This week in Eurovision, Lithuania guaranteed The Roop a spot in their 2021 final; Albania revealed the 26 artists for FiK 59; Croatia said Dora 2021 acts MUST use pre-recorded backing vocals; and Denmark said it'll pick eight finalists for DMGP, which will take place on March 6. We also watched the LEGO version of the Eurovision movie, and enjoyed new music from the likes of Eleni Foureira (Light It Up). Links to relevant articles below!

Lithuania: LRT releases rules for “Pabandom iš naujo! 2021” – THE ROOP have a guaranteed place

Albania: 26 artists confirmed for Festivali i Këngës 59…including Orgesa Zaimi, Inis Neziri and Era Rusi

Croatia: Entries open for DORA 2021… but live backing singers are not allowed

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2021: Denmark’s national final will feature 8 finalists in March 6 showdown

41 countries will return to Eurovision in 2021…and they’re the same 41 as last year.

Tiny but mighty – ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’ is retold in LEGO

Roll on, Eurovision 2021! This week we discuss Portugal's confirmation and new rules at Festival da Canção that allow for pre-recording backing; Finland's announcement that producers have chosen 7 acts for the final; Samanta Tina's songwriting camp with Aminata; Israel's ongoing song selection process for Eden Alene; the award-worthy nature of "Husavik" from the Eurovision movie; and some of this week's hottest new releases, including Serhat's "Di Na Na Na". You can follow links to the relevant articles below.  

Portugal confirms for Eurovision 2021 and opens entries for Festival da Canção

Finland: YLE promises versatile lineup as seven acts selected for UMK 2021

Samanta Tina gets creative with Aminata at Eurovision songwriting camp

Simon Cowell's "50 States to Stardom" — a rival to the American Song Contest

Israel: Eden Alene receives 220 songs for national selection, 16 to be revealed next month

Netflix Eurovision song — does Husavik deserve a nomination?

Serhat shares “Di Na Na Na” — the Spanish version of his Eurovision 2019 entry

Iceland has confirmed that Daði Freyr and Gagnamagnið will return to Eurovision 2021 for Iceland. They were the bookies favourite to win ESC 2020 with their viral hit "Think About Things" and fans are thrilled they'll have another shot at snatching the trophy. The long-running national final Söngvakeppnin will rest for a year and Daði Freyr will instead develop his song in private. He's said he wants to write a joyous number and that he's writing with staging in mind. Read more at the links below.

Eurovision 2021: Daði og Gagnamagnið will represent Iceland

Taking a break: Iceland will not use Söngvakeppnin to select Daði og Gagnamagnið’s Eurovision 2021 song

The Eurovision news just won't quit! This week we discuss the results of the OGAE Second Chance Contest, which finished with another win for Sweden with Anna Bergendahl. Our readers have been showing a lot of love for runners-up Erika Vikman from Finland and Elvana Gjatta from Albania. In other news, Montenegro won't be returning to Eurovision in 2021. Norway will once again stage a six-show national selection in Melodi Grand Prix. And our readers have named Eurovision 2016 in Stockholm as their favourite edition of the song contest over the past decade. Click on the links below to read the relevant article and read comments from our dear readers. 

OGAE Second Chance Contest 2020: Sweden wins with Anna Bergendahl

RTCG confirms that Montenegro will NOT return to Eurovision in 2021

Save the date! Norway’s Melodi Grand Prix 2021 final set for February 20

Poll results: Stockholm 2016 is your favourite Eurovision Song Contest of the 2010s

Germany mistakenly included Iveta Mukuchyan in its Eurovision 2021 selection; Steps call ESC "a political contest"; Duncan Laurence, VAL and Mariette get engaged; some participants will film Junior Eurovision 2020 performances in Poland; and UMK chooses a new trophy for 2021 selection. You can read the relevant stories and comments on wiwibloggs.com at the links below.

Germany: NDR says Iveta Mukuchyan was “mistakenly” included in ESC 2021 selection

Iveta Mukuchyan reveals Germany considered her for Eurovision 2021

UK: “It’s not a song contest, it’s a political contest” – H from Steps says group won’t compete at Eurovision

A winning game! Duncan Laurence gets engaged to American songwriter boyfriend

Belarus: Valeria and Vladislav of VAL get engaged atop scenic Montengro mountain

Sweden: Mariette gets engaged… and shares story of epic romantic proposal

Melodifestivalen 2021 dates confirmed…along with tour cancellation amid pandemic restrictions

Junior Eurovision 2020: TVP reveals that some delegations will record their performances in Poland

Spain’s broadcaster reveals specifications for Junior Eurovision 2020 standard stage design 

Celebrating 10 years of UMK – which design should be Finland’s new national final trophy?

The rumour mill is spinning fast: Will Iceland, Russia and Cyprus choose returning artists for Eurovision 2021? Also: Sweden will reportedly cancel its Melodifestivalen tour. William and Deban discuss these posts from the Wiwibloggs web site and read your comments.

Internal selection? Iceland’s Daði Freyr reschedules European tour, stoking Eurovision 2021 rumours

Russia confirms Eurovision 2021 participation…as fans ponder the fate of Little Big

Cyprus: No Fuego! Eleni Foureira has turned down Eurovision 2021

Cyprus’ secret combination? Greek media reports Kalomira is in talks to return to Eurovision for 2021

Sweden: SVT confirms that first 14 songs have been selected for Melodifestivalen 2021

Eurovision 2021 executive producer Sietse Bakker tells our Esma about the various scenarios for ESC 2021, how the ESC 2020 logo might change, when there will be more Eurovision ticket info...and explains THAT gorgeous swan.

How can The Netherlands stage Eurovision 2021 during the coronavirus pandemic? Well host broadcasters NPO/NOS/AVROTROS and the EBU have a plan for four different scenarios. They cover things like social distance, potential travel restrictions, performances from home studios and more. We walk through the four options.

What will VICTORIA's Eurovision 2021 song sound like? Our Cinan went to the Black Sea Eurovision Songwriting Camp 2020 in Burgas and Primorsko, Bulgaria, to ask Victoria about the potential songs for next year's Eurovision. She tells us how many songs she's written so far — for her album and potentially ESC. She collaborated with Cesar Sampson and Borislav Milanov, and met with Germany's Ben Dolic.

Junior Eurovision 2020 will be held remotely, with artists singing in home studios. Does this have implications for the adult Eurovision in 2021?