Hungary in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019

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Eurovision Song Contest 2019
CountryFlag of Hungary.svg  Hungary
National selection
Selection processA Dal2019
Selection date(s)Heats:
19 January 2019
26 January 2019
2 February 2019
Semi-finals:
9 February 2019
16 February 2019
Final:
23 February 2019
Selected entrant Joci Pápai
Selected song"Az én apám"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Semi-final resultFailed to qualify (12th)
Hungary in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄20182019

Hungary participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. The local Media Services and Support Trust Fund (MTVA) and the Hungarian broadcaster Duna Media Service organised the national final A Dal2019 in order to select the Hungarian entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. As of 2024, this was Hungary's last entry in the contest, before the country withdrew the following year. The absence has continued in every edition since.

Contents

Background

Prior to the 2019 contest, Hungary had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest sixteen times since its first entry in 1994. [1] Hungary's best placing in the contest was fourth, which they achieved with their début entry in 1994 with the song "Kinek mondjam el vétkeimet?" performed by Friderika Bayer. Hungary had attempted to participate in the contest in 1993, however, their entry was eliminated in the preselection show Kvalifikacija za Millstreet . Hungary withdrew from the contest for six years between 1999 and 2004 and also missed the 2006 and 2010 contests. In 2014, Hungary achieved their second-best result in the contest since their début, placing fifth with the song "Running" performed by András Kállay-Saunders. In 2016, Hungary placed 19th in the Eurovision final with the song "Pioneer" performed by Freddie. The following year they managed to finish in the top 10 again, now in the 8th place with "Origo" sang by Joci Pápai. In 2018 hard rock-metal band AWS represented the country in Lisbon, and placed 21st in the grand final with "Viszlát nyár.

The Hungarian national broadcaster, Media Services and Support Trust Fund (MTVA), broadcasts the event within Hungary and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. MTVA confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest on 1 October 2018. Since 2012, MTVA has organised A Dal , a national selection show which has managed to, thus far, produce entries that have qualified the nation to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest each year and has resulted in three top 10 placings in 2013, 2014 and 2017.

Before Eurovision

Bogi Dallos and Freddie, the hosts of A Dal
2019 A Dal 2019 Dallos Bogi es Freddie 2019-01-19.jpg
Bogi Dallos and Freddie, the hosts of A Dal2019

A Dal2019

A Dal2019 was the eighth edition of the Hungarian national selection A Dal , which selected Hungary's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. The competition consisted of 30 entries competing in three heats, two semi-finals, and a final. The hosts are Bogi Dallos and Freddie. At the first press conference on 3 December 2018, MTVA announced the hosts, the jury, the 30 competing songs, and introduced the new logo of the show. The former symbol was in use since the inauguration of the contest, and every year they added the current year in the logo. The new one looks like a play button, or a plectrum, written in the inside A DAL 2019.

Format

Judges

A jury panel consisted of four people:

  • Feró Nagy: the lead singer of the Hungarian band Beatrice
  • Lilla Vincze: the lead singer of the Hungarian band Napoleon Boulevard, was part of the Hungarian jury in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018
  • Misi Mező: the lead singer and guitarist of the Hungarian band Magna Cum Laude
  • Miklós Both: two times Fonogram-award winner performer and composer.

Competing entries

The top 30 entries of A Dal 2019 A Dal 2019 TOP 30 2018-12-03.jpg
The top 30 entries of A Dal 2019

On 1 October 2018, MTVA opened the submission period for artists and composers to submit their entries up until 15 November 2018. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] One of the finalists, Petruska, was disqualified after MTVA alleged that his song was plagiarized. [7]

