Eurovision
ALBANIA Albina & Familja Kelmendi
Singer Albina Kelmendi will perform with parents Albana and Bujar and siblings Albin, Sidorella and Vesa. Their song is called Duje, meaning Love It. In 2014, 16-year-old Albina reached the final of TV talent show The Voice of Albania.
ARMENIA Brunette
Brunette is already a wellestablished star in Armenia. She started her musical journey at the age of four and now the singer-songwriter promises to bring a new energy to the contest with her sultry, stripped-back aesthetic and Eurovision entry Future Lover.
AUSTRALIA Voyager
Performing since 1999, this fivepiece have fancied themselves as Australian entrants ever since the country joined the contest back in 2015. They say their song Promise “is made for the Eurovision stage”.
BELGIUM Gustaph
Despite winning neither the public nor jury vote, backing singer Gustaph, real name Stef Caers, was named the Belgian entry after receiving the most points overall. His 2000s-inspired dance track is the first bop of the contest with intense strobe lights and club-like staging.
ESTONIA Alika
Alika, 20, is known for her powerful vocals and triumphed on her country’s most recent edition of TV show Estonian Idol. Her three singles have reached the top of the charts in her own country and, with powerful staging and orchestral backing, her entry Bridges is already rated highly.
AUSTRIA Teya & Salena
After meeting on a TV talent show, Teya and Salena bonded over their passion for Eurovision. Their dancefloor filler Who the Hell is Edgar – a reference to writer Edgar Allan Poe – draws on their experiences as female songwriters in an industry that often doesn’t credit women for their expertise.
CROATIA Let 3
One of the more controversial acts of 2023, Let 3’s eclectic staging of their Eurovision track Mama ŠČ! racked up millions of views in just a matter of hours. Their past live performances have featured nudity, while their lyrics are described by some as “provocative and vulgar”.
FINLAND Käärijä
Käärijä is arguably the fan favourite this year with his rap, electric, mosh pit anthem, Cha Cha Cha. Combined with a striking stage presence, performance and vocals, the 29-year-old Finnish rapper has been welcomed with open arms by Eurovision audiences, storming his national finals.
AZERBAIJAN TuralTuranX
Twin brothers Tural and Turan, 22 from Zaqatala were inspired by their father to pursue music and created their own band RedJungle. After performing their 60s and 70s-influenced songs on the streets of Baku, they will sing their selfpenned song Tell Me More in English at Eurovision.
CYPRUS Andrew Lambrou
Australian-born, to Greek-Cypriot parents, Andrew competed in the 2022 Eurovision – Australia Decides, missing out to winner Sheldon Riley. He is signed to City Pop Records and Panik Records and has a devoted fanbase on social media. He will perform his song Break a Broken Heart on stage in Liverpool.
FRANCE La Zarra
La Zarra, or Fatima Zahra Hafdi, is the second Canadian artist to represent France at Eurovision having been born in Montreal to parents of Moroccan descent. France, along with the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain, is one of the big five countries who automatically qualify for the grand final.
CZECHIA Vesna
All-female folk band Vesna will perform My Sister’s Crown, an early favourite to win this year, channelling a dreamy pop/ folklore sound. Led by Patricia Kaňok, the group has made an impression within Czechia with their debut album in collaboration with the Prague
Symphony Orchestra.
GEORGIA IRU
Iru Khechanovi, 22, earned her spot by winning The Voice Georgia competition. She is already a member of the Eurovision family, having won the Junior Contest in 2011 as part of the group Candy. Her song Echo is about love and listening to your inner voice.
DENMARK Reiley
Hailing from the Faroe Islands, Rani Petersen, better known as Reiley, made his singing debut in 2021 after he released Let It Ring which sampled the default IPhone ringtone. His Eurovision entry, Breaking My Heart, is wellproduced, catchy and has a memorable chorus.
GERMANY Lord Of The Lost
German charttoppers from Hamburg, this industrial metal band has supported Iron Maiden on the re-scheduled European leg of their Legacy of the Beast World Tour. They will perform Blood & Glitter in Liverpool – a song about living life to the full, written and composed by all five band members.
LITHUANIA Monika Linkytė
Monika, who previously represented Lithuania in 2015 with a duet, is flying the flag solo this year with a catchy, slowbuilder that showcases her powerful vocals. Whilst Stay is performed mostly in English, the chorus ‘Čiūto Tūto’ is from Lithuanian folklore and represents magical incantations.
POLAND Blanka
Blanka knew she wanted to be a pop star from an early age and now her dream could come true after winning Poland’s Tu bije serce Europy! Wybieramy hit na Eurowizję selection show with the track Solo. According to Blanka, the song is about a “one-sided” and “sham” relationship.
SLOVENIA Joker Out UNITED KINGDOM Mae Muller
Mae flies the flag for the United Kingdom after Sam Ryder’s phenomenal performance last year in Turin. The 25-year-old singersongwriter has previously supported Little Mix on tour as well as working with artists like Aitch and Sigala. Her Euro entry I Wrote A Song is a catchy pop break-up song and has already made the Official Singles Chart Top 40.
Slovenia is sending one of the country’s biggest boy bands, Joker Out, to Liverpool with their upbeat rock song Carpe Diem about seizing the day. The band has already enjoyed considerable success in Slovenia and Bojan, Jure, Kris, Jan and Nace were recently in Liverpool to film a music video.
