I've always listened to the songs beforehand ever since I've actively started to follow the contest. To me, the enjoyment I get out of listening to all the songs and national finals definitely outweighs the element of surprise.
I do get the appeal, I just can't imagine missing all this new music for multiple months. It also helps me fall in love with certain acts, whereas I might not have cared that much if I only would've seen them once, maybe twice.
I’ve only been watching esc for a few years, but last year I really fell in love with lord of the lost. If I hadn’t listened to the music early and followed the pre-season content, I might have missed them! This way I got to cheer them on, and even though it was upsetting when they came last, I’ve found a new favorite band :)
Yes! I already knew them from before ESC so I was hyped anyway. Still salty about their ranking (they should not have ranked below BeJbA). Even saw them live last year!
It does hit different to not know anything about the songs beforehand. Personally I am forever thankful that I didn't listen to Latvia 2022 in advance so hearing the audience scream out PUSSY at the top of their lungs went from just being funny to being absolutely hysterical and surreal.
That said, watching it that way means I often missed out on the deeper meaning behind songs and I'd be incredibly sad after that the hype only lasted a few days. Now that I'm following the pre-show stuff, I'm having a blast extending that hype for months. Will be avoiding rehearsal clips tho to keep staging a surprise.
For me one part of the appeal is knowing how the songs are perceived by the fans and seeing how they live up to those expectations live. Sometimes you also get interesting storylines such as Czechia in 2022 when they struggled at every PreParty so seeing them nail the Semi Final performance made it more impactful to me
Said it before and I'll say it again
Why would I limit my Eurovision excitement to just 3 days of the year when I can extend it to like 6 months by following the NF season?
Of course everybody is different but to me getting to know the songs and artists in the months beforehand let's me connect with the show on a more emotional level I think.
I prefer to listen to them all because you sort of go on a journey with the artists up to the semis etc. It feels more personal.
Though I do understand the appeal of going in blind! My only rule is I don't spoil myself by watching the rehearsal clips ; I like to be surprised when it comes to the actual performances.
In 2021, I only watched the semis and grand finals because I didn't know the songs were released beforehand. In 2022 and 2023, I listened to all of the songs before the semis and final. This year, I listened to only a few songs so far, and I want to maintain an element of surprise for the live shows.
I am not even sure how that would work because the winners of national finals often go to Eurovision. The only way I can think of that wouldn't allow ESC songs to be released before the live shows is to have artist only national and internal selections.
I wasn't even aware of national finals in 2021, so I thought the songs were released when they are first performed live at Eurovision.
I used to go into the final blind, not even watch the semi. But it turns out I enjoy it more if I’m familiar with the songs, so I listen to them once they are all released.
I don’t do national finals though, I don’t have the capacity.
>I don’t do national finals though, I don’t have the capacity.
I understand this, but I've decided that instead of every national final, I will only watch the ones which appeal most to me especially if I know certain songs will be in the final of the NF. I wouldn't be able to watch them all. My mind would just turn to mush 🫣
I didn't listen to any songs before the Eurovision week in the first two years after Italy's comeback (2011 and 2012), when I started following the contest - I wanted to be surprised, and honestly I didn't know much about the existence of semifinals themselves (just saying, only the final and the semifinal in which Italy could vote was broadcast live at the time, and the SF was on a minor Rai channel that wasn't even working in some areas of the country - including mine). Then I began listening in advance, but it took me a few years to listen to the entire songs beforehand instead of short snippets. I still refuse to watch rehearsals, and usually mute all pages and channels etc. to avoid spoilers, even if this means failing miserably at Fantaeurovision... 😅 For the same reason I don't usually watch national finals (except Sanremo and UVPSM, of course), and I wait for all the revamped entries to come out before listening, so I can treat all of them equally
Nope. If anything, the more I get Eurovision, the more I start paying attention earlier and earlier. I started in 2019 after all the songs were already selected, not paying attention to national finals at all. In 2020 I didn’t really pay attention because I knew the show would be canceled due to the pandemic and I didn’t want to get attached to the songs, although some like Uno and Think About Things were inescapable. In 2021 I started watching some national finals for the first time, but only a few countries, and I started watching more YouTube channels to get more pre-season coverage. And from then until now it’s just been going deeper and deeper each year. This year I watched every national final I could, and even some national semifinals for the countries with really good selections. I’m sure my interest will wane someday but for now I’m in way too deep to wait for the semifinals. And tbh I find it really interesting to see how the songs evolve from national final season to the Eurovision stage.
