Over the last seven months, countries that are participating in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 have been announcing their acts and the songs that they will be singing. They were either chosen through internal selection by each corresponding broadcaster, or through a national selection show. They will all compete against one another on the Eurovision stage at the Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal. The theme of this year’s Eurovision is “All Aboard”.
What Is The Eurovision Song Contest?
For those of you who don’t know, Eurovision is an annual singing contest held every year, in May. It has been going for over 60 years and draws in over 180 million viewers. It is the longest-running annual international TV song competition.
Eurovision first launched in 1956, where only seven countries participated. Each country performed two songs, some from the same act. It has since expanded to many countries outside of Europe, even as far as Australia, who debuted most recently in 2015. The winning country goes on to host the contest the following year.
Ireland has won it the most times, coming in first place with a total of seven winning entries. Sweden is just behind with six; and joint third with five is the United Kingdom, France, and Luxembourg – the latter of which hasn’t competed since 1993.
The contest is split into two Semi-Finals, where competing countries battle it out to make it to the Grand Final. Only the Big Five countries automatically qualify for the Grand Final, along with the host country. The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy, make up the Big Five, due to them being the five biggest contributors to the EBU (European Broadcasting Union).
For more information on this contest, check out this comedic Semi-Final 2 opening song by Eurovision 2016 presenters Petra Mede & Måns Zelmerlöw:
Now that Eurovision 2018 is just around the corner, with just eight days to go; it’s about time you start listening to the entrants and deciding who your favourites are.
Below are the 43 competing entrants with some extra information on the artist as well as statistics about the country they are representing. Only ten countries from each Semi-Final will make it through to the Grand Final, so make sure you vote for your favourites on the night.
Eurovision Contestants:
Albania: Eugent Bushpepa – Mall
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Eugent Bushpepa.
Previous Experience: Competed in Top Fest multiple times, and supported the likes of Deep Purple, Duff Mckagen (Guns N’ Roses), and Overkill.
Albania Debuted At Eurovision In: 2004
Albania Has Competed: 15 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
Albania’s Best Placing: 5th place in 2012 with Rona Nishliu’s “Suus”
Last Year Albania Placed: Didn’t qualify for the Grand Final, 14th in Semi-Final with Lindita‘s “World”
Armenia: Sevak Khanagyan – Qami
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Sevak Khanagyan.
Previous Experience: Contestant on Glavnaya Stsena (the Russian version of The X Factor) where he was eliminated in the quarter finals. Contestant on season four of The Voice of Russia, who was eliminated in the knockout round. Contestant in the seventh season of X-Factor (the Ukraine version), which he won. He returned to Armenia and became a coach on The Voice of Armenia.
Armenia Debuted At Eurovision In: 2006
Armenia Has Competed: 12 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
Armenia’s Best Placing: 4th in 2008 and 2014 with Sirusho’s “Qélé, Qélé” and Aram Mp3’s “Not Alone”
Last Year Armenia Placed: 18th with Artsvik‘s “Fly With Me”
Australia: Jessica Mauboy – We Got Love
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Jessica Mauboy.
Previous Experience: Winner of the fourth season of Australian Idol in 2006. Successful career in music. Released songs with Flo Rida, Ludacris, and Jay Sean. Performed during Eurovision 2014 Semi-Final 2 Interval.
Australia Debuted At Eurovision In: 2015
Australia Has Competed: 4 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
Australia’s Best Placing: 2nd place in 2016 with Dami Im’s “Sound of Silence”
The Year Before Australia Placed: 9th with Isaiah‘s “Don’t Come Easy”
Austria: Cesár Sampson – Nobody But You
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Cesár Sampson.
Previous Experience: Backing vocalist during Eurovision 2016 for Poli Genova’s “If Love Was A Crime”, and backing vocalist during Eurovision 2017 for Kristian Kostov’s “Beautiful Mess”.
Austria Debuted At Eurovision In: 1957
Austria Has Competed: 51 times
Eurovision Wins: 2 – in 1966 and 2014 with Udo Jürgens’ “Merci, Chérie” and Conchita Wurst’s “Rise Like A Phoenix”
Austria’s Best Placing, Other Than Winning, In The Last 20 Years: 6th in 2003 with Alf Poier’s “Weil der Mensch zähit”
Last Year Austria Placed: 16th with Nathan Trent‘s “Running On Air”
Azerbaijan: AISEL – X My Heart
Check out our Artist 101 profile on AISEL.
Real Name: Aysel Mammadova
Previous Experience: Went to music school in Baku known as Azerbaijan State Conservatory.
