AfriMusic Song Contest

Last updated
AfriMusic Song Contest
AfriMusic Song Contest generic logo.jpg
AfriMusic Song Contest logo
DatesAugust–April
Location(s) Africa
Years active2018–present
FoundersMichelle Fernandes

Suzie Vicente

Victor Nunes
Website afrimusicsongcontest.com

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]

Contents

History

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.

Winners by year

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.

YearDatesHost cityEntriesWinnerSongPerformerLanguagePoints
SongsCountries
2018 29 March
Online only
1919Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini "Sengikhona"Symphony siSwati, English10
2019 12 April2010Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa "Phakama Mbokodo"Nonzwakazi isiZulu, English10
2020 27 April2824Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria "Yèmi"Dhortune ThatOndoBoy Yoruba, English6.5

Winners by country

WinsCountryYears
1Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini 2018
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 2019
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 2020

Organizers

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]

Format

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]

Eligibility

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

AfriMusic Song Contest 2018
Dates
Final15–29 March 2018
Host
Website www.afrimusicsongcontest.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Participants
Number of entriesNational Selections: 82 songs by 45 artists from 19 countries
Final: 19 songs by 19 artists from 19 countries
Debuting countriessee list of the participating countries
  • AfriMusic Song Contest 2018 map.svg
         Participating countries
Vote
Voting systemAn 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 songFlag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini
Symphony – "Sengikhona"
AfriMusic Song Contest

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]

Participating countries

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 ]

Final

CountryArtistSongLanguagePublic
points
Jury
points
Average
points
Place
Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini Symphony [66] [67] Sengikhona siSwati, English 119101
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon Ingrid White [68] StopEnglish6118.52
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe Nina WatsonClose To MeEnglish3127.53
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana Feine [69] Coloured SkinEnglish7774
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Côte d'Ivoire CCI Studio Orchestre Meets
D S Cynthia, Fabému,
Masta Ricky & Papson D.C. [70] [71] [72] [73]
Juste en peu French, English1216.55
Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon SAN [74] Saint GraalFrench9366
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa Kylie UnsworthSecondhand NarcoticsEnglish21067
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo Litho NgongaAfricaEnglish1015.58
Flag of Chad.svg  Chad Stev'N-T [75] SincéritéFrench814.59
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt Nadya ShanabIn a Fit of RemorseEnglish184.510
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana ErastusTogetherEnglish523.511
Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic Hybrid [76] Wali Ti MbiFrench, Sango 163.512
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique JayCudzMon Amour Portuguese, French15313
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria Earl J.Jesu Me Yo WeEnglish, Yoruba412.514
Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea Exploss [77] [78] Courbée CourbéeFrench [lower-alpha 1] 142.515
Flag of South Sudan.svg  South Sudan Samse Sam [79] Party TimeEnglish, Arabic, Lingala 11116
Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Republic of the Congo Emma Feron [80] Peine et TristesseFrench11117
Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia PamfalonAlmeshem Amharic [lower-alpha 2] 11118
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania ZamangwaAfrica Let Us CelebrateEnglish11119
  1. Contains occasional words in English
  2. Contains quotes of Malcolm X and Tupac Shakur as well as word 'propaganda' in English

Jury

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 ]

Winners

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

AfriMusic Song Contest 2019
Dates
Final29 March – 12 April 2019
Host
Website www.afrimusicsongcontest.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Participants
Number of entriesRegional Selections: 49 songs by 45 artists from 13 countries
Final: 20 songs by 20 artists from 10 countries
Debuting countriesFlag of Malawi.svg  Malawi
Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda
Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia
Non-returning countriesFlag of Botswana.svg  Botswana
Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  CAR
Flag of Chad.svg  Chad
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt
Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia
Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon
Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe
  • AfriMusic Song Contest 2019 map.svg
         Participating countries     Did not qualify to the final
Vote
Voting systemAn 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 songFlag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Nonzwakazi – "Phakama Mbokodo"
AfriMusic Song Contest

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]

Participating countries

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)

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]

