This weekend will see the first Semi Final in Lithuania’s journey to select a song for the Eurovision Song Contest, and it’s the first of eight weekends that will be filled with non-stop National Selection action.  That’s on top of the two National Final winners and internal selections on the board already.

Yes, it’s getting busy! And what helps when it’s busy is the Insight News Podcast. There’s a slight change to the format this year; each week, Ewan Spence will be joined by a guest from the wonderful world of Eurovision to talk over the latest happenings.

In this week’s double-length episode, Dudepoint (dudepoints.fun) joins the podcast to look back at the news from December, national results from Montenegro and Albania, and to look forward to what happens next.

Eurovision Insight News Podcast: Icebergs, Ahoy!

A flood of songs, a diary of adventure, and why is everyone getting disqualified? Ewan Spence and Dudepoints discuss the latest ups and downs from the Eurovision Song Contest.

Discover more about the Eurovision Song Contest and follow its journey to Basel by listening to the ESC Insight podcasts. You’ll find the show on iTunes, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. A direct RSS feed is available.

The post Eurovision Insight News Podcast: Icebergs, Ahoy! appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

Eurovision Wars is a series of podcasts exploring geopolitical themes as they emerged on the Eurovision Song Contest stage. You can listen to Seasons 1 and 2 in full on Spotify, covering such topics as the Russia-Ukraine War, and the long-running dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia. For Season 3, the podcast moves to its new home at ESC Insight, and will focus on the many controversies of Eurovision 2024. In particular, hosts Phil Doré and Ana Oppenheim will attempt to contextualise the fierce rows over the Israeli entry for Malmö 2024.

In episode four , we arrive in Malmö for the sixty-ninth edition of the Song Contest. Tensions are high all round, and several artists are looking at their moment in the global spotlight as an opportunity to speak to the world on the issue of the day. How were those protests made, what impact did they have, and how did they fuel the narrative of Malmö?

Before we go on, a quick reminder of the principles we are holding to in this series. Discussing Israel and Palestine is inevitably difficult and polarising, so in episode one, we introduced three ground rules to frame our podcasts.

Be willing to keep more than one thought in your head.

It can be true that the founding of the state of Israel was in response to centuries of antisemitism and the horrors of the Holocaust, and also that its founding was marked by massacres and forced displacement of the local Arab population. Likewise, it can be true that Israelis have a right not to be victims of Hamas terrorism, and Palestinians have a right not to be bombed by Israeli warplanes. These are not contradictory.

Explanation is not justification.

When we say that decades of oppression against the Palestinians contributed to October 7th, that is not to justify the atrocities of that day. Likewise, in describing those atrocities, this does not render the mass destruction inflicted by Israel on Gaza acceptable.

 If one side in a conflict commits a war crime, that doesn’t mean the other side gets a free war crime.

Because, unbelievably, that point still has to be made.

Eurovision stage concept for Malmo 2024 (EBU / SVT)

If we are to fully understand how the Eurovision Song Contest became so controversial in 2024, then this inevitably leads to difficult conversations. But these are conversations we absolutely need to have as a community.

You can find previous Eurovision Wars episodes on ESC Insight here.

The post ESC Insight Presents…..Eurovision Wars: Protesting From The Malmö Stage appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

This week saw the launch of the Basel 2025 branding. While the Eurovision Song Contest has an overall look, each host city and year carries their own look reflecting the city, the country, and the values of the Contest. Artur Deyneuve is leading the team for Basel. ESC Insight’s Ewan Spence sat down with Artur following the launch to find out more about this year’s identity.

They talk about several topics, including…

“It was around August. There was a day that I was working super late, I was having one of those days of creative deep dives.  You are just there, on the internet, looking around. Is an idea going to come? At some point, I was surfing on the web and came across this meme. … and the moment I saw this meme of two years coming together to shape a heart, I felt goosebumps over my body. I felt a little bit of ‘boop!’ in my stomach and I was like ‘yeah, this is it, there is no other story’.”

