Final Entries Confirmed for Eurovision 2017 As Delegations Meet In Kyiv

The next phase of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 finally began last week, with the Heads of Delegation from all 43 participating countries travelling to Kyiv to formally submit their entries.

Other items on the agenda included a introduction to the EBU and Ukraine's core team, presentation of the postcard concept for this year, and details of important venues such as the Eurovision Village and the Euroclub.

These latter details will be especially significant to fans planning to travel to Kyiv in May, after internal chaos within the Ukrainian planning team threw the organisation of fan venues into doubt. Last month, the UK wing of OGAE (the Eurovision fan club) suggested that the Euroclub was likely to be "small and not necessarily Eurovision themed".

Fortunately, these issues appear to have been resolved. Euroclub has been confirmed at the Parkovy Convention and Exhibition Centre, a sizeable and attractive venue near the banks of the Dnieper River. Exact opening times have not yet been advised, but a statement on the official Eurovision website promises that artists, delegates and accredited press will be able to "party the night away" throughout the contest. 

The traditional 'Eurovision Village' will be hosted on Khreschatyk - Kyiv's main street and central shopping district. As usual, artists past and present are expected to perform, while other entertainment and events will be laid on for fans and locals alike. 

The official red carpet event - which kick starts the final week of Eurovision action - will be held at Mariyinsky Palace, the ceremonial residence of the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. The red carpet event will be streamed live on the official Eurovision Youtube channel, and followed by an Opening Ceremony at the Euroclub. 

Last but not least, there was the small matter of drawing a place in the running order for Ukraine's entry this year. As is the recent tradition, the host nation is the only participant to have their slot in the running order drawn randomly. O. Torvald should be pleased with the news that they will be performing 22nd, one of the plum spots towards the end of the lengthy grand final.

While Ukraine are presumably not eager to host the Contest two years in a row, a bottom five finish on home turf is no more desirable, and this draw combined with their status as one of the only straightforward rock entries in this year's lineup should give them a good chance of a respectable showing next month. But that's for another newsletter...

In Other News...

Valentina Goes Fourth For San Marino

As National Final Season Ends The Revamps Arrive

April can be a long, dry month for Eurovision fans after the excitement of February and March. However, while versions of all 43 entries have already been publicised, the final versions of the tracks were submitted to the EBU at the Heads of Delegaton meeting - and we can expected these revamped versions to be released over the final weeks to keep fan interest high.

United Kingdom representative Lucie Jones promised a revamp of her entry 'Never Give Up On You' almost immediately after the credits rolled on Eurovision: You Decide this January. As promised, the remixed version remains close to the spirit of the original, adding more dynamic production while keeping the focus squarely on her voice. 

Fellow big 5-er France also unveiled a new bilingual version of Alma's 'Requiem' this week, also featuring a new, punchier ending. Italy wisely chose to leave the production of pre-contest favourite 'Occidentali's Karma' untouched, instead chopping out most of the second verse to bring the song down to the required three-minute mark. 

Perhaps fearing the fallout from a third consecutive last place finish after the muted reaction to the original version of their 2017 entry, Germany have also promised a special 'Eurovision version' of Levina's 'Perfect Life', while Slovenia will be hoping an orchestral mix of Omar Naber's 'On My Way' will elevate it from its current position as the rank outsider in the betting odds. Expect to hear further tweaks and revamps over the coming weeks...
 

Eurovision Preview Concert Line-ups Take Shape

Meanwhile, for fans who want to catch this year's artists without spending a weekend in Kyiv this May, the various Eurovision concerts and pre-parties are rapidly taking shape. 

One of the largest of these preview concerts takes place in Amsterdam on Saturday 8th April. At time of writing, 24 of this year's participants have already confirmed to perform at the sold-out Eurovision In Concert event, with more expected to follow.

A week earlier on Sunday 2nd April, the annual London Eurovision Party will be held at the Cafe De Paris Nightclub. In addition to participants from this year, past winners Linda Martin, Ruslana and Conchita have already confirmed their attendance. 

Fans can also make their way to the Moscow Eurovision Party on Friday 21st April, the Riga Eurovision Pre Party on Saturday March 25th or the Madrid Pre Party on Saturday 15th April. All of these events will also feature selected acts from this year and from Contests past. 

Ask The ESC Insight Team...

Now that the dust has settled on National Final season, it's time for the ESC Insight team to survey the wreckage and mourn for what might have been...
 

Which National Final Result Disappointed You The Most This Year?

Ellie Chalkley
I wasn't so much disappointed as taken by surprise by the result of the Lithuanian selection ultra-marathon. I couldn't even remember hearing 'Rain of Revolution' in the early stages? Why can't we have nice Greta Zazza-type things?

John Egan
Sweden's Melodifestivalen. I purposely didn't watch much of the semis so I would approach the final with open ears and eyes. The most striking entry of the year (Loreen's) didn't make it through the televote-only gauntlets. Half of the finalists used different sequences of the same shots (changing background colour doesn't hide it), making it clear who SVT wanted to win. How else could Wiktoria's lame spinning bed have been vetted? And why didn't they just leave Jon Henrik in one position and build the performance around him? But it could have been worse: Mariette could have won. I won't be surprised if 'I Can't Go On' finished 12th in the GF. It's so bloody smarmy and unctuous.

Ben Robertson
Melodifestivalen: Not for the actual winner, but for the result process itself. Unaccountable juries had decided a winner that was impossible to overturn no matter what the televote generated because the app votes again made results converge in the middle. For all of Melfest's great entertainment, the voting reveal at the end was atrocious TV.

Lisa-Jayne Lewis
Spain's NF was an absolute shambles. As far as I could tell it was an internal selection thinly disguised as a national selection. TVE really need to take a look at the aftermath of this year, have some serious debrief meetings and not try to pull the same stunt next year.

Ewan Spence
Malta Eurovision Song Contest. The move to 100% televoting in a relatively small community meant that the artist's name overpowered any other consideration. Even though 'Kewkba' was one of the best songs of the NF season, I correctly called the victor of the popularity contest on the strength of the entry list months before the broadcast, and I hate being able to do that.

Sharleen Wright
Lithuania. It ran for weeks and weeks, lost known act Sasha Song along the way, had 2 potential pop qualifiers in its final mix (including one penned by Aminata) and a massive talking point in Lolita Zero, but then produced a winner that is quite likely the most forgettable tune in the contest.

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Images: Eurovision.tv