The second semi-final resulted in 10 finalists for the Grand Final in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday at Expo Tel Aviv. They join the six pre-qualified finalists and the 10 countries that made it through the first semi-final on Tuesday.
If the first semi-final invited some surprises, the second went more as planned with all the favourites qualifying for the final on 18 May.
It was not enough to present good music and know how to sing a nice song – as Belgian hopeful Eliot did in the first semi-final – but also to show temperament and combine music with a spectacular show.
This year's Eurovision is unusually difficult to predict with several strong contenders in The Netherlands, Sweden, Russia and Italy having a good chance to win the finale. In the past week the performances of Switzerland and Iceland have drawn much attention.
Swedish songwriter John Lundvik will definitely be one of the top favourites in the Grand Final. His song, Too Late For Love, reached the number one position in Sweden's top 50 and is currently one of the most played songs on Swedish radio.
After his major breakthrough in the Swedish song festival in 2018, John had an exciting and hectic year during which he received the prestigious assignment to sing at a tribute concert celebrating Sweden's Queen Silvia's 70th birthday.
Besides representing Sweden in Tel Aviv, he has also worked as a writer and composer on United Kingdom’s Michael Rice's song Bigger Than Us.
The message of his song is that “it’s never too late for love”, he told The Brussels Times that. Asked about his main competitors in the final, John replied that it is difficult to say.
“It’s in the hands of the jury and the people now but The Mamas (his accompanying choir) and I will do everything in our power to score most points.”
He cannot compare this year’s Eurovision with previous events, as this is the first time for him, but feels that he is experiencing something powerful that he always will remember.
“Everyone participating in the Eurovision knows what it stands for: friendship, unity across borders, tolerance and diversity”, he says.
The following ten countries qualified after the second semi-final for the Grand Final:
North Macedonia - Tamara Todevska with Proud
The Netherlands - Duncan Laurence with Arcade
Albania - Jonida Maliqi with Ktheju tokës
Sweden - John Lundvik with Too Late For Love
Russia - Sergey Lazarev with Scream
Azerbaijan - Chingiz with Truth
Denmark - Leonora with Love Is Forever
Norway - KEiiNO with Spirit In The Sky
Switzerland - Luca Hänni with She Got Me
Malta - Michela with Chameleon
The Brussels Times
