The Eurovision Song Contest will be taking place for the 66th time this year, with the final set for May 14. While the British entry is high among the list of favourites, there are also some other strong contenders to be aware of.
How Good a Chance Does the UK Have?
The British song has a good chance of winning the event, with the latest Eurovision odds 2022 from Paddy Power putting it at 11/2. This makes it the third favourite to win, behind Ukraine and Italy, and ahead of other strong contenders for the title like Sweden and Spain.
Part of the appeal of the UK’s song is that it comes from social media star Sam Ryder. The Essex-born singer has promised to bring positive energy to the stage and breathe in all the good moments. He recorded an album in Nashville back in 2016 that was never released but found fame with the cover versions he put on social media.
Sam co-wrote his Eurovision entry, which is called Space Man. It’s already gained a lot of fans across the continent, thanks to the online streaming release and also his Europe-wide tour that has introduced the song to many new fans.
Who Does He Have to Beat?
If Sam Ryder is to win the Eurovision contest this year, he’ll have to finish ahead of the 39 other singers taking part. However, as the UK is one of the contest’s Big Five nations, his song goes straight into the final stage with 24 other competitors.
Italy won the last Eurovision with Zitti e buoni by Måneskin, and we’ll be seeing a fresh performance of that rock song during this year’s event. However, Italian hopes this year rest with Mahmood and Blanco, who will be performing their song Brividi as they attempt to give the host their fourth win in history.
The Swedish entry is another song to look out for, with Hold Me Closer by Cornelia Jakobs chosen to represent the Scandinavian country this time around. With six wins to their name so far, the Swedes are behind only Ireland in the all-time winners’ list.
As for Ireland, their hopes of extending their lead at the top of the Eurovision league table are pinned on their singer named Brooke Scullion, who will be performing That’s Rich. This song was selected mainly thanks to the support shown on the public televote, as the judges in the studio during Eurosong 2022 put it in fifth place out of six entries.
What Else Can We Expect?
The Italian organisers have been working hard to get the stage ready for this massive event, which will be held in Turin’s PalaOlimpico venue. The semi-finals will take place on May 10 and 12, with the final set for May 14.
This looks like being a fantastic version of the Eurovision Song Contest, with the British song up against stiff competition but definitely in with a chance of giving the UK another memorable victory.