Azerbaijan Debuted At Eurovision In: 2008
Azerbaijan Has Competed: 11 times
Eurovision Wins: 1 – in 2011 with Ell & Nikki’s “Running Scared”
Azerbaijan’s Best Placing Since Winning: 2nd in 2013 with Farid Mammadov’s “Hold Me”
Last Year Azerbaijan Placed: 14th with Dihaj‘s “Skeletons”
Belarus: Alekseev – Forever
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Alekseev.
Real Name: Nikita Alekseev
Previous Experience: Semi-Finalist on the fourth season of The Voice of Ukraine. Had a hit in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), titled “Pyanoye solntse”, hitting number one in Russia.
Belarus Debuted At Eurovision In: 2004
Belarus Has Competed: 15 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
Belarus’ Best Placing: 6th in 2007 with Dmitry Koldun’s “Work Your Magic”
Last Year Belarus Placed: 17th with Naviband‘s “Story Of My Life”
Belgium: Sennek – A Matter Of Time
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Sennek.
Real Name: Laura Groeseneken
Previous Experience: Performed in a band of the same name.
Belgium Debuted At Eurovision In: 1956
Belgium Has Competed: 60 times
Eurovision Wins: 1 – in 1986 with Sandra Kim’s “J’aime la vie”
Belgium’s Best Placing Since Winning: 2nd in 2003 with Urban Trad’s “Sanomi”
Last Year Belgium Placed: 4th with Blanche‘s “City Lights”
Bulgaria: EQUINOX – Bones
Check out our Artist 101 profile on EQUINOX.
The Band Consists Of: Zhana Bergendorff, Georgi Simeonov, Johnny Manuel, Trey Campbell, and Vladimir Mihailov
Previous Experience: Zhana Bergendorff was a contestant on X Factor (Denmark) and then won the second series of Bulgaria’s X Factor. Georgi Simeonov got to the four chair challenge on the seventh season of Romania’s The X Factor. Vladimir Mihailov was a backing vocalist for Eurovision 2017 Kristian Kostov with “Beautiful Mess”. Johnny Manuel got to the Semi-Finals of the 12th season of America’s Got Talent. Trey Campbell is a songwriter and written for the likes of Bebe Rexha, Alexandra Stan, and Dua Lipa.
Bulgaria Debuted At Eurovision In: 2005
Bulgaria Has Competed: 12 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
Bulgaria’s Best Placing: 2nd in 2017 with Kristian Kostov‘s “Beautiful Mess”
The Only Other Times Bulgaria Made It To The Grand Final Are: In 2007, where they came 5th with Elitsa & Stoyan’s “Water” and in 2016, where they came 4th with Poli Genova’s “If Love Was A Crime”.
Croatia: Franka – Crazy
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Franka.
Full Name: Franka Batelic
Previous Experience: Won the first series of Showtime. She competed in the Croatian selection show to Eurovision 2009, coming 7th. She also won the fourth season of Ples sa zvijezdama (the Croatian version of Dancing With The Stars).
Croatia Debuted At Eurovision In: 1993
Croatia Has Competed: 24 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
Croatia’s Best Placing: 4th in 1996 and 1999 with Maja Blagdan’s “Sveta ljubav” and Doris Dragovic’s “Marija Magdalena”
Last Year Croatia Placed: 13th with Jacques Houdek‘s “My Friend”
Cyprus: Eleni Foureira – Fuego
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Eleni Foureira.
Previous Experience: Originally part of three-piece group Mystique. Won charity programme Just The Two Of Us. Starred in theatre production Barbarella: the 80’s Musical. Attempted to represent Greece at Eurovision 2010, coming second in the national final. Rejected by Greek broadcaster for Eurovision 2016 and Eurovision 2017.
Cyprus Debuted At Eurovision In: 1981
Cyprus Has Competed: 35 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
Cyprus’ Best Placing: 5th in 1982, 1997, and 2004, with Anna Vissi’s “Mono i agapi”, Hara & Andreas Constantinou’s “Mana mou”, and Lisa Andreas’ “Stronger Every Minute”
Last Year Cyprus Placed: 21st with Hovig‘s “Gravity”
Czech Republic: Mikolas Josef – Lie To Me
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Mikolas Josef.
Previous Experience: Independently released early music, was approached to sing “My Turn” last year for Eurovision 2017, to which he turned it down.
The Czech Republic Debuted At Eurovision In: 2007
The Czech Republic Has Competed: 7 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
The Czech Republic’s Best Placing: 25th in 2016 with Gabriela Guncíková’s “I Stand”
Last Year The Czech Republic Placed: Didn’t qualify for Grand Final, 13th in Semi-Final with Martina Bárta‘s “My Turn”
Denmark: Rasmussen – Higher Ground
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Rasmussen.
