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Hello Europe, Tel Aviv calling: the acts that could shine in this year's Eurovision Song Contest

Bondage, zero-gravity opera and lots of sequins — this year's contest will not disappoint fans

May 16, 2019 10:00
Australia's Kate Miller-Heidke performs 'Zero Gravity' during the first Eurovision Song Contest semi-final
3 min read

More than 200 million viewers are expected to watch Saturday’s grand finale of the Eurovision Song Contest hosted by four Israeli presenters, including supermodel Bar Rafaeli.

Barring a spectacular upset in Thursday's semi-final, The Netherlands’s Duncan Laurence, a brooding 25-year old singer from Spijkenisse, is the clear favourite.

His song Arcade has a haunting introduction but simple staging, seeing Laurence sitting at his piano bathed in blue light, has helped the bookmakers tip a Dutch win.

But he faces a challenge from Sweden’s John Lundvik, who has established himself as a second favourite with Too Late For Love, a song he wrote himself, and Sweden has been praised for choosing international, multi-racial vocalists to front its entry.