AfriMusic Song Contest | |
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![]() AfriMusic Song Contest logo | |
Dates | August–April |
Location(s) | Africa |
Years active | 2018–present |
Founded by | Michelle Fernandes Suzie Vicente Victor Nunes |
Website | afrimusicsongcontest |
The AfriMusic Song Contest is a pan-African song contest inspired by the Eurovision Song Contest. It was first held in 2018, when Eswatini won with singer songwriter Symphony performing her original song "Sengikhona". The second edition of the event in 2019 was won by singer songwriter, Nonzwakazi from South Africa with her original song "Phakama Mbokodo". In 2020, Nigeria took the win with singer songwriter Dhortune That OndoBoy, with his original song "Yemi". The contest will continue as an annual event, acting as an African counterpart to the continental song contests such as Eurovision Song Contest, ABU Song Festivals or Caribbean Song Festival. [1] The contest runs on digital platforms, opening entries to all songwriters and artists across all 54 countries in Africa. [2] [3] [ better source needed ] [4] [5]
Prior to the launch of AfriMusic Song Contest, several unrelated unsuccessful attempts to start a song competition involving countries of African continent took place, including:
Arab states from Africa have the opportunity to take part in ASBU organized Arab Song Festival that was hosted at its headquarters in Tunis biennially since 2001 to 2013, and which was planned to revive in 2019. [18] [19] In 2008 the EBU has announced signing a deal to license the Eurovision Song Contest format to Nibras Media company from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia that was supposed to produce in partnership with Tanweer Group from Dubai, UAE, a Eurovision equivalent for the MENA region called Arabian Vision with a participation of eight or nine broadcasters, which was not established since. [20] [7] [21]
Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia currently have broadcasters – Members of the European Broadcasting Union, which makes them eligible for the Eurovision Song Contest, like with the participation of Morocco competing in Eurovision 1980, [22] [23] while artists from Benin, Sudan, Tunisia and Zambia have taken part in various ABU Song Festivals as African Union of Broadcasting invited acts.
In three competitions, only representatives from three countries won: these are Eswatini, South Africa and Nigeria. The table below shows the announcement dates of the winners.
Year | Dates | Host city | Entries | Winner | Song | Performer | Language | Points | |
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Songs | Countries | ||||||||
2018 | 29 March | Online only | 19 | 19 | ![]() | "Sengikhona" | Symphony | siSwati, English | 10 |
2019 | 12 April | 20 | 10 | ![]() | "Phakama Mbokodo" | Nonzwakazi | isiZulu, English | 10 | |
2020 | 27 April | 28 | 24 | ![]() | "Yèmi" | Dhortune ThatOndoBoy | Yoruba, English | 6.5 |
Wins | Country | Years |
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1 | ![]() | 2018 |
![]() | 2019 | |
![]() | 2020 |
Organizing team of the event, AfriMusic Executive Body [EXCO], includes: Co-founder and Co-CEO Michelle Fernandes [24] (who has prior experience of working on some of Africa's largest events such as the South African Music Awards (SAMAs), [25] SA Sport Awards, MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs), Namibian Music Awards, Zambia Music Awards and others), [26] Co-founder and Co-CEO, Suzie Vicente (who has worked with some of the biggest events globally recognised, such at the Gucci Chime for Change Music Concert in London, the London 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games, London, Paris and New York Fashion Week, the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, the 2015 England Rugby World Cup, The 2016 Rio Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, Coachella Music Festival, Glastonbury Music Festival and others) and West Africa Producer Samuel Moses Opoku-Agyemang (Kwabena Poku). [27] [28] [29]
Launching the event in August 2017, organizers promised it to be "a wonderful integration of musical styles, cultures and ethnicities that reflect the diversity and varying styles within the African continent" and to "provide established and aspiring songwriters the platform to showcase their best work". [30] [31] Aiming primarily to select "Best Song In Africa" and to "Shine the spotlight on the best songwriters in Africa", its declared goal is also establishment of "a platform that will educate, motivate and grow the music industry in Africa through its music room sessions and industry education programs". [1]
The contest runs in five stages: [32] [33] [34] [35]
