It is official: Canada is becoming a member of the Eurovision Music Contest.
Final week, the North American nation grew to become a full member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which owns and operates the competitors, after being elected on the EBU common meeting in Prague.
The transfer makes them eligible to participate within the annual singing competitors and it was confirmed right this moment that the nation intends to participate subsequent yr.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reportedly raised the concept of becoming a member of Eurovision in his 2025 funds. It’s unclear whether or not Carney, who lived in the UK for a number of years when he was governor of the Financial institution of England, is a fan of Eurovision, however he’s apparently in search of nearer financial and political ties with Europe.
The nation extra usually is loopy about competitions. Regardless of not with the ability to take part on this yr’s competitors in Vienna, Canada proved to be one of the vital enthusiastic voting teams, putting within the high three nations within the “remainder of the world” vote, whereas Canadians had been additionally among the many largest group of ticket consumers outdoors of Europe for the semi-final and grand remaining in Europe.
And despite the fact that it wasn’t eligible till now, the nation has fielded numerous candidates over Eurovision’s seven many years. Celine Dion notably gained one of many closest races in Eurovision historical past, beating the UK by a single level, when she represented Switzerland in 1988.
The primary Canadian to enter the competitors was Sherisse Laurence, who had represented Luxembourg two years earlier, in 1986, and completed third.
The nation will reveal the way it plans to pick out its first official candidate later this yr.
Celine Dion wins the 1988 Eurovision Music Contest after representing Switzerland
Canada is just not the primary non-European nation to hitch the competitors; Each Australia and Israel are common contributors, with the previous becoming a member of in 2015 and the latter in 1973.
Each got here near successful first place this yr earlier than shedding to Bulgaria’s Dara: Israeli Noam Bettan completed in second place whereas Australian Delta Goodrem got here fourth. (Italy rounds out the highest 5 with Sal Da Vinci.) 5 nations withdrew from final yr’s competitors to protest Israel’s participation: Spain, the Netherlands, Eire, Iceland and Slovenia.
Eurovision final yr celebrated its seventieth anniversary after its launch in 1956. The singing competitors, which this yr reached 131 million individuals throughout 35 tv markets, has launched into a interval of enlargement lately. If an American model on NBC did not take off in 2022, an Asian spin-off ought to happen in Thailand in November.
A Broadway present primarily based on Will Ferrell’s 2020 movie “Eurovision Music Contest: The Story of Fireplace” can also be within the works.