At eight o'clock in the evening, British time, the European Broadcasting Union kicked off the first semi-final of the sixty-seventh edition of Eurovision. A gala, held at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, in which 15 countries participated: Norway, Malta, Serbia, Latvia, Portugal, Ireland, Croatia, Switzerland, Israel, Moldova, Sweden, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Netherlands and Finland.

Before starting the competition, the EBU kicked off the event with an emotional video, in which many locals, children and adults, were excited to learn that this edition of Eurovision would be held in their city, after Ukraine – the winning country of Eurovision 2022 – was forced to "give up" its work of holding the contest in Kiev.

Moments later, the cameras pointed to the stage and, amid the shouts of the audience, the show began: two children starred in the initial number, focused on the brotherhood of the United Kingdom and Ukraine. After its end, the audience received the three presenters of the event: the singer and rapper Alesha Dixon, the actress, known for musicals such as Spamalot, Hannah Waddingham and the leader of the Ukrainian band The Hardkiss Julia Sanina.

After the respective presentations, the show, finally, introduced the first competitor of the night: Alessandra, from Norway, along with her song Queen of Kings. A number focused on the vocal power of the 20-year-old, who – along with her group of dancers – intended to make clear the importance of female power. In fact, the singer says that her experience as a bisexual girl inspired parts of the song.

Secondly, to Liverpool, came Malta with The Busker. A trio consisting of vocalist David Melilak, drummer Jean Paul Borg and saxophonist Sean Meachen, who filled the stage with energy with their song Dance (Our Own Party). A single full of good vibes, which made the whole arena dance, in addition to surprising the public, thanks to its costume change.

And another person who surprised because of his outfit, was Luke Black. The representative of Serbia, the third country in competition, who adopts a look very similar to that of Eduardo Manostijeras to present his song Samo mi se spava, which in Spanish means "I just want to sleep". Although his proposal on stage more awake than sleeping. Above all, for its futuristic dyes.

Mimicat, from Portugal, one of the most applauded tonight. Adam VaughanEFE

Next, in position number four, came Latvia with Sudden Lights. A quartet of handsome boys, reminiscent (slightly) of Take That, but who sing indie rock. A clear example of this is its Eurovision proposal called Aij. A kind of nana, which -in his words- intends to "numb" people... And, to be honest, in Liverpool they succeeded.

In fifth place came Portugal, with its diva Mimicat. A singer born in Coimbra, who admires Ella Fitzgerald very much. So it's no surprise that she performs as a jazz singer (or a cabaret singer, with a very 70s feel) to perform her rhythmic song Ai coração, which swept the Festival da Canção and the M&S Bank Arena.

In number six, Ireland came forward with a proposal similar to that of Latvia: four young people, called Wild Youth. However, these are more reminiscent of One Direction than other boyband... Despite this, neither their pretty faces nor the bright jumpsuit of their vocalist managed to conquer the public, who gave them a lukewarm applause.

The next to arrive on stage, at number seven, were the Croatians of Let 3. A five-member band, dressed as colorful soldiers, who performed the song Mama Š!. A topic that, at first, seems like a joke. However, it has a great background: the Let 3 try to laugh at Vladimir Putin. Although what attracted the most attention was that the Croatians took off their costumes and ended up in their underwear.

At number eight, Switzerland performed with soloist Remo Forrer. The winner of the third season of The Voice of Switzerland who, on this occasion, presented a song called Watergun. A ballad, about the conflicts of war, which – although at times it may seem soporific – pleased the public very much.

Seconds later, at number nine, Israel was presented with one of the best performances of the night. And, to the rhythm of Unicorn, the singer Noa Kirel sings, dances, jumps and surprises. She is a full-blown popstar and, after her presentation in Liverpool, many are already comparing her to Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande and even Rihanna.

Noa Kirel, representative of Israel.Adam VaughanEFE

After half of the show, Moldova stepped on stage, with the 10th performance. One of the most applauded of the night. And it is difficult to look away from Pasha Parfeny and the presentation of his song Soarele i luna, which he performs with the professional flutist Sergiu, a musician with dwarfism.

At number 11, came the winner of Eurovision 2012. Superstar Loreen with her Tattoo. The song that today is number one in bookmakers, such as Bet365 and UniBet, and that repeats the same proposal used in Melodifestivalen, the pre-selection of Sweden to Eurovision: two rectangles (one on the ground and one flying), from which the singer tries to "liberate".

Subsequently, at number 12, Azerbaijan was presented with the duo TuralTuranX. A group composed of two brothers -Tural and Turan Bamanov-, who sang the song Tell Me More. A song considered country, accompanied by a staging in which only their voices stood out.

At number 13, the Czech sextet Vesna landed on the Eurovision stage. A group composed only of women, with immense braids, whose Eurovision bet consists of a feminist folk anthem. This is My sister's Crown. A single that talks about female empowerment and sisterhood.

Minutes later, it was the turn of the Netherlands -at number 14-, along with Burning Daylight. A song performed by soloists Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper, who received numerous criticisms during the last weeks. In fact, in the pre-party, held in Madrid, on April 8, the singers faced certain vocal difficulties. However, on the Liverpool stage they delivered... Hardly.

And if we talk about ovations, there is no one who has managed to get the entire M&S Bank Arena to stand up like the singer in position number 15: Käärijä. The representative of Finland, who at this minute is listed as the second favorite. The reason? A fantastic staging (with a giant wooden box and four great dancers), a wardrobe that allowed his abdomen to be seen and a vocal capacity, reminiscent of the singer's idol: Till Lindemann, the vocalist of Rammastein.

After the end of the songs in competition, Liverpool received two music stars: the former participant of The X Factor, the British singer Rebecca Ferguson and the Ukrainian singer Alyosha, who managed to fall in love with the Duran Duran classic Ordinary World. Then, the British celeb Rita Ora approached the stage to sing a medley and her new song Praising You. A number worthy of any popstar concert.

At the close of voting, the presenters returned to the stage and, with a stadium that did not stop shouting or applauding, the 10 classified were announced: Croatia, Moldova, Switzerland, Finland, Czech Republic, Israel, Portugal, Sweden, Serbia and Norway, who will be presented in the grand final, this Saturday, along with the 10 classified of the second semifinal, which will take place this Thursday, in addition to Ukraine, the winning country of 2022, and the countries belonging to the so-called Big Five: Spain, United Kingdom, Italy, France and Germany.

  • Eurovision

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