Tag: Sweden

Good to Go

Martin Österdahl will step down as executive supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest this summer. The 51-year-old Swede was the face of the singing competition for years, but disappeared into the background last year after criticism of the Song Contest in Malmö.

Song Contest organizers European Broadcasting Union (EBU) have announced Österdahl’s departure.

After the edition in Malmö last year, Österdahl disappeared into the background after he came under fire. Several delegations complained about an unsafe atmosphere behind the scenes. He was also booed during rehearsals and live broadcasts, because many people held him responsible for the disqualification of Joost Klein as executive supervisor of the festival.

The EBU then created the new position of Song Contest director. The Briton Martin Green, who was supposed to supervise Österdahl’s work, holds that position.

“With my involvement with Eurovision spanning almost 20 years, I consider it the honour of my professional life to have led the world’s largest music event,” Österdahl said in a statement.

“It has grown into a global superbrand that brings joy to more people than ever before. I am deeply grateful to the entire Eurovision community for their passion and support.” 

Green thanks Österdahl for his commitment. “His steady leadership during some of the most challenging and innovative years in Eurovision’s history has raised the bar of excellence. We thank him for his great work and lasting impact, and wish him every success.” Source: nu.nl

Good to Go.

EBU stands by disqualification

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) still fully supports the decision to disqualify Joost Klein from the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö. The Swedish authorities decided on Monday to discontinue the investigation into the artist.

EBU boss Jean Philip De Tender states in the statement that the Swedish authorities’ investigation was about whether a criminal offence had been committed and not “whether Mr Klein behaved inappropriately and violated the rules of the Eurovision Song Contest”.

According to De Tender, the Swedish authorities’ decision not to prosecute Klein therefore has “no influence” on the decision to disqualify the singer. The EBU therefore continues to support the decision.

The Dutch entry for the Eurovision Song Contest was disqualified in May after an incident behind the scenes of the event. The singer allegedly made a threatening gesture towards a camerawoman.

On Monday it was announced that the Swedish authorities had decided to discontinue the investigation into the incident with Klein due to a lack of evidence. According to the investigators, it cannot be proven that Klein’s action “led to serious fear” or that he “had such intentions”.

Klein’s manager said that the singer is “incredibly happy and relieved” that the investigation into the alleged violent incident has been stopped. “We, as a team, are incredibly happy and relieved that this uncertain period has now come to an end. Finally we can say it out loud: there was never a reason for this case.”

AVROTROS wants to have a meeting with the EBU in the short term, in which Klein’s “unjustified disqualification” will be central.

Joost not Prosecuted

The investigation into the incident involving Joost Klein at the Eurovision Song Contest has been discontinued. The Swedish Public Prosecution Service reported on Monday that there was a lack of evidence. This means that Klein will not be prosecuted.

The Swedish Public Prosecution Service writes that the investigation into a 26-year-old man who allegedly threatened a camerawoman has been closed. The investigation shows that Klein made a movement in which he hit her camera.

According to the public prosecutor, the incident happened quickly and the stories of Klein, the camerawoman and witnesses differ. Therefore, it is not possible to determine what exactly happened.

“Today, the investigation is closed because it cannot be proven that the act caused real fear and that this was the man’s intention,” writes prosecutor Fredrik Jönsson. Dutch witnesses were also heard for the case. Last month it was announced that the Dutch Public Prosecution Service had reported this to the Swedish Public Prosecution Service.

AVROTROS writes in a response that it finds Klein’s disqualification “unnecessary and disproportionate from the start”. “That is now also the case. We are still very disappointed that the Europapa adventure of Joost Klein and the whole of the Netherlands was brutally ended in this way. The next step is to have a meeting with the EBU management about this matter in the short term.” 

In May, Klein was disqualified from the Eurovision Song Contest because of the incident, thus making Eurovision Song Contest history: never before had a country been disqualified while the event was already underway. 

The singer qualified for the final on behalf of the Netherlands with the song Europapa. On the day of the final, it became clear that Klein was not welcome on the Eurovision stage that evening. The decision led to anger at AVROTROS. 