ArtistSongSongwriter(s)
Acoustic Planet "Nyári zápor"Szabolcs Kölcsey
Timi Antal feat. Gergő Demko"Kedves világ!"Tímea Antal, Johanna Szigyártó
Olivér Berkes "Világítótorony" Olivér Berkes, Arnold Vígh, Tamás Molnár
Deniz"Ide várnak vissza"András Vámos, Dénes Rizner Dénes
Diana"Little Bird"Viktor Rakonczai, Tamara Olorga
Fatal Error"Kulcs"Mihály Balázs, Miklós Balázs, Zsolt Rimóczi, Dávid Rónai, Botond Kornyik, Bence Joós
Gotthy"Csak 1 perc"Norbert Kovács, Ádám Gotthard
Klára Hajdu"You're Gonna Rise"Klára Hajdu, Milán Szakonyi
Barni Hamar"Wasted"Barni Hamar
Dávid Heatlie"La Mama Hotel"Péter Turóczi, Dávid Heatlie
Konyha"Százszor visszajátszott"Mátyás Szepesi, Miklós Toldi, Dániel Haller, Márk Badics
Kyra"Maradj még"Kyra Fedor
Leander Kills "Hazavágyom"Leander Köteles
The Middletonz"Roses"Farshad Alebatool, Attila Fehér Holló, András Kállay-Saunders
Mocsok 1 Kölykök"Egyszer"Tamás Pulius, Ádám Horváth, Kristóf Molnár, Ádám Csekő
Monyo Project"Run Baby Run"Endre Molnár, Edit Molnár
Bogi Nagy"Holnap" Ferenc Molnár 'Caramel'
Nomad"A remény hídjai"Szabolcs Jánosi, Marcell Juhász, Ábel Mihalik, Levente Nagy
Gergő Oláh "Hozzád bújnék"Gábor Mészáros, Mária Osztás
Joci Pápai "Az én apám" József Pápai, Ferenc Molnár 'Caramel'
Rozina Pátkai "Frida" Rozina Pátkai, Márton Fenyvesi, Zsófia Bán
Petruska "Help Me Out of Here" András Petruska
Ruby Harlem"Forró"Tamás Heilig, Szandra Iván
Salvus"Barát"Zoltán Pötörke, Péter Erdélyi, Gergely Kiss, Dániel Szabó
The Sign"Ő"Máté Gábor Czinke
Gergő Szekér "Madár, repülj!" Gergő Szekér
USNK "Posztolj"Dániel Somogyvári, Alex Márta
László Váray"Someone Who Lives Like This"László Váray
Bence Vavra"Szótlanság"László Csöndör 'Diaz', Kata Kozma, Bence Vavra, Máté Fodor
yesyes "Incomplete" Ádám Szabó, Dávid Danka 'Walston', Péter Halász

Shows

Heats

Three heats took place on 19 January, 26 January and 2 February 2019. In each heat ten entries competed and six entries qualified to the semi-finals after two rounds of voting. In the first round of voting, five qualifiers were determined by the combination of scores from each judge and an aggregate score from a public SMS and mobile app vote. In the second round of voting, the remaining five entries that were not in the initial top five faced a public vote consisting of votes submitted through SMS in order to determine one additional qualifier.

In addition to the competing entries, other performers featured during the shows. Skorpió performed their song "Azt beszéli már az egész város" as the interval act in heat 1, Bill Deák Blues Band performed in heat 2, and Fecó Balázs performed in heat 3.

  Jury and public voting qualifier  Public voting qualifier

Heat 1 19 January 2019
DrawArtistSongF. NagyL. VinczeM. MezőM. BothViewersTotalResult
1 Gergő Szekér "Madár, repülj!"8988841Advanced
2Konyha"Százszor visszajátszott"6888838Advanced
3László Váray"Someone Who Lives Like This"5666629Eliminated
4 Rozina Pátkai "Frida"5777531Eliminated
5Barni Hamar"Wasted"6655729Eliminated
6 Olivér Berkes "Világítótorony"5866833Eliminated
7Timi Antal feat. Gergő Demko"Kedves világ!"10966839Advanced
8Nomad"A remény hídjai"6777835Advanced
9 Gergő Oláh "Hozzád bújnék"7998841Advanced
10Deniz"Ide várnak vissza"6766934Advanced
Heat 2 26 January 2019
DrawArtistSongF. NagyL. VinczeM. MezőM. BothViewersTotalResult
1Dávid Heatlie"La Mama Hotel"7767734Eliminated
2The Middletonz"Roses"8898841Advanced
3Klára Hajdu"You're Gonna Rise"5876632Eliminated
4Gotthy"Csak 1 perc"5544826Eliminated
5 Acoustic Planet "Nyári zápor"8999843Advanced
6Fatal Error"Kulcs"9999945Advanced
7Bence Vavra"Szótlanság"7987839Advanced
8Diana"Little Bird"6776834Eliminated
9The Sign"Ő"7788838Advanced
10 yesyes "Incomplete"7677835Advanced
Heat 3 2 February 2019
DrawArtistSongF. NagyL. VinczeM. MezőM. BothViewersTotalResult
1 Leander Kills "Hazavágyom"7877938Eliminated
2 Petruska "Help Me Out of Here"8898740Advanced
3Monyo Project"Run Baby Run"7777735Eliminated
4Bogi Nagy"Holnap"8988841Advanced
5Salvus"Barát"7867836Eliminated
6Ruby Harlem"Forró"7899740Advanced
7 Joci Pápai "Az én apám"8988841Advanced
8Kyra"Maradj még"5665628Eliminated
9 USNK "Posztolj"6677935Advanced
10Mocsok 1 Kölykök"Egyszer"8887839Advanced
Semi-finals