Eligible entries are original songs which have not been commercially released or published with a maximum duration of 4.5 minutes. Performing artist must be at least 18 years of age and be citizen or permanent resident in the participating country (any of 54 sovereign countries of Africa or partially recognized Western Sahara, [32] [37] not depending on African Union of Broadcasting membership). If born in another country and qualifies for dual citizenship, an artist may enter the competition representing a country of family origin. Each songwriter can enter up to 3 songs. No lyrics of political nature, unacceptable language or messages promoting any organization or institution are allowed. [32] [38]
AfriMusic Song Contest 2018 | |
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Dates | |
Final | 15–29 March 2018 |
Host | |
Website | www |
Participants | |
Number of entries | National Selections: 82 songs by 45 artists from 19 countries Final: 19 songs by 19 artists from 19 countries |
Debuting countries | see list of the participating countries |
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Vote | |
Voting system | An average is calculated from the Expert Jury and Public votes, which award sets of 12–11–10...2 points to their 11 favourite songs, with songs ranked 12–19 receiving 1 point. |
Winning song | ![]() Symphony – "Sengikhona" |
Pre-registration phase for the 2018 event took place from 3 August to 3 October 2017 [39] [40] [41] and the first country to enter the competition was Rwanda. [42] Entry submission period run from 1 November 2017 to 5 January 2018. [43] [44]
In its first year, 2 950 artists from 41 countries across the continent registered to participate in the contest. Following a vetting process, 81 artists from 19 countries made it through to the National Selections phase. Votes from the general public and the AfriMusic judging panel combined, resulted in the selection of 19 countries, Botswana, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Mozambique, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania and Zimbabwe to participate in the 2018 AfriMusic Song Contest finals.
Two entries were also received from the US based songwriters, who, according to the rules, had to find African artists to perform their songs. However, after official submission and verification period the number of participating countries dropped down to 19. [45] [46]
With total number of 2 325 459 public votes across all 19 countries, Symphony, a songwriter and singer from the Kingdom of Eswatini, was crowned the very first AfriMusic Song Contest winner, for the year 2018.
Countries, which competed in the 2018 edition:
Countries, which submitted pre-registration but did not send valid entries:
A National Selections phase followed, from 24 January to 1 March 2018, to determine the best entry from each country to proceed to the Final. Out of total of 82 songs by 45 performers, the largest number of entries in a national selection was in South Africa (14), followed by Cameroon (11) and Gabon (7). In Botswana, Ethiopia and Guinea only one entry competed, but it was still subject to Jury and Public evaluation before it could proceed further. In CAR (2), Egypt (3), Mozambique (2), Tanzania (3) and Chad (2) one Artist – several Songs National Selections took place. Finalists were revealed on 15 March, with Final voting running until 29 March. [62] [63] [64] [65] [ better source needed ]
Country | Artist | Song | Language | Public points | Jury points | Average points | Place |
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![]() | Symphony [66] [67] | Sengikhona | siSwati, English | 11 | 9 | 10 | 1 |
![]() | Ingrid White [68] | Stop | English | 6 | 11 | 8.5 | 2 |
![]() | Nina Watson | Close To Me | English | 3 | 12 | 7.5 | 3 |
![]() | Feine [69] | Coloured Skin | English | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 |
![]() | CCI Studio Orchestre Meets D S Cynthia, Fabému, Masta Ricky & Papson D.C. [70] [71] [72] [73] | Juste en peu | French, English | 12 | 1 | 6.5 | 5 |
![]() | SAN [74] | Saint Graal | French | 9 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
![]() | Kylie Unsworth | Secondhand Narcotics | English | 2 | 10 | 6 | 7 |
![]() | Litho Ngonga | Africa | English | 10 | 1 | 5.5 | 8 |
![]() | Stev'N-T [75] | Sincérité | French | 8 | 1 | 4.5 | 9 |
![]() | Nadya Shanab | In a Fit of Remorse | English | 1 | 8 | 4.5 | 10 |
![]() | Erastus | Together | English | 5 | 2 | 3.5 | 11 |
![]() | Hybrid [76] | Wali Ti Mbi | French, Sango | 1 | 6 | 3.5 | 12 |
![]() | JayCudz | Mon Amour | Portuguese, French | 1 | 5 | 3 | 13 |
![]() | Earl J. | Jesu Me Yo We | English, Yoruba | 4 | 1 | 2.5 | 14 |
![]() | Exploss [77] [78] | Courbée Courbée | French [lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 4 | 2.5 | 15 |
![]() | Samse Sam [79] | Party Time | English, Arabic, Lingala | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