AVROTROS has expressed its doubts about participating in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, if the organiser European Broadcasting Union (EBU) does not implement changes to its policy. Several delegations complained this year about an unpleasant atmosphere behind the scenes at the Eurovision Song Contest. 

Klein himself has not yet shared his side of the story in the media. Since the Eurovision Song Contest, he has hinted several times that he wants to participate again in 2025. For example, during his performance at Pinkpop, he shouted “2025, why not?” and posted “Eurovision 2025” on his Instagram account.

EBU Admits Mistake

The Eurovision Song Contest organization acknowledges that the flag policy at the door of the Malmö Arena was not working well this year, with people wrongly having to hand in their rainbow or other pride flags.

“Pride flags were not banned and were welcome alongside the flags of the participating countries,” the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) assured on Instagram.

“However, sometimes things do not go as planned during complex live events and we recognize that we could have done better. We regret that people were wrongly forced to hand in their flag or felt that this prevented them from being their authentic selves.”

The organization felt compelled to write something about its flag policy after a post appeared on Instagram earlier in the day to mark the start of Pride Month. Many followers called the post “hypocritical”, as Swiss winner Nemo claimed that they were not allowed to take the non-binary flag on stage. The artist had to “smuggle it in”.

The EBU emphasizes that it is “incredibly proud” of Nemo and all non-binary, trans and queer fans. “We are grateful to them for bringing this to our attention,” the EBU statement reads.

The European flag was also not allowed inside the music event. European Commissioner Margaritis Schinas subsequently asked the EBU for clarification. The broadcasting association then gave the “sensitive global political context” as an explanation. “It was never our intention to discredit the EU flag itself,” the EBU said. Source: nu.nl

Denial

Joost Klein did not threaten anyone during the incident after the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest. This is what his lawyer Jan-Ake Fält said to the Swedish broadcaster SVT. According to the lawyer, the singer denies having committed any criminal offences.

Klein was disqualified from the final of the Eurovision Song Contest last weekend due to an incident with a camerawoman. “As I understand it, there was an agreement between him and the organization,” the lawyer explains. “Because it is a sensitive moment for him, he would not be filmed leaving the stage. He would be met by his team, but still the camerawoman was there.”

According to the lawyer, Klein asked her to stop filming, which she did not do. “Then he pushed the camera, but he denies threatening her.”

The lawyer tells ANP that Klein is having a hard time with the situation. “He of course feels completely distraught by everything that has happened. And rightly so, because it has been completely taken out of context. Of course he is sad that he was not allowed to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest as a result.”

According to SVT, the case should occur in Sweden at the beginning of June. The police use a faster procedure for the investigation, because there is enough evidence. So he will hear within a few weeks whether he will be prosecuted or not. Source: nu.nl

This is my last publication/forwarding on the ‘Joost News’ until there has been a ruling by the Swedish court.

Unpleasantness

What should have been a fun musical party turned out to be a debacle for the Netherlands. Today it turned out that the Netherlands had already reported an unsafe atmosphere before the disqualification. Ireland, Lithuania and Norway also spoke out critically.

“Fuck the EBU!” These are not just the words of Eurovision commentator Cornald Maas after Joost Klein’s disqualification, they are also the words used by Irish artist Bambie Thug after the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. They both addressed the organizer of the festival, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

After the final, the Lithuanian entry wrote on social media that it would have been better if the entire party had been stopped after the first semi-final and now the Norwegian band Gate is also speaking out critically. “Withdrawing was an option until the last minute. We ultimately had constructive discussions with the EBU and that was just good enough for us to continue.”

Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Portugal are all said to have threatened to withdraw due to the atmosphere behind the scenes, which was described as tense by several participants. On Tuesday it emerged that the Netherlands and Norway were also among the countries that reported the working atmosphere.

When asked, AVROTROS informed nu.nl that it had made an official report of the unsafe atmosphere behind the scenes. They already did that on Friday, when Joost Klein had not yet been disqualified.

The disqualification of Joost Klein may feel like the moment that everything went wrong for the Dutch, but there was already a lot of pressure on the event in the run-up to the Eurovision Song Contest. Israel’s participation made it perhaps the most politically charged edition in the 68 years that the festival has been held.

