It’s official: Canada will likely be making its Eurovision debut in 2027.
And whereas the tune contest has been round for many years, many Canadians may not be accustomed to the competitors and what it entails.
So right here’s your full breakdown on the ins and outs of the long-standing musical competitors.
The Eurovision Music Contest is an annual music competitors designed to have European international locations compete through authentic songs, then be judged by each public votes {and professional} juries.
One official broadcaster from every taking part nation submits one authentic tune. The utmost size of the tune is three minutes, it might be carried out by as much as six artists on stage and it should not have been launched earlier than a sure date.
With the competition going down over three nights, every act performs that tune reside on stage in a aggressive system of two semi-finals and a grand closing for the prospect to win the Eurovision Music Contest.
The highest 10 acts in every semi-final are decided primarily by public televoting on Eurovision’s official app or web site, which then advance to the grand closing. Viewers aren’t allowed to vote for their very own nation, and worldwide audiences exterior the taking part international locations may also forged their votes on-line.
The tune that receives the best mixed rating from the general public vote and the nationwide juries is asserted the winner.
The occasion is organized underneath the auspices of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the most important union of public service media on this planet, in line with the official Eurovision web site.
The competitors finally impressed the 2020 Netflix film Eurovision Music Contest: The Story of Fireplace Saga, starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams.
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Under is the whole listing of nations that competed this 12 months:
- Albania
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Israel
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Moldova
- Montenegro
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK have a assured place within the closing, because of their bigger monetary contribution. The host nation additionally will get an computerized qualification into the grand closing.
Australia is ready to compete because the Australian broadcaster SBS is an affiliate member of the EBU and in 2015, to mark the sixtieth Eurovision Music Contest, was invited to submit an entry. Canada has turn out to be the primary nation to hitch the competition since then.
French Canadian singer Céline Dion represented Switzerland in Eurovision in 1988 together with her tune Ne partez pas sans moi (Don’t Depart With out Me), taking the win by a single vote.
There are not any Eurovision guidelines that point out {that a} singer needs to be born in or have citizenship within the nation that they’re representing.
Bulgaria gained Eurovision 2026 with DARA’s tune Bangaranga, with 516 factors, the most important margin of victory within the competitors’s historical past.
The 2026 version of Eurovision noticed the bottom variety of individuals because the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004.
The competitors has additionally acquired backlash relating to Israel’s involvement, with Iceland, Eire, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain not competing this 12 months and citing the nation’s participation as the rationale.
“Political statements, gestures, or actions through the occasion, together with any instrumentalization of the competition for political or different functions are prohibited,” Eurovision states on its web site.
Failure to adjust to the principles might lead to disqualification.
What’s the historical past of Eurovision?
The primary Eurovision competitors dates again to Could 24, 1956, with Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland being the primary nations to compete.
Switzerland’s Lys Assia took house the primary championship, singing a French tune referred to as Chorus. She returned to Eurovision to compete once more in 1957 and 1958.
In whole, 28 completely different international locations have claimed a victory at Eurovision, with Eire and Sweden deadlocked for probably the most wins at seven every.
The height variety of competing international locations got here in 2008, 2011 and 2018 with 43.
The 2026 competitors marked the seventieth version of Eurovision.
How massive is Eurovision’s attain?
The 2026 contest, held in Vienna, Austria, reached 131 million folks throughout 35 TV markets, in line with Eurovision. As well as, the competitors marked a viewing share of 42.6 per cent, over double the broadcaster common.
Individuals aged 15-24 made up 54.8 per cent of viewers, which Eurovision states is greater than 4 instances larger than the published channels’ common.
Votes have been forged from a complete of 148 international locations within the 2026 competitors.
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