PORTUGAL – Portuguese broadcaster RTP will remove the orchestra from its national selection, Festival da Canção, this year with all songs to be performed with pre-recorded backing tracks. This is in contrast to the previous, 2015 edition, of the national selection. Furthermore, artists will no longer have to perform in Portuguese. Festival da Canção will take place over three nights, with two semi finals to be held on February 19 and 26 respectively and the final on March 5. Four songs will progress from each semi based on a 50% televote and 50% jury vote. The same voting procedure will take place in the final. A total of 16 performers will compete for a ticket to Kiev.
NORWAY – Site Seher.no states that the Norwegian national final, MGP will have five established and five newcomers in the line up for the show.It is claimed hat musician and comedian Kristian Valen, Åge Steen Nilsen and Rune Rudberg will be among the participants. The latter represented Norway in Eurovision 2006 as lead singer of the band Wig Warm and could compete in 2017 with his new band, Ammunition. It is important to remember that Rune competed in MGP in 1990 with the song ‘ Vinger over Europe ‘, which despite not having won, was quite successful at the time.
MOLDOVA – Today is the last day for submissions in Moldova and already 6 of them are available on the TRM website: Che-MD – „Făurit în Moldova”, Serj Coston and Sergey Beloff – „I’ve been searching”, Formaţia Ion Krasnopolski – „Invitaţie la nunta moldovenească”, Boris Covali – „Călător”, Valentina Nejel şi Sergiu Pungă – „Ne-a fost iubirea un joc” and Tudor Bumbac – „Într-o zi de iarnă”. Usually the last day most songs are submitted. At this moment their interest to represent Moldova have expressed 15 performers, reports PUBLIKA.MD. Among them Boris Covali, Sunstroke Project and Max Fall. Auditions are scheduled for 21 January. From all the entrants jury will choose 14 to take part in semifinal show scheduled for 24 February, and final will take place on the next day.