From the very first Eurovision events, participants were asked for their opinion on Israel’s entry, which sometimes led to emotional moments. After the final, Bambie Thug was crying to journalists because they had experienced so much pressure to ignore political opinions that it no longer felt sincere.

Bambie Thug is also the artist who was commissioned by the organization to remove the word ‘ceasefire’ in old Irish script from their face. The watermelon, painted on the chest of Australia’s entry was overlooked by the organization: the fruit is also seen as a statement of support for the Palestinians. Former participant Eric Saade received an angry response from the EBU after he wore a kaffiya during a performance. The scarf also symbolizes a signal of commitment to Palestine.

Things also went wrong in the commentators’ booths. For example, the Israeli colleague of Cornald Maas and Jacqueline Govaert announced the Irish entry as “the artist who speaks negatively about Israel”. The Irish delegation then filed a complaint with the EBU and the commentator was reprimanded.

The performance of Portuguese singer Iolanda during the final never appeared on social media because she had, among other things, the Palestinian flag painted on her nails. Such a political statement is prohibited according to the rules of the Eurovision Song Contest and therefore the artist could have been disqualified. It is unclear why this did not happen.

The Portuguese broadcaster RTP has not only been critical of the exclusion of Iolanda’s performance on social media, they also find it unacceptable that the EBU used an “anti-booing system” during the semi-final and final. As a result, the booing of the EBU and Israel’s entry was less received by the viewers at home than in the audience.

“For an organization like the EBU and for an organization like RTP and the European public media service, the fight against fake news, misinformation and the manipulation of information is a constant battle. It is unacceptable that this is possible. This method distorts the truth.”

AVROTROS is also critical: “We believe that when a musician performs you should always show what it does to the audience.”

As always, the European Broadcasting Union is difficult to reach, but responded to the angry reactions in an official statement. The organization places the blame mainly on the participating countries themselves.

“We find it very unfortunate that some delegations did not adhere to the rules during the event and during broadcasts. We have spoken to several delegations about incidents that have come to our attention. The EBU continues to engage with the chairmen of delegations and will do an evaluation of this Eurovision Song Contest.”

“In this way we hope to be able to move forward in a positive way, in a way where everyone respects the values of this event. Individual problems will be discussed in a subsequent meeting.” Source: nu.nl

Police Statement

Joost Klein is suspected of threatening an employee of the Eurovision Song Contest. The alleged incident took place on Thursday evening at the Malmö Arena, Swedish police said.

The employee filed a report on Friday. The investigation has now been completed, a police spokesperson told NU.nl on Saturday. The spokesperson does not want to confirm that Joost is the suspect.

In addition to the suspect, the police also interviewed the person who filed the report and a number of witnesses. The investigation has been transferred to the public prosecutor.

On Friday, the EBU, which organizes the Eurovision Song Contest, had already announced that Joost was involved in an incident. That is why his rehearsal and his performance for the jury assessment did not take place on Friday. The EBU did not want to say at the time what had happened in the incident.

It is not yet clear whether Joost will be allowed to perform in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday evening. Source: nu.nl

No Participation

Joost Klein is not allowed to participate in the jury show of the Eurovision Song Contest. The investigation into the incident that emerged earlier today has not yet been completed, AVROTROS reports.

AVROTROS informs the Dutch press that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has not given permission to participate in the show taking place in the Malmö Arena tonight. The professional jury therefore assesses the performance from the second semi-final.

The EBU is investigating an incident involving Klein. No further details have been shared. According to rumors from the Swedish broadcaster SVT, it concerns a violent incident in which the artist is involved. This has not been confirmed in any way.

The EBU speaks of “discussions” that are still ongoing with broadcaster AVROTROS. It is now unclear when anything will be decided.

Tonight would be an important moment for Klein: half of the points awarded on Saturday evening will already be determined during the jury show. On the evening before the final, professional juries submit their points.

During the rehearsal of the finale it became clear that something was going on around Klein. The artist should have been fifth on stage, but the Netherlands was skipped and rehearsals went straight to Israel. Klein did participate in the flag parade that is part of the opening ceremony.