![]() | Emma Feron [80] | Peine et Tristesse | French | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
![]() | Pamfalon | Almeshem | Amharic [lower-alpha 2] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
![]() | Zamangwa | Africa Let Us Celebrate | English | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19 |
The 18-member judging panel for the Final was made up of Eurovision Song Contest experts, bloggers and community members; PanAmerican music experts and African music and production experts: [81] [ better source needed ]
Two winners of the special prizes were announced:
Representative of Eswatini Zanele 'Symphony' Cele with the self-written song "Sengikhona" (performed in siSwati and English [87] and translated as "I Am Here" [88] ) was declared overall winner of the contest on 30 March [89] [ better source needed ] [90] [91] [92] [93] with full results of the contest revealed on 31 March. [94] [ better source needed ] Interestingly, "Sengikhona" was the last entry, submitted to the contest prior the deadline on January 5, 2018. [95] [ better source needed ]
As part of the prize, Symphony was invited to attend Eurovision Song Contest 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal. [96] Official send off event was hosted by the Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs of Eswatini David Ngcamphalala. [97] During the Eurovision week in Lisbon, Symphony made appearances in the official venues of competition: Euroclub and Eurovision Village. In the Ministerium club Symphony performed selection of her songs including a duet with 4-times Eurovision participant Valentina Monetta, [98] [99] [100] [101] and was also able to meet & greet future Eurovision 2018 winner Netta Barzilai. [102] On the day of the Eurovision Grand Final, Symphony performed on Praça do Comércio in front of 20,000 people in the concert broadcast live by the Portuguese broadcaster RTP, [103] [104] [105] [106] which has also featured the Official Winners Award ceremony for the AfriMusic 2018. [107] [108]
AfriMusic Song Contest 2019 | |
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Dates | |
Final | 29 March – 12 April 2019 |
Host | |
Website | www |
Participants | |
Number of entries | Regional Selections: 49 songs by 45 artists from 13 countries Final: 20 songs by 20 artists from 10 countries |
Debuting countries | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Non-returning countries | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
| |
Vote | |
Voting system | An average is calculated from the Expert Jury and Public votes, which award sets of 12–10–8...2 points to their 9 favourite songs, with songs ranked 10–20 receiving 1 point. |
Winning song | ![]() Nonzwakazi – "Phakama Mbokodo" |
Earlier plans for 2019 included hosting a live show in the Kingdom of Eswatini, [87] however, eventually winning country has dropped from the hosting duties. Acting as brand ambassador, last year's winner Symphony has recorded several promotional videos inviting to apply and vote in the competition. [109] [110] [111] Pre-registration phase was open from 1 September till 13 October 2018, [112] the entry submission period ran from December 1, 2018, until February 17, 2019. [113]
The participating countries were listed on AfriMusic Song Contest's official website on 11 March 2019, alongside the start of the National Selections process, with the number of pre-registering countries not announced this year. [114] 3 502 entries were received from artists across 16 African countries, namely South Africa, Zambia, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, The Kingdom of eSwatini, Botswana, Congo, Liberia, Malawi, Rwanda, Senegal, South Sudan and Togo, no entries were received from the Central African Republic, Chad, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. 13 of the 16 countries saw 49 qualifying songs through to the National Selections round. The competition was joined by Liberia, Malawi, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo and Zambia. Entries from 13 countries were verified and allowed to proceed, with entries from Togo, Liberia and Botswana failing the process. [115] [116] [ better source needed ] Out of 49 entries by 45 performers the largest number of entries came from Ghana (16) [117] and South Africa (10). [118]
Following 714,810 number of votes from fans across the continent, 20 contestants made it to the Final round of the contest, representing South Africa, Zambia, Kingdom of eSwatini, Rwanda, Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire.
A total number of 2 651 162 general public votes and judging panel combined across 13 countries, saw the undiscovered Afropop songwriter and singer, Nonzwakazi representing South Africa, take the 2019 AfriMusic Song Contest title.
