Is there life after Eurovision: the winners of the last 10 years

Russia

She made her debut
at the international Eurovision Song Contest
in 1994 with the song Judith “The Eternal Wanderer”, where she took 9th place. The country has participated in the competition every year since 2000. The country did not participate in 1996, 1998-1999 and 2020 for various reasons. Russia won the competition once in 2008, when the country was represented by Dima Bilan with the song “Believe”[1]. In 2020, Russia did not qualify for the final for the first time.

History of participation

Over the years, Russia has taken prizes. Thus, third place was received in 2003, 2007 and 2020 for the performances “Don’t believe, don’t be afraid, don’t ask” by the tATu group, “Song Number One” by the Serebro group, “You Are the Only One” by Sergei Lazarev, respectively .

Russia took second place in 2000, 2006, 2012 and 2020 with the songs “Solo[en]” by performer Alsou, “Never Let You Go” by Dima Bilan, “Party for Everybody” by the ensemble “Buranovskie Babushki”, “A Million Voices” by Polina Gagarina.

For the first time, Russia managed to win in 2008, in the Serbian capital - Belgrade. The winner was the two-time representative of Russia (in 2006, 2008) Dima Bilan with the song “Believe”, gaining 272 points.

In recent years (2011, 2013, 2015), Russia, like many other countries, has been ordering songs from Swedish composers, and previously often ordered from composers from the USA and Australia.

In 2009, Russia was represented by Anastasia Prikhodko from Ukraine with the song “Mamo”. The song was performed in Russian and Ukrainian and took 11th place in the final of the competition.

In 2020, for the first time in the history of its participation, Russia failed to qualify for the finals of the song competition. Yulia Samoilova with the song I Won't Break in the second semi-final took 15th place out of 18, scoring 65 points, which turned out to be insufficient to qualify for the final.

Russia is almost always given 12 points by Belarus and Armenia, and very often one of the highest scores is given by Azerbaijan, Estonia, Latvia, Moldova and Ukraine; Russia has never given its vote to Monaco. Russia most often gave the highest points to Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Ukraine and never gave points to Albania, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Slovakia, Montenegro, and the Czech Republic.

In 1996, Andrei Kosinsky was supposed to go to the competition in Oslo (Norway) with the song “I am Me,” but could not make it through the qualifying round.

In 1998, Russia was not allowed to participate due to a low average score in previous years' participation. Russia withdrew from broadcasting in 1998, which violated the competition's rules, and Russia was unable to participate in the competition in 1999.

In 2020, singer Yulia Samoilova was supposed to go to the competition in Kiev (Ukraine) with the song “Flame Is Burning”, however, according to the Security Service of Ukraine, due to the singer’s performance in Crimea in 2020, she was banned from entering the territory of Ukraine for a period of time for 3 years[2].

What happened to the winners of Eurovision in recent years?

Fans continue to closely follow the life and work of their idols

On May 24, 1956, the first Eurovision Song Contest was held in a small hall of the Kursaal Theater in Lugano, Switzerland. Over the course of more than half a century of its existence, it has transformed from a chamber event and, in fact, a radio program (video cameras were still rare in the mid-50s) into the main song competition of the year, a large-scale event watched by millions of television viewers. He gave a start to life to many artists, but not all managed to take advantage of their chance. On the birthday of the competition, EG.RU finds out how the fate and future careers of the Eurovision winners of recent years turned out.

2017, Salvador Sobral

Photo: wikipedia.org
The health of the Portuguese singer, winner of Eurovision 2017, who captivated the audience and the jury with a poignant song about a heart that can love for two, was watched with concern by the whole world. Salvador had a congenital heart defect, until recently the doctors were not sure that he would be able to participate in the competition, he even arrived in Kyiv later than the other participants, right before the semi-finals.

In the fall, Sobral was hospitalized with a sharp deterioration in his health, he ended up in intensive care, doctors connected him to an “artificial” heart, and many seriously feared for his life. In December of the same year, he underwent a complex heart transplant operation, followed by a serious recovery period.

But the young man managed. Already in March he began performing concerts again. According to doctors, Salvador Sobral’s is now not in danger, although, of course, he needs to take care of himself. The singer is not yet allowed to work a lot.

2016, Jamala

Photo: wikipedia.org
Ukrainian singer Susanna Jamaladinova , performing under the stage name Jamala , got married a year after winning Eurovision, and on March 27, 2018, the couple had their first child. The artist decided not to stop her vocal career and not to go on maternity leave for a long time.

While still pregnant, she participated in the national Eurovision selection and was a mentor for the Ukrainian television project “Voice of the Country.” Even in the last month of pregnancy, Jamala did not stop filming, but just in case, she always carried things with her for the maternity hospital.

