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Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

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Eurovision Song Contest 2024
Participating broadcasterTeleRadio-Moldova (TRM)
Country Moldova
National selection
Selection processEtapa națională 2024
Selection date(s)17 February 2024
Selected artist(s)Natalia Barbu
Selected song"In the Middle"
Selected songwriter(s)
  • Khris Richards
  • Natalia Barbu
Finals performance
Semi-final resultFailed to qualify (13th)
Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2023 2024 2025►

Moldova was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "In the Middle", written by Natalia Barbu and Khris Richards, and performed by Barbu herself. The Moldovan participating broadcaster, TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM), organised the national final Etapa națională 2024 in order to select its entry for the contest.

Background

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Prior to the 2024 contest, TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM) had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest representing Moldova eighteen times since its first entry in 2005.[1] Its best placing in the contest was third, which it achieved in 2017 with the song "Hey, Mamma!" performed by SunStroke Project. To this point, it had achieved another four top 10 placings at the contest: in 2005 when "Boonika bate toba" performed by Zdob și Zdub placed sixth, in 2007 when "Fight" performed by Natalia Barbu placed tenth, in 2018 when "My Lucky Day" performed by DoReDoS also placed tenth, and in 2022, when Zdob și Zdub returned to compete for a third time with the song "Trenulețul", performed with the Advahov Brothers, which finished in seventh place. In 2023, Moldova was represented for the second time (after 2012) by Pasha Parfeni, who performed the song "Soarele și luna"; the entry qualified for the final, where it ended in 18th position.[1]

As part of its duties as participating broadcaster, TRM organises the selection of its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest and broadcasts the event in the country. It selected its entry via a national selection show between 2008 and 2020, while it selected its entry in 2021 via an internal selection. TRM was to held a selection show in 2022, but it was ultimately cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions and it internally selected its entry during the audition round.[2] In 2023, it organised the new national final format Etapa națională. TRM confirmed its intention to participate at the 2024 contest on 13 June 2023,[3] announcing in November that it would held again Etapa națională to select its entry for 2024.[4]

Before Eurovision

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Natalia Barbu, winner of Etapa națională 2024, at the PrePartyES event in Madrid

Etapa națională 2024

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Etapa națională 2024 was the national final format developed by TRM in order to select its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. The event took place at the TRM Studio 1 in Chișinău and included a final held on 17 February 2024.[4] The show is broadcast on Moldova 1 as well as online via TRM's official website trm.md, Eurovision Song Contest website eurovision.md, Facebook and YouTube pages, and for the first time via the official Eurovision Song Contest YouTube page.[5]

Format

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The selection took place in three stages: the received entries were first assessed by an expert committee between 22 and 26 December 2023; 32 of them (later reducing to 31) were selected to be performed at a live audition on 13 January 2024, broadcast for the first time on Moldova 1, where a jury selected eleven (originally planned to be ten) finalists by assigning each entry a score from 0 to 12; at the final, which was held on 17 February 2024, the winner was determined by a 50/50 combination of jury votes and a televote.[4][6][7]

Competing entries

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On 22 November 2023, TRM published the rules of the competition, opening a window for interested artists and composers to submit their entries until 22 December 2023.[4] At the end of the submission period, 51 entries had been received.[8]

On 26 December 2023, the list of the 32 artists and songs participating in the audition round was released by TRM. Among the selected competing artists was Natalia Barbu, who represented Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, as well as Denis Midone, who represented Moldova in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2012.[6] Aliona Moon and Milla appeared on the original list released by TRM but withdrew the following day;[9] they were followed by Vovi Robian and his band on 10 January.[10]

The jury panel that evaluated the songs during the live auditions and selected the 11 finalists consisted of Elena Stegari (head of broadcasting at TRM), Andrei Zapșa [ro] (deputy general manager for development at TRM), Lidia Isac (2016 Moldovan Eurovision entrant), Paul Gămurari (President of the Union of Composers of Moldova) and Liviu Știrbu (composer). Entries were assessed on criteria such as the melodic line, originality and interpretation of the composition.[11]