“We looked into Liverpool; a nice typeface, all caps, san serif, nice. We looked at last year, and oh, all caps and serif are included as well. All caps… looks like everyone likes to shout at us. This typography is just shouting in my face.

“Because we have our creative approach and our creative idea; we are here to listen and to chat, we don’t want to shout. That’s why we went to that typeface. We use a serif typeface because serif is more connected to storytelling, to chat, to calming down. And not having a big typeface shouting in my face.”

“If you ask someone ‘Why do you buy a pair of socks with a swoosh,’ ‘Why do you buy a pair of socks with the Adidas logo there? ‘ it’s because they are buying a brand. You don’t try to tell people what Adidas is; you just put the logo on. And it is the same with Eurovision.

“It’s so big, so strong, and for so many fans, this is what they want. It’s Eurovision, and that’s the Eurovision logo, and that’s the Eurovision heart. You have to love this; if you don’t love this, you’re not a Eurovision fan.”

Eurovision Chat Over Coffee, Basel 2025 Art Director Artur Deyneuve

Ewan Spence sits down with Artur Deyneuve to talk about the visual design of Basel 2025, the Swiss Grid, half tone images, why Helvetica is not the chosen font, and more…

Discover more about the Eurovision Song Contest and follow its journey to Basel by listening to the ESC Insight podcasts. You’ll find the show on iTunes, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. A direct RSS feed is available. We also have a regular email newsletter, which you can sign up for here.

The post Eurovision Chat Over Coffee, Basel 2025 Art Director Artur Deyneuve appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

This podcast episode includes discussions of violence, and mentions of sexual violence and rape.

Eurovision Wars is a series of podcasts exploring geopolitical themes as they emerged on the Eurovision Song Contest stage. You can listen to Seasons 1 and 2 in full on Spotify, covering such topics as the Russia-Ukraine War, and the long-running dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia. For Season 3, the podcast moves to its new home at ESC Insight, and will focus on the many controversies of Eurovision 2024. In particular, hosts Phil Doré and Ana Oppenheim will attempt to contextualise the fierce rows over the Israeli entry for Malmö 2024.

In episode three, we look at Ireland’s entry to the Contest and the intensely outspoken Bambi Thug. From their formative years discovering themselves and their artistry, through RTE’s Eurosong selection, and to the pressures of Malmö, how did Bambi Thug use the stage of the Song Contest to amplify their message, and how did others want that stage to be used?

Before we go on, a quick reminder of the principles we are holding to in this series. Discussing Israel and Palestine is inevitably difficult and polarising, so in episode one, we introduced three ground rules to frame our podcasts.

Be willing to keep more than one thought in your head.

It can be true that the founding of the state of Israel was in response to centuries of antisemitism and the horrors of the Holocaust, and also that its founding was marked by massacres and forced displacement of the local Arab population. Likewise, it can be true that Israelis have a right not to be victims of Hamas terrorism, and Palestinians have a right not to be bombed by Israeli warplanes. These are not contradictory.

Explanation is not justification.

When we say that decades of oppression against the Palestinians contributed to October 7th, that is not to justify the atrocities of that day. Likewise, in describing those atrocities, this does not render the mass destruction inflicted by Israel on Gaza acceptable.

 If one side in a conflict commits a war crime, that doesn’t mean the other side gets a free war crime.

Because, unbelievably, that point still has to be made.

Eurovision stage concept for Malmo 2024 (EBU / SVT)

If we are to fully understand how the Eurovision Song Contest became so controversial in 2024, then this inevitably leads to difficult conversations. But these are conversations we absolutely need to have as a community.

You can find previous Eurovision Wars episodes on ESC Insight here.

The post ESC Insight Presents…..Eurovision Wars: The Malmö Boycott And The Irish Witch appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

Welcome to the latest episode of the Eurovision Masterpiece Collection. There’s more to our favourite singers than their Song Contest entries, so join David Horton as he highlights some of the best music away from the Eurovision stage. In our latest musical moment, David’s audience picks out three favourites from Eurovision legend Loreen.

