Music

Eurovision: How the song contest is bringing Europe together again – BBC

By Daniel Rosney
Newsbeat reporter in Turin, Italy
At a sold out London gig the crowd are chanting "Mahmood! Mahmood! Mahmood!" as the Italian star plays the penultimate show of his European tour, before heading to perform at Eurovision this week.
"I was waiting so badly for this moment," the 29-year-old tells Radio 1 Newsbeat at the show.
"The best thing about this job – writing and composing music – is the final result. The final result is the concert because you receive the energy from the people that listen to your music".
Like all singers, the pandemic forced Mahmood to postpone his tour, meaning he couldn't lap up the global success his hit Soldi had after he came second in 2019's Eurovision.
With more than 200 million streams on Spotify, (and roughly the same on YouTube), Soldi changed his life and built him a dedicated fan base.
After rock group Måneskin won for Italy last year, the song contest is being hosted in Turin where Mahmood will participate once again, performing ballad Brividi as a duet with 19-year-old Blanco.
Brividi is an early favourite and the most streamed song of this year's entrants, but it was Blanco who suggested it should be put it forward as a contender in an Italian TV show that decides the entry.
"The first Eurovision he saw was in 2019 with me singing Soldi," says Mahmood.
"He's super happy to do it and we're excited because it's a big opportunity to show our music to a lot of people."
As well as Mahmood's return, restrictions easing across Europe has meant much-loved events in the run up to Eurovision have been held for fans for the first time in three years.
In early April 22-year-old Aaran went to London's Eurovision Party with friends he's made through his love of the competition.
"We're so far from each other for most of the year," he tells Newsbeat.
"It was so nice to see them after a long time of just seeing them online."
Aaran's currently revising for exams – and jokes the contest being in May isn't great for him as sometimes he gets distracted watching rehearsal footage.
For him "there's never a time when you don't have the chat talking about Eurovision" but "December's when we start properly thinking about the next one."
"The day after I joined Twitter I got added to a group chat and suddenly there were so many people I didn't even realise I could talk to and it was a wow moment of like: 'Oh, my goodness, I'm not alone'," he says.
For artists like Cornelia Jakobs, playing to fans across Europe is a taste of what Turin will be like – where around 200 million viewers will watch around the world.
Despite strong suggestions she can match Ireland's record of seven wins for Sweden with her song Hold Me Closer, the 30-year-old says she isn't feeling the pressure of being likened to superstars like Robyn or Pink because of the team around her.
"It's crazy how much work it is for a three minute minute performance, with weeks and even months behind it," she tells Newsbeat.
"I feel excited to have the honour to represent Sweden and sometimes think: 'Why am I not more nervous about this?'"
Some acts, and countries, take the competition more seriously than others by working with teams behind some of the world's biggest popstars to help them deliver a performance that'll be remembered, and crucially get votes.
Spain's Chanel has teamed up with one of the world's most in-demand choreographers, Kyle Hanagami, who's worked with Jennifer Lopez, Blackpink, and Ariana Grande.
"He asked for me," she tells Newsbeat – still not quite believing it. "He saw me dancing on Instagram and asked to choreograph SloMo."
Chanel herself has been backstage, at various events, mixing with other artists – something that couldn't happen last year due to restrictions – and learning their routines.
But it's on that stage she's hoping to launch her career internationally, in a similar way to last year's winners Måneskin who've since gone global.
Her performance is highly produced with a slick dance break that's been impersonated by nearly 1m TikTok users doing the #slomochanelchallenge.
But it's the United Kingdom who's sending one of TikTok's most followed musicians, Sam Ryder, who is from Maldon in Essex.
After two consecutive years of coming in last place (the UK didn't get a single point in 2021), there's been a huge shift and some fans believe UK could actually win this year.
Other contestants have referenced Sam during interviews, knowing him from posting covers online, and plotting how they're going to get a selfie.
"I'm just completely grateful people in the competition are stoked to have me on board as well," he tells Newsbeat as he's on his way to meet some of the artists for the first time.
"I'm incredibly excited to make some friends, chat some music, and just take in every moment of this beautiful, wild bonkers thing."
For BBC Radio 1 to play a Eurovision song on heavy rotation is highly unusual but Sam's broken the mould with Space Man, getting regular plays, and creating excitement online for the first time in years for British fans.
For many they'll be asking 'can we do it?', not quite believing it's possible, but once viewers see Norway's act they'll also have another question: 'Who's behind the mask?'
Interviewing Subwoolfer is difficult as the masked singers gesture with hand signals as a member of their entourage stands next to them and tries to translate for journalists.
But fans have been piecing together clues and, based on a clear British accent on stage and some cryptic Instagram captions, there's one suspect familiar to some.
Ben Adams from early '00s boyband A1 lives in Norway and has been absent from some recent gigs with the band.
Subwoolfer are expected to do well with the public vote – which counts for half of the results – with one of the most memorable performances in the contest.
But the public are also expected to vote in high numbers for Ukraine, with them odds-on favourite to win again, six years after the country's last triumph.
Ukraine had a tricky start to Eurovision in February with its original contestant withdrawing while being investigated for visiting Crimea, an area Russia seized control of in 2014.
The following month Ukraine was invaded and song contest organisers – with support from participating broadcasters from across the continent – banned Russia from taking part and Kalush Orchestra became the bookies favourite.
"We were in fifth position even before the war started, which proves that Europeans like our music," frontman Oleh Psiuk tells Newsbeat.
"Stefania was written and dedicated to my mother but when the war started it's gained new meanings because a lot of people started to see Ukraine as their mother."
It's expected to do well with public but it's not guaranteed to be the top song voted for by the national juries, who make up half the votes and agree to vote independently.
Should it win, victory will be bittersweet as it's highly unlikely it'll be safe enough to host the song contest in Ukraine next year, which is normally how the host country is decided.
Returning this year though, for the first time since 2019, is the party atmosphere Eurovision brings to a city with artists, journalists, and fans able to mix together.
Events are planned across Turin for the thousands of international fans travelling to the song contest for the first time since 2019, celebrating a return after a 2020 cancellation and the stripped back 2021 contest.
For Mahmood though, who's returning to Italy after his European tour, he says he's mainly excited to be able to sleep in his own bed at his Mum's house for a week.
Watch the first Eurovision Semi-Final on BBC iPlayer.
Watch the second Eurovision Semi-Final on BBC iPlayer.
Watch the Eurovision Song Contest Final on BBC iPlayer and BBC One, at 20:00 BST on Saturday 14 May.
Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or listen back here.
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© 2022 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.

