Introducing the musical sensations hoping to claim victory for their nations at the Eurovision Grand Final in Lisbon, Portugal, in May...
A former Eurovision winner, a Eurovision runner-up, a previously banned contestant and a Swedish reality TV star will all do musical battle with the aim of winning the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final in Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday 12th May.
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26 nations will perform in the Eurovision final, cut down from 43 over two semi-finals – but who will be singing on the night?
Check out all the acts in the gallery below, and find out the full final running order in the list below.
Ukraine’s Eurovision 2018 entry is Mélovin and his song is called Under The Ladder. He’ll be the opening act for Eurovision 2018: find out more about his performance here
Spain’s Eurovision entry is double act – and real-life boyfriend and girlfriend – Alfred and Amaia. Their song is called Tu Cancion (Your Song).
Slovenia’s Eurovision entry is singer Lea Sirk and her song is called Hvala, ne! Find out more about her performance – and that ‘fake’ technical glitch – right here
Lithuania’s Eurovision entry is singer Ieva Zasimauskaitė. Her song is called When We’re Old
Austria’s Eurovision entry is singer Cesar Sampson. His song is called Nobody But You.
Estonia’s Eurovision entry is singer Elina Nechayeva. Her song is called La Forza.
Norway’s Eurovision entry is former Eurovision winner Alexander Rybak. He won the song contest for Norway in 2009 and returns to represent the country again this year. Norway’s Eurovision song is called That’s How You Write A Song.
Portugal’s Eurovision entry is Cláudia Pascoal. Her song is called O jardim.
The United Kingdom’s entry is singer SuRie. Performing ninth in Eurovision 2018, we can expect to see her on stage before 9pm. SuRie won the chance to represent the UK in the BBC’s You Decide event on Wednesday 7th February. Her song is called Storm – find out more about SuRie and her performance here.
Serbia’s Eurovision entry is Sanja Ilić & Balkanika. The song is called Nova Deca. Find out more about their act here
Germany’s Eurovision entry is singer Michael Schulte and his song is called You Let Me Walk Alone.
Albania is sending singer Eugent Bushpepa to Eurovision. He will sing in Albanian and his song is called Mall – find out much more about him here.
France’s Eurovision entry is singing duo Madame Monsieur. Their song is called Mercy.
The Czech Republic’s Eurovision entry is Mikolas Josef. His song is called Lie to Me.
Denmark’s Eurovision entry is singer Rasmussen. His song is called Higher Ground.
Australia will send singer Jessica Mauboy, who previously served as the interval act during the semi-finals of the competition back in 2014. Her song is called We Got Love.
And if you’re wondering what happens if Australia wins Eurovision…
Finland’s Eurovision entry is singer (and former X Factor UK finalist) Saara Alto. Her song is called Monsters.
Bulgaria’s Eurovision entry is EQUINOX. The Bulgarian Eurovision song is called Bones.
Moldova’s Eurovision entry is DoReDos and their song is called My Lucky Day. Find out more about their act – and their quirky staging – here
Sweden’s Eurovision entry is singer and actor Benjamin Ingrosso. The Swedish reality TV star’s song is called Dance You Off.
Hungary’s Eurovision entry is metal band AWS and their song is called Viszlát Nyár. Find out more about their act here
Israel’s Eurovision entry is singer Netta Barzilai. Her song for the contest is called TOY.
Holland’s entry is singer Waylon, who previously represented his country and finished in second place in 2014 as part of The Common Linnets. His song is called Outlaw in ‘Em.
Ireland’s Eurovision entry is former Britain’s Got Talent finalist Ryan O’Shaughnessy. His song is a ballad called Together.
Cyprus’s Eurovision entry is singer Eleni Foureira. Her song is called Fuego.
Italy’s Eurovision entry is singing duo Ermal Meta and Fabrizio Moro. Their song is called ‘Non mi avete fatto niente’ which, roughly translated, means ‘you did not do anything to me’.
Eurovision 2018: who didn’t make the final?
The countries who failed to qualify during the semi-final stages are:
(CNN) On Saturday, 26 countries stand to be a lot happier -- simply by taking part in an iconic singing competition.