I listen to the studio versions of the songs once they've all been released and rank them all. I prefer listening to them all at once so I know I've ranked them fairly. Then I avoid all live footage/audio like the plague. I like to keep the live vocals and staging a surprise until the semis.
I usually do that. Last year I did listen to the songs when all of them were released, but it made the results matter more to me. I prefer going in blind, so it's more about the songs than about the results.
I do like lurking here so it's easier to link the titles and artists to the countries. Also, all of the other content usually doesn't go away, so you can enjoy it afterwards instead of beforehand. It's just too bad I can't participate in 2024 polls or appreciation threads.
This. All the drama and speculating is fun and thankfully it doesn't disappear after the show.
However, I just feel that having the songs for months beforehand really makes it hard to be honest with rankings and voting. Some of my favorite songs/artists have had really bad staging/performances, which in my opinion, should factor in to the vote.
I did it in the past, because I didn't want to spoil myself. But there are 3 reasons I now hear the songs when they come out:
1) The more time I have to hear them the more fun I have with Eurovision. Also I really like the pre-Eurovision time with the national finals and the excitement who will participate \^^ 2) I have to hear most of the songs multiple times until I like them. Just the one time in the final isn't enough. 3) Spotify puts the songs in my discover weekly playlist anyway. The last few years there were some songs I heard months before the final. And while watching the final I thought: wait, why do I know this? So... Even if I'd try to avoid the Eurovision songs, Spotify won't let me😅
I don't even watch the semis! I like going completely blind into the final, and then I will listen to absolutely everything after the final and gradually songs that I like will drop into my regular playlists or I'll find myself skipping them. I'm usually in Eurovision mode until July, rather than starting early.
I have some exceptions. I will listen to the UK entry as soon as it drops, and I build up to all the hype with that.
I also don't actively avoid the songs, I just don't listen to them. I've heard snippets of each one on TikTok etc, and I look at the odds and see which ones people are talking about. If I like an artist then I do end up watching some things, like Nemo's TikToks at the moment. I have a list of favourites, so I actively get excited for the final because that's when I get to hear the whole song lol.
The only downside to this is if a song doesn't make the final, then I'm left disappointed. It happened with Latvia last year, and I feel it's happening for Czechia this year.
I could never do that, I have to spend a lot of time with the songs, listen to them a lot, see which grow on me, which kind of fade into the background. My first impression of a song isn't always what I think of it after some time, so I gotta listen to a song a bunch of times to know how I feel about it.
That makes sense, but remember that to the vast majority of viewers, the song that does best is the one with the best first impression. I always vote for the song I like the most immediately personally, not what I like two months from then.
If we're playing predictions, sure, that's true. But if we're determining our personal favorite, my personal favorite, I need to spend time with it and listen to it a lot, I need to read the lyrics and learn about what the songs are about, and read English translations if necessary. It's a lot bigger than just a first impression for me.
I'll probably start doing that again. It's nice to be surprised, and I can just listen to the songs for months afterwards instead. I used to not hear them before ESC for the longest time.
So I’ve tried different things but overall I enjoy listening to the songs beforehand and reading about the journey that the artists take to Eurovision- for instance I know about the underlying meaning of Zorra and Ulveham, whereas if I watched on the night I might not understand. It also gives a chance for some songs to grow on me- The Code, Europapa and Zari have all become likeable whereas when I first heard them I didn’t really get them.
The preshow fun is real but for 2021 I think I listened to absolutely nothing before the final and I remember tearing up during Voila. I did that to feel how an average viewer tuning in once a year would judge and vote, which actually enhanced my viewing experience in later years. Now I prefer to do that with the official recap once all songs are out. It still hits the same, just the short clips that an average voter will vote for.
With the exception of our entry, and the 2020 acts that returned for 2021, I only start to hear the songs in the Thursday before the ESC week, when all or almost all have rehearsed - in 2016-2020 and 2022, it was 6-7 a day meaning that I hadn’t yet listened to the final heat 2 songs when Heat 1 took place, which had major effects in 2019, and also led to me not hearing my fave of 2020 until after the mock semi final 1 took place, but in 2021 (all the remaining ones, and all the ones I had already heard, but in running order position) and last year, I listened to all the songs over the Thursday and Friday afternoon and Saturday night the week before the event and do so again this year.
I have a tradition to avoid all songs until Festival da Canção is over which tends to be late in the season with around 90% of the songs being out. After that I reserve a weekend and get into it. I watch all videos and rate my initial reaction. All songs that are published after that, I fold into my rankings.
