Thread by @DaveKeating

It's #Eurovision week!

Yesterday the delegations arrived on the #TurquoiseCarpet, and tomorrow night the first semi-final will air around the world.

As promised, here's a thread about this year's acts. 🧵1/17
youtube.com/live/2M0DtRFx3…

The bookies have 🇸🇪Sweden as the favourite to win, followed by 🇫🇮Finland and 🇫🇷France.

But Sweden's odds have gotten worse since rehearsals started.

The singer, #Loreen, already won for 🇸🇪 in 2012 with Euphoria, a global hit hitting number one on the charts in 21 countries.

Among fans, I keep hearing "I predict Sweden will win but I don't want it to win". People like the song but think a 🇸🇪win is too predictable. 🇸🇪has dominated the contest for 2 decades.

If 🇸🇪win again they'll match Ireland's record for most wins - 7.

Number 2 - 🇫🇮Finland - is more of a fan favourite but it divides opinion.

This song is predicted to do well with public televote but not with the juries who determine up 50% of the score (as I wrote in previous thread, this may be the juries' last year)

🇫🇷France may win #Eurovision2023 with #Evidemment, my personal favorite. Bookies have it 3rd.

They've gone back to successful nouvelle chanson formula which put them 2nd two years ago with Voila.

But Zarra's reportedly had "diva-like" behavior backstage.

This is an unpredictable year and there are several dark horse possibilities.

🇳🇴Norway's "Queen of Kings" is a fan favourite with an *extremely* Eurovision sound (some would argue, painfully so).

🇦🇹Austria's "Who the Hell is Edgar" is also doing well with the bookies. People say it has a Billie Eilish sound.

I wasn't a big fan at first (the spoken opening put me off) but it's grown on me.

It is unlikely but possible 🇺🇦Ukraine could win #Eurovision again this year. Bookies have it 4th

It's a catchy song with coded references to 🇷🇺. But while the still-very-fresh invasion was top of mind last May, I don't think it'll drive televote this year

While Ukraine says stick our middle finger up at aggressors, 🇨🇭Switzerland's song this year has a different message. The lyrics are about as subtle as a brick.

"I don't wanna be a soldier, I don't wanna have to play with real blood". Bookies have it 14th.

🇪🇸Spain has a very interesting entry this year, quite different from last year's entry SloMo which came 3rd (by computer vote, 2nd by the actual vote).

It's similar to the Galician public favourite song that was runner-up in the national final last year.

This is a good opportunity to point out that yet again we've got a record number of non-English songs this year - by my count the highest since language freedom was introduced in 1999 (before then you had to sing in your national language).

12 of the 37 songs are not in English.

Now time for some honourable mentions. First of all, I am baffled as to why 🇮🇸Iceland and 🇩🇰Denmark aren't doing better with the bookies. (29th and 30th!)

I guess 🇮🇸live singing is weak. But the produced version is one of the best songs this year IMHO.

Maybe the 🇩🇰Danish song is just a little too slick for Eurovision. It sounds like something you could turn on the radio and hear Justin Bieber singing.

Again, I'd say the produced version is maybe the best song this year. But it doesn't build.

The 🇨🇿Czechia song is one of my personal favourites but nobody else seems to like it ☹️ (bookies have it 12th)

The 🇬🇧UK song this year is also very good. It shows the Brits seem to finally understand what a Eurovision song is, after two decades of misfiring.

Sam Ryder's amazing song last year seems to have awakened a new era for UK songs. 🇮🇪Ireland, take note.

BTW, I also quite like this year's 🇲🇩Moldova song, but I'm baffled why they would choose this 🇬🇧year to do a serious song instead of their normal camp.

Moldova is usually reliable for the delivering the (ever-dwindling) camp that British audiences love.

The first semi-final will be tomorrow at 9pm CET (8pm GMT).

🇮🇪Ireland (in a fight with JK Rowling for some reason), 🇵🇹Portugal, 🇱🇻Latvia, 🇦🇿Azerbaijan, and 🇷🇸Serbia look likely to be knocked out. 🧵17/17