Latest news with #MarkoBosnjak
Jordan Times
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Jordan Times
Lift-off at Eurovision as first qualifiers revealed
Croatian singer Marko Bosnjak (centre) representing Croatia with the song 'Poison Cake' performs during the first semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, at the St. Jakobshalle arena in Basel on Tuesday (AFP photo) BASEL, Switzerland-- The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest kicked off on Tuesday with a semifinal filled with pyrotechnics, colour and a dramatic sweep of music, from Portuguese guitar ballads to Estonian comedy. After months of preparation, contestants from across the continent took to the state-of-the-art stage in Basel in search of Eurovision glory. After performing action-packed, three-minute set-pieces, their fate was decided not by the 6,500 Eurovision fans packing the St. Jakobshalle arena, but by millions of television viewers. Fifteen acts battled for votes, with 10 going through to Saturday's grand final, when 160 million to 200 million viewers are expected to tune in. Comedy trio KAJ -- who are from Finland but represent Sweden -- are the bookmakers' hot favourites to win Eurovision this year with their "Bara Bada Bastu" song, based on the joys of having a sauna. They made it through to the final, as did Estonia's Tommy Cash. He brought a light touch with his wobbly-legged dancing in "Espresso Macchiato" -- a homage to coffee in a song bursting with Italian references. There was an upset when Belgium's Red Sebastian -- who had been the third-favourite with several bookmakers -- was eliminated on his 26th birthday. "We were robbed," shocked fan Ruben Verdonck said after, with the Belgian flag draped around his shoulders. "I don't understand it," he told AFP. Records, sparkle and sentiment Eurovision revels in kitsch and a Swiss opening blast of alphorns and yodelling, accompanied by dancers in traditional costumes, got the party started. Dressed in sparkling silver costumes and dazzling sunglasses, Icelandic duo Vaeb -- brothers Matthias and Halfdan Matthiasson -- were the first contestants on stage with their rowing-inspired song "Roa". Next came Poland's Justyna Steczkowska, 52, who took part in Eurovision 1995 -- the longest-ever time between two appearances -- with a gothic performance. Lilting through languages including French, Albanian and Ukrainian, the show swung from upbeat to comic to tear-jerking. Slovenia's Klemen was joined on stage by his wife for the self-penned ballad "How Much Time Do We Have Left" -- written about the bombshell of her cancer diagnosis. Iceland, Portugal upset odds Besides Sweden, Estonia and The Netherlands -- who are considered among the front-runners -- acts from Albania, Norway, Poland, San Marino, Ukraine Iceland and Portugal made it to Saturday's showdown. There was heartache for Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Slovenia and last year's runners-up Croatia, who were eliminated alongside Belgium's Red Sebastian. The spectacular stage in Basel is different for the 69th edition of Eurovision, stretching deep into the arena, with fans on three sides. Pyrotechnic blasts, 4,500 pulsing lights and lasers, and ever-changing giant screens set the mood for each song. Lighting designer Tim Routledge said the stage set meant he could create a "three-dimensional frame of light". Following Thursday's second semi, 26 countries will take part in Saturday's glitzy final, which, as ever, is set to be a light-hearted celebration of European popular 10 go through from each semi, the scores are only revealed after Saturday's final, maintaining the drama by making it hard for acts and fans alike to gauge momentum. Page 2
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Eurovision songwriter 'more determined' despite contest exit
A songwriter from Dorset says she has had the time of her life at the Eurovision Song Contest despite her song being knocked out in the semi-final Cake, co-written by Emma Gale, was sung by Croatian pop star Marko Bosnjak in the first of two rounds ahead of Saturday's grand Gale, from Weymouth, was in Basel for the performance on Tuesday, which she described as "flawless".Although Croatia failed to make it through, she said the "incredible" experience made her more determined to return next year. Introducing Bosnjak to UK viewers, BBC presenter Scott Mills said: "He's the first openly gay person in Croatia to be at the Eurovision Song Contest."This is Poison Cake - it's a song about standing up for yourself and getting sweet revenge via karma." The morning after the performance, Ms Gale told BBC Radio Solent's Dorset Breakfast show: "Going into that arena, with thousands of people all over the place listening to our songs, was absolutely incredible."I had to console my mum and my husband but I am genuinely not upset - I had the time of my life."It's made me more determined to get back there next year."I think we all knew we were never going to win but, after the performance last night, he was absolutely flawless, we thought we might have a good chance." Ms Gale had three songs shortlisted for this year's sung by Nora Jabri, came sixth in the Norwegian competition - Melodi Grand Prix.A third song had been a favourite in the Latvian contest but the singer was unable to perform due to Gale says she is now "back to square one" preparing for next year but hopes her Eurovision "brag status" will lead to more songwriting offers. Tuesday's Eurovision semi-final is available to watch on BBC iPlayer You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
BreakingNews.ie
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Eurovision lawyers called in after 'potential hack of rehearsal footage'