Two semi-finals took place on 9 and 16 February 2019. In each semi-final nine entries competed and four entries qualified to the final after two rounds of voting. In the first round of voting, three qualifiers were determined by the combination of scores from each judge and an aggregate score from a public SMS and mobile app vote. In the second round of voting, the remaining six entries that were not in the initial top three faced a public vote consisting of votes submitted through SMS in order to determine one additional qualifier. Following the semi-final, Petruska was disqualified after MTVA alleged that his song was plagiarised. He was replaced in the final by Gergő Oláh, who had originally been eliminated but who was awarded a wildcard.

In addition to the competing entries, other performers featured during the shows. Miklós Varga and his children performed as the interval act in semi-final 1, and Republic performed in semi-final 2.

  Jury and public voting qualifier  Public voting qualifier  Disqualified  Wildcard qualifier

Semi-final 1 9 February 2019
DrawArtistSongF. NagyL. VinczeM. MezőM. BothViewersTotalResult
1 USNK "Posztolj"6677834Eliminated
2 yesyes "Incomplete"7677835Eliminated
3Konyha"Százszor visszajátszott"6888838Eliminated
4The Sign"Ő"7788737Eliminated
5 Petruska "Help Me Out of Here"8899842Disqualified
6 Acoustic Planet "Nyári zápor"99910845Advanced
7Deniz"Ide várnak vissza"6767935Eliminated
8The Middletonz"Roses"8888941Advanced
9Bence Vavra"Szótlanság"8998842Advanced
Semi-final 2 16 February 2019
DrawArtistSongF. NagyL. VinczeM. MezőM. BothViewersTotalResult
1 Gergő Szekér "Madár, repülj!"9988943Advanced
2Nomad"A remény hídjai"7777836Eliminated
3Mocsok 1 Kölykök"Egyszer"8887839Eliminated
4Bogi Nagy"Holnap"8998842Advanced
5 Gergő Oláh "Hozzád bújnék"7998841Wildcard
6Timi Antal feat. Gergő Demko"Kedves világ!"10866838Eliminated
7Fatal Error"Kulcs"8888840Advanced
8Ruby Harlem"Forró"7888738Eliminated
9 Joci Pápai "Az én apám"91098945Advanced
Final

The final took place on 23 February 2019 where the eight entries that qualified from the semi-finals competed. The winner of the competition was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, the jury determined the top four entries that would advance to the second round. The voting system for the four jurors was different from the method used in the heats and semi-finals. Each juror announced their scores after all songs had been performed rather than assigning scores following each performance and the jurors ranked their preferred top four entries and assigned points in the following manner: 4 (lowest), 6, 8 and 10 (highest). The four entries with the highest total scores proceeded to the second round. In the second round, "Az én apám" performed by Joci Pápai was selected as the winner via a public vote consisting of votes submitted through SMS, mobile app and online voting. In addition to the performances of the competing entries, guest performers included AWS, the winner of A Dal 2018 and representative of Hungary in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018.