Loreen first came to the attention of the Swedish public during the first season of Sweden’s version of Pop Idol  (Idol 2024). She finished fourth, with a single released the following year. That led to her working in various presenting and production roles in Swedish television before entering Melodifestivalen 2011 with ‘My Heart Is Refusing Me‘ reaching the Second Chance round.

2024 was the year of Euphoria. Winning Melodifestivalen, winning Eurovision, and charting across Europe (including a Top 3 in the UK charts, the highest of any non-UK entry since Johnny Logan’s second Eurovision-winning song ‘Hold Me Now‘). As we now know, that wasn’t the only record of Logan’s that Loreen would challenge.

With more Melodifestivalen entries, chart hits, and albums in the catalogue, which of Loreen’s songs would you add to the Masterpiece Collection?

Eurovision Masterpiece Collection: Loreen

David Horton presents three classic Loreen tracks chosen by the audience.

Stay on top of all the Eurovision discussions as the season begins by listening to the ESC Insight podcasts. You’ll find the show on iTunes, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. A direct RSS feed is available. And you can listen to more Eurovision music each Sunday night with David online at thedavidhortonshow.co.uk,

The post ESC Insight Presets… Eurovision Masterpiece Collection: Loreen appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

As the Eurovision Song Contest moves forward and Basel 2025 comes into view, the events leading up to, during, and after the Song Contest’s third visit to Malmö continue to echo around the community.

Bakel Walden, the current chair of the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group, returns to the ESC Insight podcast and joins Ewan Spence to talk about the state of the Contest as the momentum builds for another season.

They talk about several topics, including…

“It was very simple. They [KAN] are a member of EBU, it has been expressed quite a lot of times by the EBU that as a member, as long as you play by the rules, you are eligible to participate and that was the case of KAN, that they are eligible to participate. There were obviously different opinions in social media, we’ve heard from delegations, etc. but at the end of the day, there was not one single member of the EBU who expressed any official resentment.”

“There’s a clear difference between a state broadcaster that is just following propaganda, which is not actually playing by the rules and values of the EBU.

“KAN itself has been in a difficult situation, also with the Israeli government. There is a different situation in how they position themselves, but I absolutely acknowledge that me and the Reference Group have been very much aware that the difference hasn’t been clear and hasn’t been also accepted by a lot of people; and I think this is also one of the learnings for the EBU and probably also the Reference Group, that this has not been well enough communicated, not openly, transparent [and not] early enough.”

“The EBU is proposing a disqualification, and the Reference Group approves it or doesn’t… and what we did is, of course, have a discussion, all of us;  meaning the EBU Core Team, the Executive Supervisor, the Media Director, and myself. And we also discussed this then with the Executive Committee- the Executive Board—which I mentioned before, the highest committee of the EBU, the Expo—who approved this. I personally informed the Reference Group so everyone was involved, everyone had a say.”

“We need to have areas where artists can retreat to. Areas you know, where you can be and where no-one is allowed to take out a camera. I mean, if I’m at a football match and the World Cup, I’m not allowed to go into the locker room of the teams, and I think the Eurovision Song Contest has been quite open with that, and it’s nice to be as open with social media content, but it’s been probably going too far. So there will be, I think, areas or maybe also time periods when we say look, now it’s about the artist and about their well-being and they also can disconnect and no one is, you know, allowed to disturb.”

Eurovision Chat Over Coffee, with Eurovision Reference Group Chair Bakel Walden

Ewan Spence sits down with Eurovision Reference Group chairman Bakel Walden to look forward to Basel 2025 and look back at Malmö 2024 and one of the most controversial seasons in the Contest’s long and storied history.

Discover more about the Eurovision Song Contest and follow its journey to Basel by listening to the ESC Insight podcasts. You’ll find the show on iTunes, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. A direct RSS feed is available. We also have a regular email newsletter, which you can sign up for here.