Within a couple of weeks after giving birth, Jamala returned to work. Her mother and nanny help her with the baby, and the singer, although she considers motherhood to be the main thing in her life at the moment, plans to continue combining it with work. And he says that little Emir-Rahman will definitely have a brother or sister.

2015, Mons Selmerlöw

Posted by Ciara Janson (@ciarajanson) Apr 24, 2020 at 2:06 am PDT

The Swedish singer distinguished himself a year after his victory when he hosted Eurovision 2016: Måns appeared on stage naked, parodying the participant from Belarus, which shocked even the seasoned Swedes.

In Sweden he continues to be a star and a national hero, but not much is known to the world community about his life after the victory. Periodically, the artist participates in major musical events; some time ago he was a guest of the Laima Vaikule “Rendezvous” festival.

But now much more important events are happening Måns Zelmerlöw’s Ciara Janson will become a mother any day now. Janson has a son from her first marriage, in whose upbringing Mons takes an active part, but the 31-year-old musician will experience the joy of fatherhood for the first time.

2014, Conchita Wurst

Photo: wikipedia.org
Austrian singer-provocateur Thomas Neuwirth , who won Eurovision 2014 in the image of the “bearded girl” Conchita Wurst , whom he called his alter ego, does not disappear from the public eye, actively tours and constantly gives reasons for hype. He doesn’t talk about his personal life, but he is happy to share his creative plans.

In May 2020, Noirvit said that he decided to “bury” Conchita - he changes his image to a more brutal one, stops wearing dresses, and so on. The singer promised that the new album, which should be released this year, will be the last for his alter ego.

The singer also admitted that all these years he had been exploiting the image of Conchita Wurst to attract attention and receive high fees: it would have been much more difficult for a simple guy Thomas than for a shocking bearded beauty.

2013, Emmilie de Forest

Photo: wikipedia.org
The 19-year-old waitress from Denmark, who won Eurovision 2013 with the heartbreaking song “Only Tears,” failed to become a global star. After the victory, her fees jumped significantly, but there were not so many applications for concerts and, especially, tours.

Emmy tried to stir up interest in herself by declaring that she was the great-great-granddaughter of the British Queen Victoria , but when she was brought to light, she had to justify herself: it was, they say, a bad joke.

Since winning Eurovision, Emmie de Forest has lost weight and turned into quite a “stylish little thing”, released a couple of albums, and in 2020 she wrote a song for the British contestant Lucy Jones . The singer said that she had a lover, they had been together for a long time, but there was no news about the wedding.

2012, Lorin

Photo: globallookpress.com
The Swedish participant of Eurovision 2012 with feline plasticity, bright appearance, Moroccan-Berber roots and the exotic name Lorine Sineb Nora Tolhaoui produced the effect of a bomb exploding at the competition, and after her victory she became a national star in all Scandinavian countries (including , that before that practically no one knew about it).

Since then, Lauryn has released several singles, she successfully tours and is one of the most sought-after Scandinavian artists, and the song Euphoria, which brought her victory, is still on the list of the main hits of the competition in the entire history of its existence. Lorin does not advertise her personal life.

2011, Ell & Nikki

Posted by Nigar Jamal ♍️ (@nigarjamal.official) May 11, 2018 at 9:57 am PDT

The Azerbaijani duet of Eldar Kasymov and Nigar Jamal , created specifically for Eurovision, did not last long together. The young people periodically performed together, performing the composition that brought them victory; in 2012 they released a joint album, but then their creative paths began to diverge.

Eldar began performing solo, opened his own vocal school, and starred in a film directed by Yuri Grymov . Nigar also tried herself as an actress and has released several singles in recent years. Some time ago, information appeared in the press that the singer moved with her husband, a Turkish businessman, and two children to London. Judging by her social media account, she continues to record songs and perform.

2010, Lena Mayer-Landrut

Photo: wikipedia.org
The German singer, whose full name is Lena Johana Therese Mayer-Landrut , after winning Eurovision 2010, did not become a superstar either, but she made a very good career. She was a mentor in the German version of the show “The Voice. Children,” she starred in many advertisements as a model, participated in the national selection before Eurovision 2017, and became the “face” of a famous cosmetics brand.

The singer performs a lot at rock festivals, and also shines in evening dresses and diamonds at social events. The singer is not married, although she does not experience a lack of male attention. Recently, her modeling career has been taking off. On May 23, 2020, Lena turned 31 years old.

2009, Alexander Rybak

Photo: globallookpress.com
The charming Norwegian violinist with Belarusian roots set a Eurovision record, receiving 387 points, and became a popular favorite both in Western Europe and in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. He often comes to Russia to give performances; in 2012, Rybak participated in the Russian show “One to One.”