In a change compared to 2018 edition, not all countries were automatically guaranteed participation in the Final: 13 countries were split into three Country Groups with a number of entries from each Country Group to progress to the Final. [119] [120] [121] [122] Regional Selections voting took place from 11 to 25 March 2019. Intermediate Public voting results were released on 18 and 22 March. [123] [ better source needed ]
Western Region (10) | Central/Eastern Region (2) | Southern Region (8) |
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20 entries representing 10 countries chosen by Public and Expert Panels to compete in the Final were announced on 27 March 2019. [133] Ghana was represented by five acts in the final, followed by South Africa with four entries, Nigeria with three, Eswatini with two and Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Rwanda and Zambia with one each. Republic of the Congo, Senegal, South Sudan were eliminated in the Regional Selection process. Final voting run between 29 March and 12 April 2019. [134] [135] [136] [137] [138] Intermediate Public voting results were revealed on 2 and 8 April 2019 [139]
Country | Artist | Song | Language | Public points | Jury points | Average points | Place |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Nonzwakazi [140] | Phakama Mbokodo | isiZulu, English | 8 | 12 | 10 | 1 |
![]() | Jay Arghh A.K.A J'R [141] [142] | Carlitos | Portuguese | 10 | 5 | 7.5 | 2 |
![]() | Towela Kaira [143] | Gold | English | 4 | 10 | 7 | 3 |
![]() | SSUE [144] | Hypnotize | English | 12 | 1 | 6.5 | 4 |
![]() | Linda Kilian [145] [146] [147] [148] [149] [150] | I Will Never Fight Again | English | 5 | 6 | 5.5 | 5 |
![]() | Siboat | Always and Forever | English | 7 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
![]() | Easrel | Fun Won Tan | English, Yoruba | 1 | 8 | 4.5 | 7 |
![]() | Serge Iyamuremye | Ndakubaha | Kinyarwanda | 1 | 7 | 4 | 8 |
![]() | Da Saama [151] [152] [153] [ better source needed ] | Cross Road | English [lower-alpha 1] | 6 | 1 | 3.5 | 9 |
![]() | Mellow | Ho Tlaba Jwang | English, Sotho | 3 | 2 | 2.5 | 10 |
![]() | Amanda Mo | Uwami | siSwati [lower-alpha 2] | 1 | 4 | 2.5 | 11 |
![]() | Efe Keyz [154] [155] [156] | Juju | English, Pidgin English, Twi | 2 | 1 | 1.5 | 12 |
![]() | Laz B | Oleburuku | English, Pidgin English, Igbo, Yoruba | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
![]() | Dee Tutu | Thunder Fire | English, Pidgin English | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
![]() | Miss Trophy | Ngik'tsandzile | siSwati [lower-alpha 2] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
![]() | DS Cynthia | Merci | French | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
![]() | Kelstar | Can We Go Back | English | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
![]() | Alvan Morris [157] | Dancehall on Fire | English | 1 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
![]() | Joahn Lover | Game Over | French, English | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19 |
![]() | Mungo | Come Thru | English | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
The 10-member judging panel for the Final was made up of Eurovision Song Contest experts; PanAmerican music experts and African music and production experts. Six of them have already served in the judging panel in 2018 edition of the contest. [158]
Singer from Côte d'Ivoire DS Cynthia has competed in AfriMusic final 2018 as part of the project CCI Studio Orchestre Meets DS Cynthia, Fabému, Masta Ricky & Papson D.C. and had a solo entry Jes Suis in the National Selection round as well.