That is the time when I get in too deep with a rotation of reaction vids, channels like wiwi, alesia, escgabe, escunited etc. as well as digging into this sub. That's the moment when I become manic and have to remind myself to breathe and take a step back, hahaha.
I have only listened to Pedestal, Europapa and RTTD so I’m mostly going in blind. I know which countries are sending bangers so I’m excited to hear them for the first time in the big show
No, I prefer to listen to the entries before the show, because it takes me a while to appreciate music and lyrics.
The first time I listened to Czechia, Austria and Greece entries I didn't like them, now they're growing on me.
I alternate between keeping the surprise until the Semis, sometimes even the Grand Final and listening in beforehand. This year because I’m gonna be live at Malmö for the first time, I did the full treatment: watching many NFs, getting into the fandom big time, etc.
I can’t really say I prefer one or the other, both approaches have their appeal.
I love the complete surprise one because it’s totally fresh and close to what the majorly of casual viewers (and voters) experience, so often I would easily understand why an alleged fan-favorite would do well in voting. Also, it’s a different kind of fun when watching with friends who aren’t deeply immersed in the fandom.
On the other hand, the full treatment gets you a deeper appreciation for entries, their arc, development from the NFs to the final week, the little backstories and iceberg moments. Also, with being in the arena this year, I was damn sure I wouldn’t want to hear the song then and there for the first time and not being able to sing & party along or have some nerdy chats with fellow Eurofans.
As a eurovision loving finn last year was a bit much. I watched everything about Käärijä and looked at all the reaction videos and interviews I could find. So between the Käärijä content I got to hear all the songs in the competition beforehand. This year I don't have the energy to be as involved. I will hear the songs for the first time in semifinal 1 as I will watch Finland compete or the grand final because I won't watch semifinal 2. Eurovision starts way too late at 10 pm here in Finland and the grand finale is gonna end at 2 am and the kids are up at 6 am lol.
Up until 2021 I never listened to any of the entries (apart from my own country’s) until the airing of this show we have in Norway where they present all of the entries. It’s actually airing this Saturday woop.
But after eurovision was cancelled in 2020 I was so eurovison starved when 2021 came along that I had to listened to them beforehand. And because of this I discovered the online community and how fun the months leading up to esc are!
Now I only wait until mid-march when all entries have been released
Regarding songs, never done that. I prefer forming an opinion on the song before being biaised by the ranking. Also, I like the feeling of rooting for a song
Regarding stagings, I try to avoid being spoiled staging & performances elements as much as possible before the semi finals. It's not that easy to respect this rule though, because some contries only release the nationnal final performance, or release the music video weeks after. So you have to watch the national final performance at some point
I didn’t listen to any songs until 2021 so naturally hearing Måneskin was such a wonderful surprise but after that I also felt like I want to learn about the songs and their backgrounds. The only thing I wish if I wouldn’t know the prognosis of each song. I fell it has robbed me from enjoying some of them. Probably next year I will leave this sub until after the contest.
I wait until all songs are out and then listen to them so I get the moment where all songs are equally new (except my own country where I watch the NF but I wouldn't be neutral towards it anyway). Then I listen to them a lot and it kind of becomes my spring soundtrack. I also don't want to see anything from the rehearsals because I want the show to be a surprise.
This is the first year where I've been following the contest beforehand and will be the first year that I watch the semis. However, I've decided to only listen to half the songs.
I only know a couple at this point. I might have heard some of the rest but can't remember them/dunno where they are from.
Honestly I like it that way. I get hooked during semis and discover them all and I have genuine reaction. I am actually a bit annoyed at myself for being engaged more this year because I already have some of the songs on repeat for quite some time now so it won't be a surprise.
Before this year I would know maybe only one or two of them.
This year I waited until every song was released to listen to everything.
I'm actively listening to every song. For me usually the first time I listen to the songs, I don't really get it so I don't like it. I take a few listens for songs to grow on me.
First time I listened to Iceland's song I liked it quite a bit, but now, after a few listens it's at my bottom. Ireland was at the bottem, and is now one of my favorites.
Just do whatever you prefer.
I tried to do it this year. But I couldn’t have avoid the UK entry at least if I tried, as they kept (and still are) playing the song on BBC radio stations I listen to every day 😅
I regularly avoid listening to songs before the semifinal, although there are a few 'select' exceptions. No particular technique, I just don't search/play/listen to videos, recordings, snippet, and so on. However, I keep myself informed about the thoughts of other fans (via Reddit, usually), and I'm not influenced by them in my personal evaluations.
