Switzerland or Croatia? Croatia or Switzerland? No, it is not a potential poster for Euro 2024 football, but rather the two countries which are beating each other among the bettors for a victory at Eurovision 2024, which takes place from this Tuesday, May 7 in Malmö (Sweden). In total, 37 countries will compete in two semi-finals starting this Tuesday and Thursday May, before the grand final on Saturday.
For the moment, Croatia, Switzerland and Ukraine seem to make up the likely top three among punters, but their live performances could still shake up the rankings. We present to you the main candidates of this 68th edition.
From Baby Lasagna to Joost Klein, the favorites
Five countries already stand out in the race for the title: Switzerland, Croatia, Italy, Ukraine and the Netherlands, all different in their approach. First of all, there is the Switzerland of Nemo, a 24-year-old artist who is very popular in his native country. With “The Code”, the performer, who defines himself as non-binary, says he wanted to free himself from the constraints of society, particularly with regard to gender. In a mix of rap, drum’n’bass and opera, Nemo expresses his feeling of being neither man nor woman.
His big rival for the title is, according to bettors, Baby Lasagna, 28 years old. Among the cows of his native village, he sings “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”, a disconcerting rock song which tells the story of “a young boy who leaves his village to seek a better life, elsewhere, and the anxiety that accompanies such a decision,” he explained in January. A leading social issue in Croatia “to which young people can identify, by having a humorous and light approach”, he assured.
“The dance of boredom, total”. You might expect a depressing song, but Italian Angelina Mango has other plans. Winner of the prestigious Sanremo festival in February, she represents her country with “La noia”, a lively song. We are taking few risks in saying that she will finish very high in the rankings.
Other contenders for the top 5, the Ukrainians Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil. With “Teresa & Maria”, they deliver a performance between rap and Gregorian chant, inspired by Saint Thérèse and the Virgin Mary.
It remains for us to mention the one who could well make a “comeback”: Joost Klein and his ode to Europe in Dutch in “Europa”. German, English and even a reference to Stromae, its heady sound may not become the hit of the summer, but it has the merit of offering a quasi-political text at the dawn of the elections Europeans with a crazy staging. Eu-ro-pa!
Ch’tis Armenians and a tribute to Windows95
But Eurovision is also a batch of atypical candidates. The proof with the Finns from Windows95Man. They have “only one rule: no rules.” With “No Rules”, they are the worthy heirs of Käärijä, representative of Finland last year. Teemu and Henri embody everything that is most disconcerting about Eurovision: the quest for denim mini-shorts with fireworks, a sort of blonde mullet cut and a somewhat heady electro song. It doesn’t make sense, but it’s exactly what you’ll remember.
We also invite you to listen to “Jako”, the song from Armenia, by the group Ladaniva. With a little piece of France in it since the group is based in Lille! Jaklin Baghdasaryan, the singer, forms a duo with the musician Louis Thomas in which traditional Armenian rhythms, duduk, trumpet and guitar intertwine. “This song, inspired by my nickname Jakeit’s my revolt against what people expected of me, when I was little,” she explained to us at the end of April.
Bambie Thug’s Ireland, Mustii’s Belgium, Marina Satti’s Greece, Gåte’s Norway and Olly Alexander’s United Kingdom could also fight for the top 10. We’ll finally let you try to pronounce the name of the Estonian song “(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi”, longest song ever submitted to Eurovision.
Israel, a special case
Israeli participation in Eurovision was not called into question after the attacks of October 7 and the strong criticism aroused by the Israeli response on Gaza. Despite significant protests against the country remaining in the competition, Israel was retained among the participating countries and was not excluded by the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the competition.
It is therefore the young Eden Golan, 20 years old, who has the heavy task of representing a country bruised by attacks, but increasingly criticized by its allies in terms of its military response to Gaza. The road to the presentation of “Hurricane”, its title, was not a long, quiet river. First called “October Rain”, the song was rejected by the organization of the competition due to lyrics deemed “too political”, which is prohibited at Eurovision.
It was eventually rewritten into “Hurricane”. Eden Golan is clearly not one of the favorites this year, and her country has already sent much more qualitative proposals to Eurovision. The young woman should, however, qualify for Saturday’s final, if we trust the bettors’ predictions.
What about France then?
On the blue, white and red side this year, we are banking on Slimane. The former winner of “The Voice” was chosen by France Télévisions in November, which made him the first participant of the 2024 edition to reveal his title, “Mon Amour”. A powerful ride, which has won over fans of the competition since its revelation but which faces strong competition.
Currently 6th among punters, the Frenchman could well secure a good result. But watch out for disappointments: last year, La Zarra was also in this rank a few hours before the final. Her performance, deemed disappointing during the rehearsal in front of the international juries, penalized her among other things, and she only finished in sixteenth place, far from the top 10 that she was promised. There is no doubt that Slimane will be careful not to burn his wings until the big day.