Winners of the four special Recognition Awards were announced on 10 April 2019: [159] [160] [ better source needed ]
Representative of South Africa Siphokazi 'Nonzwakazi' Maphumulo with the self-written song "Phakama Mbokodo" was announced as the overall winner of AfriMusic Song Contest 2019 on 15 April. [168] [169] [ better source needed ] [170] The song is performed in isiZulu and English languages and translated as "Rise Woman" with 'mbokodo' literally meaning 'rock' – a reference to the line of the freedom song sang at 1956 Women's March in South Africa "you strike the women, you strike a rock". [171] [172] [173] [174] [175] As part of the prize, Nonzwakazi was invited to attend Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv, Israel and to perform there at the official venue of the contest – Eurovision Village in Charles Clore Park on the Grand Final day 18 May 2019. [176] [177] [178] [ better source needed ]
Nonzwakazi's performance at the EuroVision Village, attracted 105,000 EuroVision fans and spectators. Nonzwakazi performed her winning song Phakama Mbokodo, and two other original songs live on stage. The AfriMusic Song Contest organisers held an official presentation in honour of Nonzwakazi's AfriMusic Song Contest win, where she received her AfriMusic Song Contest 2019 Statuette, to commemorate her win.
AfriMusic Song Contest 2020 | |
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Dates | |
Final | 10–27 April 2020 |
Host | |
Website | www |
Participants | |
Number of entries | Regional Selections: 113 songs by artists from 24 countries Final: 30 songs by 30 artists from 15 countries |
Debuting countries | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Returning countries | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Non-returning countries | ![]() |
Vote | |
Voting system | An average is calculated from the Expert Jury and Public votes, which award sets of 12–10–8...2 points to their 9 favourite songs, with songs ranked 10–20 receiving 1 point. |
Winning song | ![]() Dhortune ThatOndoBoy – "Yemi" |
Immediately after South Africa's victory in the AfriMusic Song Contest 2019, organizers announced to be "working hard to introduce a live show to the contest and have a live South African Finals show" for the 2020 edition. The song submission period closed on 1 February 2020, with the regional selection period beginning on 20 February. 113 songs from 24 countries are in contention for a spot in the final, an increase of 64 competing songs and 11 countries from the year before. Among them, the highest number of songs came from Ghana (18), Nigeria (20), and South Africa (19). Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Morocco, Namibia, Tunisia, and Uganda all submitted eligible competitors for the first time, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe returned after a year's absence. The winning song was revealed on 27 April 2020. [179]
Country | Artist | Song | Language | Public Points | Jury Points | Average Points | Place |
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![]() | Miss Erica | In My Heart | English, French, Kinyarwanda | 1 | 7 | 4 | 9 |
![]() | Crank | Cause You're Mine | English | 8 | 1 | 4.5 | 5 |
![]() | Otis Jela | Yako | Shona | 1 | 1 | 1 | 29 |
![]() | Yuppie Jay | Bubble It | English, Hausa | 1 | 1 | 1 | 30 |
![]() | Voice Prince | Nakupenda | Swahili | 1 | 1 | 1 | 28 |
![]() | Frank Magic | Sibiwulira | Chichewa | 2 | 1 | 1.5 | 17 |
![]() | Leflo Gnezale | Reste | French | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
![]() | EpiqMenz | Downtown Guy | English | 10 | 1 | 5.5 | 3 |
![]() | Efe Keyz | Feelings | English | 1 | 1 | 1 | 27 |
![]() | Ayuba Tete | Hope Song | English | 1 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
![]() | Dhortune ThatOndoBoy | Yemi | English, Yoruba | 12 | 1 | 6.5 | 1 |
![]() | Dr Philz | Butter | English, Swahili, Yoruba | 5 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
![]() | Zinny | Little Girls Grow | English | 1 | 12 | 6.5 | 2 |
![]() | Epiesco | Nga Di Scream | French | 1 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
![]() | Joahn Lover | Ticket Valide | French | 1 | 1 | 1 | 26 |
![]() | Liya Yoh | Broken | English | 1 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
![]() | Anouchka Tuluka | Na Lela Yo | Zulu | 3 | 1 | 2 | 15 |
![]() | Eddy Rug | BlaBlaBla | Somali | 1 | 1 | 1 | 24 |
![]() | Hamza Mathcima | Samra | Italian, Somali | 7 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
![]() | Bamoc | Closed Doors | English | 1 | 8 | 4.5 | 6 |
![]() | Holly Rey | Fire | English | 1 | 6 | 3.5 | 10 |
![]() | Jolanda Becker | The Song of Hope | English | 1 | 3 | 2 | 16 |
![]() | Kenton Lee | Echo | English | 1 | 1 | 1 | 21 |