Real Name: Jonas Rasmussen
Previous Experience: Lead singer and frontman of Hair Metal Heröes. Performed in stage productions of West Side Story, Rent, and Les Misérables.
Denmark Debuted At Eurovision In: 1957
Denmark Has Competed: 47 times
Eurovision Wins: 3 – in 1963, 2000, and 2013, with Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann’s “Dansevise”, the Olsen Brothers’ “Fly on the Wings Of Love”, and Emmelie de Forest’s “Only Teardrops”
Denmark’s Best Placing, Other Than Winning, In The Last 10 Years: 4th in 2010 with Chanée & N’evergreen’s “In a Moment Like This”
Last Year Denmark Placed: 20th with Anja Nissen‘s “Where I Am”
Estonia: Elina Nechayeva – La Forza
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Elina Nechayeva.
Previous Experience: Graduated from Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre with a master’s degree in classical singing. Contestant on the third series of Eesti otsib superstaari. She was one of three finalists on Klassikatähed 2014.
Estonia Debuted At Eurovision In: 1994 (attempted in 1993 but didn’t qualify)
Estonia Has Competed: 24 times
Eurovision Wins: 1 – in 2001 with Tanel Padar/Dave Benton/2XL’s “Everybody”
Estonia’s Best Placing Since Winning: 3rd in 2002 with Sahlene’s “Runaway”
Last Year Estonia Placed: Didn’t qualify for the Grand Final, 14th in Semi-Final with Koit Toome & Laura‘s “Verona”
Finland: Saara Aalto – Monsters
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Saara Aalto.
Previous Experience: Attempted to represent Finland at Eurovision 2011, coming second in the national final. Attempted to represent Finland again at Eurovision 2016, coming second again. Appeared on Santa Claus Season’s Greetings Song Contest. Contestant in season one of The Voice of Finland, also coming second. Next, she appeared on the thirteenth series of the UK version of The X Factor; keeping to her streak, she again came second.
Finland Debuted At Eurovision In: 1961
Finland Has Competed: 52 times.
Eurovision Wins: 1 – in 2006 with Lordi’s “Hard Rock Hallelujah”
Finland’s Best Placing Since Winning: 11th in 2014 with Softengine’s “Something Better”
Last Year Finland Placed: Didn’t qualify for the Grand Final, 12th in Semi-Final with Norma John‘s “Blackbird”
France: Madame Monsieur – Mercy
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Madame Monsieur.
Duo Consists Of: Émilie Satt and Jean-Karl Lucas
Previous Experience: Appeared on French show Taratata.
France Debuted At Eurovision In: 1956
France Has Competed: 61 times
Eurovision Wins: 5 – in 1958 with André Claveau’s “Dors, mon amour”; 1960 with Jacqueline Boyer’s “Tom Pillibi”; 1962 with Isabelle Aubret’s “Un premier amour”; 1969 with Frida Boccara’s “Un jour, un enfant”; 1977 with Marie Myriam’s “L’oiseau et l’enfant”
France’s Best Placing Since Winning: 2nd in 1990 and 1991 with Joëlle Ursull’s “White and Black Blues” and Amina’s “C’est le dernier qui a parlé qui a raison”
Last Year France Placed: 12th with Alma‘s “Requiem”
Georgia: Ethno – Jazz Band Iriao – For You
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Iriao.
The Band Consists Of: David Malazonia, David Kavtaradze, Bidzina Murgulia, Levan Abshilava, Shalva Gelekva, George Abashidze, and Mikheil Javakhishvili.
Previous Experience: Performed at Borneo Jazz Festival 2014 in Malaysia. David Malazonia has been composing music for the last 30 years for theatres, musicians, bands, and TV projects, both in Germany and Georgia.
Georgia Debuted At Eurovision In: 2007
Georgia Has Competed: 11 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
Georgia’s Best Placing: 9th in 2010 and 2011 with Sopho Nizharadze’s “Shine” and Eldrine’s “One More Day” respectively
Last Year Georgia Placed: Didn’t qualify for the Grand Final, 11th in Semi-Final with Tamara Gachechiladze‘s “Keep The Faith”
Germany: Michael Schulte – You Let Me Walk Alone
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Michael Schulte.
Previous Experience: Started by releasing covers on YouTube. He later came third on season one of The Voice of Germany.
Germany Debuted At Eurovision In: 1956
Germany Has Competed: 62 times
Eurovision Wins: 2 – in 1982 and 2010 with Nicole’s “Ein bißchen Frieden” and Lena’s “Satellite”
Germany’s Best Placing Since Winning: 8th in 2012 with Roman Lob’s “Standing Still”
Last Year Germany Placed: 25th with Levina‘s “Perfect Life”
Greece: Yianna Terzi – Oneiro mou
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Yianna Terzi.