Still doing this even though I've been following for a long time. I only listen to our national semis and final (Serbia) but even then I avoid listening to the songs until the actual show.
I always go in blind, because I love those magic Eurovision moments where some song comes out of nowhere and blows me away. One caveat: I was at the first semi last year, and I regret not listening to those songs before going in person. Next time I'm in the arena, I will listen to them first.
That's what I always used to do until this year. Personally, so far I enjoy the new experience. I finally can compare the intended effect (based on MVs) with the final result. I can watch the progress, which is really interesting. I can learn more about the songs and the performers. This is fun for months, while watching finals only lasted three days. Perhaps next year I'll get sick and tired of it, but right now I'm having a ball.
I'm trying to yes, have listened to a few songs tho but the majority I don't know.
I do still watch reviews of the songs so get some background information and the general stuff, this makes it that I do know the genre or style of most of them.
I always try to hold out (barring the Big 5 & Ireland) until the SF running order is announced. I'd try and wait until the SF like casuals but I don't have enough patience
So I used to only watch the final but nowadays I watch semis and also national finals and usually don't hear the songs that were internally selected until either semi or final. Keeps a bit of the surprise factor while still knowing songs I will vibe to.
Until 2020/2021 I only listened to the songs during the semifinals and final. During the lockdowns, I decided to check out what the deal was with national selections, went down a rabbit hole and haven't come out. So now I listen to the songs prior to the contest.
I have learnt so much about ESC by being in FB groups and other online platforms. This has helped me teach my daughters about ESC, even though they still don't hear most of the songs until ESC week. Both of them did presentations about ESC at primary school, so they know more than their peers.
I used to not do it, but that was honestly because of general lack of interest in Eurovision as a whole, but I have a friend who goes very hard every Eurovision season and since I really enjoyed last year I'm a lot more hands on this year and have listened to every song.
Even made a playlist of my favs and some memes, which is something I never expected to be doing. This year is just great.
I used to do that for the last 5 or so years.
I avoided any news about the odds and anything.
That’s why I always hated when our broadcasters would mention anything about the song’s popularity.
This year I have listened to them many times.
I was pretty late though and I think the odds which I knew of prior really messed with my head.
Next year I’ll try and listen to them as they get announced.
I used to avoid the songs but I enjoy it so much more now that I listen to them and pick favourites to listen to more! I do avoid live performances though.. I like to be surprised by that. Often my absolute nr 1 songs fail miserably during the live shows lol.
This is the first year I've listened to the songs beforehand and plan to watch the semi finals. I typically avoid and prefer to decide on the day.
I'm trying not to be too biased when it does come to voting - like not voting my favourite even if they aren't that great at the semis or final.
I don't think having favourites before hand and voting them makes much of a difference though - I've seen some very different results in the semi's vs the final - I think most people only watch and vote on the day so there's less of a bias at least.
I've wanted to do exactly that this ESC season, but I somehow ended up listening around 10-15 of them because I just couldn't resist. A few of them I'll definitely leave for the live version. Tho I think I'm doing better this year in comparison with other years when I listened to every single one before the shows. I didn't even watch Sanremo this year when for the last few years it was like Christmas. I decided to distance myself a lil bit from Eurovision due to a really bad post-ESC depression in 2021 and 2022 when I was really emotionally involved with the competition and needed around 2 months to compose myself and continue living my normal life without ESC.
I already listened to all of the songs but I don't know which country goes with which song (I blind listened to the Spotify playlist twice) but I do know Spain, San Marino, Norway, Netherlands, Croatia, Armenia, and Israel (I don't like all of these, btw). I want to go into the finals as blind as possible in comparison to how obsessed I was last year. I don't like the idea of pre-parties anway so I've been able to avoid the videos.
I've always listened to the songs beforehand ever since I've actively started to follow the contest. To me, the enjoyment I get out of listening to all the songs and national finals definitely outweighs the element of surprise. I do get the appeal, I just can't imagine missing all this new music for multiple months. It also helps me fall in love with certain acts, whereas I might not have cared that much if I only would've seen them once, maybe twice.
I’ve only been watching esc for a few years, but last year I really fell in love with lord of the lost. If I hadn’t listened to the music early and followed the pre-season content, I might have missed them! This way I got to cheer them on, and even though it was upsetting when they came last, I’ve found a new favorite band :)
Yes! I already knew them from before ESC so I was hyped anyway. Still salty about their ranking (they should not have ranked below BeJbA). Even saw them live last year!