![]() | Leote Taylor | Everybody | English | 6 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
![]() | LusiBlaq | Emlanjeni | Xhosa | 1 | 1 | 1 | 23 |
![]() | Mandiamakhulu | Vukani | Zulu | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19 |
![]() | Presss | African Child | English | 1 | 10 | 5.5 | 4 |
![]() | Thato Kashe | Ndimilona | Xhosa | 1 | 1 | 1 | 25 |
![]() | Waina | Norita | Chichewa | 1 | 4 | 2.5 | 14 |
![]() | Simple Claude | Marunjeya | Chichewa | 4 | 1 | 2.5 | 13 |
Eastern Africa | Western Africa | Central & Northern Africa | Southern Africa |
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Winners of the four special Recognition Awards were announced on 23 April 2020:
Country | Debuting year | Withdrawing year | Returning year | Number of entries in final | Wins |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | 2018 | 2019 | 1 | ||
![]() | 2020 | 1 | |||
![]() | 2018 | 5 | |||
![]() | 2018 | 2019 | 1 | ||
![]() | 2018 | 2019 | 1 | ||
![]() | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 3 | |
![]() | 2018 | 2019 | 1 | ||
![]() | 2020 | 0 [d] | |||
![]() | 2018 | 3 [d] | 1 | ||
![]() | 2018 | 2019 | 1 | ||
![]() | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 1 [d] | |
![]() | 2018 | 8 | |||
![]() | 2018 | 2019 | 1 | ||
![]() | 2018 | 3 | |||
![]() | 2020 | 2 | |||
![]() | 2020 | 0 [d] | |||
![]() | 2019 | 2 | |||
![]() | 2020 | 0 [d] | |||
![]() | 2018 | 2 [d] | |||
![]() | 2020 | 0 [d] | |||
![]() | 2018 | 8 | 1 | ||
![]() | 2018 | 1 [c] | |||
![]() | 2019 | 2020 | 1 | ||
![]() | 2019 | 0 [a] | |||
![]() | 2018 | 13 | 1 | ||
![]() | 2018 | 2 [b] | |||
![]() | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2 | |
![]() | 2020 | 1 | |||
![]() | 2020 | 1 | |||
![]() | 2019 | 2 | |||
![]() | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2 | |
The following list of countries are eligible to participate in the AfriMusic Song Contest, but so far have yet to make their debut appearance.
Russia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 23 times since its debut in 1994. Russia won the 2008 contest with Dima Bilan performing the song "Believe". One of the most successful countries in the contest in the 21st century with a total of ten top five placements, Russia finished second with Alsou in 2000, Dima Bilan in 2006, Buranovskiye Babushki in 2012 and Polina Gagarina in 2015; third with t.A.T.u. in 2003, Serebro in 2007, Sergey Lazarev in 2016 and 2019, and fifth with Dina Garipova in 2013. In 2018, the country failed to qualify for the final for the first time in its history. The Russian entry has been chosen through both internal selections and a televised national final titled Evrovidenie, with its most recent entry (2021) being chosen by the latter.
"Hear My Plea" is a song by Albanian singer and songwriter Frederik Ndoci. It was issued as part of a CD compilation on 20 April 2007 by CMC Records. The English-language song was written by Pandi Laço and composed by Adrian Hila. "Hear My Plea" represented Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki, Finland, after Ndoci won the pre-selection competition, Festivali i Këngës 45, with the song's Albanian-language version "Balada e Gurit". The country failed to qualify for the grand final in 17th place, marking its second non-qualification in the contest. During his dark-themed show of the song, Ndoci was accompanied by an instrumentalist and four backing vocalists. An accompanying music video for the song premiered on the official YouTube channel of the Eurovision Song Contest on 5 April 2007.
Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "Rändajad" written by Sven Lõhmus. The song was performed by the group Urban Symphony. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul 2009 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia. Ten songs competed in the national final and the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top two to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "Rändajad" performed by Urban Symphony was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.
Finland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Monsters" written by Saara Aalto, Joy Deb, Linnea Deb and Ki Fitzgerald. The song was performed by Saara Aalto, who was internally selected by the Finnish broadcaster Yleisradio (Yle) in November 2017 to represent the nation at the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal. The national final Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2018 was organised in order to select the song that Aalto would perform. Three songs were selected to compete in the national final on 3 March 2018 where the 50/50 combination of votes from eight international jury groups and votes from the public selected "Monsters" as the winning song.
