RTVE has confirmed today that Operación Triunfo will be used to select the Spanish participant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Israel.
Operación Triunfo 2018 will be used to select the Spanish participant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv, Israel. RTVE revealed that the show which returned to Spanish screens last year will once again be used to determine the Spanish entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Over the next three months 18 singers will be whittled down, with weekly eliminations of participants. The show will culminate in the Gala Eurovision, with the few remaining singers competing for the right to represent Spain in Israel.
Operación Triunfo will return to screens on September 18 at 22:30 CET, moving from a Monday night to a Wednesday night. In addition to a change in the day the show is broadcast, one member of the judging panel has changed. Monica Naranjo will be leaving the show, with Ana Torroja taking her place.
Amaia y Alfred finished 23rd in the final with a total of 61 points, following their performance of “Tu cancion”. The song finished 24th in the public vote with 18 points and 18th with the juries on 43 points.
Spain is the third member of the Big Five to confirm their participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. Both Italy and the United Kingdom are yet to formally announce whether they will be taking to the Eurovision stage again next May.
Source: RTVE
Spain debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961 and has competed annually since. Spain has won the contest on two occasions the first being in 1968 and the second time in 1969. 1969 is the only year where more than one song has won the contest, the 1969 contest saw a four-way tie between Spain, France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Since 2000 Spain has only managed to finish in the top.10 on five occasions, the last time being in 2014 with Ruth Lorenzo. However, the country has finished 20th or below on nine occasions, the worst placement being 26th in 2017.
That’s great, but I’m upset that the minimum age for Operación Triunfo is 18. 🙁