  Advanced to the second round  Winner

Final First Round 23 February 2019
DrawArtistSongF. NagyL. VinczeM. MezőM. BothTotalPlace
1The Middletonz"Roses"040486
2 Gergő Oláh "Hozzád bújnék"000008
3Bogi Nagy"Holnap"10600164
4Fatal Error"Kulcs"800086
5 Joci Pápai "Az én apám"010106261
6 Gergő Szekér "Madár, repülj!"0048125
7 Acoustic Planet "Nyári zápor"60610222
8Bence Vavra"Szótlanság"4880203
Final Second Round 23 February 2019
ArtistSong
Acoustic Planet "Nyári zápor"
Bogi Nagy"Holnap"
Joci Pápai "Az én apám"
Bence Vavra"Szótlanság"

At Eurovision

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. 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 2019, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Hungary was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 14 May 2019, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show. [8]

Once all the competing songs for the 2019 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Hungary was set to perform in position 7, following the entry from Czech Republic and preceding the entry from Belarus. [9]

Semi-final

Hungary performed seventh in the first semi-final, following the entry from Czech Republic and preceding the entry from Belarus. At the end of the show, Hungary was not announced among the top 10 entries in the first semi-final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Hungary placed twelfth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 97 points: 32 points from the televoting and 65 points from the juries, therefore missing out the final for the first time since 2010 when the country did not participate. With the old voting system, Hungary would have ranked 12th with 49 points.

Voting

Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1–8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results will be released shortly after the grand final. [10]

Points awarded to Hungary

Points awarded to Hungary (Semi-final 1) [11]
ScoreTelevoteJury
12 pointsFlag of Serbia.svg  Serbia
10 pointsFlag of France.svg  France
8 points
7 points
6 pointsFlag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia
5 pointsFlag of Estonia.svg  Estonia
4 pointsFlag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic
3 points
2 points
1 pointFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia

Points awarded by Hungary

Detailed voting results

The following members comprised the Hungarian jury: [10]

  • Attila Borcsik (Izil; jury chairperson) head of music, DJ, music curator
  • Béla Patkó  [ hu ] (Kiki) performer, singer
  • Mátyás Szepesi  [ hu ] singer, songwriter, lyricist, lead singer of the band Konyha
  • Judit Korsós  [ hu ] (Lola) singer, presenter
  • Alexandra Iván singer, songwriter, lyricist, lead singer of Ruby Harlem
Detailed voting results from Hungary (Semi-final 1) [11]
DrawCountryJuryTelevote
IzilKikiM. SzepesiLolaA. IvánRankPointsRankPoints
01Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus 9101414111583
02Flag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro 164161371314
03Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 1551512141416
04Flag of Poland.svg  Poland 137943856
05Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia 31612768347
06Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 61112121074
07Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary
08Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus 10211211211
09Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia 8631154792
10Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 71586121212
11Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia 111451539215
12Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 596586565
13Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland 211101015101210
14Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia 12132495638
15Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 47138131113
16Flag of Greece.svg  Greece 1312431074101
17Flag of San Marino.svg  San Marino 1489161616112
Detailed voting results from Hungary (Final) [12]
DrawCountryJuryTelevote
IzilKikiM. SzepesiLolaA. IvánRankPointsRankPoints
01Flag of Malta.svg  Malta 1572616101720
02Flag of Albania.svg  Albania 20202424242522
03Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 63183111217
04Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 2115201091925
05Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 16142121142247
06Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 51071435619
07Flag of San Marino.svg  San Marino 23261126262356
08Flag of North Macedonia.svg  North Macedonia 14911521012
09Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 181146137413
10Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia 3212215151483
11Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus 11231620192118
12Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 91358810138
13Flag of Greece.svg  Greece 822318211324
14Flag of Israel.svg  Israel 725151971511
15Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 2129221711210
16Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 12813929226
17Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland 12419172512112
18Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia 1316611231615
19Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus 468243823
20Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan 17527186592
21Flag of France.svg  France 261810131220101
22Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 10245204774
23Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia 19111212111821
24Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland 25423468365
25Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 24171723162414
26Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 22192525222616

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Hungary has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 17 times since making its debut in 1994. Hungary attempted to participate in 1993 but failed to qualify from Kvalifikacija za Millstreet, a special qualifying competition set up for seven former Eastern Bloc countries.

