The 2023 Eurovision Song Contest is well underway, as the first semi-final took place in Liverpool. The show saw 15 acts compete for 10 converted spots in the grand finale.
It seems that all fan favourites made it through to the final in what has been dubbed the strongest semi-final yet. This is also the first time that New Zealanders have been able to vote in the competition’s category, as part of the “Rest of the World” division.
Previous winner Loreen, who is representing Sweden, and Kaarija from Finland were overwhelming favourites of the audience and were given places in the final. Joining them are performers for Croatia, Moldova, Switzerland, Czechia, Portugal, Serbia, and Norway.
Missing out was Ireland, who has won the competition the most times, with seven victories under its belt. The Netherlands, Malta, Azerbaijan, and Latvia also didn’t qualify.
Liverpool was selected as the host city, despite Ukraine winning the 2022 competition. The United Kingdom’s entrant for the 2023 competition is singer/songwriter Mae Muller with her selected piece “I Wrote a Song.” The United Kingdom has won the competition five times, the most recent being in 1997. The Eurovision Song Contest has been credited for launching the careers of some of the biggest names in music, such as ABBA and Celine Dion.
