Eurovision: The favourites, underdogs and surprises of Europe’s biggest music competition this year

“The best thing about this job — writing and composing music — is the end result. The end result is the show because you get the energy from the people who listen to your music.”

Like all singers, the pandemic forced Mahmood to postpone his tour, meaning he was unable to enjoy the global success his hit solder had after second place in Eurovision 2019.

Played over 200 million times on Spotify (and pretty much the same on YouTube), solder changed the life of the artist, who is the son of an Egyptian and an Italian, and helped build a loyal fan base.

After the rock group Måneskin won for Italy last year, the city of Turin was chosen to host the contest. Mahmood’s new participation will be a duet with the 19-year-old singer Blanco, with the ballad brividi.

brividi already appears as a favorite and is one of the most played songs on streaming among this year’s participants. But it was Blanco who suggested that she should compete in Eurovision, an Italian TV show that decides the song that will represent the country.

“The first Eurovision he [Blanco[] saw was in 2019, when I sang solder“, says Mahmood.

“He’s super happy to do this and we’re excited because it’s a great opportunity to show our music to so many people.”

With coronavirus restrictions easing across Europe, many side events in the run-up to Eurovision are being held for the first time in three years – much to the delight of fans.

In early April, 22-year-old Aaran attended a Eurovision Party in London with friends he had met through the contest.

“We’re so far apart for most of the year,” he told Newsbeat.

“It was so nice to see them after a long time just online.”

Aaran is currently studying for exams – and jokes that the fact that the contest is in May is not a good thing because he gets distracted by watching contest-related videos, such as artist rehearsals.

He says that “all the time you’re in the chat talking about Eurovision”, but “it’s in December that we start to really focus on the next one”.

“I got on Twitter and the next day I was added to a group chat. Suddenly there were so many people I didn’t even know I could talk to and it was a wow moment, like, ‘Oh my God, I’m not. alone,'” he says.

For artists like Cornelia Jakobs, playing for fans across Europe is a taste of what the atmosphere will be like in Turin.

The expected audience for Eurovision is 200 million viewers worldwide.

Despite bets that she can make Sweden match Ireland’s record of seven wins, the 30-year-old singer says she’s not feeling the pressure of being compared to superstars like Robyn or Pink because of the team around her.

“It’s crazy how much work goes into a three-minute presentation. It’s weeks and even months,” Jakobs told Newsbeat.

She will present her song in the competition Hold Me Closer.

“I feel excited to have the honor of representing Sweden and sometimes I think, ‘Why don’t I get more nervous about this?'”

Some artists and countries take competition more seriously than others. Teams behind some of the world’s biggest pop stars are hired to help contestants deliver a remarkable performance that can garner more votes.

The Spanish Chanel teamed up with one of the most sought after choreographers in the world, Kyle Hanagami, who has worked with Jennifer Lopez, Blackpink and Ariana Grande.

“He asked if he could work with me,” she told Newsbeat. “He saw me dancing on Instagram and asked to choreograph SloMo.”

Chanel has taken advantage of the easing of restrictions due to covid to socialize and observe other artists behind the scenes.

It is in the contest that she hopes to launch her career internationally, in the same way that last year’s winners, the Måneskin quartet, became a global sensation.

His highly produced performance features a dance move that was played by nearly 1 million TikTok users doing the #slomochanelchallenge.

But it is the United Kingdom that has one of the competitors with the most followers on TikTok: Sam Ryder.

After two years in a row coming in last (the UK failed to score a single point in 2021), some fans believe the British representative could win this year.

Other contestants referenced Ryder during interviews. They say they know the Brit from the covers he shares online and that they plan to take a selfie with him.

“I’m so grateful that the people at the competition are excited to have me on board,” Ryder tells Newsbeat, as he’s on his way to meet some of the artists for the first time.

“I’m incredibly excited to make some friends, chat a bit about music and enjoy every moment of this beautiful, crazy thing.”

Sam Ryder meets Austria’s 2014 winner Conchita Wurst.

It’s hard for a Eurovision song to get into heavy rotation on BBC Radio 1, but Sam broke the writing with Space Manwhich has generated hope in the British fans.

Norway’s candidates are shrouded in mystery. Many viewers will wonder, ‘Who’s behind the mask?’

Interviewing the Subwoolfer is difficult, as masked singers gesticulate with signs while assistants at the side try to translate the messages for journalists.

But fans are following leads, and based on a clear British accent onstage and some cryptic Instagram captions, there’s a suspect.

Ben Adams, from the early 2000s boyband A1, lives in Norway and has been absent from a few recent shows with the band.

The Subwoolfer is expected to do well in the public vote – which is 50% of the result – with an attention-grabbing performance.

But the public is also expected to vote in large numbers for Ukraine. The country won Eurovision six years ago.

Ukraine has had a rocky start to this year’s Eurovision. The country’s original representative withdrew from the dispute while under investigation for visiting Crimea, an area Russia took control of in 2014.

The following month, Ukraine was invaded and contest organizers – with the support of participating broadcasters from across the continent – banned Russia from participating. The Ukrainian Kalush Orchestra, which mixes rap and elements of folk music, has become a favorite with punters.

“We were in fifth place before the war even started, which proves that Europeans like our music,” singer Oleh Psiuk told Newsbeat.

“Stefania was written and dedicated to my mother, but when the war started it took on new meanings because many people started to see Ukraine as their mother.”

It may become a hit with the public, but it’s not guaranteed to be the top-voted song by national juries, who make up half of the votes and have an agreement to vote independently.

A Ukrainian victory would have a bitter component: it is highly unlikely that the country will be able to host the music contest next year. The tradition is for the winning nation to host the event the following year.

For the first time since 2019, Eurovision will have events spread across the host city with a festive atmosphere among artists, journalists and fans.

Events are scheduled in Turin for the thousands of fans traveling to the song contest for the first time since 2019. The 2020 edition was canceled and the 2021 contest took place under restrictions.

For Italian Mahmood, however, who is returning to his country after his European tour, it is mostly encouraging to sleep in his own bed at his mother’s house for a week.

Have you watched our new videos on YouTube? Subscribe to our channel!