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Music

Eurovision 2023: The running order of the semifinals has been revealed!

Greece’s song for Eurovision 2023, by Victor Vernicos, was released a few days ago with the title “What They Say”!

The Eurovisionfun team once again watched and reacted to the official video clip of the country’s entry for the upcoming Eurovision contest! Enjoy Apostolos, Paschalis, Stella and Apostolis in a Reaction video with detailed commentary on Greece‘s participation, for 2023!.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel to be the first to enjoy interviews, reaction videos and Live s.

The analyzes of the fans and not only for a few minutes have been on fire, since the theories based on the prehistory of the countries in the contest, are a first picture of how passable is the qualification to the final or not. In other words, it’s time to make our predictions about who will advance to the final and who are the favorites to say goodbye to Liverpool early…

Turin will host the 67th Eurovision Song Contest from May 9th to 13th at the Liverpool Arena. The motto of this year’s event, as chosen by the organizers is “The Sound of Beauty”.

Music

Beyonce UK Renaissance Tour 2023: Dates & How To Get Tickets

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It’s finally happening.

Calling all members of the Bey Hive! The time has finally come. Beyoncé has announced that she will be touring her latest album, ‘Renaissance’, released in July last year. Much to our delight, the superstar confirmed the live dates were happening at the Wearable Art Gala in California on October 22, when two tickets and a full backstage pass were put on auction.