Belarus was refused to participate in 2021 due to the political connotation of the song that the country wanted to submit. In the 68 years that the Eurovision Song Contest has been taking place, it has never happened that a country has been disqualified during the festival. Source: nu.nl

Investigation Incident

Joost Klein skipped his place in the Eurovision Song Contest rehearsal on Friday afternoon. The European Broadcasting Union is investigating an “incident” involving the artist. It is unclear what is going on.

“We are currently investigating an incident surrounding the Dutch entry. Klein will not rehearse for the time being,” the statement said. The EBU will not comment further.

It is unclear whether Klein will still be allowed to do his rehearsals at a later date. No statements are made in the audience about Klein’s absence.

AVROTROS, the broadcaster that accompanies Klein during the Eurovision Song Contest, was not available for comment. Source: nu.nl.

Through to the Final

The Netherlands has secured a place in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. Joost Klein and his Europapa are through to the final on Saturday, May 11.

Klein was the third to hear that he has a place in the final. So the artist didn’t have to sit in suspense for too long. It is not yet clear which half he will be in: that will be determined by the organization at a later time.

Latvia, Norway and Austria are also through to the final on Saturday. Furthermore, Israel, Estonia and Greece managed to get a ticket for the final. In addition, Switzerland, Georgia and Latvia can also take the stage again on Saturday in the hope of winning the Eurovision Song Contest.

The Belgian singer Mustii is not through. Denmark, Malta, San Marino, the Czech Republic and Albania also do not go to the final.

Croatia, Ukraine and Ireland already managed to qualify for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest on Tuesday. Furthermore, Serbia, Portugal and Slovenia qualified for the final, as did Lithuania, Finland, Cyprus and Luxembourg. Australia, Poland, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Iceland then canceled.

Spain, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Sweden are automatically through to May 11. Source: nu.nl

Genius or Madness?

The Dutch TV Guides pay attention to the Eurovision Song Contest this week. The Veronica Superguide pays attention to the Dutch act of 2024: Joost Klein, and asks on their cover: Genius or madness?

It’s ‘that time of year’ again and this time it’s Joost Klein who represents the Netherlands with the crazy Europapa at the Eurovision Song Contest, which is now being held in Sweden. Remarkable? Rather!

There are few songs that cause as much controversy as that of Joost Klein, our entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. Europapa, with a pounding gabber beat full of creative rhyme schemes and wordplay, is very different from our previous entries. Many people wonder: is Europapa a brilliant move or are we going completely wrong with this? According to Alexander van Eenennaam, music journalist at the AD and Song festival expert, it is only logical that the relatively unknown Joost Klein and his song were chosen. “Since Anouk’s participation in 2013, the selection committee has only looked at the song itself and no longer at the fame of the artist. That explains why Joost was considered in the first place,” he explains. “The other songs that had a chance were more common songs, which we have often seen at the Eurovision Song Contest. Europapa may be a bit crazy, but according to the jury it was really the very best song. It may not be to your taste, personally I wouldn’t put the song on at home, but the song is excellent within its genre.”

Alexander emphasizes that there is more behind the song there is only some happy hardcore. Europapa tells the story of Joost who lost both parents at a young age. In the song, he travels through Europe as an orphan to find himself. His parents gave him a broad vision of the world in their upbringing, namely that there are no boundaries. After a long chopping session to some pounding beats, Joost immediately addresses his parents. “I miss you every day, is what I secretly whisper. See, dad, I listened to you,” sings the blonde Frisian. A surprisingly emotional end to the cheerful song. “That emotional charge is important, because it makes Europapa more than just a gimmick,” the journalist explains. It is perhaps also the biggest difference from this year’s other entries. For example, Finland has the song No Rules! from the dance duo Windows95man. It is cheerful, striking and, like Joost, harks back to the recognizable and popular music of the nineties, but still misses the point. The song revolves around a man with long curly hair, a white cap and a shirt with the Windows 95 logo on it. He also wears skin-colored briefs until he finally finds pants. The message: don’t take everything so seriously. In any case, it makes a much less impression with the bookmakers than Joost, as the act is currently at number thirteen.

