London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 04, 2025

Eurovision 2023: Sweden qualifies but Ireland is out of the final

Eurovision 2023: Sweden qualifies but Ireland is out of the final

Sweden's Loreen has sailed through to the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest, cementing her position as this year's favourite.

The star, who previously won in 2012, clasped her hands to cover her eyes as it was announced she had qualified from the first semi-final in Liverpool.

Ireland were less fortunate, with the rock band Wild Youth on their way home after failing to attract enough votes.

The country has now failed to qualify on eight of their last 10 attempts.

The continuation of that losing streak will cause much soul-searching in the nation that holds the record for the most Eurovision victories of all time - seven in total.

The last time they qualified was 2018, when Ryan O'Shaughnessy entered with his song Together.

Ireland's Eurovision commentator Marty Whelan could not hide his disappointment.

"Everything was absolutely perfect, they were fantastic," he said live on RTÉ One as the news sunk in.

"There's things I want to say, there's things I want to share. You can probably get it from the tone of my voice, what I'm thinking, that this is... Ugh, this is just such a shame.

"But the votes didn't come. So we are not qualifying again this year from Liverpool when we had great expectations, as the famous book says."

Ireland's Wild Youth had been endorsed by Lewis Capaldi and former One Direction star Niall Horan


Tuesday's semi-final at the Liverpool Arena saw 15 acts competing for a place in Saturday's grand final. These are the ones who made the cut.

*  Norway: Alessandra - Queen Of Kings
*  Serbia: Luke Black - Samo Mi Se Spava
*  Portugal: Mimicat - Ai Coração
*  Croatia: Let 3 - Mama ŠČ!
*  Switzerland: Remo Forrer - Watergun
*  Israel: Noa Kirel - Unicorn
*  Moldova: Pasha Parfeni - Soarele Si Luna
*  Sweden: Loreen - Tattoo
*  Czechia: Vesna - My Sister's Crown
*  Finland: Käärijä - Cha Cha Cha

Rock bands fared badly in the public vote, with Latvia's Sudden Lights and Malta's The Busker joining Ireland on the chopping block.

The other artists whose journey ended on Tuesday were Azerbaijani twins TuralTuranX and the Netherlands' Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper.

The show was hosted by Alesha Dixon, Julia Sanina and Hannah Waddingham


Ten more acts will progress to the main competition after Thursday's second semi-final. The "Big Five" countries, who contribute the most financially to the competition (France, Germany, Spain, the UK and Italy) qualify automatically, as do last year's winners Ukraine.

Liverpool is hosting the competition on Ukraine's behalf, due to the ongoing Russian invasion of their country.


Moving memories


The impact of the war was referenced throughout the two-hour show. Songs like Switzerland's Watergun and Croatia's Mama ŠČ! denounced conflict and bloodlust, while the Czech band Vesna sang elements of their song in Ukrainian as a show of solidarity with their near-neighbours.

During the interval, Ukrainian star Alyosha performed a mournful version of Duran Duran's Ordinary World, that emphasised the pain of being separated from your loved ones.

The singer fled to America with her three children when the war began, but her husband, Taras Topolja, frontman of the rock band Antitila, was required to stay at home.

The half-time performance by Alyosha made a powerful statement


As she duetted with Liverpudlian X-Factor star Rebecca Ferguson, text messages from families fleeing the country flashed up on giant video screens and the arena was lit up in the Ukrainian national colours of blue and yellow.

Speaking before the contest, Alyosha dedicated her sobering and beautiful performance to forced migrants around the world.

Rita Ora posted a backstage photo with her Ukrainian dancer Sofiia


The half-time show also saw pop star Rita Ora performing a medley of her hits, including Anywhere and Praising You.

She was joined on stage by 12-year-old Ukrainian refugee Sofiia, who has now settled in Romania. Ora said the youngster's plight reminded her of her own family's experience of fleeing the Balkan War in the 1990s "and how I will be forever grateful to the UK for showing us kindness and compassion".

"Sofiia opens my performance this evening playing with a ball, representing the loss of childhood for these poor refugees," she wrote on Twitter. "We love you Ukraine, we all perform tonight, for you."

The evening kicked off with a short video featuring famous faces from around Liverpool including Wirral-born TV baker Paul Hollywood, Ukrainian Everton footballer Vitalii Mykolenko and the late Paul O'Grady.

The video also contained a surprise cameo from the King and Queen, who unveiled the contest's stage last month.

Israel's Noa Kirel gave one of the night's most athletic performances


The royal theme continued with the opening act, Norwegian singer Alessandra, whose barnstorming electropop number Queen of Kings featured a costume inspired by Britain's Queen Elizabeth I.

After that, the audience were treated to ballroom dancers, a Portuguese Moulin Rouge routine, and a re-enactment of a traditional Moldovan wedding ceremony.

Co-host Alesha Dixon even recalled her days in the girl band Mis-Teeq, with a rap about the history of the song contest.

Noa Kirel - Israel's answer to Beyoncé - received an enthusiastic response for her song Unicorn, and its pneumatic dance routine. And Finland's Käärijä raised the roof with his utterly bonkers thrash techno track Cha Cha Cha.

The night's most outrageous costumes came courtesy of Croatian shock rockers Let 3, who dressed in leather fetish gear before stripping down to white underwear.

Let 3's song was a thinly-veiled attack on Russia's Vladimir Putin

Käärijä's rock-pop hybrid Cha Cha Cha is seen as the biggest challenger to Loreen


However, Loreen was the artist who had the arena in the palm of her hand, with a soaring performance of Tattoo - a song about a love so deep and intense that it becomes engraved on her heart.

Performing in a nude catsuit between two giant LED screens, she threw down the gauntlet to the rest of the 2023 contestants.

But over the weekend, the star said she wasn't too concerned about winning.

"No, I care about creating something that is real," she replied. "So my fear is compromising, my fear is that it's not authentic."


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
×