Marianna's Blog: Second rehearsals of the Semi-Final 2 participants 11/05/2013

Romania
Cezar "It's My Life"

Cezar reaches for the skies with his voice

Romania was the seventeenth and final country to take to the Malmö Arena stage today. Cezar was keen to give a very good performance of his song It's My Life, which definitely made an impact in the hall.

Switzerland

Takasa "You And Me"

A new record set by Switzerland

Switzerland is represented by a quite unique band, Takasa, which includes musicians ranging from 21-year-old Sarah Breiter to 95-year-old Emil Ramsauer. The latter is the oldest artist ever to perform on a Eurovision stage. They showed yet another solid performance of their rock-ish song You And Me today.

Georgia
Nodi Tatishvili & Sophie Gelovani "Waterfall"

Georgia's waterfall and fire cascade

Georgia is represented this year by Nodi and Sophie, a mix duo of powerful voices with the song Waterfall, and while the backdrop is showing the water falling, a fire cascade of pyros appears from the top of the stage building up to a grand finale.

Albania

Adrian Lulgjuraj & Bledar Sejko "Identitet"

Heavy ethno-rock sounds from Albania

Are you ready for some Albanian rock? Well you should be, because Adrian and Bledar’s plan is to rock the Eurovision stage on 16th of May, while performing their song in the Second semi-final. Keep in mind, that everything what you would usually experience during some rock concert, you would see and hear here as well, even more!

Norway

Margaret Berger "I Feed You My Love"

Supercharged electric atmosphere for Norway

Although the performance of I Feed You My Love by Margaret Berger is pretty much the same as the first rehearsal, there have been some subtle changes to make the staging more dynamic. The arena will certainly crackle with energy when Margaret takes to the stage in the Second Semi-Final

Hungary
ByeAlex "Kedvesem" (Zoohacker Remix)

English lyrics visualised on the stage backdrop for Hungary

The Hungarian representative ByeAlex rehearsed his laid-back song Kedvesem for the second time in Malmö today. This time, the backdrop displayed parts of the song lyrics translated to English along with colourful sketches designed by the singer's sister.

Armenia
Dorians & Gor Sujyan "Lonely Planet"

Convincing performance by Dorians

The lead vocalist Gor Sujyan always manages to be laid-back, charismatic but convincing. Exactly these feelings the Armenian representative aired in the Malmö Arena during his second rehearsal. Together with his band Dorians, they delivered a very nice, and vocally powerful, performance.

Israel
Moran Mazor "Rak Bishvilo" (Only For Him)

A powerful expression of love from Israel

This afternoon, Moran Mazor from Israel was back on the Eurovision Song Contest stage in Malmö to perform her powerful ballad Rak Bishvilo.

Greece

Koza Mostra & Agathonas Iakovidis "Alcohol Is Free"

Koza Mostra & Agathon rock the stage
Both Koza Mostra and Agathon Iakovidis, the combo representing Greece in this year's Eurovision Song Contest hail from Thessaloniki in the Greek region of Central Macedonia. Their ska-rock song is flavoured with the "rebetiko" folk music, a mix that certainly sets them apart!

Iceland

Eyþór Ingi Gunnlaugsson "Ég á Líf"

Icelandic ballad about a journey called life

Eyþór Ingi Gunnlaugsson has a very strong personal charisma. But it’s not only about looks. As soon as he starts to sing, you just need to hear his story till the end. His song Ég Á Líf is about life, experience and those who give а meaning to our lives.

Bulgaria

Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankoulov "Samo Shampioni" (Only Champions)

Drums and lots of energy for Bulgaria

Drums, beats and ethnic sounds - those are some of the main ingredients of the Bulgarian entry Samo Shampioni (Only Champions). Elitsa and Stoyan brought their rhythms to the Malmö Arena today, and they showed yet another smashing performance in their second rehearsal.

Malta

Gianluca Bezzina "Tomorrow"

Malta rehearses 'Tomorrow' today

This afternoon the song Tomorrow could be heard, performed by the Maltese singer Gianluca, with the 'oh oh' responses reverberating around the arena.

Finland

Krista Siegfrids "Marry Me"

Team 'Ding Dong' is on fire!

Happiness flows surrounding the delegation from Finland this year. A permanent smile shines on the faces of Krista Siegfrids and the Team 'Ding Dong' when they arrive to the Malmö Arena and its stage to proof one of their favourite mottos: "More is more".

Azerbaijan
Farid Mammadov "Hold Me"

Farid's perfect staging

This year’s Azerbaijani entrant Farid Mammadov could conquer hearts of a lot of fans with his charming smile and his beautiful ballad Hold Me. During his second rehearsal, the singer delivered a near-on perfect show.

F.Y.R. Macedonia

Vlatko Lozanoski & Esma Redžepova "Pred Da Se Razdeni"

Lozano to sing in Macedonian

Esma and Lozano, the two superstars from F.Y.R. Macedonia, rehearsed their entry Pred Da Se Razdeni for the second time in the Malmö Arena. The delegation has meanwhile confirmed that the song will be performed in its original version on the Semi-Final night, with Esma's parts in Romani and Lozano's parts in Macedonian language.

San Marino
Valentina Monetta "Crisalide" (Vola)

Valentina: This time it's more me!

Second chance for Valentina Monetta, very passionate singer from San Marino. She didn’t manage to qualify for the Grand Final, last year in Baku, but it was quite close (14th place in the semi-finals). This year everything is different, says Valentina, hoping for the different outcome as well.

Latvia

PeR "Here We Go"

PeR's PeRfect PeRformance for Latvia

The two Latvian artists, Edmunds and Ralph collectively known as PeR (Please explain the Rhythm) were fortunate enough to sparkle on stage for their second rehearsal in the Malmö Arena, as their costumes only arrived seconds before they were due to start.