Key:   Selected for the final   Entry withdrawn or disqualified

Results of the live audition round – 13 January 2024[11][12]
Draw Artist Song Songwriter(s) Points Place
Aliona Moon feat. Milla "Obosit"
  • Aliona Munteanu
  • Milla Danilceac
Trupa Vovi Robian "Robotul Vovi" Vladimir Ciubotaru
1 Maria Ciolac "Break Free"
  • Linda Persson
  • Ylva Persson
35 21
2 DPSTP "Rise Up" Anton Polygalov 28 27
3 Oliv Sky "Another Universe"
  • Cristian Condrea
  • Rodica Olișevschi
36 16
4 Victor Gulick "Fever" Victor Gulic 41 8
5 Formația Vele "Carnaval"
  • Mariana Craveț
  • Veaceslav Daniliuc
34 24
6 Sasha Bognibov "Married to Twins"
  • Jacob Jonia
  • Sasha Bognibov
5 29
7 Denis Midone "Back to Me"
  • Alexandr Misiura
  • Denis Midone
  • Mustaf Keita
  • Stelian Savu
37 15
8 Y-Limit "Revolution"
  • Roman Lupu
  • Siarhei Panamarou
40 11
9 Oliv Sky "Loud and Clear"
  • Artur Corcodel
  • Dan Iacovlev
  • Rodica Olișevschi
34 25
10 Victor Lozinsky "Dirty Wind/Joker and Harley Move" Victor Lozinsky 30 26
11 Tudor Bumbac "Tudorel" Tudor Bumbac 21 28
12 Laura "Spune-mi"
  • Ioana Codrean
  • Marinela Mihalachi
  • Pavel Malîșev
35 22
13 Poli "Lui"
  • Alina Zbancă
  • Marian Stârcea
36 17
14 Iulia Teleucă "Runaway" Eugen "Natan" Doibani 50 3
15 Viola Julea "Light Up!"
  • Ecaterina Sanalatii
  • Viola Julea
43 6
16 Max Cara "Broke the Chain"
  • Maxim Crasnicov
  • Pavel Malîșev
38 12
17 Sasha Letty "DNA" Jacob Jonia 40 10
18 Reghina Alexandrina "Contrasens"
42 7
19 Valleria "Rule (Rai Di Ri Di)" Valeria Condrea 36 19
20 Natalia Barbu "In the Middle"
  • Khris Richards
  • Natalia Barbu
58 1
21 Anna Gulko "Perfect Place" Anna Gulko 36 20
22 OL "No Time No Space" Denis Nazarov 45 5
23 Cătălina Solomac "Fever"
46 4
24 Anna G "Ay ay ay" Anna Grosu 38 13
25 Valeria Pasha "Anti-Princess"
  • Andrei Vulpe
  • Iana Bavelskaia
  • Ilya Iakoveț
  • Iuliana Parfeni
  • Ivan Luca
  • Lilian Dobândă
  • Maxim Crasnicov
  • Pasha Parfeni
  • Valeria Pasha
52 2
26 Oleg Spînu "Jungle"
  • Jonas Gladnikoff
  • Shawn Myers
[a]
27 Y-Limit "What's the Fun" Roman Lupu 38 14
28 Nicoleta Sava "Bravo"
  • José Juan Santana
  • Rafael Artesero
40 9
29 Nino "Up Again" Sergiu Cristian Baba 35 23
30 Valleria "Run"
36 18
  1. ^ Oleg Spînu was disqualified for using a backing track that doubled the lead vocals.[13]

Final

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The final of Etapa națională 2024 took place on 17 February 2024. 11 songs competed and the winner was selected based on the 50/50 combination of a public online vote and the votes of an expert jury.[14] In addition to the competing entries, Romanian band Holograf performed as a guest.[15]

Immediately following the final, runner-up Valeria Pasha, who came first with the public but lost to Barbu in the tiebreak, announced to have filed an appeal to secure "transparency" about the results.[16] The official rules of Etapa națională did not define whether a potential tie for first place would be resolved in favour of the public or jury, only stating that the winning entry would be "the song receiving the most points".[17] The organizing broadcaster responded that following the tie for first place, the organising committee decided that Natalia Barbu would be declared the winner. They further stated that approximately 950 votes for Valeria Pasha had come from invalid phone numbers, and that a certain number of votes had been submitted from 48 different countries, likely using VPNs.[18]

