Weekly blog #130: The Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, what exactly is happening?

Ciao! It’s from nowhere else but the beautiful city of Turin from where I am writing this blog right now. I arrived here yesterday in the afternoon, ready for the second Eurovision experience of my life. It seems hard to believe that almost an entire year has passed since Mäneskin took victory in Rotterdam. But it has and Eurovision has kicked off once again. From Rotterdam to Turin. From Chantal Janzen to Laura Pausini. From “Open Up” to “The Sound of Beauty”. From Douwe Egberts to Lavazza. Because it has to be said, the coffee here is simply fantastic. And that’s no luxury at half past seven in the morning. But what is exactly happening these weeks?

Every camera shot is agreed upon, and every look carefully planned

Well, a lot! Because although on television you only get to see the two semi-finals and the big finals, behind the scenes an incredible lot more happens, of course. Those shows are live, after all, and everything has to run perfectly. There’s only one chance for success. This applies to the artists, of course, but also to all the people involved in the production. It is and remains a competition in which the show element has become almost more important than the song itself. It is up to the camera people, the sound people and the rest of the production to display the act exactly as the participating country wants to have it. Every camera shot is agreed upon, and every look carefully planned. Naturally, this has to be rehearsed thoroughly. 

From each semi-final, ten countries will advance to the Grand Final, for which “the big five” are already automatically qualified

Those first rehearsals are now in full swing. At this point, requests to adjust things can still be considered. Then a second round of rehearsals and try-out shows will follow. The day before the semi-finals and the finals, the jury shows take place. Based on the performance in this show, the contestants are judged by the professional juries. These are those rankings – including the famous douze points – that a representative, one even more charming than the other, of each country reads out loud during the live broadcast. The first semi-final will take place next Tuesday, and the second one on Thursday. From each semi-final, ten countries will advance to the Grand Final, for which “the big five” are already automatically qualified. These are Italy, Spain, France, the United Kingdom and Germany.

And as if all this were not enough yet, interview requests and other inquiries are arriving in from all sides, some even crazier than others

And while every single thing eventually revolves around that one performance at the grand final on Saturday 14 May, which is not guaranteed for most of the countries yet, there is so much more happening. There are press conferences, hair and make-up try-outs, an official opening ceremony with the red carpet this weekend, a Eurovision Village built in a park here in Turin where thousands of fans will gather, and social activities in the surroundings of Turin that the delegations will undertake. And as if all this were not enough yet, interview requests and other inquiries are arriving in from all sides, some even crazier than others. At the same time, they remain ordinary people like everyone else who have to pee at the very last minute and forget their accreditation badge or even their entire outfit.

This makes the Eurovision Song Contest the second biggest television event in the world, right after the American Superbowl

In short, these two weeks are a pressure cooker, and every single minute of it is needed to ensure that a flawless show will be broadcast on Saturday the 14^th of May, which will be watched live by almost 200 million people in living rooms all over Europe and far beyond. This makes the Eurovision Song Contest the second biggest television event in the world, right after the American Superbowl. So, it’s not that surprising that winning the contest can change your life forever. Just look at what happened to Damiano, Victoria, Ethan and Thomas, the four band members of Mäneskin, after they took victory under a rain of golden confetti on the 22^nd of May 2021 at the Ahoy venue in Rotterdam. I will never forget that moment, and they certainly will not either.