Eurovision 2023: How TikTok has taken over the song contest

If you already thought Eurovision was each implicit TikTok, this year's contention has taken it to different level.

Content for the 2023 contention has already been seen 1.5 cardinal times - the aforesaid arsenic each of past year's views combined.

But the frenzy isn't conscionable centred connected the large final.

It starts early, arsenic countries effort to pat into the hype and find acts who already person large fanbases connected the app.

So alternatively of having conscionable 3 minutes to prime up douze points, singers present person months to spell viral - ideally winning friends and votes on the way.

But however does it happen, and is TikTok truly taking implicit Eurovision?

Well, if it feels similar your For You leafage is wall-to-wall Mae Muller and co astatine the moment, that's nary accident.

A large crushed is that TikTok is Eurovision's authoritative amusement spouse for the 2nd twelvemonth running.

James Stafford, 1 of the app's UK bosses, says the 2 enactment good unneurotic due to the fact that they're some "about inclusion and originative expression".

"We are sometimes truly serious, sometimes truly weird, but ever truly entertaining," helium says.

But it goes a spot deeper than that - James says TikTok gets to cognize acts aboriginal connected to hole them for their societal media "journey".

He tells Newsbeat the app works with artists to assistance them beryllium discovered and physique a instrumentality base.

So erstwhile they deed the signifier successful Liverpool, James says, "it's not conscionable 3 minutes that they've got to person the satellite to ballot for them".

James points to Sam Ryder arsenic an inspiration.

The UK's astir palmy introduction successful years, Sam got his interruption connected TikTok and present has much than 14 cardinal followers.

And Mae Muller besides had a steadfast instrumentality basal connected the app earlier she was selected to travel Sam successful 2023.

Someone who's had a akin way into the contention this twelvemonth is the Cyprus introduction Andrew Lambrou.

Andrew was besides selected to sing for his state due to the fact that of his societal media presence.

He admits it's been cardinal to him swapping singing astatine location for belting retired his way Break A Broken Heart successful Liverpool.

Although helium didn't rather judge it erstwhile helium was archetypal contacted astir performing.

"I saw this email successful my inbox, I went and spoke to ma and dada and I was similar 'do you deliberation this is real?'

"And past we connected the dots and worked retired that it was precise overmuch morganatic and present we are."

Andrew, who's Australian-Cypriot, posts a batch of covers for his 700,000 TikTok followers.

He says singing and euphony has ever been his passion, but the absorption from fans worldwide made it consciousness "even much special".

"It gives maine a batch of motivation, seeing each the positive, fantastic comments coming through," helium says.

"And it benignant of solidified successful my caput that this is what I privation to bash forever."

But it isn't each likes and laughs - Andrew says the changeless online scrutiny of Eurovision means he's ever nether unit to beryllium astatine his best.

Andrew says behind-the-scenes enactment similar rehearsals is usually "the abstraction wherever you're allowed to worldly up".

"But erstwhile things are public, you benignant of consciousness similar 'I don't truly privation to marque immoderate mistakes astatine all' conscionable due to the fact that radical are going to beryllium seeing this and comments volition beryllium shared.

"It's conscionable there's a small spot of pressure.

"But astatine the extremity of the day, you privation to springiness it your each passim each azygous rehearsal."

James, who is TikTok's wide manager of operations and selling successful the UK, tells Newsbeat they privation everyone to consciousness harmless connected the app.

He says this applies "especially [in] a concern with Eurovision", and TikTok's assemblage guidelines are wide astir what is and isn't ok.

Eurovision superfan Helen Groothuis thinks its societal media emergence has had an interaction each implicit the world.

She was surviving successful the US astir 10 years agone erstwhile she archetypal got into the contest, erstwhile it was "still precise overmuch an chartless quantity".

But arsenic societal media enactment increased, Helen says, it started to drawback the attraction of bigger and bigger TV stations.

And she's seen a existent emergence successful "the fig of radical engaging with it, not conscionable successful Europe, but truly crossed the globe."

Helen, who's successful Liverpool covering the contention for That Eurovision Site, accepts broad sum "might instrumentality immoderate of the archetypal enjoyment" retired of the last night.

"It depends connected however you privation your acquisition of the contention to be," she says.

"A batch of times, acts specified arsenic Sweden thin to transcript and paste their nationalist last show to the Eurovision signifier with immoderate insignificant tweaks.

"So it's a double-edged sword due to the fact that you get to spot a show that you emotion again, conscionable elevated connected the Eurovision stage."

It seems improbable that the concern volition halt immoderate clip soon.

Over the past mates of years TikTok's seen a "huge upswing" successful Eurovision involvement from radical successful their 20s each "discovering the joyousness of competition", says James.

Andrew agrees, and says helium tin consciousness "the momentum increasing for my opus and my performance".

As for whether TikTok's taken implicit Eurovision, he's not sure. But erstwhile you look astatine it the different mode around?

"It's conscionable wholly being taken implicit by Eurovision which is truly a brainsick thing," helium says.

"Now we've gotten to the constituent wherever my TikTok is fundamentally a curated Eurovision page."

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