In 2020, he again participated in Eurovision, but failed to repeat his triumph. As the musician admits, he doesn’t have time to “star” - he works too much. 32-year-old Alexander is not married. Soon after winning Eurovision 2009, reports appeared in the press about his non-traditional sexual orientation, which the artist indignantly denied.

Participants

First place Second place Third place Fourth place Fifth place Automatic passage to the final Did not qualify for the final Did not participate or was disqualified

Votes received

Table of points received by Russia in the final. Countries that did not participate in a particular year have dashes in the cells; empty cells - if the specified countries did not give a single point to Russia.

Votes cast

Table of points given by Russia in the final. Countries that did not participate in a particular year have “dashes” in the cells; empty cells - if Russia did not give any points to the specified country.

Since 1956. How Eurovision changed, what they sang, who won

Eurovision is the oldest annual international television competition, the participants of which are, first of all, members of the European Broadcasting Union. The competition was organized and shown to the world on the basis of the music festival in San Remo (Italy). All the winners of the main European music scene.

It all started modestly - back in the days of black and white television. The first winner of the competition was the Swiss singer Lise Assia. At Eurovision in 1956, she performed two songs at once - the rules of the competition also changed several times - and the composition “Refrain” won. However, at that time Asia did not have too much competition - only seven countries took part in the competition - Switzerland, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, reports LIGA.net.

The following year, Austria, Denmark and Britain joined the competition, and the Netherlands took the baton of Eurovision winner thanks to Corrie Brocken and her song “Net Als Toen”. In 1958, Sweden joined the competition family, and the prize was taken by the French actor and singer Andre Clavo, who captivated the jury and audience with the love song “Dors, Mon Amour.”

1959 was again successful for the Netherlands - singer Teddy Scholten won with the song “Een Beetje”. The tradition of inviting new countries to participate has not changed - this year a participant from Monaco entered the competition stage. 1960 - France won again - Jacqueline Boyer with the song “Tom Pillibi”, and Norway made her Eurovision debut. The Netherlands refused to host the competition, so the UK hosted Eurovision.

In 1961, footage of the audience already appeared in the Eurovision broadcast on television, without which it is difficult to imagine the competition today. Finland, Spain and Yugoslavia joined in, and the French singer Jean-Claude Pascal won, representing Luxembourg with the song “Nous les amoureux”.

In 1962, the French competitor Isabelle Oubre won, performing the song “Un premier amour”. However, France refused to host the competition at home and Great Britain again came to the rescue - Eurovision 1963 was held at the new BBC television center in Sheppard's Bush. The winner of the eighth competition was Denmark with the song “Dansevise”, performed by Greta and Jürgen Ingmann. The Netherlands then, for the first time in the history of the competition, did not receive a single point for the second year in a row.

In 1964, Portugal joined Eurovision. The competition stage took on the shape familiar to modern viewers, but the musical accompaniment still remained performed by a live orchestra. Gigliola Cinquetti from Italy won with the song “Non ho l'eta”. In 1965, Ireland made its debut on the competition stage. The USSR and other Eastern European countries broadcast Eurovision. The television audience exceeded 150 million people. Luxembourg won for the second time in Eurovision history – it was represented by France Gall with the song “Poupée de cire, poupée de son”.

The winner of Eurovision 1966 was Austria with the song “Merci Chérie” performed by Udo Jürgens. And the next year in Vienna, Great Britain was able to bring home the competition, this time deserving it, represented by Sandy Shaw with the song “Puppet On a String”. In 1968, Eurovision was broadcast in color for the first time, and the winner was Spain with the song “La, la, la...” performed by Massiel.

The following year in Madrid, for the first time in the history of the competition, four countries became winners at once - the host of the 1969 competition, Spain, France, the Netherlands and Great Britain. Austria refused to participate in the competition due to Franco's dictatorship in Spain. In 1970, Eurovision was hosted by the Netherlands, which, after their previous victories at the competition, then refused to host it. Ireland won in Amsterdam, represented by Dana with the song “All Kinds of Everything”. The winner of Eurovision 1971 was Monaco with the song “Un banc, un arbre, une rue”, performed by singer Severine. The next two years in a row, Luxembourg won, represented by Vicky Leandros with the song “Après toi” and Anna-Marie David with the song “Tu te reconnaîtras”. In 1973, Israel joined the competition.

In 1974, in the British city of Brighton (Luxembourg was unable to hold the competition a second time for financial reasons), the legendary Swedish group ABBA became the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Waterloo”. This year, for the first time, television viewers were able to see a video preceding each performance, telling about the performer and his country.

Eurovision 1975 added a new participant - Turkey, and the Netherlands won for the fourth time with the group “Teach-In” and the song “Ding-a-dong”.