Switzerland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Stones" written by Corinne "Coco" Gfeller, Stee Gfeller and Laurell Barker. The song was performed by the duo Zibbz. The Swiss entry for the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal was selected through the national final ESC 2018 – die Entscheidungsshow, organised by the Swiss broadcaster Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. Songwriters that were interested in entering the Swiss national final had the opportunity to apply during a submission period organised by SRG SSR. Six entries were selected to advance to the televised national final, and the six finalists performed during the national final on 4 February 2018 where a combination of international jury voting and public voting ultimately selected "Stones" performed by Zibbz as the winner.
Ukraine participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Under the Ladder" written by Mike Ryals, Kostyantyn Bocharov and Anton Karskyi. The song was performed by Mélovin, which is the artistic name of singer Kostyantyn Bocharov. The Ukrainian broadcaster Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC) organised a national final in collaboration with commercial broadcaster STB in order to select the Ukrainian entry for the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal. The national selection consisted of two semi-finals, held on 10 and 17 February 2018, and a final, held on 24 February 2018; nine entries competed in each semi-final with the top three from each semi-final advancing to the final. In the final, "Under the Ladder" performed by Mélovin was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a three-member jury panel and a public televote.
Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Storm" written by Stig Rästa, Vallo Kikas, Victor Crone and Fred Krieger. The song was performed by Victor Crone. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul2019 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. The national final consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. Twelve songs competed in each semi-final and six from each semi-final as determined by a jury panel and public vote qualified to the final. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top three to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "Storm" performed by Victor Crone was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.
Poland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Fire of Love " written by Nadia Dalin, Sonia Krasny, Allan Rich and Jud Friedmann. The song was performed by the group Tulia. In January 2019, the Polish broadcaster Telewizja Polska (TVP) announced that the Polish entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel would be selected through an internal selection. Tulia was announced as the Polish entrant on 15 February 2019, while the song "Fire of Love " was presented to the public on 8 March 2019.
France participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Roi" written by Bilal Hassani, Madame Monsieur and Medeline. The song was performed by Bilal Hassani. The French broadcaster France Télévisions in collaboration with the television channel France 2 organised the national final Destination Eurovision 2019 in order to select the French entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. Eighteen songs competed in the national final which consisted of two semi-finals and a final. Nine entries competed in each semi-final and the top four from each semi-final were selected to advance to the final following the combination of votes from a five-member international jury panel and a public vote. In the final on 26 January 2019, "Roi" performed by Bilal Hassani was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a ten-member international jury panel and a public vote.
Iceland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Hatrið mun sigra" written by Einar Hrafn Stefánsson, Klemens Nikulásson Hannigan and Matthías Tryggvi Haraldsson. The song was performed by the group Hatari. The Icelandic entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel was selected through the national final Söngvakeppnin2019, organised by the Icelandic broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV). The selection consisted of two semi-finals and a final, held on 9 February, 16 February and 2 March 2019, respectively. Five songs competed in each semi-final with the top two as selected by a public televote alongside a jury wildcard advancing to the final. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting: the first involved a 50/50 combination of jury voting and public televoting, which reduced the five competing entries to two superfinalists and the second round selected the winner exclusively through public televoting. "Hatrið mun sigra" performed by Hatari emerged as the winner after gaining 57.71% of the public vote.
Latvia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "That Night" written by Mārcis Vasiļevskis and Sabīne Žuga. The song was performed by the band Carousel. The Latvian broadcaster Latvijas Televīzija (LTV) organized the national final Supernova 2019 in order to select the Latvian entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. 16 songs were selected to compete in the national final, which consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. In the semi-finals on 26 January and 2 February 2019, four entries were selected to advance from each show. Eight songs ultimately qualified to compete in the final on 16 February 2019 where a public televote and a five-member jury panel selected "That Night" performed by Carousel as the winner.
