The biggest television show in Europe heats up its engines in Sweden. With a very open forecast and tributes for the 50 years of ABBA's victory in this contest, Eurovision 2024 dresses up this Sunday for the parade in Malmö of the representatives of the 37 countries competing, including Israel in the middle of its offensive in Gaza.
The now traditional turquoise carpet, spread out in front of the Malmö Live Congress and Concert Hall, awaits the passage of the artists who in the coming days will participate in one of the two semi-finals scheduled for May 7 and 9 in search of the public's favor and of the European juries to reach the grand final next Saturday, May 11.
After Loreen's more or less predictable victory with 'Tattoo' in 2023, this time the bookmakers have been twisting the possible results between no less than six candidates for months and it is likely that this week, as soon as the trials open to the press , the predictions change again.
As a great highlight, the punk rock of the Croatian Baby Lasagna appears with 'Rim Tim Tagi Dim', combined with the vocal virtuosity of the Swiss Nemo and his 'The Code' free of genres and with the most experimental cumbia rapped with touches of transalpine folk from the Italian Angelina Mango with 'La noia'.
Nor should you lose sight of either the Dutchman Joost Klein with his crazy 'Europapa', as if the group Aqua were going to a “rave”, nor a much more classic proposal like that of the Frenchman Slimane, one of the big stars of this edition and with one of the few ballads, the heartfelt 'Mon Amour'.
In between is the Ukrainian duo Alyona Alyona
It is a case similar to that of the Israeli Eden Golan, although this time her country's harassment of the population of Gaza has generated much more dissent and even public requests for expulsion from the festival following the same pattern that was adopted with Russia in 2022.
The song with which this country competes, 'Hurricane', is the third option nominated for Eurovision, after two others were discarded in which the organizing committee warned of political messages (prohibited in the contest) that referred to the conflict with the Palestinians. .
It remains to be seen how not only the public in Europe will receive his performance next Thursday and whether he gets a place to advance to the final, but also how those attending the Malmö Arena will react, whether with applause or, this time, even boos.
That same day, the Nebulossa duo, which represents Spain in Eurovision 2024, will perform live for the first time. This is a novelty of this edition that, for the first time since the semifinal system was established, will make room for the members in them. of the “Big Five” and the host country to give them greater visibility, although their direct classification will continue to be guaranteed.
In any case, Spain starts with few options of victory according to the bets. He is currently in twentieth place out of the 37, although he has been rising little by little since his election last January, with the aim perhaps of securing a better place than Blanca Paloma's seventeenth in 2023.
Her controversial 'Zorra', a hymn to women's freedom of decision and movement over sexist criticism, will not be the only song in Spanish in this edition. San Marino will be represented by the Spanish rock group Megara with '11:11', which will fight for its classification this Thursday although with even worse premises: it appears in position 35.
Finally, we cannot forget the timely coincidence that Sweden is hosting the festival this year, when it marks half a century since its first victory with ABBA and 'Waterloo'. Faced with a program that will be full of nods to that moment, and although they have denied their attendance, it remains to be seen if there will be the opportunity to see the historic quartet reunited again.
