Blanca Paloma, Vicco, Karmento and José Otero complete the list of finalists for Benidorm Fest 2023

Blanca Paloma (167 points), Vicco (135), Karmento (112) and José Otero (105) are the four artists who complete the list of eight finalists for Benidorm Fest 2023. They will meet this Saturday at a gala that will be broadcast live La 1 (22.05) along with Agoney, Alice Wonder, Fusa Nocta and Megara, classified last Tuesday, for winning the Alicante contest and representing Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest this May in Liverpool.

In the semifinal this Thursday, according to the official order of performances, Famous with

, José Otero with

, Karmento with

, Rakky Ripper with

, Blanca Paloma with

, E'FEMME with

, Siderland with

Alfred with

and Vicco with

.

The singer Vicco during her performance in the second semifinal of the Benidorm Fest 2023. Morell (EFE)

It has been a gala marked by some great voices and many well-crafted stagings, conceived as a television show rather than concert material.

After the results of the voting, the Lorca

of Blanca Paloma

It is postulated as one of the main proposals to compete for the final prize this Saturday against Agoney's

, great winner of the first semifinal.

A relevant piece of information for this final: the committee of experts has awarded Blanca Paloma six more points (92) than she gave Agoney (86) on Tuesday.

As happened with the canary, Blanca Paloma has been the only artist from her semifinal to be chosen among the two favorites of the three types of voting at Benidorm Fest.

The evaluation of the professional jury is worth 50% in this edition in the three galas.

The other half falls on the public vote, although in this case it is divided into two: 25% corresponds to the demoscopic jury —a statistical selection of 350 people representing the Spanish population— and 25% depends on televoting, that is, of the messages and phone calls made by viewers of the live galas.

The folklore of Karmento from La Mancha has sounded with 'Quiero y duelo'. RTVE

References to Mocedades and Duncan Laurence

This second semifinal, again presented by the singer Mónica Naranjo, Rodrigo Vázquez (

) and Inés Hernand (

), this time began around 10:30 p.m., several minutes earlier than what was announced by RTVE.

He has done it with Miguel Poveda paying homage to Eurovision with a version of one of the most international hits in the history of Spanish music,

de Mocedades.

The theme came in second place in the European song contest in 1973.

José Otero has insisted on the red and black fashion, not that of Stendhal, but that of Chanel's

last year.

Agoney and Famous have also resorted to that same racial chromatic duo in this edition.

Otero's powerful ballad is reminiscent of

by Duncan Laurence, Eurovision winner in 2019. He himself acknowledged in a later meeting with the media that his vocal performance was not top 10, but that he was satisfied that emotion had prevailed over technique and having thus reached the jury better, who has supported him the most in the voting.

More information

The second semifinal of the Benidorm Fest 2023, in pictures

Karmento, a kind of Björk from La Mancha due to her white dress and her strong artistic personality, has incorporated an emotional tribute to her roots in her decoration.

And in her case, she has especially convinced the popular vote.

Her mother, Mercedes, celebrated her birthday by going to the Alicante venue to support her.

Since the one she has seen her daughter qualify for the final.

José Otero has defended the ballad 'Winters on Mars' at the Benidorm Fest 2023.RTVE

Blanca Paloma, the only participant of the first Benidorm Fest who repeats as a candidate in this second edition —she was then in fifth position with

—, has aroused as much fervor among the public of the Palau d'Esports l'Illa de Benidorm as it has made hours before among the specialized press during the dress rehearsal.

Her proposal

de ella has transferred Lorca's feeling to the stage with an intense corps de ballet and an equally powerful set design, a field to which the singer has dedicated herself until a few years ago.

A circular curtain made with the fringes of a shawl belonging to her deceased grandmother Carmen, from whom she inherited her taste for flamenco, has wrapped her and her team in her live performance.

And the fourth classified of the night, Vicco, started as one of the favorites of this semifinal with

as hers was the most played song on platforms and social networks.

Its theme, sticky like chewing gum and close to Aitana's radio formula sound universe, has maintained its strength live even without great fanfare in its staging.

In short, the triumph of Blanca Paloma opens again the possibilities at the end of this Benidorm Fest 2023 of which not everything has been said.

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