Semi-Final 2 of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 took place on Thursday, 16 May 2019, and what a competitive show it was. Ten acts went through to Saturday’s Grand Final, whilst eight acts were eliminated, but it was the interval act that made us tear up a bit. Shalva Band took to the stage to sing the song “A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman, and what a powerful performance it was as each member of the group live with some degree of disability, making this performance and song even more heartfelt.
This year, the Eurovision Song Contest is taking place at the Expo Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel, after their representative, Netta, won the 2018 contest with her female empowerment track, “Toy”. The stage has got us all shook and wishing we were there watching it live.
Shalva Band originally took part in Israel’s national selection show for Eurovision, titled HaKokhav HaBa, and made it as far as the Semi-Finals where they withdrew from the competition as they realised that they would have to disregard Shabbat observance, and so they withdrew to respect the beliefs of some of their band members. Regardless, they still managed to capture our hearts on the Eurovision stage by being the interval act – making us question whether they could’ve gone on to win Eurovision 2019 if they hadn’t withdrawn.
Watch Shalva Band’s Cover Version Of “A Million Dreams” From The Greatest Showman During The Eurovision 2019 Semi-Final 2 Interval Here:
This interval act certainly spreads positivity and sees Israel’s hosting of Eurovision as inclusive and definitely bringing people together. The Grand Final is set to take place tonight – in a few hours time, in fact.
Why not check out our facts and stats article on all 41 countries and acts that are competing this year. And, if you have your favourites, you should totally vote for them in our reader’s poll. We also suggest that you check out our Semi-Final 2 Lyric Quiz, test your knowledge on the words of all 18 songs that took part in the first Semi-Final.