Eurovision Song Contest 2021

The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 was the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's win at the with the song "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The Netherlands was set to host the , before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcasters (NPO), (NOS) and AVROTROS, the contest was held at Rotterdam Ahoy, and consisted of two semi-finals on 18 and 20 May, and a final on 22 May 2021. The three live shows were presented by Dutch television presenters and singers Chantal Janzen, Edsilia Rombley and Jan Smit, and Dutch YouTube personality and makeup-artist Nikkie de Jager.

Thirty-nine countries participated in the contest, of which twenty-six re-entered the artists chosen for 2020 (albeit with different songs, as per the contest's rules). and returned after their absence from the 2019 contest, while and did not return after their participation in the 2019 edition. and had originally planned to participate, but Armenia withdrew due to its social and political crises following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, and Belarus was disqualified after its intended entry was found to be in violation of the contest's rules.

The winner was with the song "Zitti e buoni", performed by Måneskin and written by the band's members Damiano David, Ethan Torchio, Thomas Raggi and Victoria De Angelis. This made Italy the second member of the " Big Five" to win the contest since its establishment, following 's victory in . Måneskin's victory also made them the first band to win the contest since Lordi for in . , , and rounded out the top five, with France and Switzerland achieving their best results since and respectively. For the first time since , none of the top three entries were performed in English, with France and Switzerland performing in French, whilst the winner, Italy, performed in Italian.

Also, for the first time since the current voting system was implemented in , more than one country received no points from the televote in the final; these countries were , , the host country the , and the , the last of those becoming the first country to receive no points from both the jury and televote. It was the fifth time that the host country ranked in the bottom five since , with the Netherlands finishing 23rd in the final, as well as the second time that the United Kingdom had received no points in the contest, the last time having been in . For the first time since it made its debut in 2015, failed to qualify for the final, making Ukraine the only country that has never failed to qualify from the semi-finals since their introduction in .

The EBU reported that the contest had an audience of 183 million viewers in 36 European markets, an increase of a million viewers from the previous edition, with an increase of seven percent in the 15–24 year old age range.

Location

The 2021 contest was held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, following the country's victory at the 2019 edition with the song "Arcade", performed by Duncan Laurence. It was the fifth time that the Netherlands had hosted the contest, having previously done so in , , and . The selected venue was the 16,400-seat Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam Ahoy, a convention centre and multi-purpose indoor arena located on Ahoyweg, which serves as a venue for many events, including concerts, exhibitions, trade fairs, and conferences. Rotterdam Ahoy had previously hosted the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2007, and was set to host the 2020 contest before its cancellation. The "Turquoise Carpet" event, where the contestants and their delegations are presented before the accredited press and fans, took place at the Rotterdam Cruise Terminal on 16 May 2021.

Host city selection

By Eurovision tradition, the Netherlands received the right to host the Eurovision Song Contest after the country won the competition in 2019. The Dutch host broadcasters NPO, NOS and AVROTROS launched the bidding process in the same month, on 29 May, in which five citiesArnhem, 's-Hertogenbosch, Maastricht, Rotterdam, and Utrechtsubmitted their bid books during a ceremonial event held in Hilversum on 10 July 2019. On 16 July, Maastricht and Rotterdam were shortlisted, and after the NPO visited both cities, on 30 August 2019, Rotterdam was announced as the host city of the Eurovision Song Contest 2020.

Following the cancellation of the 2020 contest, the EBU began talks with broadcasters NPO, NOS and AVROTROS, as well as the city of Rotterdam, on the possibility of staging the 2021 contest in the city. On 23 April 2020, the municipal council of Rotterdam approved an increased budget after Dutch media reported that the city would require an additional €6.7 million to host the contest. The decision was imminent as it was required that the EBU be informed by late April if Rotterdam was willing to host the contest. If Rotterdam declined to host the event, NPO, NOS and AVROTROS had until mid-May 2020 to find an alternative. During the broadcast of '' Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light'', which aired on 16 May 2020, Rotterdam was confirmed as the host city of the 2021 contest.

Production

The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 was a co-production between three related Dutch television organisations — (NPO), (NOS) and AVROTROS — of which each assumed a different role. Sietse Bakker and Astrid Dutrénit served as executive producers, while Emilie Sickinghe and Jessica Stam served as deputy executive producers. Marnix Kaart, Marc Pos and Daniel Jelinek served as directors of the three live shows, and Gerben Bakker served as head of show. Background music for the shows was composed by Eric van Tijn.

In January 2020, the EBU announced that Martin Österdahl would become the executive supervisor for the Eurovision Song Contest after the 2020 edition, succeeding Jon Ola Sand. Before his appointment, Österdahl had been an executive producer for the and editions, and had been a member of the Eurovision Song Contest reference group between 2012 and 2018.

