Eurovision 2020 [1] is fast approaching, with the grand final set to be held in Rotterdam on May 16. With travel bans and social distancing our current reality, it will be interesting to see how (and unfortunately if) the song contest will go down this year, but at the moment, there has been no indication from the contest's organisers — the European Broadcasting Union [2] — that it will be cancelled.
As we wait to find out Eurovision's fate, you can start getting acquainted with the 2020 participants and their songs. This year, the Eurovision website [3] features preview videos of each country's performance, which we've eagerly already watched — and, of course, chosen a few favourites. There's Iceland's catchy nu-disco hit "Think About Things," [4] Ukraine's song "Solovey" ("Nightingale") that mixes traditional Ukrainian vocals and sounds with African drums, Sweden's soulful and uplifting track "Move," and Russia's kooky and kitschy dance track "Uno." Then there's, of course, our own James Newman and his song "My Last Breath," [5] which we hope might just end the United Kingdom's long losing streak (the UK has not seen a win for a whopping 22 years, although Katrina and the Waves was always set to be a winner).
In the entire Eurovision history, the United Kingdom has only seen five wins. Sandie Shaw brought it home in 1967, with "Puppet on a String." Lulu made a "Boom Bang-a-Bang" to a joint win in 1969. Brotherhood of Man wanted everyone to "Save Your Kisses For Me" in 1976, and Bucks Fizz left the competition trailing with their performance of "Making Your Mind Up" in 1981. Once the ladies' skirts had been whipped off, everyone had already made their minds up that they had a winner on their hands.
But we digress. Back to 2020 and this year's participants. Keep reading to see Newman's video, as well as all of the countries' performances for this year's Eurovision Song Contest.
Albania's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Arilena Ara will be representing Albania this year with the song "Fall From the Sky." Born and raised in Shkodër, this 21-year-old singer prefers to be known mononymously, as Arilena. Her breakthrough came after winning X Factor Albania in 2012.
Armenia's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Armenia is being represented by Athena Manoukian, who will be singing "Chains on You." Athena is a Greek-Armenian singer/songwriter and has had numerous hit singles in Greece. In 2018, she appeared as a guest on The X Factor in the UK, wowing judges with her fierce performance.
Australia's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Montaigne will be doing it for Australia this year. Jessica Alyssa Cerro is a 24-year-old Australian art pop singer/songwriter who performs under the name Montaigne. The song is called "Don't Break Me."
Austria's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Vincent Bueno will be competing in the competition for Austria. He is an Austrian-Filipino singer who bases himself between the two countries. In 2008, he won Musical! The Show, an Austrian television musical show. Vincent will be singing "Alive."
Azerbaijan's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Samira Efendi will be singing "Cleopatra." Samira came in third in The Voice of Azerbaijan in 2016.
Belarus's 2020 Eurovision Participant
VAL will represent Belarus, with "Da Vidna" ("Before Dawn"). They are a band, and the lead singer is Valeria Gribusova. Vlad Pashkevich plays the keyboard and does the sampling and production.
Belgium's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Hooverphonic will be representing Belgium, with "Release Me." Veterans of the music scene, the band first formed in 1995. Their sound encompasses alternative, electronica, electropop, rock, and a mixture of other genres.
Bulgaria's 2020 Eurovision Participant
"Tears Getting Sober" is the emotive title from Victoria, who will be representing Bulgaria. She began her career by appearing on season four of The X Factor Bulgaria. She finally made it through to the live shows after auditioning three times.
Croatia's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Damir Kedzo will be performing "Divlji Vjetre" ("Wild Wind") for Croatia. Damir began his career in 2003 by participating in Story Super Nova Music Talent Show, and he won season three of Your Face Sounds Familiar. He also appears regularly in musical-theatre productions.
Cyprus's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Sandro Nicolas will be performing "Running" for Cyprus this year. Born in Heinsberg, he was raised in Germany. He kicked off his musical career in 2018 by appearing on season eight of The Voice Germany.
The Czech Republic's 2020 Eurovision Participant
This year will see Benny Cristo singing for the Czech Republic, and he will be singing "Kemama." He is multitalented, working not only as a singer but also as a songwriter, sportsman, and actor.
Denmark's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Duo Ben & Tan will be trying to bring it home for Denmark this year with their song "Yes." Benjamin Rosenbohm and Tanne Balcells both met while competing on season 12 of The X Factor.
Estonia's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Uku Suviste will be singing "What Love Is" for Estonia. Uku is 37 years old and works as a singer/songwriter and music producer. He has worked in the music industry for over 15 years.
Finland's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Aksel Kankaanranta is the hopeful for Finland and will be singing "Looking Back." His only accolade to date is finishing second on The Voice of Finland.
France's 2020 Eurovision Participant
France is hoping that "The Best in Me," performed by Tom Leeb, will be the song that brings it the win. Tom is a 30-year-old actor, singer, and comedian.
Georgia's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Tornike Kipiani will be performing "Take Me as I Am" on behalf of Georgia. He is 32 years old and kicked off his singing career in 2014 by winning the first ever season of X Factor Georgia in 2014.
Germany's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Ben Dolic will be performing "Violent Thing" for Germany. Ben hails from Slovenia but is incredibly popular in Germany, after taking part in season eight of The Voice Germany.
