Andrea M. Rosa del Pino

Updated Wednesday, January 31, 2024-02:18

  • Television Inés Hernand stars in the first controversy of the Benidorm Fest: "I condemn Israel's attacks. They are the ones who murder, not me":

  • Eurovision Former Benidorm Fest contestants give their opinion on the contest: "Today many record companies want to present artists, but not before"

Since November, Spanish Television has tried to convince its audience that

Benidorm Fest

is nothing more than magic and fantasy. According to the network's directors, such as

Ana María Bordas and María Eizaguirre,

the previous Eurovision pre-selections - among them, Look Who's Going to Eurovision and Objective Eurovision - presented a high level. However, according to the organization, this contest has "a new way of promoting talent."

What's more, according to

Rayden

, a former contest participant and current advisor, the Benidorm Fest has gone from strength to strength and in three years has transformed into

a festival that serves as a global benchmark.

"Today many record companies want to present artists. But when I decided to participate, the same thing didn't happen. My own company, Warner, didn't want me to present myself... And look how much we've grown!" He stated, with confidence, a few days ago.

But... Is the Benidorm Fest really convincing? According to numerous Twitter users, Eurofans and even haters, the answer is yes and RTVE demonstrated it this Tuesday with the first semi-final of the third edition of the competition, broadcast live from the Palau d'Esports L'Illa in Benidorm. At around 10 p.m.,

Ruth Lorenzo, Marc Calderó and Ana Prada

began the long-awaited gala, which took place on a round and imposing stage, measuring 580.28 m2, surrounded by more than a thousand euphoric fans.

After the protocol greetings, those in charge of opening the night were

Lérica

. The well-known duo, formed by Tony - Abraham Mateo's brother - and Juan Carlos Arauzo, former representative of Spain in Eurojunior. They both arrived in Benidorm with

Astronauta

. A catchy song that made everyone jump for three minutes. In technical terms, Lérica showed a striking staging, which included a spaceship. However, the most notable thing about their presentation was their energy and choreography.

The festival began with spirits through the roof and thanks to

Noan,

the euphoria continued in the atmosphere. The singer intoned

I miss you -.

A rock ballad, which talks about regret. The young man seemed to feel every chorus and, soon, his spirit infected those present. The presentation, which took place in a setting that emulated his room, reached a point of great intensity and, quickly, the Basque won the love of the audience. Although, unfortunately,

he failed to win over people at home.

Moments later,

Sofía Coll

- famous for participating in the second season of TV3's Eufòria - began her show. The Catalan promised an explosion. But the only really explosive thing about her presentation was the setting, which she slightly reminded of

The Squid Game,

her huge hat, and her bright outfit. Coll, who sang

Here to Stay,

was accompanied by four dancers and performed a very rhythmic choreography. But her nerves worked against her and

some cocks were heard on television.

In fourth place,

Mantra

- the trio formed by the

former Auryn Carlos Marco, Paula Pérez and Charly Weinberg -

landed on stage with

Me vas a ver.

A dance song that could hardly make it to Eurovision... But that could become a great success on Cadena Dial or Cadena 100. And, despite the fact that the three singers do not have much chemistry, on stage they manage to coexist in harmony . They are not the bomb together and appear

quite static. But they manage to transmit good vibes

and good vibes.

Later, it was Miss Caffeina's turn

.

One of the favorite groups and, of course, they did not disappoint. The presentation of

Bla Bla Bla,

a song dedicated to the envious, began with Alberto, its vocalist, lying on a large structure. However, in the chorus, the show became more dynamic and its three dancers filled the entire stage, while Alberto and Sergio, the other members of the band, played their instruments in ecstasy. In conclusion:

a lukewarm, but attractive proposal.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of

Quique Niza,

who - when singing

Prisoner

- starred in

the lowest moment of the gala.

The UPA Next actor began his presentation, melancholic, with his piano... But he soon began to unite many elements to a show that would have worked better from minimalism. It was a sad song. But his choreography was energetic. Even his breathing seemed unnecessarily labored. The result? The public lost concentration and Nice lost its focus.

But salvation came in a matter of minutes. Because the seventh participant managed to turn on the audience. We are talking about

Angy Fernández.

When the popular artist revealed that she would participate in the contest, she confessed that she wanted to show that she could be a good actress and a good singer, that it was not necessary to stick to one discipline. And she achieved it with

I know who I am.

A song that remembers the beginnings of her career and that made her shine on stage:

Angy, she performed like no one else, she gave herself to the emotion and moved Benidorm.

To finish, came the duo

Nebulossa

with

Zorra

, the most vindictive song of this edition. The singer

María Blas

sang her hymn to freedom, among a decoration that imitated the walls of a brothel, and those present devoted themselves to her song. However, the presentation was not liked by the specialized press. The reason? The vocalist moved little and, really, the weight of her performance was carried by her two dancers and her very lively drummer. Even so,

her empowering lyrics resonated deeply with Eurofans.

After some breaks, the gala continued with two performances: that of

Beret

, who performed

Superhéroes

, along with the Italian,

Mr. Rain and Abraham Mateo,

who sang

tequiero.

His song was in collaboration with

Vicco

, who also sang his hit

Nochentera

. After the musical performances, the jury - made up of Spanish artists

Beatriz Luengo, Carlos Baute, Guille Milkway and Ángela Carrasco

and international experts

Lee Smithurst, David Tserunyan, Marta Piekarska and Nicoline Refsing

- took the microphone.

At the Benidorm Fest

the word of the jury represents 50% of the votes.

Something that, normally, tweeters criticize. Especially today, after Luengo revealed that they had awarded only 62 points to Angy Fernández, which - around 12 midnight - became a trending topic. The other scores were the following: 84 points for Nebulossa, her favorite, 64 for Miss Caffeina, 58 for Sofía Coll, 46 for Noan, 45 for Quique Niza, 40 for Lérica and 33 for Mantra.

Immediately afterwards, the presenters revealed

the demoscopic vote, which constitutes 25%

of the total. A vote made up of 350 people who represent, in theory, Spanish society. They awarded 40 points to Fernández, 35 to Nebulossa, 30 to Sofía Coll, 28 to Noan, 25 to Mantra, 22 to Lérica, 20 to Niza and 16 to Miss Caffeina. Although the real surprise came when Inés Hernand appeared with the results of the televoting with numbers that no one saw coming.

Until that moment, the members of

Mantra

were not the favorites. But

, according to the televoting - which for the Benidorm Fest is worth 25% - they had to reach the final.

In fact, they were awarded 40 points. But mathematics did not work in their favor, the young people failed to classify and burst into tears. However, her classmates seemed quite satisfied with the results: Angy received 35 points, Nebulossa 30, Sofía 28, Miss Caffeína 25, Noan 22, Lérica 20 and Niza 16.

The final summary?

Next Saturday, in the final of the Benidorm Fest, Nebulossa, Angy Fernández, Sofía Coll and Miss Caffeina will compete alongside those selected from the second semi-final,

which will take place next Thursday, in the same venue and at the same time. According to RTVE, the day will offer numerous surprises. Among them, the presentation of

Ruth Lorenzo,

who will sing the legendary song that took her to Eurovision. "I won't be able to make it rain on stage. But we will have a good time," she commented a few hours ago.