Also known As: Gianna Terzi
Previous Experience: Worked as a talent scout in the United States for Interscope Records.
Greece Debuted At Eurovision In: 1974
Greece Has Competed: 39 times
Eurovision Wins: 1 – in 2005 with Helena Paparizou’s “My Number One”
Greece’s Best Placing Since Winning: 3rd in 2008 with Kalomira’s “Secret Combination”
Last Year Greece Placed: 19th with Demy‘s “This Is Love”
Hungary: AWS – Viszlát nyár
Check out our Artist 101 profile on AWS.
The Band Consists Of: Bence Brucker, Dániel Kökényes, Örs Siklósi, Áron Veress, and Soma Schiszler
Previous Experience: AWS stands for Ants With Slippers. Toured with Blind Myself. Won the MTV Brand Award for New Winning Band
Hungary Debuted At Eurovision In: 1993
Hungary Has Competed: 16 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
Hungary’s Best Placing: 4th in 1994 with Frederika Bayer’s “Kinek mondjam el vétkeimet?”
Last Year Hungary Placed: 8th with Joci Pápai‘s “Origo”
Iceland: Ari Ólafsson – Our Choice
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Ari Ólafsson.
Previous Experience: Got to the battle rounds of The Voice Iceland.
Iceland Debuted At Eurovision In: 1986
Iceland Has Competed: 31 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
Iceland’s Best Placing: 2nd in 1999 and 2009 with Selma’s “All Out Of Luck” and Yohanna’s “Is It True?” respectively
Last Year Iceland Placed: Didn’t qualify for the Grand Final, 15th in Semi-Final with Svala‘s “Paper”
Ireland: Ryan O’Shaughnessy – Together
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Ryan O’Shaughnessy.
Previous Experience: Played Mark Halpin for nine years on Irish soap Fair City. He was a contestant on the first season of The Voice of Ireland, being eliminated during the first week of the lives. Next, he was a contestant on the sixth series of Britain’s Got Talent, making it to the Final, finishing in fifth place. Next, he appeared on Irish talent show The Hit season one, making it to the final and becoming joint runner-up.
Ireland Debuted At Eurovision In: 1965
Ireland Has Competed: 52 times
Eurovision Wins: 7 – in 1970 with Dana’s “All Kinds of Everything”; 1980 with Johnny Logan’s “What’s Another Year?”; 1987 with Johnny Logan’s “Hold Me Now”; 1992 with Linda Martin’s “Why Me?”; 1993 with Niamh Kavanagh’s “In Your Eyes”; 1994 with Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan’s “Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids”; and 1996 with Eimear Quinn’s “The Voice”
Ireland’s Best Placing Since Winning: 2nd in 1997 with Marc Roberts’ “Mysterious Woman”
Last Year Ireland Placed: Didn’t qualify for the Grand Final, 13th in Semi-Final with Brendan Murray‘s “Dying To Try”
Isreal: Netta – TOY
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Netta.
Full Name: Netta Barzilai
Previous Experience: Won season five of HaKokhav HaBa becoming the representative for Israel.
Isreal Debuted At Eurovision In: 1973
Isreal Has Competed: 41 times
Eurovision Wins: 3 – in 1978, 1979, and 1998, with Izhar Cohen & the Alphabeta’s “A-Ba-Ni-Bi”, Gali Atari & Milk and Honey’s “Hallelujah”, and Dana International’s “Diva” respectively
Isreal’s Best Placing Since Winning: 4th in 2005 with Shiri Maimon’s “HaSheket SheNish’ar”
Last Year Isreal Placed: 23rd with IMRI‘s “I Feel Alive”
Italy: Ermal Meta & Fabrizio Moro – Non mi avete fatto niente
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Ermal Meta.
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Fabrizio Moro.
Previous Experience: Ermal Meta performed as part of a band called Ameba4 in the Newcomers’ section of Sanremo Music Festival 2006. Then became frontman of La Fame di Camilla, who performed on the Newcomers’ section of Sanremo Music Festival 2010. Contributed to soundtrack for Braccialetti rossi. He also performed as a soloist in the Newcomers’ section of Sanremo Music Festival 2016. Came third in the Big Artists section of Sanremo Music Festival 2017. As for Fabrizio Moro, he performed on the Newcomers’ section of Sanremo Music Festival 2000. Seven years later he appeared again in the Newcomers’ section of Sanremo Music Festival 2007. He came third in the Big Artists’ section of Sanremo Music Festival 2008. He returned to the Big Artists’ section for Sanremo Music Festival 2010, being eliminated in the fourth week.
