Georgia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 15 times since making its debut in 2007. Georgia initially planned to participate in 2009, but later withdrew after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) demanded it to re-write its song which made reference to the then-Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin. Georgia has reached the final on seven occasions, achieving two top ten placements, with Sofia Nizharadze (2010) and Eldrine (2011) both finishing ninth.
On 27 October 2006, Georgia confirmed that they wished to debut at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007.[1] At that time, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) still limited the contest to a maximum of 40 countries, however, in March 2007, it was announced that all 42 applicants would participate in the 2007 contest in Helsinki. At the contest, Georgia managed to progress from the semi-final (where it scored 123 points, finishing 8th), but only came 12th (out of 24) in the final. Georgia appeared for its second time in the contest for 2008, represented by Diana Gurtskaya with the song "Peace Will Come". It had slightly better luck than in 2007, progressing from the semi-final (where it scored 107 points, finishing 5th) and coming in 11th (out of 25) in the final.
Due to the 2008 South Ossetia war, it had been debated by Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) whether Georgia would be present at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow.[2] GPB chairman stated that it would not be unreasonable to withdraw, but that they were under a time restraint since a national selection event would have to be organised if they chose to participate.[3] On 28 August 2008, GBP announced their intention to withdraw from the 2009 contest, citing that they refuse to compete in a "country that violates human rights and international laws", as well as doubts being cast on the safety of their participants.[4][5][6] After winning the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008 and getting the maximum 12 points from Russia at the event, they were encouraged to participate again in 2009.[7][8]
After a national final was held on 18 February 2009 the selected entry for Georgia was decided to be Stephane and 3G with their 70s-inspired song "We Don't Wanna Put In".[9][10][11] However the song gained controversy due to the lyrics of the song, which included perceived political references to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, which GPB denied.[12][13] Nevertheless, the EBU banned the song from competing due to its lyrics, and asked GPB to either change the lyrics of the song or select another song to compete.[14][15] GPB claimed that the EBU's rejection of the song was due to political pressure exerted by Russia, and later withdrew from the contest entirely on 11 March.[16]
Georgia returned to the contest in 2010, and was represented by 23-year-old singer Sofia Nizharadze.[17][18] Sopho sang the song "Shine" at the contest, written by Hanne Sørvaag, Harry Sommerdahl and Christian Leuzzi.[19][20] Georgia competed in the second semi-final of the contest on 27 May, performing in the 16th slot, and qualified for the final. Georgia came 9th in the final, with 136 points, achieving their best place so far.
In 2011, Georgia sent the rock band Eldrine to the contest in Düsseldorf, Germany. They managed to equal Sopho Nizharadze's 9th place of the year before. In 2012, Georgia sent Anri Jokhadze to the contest in Baku, Azerbaijan with the song "I'm a Joker", Anri was the first male entrant ever to represent Georgia at Eurovision. On 24 May 2012, he became the first Georgian representative to fail to reach the Eurovision Song Contest final. In 2013, Georgia selected its entry internally. Nodi Tatishvili and Sophie Gelovani was the first duo to represent Georgia in Eurovision. The song was produced by 2012's winning composer Thomas G:son. In the second semi-final Georgia qualified in 10th, and in the final Georgia came in 15th place with 50 points. In 2014, Georgia selected jazz fusion band the Shin alongside vocalist Mariko Ebralidze to the contest in Copenhagen, Denmark. Their song, "Three Minutes to Earth", was panned by critics and placed last in the second semi-final. This is the worst Georgian result to date. In 2015, Georgia held a national final for the first time since 2012. Nina Sublatti and her song "Warrior" were chosen to represent Georgia in the contest. It qualified from the first semi-final. Nina Sublatti eventually reached an 11th place in the grand final. On December 15, 2015, Georgia internally selected Nika Kocharov and Young Georgian Lolitaz to represent Georgia in the 2016 contest. They finished 9th in semi-final and 20th in the grand final.[citation needed] In 2017, GPB went back to an national final, with Tamara Gachechiladze and her song "Keep the Faith" winning the selection. She performed second at the first semi-final, but failed to qualify for the final, finishing 11th with 99 points in the first semi-final.