The Eurovision Song Contest has brought in lawyers, following rehearsal footage of the competition being leaked online, after a 'potential hack' of an online feed. Switzerland, where the competition began in Lugano in 1956, will host Tuesday's first 2025 semi-final in Basel. Advertisement Among Tuesday's contestants, Croatia's entry has been written by a primary school teacher from Dublin. Ben Pyne (39) from Balbriggan is part of the team who wrote 'Poison Cake'. It will see the Netherlands return to the stage after their act was kicked out of the competition shortly before the final last year. The song will be performed by Marko Bosnjak in the first semi-final on Tuesday night. Ireland's entry 'Laika Party' by Emmy is song three in Thursday's semi-final. Advertisement When asked about rehearsal leaks at a press briefing on Tuesday, the European Broadcasting Union's Eurovision director Martin Green said: 'We have to send signal out to the juries during those shows and amongst our different members, technology differs in how modern it is. Police secure a street in the city centre ahead of the first semi-final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland (Martin Meissner/AP) 'And therefore, sadly, if you have the intent to do it, you can potentially hack into that … is what I understand. It's sad that people do that. 'It also shows you what a demand there is out there for it. Every year we manage to tighten up a bit more, and we will continue to do it.' He added that they 'don't want to spoil it for everyone', and his 'understanding is we managed to take a lot of it down, and I will say (the) cyber security team are on it, and our lawyers are on it'. Advertisement An EBU spokeswoman said: 'We regret that despite our best efforts to keep the content of our shows a surprise for the millions watching around the world it's regrettable that some people spoil the experience by publishing dress rehearsal content online. Sweden's KAJ (Peter Schneider/Keystone via AP) 'Where possible we work with platforms, EBU Members, cyber security experts and lawyers to remove this content to protect artists and the integrity of the live shows.' It is unclear what was shared, but there was some social media content of excerpts from the dress rehearsals on social media on Monday evening. There have been reports that Canadian singer Celine Dion sent a video message, which aired during rehearsals, wishing the contestants luck, and appearing to rule out her return to the Eurovision stage. Advertisement However, this appeared to be dismissed by Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR which insisted there 'are currently no changes regarding Celine Dion – we are still in close contact with her'. Dion has stepped away from touring in recent years, because of increasing health issues while living with stiff-person syndrome (SPS), but made an emotional comeback at the 2024 Paris Olympics singing Edith Piaf's classic Hymne A L'Amour while in the Eiffel Tower. The 57-year-old won in Dublin 1988 with Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi, and there had been speculation that since no further act representing Switzerland won until Nemo clinched victory with The Code last year in Malmo, she would make a comeback this year. Celine Dion (Ian West/PA) The Dutch have placed their hopes on Claude Kiambe, 21, whose entry C'est La Vie reflects on his early musical aspirations and his mother's support. Advertisement He will compete against Sweden representatives and contest favourites, KAJ, with the upbeat comical Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna), inspired by the Nordic sauna culture, and Ukrainian group Ziferblat's dramatic track, Bird Of Pray. However, Malmo marketing manager Anna Wittgren has ruled out the city hosting the contest again if KAJ wins, saying it is a 'big undertaking and we have a wide event portfolio to look after and manage', while insisting that the decision was not down to the cost of policing the protests last year because that was a bill covered nationally. She added: 'We look back to 2024 with fond memories but we are happy to let another destination now enjoy the hosting if KAJ wins, and we have plenty of learnings to share.' Protests are expected throughout the week, and a pro-Palestinian group is planning a large demonstration on both Wednesday, and Saturday. The Wednesday action will be a 'silent march' against Israel competing with singer Yuval Raphael, the group Basel for Palestine has said. On Tuesday, a spokesman for Basel police said 'an application for a demonstration is currently still pending', but 'no date' for it has been set. He also confirmed the force received a report of 'threatening gestures during a demonstration', which appeared to be directed at Raphael while she took part in the opening ceremony. Israel's government shared a clip on X from the protest on Sunday, and said: 'Israel's Eurovision representative Yuval Raphael, a Nova massacre survivor, was 'welcomed' in Basel by a hostile crowd of pro-Hamas protesters. 'Yet she stands tall, singing for her country. Her love will always outshine their hate.' Discussions on Israel's participation have been called for by broadcasters from countries such as Spain, Ireland and Iceland, but the EBU has defended Kan's inclusion, saying that it has nothing to do with the Israeli government. Later on Tuesday, Basel-born Zoe Me will perform French language song Voyage for the Swiss, and is already through to the final. The second semi-final - in which Ireland will compete - will start on Thursday from 8pm Irish time, and the final at the same time on Saturday.