Greece's 2020 Eurovision Participant
"Superg!rl" is the title of the song to be performed by Stefania for Greece. Stefania is a former member of the girl group Kisses and now works as a singer, actress, and YouTuber. She is 17 years old.
Iceland's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Daoi Fryer and his band, which features both musicians and backup singers (as well as some pretty sweet dance moves [6]), will be performing "Think About Things" for Iceland. They are characterised by always wearing teal sweatshirts that have pixel-art portraits of themselves featured on them.
Ireland's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Ireland will be hoping for a win with Lesley Roy at the helm. The Irish singer will be performing "Story of My Life." From Balbriggan, Lesley released her debut album in 2008. She has worked internationally, with artists such as Adam Lambert [7], Medina, and Marlee Scott.
Israel's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Eden Alene will be performing "Feker Libi" for Israel. In 2017, she took part in season three of The X Factor Israel. She is enlisted with the Israel Defense Forces and serves in a military band.
Italy's 2020 Eurovision Participant
"Fai Rumore" ("Make Noise") is the song that Italy will be hoping will bring them a win. The song will be performed by Diodato, a 38-year-old singer/songwriter. He won the 70th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival with the same song.
Latvia's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Samanta Tina will be performing "Still Breathing" for Latvia. She had previously tried five separate times to represent her country in the competition. This is her sixth attempt, and she has finally made it.
Lithuania's 2020 Eurovision Participant
The Roop will be performing "On Fire" for Lithuania. The trio formed in 2014 and have released two albums so far.
Malta's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Malta is offering "All of My Love," performed by Destiny, who is 17 years old. She won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2015 and finished sixth on season 11 of Britain's Got Talent.
Moldova's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Natalia Gordienko will be performing "Prison" for Moldova. Natalia is a 32-year-old singer and dancer. She has already represented her country in the competition, appearing in 2006 and placing 20th.
North Macedonia's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Vasil will be performing "You" for North Macedonia. Vasil was a backing vocalist for last year's Eurovision entry and was internally selected to represent the country for this year.
Norway's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Norway will this year be represented by Ulrikke Brandstorp, performing "Attention." She is known for taking part in the Norwegian singing contests Idol and The Voice and has taken the role of Leisl in The Sound of Music, performed in Oslo.
Poland's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Hoping to bring it home for Poland is Alicja Szemplińska with "Empires." She is best known for winning season 10 of The Voice Poland in 2019.
Portugal's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Elisa is performing "Medo de Sentir" ("Afraid of Feeling") for Portugal. Elisa hails from Madeira and won the Festival da Cancão 2020.
Romania's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Romanians have Roxen to represent them, performing the interestingly titled "Alcohol You." She first found fame by being featured on Romanian producer Sickotoy's "You Don't Love Me" and is now signed to Global Records.
Russia's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Russia threw us for a loop with its entry by Little Big called "Uno." The country had a lot of secrecy surrounding its song, releasing it later than all of the other participants. It's now available for viewing, and the wacky video was well worth the wait. Little Big is a rave band whose viral video for the song "Skibidi" led to the creation of one of Russia's most popular memes.
San Marino's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Senhit will be performing "Freaky" for San Marino. Senhit is a 40-year-old Italian singer and has performed extensively in musical theatre.
Serbia's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Serbia will be channelling its inner Arnold Schwarzenegger [8] by having Hurricane perform "Hasta La Vista." Hurricane are a three-piece band who formed in 2017.
Slovenia's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Ana Soklic has high hopes that she can bring home the win for Slovenia with "Voda" ("Water"). Very little is known about Ana, apart from the fact that she has worked in the music industry since 2004.
Spain's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Spain is to be represented by Blas Cantó, performing "Universo." He began his career as a member of the Spanish band Auryn, and he now performs as a solo artist and has had a No. 1 album in Spain.
Sweden's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Flying the flag for Sweden are The Mamas with "Move." The Mamas are a Swedish-American soul and gospel group. They were backing singers for Sweden's Eurovision entry for last year but have now made the move to centre stage to represent solely as their own group.
Switzerland's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Gjon's Tears' song "Répondez-moi" ("Answer Me") is Switzerland's 2020 entry. Born into a family of Albanian descent, Gjon Muharremaj is no stranger to song competitions: In 2011, at 12 years old, he came in third in Albania's Got Talent, then he made it into the semifinals of Switzerland's Got Talent a year later. In 2019, he also participated in The Voice France.
The Netherlands' 2020 Eurovision Participant
The Netherlands will this year be represented by Jeangu Macrooy, performing "Grow." Jeangu is a Surinamese singer/songwriter and has resided in The Netherlands since 2014. He predominantly performs modern soul music.
Ukraine's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Go_A will be doing it for Ukraine with "Solovey" ("Nightingale"). Go_A are an electro-folk band who have combined the English word "go" with the Greek letter "Alpha," meaning "return to the roots" and the beginning of everything.
The United Kingdom's 2020 Eurovision Participant
Last, but absolutely not least, James Newman [9] will be strongly flying the flag for the United Kingdom! James will be performing "My Last Breath." He is the brother of pop performer John Newman, and in 2014, James won a Brit Award [10] as cowriter of the song "Waiting All Night."