In 2019, the Netherlands made history thanks to Duncan Laurence, whose emotional ballad Arcade took first place. Europapa is so much different from Duncan’s entry. The question is why we didn’t go for a quiet emotional song again? Alexander notes that the pace of Eurovision entries has increased every year. In 2024, there are almost no ballads. According to the AD journalist, this has to do with a major change in the voting procedure. Where everything used to be in the hands of the professional jury, nowadays the opinion of the viewer also plays a major role. During the semi-finals, the public decides via televoting which country will go to the final. And that can be useful for Joost, the Eurovision expert explains. “Ballads don’t do well with the viewers. They are less likely to enter your living room. Such a striking song as Europapa is more likely to attract the attention of people at home and get more votes.” This is also where the power of social media comes into play, something Joost has mastered well. “He is a born marketer and grew up with social media. He is so good at it that he can easily reach people at home.” He previously proved that he knows how to gain fans through social media with his hit Friesenjung, which ended up in countries such as Germany and Austria via TikTok videos and became a true hit there.

While writing this article, Joost is number three among the bookmakers. So it’s starting to look more and more like we can make a profit with Europapa. “Anything is possible, but it all depends on the performance itself,” says Alexander. “We don’t know yet what he will do on stage. But without knowing exactly what his act will look like, I dare to predict that he will become number one with the audience. The only question is whether he will able to touch the professional jury with his message.” But according to the music expert, that no longer matters. Europapa has been listened to millions on YouTube and dominates the radio in countries such as Belgium, Germany and France. “Actually, Joost has already won.”

Text: Merel van Baal; Veronica Superguide

Upon the Sleeve

On the eve Joost Klein has started his Eurovision Song Contest adventure and is considered one of the European favorites. Tuesday was his first rehearsal on the Malmö-Arena stage. What are his chances and why does Europapa have so much power?

When he left for Malmö in Sweden, Joost Klein could hardly disguise his annoyance about it: he was not happy that the Eurovision Song Contest rehearsals would now be somewhat visible. It ruins the surprise effect of his act – exactly what Klein’s performance always relies on. He prefers to keep everything secret. “You’re not going to film a magician during rehearsals, are you?” he asks in front of the camera at Schiphol.

These are rules that the autonomous Frisian artist will have to deal with over the next week and a half. The Eurovision Song Contest is a media circus. A ubiquitous international music festival that is widely publicized both before and during on social media, blogs and fan sites. And then the Eurovision fire will really flare up from Sunday, with the official opening of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest with 37 participating countries.

The first semi-final with fifteen countries is on Tuesday. Then Thursday is the second semi-final – Joost Klein’s. In the most favorable position of the evening, last, he plays for the Netherlands.

In the meantime, you can picture him in his bright blue suit with those exorbitant shoulder pads and white hair. Although there also appears to be a black ‘travel variant’. Last Tuesday he did his first rehearsal in the Malmö Arena. The participants are allowed to explore the large stage for half an hour, enough to go through the song three times. Some artists play around with the decor, try out their show clothes. The act can still be adjusted.

Press is not yet welcome. But fragments filtered through the official Eurovision channel on TikTok and Instagram. Klein seemed to keep his cards close to his chest with a somewhat clumsy-austere staging without controversial visuals. Of his two companions, Appie Mussa was dressed as a fluffy blue-yellow bird and the Stunt Kabouter stood behind a turntable/monitor with many wires in a starry blouse. And two dancers danced along in white sweatsuits with European Union stars on the back.

Eurovision Song Contest commentator Cornald Maas immediately confirmed on X that a few visual surprises have not yet been released. There is no doubt that Klein will conspicuously pass on his contagious, energetic dance virus. A dancing gabber army on the screens, who knows? Source: nrc.nl

Europarrot

Joost Klein had his first rehearsals in Malmö on Tuesday. The first photos that have appeared show that his good friend Appie Mussa is dressed in a blue bird suit and Klein has two dancers with him.

