Belarus rehearsal and press conference

The singer Ruslan Alehno showed a lively performance together with four female dancers - he even climbed on one of the shining baubles placed on the stage floor.

Overall, the performance was very lively and elaborate. There were no problems with his vocals and everything looked very convincing on the screens.





Press conference

At the press conference, Ruslan Alehno was asked if there are also Russian and Belarusian versions of Hasta La Vista. He said that a Russian version was recorded and is already on heavy rotation at several radio channels in Moscow.

source: eurovision. tv

Albania rehearsal and press conference

The Albanian representative Olta Boka, who is only 16 years old, managed to convince everyone with a heartwarming and professional performance in her first rehearsal.

Even if one could see that Olta was very nervous in the beginning of the rehearsal, she coped with that very well and showed a vocally impressive presentation of her ballad Zemrën E Lamë Peng.

The stage is rather dark during the performance, with a spot on Olta, who is reaching out for the camera with her hand towards the camera towards the end of the song. Olta was accompanied on stage by two guitar players and a drum kit player.



Press conference

In the Albanian press conference, Olta Boka apologized for being nervous on stage during her rehearsal. She explained that it was her first time to perform in front of an international public, and that she hoped to improve her stage act during the second rehearsal.


source: eurovision.tv

Lithuania rehearsal and press conference

Lithuanian representative Jeronimas Milius perfomed his beautiful ballad Nomads In The Night very convincingly.

Jeronimas performs alone on the stage which is shrouded in dark blue colours and smoke. Moreover a bright-shining moon on the huge LED screen is enhancing the ambience of the song.




Press conference

At the press conference after the rehearsal, Jeronimas seemed satisfied with todays rehearsal. Moreover he talked about what kind of music has inspired him. He emphasized that he always have listened to rock music from early childhood. An example of this is Metallica. Jeronima and the Lithuanian delegation expressed their content with being in Belgrade, and they were looking forward to exploring more of the city.

source: eurovision.tv

Ukraine rehearsal and press conference

Ukrainian representative Ani Lorak delivered a polished and slick performance of her Eurovision Song Contest entry Shady Lady during her first rehearsal.

At the beginning of the song the four male backing dancers are revealed one by one as the individual sections of the wall light up. The dancers then emerge on stage to join Ani. Towards the end of the song, Ani climbs to the top of the wall and is helped back down by the dancers. It seems that we will get more surprises within the performance during the full dress rehearsals.



Press conference

Ani Lorak has worked with composer and former Eurovision Song Contest singer/songwriter Philip Kirkorov for over six years, and a question was raised as to how the Shady Lady project was born. Philip replies "When I heard that Ani Lorak was representing Ukraine I called her and said I had an idea for a song. I had wanted to work with Ani for some time, we met and Ani listened to the song, liked it very much and within three days we were recording it in Greece!".



sources: eurovision.tv ; esctoday.com

Turkey rehearsal and press conference

The members of Mor ve Ötesi, the band representing Turkey presented themselves on stage like a typical rock band, with the lead singer and two more musicians playing the electronic guitar, and the fourth band member playing the drum kit.

Mor ve Ötesi showed a powerful and convincing performance, which looked and sounded flawless from the very beginning of the rehearsal.




Press conference

In their press conference, the band members were asked about the meaning of "Mor ve Ötesi". They replied that it means "Purple and beyond", referring to the colour spectrum, where purple is the last visible colour for human eyes. When they were asked about the lyrics of Deli, they explained that they had decided to sing in Turkish because they can express themselves better in their mother tongue.




source:eurovision.tv; esctoday.com

Sweden rehearsal and press conference

Charlotte Perrelli is joined by five backing singers - one of them located at the back part of the stage - and it was revealed that she will be wearing a glamourous, silver dress.

Charlotte starts her performance on a podium and usess the whole range of stage tricks: a special, jewelled microphone, a windmachine and also a green laser will be used in her performance!



Press conference

In her press conference Charlotte said that she believes in her song Hero as it is a fantastic song and hopes that people around Europe will like it too. Charlotte admitted that it's her first time in Serbia and that she really likes the country.



source: eurovision.tv; esctoday.com

Iceland rehearsal and press conference

Icelandic Euroband were the first to enter the stage at the Belgrade Arena singing their song This Is My Life.

The duet made up by Regína Ósk and Friðrik Ómar already wore their outfits for the Semi-Final.

Regína and Friðrik gave a powerful performance, and it seems like the choreography is more or less perfect.



Press conference

At the press conference after the rehearsal, the Icelandic delegation were very satisfied with everything in Belgrade, and they thought today's rehearsal went very well. A journalist from the accredited press asked why Euroband changed the original lyrics in Icelandic to English, and Regína replied that the English version was better for the up-tempo, techno song.

source:eurovision.tv