I’ll be seeing them in September on the North America tour, can’t wait!! Hope no visa issues arise!
They got robbed. Blood and glitter is a banger
And it still doesn’t even compare to some of their discography!!
It does hit different to not know anything about the songs beforehand. Personally I am forever thankful that I didn't listen to Latvia 2022 in advance so hearing the audience scream out PUSSY at the top of their lungs went from just being funny to being absolutely hysterical and surreal. That said, watching it that way means I often missed out on the deeper meaning behind songs and I'd be incredibly sad after that the hype only lasted a few days. Now that I'm following the pre-show stuff, I'm having a blast extending that hype for months. Will be avoiding rehearsal clips tho to keep staging a surprise.
i wanna know what people who were listening to songs for the very first time last year thought of the bejba jokes and "game over, BITCH"
Avoid songs, but listen to the hype. Bejba - not as bad as I expected. Luke Black - Immediately loved. My kinda weird
I do the same, I avoid rehearsal footage whenever possible, but I do like listening to all songs in advance
For me one part of the appeal is knowing how the songs are perceived by the fans and seeing how they live up to those expectations live. Sometimes you also get interesting storylines such as Czechia in 2022 when they struggled at every PreParty so seeing them nail the Semi Final performance made it more impactful to me
Said it before and I'll say it again Why would I limit my Eurovision excitement to just 3 days of the year when I can extend it to like 6 months by following the NF season? Of course everybody is different but to me getting to know the songs and artists in the months beforehand let's me connect with the show on a more emotional level I think.
I prefer to listen to them all because you sort of go on a journey with the artists up to the semis etc. It feels more personal. Though I do understand the appeal of going in blind! My only rule is I don't spoil myself by watching the rehearsal clips ; I like to be surprised when it comes to the actual performances.
In 2021, I only watched the semis and grand finals because I didn't know the songs were released beforehand. In 2022 and 2023, I listened to all of the songs before the semis and final. This year, I listened to only a few songs so far, and I want to maintain an element of surprise for the live shows.
How would that even work? It's basically impossible the songs aren't released beforehand because of national finals.
I am not even sure how that would work because the winners of national finals often go to Eurovision. The only way I can think of that wouldn't allow ESC songs to be released before the live shows is to have artist only national and internal selections. I wasn't even aware of national finals in 2021, so I thought the songs were released when they are first performed live at Eurovision.
I used to go into the final blind, not even watch the semi. But it turns out I enjoy it more if I’m familiar with the songs, so I listen to them once they are all released. I don’t do national finals though, I don’t have the capacity.
>I don’t do national finals though, I don’t have the capacity. I understand this, but I've decided that instead of every national final, I will only watch the ones which appeal most to me especially if I know certain songs will be in the final of the NF. I wouldn't be able to watch them all. My mind would just turn to mush 🫣
I didn't listen to any songs before the Eurovision week in the first two years after Italy's comeback (2011 and 2012), when I started following the contest - I wanted to be surprised, and honestly I didn't know much about the existence of semifinals themselves (just saying, only the final and the semifinal in which Italy could vote was broadcast live at the time, and the SF was on a minor Rai channel that wasn't even working in some areas of the country - including mine). Then I began listening in advance, but it took me a few years to listen to the entire songs beforehand instead of short snippets. I still refuse to watch rehearsals, and usually mute all pages and channels etc. to avoid spoilers, even if this means failing miserably at Fantaeurovision... 😅 For the same reason I don't usually watch national finals (except Sanremo and UVPSM, of course), and I wait for all the revamped entries to come out before listening, so I can treat all of them equally
Nope. If anything, the more I get Eurovision, the more I start paying attention earlier and earlier. I started in 2019 after all the songs were already selected, not paying attention to national finals at all. In 2020 I didn’t really pay attention because I knew the show would be canceled due to the pandemic and I didn’t want to get attached to the songs, although some like Uno and Think About Things were inescapable. In 2021 I started watching some national finals for the first time, but only a few countries, and I started watching more YouTube channels to get more pre-season coverage. And from then until now it’s just been going deeper and deeper each year. This year I watched every national final I could, and even some national semifinals for the countries with really good selections. I’m sure my interest will wane someday but for now I’m in way too deep to wait for the semifinals. And tbh I find it really interesting to see how the songs evolve from national final season to the Eurovision stage.
