sold-out show at London’s 20,000-capacity The O2 arena, while the band’s most recent album, Rush!, topped the charts in multiple countries and debuted at No. 18 on the Billboard 200 in January – Måneskin’s highest ever U.S. chart placing.
In the past, Eurovision “was not so important for the Italian market,” and there were some years when it was not televised in Italy at all, says Rosi. “Now the picture is completely different. National television is giving much more space to the [competition] and it brings massive exposure to the artists [taking part] across the world.”
Italy’s entry in Eurovision’s 67th edition, which wraps up Saturday, is Marco Mengoni, already an established star in his home country, who came seventh in the competition 10 years ago and is signed to Sony Music Italy. Rosi is confident that Mengoni’s song, “Due Vite” (Two Lives), a soaring orchestral ballad sung in Italian, will help open up new markets for the artist.
Ahead of the competition, which kicked off Tuesday with the first of two semi-finals, Sony Music Italy worked with its international label partners to devise an extensive marketing campaign to build Mengoni’s profile in Europe. Last month, he played club dates in France, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland. A larger follow-up European tour, promoted by Live Nation, is scheduled for the fall. This summer, Mengoni will play a series of sold-out stadium shows in Italy, wrapping July 15 at Rome’s Circus Maximus.
Since being selected in February to represent his home nation at Eurovision, Mengoni’s “Due Vite” has topped the charts in Italy and, says Rosi, is now “starting to have traction” in other European countries, including Germany and Switzerland. “It’s been a long time [since] an Italian pop artist has been successful outside Italy,” he says. “We have big hopes for Marco.”
As one of the so-called ‘big five’ countries taking part in Eurovision, Italy’s entry automatically qualifies for a place in Saturday’s grand final because of their broadcaster’s financial contributions to the event. The rest of the big five is made up of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain, while Ukraine also receives a free pass as last year’s winner. In total, 37 countries are taking part in Liverpool across two semi-finals and the main show.
Among this year’s favorites to win is Sweden’s Loreen, who won the competition in 2012. Her 2023 Eurovision entry “Tattoo” has earned around 20 million combined views on YouTube. (The singer’s official Eurovision video has 3.8 million views).
Another hotly tipped act is Finnish rapper Käärijä, whose catchy entry “Cha Cha Cha” has generated around 15 million combined views on YouTube, by Billboard’s calculations. Since being first released in January, the song has been streamed more than 18 million times and has become “the biggest phenomenon ever in Eurovision history in Finland,” says a spokesperson for Warner Music Finland.
The publicity has given a massive boost to Käärijä’s profile. At the start of the year, the artist had around 1,500 followers on TikTok. Following the first semi-final on Tuesday, that number had grown to just under 100,000. Monthly listens on Spotify have jumped from just under 50,000 in January to 1.2 million.
Käärijä is one of four Warner Music entries in this year’s contest – the others being Austria’s Teya & Salena’s “Who The Hell Is Edgar?”, Reiley’s “Breaking My Heart representing Denmark and Polish singer and model Blanka, whose song “Solo” marks her debut for the label. Since its release in November, “Solo’s official video has had 23 million views, while Spotify streams have crossed 10 million — largely fueled by the publicity from Eurovision.
Hubert Augustyniak, head of non-urban A&R at Warner Music Poland, is confident that competing in the competition can help break Blanka outside her home market, where, he says, Eurovision has already made her a “really well-known” star.
“It is not easy to do international marketing when you are a Polish label,” says Augustyniak, “so this is a huge opportunity for us.”
LIVERPOOL, U.K. — The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 kicked off Tuesday with a jubilant party of elaborate PVC costumes, soaring rock ballads and cheesy Euro pop, as contestants competed in the first of two semi-finals to determine which 20 acts would move on to Saturday’s Grand Final.
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The semi-final at the 11,000-capacity M&S Bank Arena, standing on Liverpool’s waterfront next to the River Mersey, marked the official start of the annual competition. The 10 acts moving on were Croatia, Moldova, Switzerland, Finland, Czechia, Israel, Portugal, Sweden, Serbia and Norway. That means the Netherlands, Malta, Latvia, Ireland and Azerbaijan were eliminated.
The United Kingdom is hosting this year’s Eurovision Song Contest – famous for introducing ABBA to the world – on behalf of war-torn Ukraine, which won last year’s competition with “Stefania” by Ukrainian rap-folk band Kalush Orchestra (the U.K. finished second through Sam Ryder’s “Space Man”).