In 2018, Georgia internally selected Iriao (billed as Ethno-Jazz Group Iriao for the contest) to represent them in Lisbon, Portugal with the song "For You". In spite of its English name, it was their first entry performed entirely in the Georgian language. The song resulted in another non-qualification, with Georgia finishing last in their semi-final once again. For 2019, their act for Tel Aviv was selected through Georgia's Star, the Georgian version of the Pop Idol franchise. The selected artist was Oto Nemsadze with the song "Keep On Going",[21] their second entry that is completely in Georgian, which later failed to reach the final, placing 14th in the first semi-final with 62 points.
Georgia's Star was used once again for 2020, with the chosen artist being Tornike Kipiani with the song "Take Me As I Am". However, the 2020 contest was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Kipiani was later retained as the Georgian representative for 2021, this time with the song "You". The song failed to qualify for the final, with Georgia finishing 16th in their semi-final. Another internal selection was carried out for 2022, with the band Circus Mircus and their song "Lock Me In" being chosen to represent Georgia; they too failed to qualify for the final, finishing 18th (last) in their semi-final.
For the 2023 contest, Georgia selected the representative through The Voice Georgia, and Iru Khechanovi emerged as winner. Iru's song "Echo", was chosen internally, but she could not manage to qualify to the final either, placing 12th in the second semi-final with 33 points.
An internal selection took place to determine Nutsa Buzaladze as the Georgian representative in the 2024 contest.
↑ Helen Kalandadze was supposed to announce the results, but due to alleged technical difficulties, the contest's executive supervisor Martin Österdahl announced them instead.
Related Research Articles
Georgia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Visionary Dream" written by Beka Jafaridze and Bibi Kvachadze. The song was performed by Sopho, who was internally selected in December 2006 by the Georgian broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) to compete at the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland. A national final was held to select the song that Sopho would perform. An open call for song submissions was held which resulted in the shortlisting of five entries that were presented to the public during a televised production on 3 March 2007. The results of a public televote exclusively resulted in the selection of "My Story" as the Georgian entry, having received 51% of the votes. The song was later retitled for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "Visionary Dream".
Georgia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Peace Will Come" written by Kim Breitburg and Karen Kavaleryan. The song was performed by Diana Gurtskaya. The Georgian broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) held a national final in order to select the Georgian entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. An open call for submissions was held which resulted in the shortlisting of twelve entries that were presented to the public during a televised production on 1 March 2008. The results of a public televote exclusively resulted in the selection of "Peace Will Come" performed by Diana Gurtskaya as the Georgian entry, having received 39.4% of the votes.
Georgia originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "We Don't Wanna Put In" written by Stephane Mgebrishvili and Bibi Kvachadze. The song was performed by the group Stephane and 3G. The Georgian broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) held a national final in order to select the Georgian entry for the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia. An open call for submissions was held which resulted in the shortlisting of ten entries that were presented to the public during a televised production on 18 February 2009. The results of a public televote combined with the votes of an expert jury resulted in the selection of "We Don't Wanna Put In" performed by Stephane and 3G as the Georgian entry.
Georgia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song "Shine" written by Hanne Sørvaag, Harry Sommerdahl and Christian Leuzzi. The song was performed by Sofia Nizharadze, who was internally selected in January 2010 by the Georgian broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) to compete at the 2010 contest in Oslo, Norway. In July 2009, GPB announced that they would be returning to the Eurovision Song Contest after a one-year absence following their withdrawal in 2009. A national final was held to select the song that Sofia Nizharadze would perform. An open call for song submissions was held which resulted in the shortlisting of six entries that were presented to the public during a televised production on 27 February 2010. The results of a public televote combined with the votes of an expert jury resulted in the selection of "Shine" as the Georgian entry.
Georgia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with the song "One More Day" written by DJ BE$$, DJ Rock and Mikheil Chelidze. The song was performed by the band Eldrine. The Georgian broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) held a national final in order to select the Georgian entry for the 2011 contest in Düsseldorf, Germany. An open call for submissions was held which resulted in the shortlisting of seven entries that were presented to the public during a televised production on 19 February 2011. The results of a public televote combined with the votes of an expert jury resulted in the selection of "One More Day" performed by Eldrine as the Georgian entry.
