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Yikes! Swarovski & Ostrowski cause total chaos
After a colorful first semifinal on Tuesday, the excitement is building again tonight. And this time, it’s for Austria too! Because our local hero Cosmó gets to fire up Song Contest fans for the first time with his “Tanzschein”—albeit outside of the competition. How did he do, and which acts will make it to the grand finale on Saturday? krone.at will be there live for you all evening!
The second ESC evening opened—gasp—surprisingly not at all with JJ’s “Wasted Love,” but with Michael Ostrowski sporting a black eye and some pretty off-key notes.
And then there was Victoria Swarovski, who didn’t exactly do any better, got soaking wet, and ended up having to pull out a life jacket. What a huge mess!
And the ESC fans? After this opening, they were somewhere between shock and amusement, as the comments on X prove.
Cosmó passed his baptism by fire with flying colors!
Plus, our Cosmó made his first big ESC appearance that evening—out of competition, of course. After all, as last year’s winner, Austria is automatically in the final.
And Cosmó, as the local hero, was naturally greeted with tons of cheers at the Stadthalle!
The “Tanzschein” choreography was spot on. A successful preview of Saturday’s final. The hall was going wild, too! And what did the fans at home in front of the TV say? Here are a few reactions from the web:
“A dream come true”
“It was a dream come true,” Cosmó gushed after the performance in a conversation with Victoria Swarovski, thanking the audience for celebrating him so enthusiastically. His goal for today had been to convince the audience that he rightfully belongs in the final.
Can’t get enough of Cosmó’s “Tanzschein” performance? Then check it out here:
Swarovski takes fans’ breath away with her dress
Victoria Swarovski also left fans breathless with a costume change. After her wet start, she heated things up for the fans in a glittering naked dress! A real eye-catcher!
Swarovski’s hot dress naturally also sparked conversation among fans watching at home:
“Bangaranga!”
After the more than quirky opening, today’s ESC acts got underway. After a four-year hiatus, Bulgaria returned to the ESC—and how! Dara’s quirky anthem “Bangaranga” is a wild mix of K-pop and Balkan pop, but somehow put everyone in a good mood to kick off the second semifinal.
With Azerbaijan’s Jiva, this year saw a James Bond ballad meet the Song Contest. Great voice, little fanfare on stage—will that be enough for the final?
Fancy a little “Bangaranga”? You can listen to it here:
Please don’t gag!
Romania’s entry in this year’s ESC isn’t without controversy: Alexandra Căpitănescu, sporting a dominatrix look, sang, “Choke me!”—which, of course, was meant only metaphorically. The song is meant to represent emotional overload—don’t take it literally, Romania’s defense team said in the run-up to the contest.
Feel-good pop came this year from Luxembourg’s Eurovision fairy Eva Marija. She not only sang “Mother Nature,” but also let butterflies fly on stage. Oh, how lovely!
Click through the photos of the ESC acts here:
Power ballad and office swan song
The Czech Republic sent Daniel Žižka into the competition this year with his ballad “Crossroads.” And after a quiet start, the pop song ended up delivering a real surprise.
Ugh, everyday office life—that’s how you could sum up Armenia’s entry this year in a nutshell. Because with “Paloma Rumba,” Simón not only brought energy to the hall, he also wrote a swan song to the drudgery of everyday life.
More photos from the 2nd ESC semifinal are available here:
Switzerland’s Veronica Fusaro relied on rock sounds, a guitar solo, and a smoky voice in her song “Alice.” Just cool!
Shakira vibes from Cyprus
Cyprus brought a real party hit to the stage this year. Antigoni sang “Jalla,” swayed her hips in a sexy Shakira-style, and got the crowd going with dance beats.
“Ooopa!” Here’s a clip from Cyprus’s performance:
After Cyprus’s fiery show, things were much calmer with Latvia. Atvara performed “Ēnā,” a mournful ballad. Not exactly a mood-lifter…
One favorite after another
You won’t find more ESC flair this year than with Søren Torpegaard Lund. The Dane swept across the stage in style in a glittery mesh shirt and, with his song “Før Vi Går Hjem,” relied on catchy Song Contest rhythms and a fantastic stage show. It’s no wonder he’s one of the favorites!
You can check out the Danish act here:
Australia sent a true superstar to the Song Contest this year in Delta Goodrem. The singer and actress belted out “Eclipse” for ESC fans, enchanting them in a golden sequined dress. What a performance!
Delta Goodrem gave the ESC audience goosebumps—here’s a clip of the performance:
A touch of folklore, a touch of opera, and plenty of pathos—that’s the recipe for this year’s song “Ridnym,” with which Ukrainian contestant Leléka aimed to win over the ESC audience.
Click through the photos of the ESC acts:
Pathos from France & British humor
Competing outside the main competition, France’s Monroe took the stage tonight in the semifinals with her song “Regarde!” Pop, a touch of chanson, a touch of opera—and plenty of pathos. The audience loved it!
You can listen to France’s song here:
Does the song “One, Two, Three” by Look Mum No Computer fall under the category of “British humor”? Who cares—the Brit is in the final anyway as one of the “Big Four.” And what would the ESC be without the odd quirky performance here and there? Right, just plain boring!
Alarm over Italy’s Sal Da Vinci
Even before the second semifinal on Thursday evening, there was already concern about Italy’s Sal Da Vinci, who had already performed his song “Per Sempre Si” in the first semifinal on Tuesday. On Thursday, however, the Italian canceled a last-minute appearance at the Eurofan House in Vienna. What was behind it? Unclear!
Fans feared that health issues might be the reason and that Sal Da Vinci’s appearance in Saturday’s grand final might be in jeopardy. But there was a small sigh of relief in the afternoon when the 57-year-old surprisingly took the stage at the planned gig in the Eurovision Village at City Hall. That gives hope for Saturday!
JJ advises Cosmó to have fun!
Last year’s winner JJ will present his new song “Unknown” in the second semifinal. Is he nervous? “It feels completely different from last year. Back then I was really nervous; now I don’t have to win again, so I’m a bit more relaxed,” he smiled.
What advice does JJ have for his successor, Cosmó? Just have a lot of fun! “I’ll be rooting for him and try to always be there for him. He should take a deep breath and not be too nervous. The rehearsals looked great—he’s sure to put on a good show!”
Fans are also celebrating at Rathausplatz
And for those who didn’t manage to snag one of the coveted tickets for the second semifinal, there was another chance today to get a taste of the Eurovision atmosphere at the public viewing event on Rathausplatz.
Very few let the bad weather dampen their spirits. The party in front of City Hall also helped keep the mood up—featuring, among others, Miriana Conte, who represented Malta at last year’s Song Contest.
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
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