“It was strong”: Sergey Lazarev reached the Eurovision final

On Thursday, May 17, the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 was held in Tel Aviv. Artists from 18 states participated in it.

According to the results of voting by members of the jury and spectators of the countries participating in the semifinal, ten participants passed to the final of the competition. They include Luca Henney from Switzerland, Danish Leonora Colmore Jepsen, Swede John Lundvik and winner of the Maltese version of the X-Factor Michela Pace.

Also among the finalists are Albanian singer and TV presenter Jonida Malichi, the Norwegian group KEiiNO, Duncan Lawrence from the Netherlands, guitarist Chingiz Mustafayev from Azerbaijan and Tamara Todevska from Northern Macedonia. The representative of Russia Sergey Lazarev with the composition Scream also made it to the final.

Room with mirrors

In the semifinals of the competition, Lazarev performed at number 13. The performance of the Russian singer was difficult from a technical point of view: on a platform specially installed on the stage, there were eight mirrors, which also served as screens for special effects. In the screens, one after another, images of flying comets, torrential rain, lightning, and storms alternated.

The demonstration of the elements in the reflection of mirrors had a symbolic meaning, which corresponds to the first part of the number. At first, Lazarev himself was reflected in eight mirrors, or rather the spectrum of the performer’s emotions — his experiences, fears and regrets.

The performance ended with a “breaking up” of reflective surfaces. According to the singer, his actions symbolize the conversation and the struggle with himself. In order to go forward and develop, the singer believes, it is necessary to leave fears and experiences in the past, to get rid of the ballast.

Thus, Lazarev transmits the concept of the video for the song Scream, released in March, where his hero also struggles with his own fears. However, the performance for Eurovision, as the organizers rightly noted, does not duplicate the video.

During the press conference after the speech, Sergey Lazarev said that he was nervous during the performance of his number. In addition, at the time of the semi-finals, he did not feel well.

“I had health problems with my neck. Yesterday we went to the doctor, but now everything is in order ... It is very cold here, ”the singer noted.

He also urged the organizers of the competition to transfer air conditioners to a less powerful mode.

Reaction and memes

The performance of the Russian artist made a strong impression on the audience. Most social network users admire the Lazarev number.

“It was strong. Much better live than when I first heard the song, ”said a Twitter user from Slovenia. He put Lazarev in third place in his personal "list of winners." The first two positions in it are the Netherlands and Sweden.

This was powerful🙌👏🙏
Much better live then when I first heared it💜 # Eurovision # Eurovision2019pic.twitter.com / FCQXRnBM73

“If you do not know for whom to vote, I have a couple of options,” the Russian-speaking user jokes, hinting at the artist who “multiplied” in the mirrors.

I have a couple of options # Eurovision2019 # Eurovisionpic.twitter.com / 2CgYdBQB6f

The number of the contestant from Russia not only pleased the viewers, but also turned out to be fertile ground for jokes and memes. For example, one of the users signed a photo of Lazarev's speech as follows: "When it starts to rain, and the cat wants to go home from the yard."

when it starts raining up # # Eurovision2019 # Eurovisionpic.twitter.com / CzOinEXzBG

However, the audience had associations not only with cats.

#Eurovision
Can't see the difference pic.twitter.com/3MRCu83CWo

“This is me trying to sing every part of the Bohemian Rhapsody,” they joke on Twitter.

Me trying to sing every part of Bohemian Rhapsody # eurovisionpic.twitter.com / 9psh0xwb3E

Lazarev's speech was also mentioned when discussing other contestants. So the artist's emotions during the performance have become a good help for the spectator to express despair.

“I, when Romania failed,” is how the social network user from Odessa interprets the singer’s emotions. He also puts Lazarev in third place on his personal list.

Me when Romania didn't qualify # Eurovision # Eurovision2019pic.twitter.com / BUZdjL5DQZ

The owner of another account illustrates an improvised dialogue with a photo from the performance.

“Mom: What's wrong?

I: It's all right.

Again, I was thinking how Croatia was deprived of the final. ”

# eurovision # Eurovision2019 mom: what's wrong?
me: nothing
also me thinking about how croatia got robbed from getting into the final: pic.twitter.com/FMtiW4s9tK

The performance of the contestant from Croatia became another meme - just not so kind.

“Evil is alive! He returned from hell! ”- write on social networks.

Elvis is alive! He's back from Hell !!!
Croatia # Eurovision2019pic.twitter.com / Z0itCldX35

Others compare the wings behind the artist with the outfits of the “angels” - the ambassadors of a famous brand of underwear.

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2019 # EuroSemi2 # Eurovision2019pic.twitter.com / 1QmGUATos6

The final

In total, 26 participants reached the final of the international competition. The struggle for first place in the first semi-final, which was held on May 14, was continued by ten musicians. Among them are representatives of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Australia, Greece, Belarus, Iceland, Estonia, Slovenia and San Marino.

According to the results of the second semi-final, ten more countries joined them. Guaranteed places in the finals of the competition were received by the host country and the countries of the “big five” - the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany and Italy - as the founders and sponsors of the competition. The Eurovision final will be held in Israel this Saturday, May 18th.

One of the most anticipated events of the evening is the performance of the American singer Madonna. The singer agreed to appear at the competition, despite the political situation and the calls of her colleagues to boycott the competition in connection with the policy of the Israeli authorities against the Palestinians.

Madonna is expected to perform two new tracks from her new album Madame X, which is scheduled for release in June. The diva's performance was paid for by the Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adam.