Midnight Gold

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Selection and national final

On 15 December 2015, the broadcaster held a press conference and announced that they had internally selected Nika Kocharov and the Young Georgian Lolitaz to represent Georgia in Stockholm. [4] During the press conference, GPB announced that a national final would be held to select their song. [5]

GPB opened a public song submission from 15 December 2015 until 8 January 2016. The broadcaster sought songs that fit the style of the selected musicians: "melodic song structure of alternative and indie rock with electronic beats, synths and/or samples, and club orientation of post-disco dance music." Over 100 songs were received by the submission deadline and an expert commission selected the top five songs from the received submissions. songs were presented to the public on 3 February 2016 via the GPB First Channel programme Komunikatori. [2] The public was able to vote for their favourite song between 4 and 15 February 2016 through free televoting and internet voting. On February 15, it was announced that "Midnight Gold" had won the final, earning a total of 82.50 with 13 jury points and 1,310 votes from the internet.

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. [6] On 25 January 2016, 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. Georgia was placed into the second semi-final, to be held on 12 May 2016, and was scheduled to perform in the second half of the show. [7]

In the semi-finals, "Midnight Gold" would earn a ninth-place finish with 123 points, earning a berth to the final. [8]

In the final, "Midnight Gold" would earn a 20th place finish with 104 points. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest</span>

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

Armenia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "LoveWave" written by Lilith Navasardyan, Levon Navasardyan, Iveta Mukuchyan and Stephanie Crutchfield. The song was performed by Iveta Mukuchyan, who was selected internally by the Armenian broadcaster Public Television of Armenia (AMPTV) to represent Armenia in the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden. Mukuchyan's selection as the Armenian artist was announced on 13 October 2015, while the song "LoveWave" was later presented to the public on 2 March 2016.

Albania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 in Stockholm, Sweden, with the song "Fairytale" performed by Eneda Tarifa. Its selected entry was chosen through the national selection competition Festivali i Këngës organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2015. To this point, the nation had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 12 times since its first entry in 2004. Prior to the contest, the song was promoted by a music video and live performances in Israel, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Albania was drawn to compete in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 12 May 2016. Performing as number 17th, the nation was not announced among the top 10 entries of the second semi-final and therefore failed to qualify for the grand final, marking Albania's sixth non-qualification in the contest.

Hungary participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Pioneer" written by Zé Szabó and Borbála Csarnai. The song was performed by Freddie. The Hungarian entry for the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden was selected through the national final A Dal 2016, organised by the local Media Services and Support Trust Fund (MTVA) and the Hungarian public broadcaster Duna Media Service. An initial 30 entries competed in the national final which consisted of six shows: three heats, two semi-final and a final. Entries were selected to advance in the competition based on the votes of a four-member judging panel as well as the votes from the public. Eight entries qualified to compete in the final of A Dal 2016 where the judging panel first selected four of the entries to proceed to a second round of voting. In the second round of voting, "Pioneer" performed by Freddie was selected as the winner based entirely on a public vote.

Bulgaria participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "If Love Was a Crime" written by Borislav Milanov, Sebastian Arman, Joacim Bo Persson and Poli Genova. The song was performed by Poli Genova, who had previously represented Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011 where she failed to qualify to the final with the song "Na inat". In November 2015, the Bulgarian broadcaster Bulgarian National Television (BNT) announced that they would be returning to the Eurovision Song Contest after a two-year absence following their withdrawal in 2014 due to financial limitations. On 19 February 2016, the broadcaster announced that Poli Genova had been selected to compete at the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden. The song that Genova competed with, "If Love Was a Crime", was also internally selected and was presented to the public on 21 March 2016.

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.

Poland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Color of Your Life" written by Andy Palmer and Kamil Varen. The song was performed by Michał Szpak. The Polish broadcaster Telewizja Polska (TVP) first announced in October 2015 that the Polish entry for the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden would be selected through an internal selection. However, the broadcaster later decided to organise the national final Krajowe Eliminacje 2016 in order to select the Polish entry. The national final took place on 5 March 2016 and featured nine entries. "Color of Your Life" performed by Michał Szpak was selected as the winner after gaining 35.89% of the public vote.

Russia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "You Are the Only One" written by Philipp Kirkorov, Dimitris Kontopoulos, John Ballard and Ralph Charlie. The song was performed by Sergey Lazarev who was internally selected by the Russian broadcaster All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK) to compete at the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden. Lazarev's appointment as the Russian representative was announced on 10 December 2015, while the song, "You Are the Only One", was presented to the public on 5 March 2016.

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.

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.

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.

References

  1. Brey, Marco (15 Feb 2016). ""Midnight Gold" is the Georgian song for Stockholm". eurovision.tv. EBU.
  2. 1 2 ""Midnight Gold" lyrics - Nika Kocharov & Young Georgian Lolitaz (Georgia 2016)". wiwibloggs. 2016-02-29. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  3. Brey, Marco (3 February 2016). "Georgia: Five songs presented". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union . Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  4. "ნიკა კოჩაროვი & Young Georgian Lolitaz საქართველოს 2016 წლის ევროვიზიის სიმღერის კონკურსზე წარადგენენ". 1tv.ge (in Georgian). Georgian Public Broadcaster. 15 December 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  5. Brey, Marco (15 December 2015). "Nika Kocharov & Young Georgian Lolitas to represent Georgia". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  6. Jordan, Paul (21 January 2016). "Semi-Final Allocation Draw on Monday, pots revealed". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union . Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  7. Jordan, Paul (25 January 2016). "Allocation Draw: The results!". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union . Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  8. Roxburgh, Gordon (12 May 2016). "10 more finalists through to the Grand Final". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union . Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  9. "Grand Final of Stockholm 2016". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
"Midnight Gold"
Midnight Gold cover.jpg
Single by Nika Kocharov & Young Georgian Lolitaz
Released3 February 2016
Recorded2016
Studio Red Bull Studios Berlin
Genre Indie rock, dance-punk, post-punk revival
Songwriter(s)
Eurovision Song Contest 2016 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Language
English
Composer(s)
Kote Kalandadze, Thomas G:son
Lyricist(s)
Kote Kalandadze
Finals performance
Semi-final result
9th
Semi-final points
123
Final result
20th
Final points
104
Entry chronology
◄ "Warrior" (2015)
"Keep the Faith" (2017) ►