Lead photo: EBU/Thomas Hanses
Tonight, the Eurovision Song Contest made its triumphant return to our screens after a two-year break, and we were treated to a wonderful show by our Dutch hosts at the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam.
The show, hosted by Edsilia Rombley, Chantal Janzen, Jan Smit and Nikkie de Jager, saw sixteen of this year’s acts performing for the first time and hoping to make it through to Saturday’s grand final and join the Big 5 and host country.
The songs in tonight’s show, in running order, were;
- LITHUANIA – The Roop – Discoteque
- SLOVENIA – Ana Soklič – Amen
- RUSSIA – Manizha – Russian Woman
- SWEDEN – Tusse – Voices
- AUSTRALIA – Montaigne – Technicolour
- NORTH MACEDONIA – Vasil – Here I Stand
- IRELAND – Lesley Roy – Maps
- CYPRUS – Elena Tsagrinou – El Diablo
- NORWAY – TIX – Fallen Angel
- CROATIA – Albina – Tick-Tock
- BELGIUM – Hooverphonic – The Wrong Place
- ISRAEL – Eden Alene – Set Me Free
- ROMANIA – Roxen – Amnesia
- AZERBAIJAN – Efendi – Mata Hari
- UKRAINE – Go_A – Shum
- MALTA – Destiny – Je me casse
Duncan Laurence also opened the semi-final with a performance of his collaboration with Armin van Buuren, “Feel Something”. Davina Michelle and Thekla Reuten performed the aqua-themed interval act “The Power of Water”, and previews of the performances from Italy, Germany and the Netherlands were also shown before they join the competition on Saturday.
With 50% of the votes decided by each country’s professional juries in last night’s jury rehearsal, it was down to the public vote of Europe to make up the other 50% of the votes in tonight’s live show.
After the two sets of points were compiled, the top ten of the semi-final was confirmed. Tonight’s ten qualifiers are;
- NORWAY
- ISRAEL
- RUSSIA
- AZERBAIJAN
- MALTA
- LITHUANIA
- CYPRUS
- SWEDEN
- BELGIUM
- UKRAINE
These ten acts will now perform in Saturday’s grand final, and will be joined by ten more qualifiers from Thursday’s second semi-final.
What do #YOU think of tonight’s result? Did the right songs make it through? Who are #YOU sad to see out? Share your thoughts with us on our forum HERE or join the discussion below and on social media!