In 1976, the competition was held in The Hague and was won by the Eurovision record holder - Great Britain, which was represented by “Brotherhood of Man” with the song “Save Your Kisses for Me”.

The following year in London, another record holder of the competition, France, received the title of winner. In 1977, she was represented by Marie Miriam, who performed “L'oiseau et l'enfant”. Then, in Paris, Israel won for the first time, and twice in a row - Izhar Cohen & Alphabeta sang “A-ba'ni-bi”, and the next year in Jerusalem the song “Hallelujah” was performed by Gali Atari & Milk and Honey.

In 1980, Israel did not host the competition for the second time and Eurovision was again hosted by The Hague in the Netherlands. This time Johnny Logan from Ireland won with the song “What's Another Year”, and the competition stage has already acquired shapes that are even more familiar to modern Eurovision fans. Although, surprisingly, there was still a live orchestra. This year Morocco joined the competition. In 1981, the bright and positive “Bucks Fizz”, representing Great Britain, won, and the competition added one more participant - Cyprus. By this time, 20 countries had already taken part in Eurovision. The following year, in the British Harrogate, Germany won for the first time, which had previously repeatedly remained one step away from the coveted title and took second place. German singer Nicole performed the song “Ein bisschen Frieden”. In 1982, Luxembourg won in Munich - it was represented by Corinne Hermé with the song “Si la vie est cadeau”, and the following year Sweden became the winner for the second time in the history of the competition. The group “Herreys” with the song “Diggi-loo-diggi-ley” then scored 145 points.

The winner in Gothenburg, Sweden at the 30th Eurovision Song Contest was the brilliant and positive “Bobbysocks” from Norway with the song “La det swinge”.

In 1986, Sandra Kim from Belgium scored the highest score with the song “J'aime la vie”. The following year, Irishman Johnny Logan won in Brussels, performing “Hold Me Now”. A new participant also appeared in this competition - Iceland.

Eurovision 1988 brought fame to Celine Dion, who represented Switzerland with the song “Ne partez pas sans moi”.

The following year, in Lausanne, Yugoslavia won the competition for the first time, representing the group “Riva” with the song “Rock Me”. In 1990 the competition took place in Zagreb. The winner of the 35th Eurovision was the Italian Toto Cutugno, performing “Insieme 1992”. In 1991, the Swedish singer Carola won in Rome with the song “Fangad av en stormvind”, but she scored an equal number of points with France. The following year, the competition was held in Malmö, Sweden, thanks to the “additional indicators” determined by the jury.

The winner of Eurovision in 1992, 1993 and 1994 was Ireland. She was represented by Linda Martin with the song “Why Me”, then by Neve Kavanagh performing “In Your Eyes” and finally by the duet Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan with the song “Rock'n'Roll Kids”. In 1993, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Crete and Slovenia joined the competition. And in 1994, Eurovision was replenished with seven participants at once - after the collapse of the USSR, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia and Slovakia began to perform on the stage of the competition. By the way, Poland took second place in the first year of its participation.

Norway won in 1995. She was represented by the duet “Secret Garden” with the song “Nocturne”.

And the next year Ireland won again. This time the competition was brought to Dublin by Eimear Quinn and the song “The Voice”. Eurovision 1997 glorified the British pop-rock group 2Katrina and the Waves and their song “Love Shine a Light”. By the way, Ireland did not completely lose ground and took second place this year.

In 1998, the competition was held in Birmingham and Dana International (real name Sharon Cohen) from Israel won with the song “Diva”. This was the first time that a “non-traditional” participant in the competition won – the future singer was born a man and changed her gender 5 years before her victory at Eurovision. In the same year, Macedonia joined the competition.

The following year, Charlotte Nilsson from Sweden won in Jerusalem, performing “Take Me to Your Heaven.” In 2000, in Stockholm, the Danish duet “Olsen Brothers” and the song “Fly on the Wings of Love” received the most points at the competition.

In 2001, Estonia finally announced itself in Copenhagen. It was represented by three participants at once - singers Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and the group 2XL.

The winner of Eurovision 2002 was another Baltic country - Latvia, which took part in the competition for the second time. The following year, the colorful Sertab Erener from Turkey won with the song “Everyway That I Can.” In 2003, Ukraine performed on the Eurovision stage for the first time.

The very next year, Ruslana and her “Wild Dances” brought Eurovision to Kyiv. In 2004, Albania, Andorra, Belarus, Serbia and Montenegro joined the competition. In 2005, the winner was the Greek participant Elena Paparizou with the song “My Number One”. The ranks of competition participants were replenished with representatives from Bulgaria and Moldova.