The total budget for the shows was , of which was left unspent after the contest, according to the municipal executive. The additional money was allocated to contingency scenarios that were eventually discarded.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

On 7 May 2020, Dutch authorities prohibited all mass gatherings in the country until a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available. The host broadcasters stated that they were assessing the decision and how it would impact the event.

On 18 September 2020, the EBU released a summary of contingency scenarios for the contest, including:
* The event being held as in previous years (Scenario A);
* The event being held with social distancing measures in place (Scenario B);
* Providing the option for acts to perform from their home country if they are unable to travel to Rotterdam (Scenario C);
* A fully-remote contest hosted from Rotterdam (Scenario D), with all acts performing from their home country, and no in-person festivities or audience in Rotterdam. This scenario was trialled during the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2020.

In February 2021, the EBU and the host broadcasters stated that it had ruled out hosting the contest as normal (Scenario A). Scenario C was also modified – all acts would perform remotely like in scenario D. A health and safety protocol for the contest was published on 2 March 2021, with the EBU affirming that the contest would be held under scenario B, while reiterating that downscaling options remained on the table should circumstances change. On 30 April 2021, the EBU confirmed scenario B for the contest.

On 1 April 2021, it was announced that an audience of 3,500 people would be allowed at each of the nine shows, including the three live shows and six rehearsals; the Dutch cabinet later gave its approval on 29 April. All audience members must have had tested negative for COVID-19.

Due to pandemic precautions, the "Turquoise Carpet" event was the only in-person side event to take place in 2021. Impacted side events included: the Opening Ceremony event, which was not held; the Eurovision Village, which took place from 15 to 23 May in an online-only form; and the EuroClub, which was cancelled for this year.

Visual design

On 18 September 2020, along with possible scenarios, the EBU confirmed that the planned visual design and slogan for 2020, "Open Up", would be used for the 2021 contest as well. The revamped official logo and branding was unveiled on 4 December 2020. Designed by Clever°Franke, it is "an abstract presentation inspired by the map of the world and visually connects the location of the capitals of the hen41 participating countries with Rotterdam as Europe's beating heart". The revamped visual identity, designed by MediaMonks and NEP, was built around patterns and 'tracks' that symbolises the Netherlands and "opening up".

Presenters

On 18 September 2020, along with possible scenarios, the EBU confirmed that the 2020 planned presenters would be appointed as presenters for the 2021 contest as well: actress and television host Chantal Janzen, singer and commentator for the contest Jan Smit, singer Edsilia Rombley, who represented the Netherlands in the and contests, and beauty vlogger Nikkie de Jager (NikkieTutorials).

In addition, De Jager and Krista Siegfrids ('s representative in the contest) were the presenters of the contest's online content. Siegfrids hosted ''Krista Calling'', a weekly YouTube series with behind-the-scenes coverage from Rotterdam, and De Jager hosted ''LookLab with NikkieTutorials'', an online talk show series featuring 38 participants with Queen Máxima as a special guest. , and moderated the contest's press conferences, while Van Plateringen and hosted the "Turquoise Carpet" event.

Stage design

During the announcement of the dates of the 2021 contest, Sietse Bakker, executive producer of the 2021 contest, stated that the planned 2020 stage design would also be used in the 2021 contest. The design was inspired by the slogan "Open Up" and the typical Dutch flat landscape. The Eurovision stage was designed by German stage designer , who also designed the stages for the contests in 2011–12, 2015, and 2017–19. Its features included a revolvable primary LED screen that is wide and high, and a retractable semi-transparent LED screen which could be used as a backdrop for the secondary stage. The stage design was complemented by augmented reality effects. Unlike the 2019 contest, the green room was placed in the main performance venue, and encompassed the entire floor space previously reserved for the standing audience, so as to facilitate social distancing.

Opening and interval acts

On 4 May 2021, the EBU released information about the opening and interval acts.

The first semi-final was opened by Duncan Laurence, performing " Feel Something", and featured singer and YouTuber Davina Michelle and actress Thekla Reuten in an interval act titled "The Power of Water", centering on the Netherlands' history of water management. Michelle performed her new single "Sweet Water" in the performance. In both acts, augmented reality was used.

The second semi-final was opened by breakdancer Redouan "Redo" Ait Chitt and singer-songwriter Eefje de Visser, with ballet dancer Ahmad Joudeh and BMX-er Dez Maarsen performing during the interval; the acts are titled "Forward Unlimited" and "Close Encounter of a Special Kind", respectively.

