Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008

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Eurovision Song Contest 2008
CountryFlag of Georgia.svg  Georgia
National selection
Selection processNational final
Selection date(s)1 March 2008
Selected entrant Diana Gurtskaya
Selected song"Peace Will Come"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Semi-final resultQualified (5th, 107 points)
Final result11th, 83 points
Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2007 •2008• 2009►

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.

Contents

Georgia was drawn to compete in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 22 May 2008. Performing during the show in position 14, "Peace Will Come" was announced among the 10 qualifying entries of the first semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final on 24 May. It was later revealed that Georgia placed fifth out of the 19 participating countries in the semi-final with 107 points. In the final, Georgia performed in position 25 and placed eleventh out of the 25 participating countries, scoring 83 points.

Background

Prior to the 2008 Contest, Georgia had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest one time since their first entry in 2007, which qualified to the final where the country placed 12th with the song "Visionary Dream" performed by Sopho. [1] The Georgian national broadcaster, Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB), broadcasts the event within Georgia and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. GPB confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest on 3 November 2007. In 2007, GPB opted to internally select the Georgian artist while the song was chosen in a national final. For their 2008 participation, both the artist and song was selected via a national final.

Before Eurovision

National final

GPB opened a public submission from 3 November 2007 until 17 November 2007. 29 entries were received by the submission deadline and an expert commission selected the top twelve songs from the received submissions, which were announced on 29 November 2007 and presented to the public via the GPB First Channel programme Eurovision Year on 31 December 2007. [2] [3] The twelve entries were performed on 1 March 2008 via a special programme at the Sports Palace in Tbilisi, hosted by Sandro Gabisonia, Ana Tshadadze, Natia Tsalaia and Buka Pachkoria and broadcast on the GPB First Channel as well as online at the broadcaster's website 1tv.ge. [4] The winner, "Peace Will Come" performed by Diana Gurtskaya, was determined exclusively by a public televote. [5] In addition to the performances of the competing entries, 2007 Georgian Eurovision entrant Sopho Khalvashi, 2007 Georgian Junior Eurovision entrant Mariam Romelashvili and 2008 Belarusian Eurovision entrant Ruslan Alekhno performed as guests. [3]

Final – 1 March 2008
DrawArtistSongSongwriter(s)TelevotePlace
1Vivo"Life"Zaza Tsurtsumia1.3%8
2Aleko Berdzenishvili"The Beautiful Girl"Mamuka Begashvili, Bibi Kvachadze1.3%9
3Salome Gasviani"Share Your Love"Maia Kachkachishvili, Bibi Kvachadze32.9%2
4Irakli Pirtskhalava"Freedom"Irakli Pirtskhalava8.3%3
5 Diana Gurtskaya "Peace Will Come" Kim Breitburg, Karen Kavaleryan 39.4%1
6Salome Korkotashvili"Captaine"Salome Korkotashvili3.0%6
7Teatroni"Sakartvelo itsvevs megobrebs" (საქართველოს ისთვევს მეგობრებს)Kote Malania2.3%7
8 Tika Patsatsia "Never Change"Georgio, Giga Kukhianidze4.0%5
9 3G "I'm Free"Avto Badurashvili, Christine Imedadze5.3%4
10 Tako Gachechiladze "Me and My Funky"Bibi Kvachadze0.9%10
11Tamta Chelidze"Give Me Your Love"Maia Kachkachishvili, Christine Imedadze0.8%11
12Guga Aptsiauri"Don't Look At Me"Guga Aptsiauri, George Ergemlidze0.5%12

At Eurovision

It was announced in September 2007 that the competition's format would be expanded to two semi-finals in 2008. [6] According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top nine songs from each semi-final as determined by televoting progress to the final, and a tenth was determined by back-up juries. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 28 January 2008, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals. Georgia was placed into the second semi-final, to be held on 22 May 2008. [7] The running order for the semi-finals was decided through another draw on 17 March 2008 and Iceland was set to perform in position 1, following the entry from Denmark and before the entry from Hungary. [8]

