It took more than a week, but Melody, Spain's representative at Eurovision, wanted to talk today about her unsuccessful participation in the European song contest. After the Eurovision final, where it was placed in the penultimate position, the Sevillian decided to postpone the traditional press conference held by Spanish representatives and took refuge at home with her family. One of the reasons she gave for her temporary absence was the need to be with her one-year-old son, from whom she has been separated during the intense run-up to Eurovision. "I was very surprised by the commotion that has been generated. There's a lot of talk about work-life balance, and I'm surprised that it wasn't understood that I needed to be home with my baby for a few days. Things have been said that aren't true, like that I had kicked people out of the dressing room or that I've experienced a family drama."

After having raised his voice by calling for Israel's expulsion from Eurovision, this year's winner, Austrian JJ, has reversed himself. Following the criticism he has received in his country and accusations of anti-Semitism, the countertenor has backtracked. "I regret that my words have been misinterpreted. While I criticize the Israeli government, I condemn any form of violence against civilians anywhere in the world, whether against Israelis or Palestinians," he said in an interview. He also added that from now on he will no longer make any comments on the Gaza war or any political commentary.

The presenter of The RevoltDavid Broncano explained during Monday's program that singer Melody didn't show up on the set, even though her presence had been scheduled for two months. "She got angry, we don't know why," said Broncano, who hoped the singer would "regroup a bit emotionally" afterward. from the result at Eurovision, where she came third from bottom. It was actor Manolo Solo who showed up at the last minute and improvisedly saved the interview. The Eurovision case is still ongoing, because even Pedro Sánchez has clearly requested that Israel be expelled from the television contest And RTVE has requested that the televoting system be examined. Eurovision, however, has asserted that it is "the most advanced voting system in the world." Festival director Martin Green explained that it is infallible, but also opened the door to reconsidering the importance of the televoting system in the future.

To decide the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest, there is a voting system that combines the opinions of a supposedly "professional" (?) jury with the virtual vote of the public in each participating country. In the semifinals, only the public votes are taken into account, while in the final, each country awards two types of points: one from the "professional" jury and one from the people voting at home. The song that obtains the highest total number of points is declared the winner of the contest, and in the event of a tie, the one with the most public votes wins. Every year, for one reason or another, this system generates controversy. Generally, they are more than justified. In itself, the Eurovision Song Contest is not a political issue, but it is obvious that it ends up becoming politicized. Right now, it is also part of the culture wars, to the extent that it has become, albeit unofficially, an openly gay event. How does all this affect our perception of politics?

I watched with emotion the debate about whether the singer Melody was not highly rated in the Eurovision Song Contest because Spanish Television broadcast a message against Israel.

On Saturday afternoon, La 1 broadcast a special on Eurovision as a preview of the festival. They needed to warm up their engines and couldn't find more suitable personnel for the task than the team of The TV familyThey did a program with the collaborators dressed in the most emblematic dresses of the historical Spanish participants. Belén Esteban was characterized as Salomé and, from time to time, they made her dance to the rhythm of the I live singing to move the fringes of the clothes. The spectacle was in line with the pathos that has been seen until now, every afternoon, on public television.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has explicitly called for Israel to be removed from the Eurovision Song Contest. He did so during an event in which he presented data on the impact of culture on the economy. Before addressing the issue, he said: "No one stood in shock when Russia's invasion of Ukraine began three years ago and was required to withdraw from no less than international competitions, and also, as we saw this weekend, from Eurovision. Therefore, Israel should not do so either, because we cannot stop."

The louder the outcry of international public opinion against the genocide in Gaza grows, the more the Israeli government and army are pleased to intensify their attacks and gratuitous displays of power and impunity. The Eurovision Song Contest, which has long been nothing more than an apotheosis of filth and filth, became on Saturday night, in this year's edition from Basel, a showcase for a cruelty that, with the addition of festival frivolity, became even more cynical and offensive. For many years, music has been the conspicuous absentee from a supposed song contest, devoted (like much of the current music industry) to insufferable squeals that oscillate between the most decadent melodrama and zombie dancing in a tourist disco. But, come on, it's all about costumes and sequins, and there's Eurovision for those who like it.

