Wonderful Song Contest 44

Wonderful Song Contest 44 will be the forty-forth edition of the Wonderful Song Contest. The contest took place in Moscow after the Russian victory in the 43rd edition. A total of 50 countries competed in Wonderful Song Contest 43. The 43rd edition was win by and their song "Lyubov'-Karusel'" by Yaseniya, which got a total of 368 points. The top 6 from the last edition, , , ,  and  are directly qualified to the final, while the other competing countries are split into two semi-finals. ,, , , and  are withdrawing from this edition, while , , ,  and  have returned and  have debuted. The Semi Final allocation draw took place on 10 July 2020 at the WBU headquarters in Prague, where the other competing countries were split into two semi finals. The running order was announced on 12 July 2020.

Information


On 5 July 2020 it was announced that Moscow will serve as the host city of the Wonderful Song Contest 44.

Host City
Moscow (/ˈmɒskoʊ/, /ˈmɒskaʊ/; Russian: Москва, tr. Moskva, IPA: [mɐˈskva] (listen)) is the capital and most populous city of Russia, standing on the Moskva River in the central part of Western Russia, Moscow's population is estimated at 12.6 million residents within the city proper, with over 17 million residents in the urban area, and over 20 million residents in the Moscow Metropolitan Area. The city limits cover an area of 2,511 square kilometres (970 sq mi), while the metropolitan area covers over 26,000 square kilometres (10,000 sq mi), Moscow is among the world's largest cities, being the most populous city entirely within Europe, the most populous urban area in Europe, the most populous metropolitan area in Europe, and also the largest city (by area) on the European continent.

Originally established in 1147 as a minor town, Moscow grew to become a prosperous and powerful city that served as the capital of the Grand Duchy that bears its namesake. When the Grand Duchy of Moscow evolved into the Tsardom of Russia, Moscow still remained as the political and economic center for most of the Tsardom's history. When the Tsardom was reformed into the Russian Empire, the capital was moved from Moscow to Saint Petersburg, diminishing the influence of the city. The capital was then moved back to Moscow following the Russian Revolution and the city was brought back as the political centre of the Russian SFSR and the Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union dissolved, Moscow remained as the capital city of the contemporary and newly-established Russian Federation. As the northernmost and coldest megacity in the world, and with a history that dates over eight centuries, Moscow is governed as a federal city that serves as the political, economic, cultural, and scientific centre of Russia and Eastern Europe. As an alpha global city, Moscow has one of the world's largest urban economies, and is one of the most expensive cities in the world, and is also one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world. Moscow is home to the third-highest number of billionaires of any city in the world, and has the highest number of billionaires of any city in Europe. The Moscow International Business Center is one of largest financial centres of Europe and the world, and features some of Europe's tallest skyscrapers. Moscow is also home to the tallest free-standing structure in Europe, the Ostankino Tower, and was one of the host cities of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

As the cultural centre of Russia, Moscow served as the home of Russian artists, scientists, and sports figures due to the presence of its numerous museums, academic and political institutions and theatres. The city is home to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and is well known for its architecture and its display of Russian architecture, particularly its historic buildings such as the Saint Basil's Cathedral, the Red Square, and the Moscow Kremlin, of which the latter serves as the seat of power of the Government of Russia. Moscow is home to many Russian companies in numerous industries, such as finance and technology. Moscow is served by a comprehensive transit network, which includes four international airports, nine railway terminals, a tram system, a monorail system, and most notably the Moscow Metro, the busiest metro system in Europe, and one of the largest rapid transit systems in the world. With over 40 percent of its territory covered by greenery, it is one of the greenest cities in Europe and the world.

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 5 July 2020 it was announced that Egor Kreed will be host of Wonderful Song Contest 44.

Egor Bulatkin was born on June 25, 1994 in Penza. His father, Nikolai Bulatkin, works at a company which produces nuts while his older sister, Polina Faith, is a singer and actress, who lives and works in the United States. To pursue his career, he moved to Moscow.

After high school he enrolled at the Academy of Music Gnesinon producer faculty. Egor developed a liking for music since his childhood and wanted to become a singer since the age of 11, when he heard 50 Cent's song "Candy Shop".

From the persuasion of his friends, Egor posted his first song titled "Lyubov v seti" on YouTube in July 2011. The video brought incredible success and huge recognition to Egor from all across Russia, racking up millions of views.

In March 2012, Egor won the "Star Vkontakte – Channel Five" in the category "Best Hip Hop Project". He was the chosen winner from among 1000 other competitors. Egor registered more than twenty thousand votes and was invited to perform at Saint Petersburg's BKZ "October's", where he performed "Vdokhnovenie" (Inspiration).

After gaining millions of views from the release of a cover version of "Ne skhodi s uma" (Don't Be Mad) which was originally performed by Timati. Timati's record label, Black Star Inc. starting to watch the progress of the young artist.

In April 2012, Egor signed under the label "Black Star Inc." Egor's debut under the record label company was the song "Starletka" (Starlet) which was recorded in the spring of 2012. The music video included popular Russian actress and model, Miroslava Karpovich, from the Russian TV series "Daddy's Daughters" (Papiny Dochki). Egor appeared at such major venues of the capital: "Olympic", "Luzhniki", "OCE", "Poklonaya Gora" and others, he also performed in events such as Hip-Hop Unite, May First, City Youth, ELLO Festival and Euro 2012. In April 2015 Egor released an album titled "Holostyak" (The Bachelor).

As of 2018, Egor has recorded about 60 songs, among them are "Nado li", "Zavedi moi puls", "Samaya Samaya", "Nevesta", "Rasstoyaniya", "Starletka", "Tolko ty" and "You're my galaxy".

On October 9, 2014, Egor released his biggest hit "Samaya Samaya", which was a huge difference from his previous material moving into a more pop genre. It reached number one in Russian charts and earned over twenty million views on YouTube. In April 2015, Egor released the song "Nevesta", featuring Anastasia Mikhailyuta and directed by Aleksey Kupriyanov.

On the night of 20 on June 21, 2018 Timati and Egor Kreed held an unauthorized mass event in Moscow on Bolshaya Dmitrovka by staging an impromptu performance right on the roof of the car, which caused blocking of traffic on the street. This action was devoted to the opening of the Timati's beauty salon. The next day, lawyer Alexander Khaminsky filed an application to initiate cases on this incident in the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tver and the Moscow State Traffic Safety Inspectorate. The court in this case was appointed on August 1, 2018.

First Semifinal
All countries in this edition have to vote in first semifinal. Deadline to vote is Thursday 23rd July 2020 at 15:00 CEST.

Second Semifinal
All countries in this edition have to vote in second semifinal. Deadline to vote is Thursday 30th July 2020 at 15:00 CEST.