This Tuesday, May 7, Culturebox (France 4) broadcast live from 9 p.m. the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. Ten and fifteen candidate countries which made up this first semi-final qualified: Ireland, Cyprus, Serbia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Croatia, Slovenia, Finland, Portugal and Luxembourg. The five main financial contributors to the EBU (the European Broadcasting Union) are automatically qualified. These are Germany, Spain, Italy, France and the United Kingdom. But for the first time, they are now asked to perform in the semi-finals just like their competitors. This is why Slimane, who represents France with My lovewill perform during the second semi-final this Thursday, May 9.
Ireland makes history (again) at Eurovision
Ireland is therefore qualified for the final which will take place this Saturday May 11, 2024 in Sweden, to be found on France 2 from 9 p.m.. This is the first time since 2018 that she has managed to qualify for the grand final! Ireland, however, holds, with Sweden, the title of the country having won Eurovision the most times with seven victories in 1970, 1980, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1996. And this year, the country scores once again the history of the competition since it is represented by Bambie Thug, the first non-binary artist to appear at Eurovision.
A remarkable performance
“Ireland wins with Bambie Thug. First qualification since 2018 for Ireland… First non-binary artist to perform at Eurovision... It’s historic, friends!“, rejoiced drag queen Nicky Doll, who hosts the show Drag Race France. Originally from Cork, Bambie Thug is 31 years old and “fights against stereotypes, whether gender or sociological“, as pointed out by Nicky Doll, who commented on the first semi-final of the 2024 edition last night. At Eurovision Bambie Thug performs Doomsday Blue“an ode to everyone’s potential” but with a dark and distressing staging which takes up the codes of horror, with an electric finale to metal music. This title comes from his second EP Cathexis released last October.
