So – what on earth did you miss over the weekend?
Well, the answer was “quite a lot, you fool”. Just in case you were under a rock, ignoring Twitter or whatever we were calling “X” that week, here is a quick recap of the Eurovision 2024 national-selection action. I know it sounds obvious, but click the links to see what the hell happened.
Friday 26th January
- In a semi-decent Irish final, Bambie Thug won Eurosong 2024 on The Late Late Show with “Doomsday Blue”. They beat five other acts, taking the maximum score from both the Irish jury and the public vote, and will represent Ireland in Malmö. Next in Line and Ailsha tied for second.
Saturday 27th January
- Luxembourg returned to the Eurovision selection circus with its first national final since the country withdrew after 1993. At the Luxembourg Song Contest in Esch-sur-Alzette, TALI won with “Fighter”, defeating seven other finalists. So: the national final was back after 31 years, and Luxembourg had its first Eurovision entry since 1993.
- Norway had the KEiiNO effect going on in its third Melodi Grand Prix heat. Annprincess, MIIA and returning Eurovision act KEiiNO qualified for the 3 February final, while Vidar Villa, Mistra and Thomas Jenssen were eliminated. KEiiNO’s return is particularly notable after their sixth-place, televote-winning performance for Norway in 2019 – hence the “effect”, which is my description rather than an official Eurovision measurement.
- Lithuania is still going on – it was their third Eurovizija.LT heat as well. Shower won the heat with “Impossible”, scoring 20 points, while Pluie de Comètes qualified with “Be Careful” on 19. Eight acts competed, with jury and public voting contributing equally, and Lithuania still had two heats to go before its scheduled 17 February final.
There. Four countries, one Eurovision weekend, and considerably less chance of pretending that nothing happened.