All are competing in the final of Eurovision 2018, also known as the Eurovision Song Contest, a flamboyant international TV competition that has been running since 1956.
Such is the popularity of the contest, held this year in Lisbon, Portugal, that participant countries now come from Israel and Australia. It is broadcast to millions of people in countries that don't compete, such as the United States, Canada, New Zealand and China.
Now, there may be reason for more countries to participate.
A new study suggests that when a nation takes part in Eurovision, it has a 13% chance of higher "life satisfaction" among its population compared with those who don't.
This life satisfaction may in turn benefit their physical and mental health, according Filippos Filippidis, an epidemiologist in public health at Imperial College London, who led the study published Friday in the journal BMC Public Health.
His team found that people were 4% more likely to be satisfied with their life for every increase of 10 places on the final score board -- for example, if their country finished second rather than 12th.
The teams of Latvia reacts as they go to final after the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017.
However, doing badly in the contest was also associated with a greater increase in life satisfaction compared with not taking part at all. So, achieving "nul points" -- a zero score -- is not so bad after all.
The research backs up studies showing that hosting or succeeding in sporting fixtures like the US Super Bowl and the football World Cup can boost a city or nation's well-being and productivity.
One US study found that making the playoffs or finals in professional sporting events related to a decline in suicide in 30 US metropolitan areas between 1971 and 1990, while another found increased productivity in the city of the winning Super Bowl team.
Another study of the Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship found that the "feel-good" factor associated with hosting football events is large and significant, although an effect on happiness was not found.
Ireland must have been particularly happy in the 1990s, when it won the contest seven times.
Previous high-profile wins include Swedish supergroup ABBA, who took the crown in 1974 with "Waterloo"; Bucks Fizz, who won for the UK with "Making Your Mind Up" in 1981; and Céline Dion, who won in 1988 for Switzerland.
Eurovision Song Contest Winner Celine Dion of Switzerland in 1988.
But David Spiegelhalter, the Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk at Cambridge University, said that although it may be interesting to think of reasons for this association, he would be very skeptical of there being a causal link between the two. He was not involved in the new study.
Filippidis said more research was needed to confirm the association but added that the work showed the importance of considering the unintended consequences of events that reach a wide audience.
His team -- from competing countries Greece, Italy, Ireland, Australia and the UK -- is usually researching the effect of public policies, environmental factors and economic conditions on people's lifestyle and health.
But last year, during the competition, they began discussing whether it could also affect a country's national well-being and decided to investigate.
Swedish pop group Abba, performs during the the Eurovision Song Contest 1974.
They collected data from the Eurobarometer survey , which included answers from over 160,000 people from 33 European countries to a question on life satisfaction taken just after the finals of the contest between 2009 and 2015. They also analyzed each country's performance in the contest, ranking those at 20th place or below as "terrible."
Winning was not associated with improved life satisfaction, but the higher the ranking per 10 places, the higher the odds of being "very satisfied."
The audience watches the screen as they wait for results at the Eurovision Grand Final on May 14, 2017 in Kiev, Ukraine.
The scientists also compared data from countries that participated but did badly with those that didn't take part at all. They found that taking part but finishing near the bottom of the table was associated with a 13% higher chance of life satisfaction compared with not taking part in the competition.
Filippidis said the results surprised him. "I thought there may be something there, but the results were quite consistent across countries.
"If England win the football World Cup, even if you are not interested in football, you will see that other people are happy talking about it and smiling. Being happy is contagious, and it can be the same for misery and bad moods."
Professor Mike Berry, consultant clinical forensic psychologist at Birmingham City University, wasn't involved in the study but described the work as "a really interesting, amusing and well-designed study."
He added that although it did not show causation, the link with greater satisfaction sounded "feasible." However, he said the problem was that the effect was fleeting.
"There was a marked increase in attendance and productivity during the 1966 World Cup soccer finals in England, which England won," he explained. "Workers attended factories every day, so they could talk about the various games."
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Berry was also not surprised that winning was not the important part. "We just had the end of the Championship football last weekend. The teams and their fans avoiding last-minute relegation were often happier than the team that actually was promoted."
