First ESC semi-final
These acts made it to the finals
Finland with Käärijä and “Cha Cha Cha” is in the ESC final.
© imago images/TT
The first semi-final of the ESC 2023 took place on Tuesday evening. These ten countries made it to the final.
The first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 was scheduled for Tuesday evening (9 May). Which ten of the 15 acts qualified for the final on May 13th? The special thing about this year: The jury in the ESC semi-final shows was abolished, so that televoting decides which acts will sing in the final. In addition to the participating semi-final countries, Germany, France and Italy also voted in the first semi-final as the Big Five countries.
The semi-finalists
The following acts competed in the first semi-final: For Norway, Alessandra with “Queen Of Kings”, Malta with The Busker and “Dance (Our Own Party)”, Serbia with Luke Black and “Samo mi se spava”, Latvia with Sudden Lights and ” Aijā”, Portugal with Mimicat and “Ai coração”, Ireland with Wild Youth and “We Are One”, Croatia with Let 3 and “Mama ŠČ”, Switzerland with Remo Forrer and “Watergun” and Israel with Noa Kirel and “Unicorn “.
Also there were Moldova with Pasha Parfeni and “Soarele și luna”, Sweden with Loreen and “Tattoo”, Azerbaijan with TuralTuranX and “Tell Me More”, Czech Republic with Vesna and “My Sister’s Crown”, Netherlands with Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper and “Burning Daylight” and Finland with Käärijä and “Cha Cha Cha”.
The winners
In the end, Croatia, Moldova, Switzerland, Finland, the Czech Republic, Israel, Portugal, Sweden, Serbia and Norway were able to win push through. Not surprisingly, two acts on the list of favorites are set to win the final.
One country in particular is at the top of the list for bookmakers: Sweden. Loreen, 39, is back for the Scandinavian country, the singer won in 2012 with “Euphoria”. Now she is trying her luck again in Liverpool with the title “Tattoo”. The betting shops are currently reckoning with a 44 percent chance of winning, which puts Sweden in first place in the “eurovisionworld.com” fan community. According to the portal, directly behind Sweden is the neighboring country Finland and “Cha Cha Cha” from Käärijä. Here the betting shops see a 23 percent chance of winning.
In 2023 the music competition will take place in Liverpool, even though Kalush Orchestra won the ESC in Turin for the Ukraine with “Stefania”. However, it cannot be held there due to the war. The second semi-final will take place on May 11th and the final with 26 participants on May 13th in Liverpool. The BBC is working with representatives of the Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne to integrate Ukrainian elements into the shows and thus make the country’s culture visible.