Georgia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "I'm a Joker" written by Rusudan Chkhaidze and Bibi Kvachadze. The song was performed by Anri Jokhadze. The Georgian broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) held a national final in order to select the Georgian entry for the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. An open call for submissions was held which resulted in the shortlisting of nine entries that were presented to the public during a televised production on 19 February 2012. The results of a public televote combined with the votes of an expert jury resulted in the selection of "I'm a Joker" performed by Anri Jokhadze as the Georgian entry.
Georgia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "Waterfall" written by Thomas G:son and Erik Bernholm. The song was performed by Nodi Tatishvili and Sophie Gelovani, who were internally selected in December 2012 by the Georgian broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) to compete at the 2013 contest in Malmö, Sweden. The Georgian entry, "Waterfall", was presented to the public on 27 February 2013.
Georgia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Warrior" written by Nina Sublatti and Thomas G:son. The song was performed by Nina Sublatti. The Georgian broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) held a national final in order to select the Georgian entry for the 2015 contest in Vienna, Austria. An open call for submissions was held which resulted in the shortlisting of five entries that were presented to the public on 31 December 2014. The public had until 14 January 2015 to vote for their favourite song. The results of the public televote combined with the votes of an international jury resulted in the selection of "Warrior" performed by Nina Sublatti as the Georgian entry.
Georgia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Midnight Gold" written by Kote Kalandadze and Thomas G:son. The song was performed by Nika Kocharov and the Young Georgian Lolitaz, who were internally selected in December 2015 by the Georgian broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) to compete at the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden. A national final was held to select the song that Nika Kocharov and the Young Georgian Lolitaz would perform. An open call for song submissions was held which resulted in the shortlisting of five entries that were presented to the public on 3 February 2016. The public had until 15 February to vote for their favourite song. The results of the public vote combined with the votes of an international jury resulted in the selection of "Midnight Gold" as the Georgian entry.
Georgia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Keep the Faith" written by Anri Jokhadze and Tamara Gachechiladze. The song was performed by Tamara Gachechiladze, who was due to represent Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 as part of Stephane and 3G with the song "We Don't Wanna Put In" before the nation's withdrawal in protest of the Russo-Georgian War. Songwriter Anri Jokhadze represented Georgia in the 2012 contest where he failed to qualify to the final with the song "I'm a Joker". The Georgian broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) held a national final in order to select the Georgian entry for the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. An open call for submissions was held which resulted in the submission of twenty-five entries that were presented to the public during a televised production on 20 January 2017. The results of a public televote combined with the votes of an international jury resulted in the selection of "Keep the Faith" performed by Tamara Gachechiladze as the Georgian entry.
Helen Kalandadze is a Georgian television presenter and singer. She co-hosted the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2017 in Tbilisi alongside Lizi Pop.
Georgia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "For You" written by Davit Malazonia, Mikheil Mdinaradze and Irina Sanikidze. The song was performed by the Ethno-Jazz Band Iriao, which was internally selected in December 2017 by the Georgian broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) to compete at the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal. The Georgian entry, "For You", was presented to the public on 13 March 2018.
Georgia took part in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2018 which was held on 25 November 2018 in Minsk, Belarus.
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".
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.
Georgia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "You" written and performed by Tornike Kipiani, who was internally selected in March 2020 by the Georgian broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) to compete at the 2021 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands after he was due to compete in the 2020 contest with "Take Me as I Am" before the event's cancellation. The Georgian entry, "You", was presented to the public on 15 March 2021.
Georgia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy, having internally selected Circus Mircus to represent the country with the song "Lock Me In". Georgia failed to qualify, performing in the second semifinal.
"Lock Me In" is a song by Georgian experimental rock band Circus Mircus. Released as a single on 9 March 2022, the song represented Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy after being internally selected by Georgian Public Broadcasting (GPB), the Georgian broadcaster for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Georgia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. Iru Khechanovi was selected as the Georgian representative through the fifth season of The Voice Georgia, while her competing song "Echo" was internally selected and released on 16 March 2023.
Georgia is set to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden, with "Firefighter" performed by Nutsa Buzaladze. Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) internally selected the Georgian representative for the 2024 contest.
References
↑ West-Soley, Richard (27 October 2006). "Georgia set on 2007". ESCToday. Retrieved 4 September 2008.
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