It is the first time that the U.K. has held the contest in 25 years with Liverpool – whose illustrious music history includes The Beatles and Echo & the Bunnymen — fully embracing its role as host city.
Memorable highlights (although not always for the right reasons) included Croatia’s Let 3, who stripped down to their underwear as they wielded giant missile props for their song “Mama ŠČ!”, and Israel’s Noa Kirel with her marauding dance pop track “Unicorn.”
Some of the night’s biggest cheers went to two of this year’s favorites to take home the main prize: Sweden’s Loreen, who won the competition in 2012 and performed “Tattoo” on Tuesday; and Finnish rapper Käärijä, who sung his catchy song “Cha Cha Cha,” semi-topless, wearing only black spiky trousers and bright green Incredible Hulk-style sleeves.
In a mid-show interval of the two-and-a-half-hour show Rita Ora also performed a medley of her biggest hits, including singles “Anywhere,” “I Will Never Let You Down” and Praising You.”
Other non-competition performers included Liverpool singer Rebecca Ferguson and Ukraine’s Alyosha in a duet of Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World,” which they dedicated to refugees who had been forced to leave their country.
The semi-final was hosted by British TV personality and singer Alesha Dixon, “Ted Lasso” star Hannah Waddingham and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina — who opened the show with her band The Hardkiss. It was broadcast live on television in the U.K. and throughout Europe.
In total, 37 countries are taking part in this year’s contest. Ukraine automatically qualifies for the final as 2022 winners, as do the so-called ‘big five’: the U.K., France, Germany, Italy and Spain, who all get a free pass to the main show because of their financial contributions to the event.
Viewers in participating countries vote to decide the winner, although people can’t vote for an act from their own country. The second semi-final takes place on Thursday when another 16 acts will perform.
In the runup to the competition, Liverpool has been transformed into a vibrant display of Eurovision banners and Ukrainian flags.
Ahead of Thursday’s semi-final, the English National Opera put on a free show at the purpose-built fan village on Liverpool’s Pier Head, where they were joined by a series of former Eurovision contestants, including singer Ruslana, who won for Ukraine in 2004, and international opera stars who performed classical arrangements of some of the contest’s past hits.
“I bring one message: Listen my sisters and brothers, we need to stop this bloody terrible war as soon as possible,” Ruslana said. “And I ask you, just help Ukraine to win. Because we are fighting for freedom. We are fighting for light. The light of human heart.”
Eurovision is back!
This year’s semifinals will kick off at the U.K.’s Liverpool Arena on Tuesday (May 9) and Thursday (May 11), followed by the grand finale on Sunday (May 13).
All three days of Eurovision 2023 will stream on Peacock at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT. Julia Sanina, Graham Norton, Hannah Waddingham and Alesha Dixon are among the hosts for the semi-finals and grand finale.
Rita Ora will perform a medley of her hits during Tuesday’s show, which will also feature performances from Sanina and Ukrainian singer Alyosha.
The international singing competition’s highest-scoring countries from the two previously aired semi-finals, along with the “Big Five” (Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain) will compete for the prize. Participating nations vote on the winner, though citizens can’t vote for their own country. See the grand final rundown here.
Aside from Eurovision, Peacock subscribers can stream exclusive series, movies and more for $4.99 per month ($9.99/month to stream without commercials and get access to NBC).
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Binge Poker Face, Bel-Air, Bupkis, Mrs. Davis, The Best Man: The Final Chapters, LoveIsland USA, Dr. Death and other exclusive series on Peacock along with movies like Praise This, Cocaine Bear, The Year Between and Inside; in addition to WWE, MLB Sunday Leadoff and other sporting events. Peacock also works on ExpressVPN, for those streaming internationally.
See more on the Eurovision 2023 allocation draw in the video below.
At the Eurovision 2023 Song Contest in May, 37 countries will participate, but only one nation is sending their act to the competition in Liverpool while their country is fighting a war. Tvorchi, the electronic music duo from Ukraine, has been recording and rehearsing while their homeland is under attack by forces commanded by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In the weeks of early preparation and national competitions, the duo – producer Andrii (Andrew) Hutsuliak and vocalist Jimoh Augustus Kehinde (a.k.a. Jeffery Kenny) – ran from shelter to shelter to avoid unpredictable drone and missile strikes and weathered intermittent electricity outages. And while most countries vying for the Eurovision crown hold their national finals in theaters or arenas, Ukraine’s live broadcast for the 2023 contest took place in December at an underground metro station that has been used as a bomb shelter, with trains passing on both sides of the stage.
