Wonderful Song Contest 58

Wonderful Song Contest 58 was the fifty-eight edition of the Wonderful Song Contest.The contest took place in Nicosia after the Cypriot victory in the 57th edition. A total of 56 countries competed in Wonderful Song Contest 58. The 57th edition was win by and her song "Mucho Calor" by Stefania, which got a total of 242 points.Prequalified countries for this edition are:, , ,  ,  and. They are directly qualified to the final, while the other competing countries are split into two semifinals. , and have withdrew from the contest due to coronavirus problems and,  and  have returned back to the contest. have won this edition with song "TBA" by TBA with TBApoints. Prequalified countries for next edition are:, , , , and.

Information


On 28 May 2021 it was announced that Melbourne will serve as the host city of the Wonderful Song Contest 56.

Host City
Nicosia (/ˌnɪkəˈsiːə/ NIK-ə-SEE-ə; Greek: Λευκωσία, romanized: Lefkosía [lefkoˈsi.a]; Turkish: Lefkoşa [lefˈkoʃa]; Armenian: Նիկոսիա, romanized: Nikosia; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaoria plain, on the banks of the River Pedieos.

According to Greek mythology, Nicosia (Lefkosia in Greek) was a siren, one of the daughters of Acheloos and Melpomene and its name translates as "White State" or city of White Gods.

Nicosia is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capitals. It has been continuously inhabited for over 4,500 years and has been the capital of Cyprus since the 10th century. The Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities of Nicosia segregated into the south and north of the city respectively in early 1964, following the fighting of the Cyprus crisis of 1963–64 that broke out in the city. This separation became a militarised border between the Republic of Cyprus and Northern Cyprus after Turkey invaded the island of Cyprus in 1974, occupying the north of the island, including northern Nicosia. Today North Nicosia is the capital of Northern Cyprus, a state recognized only by Turkey, that is considered to be occupied Cypriot territory by the international community.

Apart from its legislative and administrative functions, Nicosia has established itself as the island's financial capital and its main international business centre. In 2018, Nicosia was the 32nd richest city in the world in relative purchasing power. Nicosia has been in continuous habitation since the beginning of the Bronze Age 2500 years BC, when the first inhabitants settled in the fertile plain of Mesaoria. Nicosia later became a city-state known as Ledra or Ledrae, one of the twelve kingdoms of ancient Cyprus built by Achaeans after the end of the Trojan War.[citation needed] Remains of old Ledra today can be found in the Ayia Paraskevi hill in the south east of the city. Only one king of Ledra is known: Onasagoras. The kingdom of Ledra was destroyed early. Under Assyrian rule of Cyprus, Onasagoras was recorded as paying tribute to Esarhaddon of Assyria in 672 BC. By 330 BC, Ledra was recorded to be a small unimportant town. It is thought that the settlement was economically and politically dependent on the nearby town of Chytri. The main activity of the town inhabitants was farming. During this era, Ledra did not have the huge growth that the other Cypriot coastal towns had, which was primarily based on trade. In Byzantine times, the town was also referred to as Λευκωσία (Lefkosia) or as Καλληνίκησις (Kallenikesis). In the 4th century AD, the town became the seat of bishopric, with bishop Saint Tryphillius (Trifillios), a student of Saint Spyridon. Archaeological evidence indicates that the town regained much of its earlier significance in the early Christian period, and the presence of two or three basilicas with opus sectile decorations, along with marbles decorated with high relief indicate the presence of a relatively prosperous and sophisticated Christian society.