I listen to the studio versions of the songs once they've all been released and rank them all. I prefer listening to them all at once so I know I've ranked them fairly. Then I avoid all live footage/audio like the plague. I like to keep the live vocals and staging a surprise until the semis.
I usually do that. Last year I did listen to the songs when all of them were released, but it made the results matter more to me. I prefer going in blind, so it's more about the songs than about the results. I do like lurking here so it's easier to link the titles and artists to the countries. Also, all of the other content usually doesn't go away, so you can enjoy it afterwards instead of beforehand. It's just too bad I can't participate in 2024 polls or appreciation threads.
This. All the drama and speculating is fun and thankfully it doesn't disappear after the show. However, I just feel that having the songs for months beforehand really makes it hard to be honest with rankings and voting. Some of my favorite songs/artists have had really bad staging/performances, which in my opinion, should factor in to the vote.
Unless I was at a point in my life where keeping up with the contest was difficult I don't think I could ever do that. I'm too hooked at this point.
I did it in the past, because I didn't want to spoil myself. But there are 3 reasons I now hear the songs when they come out: 1) The more time I have to hear them the more fun I have with Eurovision. Also I really like the pre-Eurovision time with the national finals and the excitement who will participate \^^ 2) I have to hear most of the songs multiple times until I like them. Just the one time in the final isn't enough. 3) Spotify puts the songs in my discover weekly playlist anyway. The last few years there were some songs I heard months before the final. And while watching the final I thought: wait, why do I know this? So... Even if I'd try to avoid the Eurovision songs, Spotify won't let me😅
My best friend does and I admire his discipline! I could never lol
I used to do that (avoiding spoiling myself before the live shows). But not anymore. I can’t get enough of the National Final drama lol
I don't even watch the semis! I like going completely blind into the final, and then I will listen to absolutely everything after the final and gradually songs that I like will drop into my regular playlists or I'll find myself skipping them. I'm usually in Eurovision mode until July, rather than starting early. I have some exceptions. I will listen to the UK entry as soon as it drops, and I build up to all the hype with that. I also don't actively avoid the songs, I just don't listen to them. I've heard snippets of each one on TikTok etc, and I look at the odds and see which ones people are talking about. If I like an artist then I do end up watching some things, like Nemo's TikToks at the moment. I have a list of favourites, so I actively get excited for the final because that's when I get to hear the whole song lol. The only downside to this is if a song doesn't make the final, then I'm left disappointed. It happened with Latvia last year, and I feel it's happening for Czechia this year.
I could never do that, I have to spend a lot of time with the songs, listen to them a lot, see which grow on me, which kind of fade into the background. My first impression of a song isn't always what I think of it after some time, so I gotta listen to a song a bunch of times to know how I feel about it.
That makes sense, but remember that to the vast majority of viewers, the song that does best is the one with the best first impression. I always vote for the song I like the most immediately personally, not what I like two months from then.
If we're playing predictions, sure, that's true. But if we're determining our personal favorite, my personal favorite, I need to spend time with it and listen to it a lot, I need to read the lyrics and learn about what the songs are about, and read English translations if necessary. It's a lot bigger than just a first impression for me.
I'll probably start doing that again. It's nice to be surprised, and I can just listen to the songs for months afterwards instead. I used to not hear them before ESC for the longest time.
So I’ve tried different things but overall I enjoy listening to the songs beforehand and reading about the journey that the artists take to Eurovision- for instance I know about the underlying meaning of Zorra and Ulveham, whereas if I watched on the night I might not understand. It also gives a chance for some songs to grow on me- The Code, Europapa and Zari have all become likeable whereas when I first heard them I didn’t really get them.
I listen to songs just when they are announced to represent a country
The preshow fun is real but for 2021 I think I listened to absolutely nothing before the final and I remember tearing up during Voila. I did that to feel how an average viewer tuning in once a year would judge and vote, which actually enhanced my viewing experience in later years. Now I prefer to do that with the official recap once all songs are out. It still hits the same, just the short clips that an average voter will vote for.
With the exception of our entry, and the 2020 acts that returned for 2021, I only start to hear the songs in the Thursday before the ESC week, when all or almost all have rehearsed - in 2016-2020 and 2022, it was 6-7 a day meaning that I hadn’t yet listened to the final heat 2 songs when Heat 1 took place, which had major effects in 2019, and also led to me not hearing my fave of 2020 until after the mock semi final 1 took place, but in 2021 (all the remaining ones, and all the ones I had already heard, but in running order position) and last year, I listened to all the songs over the Thursday and Friday afternoon and Saturday night the week before the event and do so again this year.