Although the rumours of the 2023 tour have been confirmed, there still remains a lot of speculation around the dates of the UK leg, as well as whether Beyonce will be joining Elton John as a headliner at Glastonbury 2023. There is a lot of hype around Bey returning to British shores and a lot of fans will be trying to secure their seats to see her perform. We expect that when the tickets drop for ‘Renaissance’ in the UK they will sell out mega fast, so make sure to keep an eye out.

If you want to find out how to cuff your tickets to the ‘Renaissance’ tour then keep reading. Here is everything you need to know about Beyoncé’s 2023 UK shows.

The singer has been very secretive with any news of her tour and is yet to release any dates of pre-sale or general sale tickets. In true Bey fashion, she is keeping the Bey Hive very much on its toes.

No tickets have been released yet, so we don’t know exactly how much the ‘Renaissance’ tickets will cost. However, it is likely that the price will depend on where you sit.

For her ‘Formation’ tour shows in the UK, Beyonce’s tickets ranged from £77.50 to £385. It can only be assumed that tickets for this much-awaited tour won’t come cheap and may be much higher than that.

The ‘Break My Soul’ singer is yet to release any dates or venues for her ‘Renaissance’ tour and could announce them at any moment.

During her previous tours of the UK, Beyonce has made recurring visits to venues in London, Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester. We can only hope that she will be making a return to these areas in her upcoming tour.

Now that the tour has been announced, there has been a lot of speculation around who Bey will be choosing to follow her around the world to open the show for her.

There have been rumours that Beyoncé has been considering British girl group Flo, who will receive the Rising Star Award at the 2023 Brit Awards. Other potential openers who will join Bey on stage are the Nigerian singer Tems, as well as English singer and rapper Bree Runway.
Beyonce’s last tour in the UK was back in 2018 with her husband Jay-Z for her show ‘On The Run II’. The couple performed a total of six acts that included a mix of both of the stars’ songs such as ‘Crazy in Love’, ‘99 Problems’ and ‘Run the World (Girls)’.

They started the tour in Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester and London before moving onto the rest of Europe and finishing the tour back in the USA.

Before that, Bey toured the UK in 2016 with The Formation World Tour in support of her album ‘Lemonade’.

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Music

11 Best Music Festivals of 2022 – Esquire

You may have missed Coachella but there are plenty of open air raves left to be had this year.
Back in 2020, many didn’t believe that we’d be rubbing shoulders with fellow-music lovers and screaming lyrics to our favorite songs at music venues together. With .css-umdwtv{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#FF3A30;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:background 0.4s;transition:background 0.4s;background:linear-gradient(#ffffff, #ffffff 50%, #d5dbe3 50%, #d5dbe3);-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;}.css-umdwtv:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;}Coachella back this year, one thing is clear for 2022: music festivals have been normalized again. Maybe you went and are desperate for more, wondering what to do with that leftover festival fever. Maybe you didn’t and the jealousy is too much to bear. Either way, don’t fret, Esquire complied a list of music festivals taking place the rest of the year.
Miami, FL – May 20-22
Minneapolis, MN – June 18-19
Afropunk is back again this year and is bringing with it the usual: groundbreaking arts, fashion and music from the Black community. Ari Lennox, Noname and Mereba are all set to perform at the festival, which will take place in Miami in May, and in Minneapolis over Juneteenth weekend, marking the first ever Afropunk event in the Midwest.
.css-1lxmaj6{background:#ffffff;background-color:#ffffff;-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;border:thin solid #FF3A30;border-radius:2rem;color:#000;display:inline-block;font-family:Lausanne,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:0.875rem;letter-spacing:0.04rem;line-height:1.3;padding:0.6rem 1.125rem 0.3125rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;text-decoration-color:#FF3A30;text-decoration-thickness:.0625rem;text-transform:uppercase;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;white-space:pre-line;width:auto;}@media(max-width: 73.75rem){.css-1lxmaj6{margin:0rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1lxmaj6{margin:0rem;}}.css-1lxmaj6:focus-visible{outline-color:body-cta-btn-link-focus;}.css-1lxmaj6:hover{color:#000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;background-color:#FF3A30;}Buy Tickets, Miami
Buy Tickets, Minneapolis