The post Eurovision Chat Over Coffee, with Eurovision Reference Group Chair Bakel Walden appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

Eurovision Wars is a series of podcasts exploring geopolitical themes as they emerged on the Eurovision Song Contest stage. You can listen to Seasons 1 and 2 in full on Spotify, covering such topics as the Russia-Ukraine War, and the long-running dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia. For Season 3, the podcast moves to its new home at ESC Insight, and will focus on the many controversies of Eurovision 2024. In particular, hosts Phil Doré and Ana Oppenheim will attempt to contextualise the fierce rows over the Israeli entry for Malmö 2024.

In episode two, we look at the National Selections of HaKokhav HaBa in Israel and al Söngvakeppnin in Iceland. Two artists stood out in these competitions. We will consider both ‘October Rain‘ and ‘Hurricane‘ from Israeli singer Eden Golan, and ‘Wild West/Vestrið villt‘ from Palestinian singer Bashar Murad.

What viewpoints did they represent, how did the community and the organisers react to these songs, and why do many consider them political songs?

Before we go on, a quick reminder of the principles we are holding to in this series. Discussing Israel and Palestine is inevitably difficult and polarising, so in episode one, we introduced three ground rules to frame our podcasts.

Be willing to keep more than one thought in your head.

It can be true that the founding of the state of Israel was in response to centuries of antisemitism and the horrors of the Holocaust, and also that its founding was marked by massacres and forced displacement of the local Arab population. Likewise, it can be true that Israelis have a right not to be victims of Hamas terrorism, and Palestinians have a right not to be bombed by Israeli warplanes. These are not contradictory.

Explanation is not justification.

When we say that decades of oppression against the Palestinians contributed to October 7th, that is not to justify the atrocities of that day. Likewise, in describing those atrocities, this does not render the mass destruction inflicted by Israel on Gaza acceptable.

 If one side in a conflict commits a war crime, that doesn’t mean the other side gets a free war crime.

Because, unbelievably, that point still has to be made.

Eurovision stage concept for Malmo 2024 (EBU / SVT)

If we are to fully understand how the Eurovision Song Contest became so controversial in 2024, then this inevitably leads to difficult conversations. But these are conversations we absolutely need to have as a community.

You can find previous Eurovision Wars episodes on ESC Insight here.

The post ESC Insight Presents…..Eurovision Wars: How To Politicise A Song appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

This weekend will see the second edition of the Pan-Arcticvision Song Contest. Ten performers taking to the stage, looking for the votes of the watching TV audiences from around the world, all to foster a sense of belonging and identity.

The story of the Contest starts with the Faroe Islands and the difficulty it has being represented on the international stage. It is a similar story for many of the territories in the circumpolar north. Following on from last year’s event in Norway, the Contest moves to Greenland and welcomes nine acts to the stage, including Evgeny Goman performing as one of many Russian Arctic Exiles.

Ahead of the Contest, ESC Insight’s Phil Dore sat down to talk about issues from cultural identity and representation, singing in native languages, and the impact of geographical distance in the North.

You can follow the Contest, watch it live, and cast your vote from The Rest Of The World, at panarcticvision.org.

Eurovision Chat Over Coffee, Pan-Arcticvision’s Artistic Director Amund Sjølie Sveen

What is Pan-Arcticvision, what can we expect to see, can we vote? Those questions and more are asked by Phil Dore, as he sits down with artistic director Amund Sjølie Sveen.

Discover more about the Eurovision Song Contest and its wider impact on the cultural world by listening to the ESC Insight podcasts. You’ll find the show on iTunes, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. A direct RSS feed is available. We also have a regular email newsletter, which you can sign up for here.

The post Eurovision Chat Over Coffee, Pan-Arcticvision’s Artistic Director Amund Sjølie Sveen appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

Welcome to the Eurovision Masterpiece Collection. There’s more to our favourite singers than their Song Contest entries, so join David Horton as he highlights some of the best music away from the Eurovision stage. In our latest musical moment, David picks out three favourites from 2019’s winner, Duncan Laurence.

