More than 250 artists from 60 countries across the globe have applied to represent San Marino at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018.
In San Marino, over 250 artists from across the globe have applied to represent the country at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal. Among the applicants are former Eurovision entrants; Dado Topic (Croatia 2007) and Maria Olafs (Iceland 2015). Furthermore a number of artists who have attempted to represent their own country in numerous national selections have also applied, these include singers from Armenia and Belarus.
Those wishing to represent have until November 30th to submit a video of them performing a cover or an original composition. Once the application window closes all of the submitted videos will be made available online, with the public able to comment and share their favourite performers. Participants should receive at least 100 likes or shares on their video in order to be considered by the jury, or pay a €4,99 fee per submission to pass straight to jury consideration.
The 10 shortlisted finalists will be released in early December, with up to three of these candidates being selected as wildcards. A series of live shows will then be broadcast online and on TV to select the San Marino’s entrant for Eurovision 2018. Qualifiers from each show, and the eventual winner, will be selected by an unspecified mix of jury and televoting.
Once the final three entrants have been decided, the songs that they would potentially take to Eurovision will be decided internally and performed at the live final, which will take place in late February. The live shows are expected to start in January, however a date has not yet been specified.
2018 will mark San Marino’s 9th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Since their debut in 2008, the country has never broadcast a televised selection show. In fact, San Marino RTV has only previously held an open call for songs on one occasion before now, that being in 2008 when Miodio were eventually selected by a jury to be the Republic’s first Eurovision representatives in Belgrade.
Over 9 years of participation San Marino has only once qualified for the Eurovision final, when Valentina Monetta represented the country with “Maybe (Forse)” in Copenhagen. She finished in 24th place with 14 points, San Marino’s best result to date. This year Valentina represented her country for the 4th time, this time joined on stage by American singer Jimmie Wilson. The pair’s entry “Spirit of the Night” finished in last place in it’s semi-final in Kyiv, scoring just 1 point.
Source: San Marino RTV
That’s so not cool. It takes away the fun the person representing san marino isn’t even from san marino like wtf…
Principly I don’t mind if the performer is not from San Marino because it is the song that should count, so so long as the song itself has cultural relevance to San Marino. From the above, however, is even this much the case?