Boston, MA
May 27-29
Boston Calling Music Festival is looking to make Memorial Day weekend one to remember. Nine Inch Nails, The Strokes and Metallica are all set to headline the three-day festival. The former are joined by impressive acts such as Haim, Weezer, Avril Lavigne, Black Pumas and more.
Buy Tickets
New York, NY
June 10-12
Governors Ball, as always, will deliver another year incredible music, and some of the best NYC eats. This year festival-goers will be heading to Citi Field Lots, Queens to see the likes of Kid Cudi, Halsey and J-Cole, Roddy Ricch, Glass Animals, among others.
Buy Tickets
Manchester, TN
June 16-19
Described as «the most positive place on this planet,» Bonnaroo is the place to be this summer. This year’s acts include Ludacris, 100 Gecs, and Marc Rebillet. There’s also a ton of electronic and pop punk acts set to perform at Bonnaroo. If you’ve never experienced Bonnaroo, it may be time for you to put on your camping shoes and head to Tennessee.
Buy Tickets
Chicago, IL
July 15-16
If you’re wondering where all of the cool alternative artists will be this summer, you can find them at Pitchfork. For years, Pitchfork has been tagging themselves as «the most trusted voice in music.» Based on this year’s line-up, Pitchfork definitely has a taste for great music. Artists such as The National, Mitski and The Roots will be headlining the three-day weekend, where they’ll be followed by a slew of talented acts like Japanese Breakfast, Earl Sweatshirt, Tierra Whack, Amber Mark and more.
Buy Tickets
Newport, RI
July 22-24
Being one of the first modern music festivals in the US with a 60-year-run, you can expect Newport Festival to be nothing short of extraordinary. For decades the festival has boasted renowned performances and an astounding cultural atmosphere. This year is no different, with artists all the way from Clairo to Beebadoobee, Buffalo Nichols, Maren Morris and more set to take the stage in Rhode Island.
Tickets are currently sold out, but there is an option to join the waitlist.
Join Waitlist
Chicago, IL
July 28-31
LollaPalooza, the Chicago-based festival, is back this year with Dua Lipa, Doja Cat, Green Day, Lil Baby, Kygo and many others. Alongside a myriad of colorful outfits, you can expect to find incredible restaurants in the Windy City.
Buy Tickets
Las Vegas, NV
September 16-18
Life is Beautiful festival coming to the Las Vegas area this September. Alongside music, the festival also offers culinary, art, and learning experiences in Downtown Vegas. This seems like a wonderful bonus to an incredible lineup. Artists like Lorde, Arctic Monkeys, Gorillaz, Jack Harlow and more are set to perform.
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Los Angeles, CA
September 16-18
After being canceled for the past two years, due to COVID-19, Primavera Sound is ready to shake American audiences. Artists such as James Blake, Nine Inch Nails, Cigarettes After Sex, Lorde, King Krule and many others are booked for the festival’s 2022 debut.
Buy Tickets
Franklin, TN
September 24-25
The multi-genre weekend festival is set to make its eight year return this September. Chris Stapleton and Brandi Carlisle, who both received Grammy nominations this year, are set to headline the festival. Another Grammy winner on the bill is Jon Batiste, who actually earned the highest number of nominations by the Recording Academy this year. The complete line-up also features a number of other impressive musicians like The Avett Brothers, Elle King, Lennon Stella, Lake Street Drive and more.
Buy Tickets
Las Vegas, NV
October 22-29
Emo and Pop-Punk fans can rejoice because all of your favorite artists are set to take the stage in Las Vegas this Fall with the When We Were Young Festival. The new festival boast an impeccable set list, which is already sold out. Artists such as Bring Me To the Horizon, Pierce the Veil, Avril Lavigne, Sleeping With Sirens are set to perform. Paramore and My Chemical Romance will be the festival’s headliners.
Join Waitlist

Ammal Hassan is a writer and Esquire’s Snapchat Editor. She covers all things culture with a focus on music and pop culture. She is from Nairobi, Kenya and lives in New York City.
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