The first photos show Appie Mussa in a blue bird suit with a blue tie with stars, standing behind a kind of futuristic keyboard. Another photo also shows Klein’s friend Stunt Gnome behind the same keyboard. Both men had also appeared in the Europapa video clip.

The Eurovision organization describes the background of the act via its website as “a manic visual tour of the song lyrics” projected behind Klein. “It is three minutes of pure dance energy, with Joost standing on stage with two dancers in white tracksuits.”

Klein told NU.nl in advance that he does not like the fact that images of this rehearsal are already being shared. “You’re not going to film rehearsals for a magician, are you?”

The Eurovision Song Contest will take place from May 7 to 11 this year. Joost Klein will be in the second semi-final on May 9 and will be the last to perform. He then hopes to get a ticket for the final on May 11. Source: nu.nl

Joost Leaves

Joost Klein left for Malmö on Monday morning for the Eurovision Song Contest. The artist has his first rehearsals on Wednesday. “Someone is going to give twelve points anyway.”

“I slept more than I expected,” says Klein, who is preparing for a week full of rehearsals. On Thursday, May 9, he will be in the second semi-final and hopes to get a ticket for the final two days later.

The first rehearsals have already started. Klein will be on stage for the first time in Malmö on Wednesday. Some photos of the performance he will give can be seen via the official Eurovision channel.

Klein is not a fan of that. “You’re not going to film rehearsals for a magician, are you?” He prefers to keep everything secret until the semi-final. “What can we say about our show?” he asks Gover Meit, who will join us as creative director. “No, not that moon landing again,” he says, laughing when Meit whispers something to him.

From the start, Klein has used ‘Twelve points to The Netherlands’ to promote itself. By this he refers to the maximum number of twelve points that a jury can award to an entry.

How sure is he of that now? “Well, someone is going to give twelve points anyway. Come on, that’s the bare minimum. My goal was twelve points, that’s what I said from the start. No, what do you want me to say? “Yeah, I’m number one, I’m the best!’ No, I’d like some more coffee for that.”

Joost Klein participates with his song Europapa. He will try to reach the final on May 11. There he would compete against 25 other countries for the win.

‘Moon Landing’ in Malmö

Gover Meit thinks that viewers of the Eurovision Song Contest next month when it is the Netherlands’ turn will see something that has never been seen before during the event.

“It will be a new form of the moon landing. It has never been done before,” said the theater maker, who will go to Malmö as creative director, on Saturday in Shownieuws.

“People are not going to believe that this is physically possible,” he continued, without going into details about Joost Klein’s act. Gover is a good friend of the Dutch entry and can also be seen in Europapa’s video clip. He probably won’t be on stage himself. Gover Meit says he is needed “behind the scenes”. “It’s also nice for people that they don’t have to look at me all the time.”

Joost previously said that something awaits the Eurovision Song Contest that “has never happened before”. “It’s just going to be one big party,” he said. Source: Shownieuws.nl

Largest Police Operation Ever

The Eurovision Song Contest is expected to be one of the largest police operations ever in Sweden. Thousands of officers will be deployed to secure the arena and the city of Malmö from May 7 to 11, Swedish broadcaster SVT reports.

Not only will forces from Denmark and Norway be reinforced, the airspace above the city will also be closed. The police take into account incoming danger via drones.

Special equipment is used to remove drones from the air. Agents from the Swedish southern province of Skane cannot be given leave during the Eurovision Song Contest. Malmö already announced earlier this week

that stricter security measures apply during the event. The host city reported that this concerns visible and invisible measures.

Sweden takes demonstrations into account because of Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Protests have taken place in various countries in recent months because Israel is welcome despite the war in Gaza. Organizer European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has repeatedly indicated that the Eurovision Song Contest is a “non-political event”. Source: nu.nl

Security

The Swedish city of Malmö will tighten security measures during the Eurovision Song Contest, you can read on the host city’s website. The measures follow criticism of Israel’s participation and possible protests against it.

“The city, the organizing broadcaster, the police and everyone else involved are doing everything they can to ensure that the event runs safely,” the message reads. “We are taking safety measures throughout the city, with a strong focus on the central locations of the Eurovision Song Contest.”

