Our Favourite Eurovision Acts So Far for 2023

There will be 37 acts participating in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. These acts will be whittled down to a total of 26 for the Grand Final on Saturday, May 13. This includes the previous contest’s winner, Ukraine, the Big Five of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, and the 20 qualifying acts from the two semi-finals.

With the artists and songs already having been announced, several ESC 2023 favourites have risen to the surface. Acts like the returning Loreen representing Sweden with her song “Tattoo” and the outrageous Finnish entry from Käärijä entitled “Cha Cha Cha”, will dazzle fans on the Eurovision stage. The 2023 edition of Eurovision features the lowest number of participating countries since 2014, with Bulgaria, Montenegro and North Macedonia not competing due to financial reasons. This will also mark the first contest where the Czech Republic competes under its shortened English name of Czechia.

Which Eurovision Song Is Most Popular Amongst Fans?

Sweden is set to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest with returning favourite Loreen. Her song progressed through the Swedish Melodifestivalen, which is held every year to determine the country’s Eurovision entry. The final of that competition took place at the Friend Arena in Stockholm and saw 12 acts battle it out to represent Sweden at the ESC in Liverpool.

Loreen’s song “Tattoo” beat out second-place finisher “Air” by Marcus & Martinus with 177 points. Upon the song’s release and Loreen’s performance of it, it became an instant hit with Eurovision fans. Many are predicting that she will claim a second victory in this year’s Grand Final.

Sweden’s Performance in Past Years

Sweden has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest a total of 61 times, with the country’s debut coming in 1958. Its first of six Eurovision wins came in 1974 when ABBA performed “Waterloo”. That went on to become one of the biggest hits for the band, catapulting them into superstardom around the world.

Since then, Sweden has often placed at the top end of the Eurovision leaderboard. Other winners for the country include Herreys in 1984 with “Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley”, Carola in 1991 with “Fångad av en stormvind”, and Charlotte Nilsson in 1999 with “Take Me to Your Heaven”. More recent victories came in 2012 from Loreen, and 2015, when Måns Zelmerlöw performed “Heroes”. Sweden is one of only two countries to win twice since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004, with the other being last year’s winner, Ukraine.

Loreen’s entry in 2012 with her song “Euphoria” saw her achieve success across Europe for Sweden. It received the highest number of maximum points of any entry in the contest’s history, thanks to 18 countries giving the song top marks. It peaked at number one in 16 countries across the continent – the most chart-topping positions of any Eurovision winner.

Other Top Favourite Eurovision Acts

While Loreen stands out as being a fan-favourite at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, there are other standout acts. Several entries are expected to progress through the semi-final stage with ease and have been marked as ESC 2023 favourites. Find out more about these additional favourites below.

Finland – Käärijä “Cha Cha Cha”

Käärijä is a Finnish rapper, singer and songwriter who released his debut album Fantastista in 2020. After competing in Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2023 alonside six other participants, his song “Cha Cha Cha” became the entry for Finland. He has described German act Rammstein as a major influence on his style.

“Cha Cha Cha” brings together elements from various music genres, giving it a unique standing in the competition. Käärijä will participate in the first semi-final on May 9 as the final act of the show. His entertaining staging and the song’s performance have made it a firm fan favourite.

Ukraine – Tvorchi “Heart of Steel”

Tvorchi is an electronic music duo from Ternopil, a city in the western part of Ukraine. Formed in 2018 by Andrii Hutsuliak and Jimoh Augustus Kehinde, the pair have released four studio albums so far. Kehinde, originally from Nigeria, met with Hutsuliak while studying at the Ternopil National Medical University.

It was in December of 2022 that Tvorchi entered Vidbir 2023, winning the competition with the song “Heart of Steel”. This gave them the position of representing Ukraine at this year’s ESC in Liverpool. The song warns about the dangers of nuclear warfare, and it was inspired by the Ukrainian army’s defence of the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works during the siege of Mariupol by the Russian army.

Norway – Alessandra “Queen of Kings”

Norwegian-Italian singer Alessandra is best-known for competing in the seventh season of The Voice – Norges beste stemme in 2022. She made it through the blind auditions, the battles and the knockouts, but was eliminated in the first live show after performing “One Night Only”. She then entered Melodi Grand Prix 2023 with her entry “Queen of Kings”.

Alessandra went on to win the competition and will now represent Norway at Eurovision 2023. She will perform as the first act in the first semi-final, and as one of the ESC 2023 favourites, she is expected to advance to the Grand Final.

Israel – Noa Kirel “Unicorn”

In Israel, Noa Kirel is one of the most popular artists. She has won at the MTV Europe Music Awards for best Israeli act between 2017 and 2022 and has released many songs starting in 2015. It was announced on July 11, 2022 that she would represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, having been chosen internally by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation.

Her entry “Unicorn” is to be performed in semi-final 1 on May 9, and she will sing in ninth position. The track is an up-tempo pop song, chosen from a pool of four different options.

Spain – Blanca Paloma “Eaea”

Born and raised in Elche, Blanca Paloma graduated from Miguel Hernández University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She first participated in Benidorm Fest in 2022 to try and represent Spain at Eurovision but finished fifth in the final. Her song “Eaea” successfully won the hearts of the Spanish people and will represent the country at this year’s event.

The song represents a chant to her late grandmother, according to Eurovision fansite Wiwibloggs. It is also said to feature a celebration of power and strength coming from female ancestors. Spain automatically qualifies for the Grand Final of the event, being one of the Big 5 countries.

Some of the Other Fan Favourite Acts

There are several other ESC 2023 favourites that stand out in this year’s competition, too. Australia’s “Promise” by Voyager brings a cool slice of progressive rock to the event. Meanwhile, Austria’s Teya and Salena will perform the catchy “Who the Hell Is Edgar?”, referencing Edgar Allan Poe throughout.

The Netherlands is hoping to return to the top of the leaderboard after Duncan Laurence won for the country in 2019. He is one of the songwriters on this year’s entry from Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper, “Burning Daylight”, which is another fan favourite.

Top Bookies Offering Eurovision Song Contest Odds 2023

Now that we have summarised the essential Eurovision 2023 details, let us now look at this year's Eurovision odds. However, we must emphasize that neither of the Eurovision semi-finals has taken place at the time of writing, so betting odds for every country participating in these semi-finals are presently available. It is entirely up to you to decide which country to support.

Bookie	Outright Winner	Odds for Top 4 Acts
BetUK	Sweden 4/6	Sweden 1/25 Finland 1/18 Norway 17/20 France 10/11
10Bet	Sweden 8/13	Sweden 1/25 Finland 3/19 Norway13/17 France 9/10
BetVictor	Sweden 8/11	Sweden 1/33 Finland 1/8 Norway 4/6 France 5/6

Happy Watching the Eurovision Song Contest

It’s already time to get yourself prepared for betting on the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. The first semi final takes place on Tuesday, May 9 and the second one will be occurring on Thursday, May 11. The final 26 acts will then compete in the Grand Final on Saturday, May 13.

Make sure you’re ready to cheer your favourite on, and who knows where next year’s contest will take place? One thing is for sure – there are many ESC 2023 favourites to select from, and the contest is sure to provide heaps of entertainment from the Liverpool Arena.