THE OVERALL frontrunner, Loreen from Sweden, qualified for the Eurovision Song Contest final last night alongside songs from nine other countries.
Loreen’s entry, Euphoria, is an intense club track which she performs nearly alone on stage in a flowing, fringed black pantsuit in dramatic half-light.
Amongst the other hotly-tipped qualifiers were Be My Guest sung by Ukraine’s Galtana, which will double as the Euro 2012 football anthem, and Stay by Norway’s Tooji, a Middle Eastern-flavoured uptempo number. The remaining qualifiers were Lithuania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Norway, Turkey, and Malta.
Meanwhile, Ireland’s most famous twins were nowhere to be seen in Azerbaijan’s capital city yesterday. Jedward took a breather from media and public appearances to be fully rested for the contest final tomorrow. They cancelled a planned appearance last night in the Euro Village – an outdoor area on the Caspian seaside where the Baku public gathers to celebrate all things Eurovision – and have largely kept to their hotel. They did get a chance to give Loreen, who is staying at the same hotel, a good-luck hug before her semi-final performance.
The Dublin twins made their presence known during the second semi-final via Twitter, sending messages not about the performing acts but instead asking their fans how they might take advantage during Saturday night’s final of the brief camera shot some acts are afforded before they head onstage (the verdict seems to be a kiss to the camera rather than a peace sign).
Spectators at an outdoor cafe in Baku offered their most enthusiastic response last night to the Turkish entry (and the news of its qualification), and the response was equally enthusiastic in the hall. Though Turkey and Azerbaijan do not share a border, there are strong linguistic and cultural links between the two countries.
In a celebration of Eurovision’s past the interval act last night included the last five winners, from Russia, Serbia, Norway, Germany and Azerbaijan, singing Abba’s Waterloo.
Jedward will sing 23rd out of 26th acts tomorrow, while the UK’s Engelbert Humperdinck will lead off the action.
Jedward are currently ranked seventh to win the final on oddschecker.com, a site which aggregates bookmakers' odds.