It has been announced that reigning Eurovision champions Kalush Orchestra and runner-up Sam Ryder will perform at the song contest’s grand final in May.
According to the BBC, the Ukrainian band will begin the final in Liverpool, while Ryder will perform during the first intermission.
Ryder stated,
“he cannot wait to return to the beautiful chaos of it all.”
In a celebration of the city’s music, the performance will also feature Liverpool’s Sonia, who placed second in 1993, alongside Israel’s Netta and Iceland’s Daoi Freyr.
The singer of Spaceman stated that it was an honor to be invited back to the Eurovision stage.
Sam Ryder added that he was excited to see “the incredible artists perform this time around, in addition to delivering a special performance of our own.”
Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra won the 2022 competition, but the country’s ongoing civil war necessitated that the 2023 competition be relocated to the United Kingdom, where they placed second due to Ryder’s performance.
The reigning champions, who will open the show, stated that while they were “sad” that the contest would not be conducted in Ukraine, they were “really grateful” to the United Kingdom for hosting the contest in Ukraine’s place and “excited to perform in Liverpool.”
A spokesman for the band stated,
“The city has a world-renowned musical history, and we’re thrilled to finally be able to announce what an honor it will be for us to perform there.”
“We will perform for everyone in Ukraine to remind us that better days and our nation’s victory are on the horizon, as well as to demonstrate to the world why Ukraine is fighting.”
Several of Ukraine’s previous acts, including Ukraine’s 2021 representatives Go_A, 2016 winner Jamala, and 2006 and 2007 participants Tina Karol and Verka Serduchka, will also perform during the grand final.
The BBC stated that they would perform during the Eurovision Flag Parade of the 26 grand finalists and would give the audience a “fresh take on their Eurovision entries interwoven with British classics.”
In the evening’s concluding intermission, six former Eurovision acts will perform their own renditions of several classic hits by Liverpool’s most popular bands.
Local favorite Sonia will perform 30 years after her rendition of Better The Devil You Know landed her in second place.
She will be accompanied by Netta and Freyr, as well as Mahmood, Cornelia Jakobsson, and Duncan Laurence from Italy, Sweden, and the Netherlands, respectively.
Prior to this year’s semi-finals, the broadcaster announced that Rita Ora and Rebecca Ferguson would be among the performers performing during the breaks.
The first semi-final will take place on 8 May, followed by the second on 11 May, and the final on 13 May.
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