The second day of the first rehearsals has come to an end. Today, starting this morning, eight countries had their first rehearsal on the huge Eurovision stage. These countries were: Portugal, Croatia, Denmark, Austria, Iceland, Greece, Norway, and Armenia. After today, it also means that every country that is competing in the first Semi-final of this year’s contest has been on-stage at least once.
Below you can find an overview of the TikTok videos that were made of the artist and their first turn on the grand Eurovision stage.
Portugal
Maro – Saudade, saudade
In the video we see that the outfits and the staging of this very laid-back song also have that same vibe. We can also see that Maro and her group of female back-up singers do a clap routine, and we cannot stop wondering where we are going to see that type of clapping again… The clothing, the song, the laid-back enthusiasm of Portugal’s singer Maro, it feels like it will al melt together beautifully.
Croatia
Mia Dimšić – Guilty Pleasure
In the couple of times that ESCplus had the chance to talk with Mia from Croatia, she was always very bubbly, kind, and full of enthusiasm. In the TikTok video we see Mia wearing a pink-purple-ish dress, and she is playing the guitar. It seems like Mia will have several dancers on-stage. We get a Taylor Swift Folklore-album vibe, and we can only say that we want to see more.
Denmark
Reddi – The Show
The rock chicks of Denmark’s song is called “The Show”, and in the first Semi-final these girls will give the Eurovision audience a real show. Expect rock music, wild and fashionable costumes, fun hair-dos, a LED screen full of vibrant colours, and pyrotechnics. Denmark will leave no stone unturned to qualify for the Grand Final.
Austria
DJ Lum!x feat. Pia Maria – Halo
Yes, there has been said and done a lot about Austria’s DJ Lum!x feat. Pia Maria, but now that we get to see a glimpse of what their Eurovision version will look like, we have to say that we are getting excited for this one. Lum!x and Pia Maria are standing in a light circle, while he DJs the song away, and she sings the vocals. On the video it sounds like she gets some help from back-up singers, which ties the song together really nicely.
Iceland
Systur – Með Hækkandi Sól
The sisters of the Icelandic entry will be on-stage with their brother, and immediately we get a “The Corrs” kind of vibe. The Eurovision on-stage version does not seem to differ a whole lot from the one we saw during the Iceland pre-selection. It is the band on-stage with a light show of purple, pink, and yellow lights, which fits this calm semi-folklore song perfectly.
Greece
Amanda Georgiadis Tenfjord – Die Together
What we can see and hear in this TikTok video is that the song has an American folklore pop vibe, mixed with a ballad, but the staging seems really Greek, with blue chairs scattered over the stage, and Amanda in a white dress. Greece’s singer seems very angelic because of her outfit, her hair, and her voice that seems to have an enormous reach.
Norway
Subwoolfer – Give That Wolf a Banana
There seem to be close to no changes for Subwoolfer from Norway when it comes down to their national final and the Eurovision version, except for a bigger staging and light show, and there will also be some red fireworks. The performance, the dance, and the staging of Subwoolfers Keith and Jim looks very slick, and it is a good thing that they did overdo it for the Eurovision version; after all, the set-up of the duo is already outrageous enough, and their song is very catchy.
Armenia
Rosa-Linn – Snap
Rosa-Linn’s Eurovision version of her song “Snap” comes with props; in the video we see a bed and walls covered in white fabric or maybe even white Post-its. The camera work will make all the difference when it comes down to this performance. Apart from this, Armenian singer Rosa-Linn looks great and her singing is already up to par as far as we can hear from this short TikTok-video.
Conclusion
For us there were no real grand surprises today, except for Croatia, Greece and Armenia, who seem to have a whole concept going on when it comes down to their performance on-stage. Everything looks pretty cool, and not overdone, or so different from the national final performance that it has become unrecognizable. We can honestly say that we are excited for Semi-final 1, because there does not seem to be one song in this show that we are like: “No way this will qualify!” So, that is a good and exciting thing, but it also means that it is anyone’s game…
Let’s see what happens in the upcoming days when we get to know more about on-stage performances, camera angles, props, and maybe even the kinetic sun on-stage. Who knows?!
What do you think?
What do you think of today’s first rehearsals? Let us know in the comments below!
Eurovision Song Contest 2022
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest will take place on May 10th (Semi-final 1), 12th (Semi-final 2), and on the 14th (Grand Final) in Turin, Italy.