MALTA The Busker
From the streets of Malta to the Eurovision stage, The Busker is set to perform upbeat saxophoneorientated track Dance (Our Own Party). The three-strong indie pop band wrote the song themselves and won the Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2023 by a solid 36 points. They are inspired by The Beatles and
The Beach Boys.
PORTUGAL Mimicat
Portugal’s Festival da Canção saw Mimicat and her song Ai Coração (Oh Heart) named the country’s Eurovision 2023 entry. The singer, real name Marisa Isabel Lopes Mena, was awarded maximum points by both the voting public and juries. The song was written and composed by
Mimicat.
SPAIN Blanca Paloma
Blanca’s track Eaea won Benidorm Fest to secure her a place in the Grand Final. The song, which features flamencoinspired sounds and synths, is about a mother’s love for her child. Spain typically does well when it comes to the televote coming third last year with Chanel’s hit Slo-Mo.
GREECE Victor Vernicos
Influenced by Ed Sheeran and John Mayer, Victor is one of Eurovision’s youngest entrants but is not intimidated by the competition. The 16year-old wrote the Greek entry, What They Say, more than a year ago and fought off 106 hopefuls to reach this stage. Picture: Nikos Zikos
ISRAEL Noa Kirel
Noa Kirel is stepping away from her judging responsibilities on Music School and Israel’s Got Talent to represent her country with the song Unicorn. She came out on top after fending off a whopping 78 artists to become the Israeli entry. The Ra’anana native is already well-known on the pop festival circuit.
MOLDOVA Pasha Parfeni
Pasha Parfeni won the Etapa Națională 2023 with his song Soarele şi Luna, written by his wife Yuliana Scutaru. Pasha has represented Moldova at the Eurovision Song Contest before, in 2012, with the song Lăutar scoring 81 points on the big night in Baku.
ROMANIA Theodor Andrei
The 19-year-old is already a musical superstar in his own right composing more than 100 songs and winning national and international music festivals. In Liverpool he will perform D.G.T. (Off and On) which has been branded theatrical and sassy. Also an actor, Theodor appeared on X Factor Romania.
SWEDEN Loreen
Eurovision royalty Loreen enters the stage for a second time after her milestone win in the 2012 competition. Her original track Euphoria is widely celebrated as one of the biggest successes to emerge from the show, scoring the second-highest result ever at the time. This year she will perform the anthemic Tattoo.
ICELAND Diljáa
Self-proclaimed “Eurovision nerd” Diljá will fly the Icelandic flag in Liverpool with Power which has already reached the top of the Icelandic charts. The singer-songwriter, 21, is a physiotherapy student and rose to fame in 2015 after appearing on her country’s Iceland Got Talent TV show.
ITALY Marco Mengoni
Marco first represented Italy in 2013 after winning his host nation’s selection competition, Sanremo. Now, on his 10th anniversary, history repeats itself as the musician, 34, was victorious once again. He is set to charm, and pull on the audience’s heart strings, with his love song Due Vite meaning Two Lives.
THE NETHERLANDS Mia Nicoloai & Dion Cooper
The Netherlands isn’t pulling any punches sending renowned stars Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper as a double act to this year’s show. The nation has historically done well in the competition winning a whopping five times in total. Mia and Dion wrote their Eurovision entry Burning Daylight with 2019 winner Duncan Laurence.
SAN MARINO Piqued Jacks
Alt-rockers Piqued Jacks will bring Like An Animal to the Eurovision. The four-member band from a Tuscan village aren’t holding back with strong vocals, guitar riffs and lots of passion. They received the highest jury score in Una Voce per San Marino where they were chosen to represent the country.
SWITZERLAND Remo Forrer
Remo Forrer cemented his reputation as a singer and performer when he won the third series of The Voice of Switzerland in 2020. Singing Watergun, Remo describes Eurovision as the “music equivalent of the Champions League and an enormous honour”.
IRELAND Wild Youth
Wild Youth beat former Sex Pistol John Lydon to claim their spot at Eurovision. They’ve supported Niall Horan and Lewis Capaldi on tour and their song, We Are One, signifies unity in music.
LATVIA Sudden Lights
Among the most-streamed artists in Latvia, Sudden Lights will bring a stripped-back rock aesthetic to the contest. 2023 will mark the first time Latvian has been sung at Eurovision since 2014 – although the majority of their song Aijā is in English to ensure viewers hear their message.
NORWAY Alessandra
Alessandra knocked it out of the park by releasing one of Europe’s favourite songs long before she won her national selection process. Queen of the Kings goes into Eurovision having already racked up millions of listens online. She wants her song to inspire people to “embody their inner queen of kings”.
SERBIA Luke Black
Serbia has opted for a modern, techno vibe with stunning visuals and a futuristic feel. Luke Black will perform Samo Mi Se Spava (I’m Just a Little Tired), which he wrote and composed himself, after fighting off fierce competition in Pesma za Evroviziju 23. The 30-year-old is currently based in London.
UKRAINE TVORCHI
Friends Jefferey and Andriy, aka Tvorchi, won Ukraine’s national selection process after knocking out nine other acts. Due to the ongoing war the contest was held in an underground metro station which has also served as a bomb shelter. They have big shoes to fill – Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra, are reigning champs.