The Finnish band Lordi and their “Hard Rock Hallelujah” won the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. A participant from Armenia also took part in the competition for the first time.

In 2007, Serbian singer Maria Šerifović won in Helsinki after “praying.” Second place was then taken by Verka Serduchka.

The winner of the competition, held in Belgrade in 2008, was Dima Bilan from Russia with the song “Believe”, ahead of Ani Lorak, who took second place. The following year in Moscow, the hearts of the jury and audience were won by “The Fairy Tale” by Alexander Rybak from Norway. In 2010, in Oslo, Germany won for the second time in the history of the competition - it was represented by Lena Mayer-Landrut with the song “Satellite”, and in 2011 Azerbaijan took first place - the duet Ell & Nikki performed the song “Running Scared”. The following year, Lorin from Sweden won in Baku with the song “Euphoria”.

Danish singer Emmie de Forest conquered Eurovision 2013 with the song “Only Teardrops”.

The following year, Conchita Wurst won in Copenhagen with the song “Rise Like a Phoenix.”

At Eurovision 2015, held in Vienna, Sweden won for the sixth time in Eurovision history, represented by Måns Selmerlöw with the song “Heroes”.

In 2020, the Ukrainian Jamala and the song “1944” won in Stockholm. Australia took second place.

The moment of truth... Eurovision 2017 will be held in Kyiv and 42 countries will take part in it, including the returning Portugal and Romania. Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina (due to debts to the European Broadcasting Union), Liechtenstein (for financial reasons), Luxembourg, Monaco, Russia, Slovakia and Turkey refused to participate this year.

The first semi-final of Eurovision 2017 will take place on May 9.

Commentators, Heralds and Broadcasters

Who will win Eurovision 2010?

April 23, 2010

A little about the competition

The anniversary, 55th Eurovision Song Contest is approaching. There is a little over a month left, the final will take place on May 29, the semi-finals on May 25 and 27. However, many are already wondering who will win, because all the participants and, most importantly, their songs are already known. Various sites publish polls, and polls are created in social networking groups. But surveys conducted only among the Russian-speaking population cannot claim objectivity. In order to understand who will win Eurovision , it is necessary to at least approximately assess the current preferences of the main language groups in Europe. To begin with, it is worth saying that according to bookmakers, Azerbaijan ( Translation of the song Safura Drip Drop ), Germany ( Translation of the song Lena Meyer-Landrut Satellite ) and Israel ( Translation of the song Harel Skaat Millim ) are considered favorites. But we will conduct our own analysis. And in this case, we will rely on the popularity of songs according to the Youtube website and the Google search engine.

Who will win Eurovision 2010 according to Youtube

So, we see that the places for the request “ eurovision 2010 ” were distributed as follows: Greece, Romania, Turkey, Norway; on request “ eurovision 2010 song ”: Greece, Cyprus, Norway; on request " 2010 eurovision ": Turkey, Greece, Armenia. Let’s agree that we give 4 points for first place, 3 points for second place, etc.

As a result, we get the following picture from Youtube: 1. Greece – George Alkaios & Friends – Opa – 11 points (4 + 4 + 3) 2. Turkey – Manga – We Could Be the Same – 6 points (4 + 2) 3. Romania – Paula Seling & Ovi – Playing with Fire , Cyprus – John Lilygreen & The Islanders – Life Looks Better in Spring – 3 points (3) 4. Norway – Didrik Solli-Tangen – My Heart Is Yours – 3 points (2 + 1) 5. Armenia – Eva Rivas – Apricot Stone – 2 points (2)

Of course, more queries could be analyzed, but these are the most basic.

Who will win Eurovision 2010 according to Google

Using Google, we will determine the most popular songs among English-speaking, French-speaking, German-speaking and, of course, Russian-speaking people. Everyone will be analyzed by the request “ eurovision 2010 ”, and in the “ru” zone also by the request “ Eurovision 2010 ”. It was still necessary to take Spain, but they are mainly interested only in themselves. This is what happened:

Who will win Eurovision according to google.co.uk

Who will win Eurovision according to google.fr

Who will win Eurovision according to google.de

Who will win Eurovision according to google.ru

Who will win Eurovision according to google.com (Russian-language queries)

Having excluded the UK from English queries, Russia from Russian-language queries, etc., we get the following picture:

For 1st place we will award 5 points, for 2nd place - 4, 3rd - 3, 4th - 2, 5th - 1. As a result, we get:

Thus, the top five again included the same countries as according to Youtube data, only Norway was replaced by Moldova, and Cyprus dropped out. Now we can take a closer look at the four main favorites. These are Greece, Armenia, Türkiye and Romania.