Azerbaijan participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Truth" written by Borislav Milanov, Trey Campbell, Joacim Persson, Pablo Dinero and Hostess. The song was performed by Chingiz, who was internally selected by the Azerbaijani broadcaster İctimai Television (İTV) in March 2019 to represent the nation at the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. Songwriter Trey Campbell represented Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 as part of the group Equinox with the song "Bones" where they placed fourteenth in the grand final of the competition. The song "Truth" was presented to the public on 8 March 2019.
Georgia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Keep On Going" written by Roman Giorgadze and Diana Giorgadze. The song was performed by Oto Nemsadze. The Georgian broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) held the reality television show Georgian Idol in order to select the Georgian entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. The competition resulted in the selection of four finalists that performed potential Eurovision songs during the final on 3 March 2019. The results of a public vote exclusively resulted in the selection of "Sul tsin iare" performed by Oto Nemsadze as the Georgian entry, having received 44.13% of the votes. The song was later retitled for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "Keep On Going".
Portugal participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Telemóveis" written and performed by Conan Osíris. The Portuguese broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) organised the national final Festival da Canção2019 in order to select the Portuguese entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. After two semi-finals and a final which took place in February and March 2019, "Telemóveis" performed by Conan Osíris emerged as the winner after achieving the highest score following the combination of votes from seven regional juries and a public televote.
Moldova participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Stay" written by Georgios Kalpakidis, Thomas Reil, Jeppe Reil and Maria Broberg. The song was performed by Anna Odobescu. The Moldovan broadcaster TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM) organised the national final O melodie pentru Europa2019 in order to select the Moldovan entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. 28 entries competed to represent Moldova in Tel Aviv, with 10 being shortlisted to participate in the televised national final which took place on 2 March 2019 after auditioning in front of a jury panel. "Stay" performed by Anna Odobescu emerged as the winner after gaining the most points following the combination of votes from a jury panel and a public televote.
The following is a list of events and releases that have happened or are expected to happen in 2019 in African music.
Ukraine originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Solovey" written by Taras Shevchenko and Kateryna Pavlenko. The song was performed by the band Go_A. Ukraine returned to the Eurovision Song Contest, after the nation withdrew in 2019 due to contractual disagreements with their chosen representative Maruv on conditions of taking part in the Ukrainian delegation. The Ukrainian broadcaster Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC) organised a national final in collaboration with commercial broadcaster STB in order to select the Ukrainian entry for the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The national selection consisted of two semi-finals, held on 8 and 15 February 2020, and a final, held on 22 February 2020; eight entries competed in each semi-final with the top three from each semi-final advancing to the final. In the final, "Solovey" performed by Go_A was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a three-member jury panel and a public televote.
Georgia originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Take Me as I Am" written and performed by Tornike Kipiani, who was selected through the reality television show Georgian Idol, held by the Georgian broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB). The competition resulted in the selection of four finalists for the final on 31 December 2019. The results of a public vote exclusively resulted in the selection of Tornike Kipiani as the winner. The song that Tornike Kipiani would perform, "Take Me as I Am", was presented to the public on 3 March 2020.
Switzerland originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Répondez-moi" written by Gjon Muharremaj, Xavier Michel, Alizé Oswald and Jeroen Swinnen. The song was performed by Gjon's Tears, which is the artistic name of singer Gjon Muharremaj who was internally selected by the Swiss broadcaster Swiss Broadcasting Corporation to represent the nation at the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. "Répondez-moi" was presented to the public as the Swiss entry on 4 March 2020.
Moldova originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Prison" written by Dimitris Kontopoulos, Philipp Kirkorov and Sharon Vaughn. The song was performed by Natalia Gordienko. Songwriter Philipp Kirkorov represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 with the song "Kolybelnaya dlya vulkana" where he placed seventeenth, while Natalia Gordienko had previously represented Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006 together with Arsenium and Connect-R, placing twentieth with the song "Loca". The Moldovan broadcaster TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM) organised the national final Finala națională 2020 in order to select the Moldovan entry for the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. 34 entries competed to represent Moldova in Rotterdam, with 20 being shortlisted to participate in the televised national final which took place on 29 February 2020 after auditioning in front of a jury panel. "Prison" performed by Natalia Gordienko emerged as the winner after gaining the most points following the combination of votes from a jury panel and a public televote.