Final

CountryArtistSongLanguagePublic
points
Jury
points
Average
points
Place
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa Nonzwakazi [140] Phakama Mbokodo isiZulu, English812101
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique Jay Arghh A.K.A J'R [141] [142] CarlitosPortuguese1057.52
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia Towela Kaira [143] GoldEnglish41073
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana SSUE [144] HypnotizeEnglish1216.54
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa Linda Kilian [145] [146] [147] [148] [149] [150] I Will Never Fight AgainEnglish565.55
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana SiboatAlways and ForeverEnglish7356
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria EasrelFun Won TanEnglish, Yoruba184.57
Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda Serge IyamuremyeNdakubaha Kinyarwanda 1748
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana Da Saama [151] [152] [153] [ better source needed ]Cross RoadEnglish [lower-alpha 1] 613.59
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa MellowHo Tlaba JwangEnglish, Sotho 322.510
Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini Amanda MoUwamisiSwati [lower-alpha 2] 142.511
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana Efe Keyz [154] [155] [156] JujuEnglish, Pidgin English, Twi 211.512
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria Laz BOleburukuEnglish, Pidgin English, Igbo, Yoruba11113
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana Dee TutuThunder FireEnglish, Pidgin English11114
Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini Miss TrophyNgik'tsandzilesiSwati [lower-alpha 2] 11115
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Côte d'Ivoire DS CynthiaMerciFrench11116
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa KelstarCan We Go BackEnglish11117
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria Alvan Morris [157] Dancehall on FireEnglish11118
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon Joahn LoverGame OverFrench, English11119
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi MungoCome ThruEnglish11120
  1. Contains backing vocal bridge in Yoruba
  2. 1 2 Contains occasional words in English

Jury

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]

Returning artists

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

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

AfriMusic Song Contest 2020
Dates
Final10–27 April 2020
Host
Website www.afrimusicsongcontest.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Participants
Number of entriesRegional Selections: 113 songs by artists from 24 countries
Final: 30 songs by 30 artists from 15 countries
Debuting countriesFlag of Burundi.svg  Burundi
Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco
Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda
Returning countriesFlag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo
Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe
Non-returning countriesFlag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda
Vote
Voting systemAn 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 songFlag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria
Dhortune ThatOndoBoy – "Yemi"
AfriMusic Song Contest

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]

Final

CountryArtistSongLanguagePublic PointsJury PointsAverage PointsPlace
Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi Miss Erica In My HeartEnglish, French, Kirundi 1749
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya CrankCause You're MineEnglish814.55
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya Otis JelaYako Shona 11129
Flag of South Sudan.svg  South Sudan Yuppie JayBubble ItEnglish, Hausa 11130
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania Voice PrinceNakupenda Swahili 11128
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda Frank MagicSibiwuliraChichewa211.517
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Cote d'Ivoire Leflo GnezaleResteFrench11120
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana EpiqMenzDowntown GuyEnglish1015.53
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana Efe KeyzFeelingsEnglish11127
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria Ayuba TeteHope SongEnglish15312
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria Dhortune ThatOndoBoyYemiEnglish, Yoruba1216.51
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria Dr PhilzButterEnglish, Swahili, Yoruba51311
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria ZinnyLittle Girls GrowEnglish1126.52
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon EpiescoNga Di ScreamFrench11118
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon Joahn LoverTicket ValideFrench11126
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon Liya YohBrokenEnglish11122
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo Anouchka TulukaNa Lela YoZulu31215
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo Eddy RugBlaBlaBla Somali 11124
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia Hamza MathcimaSamra Italian, Somali7147
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi BamocClosed DoorsEnglish184.56
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa Holly ReyFireEnglish163.510
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa Jolanda BeckerThe Song of HopeEnglish13216
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa Kenton LeeEchoEnglish11121
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa Leote TaylorEverybodyEnglish6248
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa LusiBlaqEmlanjeni Xhosa 11123
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa MandiamakhuluVukaniZulu11119
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa PresssAfrican ChildEnglish1105.54
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa Thato KasheNdimilona Xhosa 11125
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia WainaNorita Chichewa 142.514
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe Simple ClaudeMarunjeyaChichewa412.513
Eastern AfricaWestern AfricaCentral & Northern AfricaSouthern Africa

Winners

Winners of the four special Recognition Awards were announced on 23 April 2020:

Participation

Table key
  Withdrawn – Countries who have participated in the past but have withdrawn.
CountryDebuting yearWithdrawing yearReturning yearNumber of entries in finalWins
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana 201820191
Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi 20201
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon 20185
Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic 201820191
Flag of Chad.svg  Chad 201820191
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo 2018201920203
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 201820191
Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea 20200 [d]
Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini 20183 [d] 1
Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia 201820191
Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon 2018201920201 [d]
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana 20188
Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea 201820191
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Cote d'Ivoire 20183
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 20202
Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia 20200 [d]
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 20192
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 20200 [d]
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique 20182 [d]
Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia 20200 [d]
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 201881
Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Republic of the Congo 20181 [c]
Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda 201920201
Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal 20190 [a]
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 2018131
Flag of South Sudan.svg  South Sudan 20182 [b]
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania 2018201920202
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia 20201
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda 20201
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia 20192
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 2018201920202

Other countries

The following list of countries are eligible to participate in the AfriMusic Song Contest, but so far have yet to make their debut appearance.

