Image: (APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER)
This was confirmed during the traditional drawing of starting places in the Swedish host city. The red-white-red candidate Kaleen has to prevail against 15 countries in order to get one of ten final tickets, which then entitles her to take part in the big ESC final, which is scheduled for May 11th in the Malmö Arena.
- Also read: Kaleen sings for Austria: “I would say that I’m sexy”
A total of 37 nations are competing for the European singing crown this year. Six countries do not have to go through the semi-final process: the Big Five, i.e. the largest payers, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and Spain. In addition, there is host Sweden, who is also set for May 11th.
The remaining countries have to go through the semifinals on May 7th and May 9th in the 300,000-inhabitant city of Malmö, which was the host city in 2013 and 1992. The motto of the major musical event is “United by Music” – a tagline that will now be used permanently at every ESC instead of the previously changing mottos.
- You might also be interested in: Marie-Sophie Kreissl: From 0 to 100
As in 2013, presenter Pernilla Månsson Colt led the draw evening, this time flanked by professional colleague Farah Abadi. In addition to the drawing, the festive setting is also traditionally a must at such an event. And so Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram, representing last year’s host, handed over the Eurovision insignia to his Malmö counterpart Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh. The change from one ESC host city to another has now officially been completed.
Israel was also among the participants
The 68th ESC is taking place in Sweden again this year after singer Loreen won last year’s competition in Liverpool with the song “Tattoo” for the Scandinavian country. Israel is also among the 37 participating countries in 2024, which is criticized by some other participating countries due to the Middle East conflict.
In Finland and Sweden, for example, hundreds of musicians and other representatives of the music industry issued statements calling for pressure to be exerted on the responsible European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The EBU had announced: “This is a competition for broadcasters – not for governments.”
more from culture
“The Strange Mr. Bruckner” invites you to the Brucknerhaus in Linz as a puppet theater
Was 1994 the best year for film ever?
Ars Electronica Center: Virtual journey into the heart of a Bruckner symphony
A great Swedish series about trying to escape the cold inside
: Nachrichten
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
