Thanks to the global pandemic and the subsequent cancellation of the 2020 Contest, we have found ourselves with an unusually high number of internal selections this year. Then, for some reason, almost every one of them chose to unveil their entry in March. With a fortnight left to submit we’ve still got well over half the songs to hear. So just before things get a little hectic, here’s where everyone’s at…

Business as usual …

As mentioned above, many have eschewed a national final process in order to bring their 2020 artist back to the Contest. However, thankfully for all our Saturday nights, there has still been some selection fun to follow. Still to choose we have…

• 2nd – 6th March: SANREMO! It wouldn’t feel like Eurovision without 638 hours of adrenaline filled Italian nonsense, interspersed with the occasional song.
• 6th March: Eesti Laul, DMGP & Festival Da Cancao finals: Estonian weirdness, Portuguese chill and Danish indifference all reach their conclusion on the 6th.
• 13th March: Melfest final. Remarkably the final day of the selections only has one to watch. Luckily that means we can all put our full focus on Ewa Roos & Eva Rydberg taking their rightful crown.

It’s a date!

Whilst it was certainly frustrating that most of the countries chose to wait till the same fortnight to reveal their song, as least the following gave us a firm day of release…

• 4th: You buy one, you get one free…that’s right, it’s a BOGOF! This Thursday will see Moldova & the Netherlands release their entries for May. Natalia will be giving us all audiovisual diabetes with her Moldovan Sugar and Jeangu Macrooy will be unveiling the home entry. If this one makes me cry as well, then it’s two from two for the Dutch.
• 8th: Senhit was slated to present the follow up to Freaky last week, until that was cancelled the day before. Wonder if they’ve been out bid on the song they were intending to send at the 11th hour? Surely that could never happen.
• 10th: Like their neighbours Cyprus, it’s a Wednesday reveal for Greece. Stefania’s The Last Dance may have a ballad-y sounding title but is reported to have an “80’s pop” vibe. Stefania carrying the torch for our fallen heroes: Raylee, Gram of Fun & The Teflon Brothers!
• 12th: After a number of clips already released, huge fan favourite Samanta Tina will reveal her 2021 entry. I’m afraid I go against the grain here. I’ll have the ibuprofen ready for the 12th because if the clips are anything to go by it’s going to be a headache inducing hot mess.
• 13th: I know this is the date of the Melfest final but the reveal of Daði og Gagnamagnið’s successor to Think About Things may be the biggest of moment of the day. Following up to last year’s probable winner, 10 Years, will be an ode to how long it’s felt since the last Eurovision Song Contest.

What’s in a name?

For three of our remaining countries we’ve got their returning 2020 singer confirmed, the song title confirmed but just no date. These are…

• Austria – Kinder Beuno, Amen
• North Macedonia – Vasil (finally the bride!), Here I Stand
• Serbia – Sanja Vucic and the others, Loco Loco

Marching to nowhere…

This is by far and away our biggest group, almost a quarter of the entire Contest sits in this same position. Countries with an artist confirmed but no song title or date to speak of. Right, strap in team!

• Australia – Montaigne: It’s definitely not the “totally f****d up” JC Ultra as she has previously suggested.
• Azerbaijan – Efendi: It’s one of a shortlist of six. Or maybe seven after that last minute San Marinese date change
• Belgium – Hooverphonic: No song, no title, no one really gives a hoot.
• Bulgaria – Victoria: It’s one of six songs so exciting and full of energy they make Dancing Lasha Tumbai look underplayed. Oh no, wait. Not that.
• Georgia – Tornike Kipiani: Rumour has it it the reveal is coming TODAY!
• Malta – Destiny: Has someone checked on Malta? Have they forgotten about Eurovision?
• Romania – Roxen – See Malta.
• Switzerland – Chicken Goujon’s Tears: See Malta.
• United Kingdom – James Newman: The Yorkshire man has promised us something we can have a dance to in our kitchen. Can’t wait to get fling my arms up the air, mid beans-on-toast.

What the **** is going on?

So that leaves us with four nations with no firm commitment as to what’s happening either way. No national final, artists, title or date to speak of. Some rumour, some hearsay but nothing set in stone.

• Russia: The rumour going round right now is that Russia will not only be bringing back Little Big, but they will be doing so with a national final. A last-minute, Little Big, multi-song, one shot selection would be a fantastic way to round out the NF season.
• Belarus: So the smart money would seem to be on an internal selection at this point, but this could well be another surprise last minute national final. Who knows, 2021 may yet have a Zena vs. Daz Sampson superfinal left in it.
• Poland & Armenia: See the following GIF…

And that’s that! We’ve got all this to look forward to in a little over two weeks. Of course there’s no obligation to publish before the HoD meeting on the 15th. If there was ever a year someone would push it as late as possible my money would be on 2021. Even so, the majority will reveal in the next fortnight soooo…LET THE MARCH MADNESS BEGIN!!!

Source: pif-paf-blog.com