Italy Debuted At Eurovision In: 1956
Italy Has Competed: 44 times
Eurovision Wins: 2 – in 1964 and 1990 with Gigliola Cinquetti’s “Non ho l’età” and Toto Cutugno’s “Insieme: 1992”
Italy’s Best Placing Since Winning: 2nd in 2011 with Raphael Gualazzi’s “Madness of Love”
Last Year Italy Placed: 6th with Francesco Gabbani‘s “Occidentali’s Karma”
Latvia: Laura Rizzotto – Funny Girl
Check out our Artist 101 on Laura Rizzotto.
Previous Experience: Spent her childhood in Rio de Janeiro and the United States, she moved to Los Angeles to attend California Institute of the Arts, and then gained a master’s degree in music at Columbia University.
Latvia Debuted At Eurovision In: 2000
Latvia Has Competed: 19 times
Eurovision Wins: 1 – in 2002 with Marie N’s “I Wanna”
Latvia’s Best Placing Since Winning: 5th in 2005 with Walters and Kazha’s “The War Is Not Over”
Last Year Latvia Placed: Didn’t qualify for the Grand Final, 18th in Semi-Final with Triana Park‘s “Line”
Lithuania: Ieva Zasimauskaité – When We’re Old
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Ieva Zasimauskaité.
Full Name: Ieva Zasimauskaité-Kiltinaviciené
Previous Experience: Attempted to represent Lithuania at Eurovision four previous times, in 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017. She reached the superfinal of the first series of Lietuvos balsas (the Lithuanian version of The Voice).
Lithuania Debuted At Eurovision In: 1994
Lithuania Has Competed: 19 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
Lithuania’s Best Placing: 6th in 2006 with LT United’s “We Are The Winners”
Last Year Lithuania Placed: Didn’t qualify for the Grand Final, 17th in Semi-Final with Fusedmarc‘s “Rain of Revolution”
Macedonia: Eye Cue – Lost And Found
Check Out our Artist 101 profile on Eye Cue.
Duo Consists Of: Bojan Trajkovski and Marija Ivanovska
Previous Experience: In 2015, they won Skopje Fest.
Macedonia Debuted At Eurovision In: 1998 (attempted in 1996 but didn’t qualify)
Macedonia Has Competed: 18 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
Macedonia’s Best Placing: 12th in 2006 with Elena Risteska’s “Ninanajna”
Last Year Macedonia Placed: Didn’t qualify for the Grand Final, 15th in Semi-Final with Jana Burceska‘s “Dance Alone”
Malta: Christabelle – Taboo
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Christabelle.
Full Name: Christabelle Borg
Previous Experience: Appeared on TV shows Teen Trouble and Teen Traffic. Attempted to represent Malta at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with “Going Wild”. Attempted to represent Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, placing eighth. She came second in her attempt to represent Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015; and returned again in 2016, placing fourth.
Malta Debuted At Eurovision In: 1971
Malta Has Competed: 31 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
Malta’s Best Placing: 2nd in 2002 and 2005 with Ira Losco’s “7th Wonder” and Chiara’s “Angel” respectively
Last Year Malta Placed: Didn’t qualify for the Grand Final, 12th in Semi-Final with Claudia Faniello‘s “Breathlessly”
Moldova: DoReDos – My Lucky Day
Check out our Artist 101 profile on DoReDos.
The Band Consists Of: Marina Djundiet, Eugeniu Andrianov, and Sergiu Mîta
Previous Experience: Previously attempted to represent Moldova at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 and 2016, coming sixth and fourth respectively. They won New Wave 2017.
Moldova Debuted At Eurovision In: 2005
Moldova Has Competed: 14 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
Moldova’s Best Placing: 3rd in 2017 with SunStroke Project‘s “Hey, Mamma!”
The Year Before Moldova Placed: Didn’t qualify for the Grand Final, 17th in Semi-Final with Lidia Isac’s “Falling Stars”
Montenegro: Vanja Radovanovic – Inje
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Vanja Radovanovic.
Previous Experience: Appeared on Budva Music Festival 2004.
Montenegro Debuted At Eurovision In: 2007
Montenegro Has Competed: 10 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
Montenegro’s Best Placing: 13th in 2015 with Knez’s “Adio”
Last Year Montenegro Placed: Didn’t qualify for the Grand Final, 15th in Semi-Final with Slavko Kalezic‘s “Space”
Netherlands: Waylon – Outlaw In ‘Em
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Waylon.