After the destruction of Salamis, the existing capital of Cyprus, by Arab raids in 647, along with extensive damage to other coastal settlements, the economy of the island became much more inward-looking and inland towns gained relative significance. Nicosia benefited from this and functioned as an outlet of the agricultural products from its hinterland, the Mesaoria plain. It further was at an advantageous position due to its ample water supply. As such, the town developed enough for the Byzantine Empire to choose Nicosia as the capital of the island around 965, when Cyprus rejoined the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantines moved the island's administration seat to Nicosia primarily for security reasons as coastal towns were often suffering from raids. From that point on it has remained as the capital of Cyprus. Nicosia was the seat of the Byzantine governor of Cyprus; the last Byzantine governor was Isaac Komnenos, who declared himself emperor of the island and ruled the island from 1183 to 1191. Testimony as late as 1211 indicates that Nicosia was not a walled city at that point and thus that the Byzantines did not build a city wall, thinking that the city's inland location would be sufficient for defense purposes. The Byzantines did, however, build a relatively weak fort within the city. The economy under Byzantine rule consisted mostly of the trading of agricultural goods, but the town also produced luxury items and metalware due to the presence of the imperial administration. Nicosia came under the rule of the United Kingdom on 5 July 1878 in consequence of the Cyprus Convention[why?]. The old Ottoman administrative headquarters (the Saray) was replaced in 1904 by a new building containing Law Courts, the Land Registry, and the Forestry, Customs, and Nicosia Commissioner's Offices. Adjacent was the Nicosia Police headquarters, while opposite were the General Post Office and the Telegraph Office. A Venetian Column, previously in a fenced courtyard near the Saray, was restored on a new site in the summer of 1915 in the middle of Saray Square. The Nicosia column was presumably erected in compliment to the reigning Doge Francesco Donati about the year 1550.

Just after the British Occupation a Municipal Council was constituted in Nicosia in 1882 for the general administration of public affairs within the city and for a certain area without the walls, under the presidency of a Mayor. The first municipal offices were in Municipality Square (now the central municipal market), but in 1944 the offices were transferred temporarily to the d'Avila bastion and in 1952 this was made permanent with a decision to renovate the building.

Extensions to the Nicosia municipal area

View of Nicosia in 1914

In 1923 the municipal limits were extended further (see map) and this new area was divided among several of the existing intramural Neighbourhoods. In 1938 the boundary was extended to the present limits in the west and to the boundaries of Ayii Omoloyites, Palouriotissa, Kaimakli and Omorfita. In 1944 the village authority of Ayii Omoloyites was absorbed, then, shortly after independence, Palouriotissa, Kaimakli and Omorfita were annexed to the city in 1968.

In 1955 an armed struggle against British rule began aiming to unite the island with Greece, Enosis. The struggle was led by EOKA, a Greek Cypriot nationalist military resistance organisation, and supported by the vast majority of Greek Cypriots. The unification with Greece failed and instead the independence of Cyprus was declared in 1960. During the period of the struggle, Nicosia was the scene of violent protests against British rule.

Bidding phase
Only one main venue was announced as possible venue for the competition to be held. It has a capacity of 20,000 and several big concerts and sport events take place here.
 * The host city had to be near a major airport.
 * The venue must be available for at least six weeks before the contest and one week after the conclusion of the contest
 * The venue must not be open-air, but an air-conditioned building with a capacity of at least 10,000 and a minimum ceiling height of 15 metres (49 ft), insulated for sound and light.
 * The green room must be located as close to the arena as possible (or within it), with a capacity of 300.

Presenter
On 28 May 2021 it was announced that Cyrus Villanueva will be presenter of the Wonderful Song Contest 55.

Meraki - A Greek word that means doing something with love, passion and soul – This exact philosophy is what Evangelia is guided by. The 27-year-old singer and songwriter grew up between Crete and New Jersey; two completely different musical worlds. It’s only fitting that her groundbreaking music combines danceable pop influences with Mediterranean traditional sounds. This powerful and confident woman represents one of the most fascinating must-watch talents of the year.