Greece – George Alkaios & Friends – Opa

Greece won Eurovision in 2005. And now, despite all the internal problems, it is well prepared for the competition. George Alkaios and his friends will sing a song in Greek called Opa. If you’re wondering what it’s about, read the translation of the song George Alkaios & Friends – Opa .

Armenia – Eva Rivas – Apricot Stone

Valeria Reshetnikova-Tsaturyan is an Armenian singer. Born in Rostov-on-Don. She is going to Oslo with the already beloved song “Apricot Kit”. There is no doubt that many countries of the former USSR will give it their votes, and with them France and other countries. Translation of the song Apricot Stone .

Türkiye – Manga – We Could Be the Same

Turkish nu-metal band Manga will perform the song “We Could Be the Same.” Here you can find the translation of the song Manga – We Could Be the Same . The group was founded in 2002 and already has some awards. Recognized as Best European Artist at the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards

Romania – Paula Seling & Ovi – Playing with Fire

In general, Romania never ceases to delight with new talents. Morandi, Akcent, Deepcentral, Inna - these Romanian performers have been gaining positions in European music charts for a long time. However, Paola Seling and Ovi are going to Norway. Here is the translation of the song Paula Seling & Ovi – Playing with Fire

Who will win

Hard to tell. The analysis performed only reflects the current popularity of songs among the population of some countries. A dark horse that has not yet been mentioned here may also win on May 29 in Oslo. Although, of course, the main favorites are Greece , Armenia , Turkey , Romania . These countries will definitely rank high or win. They are followed by Cyprus (John Lilygreen & The Islanders), Moldova (SunStroke Project & Olia Tira – Run Away), Azerbaijan (Safura – Drip Drop), Norway (Didrik Solli-Tangen – My Heart Is Yours). I would also like to mention France (Jessy Matador – Allez! Ola! Olé!). She decided on a song later than others, but Jesse Matador's catchy and danceable composition may well perform well. Certain hopes of many, of course, rest on Peter Nalich and his musical group . Undoubtedly, the song is original and good, there is a chance to perform well. But at the moment it has not gained popularity abroad. Although this may be for the better. Perhaps the performances of Serbia (Milan Stankovic - Ovo јe Balkan) and Slovakia (Kristina - Horehronie) with a national flavor will also win the hearts of the audience. Voting will be carried out on a 50/50 system. The first half is the audience, the second half is the jury. It will be important how the participants perform. After all, the last winners of Eurovision surprised everyone with either the violin or ice dancing. It is unlikely that the winner will have as big a lead in points as last year. Alexander Rybak unconditionally won, scoring 387 points against 218 for Iceland and 207 for Azerbaijan. The competition will be tougher this year.

PS. Voting takes place on music sites abroad. The favorites are the same. Although sometimes the leaders are Croatia (Feminnem - Lako Je Sve) and Spain (Daniel Diges - Algo Pequeñito), not mentioned here.

Gallery

• Yulia Savicheva at Eurovision 2004 in Istanbul
• "Silver" at Eurovision 2007 in Helsinki
• Dima Bilan at Eurovision 2008 in Belgrade
• Anastasia Prikhodko at Eurovision 2009 in Moscow
• Alexey Vorobyov at Eurovision 2011 in Dusseldorf
• Dina Garipova at Eurovision 2013 in Malmo
• The Tolmachev sisters at Eurovision 2014 in Copenhagen
• Polina Gagarina at Eurovision 2015 in Vienna
• Sergey Lazarev at Eurovision 2016 in Stockholm
• Yulia Samoilova at Eurovision 2018 in Lisbon

Interesting Facts

• In 1996, Russia was supposed to be represented by Andrei Kosinsky with the song “I am I,” but on the eve of the competition (for the second time in its history), the jury did not allow the Russian participant to participate, since he scored insufficient points in a special qualifying round[24].
• In 1998, due to the exclusion of a Russian participant from the competition (due to a low average score in participation in previous competitions), Russia refused to broadcast the competition (which cost it participation the following year[25]). According to unconfirmed information, Russia was to be represented by Tatyana Ovsienko with the song “My Sun”[26].
• In 1997, Valery Meladze had to defend the country’s honor at Eurovision with Alla Pugacheva’s song “Primadonna”. But the artist fell ill, and Pugacheva performed herself.
• In 2020, Sergey Lazarev took 3rd place, gaining 491 points (240 points according to the old voting system), but could not surpass the result of Polina Gagarina - 520 points according to the new voting system [27] (303 points according to the old system).
• Dissatisfied with the non-admission of a Russian participant to the 1998 competition - due to Russia's low rating in the competition (based on the results of previous participations in the competition) [28] - the ORT television channel decides not to broadcast the competition. However, according to the competition regulations, only countries that broadcast the 1998 competition live were allowed to participate in the 1999 competition[25]. Also, Russia was unable to enter the competition for the only time in 1996, without passing the preliminary selection (preselection).
• In 2020, due to the decision of the SBU not to allow the Russian singer Yulia Samoilova into the territory of Ukraine for three years, the Russian broadcasters of the competition (Channel One and VGTRK) decided not to show the Eurovision 2017 contest in Russia and send Yulia Samoilova to Eurovision 2018, regardless of where it is held. At the same time, VGTRK, which owned the right to broadcast the Eurovision 2018 contest, ceded it to Channel One, thereby maintaining the order, but at the same time shifting it by one year.
• Russia has consistently performed in the first semi-final since 2008, but in 2020 singer Yulia Samoilova performed in the first part of the second semi-final.
• Since 2004, when semi-finals were introduced, Russia has qualified for the final every year. In 2020, Russia failed to do this for the first time.