Final – 17 February 2024[19][20]
Draw Artist Song Jury Public vote Total Place
Votes Points Votes Points
1 Nicoleta Sava "Bravo" 22 5 211 3 8 7
2 Valeria Pasha "Anti-Princess" 43 10 4,771[a] 12 22 2
3 Reghina Alexandrina "Contrasens" 19 3 294 6 9 6
4 Viola Julea "Light Up!" 21 4 285 5 9 5
5 OL "No Time No Space" 26 6 107 1 7 8
6 Sasha Letty "DNA" 12 2 233 4 6 9
7 Natalia Barbu "In the Middle" 60 12 2,421 10 22 1
8 Y-Limit "Revolution" 7 0 147 2 2 10
9 Cătălina Solomac "Fever" 29 7 905 7 14 4
10 Victor Gulick "Fever" 11 1 76 0 1 11
11 Iulia Teleucă "Runaway" 40 8 2,178 8 16 3

Promotion and preparation

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As part of the promotion of her participation in the contest, Barbu confirmed attended the PrePartyES event in Madrid on 30 March 2024,[21] the London Eurovision Party on 7 April 2024,[22] the Eurovision in Concert event in Amsterdam on 13 April 2024[23] and the Copenhagen Eurovision Party (Malmöhagen) on 4 May 2024.[24] Her entry "In the Middle" was revamped ahead of the contest.[25]

At Eurovision

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The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 took place at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 7 and 9 May and the final on 11 May 2024. All nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) were required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete in the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progressed to the final. On 30 January 2024, an allocation draw was held to determine which of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show, each country would perform in; the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot.[26] Moldova was scheduled for the second half of the first semi-final.[27] The shows' producers then decided the running order for the semi-finals; Moldova was set to perform in position 11.[28]

In Moldova, all three shows were broadcast on Moldova 1 and Radio Moldova, with commentary provided by Angela Rudenco.[29][30]

Performance

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Natalia Barbu took part in technical rehearsals on 28 April and 1 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 6 and 7 May.[31] While joined by other performers at the national final, she was alone on stage for her performance of "In the Middle" at the contest; the violin solo was retained.[32]

Semi-final

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Moldova performed in position 11, following the entry from Finland and before the entry from Azerbaijan.[28] The country was not announced among the top 10 entries in the semi-final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed, that Moldova placed 13th with 20 points.

Voting

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Below is a breakdown of points awarded by and to Moldova in the first semi-final and in the final. Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting in the final vote, while the semi-final vote was based entirely on the vote of the public.[33] The Moldovan jury consisted of Violeta Botezatu, Roman Burlaca, Paul Gamurari, Lidia Isac, who represented Moldova in the 2016 contest, and Livia Stirbu.[34] In the first semi-final, Moldova placed 13th with 20 points, marking the country's first non-qualification to the final since 2019. Over the course of the contest, Moldova awarded its 12 points to Cyprus in the first semi-final, and to Ukraine in both the jury vote televote in the final.[35][36]

TRM appointed Doina Stimpovschi as its spokesperson to announce the Moldovan jury's votes in the final.[37]

Points awarded to Moldova

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Points awarded to Moldova (Semi-final 1)[35]
Score Televote
12 points
10 points
8 points
7 points
6 points
5 points  Portugal
4 points  Ukraine
3 points
2 points
1 point  Croatia

Points awarded by Moldova

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Detailed voting results

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Each participating broadcaster assembles a five-member jury panel consisting of music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent. Each jury, and individual jury member, is required to meet a strict set of criteria regarding professional background, as well as diversity in gender and age. 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.[38] The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.

The following members comprised the Moldovan jury:[34]