BBC News
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Eurovision songwriter 'exhausted' from contest excitement
A songwriter from Dorset whose work will be performed at the Eurovision Song Contest has said she is "not sleeping" amid the Gale's song, Poison Cake, will be sung by Croatian pop star Marko Bosnjak in the semi-finals in Basel on is the first of two semi-finals, each featuring 15 performers who will be whittled down to 10. The second semi-final takes place on Gale said: "To get as far as we've got, I feel like we've won already, but to get to the final - that would be a massive dream come true." Speaking ahead of her flight to Switzerland, she said: "I'm not sleeping at the moment - I'm exhausted from Eurovision fever. It's all very exciting."It will be my first experience of going to Eurovision and it's something we've been working towards all year."Speaking of Bosnjak, she said: "He's done an incredible job - I'm really happy, I'm ecstatic."He had flu at Dora (Croatia's Eurovision selection contest) and, despite winning, he cracked a note at the end and all the fans said his singing wasn't good."Every second is analysed of every step, and every interview." The grand final on Saturday will feature 26 nations, made up of the top 10 countries from each semi-final, along with United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, and host country Switzerland. The first semi-final will be broadcast on iPlayer and BBC One, Radio 2 and BBC Sounds from 20:00 BST on Tuesday 13 May You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BreakingNews.ie
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Croatia's Eurovision entry was co-written by Irish primary school teacher
As we get ready for Eurovision to kick off in Basel in Switzerland on Tuesday, people in Ireland will have two songs to cheer on. Croatia's entry has been written by a primary school teacher from Dublin. Advertisement Ben Pyne (39) from Balbriggan is part of the team who wrote 'Poison Cake'. The song will be performed by Marko Bosnjak in the first semi-final tomorrow night. Ireland's entry 'Laika Party' by Emmy is song three in Thursday's semi-final. Meanwhile, protesters could target Basel during the week of the Eurovision Song Contest, as Israel's participation continues to generate anger amid the war in Gaza. Advertisement The city is hosting the 2025 contest, after Switzerland's Nemo won last May in Sweden with The Code, which explored them coming to terms with their non-binary identity. About 1,300 Swiss police officers will be on duty in Basel this week, with more forces drafted in from the Swiss Armed Forces, federal police and neighbouring countries – Germany and France – ahead of the two semi-finals on Tuesday and Thursday, and the grand final on Saturday. Local campaigners Basel for Palestine attempted to place Palestinian flags near the Eurovision opening event, the Turquoise Carpet, on Sunday, and more protests are scheduled for Saturday in the city centre at 7pm. Yuval Raphael representing Israel at the Eurovision Opening Ceremony in Basel. Photo: Harold Cunningham/Getty However despite the expected protests, the Swiss appear confident they will have a Eurovision to remember. Advertisement There has been speculation that former winner Celine Dion will return to the stage, and the Swiss have promised city-wide events such as a food and drink street, 250 hours of live music, and the Eurovision Village. Current favourites to win include KAJ, who are from Finland's Swedish-speaking minority and will represent Sweden, with the upbeat comical Bara Bada Bastu inspired by the Nordic sauna culture. The hit is the first time the country, which is tied with Ireland with the most Eurovision wins, has entered with a song in Swedish since the 1990s, when the rules on competing in a country's official language were relaxed. Basel in Switzerland is the Eurovision host city this year. Photo: Harold Cunningham/Getty Others in contention are Dutch entry Claude Kiambe's C'est La Vie, Austrian singer JJ's Wasted Love, and French singer Louane's ballad Maman. Advertisement Last May, the Netherlands' contestant Joost Klein was kicked out by the EBU just before the final, over alleged verbal threats to a female production worker. The move was heavily criticised by Dutch broadcaster Avrotros, and months later Swedish prosecutors dropped a criminal case against Klein. Entertainment Eurovision star Emmy was 'scared' of Irish judges Read More The EBU conducted a review and pledged a new code of conduct for 2025, with a raft of measures to 'protect' the wellbeing of artists in Basel. This year, former Eurovision competitors such as Ireland's winner Charlie McGettigan, and the UK's Mae Muller, who came second last in 2023, have signed a letter calling for a ban on Israel's public broadcaster Kan, and accusing Israel of 'genocide', which Israel denies. Last week, Irish protesters, including The Crying Game actor Stephen Rea, pushed for an RTÉ boycott of the event. The national broadcaster has written to the EBU to have 'a wider discussion' on Israel's inclusion. The semi-finals and final start at 8pm Irish time and will be broadcast on RTÉ.
