When is the first Eurovision semi-final on BBC, who is singing, who’s the host and how does it work?
THE Eurovision Song Contest 2019 is closer than ever before, with the semi-finals kicking off in just a few days time.
Fans can tune in on May 14 and 16 to see the first batch of countries that are competing for a spot in the final. Here are all the details…
What time is the first Eurovision semi-final on?
The first Eurovision semi-final is on Tuesday, May 14th and will be aired on BBC Four and via the contest’s official YouTube channel.
While the second semi-final will take place on Thursday, May 16th and will also be aired on the BBC and via the contest’s official YouTube channel.
Both the first and second semi-final will kick off at 8pm in the UK.
Only twenty of these acts will make it through to the final, meaning the remainder will reach the end of their road.
And then two days later the grand final will take place on the Saturday May 18th in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Who is singing at the Eurovision semi-finals and how does it work?
On May 14 the first semi-final will see 17 countries compete for a place in Saturday’s final.
These are as follows:
1. Cyprus
Tamta will perform Replay.
Tamta was born and raised in Georgia before moving to Greece at the age of 22.
The successful pop singer found fame after taking part in Greek Idol, where she came in at second place.
2. Montenegro
D mol will perform Heaven.
The group consists of six members, who were selected to represent Montenegro after winning the country’s national selection, Montevizija.
Their name was originally D-Moll before it was changed to D Mol in March, 2019.
3. Finland
Darude feat. Sebastian Rejman will perform Look Away.
4. Poland
5. Slovenia
Zala Kralj & Gašper Šantl will perform Sebi.
This Slovenian musical, from Maribor, formed together in 2018 and have released a number of singles.
6. Czech Republic
Lake Malawi will perform Friend of a Friend.
The group released their debut album Surrounded by Light on November 10, 2019.
Their song Friend of a Friend currently stands as one of the favourites at this year’s live music competition.
7. Hungary
Joci Pápai will perform Az én apám.
8. Belarus
9. Serbia
10. Belgium
11. Georgia
12. Australia
13. Iceland
Hatari consists of three longtime pals named Klemens Hannigan, Matthías Tryggvi Haraldson, and Einar Stéfansson.
They grew popularity in their country after having performed at multiple events in 2017, which quickly grew their recognition.
14. Estonia
15. Portugal
16. Greece
Katerine Duska will perform Better Love.
Katerine Duska is a Greek-Canadian singer and songwriter, who received a wide amount of attention following the release of her cover to Arctic Monkeys’ Do I Wanna Know in 2013.
She was born in Montreal, where she would go on to develop a passion for music and eventually made it her full-time job.
17. San Marino
Serhat will perform Say Na Na Na.
Serhat established his own company in 1994, which would allow him to kick off his producing career.
His first single Rüya-Ben Bir Daha was a moderate success and would lead him to work for a number of Turkish artists.
More on Eurovision
On May 16 the second semi-final will see a further 18 countries compete.
They are as follows:
1. Armenia
2. Ireland
3. Moldova
4. Switzerland
LUCA Hänni will perform Shot Got Me.
At the young age of nine, Luca already started playing the guitar and piano – which was something he had self-taught himself over the years.
He competed in 2012 and ended up winning the show, accumulating an impressive 52.85% of the audience votes while also becoming the first non-German to do so.
5. Latvia
Carousel will perform That Night.
They four-piece was chosen to perform the song at the contest through Supernova 2019, the music competition which selects Latvia’s entries for the annual show.
The group consists of four members: Sabīne Žuga, Mārcis Vasiļevskis, Mareks Logins and Staņislavs Judins.
6. Romania
7. Denmark
8. Sweden
John Lundvik will perform Too Late For Love.
It wasn’t until 2010, however, that Lundvik grew a passion for all things music, having written When You Tell the World You’re Mine for a royal wedding in Sweden.
The opportunity led to his participation in composing original music for the US family drama Empire.
9. Austria
Paenda will perform Limits.
Its lead singer Gabriela Horn started singing in a choir at the age of six.
But it wasn’t until she was 14 that the passion for songwriting and singing became a real passion for the Austrian.
10. Croatia
Roko Blažević will perform The Dream.
On January 11, Houdek revealed in an interview with Slobodna Dalmacija that Roko Blažević would perform the song The Dream.
11. Malta
Michela will perform Chameleon.
Malta will be represented by 18-year-old singer Michela Pace, who goes by just her first name.
She gained instant fame after starring in the first series of The X Factor Malta.
12. Lithuania
Jurij Veklenko will perform Run with the Lions.
Jurij was selected through Eurovizijos” dainų konkurso nacionalinė atranka, the Moldovan national selection which selected Lithuania’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.
13. Russia
Sergey Lazarev will perform Scream.
Lazarev was selected by the Russian broadcaster.
He’s most famous for being a member in the group Smash!! The group ended up parting ways in 2006, subsequently leading to Sergey to launch a solo career.
14. Albania
Jonida Maliqi will perform Ktheju tokës.
Jonida Maliqi was selected through Festivali i Këngës 57, the music competition that selects Albania’s entries for the Eurovision Song Contest.
15. Norway
KEiiNO will perform Spirit in the Sky.
The group was actually put together in 2018 especially for Norway’s Eurovison selection process, the Melodi Grand Prix.
Spirit in The Sky was written by Tom Hugo Hhermansen and his husband, Alex Olsson, with the pair taking inspiration from the historic struggles for equality.
16. The Netherlands
Duncan Laurence will perform Arcade.
He competed in the fifth series of The Voice of Holland and made it all the way to the semi-finals.
Duncan Laurence and fellow songwriters Wouter Hardy and Joel Sjöö teamed up together to write the power ballad, Arcade.
17. North Macedonia
Tamara Todevska will perform Proud.
She released a popular song with her sister Tijana called Igra luda (Crazy game) in 1997.
Tamara’s big break, however, came in 2003 when she performed the song 1003 at the Montenegrin festival Suncane Skale – she managed to scoop up the second place.
18. Azerbaijan
Only twenty of these acts will make it through to the final, meaning the remainder will reach the end of their road.
The Big Five countries – those that make the biggest financial contribution to the contest – go straight into the final.
They are the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.
The host nation Israel is also automatically in the grand final.
When is the Eurovision 2019 on TV?
Eurovision 2019 will be broadcast on May 14, 16 & 18 on BBC One.
Former X Factor contestant and winner of BBC’s All Together Now Michael Rice, 21, has been picked to represent us in the contest this year.
He will travel to Tel Aviv, Isreal in May to sing the song Bigger Than Us.
Graham Norton will provide the commentary from Tel Aviv.
The programmes will be available to watch online with BBC iPlayer shortly after they are broadcast.