Eurovision contenders compete to win over superfans in 'pre-party' stage

Every existent Eurovision instrumentality knows the opus contention is overmuch much than 1 Saturday nighttime successful May.

There's the anticipation of a big metropolis announcement, the nationalist last season erstwhile acts are chosen, and the spot we're astatine present - the pre-party stage.

Across Europe, implicit the adjacent month, participants volition execute astatine fan-organised events successful mentation for the contention successful Liverpool.

This weekend, thousands attended the archetypal pre-party of 2023 successful Barcelona.

"This is the champion happening ever," this year's UK entrant Mae Muller explains arsenic she meets immoderate of her chap competitors for the archetypal time. "I get to spell and spot each these astonishing places and people."

For Muller, it's not conscionable an accidental to instrumentality selfies and articulation WhatsApp radical chats. It's besides the archetypal unrecorded show of her introduction I Wrote A Song, which she admits beforehand she's tense about, but says "the excitement outweighs the nerves".

The bookies' likelihood tin alteration during this build-up play arsenic fans respond to unrecorded vocals and choreography, and the artists spot who their biggest contention is - but not each enactment takes portion successful these broadside events.

"I deliberation for the fans it's truthful important the participants bash this to amusement they really attraction and they emotion the contest," 2015 victor Måns Zelmerlöw explained connected the BBC's Eurovisioncast.

As good arsenic unrecorded performances, implicit 3 days of events successful the Spanish city, seminar talks connected the opus contention were held, a walking circuit of the metropolis was organised and, of course, fans could creation until the aboriginal hours to euphony from 67 years of Eurovision successful clubs.

I began covering Eurovision for the BBC successful 2019 and I've seen the pre-parties get bigger each year. I was stunned connected Saturday erstwhile I saw the queue to get into the venue - lone to observe it was really a enactment for a Robbie Williams gig astatine the aforesaid Palau Sant Jordi complex, which was utilized for the 1992 Olympics.

But the existent standard (next door) of the pre-parties, and however galore determination are now, was inactive a astonishment to the Lithuanian contestant Monika Linkytė, who antecedently took portion successful 2015.

This clip around, she says, she tin bask the acquisition much due to the fact that she knows what's to travel arsenic the days to Liverpool are marked disconnected connected her calendar.

"These pre-parties are astir fun," she tells me. "In the 2 weeks successful Liverpool it's going to beryllium stressful, but present you tin conscionable chill out."

Linkytė is 1 of the artists who person antecedently represented their state and are returning to the Eurovision signifier this year, with a batch of treatment surrounding the bookies' existent favourite - 2012's Swedish champion Loreen. After witnessing thousands successful Barcelona singing backmost Linkytė's opus Stay, she could easy spot successful the apical 10 with her awesome unrecorded vocal.

At the pre-parties, you get a consciousness of who is simply a seasoned performer and who needs to physique assurance earlier singing connected 1 of the most-watched TV events successful the world.

Joker Out, who were past year's best-selling enactment successful Slovenia - and 1 of this year's galore groups competing - tin bid a signifier and person nary conflict getting the assemblage going.

"We've proved successful the past fewer years [in Slovenia] we were worthy to beryllium picked.

"We were talking with San Marino that this twelvemonth looks much similar a precocious schoolhouse conflict of the bands than Eurovision," they joke.

With lone her dancers for support, Muller was 1 of the astir anticipated performers implicit the weekend.

Her catchy lyrics person resonated with Europe, and she performed contempt posting connected Instagram she wasn't feeling well.

But arsenic soon arsenic she got disconnected stage, she beamed: "Oh my goodness, I consciousness alive! I was precise very tense but I'm truly blessed it went good and everyone seemed to beryllium enjoying themselves."

There's country for improvement, and that's wherefore Muller is doing "intense" rehearsals betwixt present and May.

With her archetypal ever show of I Wrote A Song retired of the way, it was clip to relax, hanging retired with Ukraine's enactment Tvorchi - who were chosen to alert their bluish and yellowish emblem from a weaponry structure past December.

Pre-parties to travel see Warsaw, Tel Aviv, Madrid, Amsterdam and London. In Barcelona, unsurprisingly, the biggest assemblage absorption by acold went to Spain's Blanca Paloma.

Someone from Spanish broadcaster RTVE told maine afterwards they consciousness a batch of unit to repetition past year's success, erstwhile Chanel came 3rd down Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra and the UK's Sam Ryder.

It's a reminder of however galore layers the contention has - it's a euphony contest, but tin besides interaction the estimation of broadcasters if they don't get a effect they want.

I travelled from the venue with the Spanish team, and though determination was a flimsy connection obstruction betwixt Blanca Paloma and myself, we recovered a mode to pass by singing erstwhile Eurovision winning songs unneurotic connected the streets of Barcelona.

We were precisely what this year's slogan says - agreed by music.

All the build-up, insights and investigation is explored each week connected a BBC podcast called Eurovisioncast.