See also

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ^ Senegal participated in 2019 and 2020, but did not qualify for the final in either year.
  2. ^ South Sudan participated in 2019, but did not qualify for the final.
  3. ^ Republic of the Congo had participated in 2019 and 2020, but did not qualify for the final.
  4. ^ Participated in 2020, but was not selected for the final.

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Russia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "A Million Voices", written by Gabriel Alares, Joakim Björnberg, Katrina Noorbergen, Leonid Gutkin and Vladimir Matetsky. The song was performed by Polina Gagarina, who was selected by Russian broadcaster Channel One Russia (C1R) in March 2015 to represent the nation at the 2015 contest in Vienna, Austria. In the first of the Eurovision semi-finals "A Million Voices" placed first out of the 16 participating countries, securing its place among the 27 other songs in the final. In Russia's nineteenth Eurovision appearance on 23 May, "A Million Voices" finished in second place, receiving 303 points and full marks from five countries.

Switzerland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Apollo" written by Elias Näslin, Nicolas Günthardt and Alessandra Günthardt. The song was performed by the band Timebelle. The Swiss entry for the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine was selected through the national final ESC 2017 – die Entscheidungsshow, organised by the Swiss broadcaster Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. Artists that were interested in entering the Swiss national final had the opportunity to apply during a submission period organised by SRG SSR. A total of 21 entries were selected to advance to an "Live Check" round held on 4 December 2016 and involved nineteen experts evaluating the live performances of the 21 entries and selecting six entries to advance to the televised national final. The six finalists performed during the national final on 5 February 2017 where public voting ultimately selected "Apollo" performed by Timebelle as the winner.

Latvia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Funny Girl" written and performed by Laura Rizzotto. The Latvian broadcaster Latvijas Televīzija (LTV) organized the national final Supernova 2018 in order to select the Latvian entry for the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal. 21 songs were selected to compete in the national final, which consisted of four shows: three semi-finals and a final. In the semi-finals on 3, 10 and 17 February 2018, two entries were selected to advance from each show alongside two wildcards selected by LTV. Eight songs ultimately qualified to compete in the final on 24 February 2018 where a public televote and a four-member jury panel selected "Funny Girl" performed by Laura Rizzotto as the winner.

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.

Finland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Look Away" written and performed by Ville Virtanen under the stage name Darude and Sebastian Rejman. Darude and Sebastian Rejman were internally selected by the Finnish broadcaster Yleisradio (Yle) in January 2019 to represent the nation at the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. The national final Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu2019 was organised in order to select the song that Darude and Rejman would perform. Three songs were selected to compete in the national final on 2 March 2019 where the 50/50 combination of votes from eight international jury groups and votes from the public selected "Look Away" as the winning song.

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".

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.

Serbia originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Hasta la vista" written by Nemanja Antonić, Kosana Stojić and Sanja Vučić. The song was performed by the group Hurricane, which among its members included Sanja Vučić who had previously represented Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016 where she placed eighteenth with the song "Goodbye (Shelter)". The Serbian national broadcaster, Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) organised the national final Beovizija 2020 in order to select the Serbian entry for the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The national final consisted of three shows: two semi-finals on 28 and 29 February 2020 and a final on 1 March 2020. Twelve entries competed in each semi-final where the top six qualified to the final from each semi-final following the combination of votes from a five-member jury panel and a public televote. The twelve qualifiers competed in the final which resulted in "Hasta la vista" performed by Hurricane as the winner following the combination of votes from a five-member jury panel and a public televote.

Spain originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Universo" written by Blas Cantó, Dan Hammond, Dangelo Ortega, Mikolaj Trybulec and Ashley Hicklin. The song was performed by Blas Cantó, who was internally selected by Spanish broadcaster Televisión Española (TVE) to represent the nation at the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Blas Cantó was announced as the Spanish representative on 5 October 2019, while "Universo" was presented to the public as the Spanish entry on 30 January 2020.

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.

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