☾♛☽ Σｘｏｔｉｃｓ- Eurovision 2021

The Eurovision Song Contest is an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) which features participants representing primarily European countries. Each participating country submits an original song to be performed on live television and radio, transmitted to national broadcasters via the EBU's Eurovision and Euroradio networks, with competing countries then casting votes for the other countries' songs to determine a winner.

Based on the Sanremo Music Festival held in Italy since 1951, Eurovision has been held every year since 1956, with the exception of the cancelled 2020 edition, making it the longest-running annual international televised music competition and one of the world's longest-running television programmes. Active members of the EBU, as well as invited associate members, are eligible to compete in the contest, and as of 2019, 52 countries have participated at least once. Originally consisting of a single evening event, the contest has expanded greatly as new countries joined, leading to the introduction of relegation procedures in the 1990s, and eventually the creation of semi-finals in the 2000s. As of 2020, Germany has competed more times than any other country, having participated in all but one edition, while Ireland holds the record for the most victories, with seven wins in total.

Performing at the Eurovision Song Contest often provides artists with a local career boost and in some cases long-lasting international success. Several of the best-selling music artists in the world have competed in past editions, including ABBA, Celine Dion, Julio Iglesias and Olivia Newton-John, and some of the world's best-selling singles have received their first international performance on the Eurovision stage. The contest has been broadcast in countries across all continents, and has been available online via the official Eurovision website since 2000. Eurovision features among the world's most watched non-sporting events every year, with hundreds of millions of viewers globally, and has spawned and inspired similar contests internationally.

The contest has received criticism for its musical and artistic quality, and for a perceived political aspect to the event. Competing entries have previously been derided for spanning various ethnic and international styles, and in recent years a tendency towards elaborate stage shows has been highlighted as a distraction. Claims regarding a geopolitical element in the voting system have also been levied, with some alleging that political friendships and rivalries between countries can influence the results of the contest. Several controversial moments, such as participating countries withdrawing at a late stage, censorship of segments of the contest by broadcasters, and political events impacting contest participation, have also been experienced in past editions. Eurovision has gained great popularity for its kitsch appeal and emergence as part of LGBTQ+ culture, resulting in a large active fan base and influence on popular culture, including television and film, both in Europe and worldwide. Several spin-off contests have since been developed with similar structures, both by the EBU and by other organisations.

(Wikipedia)

The contest is held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, after the country's victory in 2019 with this performance:

The contest will be held at Rotterdam Ahoy and will consist of two semi-finals on 18 and 20 May, and the final on 22 May 2021. The EBU discussed carryovers between the 2020 and 2021 contests, and several participating countries allocated the same artists who were due to represent them in 2020.

Forty countries will participate in the contest.

On 18 November 2020, the EBU revealed that, as a measure to guarantee that all participants can take part in the contest, every national broadcaster will create a 'live-on-tape' recording prior to the contest which can be used if a participant cannot travel to Rotterdam, or subjected to quarantine on arrival. The recordings will take place in a studio setting, in real time (as it would be at the contest) without any edits to the vocals or any part of the performance itself after the recording. A set of production guidelines was also revealed to ensure fairness and the integrity of the recordings.

On 18 June 2020, the EBU announced that pre-recorded backing vocals will be allowed for one year. The use of recorded backing vocals will be entirely optional. Each delegation can choose to use backing singers, whether on or off stage. A combination of live and recorded backing vocals will also be allowed. All lead vocals performing the melody of the song, including an eventual use of a so-called lead dub, shall still be live on or off stage in the arena.

sveznalica

lostatsea

NightChamp

FrostyMaple

Bambi-bam-beh

Sorry if I spam, this ugly green has to go

pasted-from-clipboard.png