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A Dal is an annual music competition in Hungary organised by the national broadcaster Duna and was the national selection process for the Eurovision Song Contest between 2012 and 2019. The contest was introduced in 2012.

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Hungary participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Wars for Nothing", written by Áron Sebestyén, Boglárka Csemer and Sára Hélène Bori. The song was performed by Boggie. The Hungarian broadcaster Media Services and Support Trust Fund (MTVA) in collaboration with the Hungarian public broadcaster Magyar Televízió (MTV), organised the national final A Dal 2015 in order to select the Hungarian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria. Following a six-week long selection process, Boggie emerged as the winner with the acoustic guitar driven ballad "Wars for Nothing". In the first of the Eurovision semi-finals "Wars for Nothing" placed eighth out of the 16 participating countries, securing its place among the 27 other songs in the final. In Hungary's thirteenth Eurovision appearance on 23 May, "Wars for Nothing" finished in twentieth place, receiving 19 points.

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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.

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.

Germany participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Sister" written by Laurell Barker, Marine Kaltenbacher, Tom Oehler and Thomas Stengaard. The song was performed by the duo S!sters, consisting of Laurita Kästel and Carlotta Truman. The German entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel was selected through the national final Unser Lied für Israel, organised by the German broadcaster ARD in collaboration with Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR). The national final took place on 22 February 2019 and featured seven competing acts with the winner selected by the votes of a 100-member Eurovision panel, a 20-member international jury panel and a public televote. "Sister" performed by S!sters was selected as the German entry for Tel Aviv after gaining the most points following the combination of votes.

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.

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.

The Czech Republic participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Friend of a Friend" written by Jan Steinsdoerfer, Mikołaj Trybulec and Albert Černý. The song was performed by the band Lake Malawi. The Czech broadcaster Česká televize (ČT) organised the national final Eurovision Song CZ 2019 in order to select the Czech entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. Eight entries competed in the national final and "Friend of a Friend" performed by Lake Malawi was announced as the winner on 28 January 2019 following the combination of votes from an eleven-member international jury panel and a public vote.

Malta participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Chameleon" written by Joacim Persson, Paula Winger, Borislav Milanov and Johan Alkenäs. The song was performed by Michela. The Maltese entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel, was selected through the first season of the music competition X Factor Malta, organised by the Maltese broadcaster Public Broadcasting Services (PBS). The competition concluded with a final on 26 January 2019 where Michela eventually emerged as the winner. The song Michela would perform at the Eurovision Song Contest, "Chameleon", was internally selected and released to the public on 10 March.

Lithuania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Run with the Lions" written by Ashley Hicklin, Eric Lumiere and Pele Loriano. The song was performed by Jurij Veklenko. The Lithuanian broadcaster Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT) organised the national final "Eurovizijos" dainų konkurso nacionalinė atranka in order to select the Lithuanian entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. The national final took place over seven weeks and involved 49 competing entries. The results of each show were determined by the combination of votes from a jury panel and a public vote. In the final, eight artists and songs remained and "Run with the Lions" performed by Jurijus was selected as the winner.

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.

A Dal 2020 is the ninth season of Hungarian music contest A Dal, held between 1 February and 7 March 2020 at the Studio 1 of MTVA in Budapest, Hungary. This season was the first one in the history of the show not to be used as Hungary's national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, as the broadcaster decided not to participate in the 2020 contest. While various media speculated that this move was related to the rise of anti-LGBT+ sentiment among the leadership of Hungary and the broadcaster itself, no official reasons were cited by the organizers or the broadcaster. MTVA did however deny that the withdrawal was in any way related to that. Regarding A Dal, the broadcaster decided to renew the show in 2020, explaining that the focus was now on 'supporting talented musicians from the Hungarian pop scene.'

References

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  3. Gallagher, Robyn (28 September 2018). "Hungary: Duna Media launches A Dal 2019… and confirms participation in Tel Aviv". wiwibloggs.com. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  4. Maddalozzo, Riccardo (28 September 2018). "Hungary confirms participation in Tel Aviv and A Dal continues". escxtra.com. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
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