Welcome to the Group Stages of the Eurovision Championships and yes, we finally made it through the wilderness of qualifiers and we’re now getting to start asking some tricky questions. At this point in the competition, we are set to see at least one former winner get knocked out every three days which means it’s business time. Without further ado then, let’s get started with our first group.
Group A is a Southern European affair with Eurovision stalwarts Portugal, Italy & Israel joined by the new flashy kids on the block that are Azerbaijan. The Israelis are the top seeds in this group but they pretty much couldn’t have ended up a trickier draw as they will have to navigate the Italian Eurovision classicism, the Portuguese trademark sound and the large scale investment and pizzazz that has brought Azerbaijan so much success at the contest. Only two nations can go through but every vote will count as each nation fights to qualify for a potential knockout round tie against the UK, Switzerland, Russia or Latvia.
Israel (1978 & 1998)
Every time that Israel won the Eurovision Song Contest, it was a massive deal for the contest. When Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta took victory in Paris with ‘A-ba-ni-bi’, it marked the first time that the competition would be hosted outside geographical Europe. Israel would then go on to win on home soil. Twenty years after the success in Paris, Dana International won in Birmingham with ‘Diva’ and it marked a momentous occasion for LGBT representation at Eurovision that defines the identity of the contest to this day. Then there’s Netta’s victory in Lisbon with her strong message of female empowerment in the face of a sexist society. Whilst Israel’s participation at Eurovision has not been without its controversy and whilst the politics around their occasions hosting the contest was definitely questionable, one cannot argue with the simple premise that Israel bring a unique sound and feel to Eurovision and that when they get it right, they get it very, very right. Do it for the memories, do it for the Hebrew language, vote Israel!
Italy (1964 & 1990)
When you think about the status that Italy have at Eurovision, it’s easy to forget that Italy were absent from the Eurovision Song Contest for almost twenty years (with an exception in 1997). Let’s face it, you can’t have Europe without Italy and you can’t have a Eurovision that feels complete without a beautiful Italian song being part of the musical landscape of any given edition. When Gigliola Cinquetti won the contest in Copenhagen with ‘Non ho l’età’ was not only she the youngest-ever winner at the time but she was also the first from Southern Europe and represented the ability of Eurovision to celebrate geographical diversity even in those early days of the contest. When Toto Cutugo won with ‘Insieme: 1992’ in Zagreb, it was similarly a message of love, peace and unity in a time when Europe was questioning its identity more than ever. Italy have always been at the forefront of Eurovision just at the right moments and it’s amazing how much we would have lost without Italy at the contest (and I’m not just referring to the amazing contest that was 1991). Italy have been pushing for a modern Eurovision victory for years and they definitely deserve it, but do they deserve your vote?
Portugal (1996 & 2017)
Whilst it probably unfair to say that Portugal have been hanging around the Eurovision doldrums for a long time, they definitely haven’t challenged for the summit of the scoreboard on many occasions. The closest they came was Lucia Moniz’s effort ‘O meu coração não tem cor’ which finished 6th in Oslo. Sure, they had some nice moments alongside that and there are several Portuguese entries particularly from the 70s and 90s that many Eurovision fans hold close in their heart, but it wasn’t until Kiev and a certain Salvador Sobral stood on a satellite stage and sang ‘Amar pelos dois’ with all the emotion inside him did Portugal finally take their place at the top table of the contest. Portugal have never been flashy, they have never tried to pretend that their musical culture is something it wasn’t and this is marked by the fact that every single entry they have ever sent has been in Portuguese. That attitude is not only worth respecting but it made their sole victory in 2017 all the more special. Portugal don’t give fast food music, they give you something that’s been killed by hand, slow-cooked for 5 hours and delicately presented on a plate for your enjoyment, surely that’s worth voting for.
Azerbaijan (2011 & 2013)
And finally, we come to the anti-Portugal, the nation that was desperate to win the Eurovision Song Contest from the first time that they participated in 2008, it’s Azerbaijan. To put the Caucasus nation’s success into perspective, they are one of the only nations to have placed in the top 10 more often than they have failed to do so which is particularly impressive given the size of modern Eurovision. By contrast to their three competitors, every song that Azerbaijan have sent to Eurovision has been in English. Azerbaijan have poured millions into their efforts on the Eurovision stage, particularly when they spent €160 million hosting the contest in 2012. Let’s face it though, their money at the contest has been well spent. The songs are of high quality, the stagings are unique and masterful and the acts have performed in a range of different genres and styles. Ell & Nikki became national superstars when they won the competition in 2011 in Düsseldorf singing ‘Running Scared’ and Farid Mammadov was unlucky to not bring the contest almost immediately back to Baku in 2013 when he performed ‘Hold Me’ in Malmö. Sure it’s big, sure it’s brash, sure it’s a load of foreign songwriters, sure perhaps Azerbaijan have missed out on the opportunity to showcase their nation’s incredible culture but you can’t deny how much fun it is and you can’t deny that even with three Eurovision stalwarts in this group, there’s a part of you that wants to follow your heart and give Azerbaijan your vote.
Please vote no later than 23:59 BST July 7th. We will release the vote for Group B the next day as we see the UK, Switzerland, Russia & Latvia attempt to fight their way out of the group stages.
Which were the qualifiers from the other groups and where do you announce who wins this and other groups?