Eurovision: to whom the competition gave world fame

MINSK, May 19 – Sputnik. The first Eurovision Song Contest took place in 1956. Over its 60-year history, the forum has given world fame to only five artists who at different times performed at the venues of the popular music show.

1. ABBA - winner of Eurovision in 1974

The vocal-instrumental ensemble was created in 1972 and was named after the first letters of the names of its members: Agnetha Fältskog (vocals), Björn Ulvaeus (vocals, guitar), Benny Andersson (keyboards, vocals) and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (vocals).

World success came to the ensemble after participating in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in England. The Swedish artists won the competition with the song Waterloo. In 2005, at the Congratulations competition, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Eurovision, this song by the Swedish group ABBA was recognized as the best composition in the entire history of the competition.

Eight of the group's singles reached the top of the charts: Mamma Mia (1976), Fernando (1976), Dancing Queen (1976), Knowing Me, Knowing You (1977), The Name Of The Game (1977), Take A Chance On Me ( 1978), The Winner Takes It All (1980), Super Trouper (1980). Eight of the quartet's albums also topped the charts, starting with the compilation album Greatest Hits, released in Sweden at the end of 1975.

ABBA was one of the most successful groups in the history of pop music and the most popular group created in Scandinavia. Since the beginning of their careers, the musicians have sold about 400 million records. The famous Swedish four broke up in 1986.

2. Toto Cutugno - Italian composer, pop singer, Eurovision winner in 1990

Before participating in the competition, Cutugno successfully collaborated with other famous artists: the Italian wrote 12 melodies for Joe Dassin, among them Salut, Le jarden du Luxembourg, Il etait une fois nous deux; in the early 1970s-1980s he worked with another famous Italian - Adriano Celentano.

In May 1990, Cutugno took first place at the Eurovision festival in Zagreb with the song Insieme 1992.

In the 2000s, the composer released several albums and wrote a number of songs for the Sanremo festival. Among Cutugno's most popular songs in his own performance are Solo Noi (1980), L'Italiano (1983), Serenata (1984), Insieme: 1992 (1990) and Gli amori (1990).

3. Celine Dion - Canadian singer, winner of Eurovision in 1988 from Switzerland

After recording her first two albums, La Voix du bon Dieu and Celine Chante Noel, in the 1980s, Dion became a Canadian sensation. In 1988, she won the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin with the song Ne Pas Sans Partez Moi.

In 1990, Celine's first English-language album, Unison, was released, which went gold in the United States and six times platinum in Canada. In 1991, Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson recorded a song for the Walt Disney animated film Beauty and the Beast. In 1992, this song won an Oscar, and Celine won her first Grammy Award. Four years later, Celine's fourth English-language album, Falling Into You, became the best-selling album of the year, topping the charts in 11 countries and winning two Grammys. In 1997, director James Cameron invited Celine Dion to perform the song My Heart Will Go On, which became the title theme song for the film Titanic. This song won an Oscar (1998) and four Grammys (1999).

4. Cliff Richard - British popular music performer, represented Great Britain twice at Eurovision - in 1968 (second place) and 1973 (third place)

In 1968, the singer took part in the Eurovision Song Contest in London with the song Congratulations, which was awarded second place. In the English charts, this song took the top line, and the recording Сongratulations sold a million copies.

During the 1970s, Richard recorded constantly, performing live both in England and abroad. In 1973, the singer again took part in the Eurovision contest - his song Power To All Our Friends came third.

Three years after his second success at Eurovision, Richard released the album I'm Nearly Famous, which included the song Devil Woman, which became a hit in the United States. The single “We Don’t Talk Anymore” (1979) brought great popularity to the singer.

In the 1980s, Richard preferred to perform as a duet. Among his partners were Olivia Newton-John, Phil Everly, Sarah Brightman, Sheila Walsh, Elton John. In 1999, he recorded the hit The Millenium Prayer, which took first place in the British hit parade.