His breakthrough appearance in The Netherlands was his appearance on The Voice. Coached by Eurovision Alumni Ilse DeLange, he reached the Semi Finals, which saw him decide to leave The Slick and pursue a solo career. Wind the clock forward a few years, and DeLange pitches him to AVROTROS as the Dutch representative for Eurovision 2019.

Beyond that stage, which of his songs and performances belong in the Masterpiece Collection? And if you could add one more to the mix, which would you choose?

Eurovision Masterpiece Collection: Duncan Laurence

David Horton presents three classic Duncan Laurence tracks.

Stay on top of all the Eurovision discussions as the season begins by listening to the ESC Insight podcasts. You’ll find the show on iTunes, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. A direct RSS feed is available. And you can listen to more Eurovision music each Sunday night with David online at thedavidhortonshow.co.uk,

The post ESC Insight Presets… Eurovision Masterpiece Collection: Duncan Laurence appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

This podcast episode includes discussions of violence, including sexual violence.

Eurovision Wars is a series of podcasts exploring geopolitical themes as they emerged on the Eurovision Song Contest stage. You can listen to Seasons 1 and 2 in full on Spotify, covering such topics as the Russia-Ukraine War, and the long-running dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia. For Season 3, the podcast moves to its new home at ESC Insight, and will focus on the many controversies of Eurovision 2024. In particular, hosts Phil Doré and Ana Oppenheim will attempt to contextualise the fierce rows over the Israeli entry.

For this first episode, we place the Eurovision Song Contest of 2024 in its geopolitical context, looking back at the difficult and complex history of the Gaza Strip, the history of Israel’s participation in the Song Contest, and the horrific events of October 7th.

In subsequent episodes, we’ll consider Eden Golan’s highly-politicised entry ‘Hurricane’, Bashar Murad’s attempt to bring a Palestinian viewpoint to the Contest, and how the controversy impacted other artists such as Ireland’s Bambie Thug and the United Kindom’s Olly Alexander. In the fifth and final monthly episode, we explore the other controversies of 2024, such as those involving Azerbaijan and Serbia.

Eurovision Art Installation in Malmo (Photo: Ewan Spence)

Discussion of Israel and Palestine is inevitably difficult and polarising, so in episode one we introduced three ground rules to frame our discussion for this season.

Be willing to keep more than one thought in your head.

It can be true that the founding of the state of Israel was in response to centuries of antisemitism and the horrors of the Holocaust, and also that its founding was marked by massacres and forced displacement of the local Arab population. Likewise, it can be true that Israelis have a right not to be victims of Hamas terrorism, and Palestinians have a right not to be bombed by Israeli warplanes. These are not contradictory.

Explanation is not justification.

When we say that decades of oppression against the Palestinians contributed to October 7th, that is not to justify the atrocities of that day. Likewise, in describing those atrocities, this does not render the mass destruction inflicted by Israel on Gaza acceptable.

 If one side in a conflict commits a war crime, that doesn’t mean the other side gets a free war crime.

Because, unbelievably, that point still has to be made.

Eurovision stage concept for Malmo 2024 (EBU / SVT)

In the episode, we strongly and unreservedly condemn the atrocities of October 7th, but also do not shy away from labelling Israel’s subsequent actions as a genocide. There are those who dismiss such a label as premature, or an over-reaction. In response we cite the excellent Lions Led By Donkeys podcast. In their recent series on the Rwanda genocide, they point out that it is never too early to start talking about genocide. If you wait until there is nobody left, then it’s too late.

If we are to fully understand how the Eurovision Song Contest became so controversial in 2024, then this inevitably leads to difficult conversations. But these are conversations we absolutely need to have as a community.

You can find previous Eurovision Wars episodes on ESC Insight here.

The post ESC Insight Presents…..Eurovision Wars: Malmö 2024 In Context appeared first on ESC Insight - Home of the Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.