Bookmakers predicted Sweden had a 40% chance of winning Eurovision, but in reality, the Scandinavian country was left without the long-awaited victory after being beaten by the second favorite of the night, Austria. JJ – the stage name of Johannes Pietsch – thrilled Eurofans with Wasted love, a very lyrical song that allowed him to demonstrate his qualities as a countertenor. At the end of the night, the duel was between Austria and Israel, who finished in second place thanks to the audience vote.

RTVE has stood up to Eurovision and issued a message of support for Palestine and in defense of human rights just before the broadcast of the Eurovision Song Contest final. The Eurovision Song Contest, to impose "punitive fines" on RTVE if, during the broadcast of the final of the festival, what is done this Saturday, the commentators mentioned the Gaza war. During the second semifinal broadcast on Thursday, commentators Tony Aguilar and Julia Varela spoke about the Palestinian deaths just before the match went on stage. Israel's representative, Yuval Raphael, who was introduced as a survivor of Hamas attacks at the Supernova festival on October 7, 2023.

Eurovision has already selected the 26 finalists who, this Saturday, May 17, will compete for the coveted glass microphone awarded to the winner of the festival. The 69th edition of the competition, held in Basel, already seems to have a clear frontrunner: Sweden. However, there's always room for surprises. After the two semi-finals, the organizers have announced the running order for the grand final. Spain will perform in the first half of the show — traditionally considered the less favorable slot, as Eurovision winners are more often found in the second half. In fact, Sweden, the favorite, will perform 23rd, while last year’s winner, Switzerland, performed 21st.

Eurovision seems to have moved past last year’s tensions—largely sparked by Israel’s involvement in the Gaza conflict—and is on track for a smooth, uneventful edition this time around. Despite Israel’s continued participation, the calm surrounding the festival this year is helped by the fact that, for weeks, bookmakers have had a clear favorite: Sweden. In this article, we take a look at why the Nordic country is leading the pack ahead of Saturday’s contest in Basel, and explore which other contenders might still have a shot at stealing the spotlight.

Chanel (Havana, 1991), who was Spain's representative at Eurovision, visited for the first time The revolt This Monday. Just as he started, he released his new single, Antilles, And soon the questions about the song contest, which takes place on Saturday, began. The singer, who represented Spain at Eurovision 2022 and won third place with the song SloMo, spoke about her career, her mental health, and how she experienced the post-festival period.

The FEurovision 2024 summer was one of the hottest who remember the history of the competition. Israel's participation, in the midst of the Gaza war, generated controversy and tension in a festival that always maintained that it was not political, although it banned Russia's participation after the invasion of Ukraine. A year later, things haven't changed much: Israel's siege of the Gaza Strip remains in place, and calls for the country to be barred from competing continue (RTVE officially requested that the event be opened). a debate on the suitability of their participation). However, his presence at the festival has already been confirmed and his representative will be Yuval Raphael, 24, a survivor of the October 7 Hamas attacks at the Supernova music festival.

It's been twelve years since José Luis Uribarri, the historic Eurovision commentator for La 1, who was able to predict how each country would vote, died, but something survives: the persistent feeling that the geopolitics of the contest works against the aspirations of the Spanish candidates. Now that the engines are warming up for another night of songs and brilliance on Saturday, May 17, it's a good opportunity to review some figures and see if the stereotypes of cross-alliances between participants from friendly countries hold true.

New day will rise (in English, A New Day Will Be Born) is the song Israel will be performing at this year's Eurovision Song Contest. It will be performed by Yuval Raphael, a 24-year-old survivor of the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, where the armed group attacked a Nova music festival. The Jerusalem Post and several internet users have detected metaphors in the song's lyrics and music video, where young people are seen in nature, celebrating, and singing, which remind them of the Nova festivalgoers. At another point, young people are also seen running through the fields, just as the festivalgoers fled, although in the music video they run towards a beach, and the singer also appears under a light in the darkness.