As a young girl growing up, Evangelia commuted between her grandmother’s small farm on the Greek island of Crete and her parents’ home in New Jersey on the American East Coast. During her summer holidays in Crete, she learned to appreciate the simple life on the idyllic rural farm surrounded by her family’s animals. Together with her grandmother, she would cook traditional recipes with vegetables from the local garden and dance to typical folk music in the rustic beach tavernas situated in the nearby beach town. In New Jersey, Evangelia discovered her love for pop music and began to write her songs. Later on, she worked as a primary school teacher during the day, while at night she worked on her tracks in various recording studios in New York City - slowly but surely building up her reputation as one of the most exciting newcomers in the New York City music scene. “It almost felt like a double life in a Hollywood movie” laughs Evangelia. “I’m also a Gemini, by star sign; I have two different hearts beating inside of me.”

These two hearts are also found in Evangelia’s distinctive signature sound. An Evangelia song blends modern pop music with instruments from her Greek roots, contemporary club beats and catchy melodies. By fusing American pop culture with traditional Greek elements, Evangelia honors her ancestors while also creating a legacy of her own. Her art connects to people through a message of being confidently in love with yourself, with someone else, and with what is most important to you. Evangelia inspires us all to live life with passion.

“To this day I have a strong bond with my Greek roots”, Evangelia continues. “I still visit my relatives regularly, and even back home in the States, Greek is spoken almost exclusively. My father planned US cultural activities and Greek musicians would stay with us on their American tours. These traditional instruments sound as familiar to my ears as a Drake or Rihanna song. Blending these sounds has felt really natural.”

Evangelia created this unique sound while falling in love with songwriter/producer Stolar (Aloe Blacc, G-Eazy, Demi Lovato). Although they avoided working together at the beginning of their relationship, their creative energy was undeniable and became a core inspiration for the music. “It’s honestly like a movie, I can’t believe I get to make music and build a world with someone I truly love.” The two currently live in both New York City and Los Angeles.

Evangelia’s creative process is deeply personal, filled with passion and obsessively detail oriented. “The ideas for my songs come to me at any time or place actually”, she explains, “I sing or write them into my phone and later take them with me to our songwriting sessions. Stolar and I then talk about my ideas, write the melodies, lyrics and start to build out a track that fits the song. After that we explore every combination of sounds we can until the song FEELS true to what it means. We only develop the songs and sounds that feel real and authentic.”

With her debut single, ‘Páme Páme, Evangelia brings us the sound of the summer. ‘Páme Páme’, translates to ‘let’s go, let’s go’. ”The lyrics are about being in the moment, living life to the fullest and unwaveringly following your path,” she explains. Páme Páme is a true empowerment anthem and Evangelia captured it perfectly in a mesmerizing music video, shot both on her grandmother’s farm and in her hometown where she threw a party for all of the locals. All that remains is to say: Páme Páme, Evangelia!

Provisitation list of Participants

 * Countries are in Prequalification Round next edition
 * Countries qualified to the grand final or semifinal
 * Country have won current edition
 * Country have finished on second place current edition
 * Country have finished on third place current edition
 * Country have finished on last place current editions final
 * Country have been disqualified from current editions final or semifinal
 * Country have in the final qualified to the semifinals or final

Prequalification Round
All countries, that participate in Prequalification Round have to vote in. Other country can also vote. The deadline to vote in Prequalification Round is 4th September 2021 at 15:00 CEST.
 * Recap of the Prequalification Round
 * Spotify Prequalification Round Playlist
 * Results of the Prequalification Round

All Songs
All countries had to present their songs until 4th July 2021 at 20:00 CEST, sadly in the last moment decided, that they will withdraw from current edition. Countries were as always diveded into 6 sneak peeks. In Sneak Peeks 1, 2, 4, 6 are 9 songs, while in Sneak Peeks 3 & 5 are only 8 songs.
 * Official Spotify Playlist of All Songs
 * Youtube Recap - Sneak Peek #01
 * Youtube Recap - Sneak Peek #02
 * Youtube Recap - Sneak Peek #03
 * Youtube Recap - Sneak Peek #04
 * Youtube Recap - Sneak Peek #05
 * Youtube Recap - Sneak Peek #06