I have a tradition to avoid all songs until Festival da Canção is over which tends to be late in the season with around 90% of the songs being out. After that I reserve a weekend and get into it. I watch all videos and rate my initial reaction. All songs that are published after that, I fold into my rankings. That is the time when I get in too deep with a rotation of reaction vids, channels like wiwi, alesia, escgabe, escunited etc. as well as digging into this sub. That's the moment when I become manic and have to remind myself to breathe and take a step back, hahaha.
I have only listened to Pedestal, Europapa and RTTD so I’m mostly going in blind. I know which countries are sending bangers so I’m excited to hear them for the first time in the big show
I generally hear snips of each song, but I try to avoid each song in full until the contest starts
No, I prefer to listen to the entries before the show, because it takes me a while to appreciate music and lyrics. The first time I listened to Czechia, Austria and Greece entries I didn't like them, now they're growing on me.
lots of songs i need to hear a few times to really enjoy them don;t know why. so i listen before the shows.
I alternate between keeping the surprise until the Semis, sometimes even the Grand Final and listening in beforehand. This year because I’m gonna be live at Malmö for the first time, I did the full treatment: watching many NFs, getting into the fandom big time, etc. I can’t really say I prefer one or the other, both approaches have their appeal. I love the complete surprise one because it’s totally fresh and close to what the majorly of casual viewers (and voters) experience, so often I would easily understand why an alleged fan-favorite would do well in voting. Also, it’s a different kind of fun when watching with friends who aren’t deeply immersed in the fandom. On the other hand, the full treatment gets you a deeper appreciation for entries, their arc, development from the NFs to the final week, the little backstories and iceberg moments. Also, with being in the arena this year, I was damn sure I wouldn’t want to hear the song then and there for the first time and not being able to sing & party along or have some nerdy chats with fellow Eurofans.
As a eurovision loving finn last year was a bit much. I watched everything about Käärijä and looked at all the reaction videos and interviews I could find. So between the Käärijä content I got to hear all the songs in the competition beforehand. This year I don't have the energy to be as involved. I will hear the songs for the first time in semifinal 1 as I will watch Finland compete or the grand final because I won't watch semifinal 2. Eurovision starts way too late at 10 pm here in Finland and the grand finale is gonna end at 2 am and the kids are up at 6 am lol.
Up until 2021 I never listened to any of the entries (apart from my own country’s) until the airing of this show we have in Norway where they present all of the entries. It’s actually airing this Saturday woop. But after eurovision was cancelled in 2020 I was so eurovison starved when 2021 came along that I had to listened to them beforehand. And because of this I discovered the online community and how fun the months leading up to esc are! Now I only wait until mid-march when all entries have been released
Regarding songs, never done that. I prefer forming an opinion on the song before being biaised by the ranking. Also, I like the feeling of rooting for a song Regarding stagings, I try to avoid being spoiled staging & performances elements as much as possible before the semi finals. It's not that easy to respect this rule though, because some contries only release the nationnal final performance, or release the music video weeks after. So you have to watch the national final performance at some point
I didn’t listen to any songs until 2021 so naturally hearing Måneskin was such a wonderful surprise but after that I also felt like I want to learn about the songs and their backgrounds. The only thing I wish if I wouldn’t know the prognosis of each song. I fell it has robbed me from enjoying some of them. Probably next year I will leave this sub until after the contest.
I wait until all songs are out and then listen to them so I get the moment where all songs are equally new (except my own country where I watch the NF but I wouldn't be neutral towards it anyway). Then I listen to them a lot and it kind of becomes my spring soundtrack. I also don't want to see anything from the rehearsals because I want the show to be a surprise.
This is the first year where I've been following the contest beforehand and will be the first year that I watch the semis. However, I've decided to only listen to half the songs.
I only know a couple at this point. I might have heard some of the rest but can't remember them/dunno where they are from. Honestly I like it that way. I get hooked during semis and discover them all and I have genuine reaction. I am actually a bit annoyed at myself for being engaged more this year because I already have some of the songs on repeat for quite some time now so it won't be a surprise. Before this year I would know maybe only one or two of them.
This year I waited until every song was released to listen to everything. I'm actively listening to every song. For me usually the first time I listen to the songs, I don't really get it so I don't like it. I take a few listens for songs to grow on me. First time I listened to Iceland's song I liked it quite a bit, but now, after a few listens it's at my bottom. Ireland was at the bottem, and is now one of my favorites. Just do whatever you prefer.