Both the semi-finals and the final were broadcast in Georgia on the GPB First Channel with commentary by Bibi Kvachadze. The Georgian spokesperson, who announced the Georgian votes during the final, was Tika Patsatsia. [9]

Semi-final

Diana Gurtskaya during a rehearsal before the second semi-final Diana Gurtskaya, Georgia, Eurovision 2008, 2nd semifinal.jpg
Diana Gurtskaya during a rehearsal before the second semi-final

Diana Gurtskaya took part in technical rehearsals on 14 and 18 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 21 and 22 May. The Georgian performance began with Diana Gurtskaya in a black designer dress with tassels and white high-heeled boots, joined on stage by two dancers and three backing vocalists in black outfits. At the climax of the song, a large piece of white fabric was lifted over Gurtskaya and the backing performers, revealing white outfits worn by all of the performers. The performance also featured smoke effects. [10] [11] Both of Gurtskaya's outfits were designed by Russian designers Dima Vinokurov and Lyuba Sukhova. Among the backing vocalists that joined Diana Gurtskaya was Anri Jokhadze, who would go on to represent Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. [12]

At the end of the show, Georgia was announced as having finished in the top 10 and subsequently qualifying for the grand final. It was later revealed that Georgia placed fifth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 107 points.

Final

Shortly after the second semi-final, a winners' press conference was held for the ten qualifying countries. As part of this press conference, the qualifying artists took part in a draw to determine the running order of the final. This draw was done in the order the countries appeared in the semi-final running order. Georgia was drawn to perform in position 16, following the entry from Denmark and before the entry from Ukraine.

Diana Gurtskaya once again took part in dress rehearsals on 23 and 24 May before the final. Diana Gurtskaya performed a repeat of her semi-final performance during the final on 24 May. At the conclusion of the voting, Georgia finished in eleventh place with 83 points.

Voting

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Georgia and awarded by Georgia in the second semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Ukraine in the semi-final and to Armenia in the final of the contest.

Points awarded to Georgia

Points awarded by Georgia

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 in the Eurovision Song Contest

Georgia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 14 times, debuting at the 2007 contest. Georgia planned to participate in 2009, but decided to withdraw 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.

Iceland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "This Is My Life" written by Örlygur Smári, Paul Oscar and Peter Fenner. The song was performed by the duo Euroband. Songwriter Paul Oscar represented Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 with the song "Minn hinsti dans" where he placed twentieth in the competition. The Icelandic entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia was selected through the national final Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2008, organised by the Icelandic broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV). The selection consisted of eleven heats, a Second Chance round, four semi-finals and a final, held between 6 October 2007 and 23 February 2008. Eight songs ultimately competed in the final, where "This Is My Life" performed by Eurobandið emerged as the winner exclusively through public televoting. The duo was renamed as Euroband for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Pokušaj" written and performed by Elvir Laković Laka. On 27 December 2007, the Bosnian broadcaster Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT) revealed that they had internally selected Laka to compete at the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. His song, "Pokušaj", was presented to the public during a show entitled BH Eurosong 2008 on 2 March 2008.

Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Femme Fatale" written by Nikos Evagelou and Vangelis Evangelou. The song was performed by Evdokia Kadi. The Cypriot broadcaster Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) organised the national final A Song for Europe in order to select the Cypriot entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. The national final featured ten entries, resulting in the selection of Kadi with "Femme Fatale" at the final on 12 January 2008.

Moldova participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "A Century of Love" written by Oleg Baraliuc and Viorica Demici. The song was performed by Geta Burlacu. The Moldovan broadcaster TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM) organised the national final O melodie pentru Europa 2008 in order to select the Moldovan entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. 27 entries competed to represent Moldova in Belgrade, with 12 being shortlisted to participate in the televised national final which took place on 9 February 2008. "A Century of Love" performed by Geta Burlacu emerged as the winner after gaining the most points following the combination of votes from a jury panel, a TRM committee and a public televote.