Detailed voting results from Moldova (Semi-final 1)[35]
Draw Country Televote
Rank Points
01  Cyprus 1 12
02  Serbia 11
03  Lithuania 9 2
04  Ireland 6 5
05  Ukraine 2 10
06  Poland 14
07  Croatia 3 8
08  Iceland 13
09  Slovenia 7 4
10  Finland 12
11  Moldova
12  Azerbaijan 5 6
13  Australia 10 1
14  Portugal 8 3
15  Luxembourg 4 7
Detailed voting results from Moldova (Final)[36]
Draw Country Jury Televote
Juror A Juror B Juror C Juror D Juror E Rank Points Rank Points
01  Sweden 10 12 12 7 14 11 1 3 8
02  Ukraine 4 3 3 6 1 1 12 1 12
03  Germany 11 17 21 11 6 14 11
04  Luxembourg 9 13 5 14 5 9 2 13
05  Netherlands[b] 14 10 20 22 4 10 N/A
06  Israel 7 4 4 8 15 8 3 2 10
07  Lithuania 20 5 10 4 2 6 5 14
08  Spain 19 23 19 24 26 26 22
09  Estonia 16 25 18 25 16 23 15
10  Ireland 25 14 16 16 22 21 9 2
11  Latvia 12 18 26 15 21 18 20
12  Greece 15 8 9 9 23 13 8 3
13  United Kingdom 8 26 13 23 12 17 23
14  Norway 6 21 17 17 13 16 12
15  Italy 3 2 1 12 9 2 10 7 4
16  Serbia 22 19 22 13 20 22 21
17  Finland 13 24 23 26 25 25 16
18  Portugal 21 11 2 2 10 7 4 25
19  Armenia 26 15 6 10 24 15 10 1
20  Cyprus 23 9 8 18 8 12 18
21   Switzerland 5 1 7 5 7 4 7 6 5
22  Slovenia 24 20 11 21 19 19 24
23  Croatia 1 7 24 3 3 3 8 4 7
24  Georgia 18 16 15 20 18 20 17
25  France 2 6 14 1 11 5 6 5 6
26  Austria 17 22 25 19 17 24 19