Real Name: Willem Bijkerk
Previous Experience: Started his career in Telekids. He was a contestant in the first season of Holland’s Got Talent, making it to the final and coming second. In 2014, he represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest alongside Ilse Delange as The Common Linnets; they came second with their song “Calm After The Storm”.
The Netherlands Debuted At Eurovision In: 1956
The Netherlands Has Competed: 59 times
Eurovision Wins: 4 – in 1957 with Corry Brokken’s “Net als toen”; in 1959 with Teddy Scholten’s “n Beetje”; in 1969 with Lenny Kuhr’s “De troubadour”; and in 1975 with Teach-In’s “Ding-a-Dong”
The Netherlands’ Best Placing Since Winning: 2nd in 2014 with The Common Linnets’ “Calm After The Storm”
Last Year The Netherlands Placed: 11th with O’G3NE‘s “Lights And Shadows”
Norway: Alexander Rybak – That’s How You Write A Song
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Alexander Rybak.
Previous Experience: Best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with “Fairytale”, can he do it again? Before then, he was on the season three of Idol – Jakten på en superstjerne (Norway’s version of Idol) where he made it to the semifinals. In 2006, he won Kjempesjansen (The Great Opportunity). Competed in the sixth season of Let’s Dance (the Swedish version of Strictly Come Dancing / Dancing With The Stars) where he came fourth. Took part in The Hit (the Norwegian version of the Irish TV show) and also took part in Russia’s TV show Odin v Odin, where he placed sixth before being put into the final by the judges and proved himself, coming in second place.
Norway Debuted At Eurovision In: 1960
Norway Has Competed: 57 times
Eurovision Wins: 3 – in 1985, 1995, and 2009, with Bobbysocks’ “La det swinge”, Secret Garden’s “Nocturne”, and Alexander Rybak’s “Fairytale” respectively.
Norway’s Best Placing Since Winning: 4th in 2013 with Margaret Berger’s “I Feed You My Love”
Last Year Norway Placed: 10th with JOWST‘s “Grab The Moment” with uncredited featured vocals from Aleksander Walmann
Poland: Gromee feat. Lukas Meijer – Light Me Up
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Gromee.
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Lukas Meijer.
Real Name: Andrzej Gromala
Previous Experience: Gromee is an established Polish DJ who has worked with Tiësto and Hardwell. He’s performed at various festivals around the world. As for Lukas Meijer, he’s the vocalist for the band No Sleep For Lucy.
Poland Debuted At Eurovision In: 1994
Poland Has Competed: 21 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
Poland’s Best Placing: 2nd in 1994 with Edyta Górniak’s “To nie ja!”
Last Year Poland Placed: 22nd with Kasia Mos‘s “Flashlight”
Portugal: Cláudia Pascoal – O jardim
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Cláudia Pascoal.
Previous Experience: Contestant on season four of Ídolos (the Portuguese version of Idol). Then she was a contestant on the first season of Factor X (Portugal’s version of The X Factor). She returned as a contestant on Ídolos for season five in 2015. Next was the fifth season of The Voice of Portugal in 2017, where she made it to the semi-finals, coming sixth.
Portugal Debuted At Eurovision In: 1964
Portugal Has Competed: 50 times
Eurovision Wins: 1 – in 2017 with Salvador Sobral‘s “Amar pelos dois”
Portugal’s Best Placing, Other Than Winning, In The Last 10 Years: 13th in 2008 with Vânia Fernandes’ “Senhora do mar (Negras águas)”
The Year Before Last, Portugal Placed: Didn’t participate, but in 2015 they didn’t qualify for the Grand Final, 14th in the Semi-Final with Leonor Andrade’s “Há um mar que nos separa”
Romania: The Humans – Goodbye
Check out our Artist 101 profile on The Humans.
Band Consists Of: Cristina Caramarcu, Alexandru Cismaru, Alexandru Matei, Alin Neagoe, Adi Tetrade, and Corina Matei
Previous Experience: Four of the band members were originally in the band Jukebox for 10 years before parting ways and forming The Humans. The band made their name known on TV show ZazaSing.
Romania Debuted At Eurovision In: 1994 (attempted in 1993 but didn’t qualify)
Romania Has Competed: 19 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
Romania’s Best Placing: 3rd in 2005 and 2010 with Luminita Anghel & Sistem’s “Let Me Try” and Paula Seling & OVI’s “Playing With Fire”
Last Year Romania Placed: 7th with Ilinca and Alex Florea‘s “Yodel It!”
Russia: Julia Samoylova – I Won’t Break
Check out our Artist 101 on Julia Samoylova.
Real Name: Yuliya Samoylova
Previous Experience: She came second in season three of Faktor A (the Russian version of The X Factor) in 2013. She also took part in the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Paralympics. She would’ve represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, but Russia withdrew due to her being banned from entering the host country of Ukraine.
