Eurovision 2023 is fast approaching, and new details are surfacing about what to expect from Europe’s biggest annual party. This year’s Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Liverpool, U.K. on behalf of last year’s winners Ukraine, with the semi-finals taking place on May 9 and May 11, and the Grand Final taking place on Saturday, May 13.
Recently, the BBC announced the lineup of performances that will make up much of the Grand Final’s runtime, with various musical guests that will entertain audiences during the intervals while votes are being counted. These acts will perform alongside the chosen 26 finalists, ensuring plenty of musical madness to go around. Get ready!
Who’s performing at the Eurovision 2023 Grand Final?
Given the U.K. is hosting on behalf of Ukraine after the U.K. shocked everyone by finishing in second place last year (the U.K. earned zero points at Eurovision 2021, so second place was a significant improvement), it’s nice to see various Ukrainian artists front and center in this year’s Eurovision final. Kalush Orchestra, who won Eurovision in 2022, will open the show with a performance titled “Voices Of A New Generation,” which will include their winning song “Stefania.”
During the Eurovision Flag Parade, which will feature all 26 finalists, the audience will be treated to a unique performance from some of Ukraine’s most iconic past Eurovision contestants, who will be singing their old Eurovision entries with a few British classics mixed in.
Also on the list to perform, unsurprisingly, is Sam Ryder, whose hit “Space Man” delivered the U.K. the number two spot at last year’s Eurovision competition—the U.K.’s best placement at Eurovision in over two decades. Since then, Ryder has had enormous success in the U.K., including a Number 1 debut album and a BRIT nomination for “Best Breakthrough Act.” Sam Ryder will be performing during the show’s first official interval, which is when voting takes place across Europe and the rest of the world.
The final interval performance of the night, which will be called “The Liverpool Songbook” will celebrate Liverpool’s unique and lasting contributions to pop music. Think The Beatles, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Elvis Costello, and more—this act will likely cover it all and then some. Performing “The Liverpool Songbook” is a handful of past Eurovision contestants and winners, including Italy’s Mahmood, Israel’s Netta, Daði Freyr from Iceland, Cornelia Jakobs from Sweden, and Duncan Laurence from the Netherlands, all of whom will be joined by Liverpool’s very own Sonia, who came in second at Eurovision in 1993.
Eurovision 2023 is shaping up to be yet another exciting spectacle.
(via BBC, featured image: Pool, Getty Images)
