Russia out as invasion of Ukraine shocks Europe
As Europe unites in condemnation of Russia’s ongoing assault on Ukraine, the EBU announced last week that the former would not participate in Eurovision 2022. The move came after several broadcasters – including those from Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Sweden – indicated that they would not participate in any Contest that welcomed a Russian delegation during the current crisis.
Ukraine are still expected to participate in Turin with ‘Stefania‘ by Kalush Orchestra, who were announced as the country’s chosen representatives following the withdrawal of Vidbir 2022 winner Alina Pash.
Rai To Celebrate ‘The Sun Within’ With Turin 2022 Stage Design
Italy’s national broadcaster Rai has unveiled the final stage design for Eurovision 2022 – an ambitious concept dubbed The Sun Within.
Developed by multimedia artist Francesca Montinaro, the design will incorporate complex lighting and water effects to allow each of the participating acts to showcase their songs in a unique way.
‘The kinetic sun, source of spectacular movements and tricks of light, rules the stage and represents our Italian attitude: always on the move, rebellious, creative, welcoming, passionate, intuitive. We are the ones with the sun within, and this is our way to be in this world’ explains Montinaro.
‘The artists and their teams will be hosted in a lush Italian garden, where vegetation mingles with rays of light, suspended between reality and illusion, transporting them to a playful and architectural dimension.’
Eurovision.tv have posted a detailed blog on the inspiration and development behind this year’s stage concept on their official website.
Mahmood, and The Rasmus Among Names Competing In Turin
Finnish rock group The Rasmus and Italy’s 2019 representative Mahmood are among the high profile names selected to represent their respective countries in Turin this year.
Best known for their massive 2003 hit In The Shadows, The Rasmus were the landslide winners of Finland’s UMK selection last Saturday. They will represent their country with ‘Jezebel‘.
Mahmood also scored a convincing win at San Remo Festival earlier last month with ‘Brividi‘, an emotive duet with singer and rapper Blanco. It has already been streamed almost 50 million times on Spotify, making it far and away the biggest pre-Contest hit of the season so far.
Other selected acts include Zdob și Zdub, returning for the third time to represent Moldova, Italian star Achille Lauro for San Marino and mysterious Lycan duo Subwoolfer for Norway. 28 of the 40 participating countries have confirmed artists at time of writing.
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