Russia Debuted At Eurovision In: 1994
Russia Has Competed: 21 times
Eurovision Wins: 1 – in 2008 with Dima Bilan’s “Believe”
Russia’s Best Placing Since Winning: 2nd in 2012 and 2015 with Buranovskiye Babushki’s “Party For Everybody” and Polina Gagarina’s “A Million Voices”
Last Year Russia Placed: Withdrew, they would’ve been represented by Julia Samoylova with “Flame Is Burning“. The year before, 2016, they came 3rd with Sergey Lazarev’s “You Are The Only One”
San Marino: Jessika feat. Jenifer Brening – Who We Are
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Jessika.
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Jenifer Brening.
Full Name: Jessika Muscat
Previous Experience: Jessika has been attempting to grace the Eurovision stage for many years; her first attempt was for her home country of Malta in 2004 for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, where she came last in Malta’s national selection. Five years later, she tried to represent Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, failing to win any of her heats. Next, she tried to represent Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, where she failed to make it through her semi-final. She tried again to represent Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, she came in last place during the final. Again, she tried to represent Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest 2012, failing to make it through the Semi-Final. Next, she attempted to represent Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013, where she came eighth in the Final. Again, she tried to represent Malta was for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, where she came joint eighth in the Final. Then came along the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, where she tried to represent Malta, coming ninth in the Final. Her final time was attempting to represent Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, where she came seventh. As for Jenifer Brening, she participated in the TV show The Winner Is… and she was also a contestant on season eleven of Deutschland sucht den Superstar (the German version of Idol).
San Marino Debuted At Eurovision In: 2008
San Marino Has Competed: 9 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
San Marino’s Best Placing: 24th in 2014 with Valentina Monetta‘s “Maybe (Forse)”
Last Year San Marino Placed: Didn’t qualify for the Grand Final, 18th in Semi-Final with Valentina Monetta & Jimmie Wilson‘s “Spirit Of The Night”
Serbia: Sanja Ilic & Balkanika – Nova Deca
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Sanja Ilic.
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Balkanika.
Real Name: Aleksandar “Sanja” Ilic
Vocalists Of Balkanika Consist Of: Nevena Stamenkovic, Danica Krstic, Marija Bjelanovic, Mladen Lukic, and Nemanja Kojic
Previous Experience: Sanja Ilic formed the band Balkanika in 1998, specialising in preserving and revitalizing Serbian medieval and byzantine music traditions. The group also consist of multiple instrumentalists.
Serbia Debuted At Eurovision In: 2007
Serbia Has Competed: 11 times
Eurovision Wins: 1 – in 2007 with Marija Šerifovic’s “Molitva”
Serbia’s Best Placing Since Winning: 3rd in 2012 with Zeljko Joksimovic’s “Nije ljubav stvar”
Last Year Serbia Placed: Didn’t qualify for the Grand Final, 11th in Semi-Final with Tijana Bogicevic‘s “In Too Deep”
Slovenia: Lea Sirk – Hvala, ne!
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Lea Sirk.
Previous Experience: She attempted to represent Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, where she came ninth. She tried again to represent Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, where she came tenth. She became a household name in Slovenia when she competed on he fourth season of Znan obrez ima svoj glad (the Slovenian version of Your Face Sounds Familiar), she reached the final gaining the second-best score.
Slovenia Debuted At Eurovision In: 1993
Slovenia Has Competed: 24 times
Eurovision Wins: 0
Slovenia’s Best Placing: 7th in 1995 and 2001 with Darja Švajger’s “Tih dezeven dan” and Nuša Derenda’s “Energy”
Last Year Slovenia Placed: Didn’t qualify for the Grand Final, 17th in Semi-Final with Omar Naber‘s “On My Way”
Spain: Amaia & Alfred – Tu Canción
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Amaia.
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Alfred.
Full Name: Amaia Romero & Alfred Garcia
Previous Experience: Amaia started her career on children’s talent show Cántame una canción. She took part in series one of El Número Uno (The Number One), where she came eleventh. She was a contestant in series nine of Operación Triunfo, which also held an episode where the Eurovision act and song was chosen, she later went on to win the whole show. As for Alfred, he released a musical short film titled A Free Christmas Story. He was a contestant on season four of La Voz (the Spanish version of The Voice), but no one turned their chairs during his blind audition. He later was a contestant on season nine of Operación Triunfo, which also was how he was selected to represent Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, alongside Amaia; he came fourth.