Police deployment will be increased in and around the city. Bags are also not allowed to be brought to the event. “We have to look out for each other and help each other. That is why it is especially important that everyone follows the instructions of the municipality of Malmö and other authorities.”

Israel’s Eurovision participation has been criticized for some time. Israeli forces have been active in the Gaza Strip since the attack by Hamas on October 7. Thousands of civilians have already been killed. According to critics, Israel therefore does not belong in the Eurovision Song Contest. Organizer European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has repeatedly emphasized that the Eurovision Song Contest is a “non-political event”. Nevertheless, Russia has not been welcome since 2022 due to the invasion of Ukraine.

The Eurovision Song Contest lasts from May 7 to 11. Israel is participating this year with the song Hurricane, sung by singer Eden Golan.

Joost Klein participates on behalf of the Netherlands with the song Europapa. He will play in the second semi-final. The artist was asked earlier this week by Nasrdin Dchar, Najib Amhali and Ramsey Nasr, among others, to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest due to Israel’s participation. “Unfortunately, it’s too big of a dilemma to pass on to a little harlequin like me,” he responded. Source: nu.nl

Producer’s Choice

The 68th Eurovision Song Contest introduces a change in how the Grand Final running order is decided. Artists can draw a performance in the First Half, in the Second Half, or there’s now a brand-new third option!

In March it was revealed that some major changes would be introduced in Malmö to make the Eurovision Song Contest even more exciting. Following the announcement of the “Big 5” performing their songs in full in the Semi-Finals and that fans can vote as soon as the first artist takes to the stage in the Grand Final, we now have another big change to reveal!

In recent years, the qualifying countries from the Semi-Finals and the Big 5 have chosen which half of the Grand Final they will perform at random. The producers of the show then decided where in the First Half (songs 1 to 13) or Second Half (songs 14 to 26) of the Grand Final those acts would perform. 

This year a new “Producer’s Choice” category will be introduced. Host broadcaster SVT has revealed that 25 of the 26 artists in the Grand Final (Sweden has already drawn position 1) will be able to pick First Half, Second Half or Producer’s Choice in a random draw.

This means that if an artist pulls out Producer’s Choice in the random draw – the show producers will be able to place that song anywhere in either the First or the Second Half of the running order.

The change means there will now be 6 places to pick in the First Half of the running order, 6 places that can be chosen in the Second Half and 13 Producer’s Choice places.

The reason for the change is to give producers of the show even more of an opportunity to make all songs in the Grand Final stand out and create the most exciting running order possible. 

Christer Björkman, this year’s Contest Producer, explains more about the reasons for the change: “It’s all about creating the best TV show possible and giving all artists a chance to shine. In previous years, with just the First Half and Second Half draws you might find many ballads ended up in the same part of the show or many favourites were drawn to perform in the same half. Adding the flexibility of Producer’s Choice gives me the ability to create an even better flow of different tempos and an even more thrilling Grand Final.”

The Big 5 will be picking either First Half, Second Half or Producer’s Choice after their second Rehearsal on Saturday 4 May, live during a Reddit AMA. 

Then each of the 10 qualifiers from the First Semi-Final on Tuesday 7 May will draw one of those three options from the bowl immediately after the show LIVE on the Official Eurovision Song Contest TikTok channel.

The 10 qualifying artists from the Second Semi-Final will draw from the remaining options live on TikTok after the show finishes on Thursday 9 May. 

When all the 25 options are chosen, producers will compile the running order for the Grand Final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest in the early hours of Friday 10 May. It will then be revealed on the Contest’s website and social media channels.

The last time we saw such a change to how the running order was determined, we can again look to Malmö – in 2013.

Before 2013, the running order of the Grand Final had been decided via a random draw. But in 2013, host broadcaster SVT instigated a change in the process, with a view to creating a more entertaining evening of television for viewers watching at home. 

The alteration to the running order draw meant that artists could draw a performance in either the First Half of the Grand Final or the Second Half, with producers of the show then working to compile a running order that they deemed to be the most exciting for viewers, separating songs in similar genres, for example. A producer-led running order also enabled logistics involving staging, lighting and props to be taken into consideration.