Norway participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Hold On Be Strong" written by Mira Craig. The song was performed by Maria Haukaas Storeng. NRK organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 2008 in order to select the Norwegian entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. "Hold On Be Strong" performed by Mira Craig was selected as the winner following a five-week-long competition consisting of three semi-finals, a Second Chance round and the final.

Latvia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Wolves of the Sea" written by Jonas Liberg, Torbjörn Wassenius, Johan Sahlen and Claes Andreasson. The song was performed by the group Pirates of the Sea. The Latvian broadcaster Latvijas Televīzija (LTV) organised the national final Eirodziesma 2008 in order to select the Latvian entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. Twenty 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 2 and 9 February 2008, five entries were selected to advance from each show: three entries selected based on a public televote and two entries selected by an eight-member jury panel. Ten songs ultimately qualified to compete in the final on 1 March 2008 where two rounds of public voting selected "Wolves of the Sea" performed by Pirates of the Sea as the winner.

Iceland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "Is It True?" written by Óskar Páll Sveinsson, Tinatin Japaridze and Christopher Neil. The song was performed by Yohanna, which is the artistic name of singer Jóhanna Guðrún Jónsdóttir. The Icelandic entry for the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia was selected through the national final Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2009, organised by the Icelandic broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV). The selection consisted of four semi-finals and a final, held on 10 January, 17 January, 24 January, 31 January and 14 February 2009, respectively. Four songs competed in each semi-final with the top two as selected by a public televote advancing to the final. In the final, "Is It True?" performed by Yohanna emerged as the winner exclusively through public televoting.

Slovenia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "Love Symphony" written by Andrej Babić and Aleksandar Valenčić. The song was performed by Quartissimo feat. Martina. Slovenian broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija organised the national final EMA 2009 in order to select the Slovenian entry for the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia. The national final consisted of a semi-final and a final where "Love Symphony" performed by Quartissimo feat. Martina was eventually selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a three-member jury panel and a public vote.

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 2014 with the song "Three Minutes to Earth" written by Zaza Miminoshvili and Eugen Eliu. The song was performed by the Shin and Mariko, which were internally selected in February 2014 by the Georgian broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) to compete at the 2014 contest in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Georgian entry, "Three Minutes to Earth", was presented to the public on 14 March 2014.

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 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 in the 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.

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 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".

References

  1. ↑ "Georgia Country Profile". EBU . Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  2. ↑ van Gorp, Edwin (29 November 2007). "12 artists for Georgia". Esctoday. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Georgia 2008".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ↑ "Satellite and Online broadcast". ESCKAZ. Retrieved 21 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ↑ "GEORGIAN NATIONAL FINAL 2008".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ Viniker, Barry (28 September 2007). "Eurovision: 2 semi finals confirmed!". ESCToday. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
  7. ↑ Viniker, Barry (28 January 2008). "The Eurovision Song Contest semi final draw". ESCToday. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
  8. ↑ Klier, Marcus (17 March 2008). "Eurovision 2008 — Draw of the running order". ESCToday. Retrieved 8 November 2008.
  9. ↑ "Georgia: Tika Patsatsia spokesperson for 2008". esctoday.com. Retrieved 17 April 2008.
  10. ↑ "Georgia: Peaceful performance for Diana". eurovision.tv. 14 May 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  11. ↑ "First up: Diana, Csézy & Morena". eurovision.tv. 18 May 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  12. ↑ Van Lith, Nick (18 March 2012). "Georgia: Final version and official video released". ESCXtra. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012.
  13. 1 2 "Results of the Second Semi-Final of Belgrade 2008". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 24 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  14. 1 2 "Results of the Grand Final of Belgrade 2008". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 24 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
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