Spain Debuted At Eurovision In: 1961
Spain Has Competed: 58 times
Eurovision Wins: 2 – in 1968 and 1969 with Massiel’s “La, la, la” and Salomé’s “Vivo Cantando”
Spain’s Best Placing In The Last 10 Years: 10th in 2012 and 2014 with Pastora Soler’s “Quédate conmigo” and Ruth Lorenzo’s “Dancing In The Rain”
Last Year Spain Placed: 26th with Manel Navarro‘s “Do It For Your Lover”
Sweden: Benjamin Ingrosso – Dance You Off
Check out our Artist 101 profile on Benjamin Ingrosso.
Previous Experience: Won Lilla Melodifestivalen in 2006 and therefore went off to represent Sweden at Melodi Grand Prix Nordic, where he didn’t make the top three. In 2014, he won the ninth season of Let’s Dance (the Swedish version of Strictly Come Dancing / Dancing With The Stars). He also participated in Melodifestivalen 2017, Sweden’s national selection show for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, where he came fifth.
Sweden Debuted At Eurovision In: 1958
Sweden Has Competed: 58 times
Eurovision Wins: 6 – in 1974 with ABBA’s “Waterloo”; 1984 with Herreys’ “Diggi-Loo Diggi-Lei”; 1991 with Carola’s “Fångad av en stormvind”; 1999 with Charlotte Nilsson’s “Take Me To Your Heaven”; 2012 with Loreen’s “Euphoria”; and 2015 with Månz Zelmerlöw’s “Heroes”.
Sweden’s Best Placing, Other Than Winning, In The Last 10 Years: 3rd in 2011 and 2014 with Eric Saade’s “Popular” and Sanna Nielsen’s “Undo” respectively
Last Year Sweden Placed: 5th with Robin Bengtsson‘s “I Can’t Go On”
Switzerland: ZiBBZ – Stones
Check out our Artist 101 profile on ZiBBZ.
Check out our Exclusive Interview with ZiBBZ.
Duo Consists Of: Corinne Gfeller and Stefan Gfeller
Previous Experience: They had their own reality show between 2011 and 2015 on Swiss TV channel Joiz as they were on the road to success in Los Angeles. Their name comes from the English word “Siblings” as their brother and sister.
Switzerland Debuted At Eurovision In: 1956
Switzerland Has Competed: 59 times
Eurovision Wins: 2 – in 1956 and 1988 with Lys Assia’s “Refrain” and Céline Dion’s “Ne partez pas sans moi”
Switzerland’s Best Placing Since Winning: 3rd in 1993 with Annie Cotton’s “Moi, tout simplement”
Last Year Switzerland Placed: Didn’t qualify for the Grand Final, 12th in Semi-Final with Timebelle‘s “Apollo”
Ukraine: MÉLOVIN – Under The Ladder
Check out our Artist 101 profile on MÉLOVIN.
Real Name: Kostyantyn Bocharov
Previous Experience: Was a contestant on the sixth season of X-Factor (the Ukranian version of The X Factor), where he went on to win the show. He attempted to represent Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, where he came third even though he topped the public vote.
Ukraine Debuted At Eurovision In: 2003
Ukraine Has Competed: 15 times
Eurovision Wins: 2 – in 2004 and 2016 with Ruslana’s “Wild Dances” and Jamala’s “1944” respectively
Ukraine’s Best Placing, Other Than Winning, In The Last 10 Years: 2nd in 2008 with Ani Lorak’s “Shady Lady”
The Year Before Last, Ukraine Placed: 24th with O.Torvald‘s “Time”
United Kingdom: SuRie – Storm
Check out our Artist 101 profile on SuRie.
Real Name: Susanna Cork
Previous Experience: She’s been on the Eurovision stage before, being a back-up dancer for Belgium’s Loïc Nottet in 2015 with the song “Rhythm Inside”. Then, last year, she was the backing singer for Belgium’s Blanche, who sang “City Lights“.
The United Kindom Debuted At Eurovision In: 1957
The United Kingdom Has Competed: 61 times
Eurovision Wins: 5 – in 1967 with Sandie Shaw’s “Puppet on a String”; 1969 with Lulu’s “Boom Bang-a-Bang”; 1976 with Brotherhood of Man’s “Save Your Kisses For Me”; 1981 with Bucks Fizz’s “Making Your Mind Up”; and 1997 with Katrina and the Waves’ “Love Shine a Light”
The United Kingdom’s Best Placing Since Winning: 3rd in 2002 with Jessica Garlick’s “Come Back”
Last Year The United Kingdom Placed: 15th with Lucie Jones‘ “Never Give Up On You”
That’s all the entrants to the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. Who will win? It’s all down to the performance on the night, the staging of the entrants, and the song itself. Make sure you vote for your favourite.