Notes

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  1. ^ Following the results, TRM stated that over 950 votes for Valeria Pasha were sent from invalid phone numbers, and that additional votes were sent from 48 different countries, likely using VPNs.[18]
  2. ^ The Netherlands was disqualified prior to the final.[39][40]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Moldova". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  2. ^ Granger, Anthony (28 January 2022). "Moldova: TRM to Select Eurovision 2022 Representative Tomorrow". Eurovoix. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  3. ^ Carros, David (13 June 2023). "Moldavia confirma su participación en Eurovisión 2024" [Moldova confirms its participation in Eurovision 2024]. ESCplus España (in European Spanish). Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d "Regulament cu privire la desfășurarea Selecției Naționale și desemnarea reprezentantului Republicii Moldova la concursul internațional Eurovision Song Contest 2024" [Regulation on how the National Selection and the designation of the representative of the Republic of Moldova at the international Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will be conducted] (PDF) (in Romanian). TRM. 22 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  5. ^ TRM [@eurovision.md_oficial] (15 February 2024). "Pe 17 februarie, ora 19:00 va începe un show de excepție, în care vom afla cine va reprezenta Republica Moldova la Eurovision Song Contest 2024! În premieră, Finala Națională Eurovision va fi transmisă pe pagina oficială a Eurovision și pe canalul Youtube al organizatorilor @eurovision" [On 17 February at 19:00 an exceptional show will begin, in which we will find out who will represent the Republic of Moldova at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024! For the first time, the Eurovision National Final will be broadcast on the official page for Eurovision and on the Youtube channel of the organisers @eurovision] (in Romanian). Retrieved 17 February 2024 – via Instagram.
  6. ^ a b Farren, Neil (26 December 2023). "Moldova: Etapa Națională 2024 Audition Participants Revealed". Eurovoix. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  7. ^ Granger, Anthony (4 January 2024). "Moldova: Etapa Națională 2024 Live Auditions on Moldova 1". Eurovoix. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  8. ^ Granger, Anthony (22 December 2023). "Moldova: 51 Songs Received for Etapa Națională 2024". Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  9. ^ Granger, Anthony (27 December 2023). "Moldova: Aliona Moon feat. Milla Withdraw From Etapa Națională 2024". Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  10. ^ Grace, Emily (10 January 2024). "Moldova: VOVI ROBIAN Withdraws From Etapa Națională 2024". Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Etapa audițiilor live Eurovision 2024: punctajul acumulat de către concurenți" [The Eurovision 2024 live audition stage: the scores obtained by the contestants] (in Romanian). TRM. 17 January 2024. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  12. ^ Farren, Neil (13 January 2024). "Moldova: Etapa Națională 2024 Finalists Selected". Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  13. ^ Ediție specială Eurovision 2024 [Eurovision 2024 special] (Television production) (in Romanian). TRM. 13 January 2024. Explanation given at 2:41–5:15.
  14. ^ "Finaliștii Selecției Naționale Eurovision 2024 au tras la sorți ordinea în care vor evolua în Finala Națională" [The finalists of the Eurovision 2024 National Selection have drawn the order in which they will perform at the National Final] (in Romanian). TRM. 17 January 2024. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  15. ^ Conte, Davide (13 February 2024). "Moldova: Guest Act for Etapa Națională Revealed". Eurovoix. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  16. ^ Stephenson, James (17 February 2024). "Moldova: Valeria Pasha Appeals Etapa Națională Results". Eurovoix. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Regulament: Cu privire la desfăşurarea selecției naționale şi desemnarea reprezentantului Republicii Moldova la concursul ințernational Eurovision Song Contest 2024" [Regulation: Regarding the conduct of the national selection and the appointment of the representative of the Republic of Moldova at the international contest Eurovision Song Contest 2024] (PDF). Eurovision.md (in Romanian). TRM. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  18. ^ a b Granger, Anthony (20 February 2024). "Moldova: TRM Responds to Valeria Pasha's Appeal Against the Etapa Națională Results". Eurovoix. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  19. ^ Durán, Carlos (17 January 2024). "Moldavia escoge a Natalia Barbu con la canción 'In the middle' como abanderada para Eurovision 2024" [Moldova chooses Natalia Barbu with the song "In the middle" as its flag-bearer for Eurovision 2024]. ESCplus España (in European Spanish). Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  20. ^ "Finala Națională Eurovision 2024. Natalia Barbu va reprezenta Republica Moldova pe scena de la Malmo" [Eurovision 2024 National Final. Natalia Barbu will represent the Republic of Moldova on the Malmo stage]. TRM. 17 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  21. ^ Grace, Emily (20 February 2024). "Spain: Several Artists Join The PrePartyES 2024 Line-Up". Eurovoix. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  22. ^ Grace, Emily (27 February 2024). "United Kingdom: Five More Artists Join The Line-Up for London Eurovision Party 2024". Eurovoix. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  23. ^ Grace, Emily (20 February 2024). "Eurovision In Concert: Seven Acts Confirmed So Far". Eurovoix. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  24. ^ @malmohagen_eurovision_party (15 April 2024). "36 Acts and more Danish Red Balls will drop to reveal their names! 22 are Eurovision or National Final Stars and 14 more are Show Cast, Hosts, Drag-A-Vision Danish All Stars, EuroClub (and Rest Of World) DJs, Singers and ESC Fan Community. #UniteTheFandom #Malmöhagen #Eurovision #ESC2024 #Eurovision2024 #UnitedByMusic #Euroclub #Eurofan #Eurofans #Peace #Respect". Retrieved 15 April 2024 – via Instagram.
  25. ^ Granger, Anthony (12 April 2024). "Moldova: 'In The Middle' Undergoes Revamp". Eurovoix. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  26. ^ Van Dijk, Sem Anne (13 December 2023). "Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Allocation Draw on January 30". Eurovoix. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  27. ^ "Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Draw results". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  28. ^ a b "Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Running Orders revealed!". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  29. ^ "Moldova 1". TRM. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  30. ^ "Radio Moldova". TRM. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  31. ^ "Eurovision 2024: Rehearsal Schedule". Eurovisionworld. 25 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  32. ^ Farren, Neil (28 April 2024). "Moldova: All the Details About Natalia Barbu's First Rehearsal". Eurovoix. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  33. ^ "Voting Procedures 2024". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  34. ^ a b "Grand Final of Malmö 2024 – Jurors". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  35. ^ a b c d "Results of the First Semi-Final of Malmö 2024 – Moldova". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  36. ^ a b c "Results of the Final of Malmö 2024 – Moldova". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  37. ^ Lombardini, Emanuele (11 May 2024). "Spokesperson Eurovision 2024: Italia in posizione 26, Alessandra Mele rinuncia" [Spokespersons Eurovision 2024: Italy in position 26, Alessandra Mele gives up]. Eurofestival News (in Italian). Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  38. ^ "How the Eurovision Song Contest works". European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  39. ^ "Statement on Dutch participation in the Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union. 11 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  40. ^ "How do I vote for my favourite Eurovision song?". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
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