This format has remained in place every year since, with the introduction of the Producer’s Choice element in 2024 the first major change in over a decade. Source: Eurovision.tv

No Skip

Joost Klein understands “the pain” of the people who asked him in an open letter to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest because of Israel’s participation, despite the war in Gaza.

“Unfortunately, it is too big a dilemma to pass on to a little harlequin like me,” Joost said to the press present at AFAS Live in Amsterdam prior to Eurovision in Concert. “If I were a world leader, I would have done something a long time ago, I hope.”

In any case, the singer does not plan to skip the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden next month. “No, I have already booked. I have already signed contracts. The transfer will continue.”

Actors Nasrdin Dchar, Najib Amhali and Ramsey Nasr, among others, signed the open letter to Joost. For Eurovision in Concert, the largest Eurovision pre-party, there will be a demonstration by the pro-Palestinian organizations BDS Netherlands and Rotterdam Palestine Coalition. Source: nu.nl

Withdrawal

Durch artists Najib Amhali and Nasrdin Dchar have called on Joost Klein to withdraw from his participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Over 250 people with a creative profession signed a letter calling for a boycott due to Israel’s participation.

“While preparations for the Eurovision Song Contest are in full swing, one of the participating countries, Israel, is carrying out a genocide of 2.3 million Palestinians,” the letter reads. Ramsey Nasr, Walid Benmbarek, Jerry Afriyie and Tofik Dibi also signed the letter.

The writers refer to Klein’s Eurovision song Europapa, in which he quotes his father. “It’s a world without borders,” Klein sings. “Your father’s utopia does not exist for Palestinians,” the letter writers respond. They “emphatically” ask Joost to consult himself about his participation in the event, which will take place in Sweden in May.

“The horrors in Gaza touch us deeply,” AVROTROS, the broadcaster responsible for the Dutch participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, responds to the call. “We also hope that there will be an immediate end to the suffering. But the Eurovision Song Contest is an apolitical music festival and not a competition between the governments of countries. This is therefore not the place where this deep-rooted conflict can be resolved.”

The pro-Palestinian organizations BDS Netherlands and Rotterdam Palestine Coalition are organizing a demonstration on Saturday just before Eurovision in Concert in Amsterdam’s AFAS Live. During this pre-party, 30 of the 37 participating countries will perform with their entry. The Israeli delegation is not present. The organization of the demonstration consists of Dutch volunteers and is not linked to the EBU, which organizes the Eurovision Song Contest. The organization previously announced that it feared reactions to the Israeli entry Eden Golan if it came to the concert.

The demonstration will take place on Saturday from 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM on the square between AFAS Live and the Johan Cruijff ArenA in Amsterdam. A similar event was also demonstrated in London last week. In several European countries, artists are being called on not to participate in an event where Israel is also welcome. Source: nu.nl

Bambie Thug

The Eurovision Song Contest has yet to start, but the Irish entry already has a nickname. For example, Bambie Thug (31) is described as ‘the witch of Eurovision’. The non-binary artist indicates that they has been practicing witchcraft for years. Although that doesn’t always have to be malicious. “I only practice good energy,” it sounds.

Thug indicates that they spends a lot of time on their powers, and are aware of the energy they emits. The most artistic wants to debunk the myths surrounding witches, and states that false views are often based on individuals based on their true nature. “People haven’t touched that special inside yet,” it sounds. “My witchcraft practices are not about dark rituals, but about embracing positive energy. I don’t drink blood, I only practice good energy.”

With the song Doomsday Blue they hope to achieve the first victory for Ireland since 1996. Thug’s song was well received during a Eurovision Party in London. We won’t know until next month whether Bambie Thug will also be able to score at the actual Eurovision Song Contest. The 68th edition of the song festival will take place from May 7 to 11. Ireland takes part in the first semi-final, Belgium in the second. Source: HLN.

Allthough the song Doomsday Blue is not my cup of tea (it’s a skip), I am sure there are enough Eurovision fans to televote this song into the final on May 11th. And I heartily wish it to Bambie Thug.