Disclaimer: All image credits belong to the EBU and their house photographers, Sarah Louise Bennett and Alma Bengtsson.
Welcome back to the final day of the individual rehearsals here at the Malmö Arena! Today, the direct finalists: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the host country, Sweden, took the stage to rehearse for the second time, thus completing the second round of individual rehearsals for all 37 countries this year.
As a reminder, for the first time, the direct qualifiers will perform live during the semi-finals as interval acts between the competing songs. The United Kingdom, Germany, and Sweden will perform in the first semi-final on May 7th, and France, Spain, and Italy will perform in the second semi-final on May 9th. To clarify again, they will NOT be competing in said semi-finals but rather showcasing their songs live between the songs of said semi-finals. They will also be able to vote in their designated semi-final.
But let’s get back to business and discuss their second rehearsals. Each delegation chose a 30-second clip of the rehearsal footage to share with the audience, showcasing a small part of their performance as it will be seen on TV. A recap of these clips will be linked at the end of this article once published by the EBU. Aside from the very well-anticipated clips and some additional photos, each delegation drew on which part of the Grand Final they would perform in, with the options being:
- First Half – Spots 1-13
- Second Half: Spots 14-26
- Producer’s Choice – Any spot available, decided by the producers.
So, let’s get into details and see what each country had in store for us today:
🇬🇧 UNITED KINGDOM – Olly Alexander – ‘Dizzy’
Running order draw for the Final: First half
The UK’s Olly Alexander started the day by bringing three minutes of sweaty gym meeting ‘Inception’. The performance almost entirely takes place in this dirty locker room prop and is all about clever camera angles. As the title of the song suggests, Olly and his four dancers, dressed in minimal boxing gear, are thrown from wall to wall, ceiling to floor, creating an illusion of a room with constantly changing gravity. To help translate the “dizzy” feeling to the audience, the room also changes lighting during the performance. It creates a very well-produced, unique environment we’ve seen nothing like before on the Eurovision stage.
🇩🇪 GERMANY – ISAAK – ‘Always On The Run’
Running order draw for the Final: First half
Our second act to rehearse today is none other than Germany’s ISAAK. He starts his performance in a minimalistic room with just a couch and a burning trash can. The walls are completely hollow, with just metal bars creating the frame of the room and the lowered middle cube in the stage functioning as a ceiling. When the first chorus kicks in, the room lights up in flames as fire jets burst all around the stage. Isaak ends his performance outside the burning room, possibly symbolizing him ‘breaking free’ as in his song lyrics. Not much has changed since the first rehearsal, but Isaak’s charisma in his rehearsal clip certainly adds a lot to the overall package.
🇸🇪 SWEDEN – Marcus & Martinus – ‘Unforgettable’
Running order draw for the Final: Spot 01 (The host country draws its exact position 2 months before the contest, thus not allocated into any half)
Marcus and Martinus were drawn to open the grand final, and what an opener we are all in for. It feels as if the Malmö stage was designed for this song to be performed on. While the concept is almost identical to their Melodifestivalen staging, the use of the cubes and the big LEDs really make this ‘Matrix’ feeling come to life. The twins stick to their well-known choreography during the song, from the first verse inside the LED strip cage, till the last dance move on the open stage, really showcasing the versatility of the 2024 stage.
🇫🇷 FRANCE – Silmane – ‘Mon Amour’
Running order draw for the Final: Second half
Slimane is following what has now become a trend in 2024 for black-and-white stagings. Dressed all in white, Slimane is surrounded by dark smoke and a completely black staging. He is transitioning between the LED floor, which lights up for a little part, and standing up surrounded by nothing but the audience that will fill the arena during the live shows. At the end of his performance, Slimane takes several steps back from his microphone, showcasing his vocal power singing from a large distance to the microphone, creating a very cinematic mood.
🇪🇸 SPAIN – Nebulossa – ‘Zorra’
Running order draw for the Final: Producer’s Choice – Any available spot the producer chooses.
Spain is up next on stage with our oldest contestants this year. Mariá, the lead singer of Nebulossa, starts the performance locked inside the middle cube on stage which is lowered all the way to the floor. As the intro finishes, she is revealed on stage with her iconic Benidorm-Fest dancers. They perform a very similar routine to the one we’ve seen in the National Final, but with a touch of sparkle that makes it glow up on the big stage.
🇮🇹 ITALY – Angelina Mango – ‘La Noia’
Running order draw for the Final: Producer’s Choice – Any available spot the producer chooses.
Last but definitely not least, Angelina Mango closes our day with the last second rehearsal of the year. She is also the only one today to have major changes since her first rehearsal, as she and her dancers changed outfits completely. She is now wearing a black outfit with a corset similar to the one she wore on the first rehearsal, and her dancers are all dressed in black. The dance routine hasn’t changed, and Angelina still has her large throne of thorns on stage. The choreography is inspired by Latin influences, and the presence of the Cumbia is greatly felt in this highly energetic performance.
Here is the recap of all the rehearsals of the day:
And that sums up our last day of individual rehearsals! So what are we expecting next?
No country will be rehearsing tomorrow. Instead, technical rehearsals of hosting, interval acts, and transitions between songs will take place. However, this doesn’t mean that tomorrow will not be eventful, as the turquoise carpet will take place in the afternoon, featuring all of this year’s contest delegations and a big press party!
And next week is finally Eurovision week! From Monday onwards, each day will consist of dress rehearsals for the full shows, as well as the live shows on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Our team will have full coverage and live streams during these days, so make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to not miss any of that.
Who did #YOU like the most out of today’s rehearsals? Are #YOU excited about Eurovision Week? Let us know on social media @ESCUnited or on our forum page!