“We didn’t imagine this might happen, that any minute you could be killed by missiles,” co-founder Hutsuliak tells Billboard via Zoom. “In the first week of war, we had a lot of emotions, and we transferred all those emotions into how we can help our country and how to be more productive.”
The war affected the participation of Tvorchi (“creative” in Ukrainian) in Ukraine’s national final to determine which song would go to Eurovision, forcing the duo to do some recordings in shelters “There are the times we just grab the equipment and to go to the shelter and wait for the air (sirens) to turn off,” he says. During Tvorchi’s preparations in Kyiv, one day they were shooting video when an alarm sounded signaling a drone strike and missile attack, recalls Hutsuliak. “We ran to the shelter and were sitting there for four hours.”
With many power plants destroyed by Russian attacks, Ukrainian officials have conserved electricity by periodically shutting it off. “When you hear the alarm and the missiles strike, the electricity can go off,” says Hutsuliak. “We look for generators and big power banks where you can plug your laptop in there and charge your devices and go on.”
Since winning Ukraine’s national final, Tvorchi has focused on preparing its music and trying to tune out the dangerous conditions that threaten their lives. “We’re not physically participating in rehearsals yet,” says Hutsuliak. “We’re trying to get the music done as quickly as possible then we can move on to the choreography and trying out costumes and rehearsing for the show on stage.”
U.K. Steps Up To Host Despite Ukraine’s 2022 Eurovision Win
By tradition, the country that wins Eurovision hosts the competition the following year. In 2022, Ukraine won with The Kalush Orchestra’s “Stefania.” While Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wanted his country to host the 2023 contest, the European Broadcasting Union selected the U.K. as substitute host, deeming it too dangerous to have the annual event in Ukraine.
“We are thankful that Britain is going to organize this and make it happen,” says Hutsuliak. The promos for the 2023 Eurovision will feature the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag inside the traditional heart-shaped logo, even though the competition is being held in the U.K.
Tvorchi and the delegation from Ukraine will have to travel from their besieged country to Liverpool, where the Eurovision final will be held on May 13 at the M&S Bank Arena. The duo has already been to London for a performance at the O2 Arena last fall, held to raise funds to buy military equipment for Ukraine.
While the country is under attack by air, there are no flights coming in or out of Ukrainian airports. “We can only travel by car or train,” says Hutsuliak. “Before Putin’s invasion, it took four or five hours to fly to London. [For the O2 performance] it took us 24 hours to get there. We traveled by car to the airport in Krakow, Poland and then we flew to Warsaw. Then we caught another plane to London.”
Even in London, the electronic duo struggled to avoid the feeling of trauma. “You hear a plane flying overhead and you get scared or anxious for no reason,” says Hutsuliak. “But it was nice to meet Ukrainians who lived in our country before the invasion, and it is nice to interact with them. There are Ukrainian people who live in Berlin, in London, in Portugal and in Spain and we appreciated sharing emotions and being in the moment.”
Both members of Tvorchi say it is important to continue making music and appearing on a global platform such as Eurovision. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to spread our message as well as represent the country,” Kenny tells Billboard. “Ukrainians don’t want to be pitied,” adds Hutsuliak. “You need to look at us and get inspired, be united and help so we can help you tomorrow.”
The duo has raised money for the Ukranian army and urges others to donate money and equipment, and to stream music from Ukrainian artists. (Among the platforms receiving donations is one organized by President Zelensky, United24.)
Tvorchi’s song for Eurovision, “Heart of Steel,” was inspired by the siege of Azovstal in Mariupol when the Ukrainian army defended the steel and iron works there, holding out for 82 days under brutal conditions before finally surrendering in May. The lyrics are also a warning about nuclear warfare. Tvorchi is keenly aware that Eurovision was originally created to peacefully unite the nations of Europe several years after the end of World War II.
“Heart Of Steel” is not Tvorchi’s first song inspired by the conflict with Russia. In the first months after the invasion began, they wrote a song called “Boremosia” whose lyrics include:
We fight and will win over everyone
the bullets are flying but we are strong
we fight, the worlds are divided
the voices for freedom have become as one
Last June, Tvorchi performed “Boremosia” for army soldiers in a camp, on a stage atop a big truck. “They opened the place where they usually store some ammunition,” says Hutsuliak “It was very valuable for us to be there to talk with the [soldiers] and support each other, to share the emotions and just be in the moment.”
