Who will win the ESC 2023?
An expert for the Eurovision Song Contest expects a duel - and guesses where Germany will line up.
Liverpool/Vienna – The music event of the year is getting closer: the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will take place in Liverpool on May 13. Last year, 161 million people watched on the TV screens.
Fans around the world will be rooting for the event again this year.
Who will succeed the Ukrainian Kalush Orchestra?
How does the German contribution to the Hamburg Lord of the Lost fare?
In Austria, too, the contributions are already running up and down.
That's where Mario Hanousek sits, who blogs about the ESC at marioliebtesc.com and on Instagram and Twitter and followed the competition for IPPEN.MEDIA in Turin last year.
Around two weeks before the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, our editors asked him: who will win?
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Lord Of The Lost are representing Germany.
© Marc John/Imago
ESC 2023: Favorites come from Sweden and Finland
His expectations are in line with the betting odds, because the entries from Sweden and Finland are right up there.
"The ESC 2023 amounts to a duel," said ESC specialist Hanousek.
“This year will probably be decided between Sweden and Finland, who wins the song contest.
Sweden is starting with Loreen, with a mystical, emotional electropop number ('Tattoo') the Swede wants to win the ESC for the second time (in 2012 she won the competition with the song 'Euphoria'). ."
ESC 2023: Loreen wants to win for Sweden for the second time
But not everything runs smoothly for the Swede either, as Hanousek noticed: “The stage performance was perfectly staged in the Swedish preliminary round, but her appearance in Liverpool should be different because the hall on site cannot carry its almost two-tonne LED surface .
The new staging could be the biggest hurdle on the way to a double victory for the Swede.”
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Loreen wants to win the ESC for Sweden a second time.
© Christine Olsson/TT/Imago
Loreen's toughest competition comes – that's what the bookmakers say and Hanousek says so too – from Finland: “In addition, Finland can also be dangerous for her with its 'Cha Cha Cha'!
What sounds like boring Latin American dance is a wild mixture of metal, rap and pop and invites you to sing along and sing along.
In addition, singer Käärijä brings the perfect mix of quirky and freaky that is needed for really good ESC performances.”
ESC 2023: Expert sees black for Germany and Lord of the Lost
And what about Lord Of The Lost?
Will there be another German fiasco like last year?
Exciting: Since Hanousek is Austrian, no "German glasses" should be expected in his assessment.
And the ESC specialist sees rather black.
"Finland is probably also Germany's biggest problem this year: The focus for the best metal song is on the Northern Lights, there isn't much room left for Germany's 'Blood & Glitter' from the band Lord of the Lost." Incidentally, an upgrade on the plane for a long nap.
Hanousek even ventures a forecast of where Germany will line up: "Even if you have to say that Germany is daring a lot more than usual this year, it will probably only be enough for a place in the (lower) midfield - attention deserves this year other countries.” At least the German contribution can be sure of a little royal support, says Hanousek.
"Maybe King Charles III Germany will keep his fingers crossed, after all, during his visit to the Federal Republic a few weeks ago, he got to know the band personally." But now Charles and Camilla have promptly made an ESC glitch.
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Rubric list image: © Marc John/Imago
