JOY Eurovision

11 Sep 2013

The Update: Factories, Wurst and New Releases

This is The Update – a (semi) regular news post, keeping you up to speed with the happenings of Eurovision 2014 and the doings of the 2013 entrants.

It’s been a big month to date, with heaps of news to keep Eurovision fans giddy with excitement.

Welcome to Eurovision Island!

After months of speculation, the Danish broadcaster DR announced the location for the 2014 Contest. Next year’s festivities will be held in Copenhagen, specifically at the B&W Hallerne at the Refshaleøen. The former shipyards will be turned into the centre of European song for a week in May.

DR and EBU have reported that Section Hall 2 will be transformed into a music venue to be used for the Shows, holding approximately 10,000 people. The other buildings in the former ship building yards will be converted into areas to create Eurovision Island, providing spaces for other services during the Contest for fans, media and artists.

The Executive Producer, Pernille Gaardbo explained the reasoning for the unusual choice:

“At the chosen venue we have the opportunity to realise our creative ambitions. The entire area around the B&W Hallerne will be transformed into Eurovision Island, where delegates, press and fans will come together.”

Although Herning was a favourite to get the hosting rights, the city seen as being too small to host such a large event.

80% of fans surveyed by EBU agreed that Copenhagen was a good choice.

The last time that Copenhagen hosted the Contest was in 2005. Prior to that, they had hosted it twice – in 1964 and 2001.

In addition to the announcement of the venue for 2014, DR also announced the slogan for the Contest: Join Us!

Austria has chosen

ORF, the Austrian broadcaster, has announced that they have used an internal selection process to determine the artist to represent the country in 2014.

Conchita Wurst is no stranger to Eurovision, having come second in the 2012 Austrian National Final with That’s What I Am, losing to Trackshittaz.

The 25 year old singer, born as Tom Neuwirth, has had a lot of experience in entertaining on TV.

As Tom, she took part in the Austrian talent show Starmania in 2006. In 2007, he formed the boy band jetzt anders!. The band only lasted for a year though. Conchita made her first performance in 2011 as part of the talent show Die große Chance.

Conchita Wurst has also been part of various ORF productions, including The Hardest Jobs of Austria and Wild Girls.

ORF has not yet selected the song that Conchita Wurst will perform in Copenhagen.

The latest releases from 2013

The last few months have seen a flurry of new releases from 2013 entrants. Some major new releases include…

Norwegian beauty, Margaret Berger, has released a new single. Human Race is a story of sadness and heartbreak, all wrapped up in a big electronic sound.

2013 winner, Emmelie de Forest, has brought out Hunter and Prey as a follow up to her winning song Only Teardrops. De Forest wrote the song along with Lise Cabble and Jacob Glæsner.