The sauna is smaller but the sausage is bigger. There have been several changes in the number when KAJ has taken the sauna to Basel to compete in the European Song Contest. The trio has also got their number extended with pyrotechnics and will handle a larger part of the song themselves when the choir is missing in the wings.
Leading the Way
According to all betting sites, KAJ is the best placed among the artists competing in this week's first semifinal. They have, after Monday's rehearsals, which went flawlessly, increased their winning chances to 41 percent if one believes the odds.
The biggest challengers in a potential final are considered to be Austria and France, but Austria's JJ competes first in semifinal two on Thursday and France is one of the countries in the "big five", which does not need to qualify via semifinal.
Tonight, ten out of fifteen entries will go through to the final and it is only the public votes that decide. First in the final on Saturday, the jury groups' votes will be included as a factor.
Norway has Voting Problems
Two of the other Nordic countries are competing in the first semifinal, but are not tipped to end up as high as KAJ. Norway's Kyle Alessandro is seventh in the odds and his song "Lighter" is written together with Swedish Adam Woods, who has also participated in Melodifestivalen.
Alessandro has, however, been hit by voting problems and during Sunday's press conference, he could not speak with journalists. The hoarseness was also noticeable during Monday's rehearsals, where the artist had difficulty hitting the high notes. The Icelandic duo Vaeb, on the other hand, is fourth from the bottom and risks being eliminated already tonight.
Semifinal number one in the European Song Contest is broadcast on Tuesday, May 13th at 21.00 on SVT Play and SVT1.
1. Iceland: Væb – "Gaja"
2. Poland: Justyna Steczkowska – "Gaja"
3. Slovenia: Klemen – "How much time do we have left"
4. Estonia: Tommy Cash – "Espresso macchiato"
5. Ukraine: Ziferblat – "Bird of pray"
6. Sweden: Kaj – "Bara bada bastu"
7. Portugal: Napa – "Deslocado"
8. Norway: Kyle Alessandro – "Lighter"
9. Belgium: Red Sebastian – "Strobe lights"
10. Azerbaijan: Mamagama – "Run with u"
11. San Marino: Gabry Ponte – "Tutta l'Italia"
12. Albania: Shkodra Elektronike – "Zjerm"
13. Netherlands: Claude – "C'est la vie"
14. Croatia: Marko Bosnjak – "Poison cake"
15. Cyprus: Theo Evan – "Shh"
