Eurovision 2022: Semi-final 1 preview

The first semi-final for the Eurovision Song Contest for 2022 is almost here! It kicks off at 5:00am in Australia (AEST) on Wednesday 11 May, that is 9:00pm in Europe (CET) on Tuesday 10 May.

Here's a recap of who the entries are, how you can vote and their odds of getting through.

There are 17 entries in this semi-final and you'll find them below in the order they will appear in the show, with 10 qualifying for this weekend's Grand Final.

1 – Albania

Ronela Hajati - 'Sekret'

Odds to qualify: $1.30 (7th)

'Sekret' is best described as a "banger". The track was written by Ronela herself and is sung in Albanian and English, and combines pop elements with traditional ethnic sounds which delivers a powerful package. Ronela's path to Eurovision was through 'Festivali I Këngës' ('Festival of Song') which has been running since 1962 and has been used to choose the Eurovision act sine 2004. Since then, the track has been revamped to fit into three minutes for Eurovision, where Ronela added some English lyrics and tightened the production.

2 – Latvia

Citi Zēni Eat - 'Eat Your Salad'

Odds to qualify: $1.72 (9th)

Latvian rap-pop band Citi Zēni (which translate to Other Boys in English) was formed at a songwriting camp just outside of the Latvian capital of Riga in 2020. The band's signature is their cheeky lyrics, crazy performances and eclectic style they put into each of their projects. 'Eat Your Salad' is a high energy funk-pop number all about the need for being eco-friendly. It is 'that' (you know the one!) opening line that has caused the song to go viral.

3 – Lithuania

Monika Liu - 'Sentimentai'

Odds to qualify: $2.75 (12th)

Monika Liu is a household name in Lithuania, and is soon to release her fourth album. Monika's musical background is in jazz and she has always been drawn to retro, old-fashioned aesthetics and sounds. Sentimentai is a retro-sounding pop song sung entirely in Lithuanian, with no English lyrics for the first time since Lithuania's debut at the Contest in 1994. 'A clear favourite at the Lithuanian national final, 'Pabandom iš Naujo', Monika took out both the televote and the jury vote to win the ticket to Turin.

4 – Switzerland

Marius Bear - 'Boys Do Cry'

Odds to qualify: $2.00 (10th)

Marius Hügli, aka Marius Bear, is a 28-year-old singer-songwriter from the Appenzell Innerrhoden in Switzerland's north-east (with Australian connections!). Boys Do Cry' is a self-penned track in English, written alongside Canadian-German musician Martin Gallop. The song contains very heartfelt lyrics and Marius' smooth voice is accompanied with some paired back production to create quite an atmospheric entry. Marius and his song were internally selected to represent Switzerland this year.

5 – Slovenia

LPS - 'Disko'

Odds to qualify: $7.50 (16th)

LPS, an acronym for Last Pizza Slice, are a young band from Celje, Slovenia who formed in 2018. The band has performed in numerous festivals and concerts around Slovenia. 'Disko' is sung entirely in Slovene and the writers of the song include all five band members and Jakob Korošec. The song is best described as being a late night 70s disco style song. LPS was selected through the return of the Slovenian national section, EMA.

6 – Ukraine

Kalush Orchestra - 'Stefania'

Odds to qualify: $1.01 (1st)

Kalush Orchestra is a hip hop folk band from Kalush in Ukraine which focuses on hip hop, rap and beats. The band were the runners-up in the national final but were chosen after the original winner (Alina Pash) withdrew. The song 'Stefania' is written by the group and is an ode to Ole Psiuk's mother, whose name is Stefania. It is performed in Ukrainian, with a mix of musical genres. The chorus is traditional folk while the verses are rapped.

7 - Bulgaria

Intelligent Music Project - 'Intention'

Odds to qualify: $11.00 (17th)

Intelligent Music Project was first established in 2010 and is the brainchild of Bulgarian businessman, philanthropist and patron of the arts Dr Milan Vrabevski who also wrote and produced this song. The group is made up of a core team of musicians based in Bulgaria who have guest appearances by famous rock and metal musicians. The song ‘Intention’ is a rock anthem about positivity and self-improvement and speaks of never being too late to change the path you are on and to not let things hold you back. 'Intention was an internal selection.

8 – Netherlands

S10 - 'De Diepte'

Odds to qualify: $1.01 (4th)

S10, born Stien den Hollander, is a 21-year-old Dutch Indie singer-songwriter from Abbekerk, Netherlands. 'De Diepte', which translates to 'The Depth', tells the story of depression and mental health after a harsh breakup. S10 herself describes the song as a love letter to grief and the lyrics express the longing and pain of separation. S10 was chosen internally to represent the Netherlands at this year's Contest.

9 – Moldova

Zdob şi Zdub & Advahov Brothers - 'Trenulețul'

Odds to qualify: $1.50 (8th)

Zdob și Zdub & Advahov Brothers are a Moldovan folk punk band who has been active for 28 years. They've participated in Eurovision twice before: 2005 finishing 6th and 2011 finishing 12th. 'Trenuleţul' ('The little train') is in Romanian and English, featuring violin, accordion, electric guitar, bass and drums. The song is about a jaunty, energetic, happy train ride between the Moldovan and Romanian capital cities of Chișinău and Bucharest. The group were selected internally after the national final was called off due to COVID-19 concerns.