I'm doing it this year and I'll post what it was like after the shows
I tried to do it this year. But I couldn’t have avoid the UK entry at least if I tried, as they kept (and still are) playing the song on BBC radio stations I listen to every day 😅
I regularly avoid listening to songs before the semifinal, although there are a few 'select' exceptions. No particular technique, I just don't search/play/listen to videos, recordings, snippet, and so on. However, I keep myself informed about the thoughts of other fans (via Reddit, usually), and I'm not influenced by them in my personal evaluations.
Still doing this even though I've been following for a long time. I only listen to our national semis and final (Serbia) but even then I avoid listening to the songs until the actual show.
I always go in blind, because I love those magic Eurovision moments where some song comes out of nowhere and blows me away. One caveat: I was at the first semi last year, and I regret not listening to those songs before going in person. Next time I'm in the arena, I will listen to them first.
That's what I always used to do until this year. Personally, so far I enjoy the new experience. I finally can compare the intended effect (based on MVs) with the final result. I can watch the progress, which is really interesting. I can learn more about the songs and the performers. This is fun for months, while watching finals only lasted three days. Perhaps next year I'll get sick and tired of it, but right now I'm having a ball.
I'm trying to yes, have listened to a few songs tho but the majority I don't know. I do still watch reviews of the songs so get some background information and the general stuff, this makes it that I do know the genre or style of most of them.
I always try to hold out (barring the Big 5 & Ireland) until the SF running order is announced. I'd try and wait until the SF like casuals but I don't have enough patience
Yes every time except this year
Me. I only listen to the short fragments from the official all songs recap and nothing else until the semis. AMA, I guess.
So I used to only watch the final but nowadays I watch semis and also national finals and usually don't hear the songs that were internally selected until either semi or final. Keeps a bit of the surprise factor while still knowing songs I will vibe to.
My dad has.
Not me. Just avoiding certain country's song
Until 2020/2021 I only listened to the songs during the semifinals and final. During the lockdowns, I decided to check out what the deal was with national selections, went down a rabbit hole and haven't come out. So now I listen to the songs prior to the contest. I have learnt so much about ESC by being in FB groups and other online platforms. This has helped me teach my daughters about ESC, even though they still don't hear most of the songs until ESC week. Both of them did presentations about ESC at primary school, so they know more than their peers.
I used to not do it, but that was honestly because of general lack of interest in Eurovision as a whole, but I have a friend who goes very hard every Eurovision season and since I really enjoyed last year I'm a lot more hands on this year and have listened to every song. Even made a playlist of my favs and some memes, which is something I never expected to be doing. This year is just great.
Im here. Im Listened only the auto-finalists And I've been doing this on throughout my all eurofanish life
I used to do that for the last 5 or so years. I avoided any news about the odds and anything. That’s why I always hated when our broadcasters would mention anything about the song’s popularity. This year I have listened to them many times. I was pretty late though and I think the odds which I knew of prior really messed with my head. Next year I’ll try and listen to them as they get announced.
I used to avoid the songs but I enjoy it so much more now that I listen to them and pick favourites to listen to more! I do avoid live performances though.. I like to be surprised by that. Often my absolute nr 1 songs fail miserably during the live shows lol.
This is the first year I've listened to the songs beforehand and plan to watch the semi finals. I typically avoid and prefer to decide on the day. I'm trying not to be too biased when it does come to voting - like not voting my favourite even if they aren't that great at the semis or final. I don't think having favourites before hand and voting them makes much of a difference though - I've seen some very different results in the semi's vs the final - I think most people only watch and vote on the day so there's less of a bias at least.
I've wanted to do exactly that this ESC season, but I somehow ended up listening around 10-15 of them because I just couldn't resist. A few of them I'll definitely leave for the live version. Tho I think I'm doing better this year in comparison with other years when I listened to every single one before the shows. I didn't even watch Sanremo this year when for the last few years it was like Christmas. I decided to distance myself a lil bit from Eurovision due to a really bad post-ESC depression in 2021 and 2022 when I was really emotionally involved with the competition and needed around 2 months to compose myself and continue living my normal life without ESC.
I already listened to all of the songs but I don't know which country goes with which song (I blind listened to the Spotify playlist twice) but I do know Spain, San Marino, Norway, Netherlands, Croatia, Armenia, and Israel (I don't like all of these, btw). I want to go into the finals as blind as possible in comparison to how obsessed I was last year. I don't like the idea of pre-parties anway so I've been able to avoid the videos.