Once again, the Sanremo Music Festival impacts Billboard’s global charts. Italy’s qualifying competition for the Eurovision Song Contest, the showdown yields a handful of debuts on the Feb. 25-dated rankings. Sanremo was held at the Teatro Ariston from Feb. 7 to 11, and was broadcast by Radiotelevisione italiana. (Eurovision is set for May 9-13 in Liverpool.)
Five songs from the Sanremo competition enter the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, led by Lazza’s “Cenere,” at No. 29. In the week ending Feb. 16, “Cenere” drew 22.5 million streams worldwide, according to Luminate. Ultimately, it placed second in Sanremo.
The competition’s winner was Marco Mengoni for “Due vite,” which topped its competitors in all three categories – public televoting, jury of the press and demoscopic jury. Though it swept its way to a Eurovision qualification, it debuts just under Lazza’s high mark, hitting Global Excl. U.S. at No. 32, on the back of 21.3 million streams.
Mr. Rain follows at No. 42 with “Supereroi,” also third place in Sanremo. These three top 50 debuts also crack the Billboard Global 200 at Nos. 68 (“Cenere”), 80 (“Due vite”) and 97 (“Supereroi”).
Additionally, Madame enters Global Excl. U.S. at No. 104 with “Il Bene Nel” and Tananai rounds out the Sanremo scope at No. 195 with “Tango.” The latter song finished in fifth place in Sanremo, while the former ranked seventh.
All five charting songs from Sanremo drew more than 90% of their streams from Italy, with Lazza, Mr.Rain and Tananai each above 94%. They make up the entire top five of Luminate’s latest Global Hits – Italy ranking, as seen in the data firm’s Music Connect platform, with “Cenere” leading the pack.
The sum of five Sanremo-sparked Global Excl. U.S. entries falls short of last year’s seven but is still above 2021’s four. Plus, the three Global 200 debuts match last year’s high, after no Sanremo songs impacted two years ago. (Both worldwide tallies began in September 2020.)
The zero-to-100 (er, three) momentum from 2021 may have something to do with the notoriety that that year’s winner brought to the competition. Måneskin triumphed with “Zitti E Buoni,” before winning Eurovision and then scoring multiple global hits later that year (plus a Grammy nomination for best new artist this year), including “Beggin’,” which reached No. 2 on Global Excl. U.S.
The band’s pan-continental, and then worldwide, fame may have assisted a top 10 debut for last year’s Sanremo champion, “Brividi” by Mahmood and Blanco. The ballad reached No. 7 on Global Excl. U.S. following Sanremo and returned to the chart after Eurovision.
But while Måneskin may have helped launch a new era of international success for Sanremo-associated titles, one may forget that the Italian glam-rockers were initially outpaced on the global charts. “Zitti E Buoni” debuted at No. 106 on the March 20, 2021-dated ranking, slightly behind the year’s runner-up “Chiamami Per Nome” by Francesca Michielin and Fedez at No. 100. That Måneskin went on to greater heights should give extra hope to Mengoni as he prepares for Eurovision, as even though his competition-winning song didn’t yield the biggest initial chart impact, even bigger things could be right around the corner.
From AFC Richmond to the Eurovision Song Contest. Hannah Waddinghan, Emmy-winning star of Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso, has been named as one of the hosts of the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, set to take place in Liverpool between May 9-13.
Waddingham will co-host the two semifinals on May 9 and May 11 alongside Alesha Dixon and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, with Graham Norton joining the three for the grand final on May 13.
The U.K. — which came second in 2022 — is hosting the 2023 Eurovision contest on behalf of last year’s winner Ukraine, which is unable to host due to the invasion of Russia.
“There’s something really special about Eurovision which is why I’ve been an avid fan for years — from the camaraderie of all the acts backstage, to the epic scale of the show,” said Waddingham. ” It’s one of the world’s greatest music festivals, but this year, perhaps more than ever, it is such a great honor to be standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, a country which has carried itself with such strength and unity. It is my great privilege to join Eurovision this year of all years.”
BBC Studios is producing both the semi-finals and grand final, having agreed to step in for Ukrainian broadcaster UA:PBC.
More than 160 million people are expected to watch the competition globally.
This article originally appeared in The Hollywood Reporter.
