Today the first round of behind-closed-doors dress rehearsals of semi-final 2 are happening infront of accreditated press.
We will be updating this article with live updates of the show:
Malta: Sarah Bonicci - Loop
Sarah Bonnicci is a true professional. She has four dancers and is wearing a silver outfit and dances and sings her heart out. This is so impressive! It is very high energy from the start, with no pauses to breath for Sarah or the audience. It will be a real show stopper to kick the semi-final off.
Albania: Besa - TiTAN
Another outfit change for this dress rehersal of the peformance. Besa, now in a turquoise gown is surrounded by dancers throughout. A nice effect using the LED screen and floor to multiply the number of dancers that seem to appear on stage. A really solid run through but my struggle to really be remembered with seventeen songs to follow.
Greece: Marina Satti - Zari
Very modern peformance for this song. Starting out with a overlay effect of a Tiktok livestream, the peformance is mostly filmed in one shot apart from a midway overhead where, once again an artist lays on the ground. This will really stand out with its unique filming style
Switzerland: Nemo - The Code
Coming into this, they are a real contender for the crown. The performance is very dark throughout focusing on the moves on that massive turntable. A major change is a new outfit! no longer the furry flamingo top, and more subdued tulle jacket and skirt. Concerningly not a real loud reaction from the press centre for the peformance though.
Czechia: Aiko - Pedestal
Wow, this is a real polished and solid peformance. Forget about the national final vocals she gave because Aiko gave it her all there and it showed. A real highlight of that staging is near the end where Aiko and her dancers are inside one of the LED boxes and gives off a really cool effect.
France: Slimane - Mon Amore
Another peformance tonight that is filmed in one shot for a majority of the song. It starts with Slimane on the floor (A common theme this year) and lit soley by the blue LED floor. He is definitly not at his vocal perfection like normal but thats what run throughs are for. The big moment where Slimane steps back from the mic is really powerful and could be the moment of the night if executed well.
Austria: Kaleen - We Will Rave
Firstly... that outfit is stunning! This has a concept throughout and really works well on camera. The lasers and predominately dark staging help give that rave aesthetic. Kaleen's dancing was on point and by the end of the performance the song builds into something the crowd will just go crazy for.
Denmark: SABA - Sand
SABA is up next and she stands upon a glass box and throws around some sand in the first verse. After that though the staging is almost nothing but backlights strobing around her. A very interesting filming choice focusing on a duplicate SABA on the LED instead of her. We will see if Denmark can keep up in this stacked semi-final
Armenia: Ladaniva - Jako
Armenia is nothing short of delightful! There is a gorgeous level of ethnicity about this and the singer is extremely charismatic. This is a party song and they have staged it well! A really nice mix of squares of colours are used on the LEDs and the rest of the band are on a staggered stair platform in the centre. This is a party we want to be invited to!
Latvia: Dons - Hollow
Back in his blue gettup, Dons vocally was strong this dress rehearsal. The peformance starts with him standing in a concrete ring. After he steps out of the circle the rest of the peformance is reminicent of the Supernova peformance. By the end a pulsating tree grows from Dons onto the back screen, very Jamala-esq.
Spain: Nebulossa - Zorra
Pretty much a copy and paste from Benidorm, think cabaret meets Fifty-Shades of Grey. The crowd will absolutely feed into this as she rehearses pointing the microphone into the audience for their chants. The finale is a full on diva moment, fireworks and wind machine galore!
San Marino: Megara - 11:11
Megara looked incredible on that stage. The pink and and black colour story with the Alice in Wonderland-esq graphics really work well on screen. Expect a bunch of costume changes, pyro and on-screen graphics used to effect. Definitly do not be counting out San Marino yet!
Georgia: Nutsa - Firefighter
This is expensive! Nutsa is in a gorgeous orange-gold dress with four dancers. There is alot of black, red, gold and LOTS OF FIRE. Nutsa's vocals are flawless and extremely powerful. She finishes in front of a flaming circle! Powerful.
Belgium: Mustii - Before the Party's Over
Stellar vocals by Mustii for this peformance. Three clear distinct moments in this staging. The backlight start, a spinning microphone lazy susan and then windmachine finale. This has been a fan-favourite for a while and interesting to see how it fairs with such strong competition.
Estonia: 5miinust and Puuluup - (Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi
The boys go absolutely crazy on stage! The song starts with the lead performer singing from the crowd before climbing on stage. Apart from that the staging doesn't go anywhere and relys on the energy of the Estonian supergroup.
Italy: Angelina Mango - La Noia
This is something special, the peformance is full of elagance and class whilst still being fresh and trendy. A lot of floral patterns which could get busy on screen but gives the whole peformance a vibe that is unlike anything else we've seen. Angelina kills her vocals like always and this is definitly still a contender for the crown.
Israel: Eden Golane - Hurricane
Eden is in a white outfit with a white circle on stage with dancers. No technical issues to report this peformance run through.
Norway: Gåte - Ulveham
Norway has almost identical peformance to what we saw at Melodi Grand Prix just on a much larger scale. The vocals were strong and haunting like every peformance we've seen. Expect a wow moment during the broadcast.
The Netherlands: Joost Klein - Europapa
What a performance, absolutely bonkers! Joost is the star of this and his charisma shines through the camera whilst appeasing the arena crowds throughout. The staging tells a real story to help the audience through the dutch language narrative. We'll have to wait to see how the crowds react in the Jury show later.
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