10 – Portugal

MARO - 'Saudade, Saudade'

Odds to qualify: $1.06 (6th)

MARO (full name Mariana Brito da Cruz Forjaz Secca) is a 27-year-old artist who recently returned to her home country of Portugal after a stint in Los Angeles. 'Saudade, Saudade' is a gentle, melancholy ballad dedicated to the memory of MARO's late grandfather. Presented in both English and Portuguese, "Saudade" has no direct translation in English, however it refers to a sort of melancholic, nostalgic longing for something in the past. MARO was chosen out of 20 artists from Portugal's annual national final, 'Festival da Canção'.

14 - Croatia Mia Dimšić - 'Guilty Pleasure'

Odds to qualify: $3.50 (14th)

Mia is a 29-year-old singer from Osijek who started writing her own music in 2014 and is influenced by pop, folk and country artists. She has had huge success in Croatia including two No.1 albums and six No.1 singles. 'Guilty Pleasure' was written by Mia during the winter while in lockdown and has mentioned the song's intention isn't about cheating in a relationship, but more about having a fantasy about someone else while you're in a relationship. Mia earned the opportunity to represent Croatia after winning the national final Dora.

12 – Denmark

REDDI – ‘The Show’

Odds to qualify: $5.00 (15th)

Reddi are new to the music scene, having only come together as little as three months before their victory at the Danish national final 'Dansk Melodi Grand Prix'. 'The Show' is perhaps most notable for its transition from piano-ballad in the first minute into guitar-driven 90s-inspired alt-rock. Reddi's Spotify biography explains the women are fans of both pop and rock, and were determined to blend together the two genres in their Eurovision entry.

1 3 – Austria

LUM!X feat. Pia Maria - 'Halo'

Odds to qualify: $2.00 (11th)

Pia Maria is a 18-year-old singer-songwriter and a relative newcomer to the international music scene. LUM!X, born Luca Michlmayr is a 19-year-old who has been composing electronic music since he was 11 (yes - 11). LUM!X identifies 'Halo' as a comeback, a call to people to go out and party again and has written it to be a party anthem that can go from club to radio. Pia Maria’s take on the song is slightly different as for her the song is about being able to do anything. LUM!X and Pia Maria were internally chosen to represent Austria.

14 – Iceland

Systur - 'Með Hækkandi Sól'

Odds to qualify: $2.50 (13th)

Folk-trio, Sigríður, Elisabet & Elín Eyþórsdóttir (Systur) are sisters hailing from Reykjavík and are well known in the Icelandic indie music scene. Their song ‘Með hækkandi sól’ translates as ‘With the sun getting higher each day’ and is a nod to the period after Winter solstice when the daylight is shorter and the country is in darkness for much of that time. Systur competed and won Söngvakeppnin 2022 to represent Iceland at this year's Contest.

15 – Greece

Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord - 'Die Together'

Odds to qualify: $1.01 (2nd)

Amanda Georgiadi, who goes by the stage name, Amanda Tenfjord, is a 24-year-old singer-song-writer who lived in Ioannina, Greece, until she was three-years-old. Amanda and her family later moved to Norway where they lived in Tenfjord, hence her stage name. Amanda has been releasing music since 2018 and has had success in the Norwegian charts. 'Die Together' is a song reflecting on the end of a long term relationship. Amanda was internally chosen from a group of five acts, to represent Greece.

16 - Norway

Subwoolfer - 'Give That Wolf a Banana'

Odds to qualify: $1.01 (3rd)

Subwoolfer is a group who perform as two lead performers in yellow wolf suits, and a DJing astronaut - and so far their identities have not been revealed. However, their bio online introduces them as the biggest band in the Galaxy, first formed 4.5 billion years ago on their home planet, the moon! In keeping with the group's story, 'Give That Wolf A Banana' is credited as being written by Keith and Jim, and produced by DJ Astronaut. It's an electronic dance-pop track, with humorous and seemingly random lyrics. Subwoolfer won Melodi Grand Prix with 54.11% of the total vote giving them their ticket to Eurovision this year.

17 - Armenia

Rosa Linn - 'Snap' Odds to qualify: $1.06 (5th)

Roza Kostandyan was born and raised in Vanadzor, northern Armenia. She is a singer-song-writer and record-producer influenced by 1980s and 1990s indie-pop and has been playing the piano since she was 6-years-old. In 2013, ‘Snap’ was written by Linn herself along others a song about moving on from a failed relationship and the feeling of frustration when people expect someone to continue on with a snap of their fingers. Rosa Linn was internally selected by Public Television of Armenia (AMPTV), Armenia's broadcaster for the Eurovision Song Contest.

How can I watch?

The show will be broadcast live. You can tune into SBS from 5:00am AEST on May 11 with the show also available on SBS On Demand. SBS will also be airing a primetime repeat of the broadcast at 8:30pm AEST on Friday.

How can I vote?

Australian viewers are ineligible to vote in this semi final. Australian viewers are eligible to vote in semi-final 2 (in which Australia’s Sheldon Riley will perform) as well as the Grand Final.

Get all the information on the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin here.