In the UK, he said, the next event hat may impact the nation's satisfaction was next week's marriage of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle.
"For a few days, there will be a major increase in public mood, but more worrying the number of babies born nine months later and being named Harry or Meghan."
A Chinese broadcaster has been barred from airing the Eurovision Song Contest after the channel censored LGBT+ content during the semi-final.
Mango TV, a state broadcaster run by central China's Hunan province, pixelated rainbow flags and cut a performance by Irish singer Ryan O'Shaughnessy that included two male dancers portraying a gay relationship.
The censorship triggered an outcry among the country's LGBT+ community and prompted the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to halt its relationship with the channel.
The broadcaster blacked-out two performances – by Ireland and Albania – which Chinese state tabloid the Global Times said contained tattoos and "LGBT elements".
Many of China's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy groups expressed dismay over censorship by the channel, which is known to be relatively progressive.
"Absurd! Mango TV pixelated rainbow flags," read a headline from the Global Gay News account on China's Twitter-like Weibo.
Eurovision Song Contest's most awkward moments
"Isn't this a bit much?! Nearly twenty years ago Hunan TV first had a gay interview show... How are they now going in reverse?" China Rainbow Media Awards, which works with Chinese media to improve LGBT+ coverage, said on Weibo.
The EBU said in an online statement this week it had terminated its relationship with Mango TV for this year's contest.
"This is not in line with the EBU's values of universality and inclusivity and our proud tradition of celebrating diversity through music," the statement said.
It was not clear whether Mango TV's censorship of the content was made independently or at the behest of regulators.
Neither Mango TV nor China's TV and radio regulator responded to requests for comment.
The weirdest Eurovision outfits of all time
10 show all The weirdest Eurovision outfits of all time
1/10 Lordi made history in 2006 by becoming the first hard rock act and Finnish artist to win the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006 with the song 'Hard Rock Hallelujah'. Getty Images
2/10 In 2007, Andriy Mykhailovych Danylko represented Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest as his drag stage persona Verka Serduchka, finishing in second place. AFP/Getty Images
3/10 Pop duo Jedward, who became famous after appearing on the sixth series of The X Factor, represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012, having previously represented the country at the competition the year before. AFP/Getty Images
4/10 The Eurovision Song Contest in 2016 opened with a fashion show that saw models donning unusual costumes made from what appeared to be toilet paper strut down the catwalk. Getty Images
5/10 Six members from the band 'Buranovskiye Babushki' represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2010 while wearing embroidered clothing handed down from generations of Udmurt women. They finished in third place. AFP/Getty Images
6/10 Jamie-Lee Kriewitz represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016 when she was 18 years old, performing her song 'Ghost'. Getty Images
7/10 Norwegian glam metal band Wig Wam performed as representatives of Norway at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest, achieving ninth place. Getty Images
8/10 In 2008, puppet character Dustin the Turkey represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest, only managing to reach the semi-final. AFP/Getty Images
9/10 Lithuanian music group InCulto reached the second final of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2010, announcing the splitting up of their band less than a year later. Getty Images
10/10 Pop band Scooch were selected to represent the UK at the European Song Contest in 2007, performing the song 'Flying the Flag (For You)' while dressed as flight attendants. AFP/Getty Images
The incident comes after Sina Weibo last month reversed a ban on some LGBT+ content in the wake of a widespread outcry online that included calls to dump Sina shares.
The company said at the time that it had been working to clean up the internet of content banned in government censorship directives.
Under Chinese president Xi Jinping, China has ramped up controls on content in both traditional and online media, beefed up censorship regulators and increasingly holds internet giants accountable if they fail to police content strictly.
Homosexuality is not illegal in China, but activists say that conservative attitudes in some parts of society have prompted occasional government clampdowns.
Award-winning gay romance Call Me By Your Name was dropped from a Chinese film festival in March.
The song contest's final will take place in Lisbon on Saturday.
Additional reporting by Reuters
Christabelle represented Malta at the second Semi-Final of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Taboo. Read more about Christabelle here: https://spott.tv/topic/christabelle/PARTY_ROLE%7C79ef4564-e5dd-4304-b610-5ce602c6a9f8
