As the Eurovision schedule gets busier and busier, it can be hard to keep up with what’s happening, and what we should watch. Over this weekend, two nations will be deciding their Eurovision 2017 act, and two others continuing with their national final processes. We’ve decided to compile all the information in one spot, so you can see what’s happening, and decide which national final, or finals, you would like to follow!
First up is the UK, who announced their acts earlier this week. The BBC has selected a total of six songs, all of which were former X Factor participants. The Eurovision connection in the UK: You Decide national final is Emmelie de Forest, who co-wrote the song for Lucie Jones, titled Never Give Up On You. Here are the 6 acts:
Olivia Garcia – Freedom Hearts
Holly Brewer – I Wish I Loved You More
Lucie Jones – Never Give Up On You
Danyl Johnson – Light Up the World
Salena Mastroianni – I Don’t Wanna Fight
Nate Simpson – What Are We Made Of
The national final will be held by Mel Giedroyc, and features an expert panel including Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Cece Sammy and Bruno Tonioli. These three will also feature as part of an eight person jury, who also will have a say on who will represent the UK.
During the show, you will also get to see a performance from 2009 Eurovision winner Alexander Rybak, as well as a performance from the rock band, The Vamps.
If you are interested in watching the show, it will start at 20:30 CET on the 27th of January.
It’s been a while since the Finnish UMK participants were revealed, so we wouldn’t blame you if you needed a recap. This year, the Finnish broadcaster chose to just have one final, rather than feature semi-final stages like in previous years.
The pros of watching UMK is that you know you will get an entertaining show. Hosted by Krista Siegfrids, the Finnish final will see a total of 10 acts take to the stage in order to win the right to represent Finland at Eurovision in Kyiv. The final 10 are:
Emma – Circle of Light
Alva – Arrows
Günther & D’Sanz – Love Yourself
Anni Saikku – Reach Out For The Sun
Knucklebone Oscar & The Shangri-La Rubies – Caveman
Norma John – Blackbird
Lauri Yrjölä – Helppo Elämä
Club La Persé – My Little World
Zühlke – Perfect Villain
My First Band – Paradise
There has already been a pre-contest vote, which isn’t really indicative of the final result, however reveals that Emma could be the winner of the contest on Saturday. Although through the lead up to the contest, she has been the favourite, we know from previous years that Finland can surprise us on the night and choose something completely unexpected, which is just another reason why it’s worth watching.
The coverage begins at 19:30 CET, which will be a half hour pre-show hosted by Mikko Silvennoinen, and will feature Sandhja and Finnish pop star Jenni Vartiainen. At 20:00 CET the final will begin and run for approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes. You will be able to watch the show live on the UMK official site.
Lithuania are up to their fourth heat of their giant national final. Each heat has seen a total of six participants move through to the next stage, and after this week, the qualifying 24 will move on to the next stage of the contest.
News out of Lithuania is that two acts due to participate in this final heat have withdrawn. Ruslanas Kirilkinas and Soliaris will not be performing, meaning there will be 11 performers in this week’s show. These are:
ALANAS – & Days
Valerija Iljinaitė – You Made Me Glow
Vlad Max – I’ll Never Let You Down
Queens of Roses – Fisherman
Evaldas Vaikasas – Fire Kisses
Elvina Mikauskaitė – Try
Aistė Pilvelytė – I’m Like Woolf
Julija Jegorova – Higher
Audrius Janonis – Run
Rasa Vaštakaitė (Shiny Raia) – All You
Neringa Šiaudikytė – Running Out of Time
If you have been keeping up with the Lithuanian final, you may as well keep watching this week. After this week, we will have seen all the performances, and we can start picking and choosing our Lithuanian favourites. For this heat specifically, it’s interesting to note that the song I’m Like Woolf is actually written by Latvian Aminata Savadogo, which automatically makes it one to watch.
After a brief break in the schedule due to tragic circumstances, the Hungarian selection A Dal returns this week with the second heat. A total of 10 songs will be performed, including the 2017 bid by the Kallay Saunders Band. The full list of participants is below:
AnnaElza feat. Juli Kása
Chase
Kállay Saunders Band
Gina Kanizsa
Mrs Columbo
Zoltán Mujahid
Peet Project
Peter Kovary & The Royal Rebels
Ádám Szabó
Andi Tóth
From the 10 acts, six will continue into the next rounds. The show will begin at 19:30 CET and broadcast by Duna and Duna World.
Which national final are you excited to watch this weekend?