The singer's work has been awarded many awards. In 1995, Richard was awarded a knighthood. In total, Richard recorded about 149 singles, 88 albums and 11 collections.

5. Lara Fabian - a singer of Belgian-Italian origin who performed at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1988 from Luxembourg, took fourth place

In 1988 she took part in the competition with the song Croire. This performance marked the start of her international career for the artist. In Europe, the Croire record sold 600 thousand copies and was also translated into German and English.

In August 1991, the singer's first album was released, and her second album, Carpe Diem (1994), went gold two weeks after its release. In total, Fabian's discography includes more than a dozen albums. The total circulation of all her albums has exceeded 12 million copies worldwide. The release of the latest album Le Secret in April 2013 was marked by the singer's world tour.

The Eurovision 2015 final will take place on May 223 in the Austrian capital. The first semi-final, in which the Belarusian duet Uzari & Maimuna (11th serial number) takes part, will take place on Tuesday, May 19.

Notes

1. The winners of Eurovision 2008 are expected in Moscow at 20.30 (Russian). "Vesti.ru" (May 28, 2008). Retrieved March 31, 2020.
2. Ukraine banned the entry of Yulia Samoilova for three years (Russian). "Vesti.ru" (March 22, 2017). Retrieved March 31, 2020.
3. ↑ 12
   Eurovision Song Contest 1994 | Year page | Eurovision Song Contest - Düsseldorf 2011
4. ↑ 12
   Eurovision Song Contest 1995 | Year page | Eurovision Song Contest - Düsseldorf 2011
5. ↑ 12
   Eurovision Song Contest 2000 | Year page | Eurovision Song Contest - Düsseldorf 2011
6. ↑ 12
   Eurovision Song Contest 2001 | Year page | Eurovision Song Contest - Düsseldorf 2011
7. ↑ 12
   Eurovision Song Contest 2002 | Year page | Eurovision Song Contest - Düsseldorf 2011
8. ↑ 12
   Eurovision Song Contest 2003 | Eurovision Song Contest - Düsseldorf 2011
9. ↑ 12
   Eurovision Song Contest 2004 Final | Eurovision Song Contest - Düsseldorf 2011
10. Eurovision Song Contest 2005 Final | Year page | Eurovision Song Contest - Düsseldorf 2011
11. ↑ 12
    Eurovision Song Contest 2006 Final | Year page | Eurovision Song Contest - Düsseldorf 2011
12. ↑ 12
    Eurovision Song Contest 2007 Final | Year page | Eurovision Song Contest - Düsseldorf 2011
13. ↑ 12
    Eurovision Song Contest 2008 Final | Year page | Eurovision Song Contest - Düsseldorf 2011
14. ↑ 12
    Eurovision Song Contest 2009 Final | Year page | Eurovision Song Contest - Düsseldorf 2011
15. ↑ 12
    Eurovision Song Contest 2010 Final | Year page | Eurovision Song Contest - Düsseldorf 2011
16. ↑ 12
    1tv: Alexey Vorobyov will represent Russia at the Eurovision 2011 song contest
17. ↑ 12
    Eurovision Song Contest 2011 Final | Year page | Eurovision Song Contest - Düsseldorf 2011
18. ↑ 12
    Eurovision Song Contest - Baku 2012 | News — Buranovskie Babushki to represent Russia in Eurovision
19. Russia will be represented at Eurovision 2014 by the Tolmachevy sisters, Lenta.ru (March 15, 2014). Retrieved March 15, 2014.
20. Marina Chernyak
    . The text of the song that the Tolmachev sisters will perform at Eurovision has appeared on the Internet, Komsomolskaya Pravda (March 18, 2014). Retrieved March 19, 2014.
21. De presenterar jurygruppernas röster 2020. svt.se. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
22. Initially, the competition was supposed to be broadcast in 2020, but refused to broadcast due to Yulia Samoilova’s inadmissibility to Ukraine. As a result, the further sequence of broadcasts with the Russia-1 channel was shifted by one year.
23. Exclusive: The hosts of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest!. Eurovision.tv. Retrieved May 7, 2009. Archived February 18, 2012.
24. "Eurovision 1996". // esckaz.com
25. ↑ 12
    "Eurovision-1999". // esckaz.com
26. Eurovision 1998
27. Fotis Constantopoulos.
    How would the new system affect the Eurovision 2020 semi finals and the final. // oikotimes.com (February 18, 2016). Retrieved May 15, 2016.
28. Russia and the Eurovision Song Contest. // eurovision.org.ru

Links

• www.esctoday.com
• www.eurovision.tv