The final was opened by the traditional flag parade, introducing all twenty-six finalists, accompanied by a remix of "Venus" produced and performed by 16-year-old DJ Pieter Gabriel, with co-presenters Chantal Janzen, Jan Smit and Edsilia Rombley singing parts of the song. The interval acts included a medley of "Hero", "Ten Feet Tall" and "Titanium" performed by DJ Afrojack, singers Wulf and Glennis Grace, the latter of whom represented the Netherlands in the , together with an orchestra composed of young Dutch musicians; the "Rock the Roof" interval act, where six former Eurovision winners – Måns Zelmerlöw, Teach-In, Sandra Kim, Lenny Kuhr, Helena Paparizou and Lordi – performed their winning songs – "Heroes", "Ding-a-dong", "J'aime la vie", "De troubadour", "My Number One" and "Hard Rock Hallelujah" respectively – atop several venues in Rotterdam; and Duncan Laurence, who performed his winning song "Arcade" and his new single "Stars". A dance sketch titled "The Human Countdown" was then performed, which signified the closure of the voting window.

Format

Entries

For this year, delegations were given the option to use pre-recorded backing vocals. Each delegation could still choose to use backing singers, whether on or off stage, or a combination of live and recorded backing vocals. All lead vocals performing the melody of the song must still be live, according to the rules. As a measure to guarantee that all participants could take part in the contest, every national broadcaster were required to create a 'live-on-tape' backup recording prior to the contest, which could be used if a participant was unable to travel to Rotterdam, or subjected to quarantine on arrival. The recordings took place in a studio setting, in real-time (as it would be at the contest) without any edits to the vocals or any part of the performance itself after the recording. A set of production guidelines was also revealed to ensure fairness and the integrity of the recordings.

Other rules for the entries stayed the same in the 2021 contest. This includes that the maximum length for a song is three minutes, that there can be at most six performers on stage, and that the compositions (lyrics and music) must not have been commercially released before 1 September of the year before. Following the cancellation of the 2020 contest, the EBU explored the option of allowing the songs selected for the 2020 contest to compete in the 2021 contest, which needed to be discussed with the Eurovision Song Contest reference group and the national broadcasters. Victoria, Bulgaria's representative for 2020 and 2021, publicly expressed her support for such a move. However, on 20 March 2020, the reference group decided that, in accordance with the rules of the Eurovision Song Contest, the 2020 songs would not be eligible to compete in the 2021 contest.

Semi-final allocation draw

On 17 November 2020, the EBU confirmed that the semi-final allocation draw for the 2021 contest would not be held. Instead, the semi-finals would feature the same line-up of countries as determined by the draw for the 2020 contest's semi-finals, which was held on 28 January 2020 at the Rotterdam City Hall and hosted by contest presenters Chantal Janzen, Jan Smit and Edsilia Rombley. The draw also determined which semi-final each of the six automatic qualifiers – host country the Netherlands and " Big Five" countries France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom – would broadcast and vote in. The EBU also decided to maintain the Netherlands' grand final running order position – 23.

The pots used initially for the 2020 contest featured as follows:

Postcards

The "postcards" were 40-second video introductions shown on television whilst the stage was being prepared for the next contestant to perform their entry. Filmed between January and April, and directed by Martijn Nieman and Laurence Drenthe, with Kevin Soares serving as executive producer, the 2021 postcards were based on the "Open Up" theme of the contest. In a departure from the initial concept created for the 2020 contest owing to travel restriction concerns, the postcards involved the acts being presented through footage shot in their country of origin. These were inserted via chroma keying onto the framework of a 'tiny house' set-up in various locations around the Netherlands, and decorated with items personal to the artist(s). At the end of each postcard, a light streak hit the house and was refracted into a country-specific coloured streak, mimicking the prism and transitions to the stage, where the ceiling was lit up with that country's flag colours using augmented reality. The postcards were produced by Amsterdam-based agency IDTV, with additional post-production and VFX work by Antwerp-based agency STORM. The following locations were used for each participating country:

* Hoge Brug, Maastricht
* Sparta Stadion Het Kasteel, Rotterdam
* , Frisian Lakes
* Giethoorn
* Bourtange
* Agelo
* Broek op Langedijk
* 's-Hertogenbosch
* Almere
* Nijmegen
* Circuit Zandvoort
* Sibelco silver sand quarry, Heerlen
* Houtribdijk
* Port of Rotterdam
* Scheveningen
* ,
* Zeeburgereiland, Amsterdam
* Hermitage Amsterdam
* Utrecht Centraal railway station
* Arnhem
* Middelburg
* Rotterdam Centraal railway station
* Vlissingen
* Schiermonnikoog
* Ouddorp
* , Eext
* Koppelpoort, Amersfoort
* Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
* , Delft
* Leeuwarden
* Bolwoningen, 's-Hertogenbosch
* Evoluon, Eindhoven

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