Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020
Georgia originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song Take Me as I Am sung by Tornike Kipiani and written by Tornike Kipiani and Aleko Berdzenishvili. The entry was selected internally, and for the second year in a row, the Georgian Public Broadcaster used Georgian Idol to selecting the singer. However, due to 2019-20 pandemic of Coronavirus, the contest was cancelled.
| Eurovision Song Contest 2020 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Artist: Georgian Idol Song: Internal Selection | |||
| Selection date(s) | Georgian Idol: Audition shows 26 October 2019 2 November 2019 9 November 2019 Live shows 16 November 2019 23 November 2019 30 November 2019 7 December 2019 14 December 2019 21 December 2019 Final 31 December 2019 Song Presentation: 3 March 2020 | |||
| Selected entrant | Tornike Kipiani | |||
| Selected song | "Take Me as I Am" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) | Tornike Kipiani Aleko Berdzenishvili | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Semi-final result | Cancelled | |||
| Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
Background
Prior to the 2020 contest, Georgia have participated in the Eurovision Song Contest eleven times since their first entry in 2007.[1] The nation's highest placing in the contest, to this point, has been ninth place, which was achieved on two occasions: in 2010 with the song "Shine" performed by Sofia Nizharadze and in 2011 with the song "One More Day" performed by Eldrine. The nation briefly withdrew from the contest in 2009 after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) rejected the Georgian entry, "We Don't Wanna Put In", for perceived political references to Vladimir Putin who was the Russian Prime Minister at the time.[2][3] The withdrawal and fallout was tied to tense relations between Georgia and then host country Russia, which stemmed from the 2008 Russo-Georgian War.[4] Following the introduction of semi-finals, Georgia has, to this point, failed to qualify to the final on four occasions.
The Georgian national broadcaster, Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB), broadcasts the event within Georgia and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. GPB confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest on 2 October 2017.[5] Georgia has selected their entry for the Eurovision Song Contest both through national finals and internal selections in the past. In 2013 and 2014, GPB opted to internally select the Georgian entry, in 2015, the Georgian entry was selected via a national final, and in 2016, the artist was internally selected while the song was chosen in a national final. For their 2017 participation, the entry was selected through a national final. In 2018 the artist was internally selected. In 2019, the entry was fully selected through Georgian Idol for the first time ever. Oto Nemsadze failed to qualify to the Saturday final with "Keep On Going", achieving just a fourteenth place in the semi-final.
Before Eurovision
For the second year in a row, the Georgian delegation decided to use the talent show Georgian Idol as the method for selecting their representative. This year, however, the show starts two months earlier and a song will be internally selected for the winner of the show.
Georgian Idol
Jury
This edition of Georgian Idol has a four-member jury with the power to decide what contestants will advance to the live shows and comment on every performance giving feedback to the artists. The four members are:
- Tinatin Berdzenishvili – Director General of the Georgian Public Broadcaster with over 20 years of experience in the field[6], Head of EBU Gender Balance Initiative.[7]
- David Evgenidze – Songwriter, part of the jury for the second edition of Ranina. He will be involved in the song selection process of the Georgian entry for Eurovision 2020.[8]
- Natia Todua – Winner of the seventh season of The Voice of Germany, participant at Unser Lied für Lissabon with My Own Way.
- David Aladashvili – Pianist, studied at the Tbilisi Special Music School and at New York's Juilliard School with several honors and awards at an international level.[9] He was also the host of the second edition of Ranina.
Contestant progress in the live shows
Colour key
| – | Contestant was in the bottom two |
| – | Contestant was in the bottom three |
| – | Contestant received the fewest public votes and was eliminated |
| – | Contestant received the most public votes |
| Contestant | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornike Kipiani | 2nd 14.5% |
1st 19.13% |
1st 21.17% |
1st 24.05% |
1st 29.09% |
1st 31.88% |
1st 33.82% |
| Barbara Samkharadze | 3rd 12.91% |
3rd 12.11% |
2nd 14.75% |
2nd 15.15% |
2nd 17.75% |
2nd 22.42% |
2nd 31.18% |
| Tamar Kakalashvili | 1st 16.53% |
2nd 15.71% |
3rd 14.64% |
4th 13.79% |
4th 13.64% |
3rd 16.20% |
3rd 18.38% |
| Mariam Gogiberidze | 6th 8.8% |
6th 8.69% |
7th 9.91% |
3rd 14.06% |
3rd 13.68% |
4th 15.28% |
4th 16.62% |
| Davit Rusadze | 4th 11.91% |
4th 10.23% |
5th 10.01% |
6th 10.79% |
5th 13.01% |
5th 14.22% |
Eliminated (week 6) |
| Mariam Shengelia | 5th 10.31% |
5th 8.72% |
6th 9.98% |
5th 12.26% |
6th 12.83% |
Eliminated (week 5) | |
| Anri Guchmanidze | 7th 8.64% |
8th 8.64% |
4th 10.01% |
7th 9.90% |
Eliminated (week 4) | ||
| Nika Kalandadze | 9th 5.7% |
7th 8.68% |
8th 9.53% |
Eliminated (week 3) | |||
| Liza Shengelia | 8th 8.15% |
9th 8.09% |
Eliminated (week 2) | ||||
| Merab Amzoevi | 10th 2.55% |
Eliminated (week 1) | |||||
Shows
Auditions (26 October 2019–9 November 2019)
| Show 1 (26 October 2019) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Artist | Song | Result |
| 1 | Erekle Turkadze | "Long Tall Sally" | Advanced |
| 2 | Sofi Dalas | "Highway to Hell" | Eliminated |
| 3 | Barbara Samkharadze | "It's Raining Men" | Advanced |
| 4 | Dodo Goksadze | "Something's Got a Hold on Me" | Advanced |
| 5 | Nika Kalandadze | "Ocean Eyes" | Advanced |
| 6 | Beka Miruashvili | "Havana" | Eliminated |
| 7 | Nini Shonia | "Never Enough" | Eliminated |
| 8 | Tamar Kakalashvili | "Queen" | Advanced |
| 9 | Aleksandre Kitesashvili | "Sweet Home Chicago" | Advanced |
| 10 | Mariam Gogiberidze | "Misty" | Advanced |
| Show 2 (2 November 2019) | |||
| 1 | Giorgi Otiashvili | "The Girl from Ipanema" | Eliminated |
| 2 | Mariam Giorgishvili | "Replay" | Advanced |
| 3 | Mariam Shengelia | "If I Were a Boy" | Advanced |
| 4 | Mariam Shvangiradze | "Million Reasons" | Advanced |
| 5 | Mariam Nozadze | "Do It like a Dude" | Eliminated |
| 6 | Sirens | "Lady Marmalade" | Advanced |
| 7 | Albina | "You Sent Me Flying" | Advanced |
| 8 | Sukhan Devadze | "Me mzes vat'an" ("მე მზეს ვატან") | Advanced |
| 9 | Tornike Kipiani | "House of the Rising Sun" | Advanced |
| Show 3 (9 November 2019) | |||
| 1 | Irakli Bitsadze | "Feeling Good" | Advanced |
| 2 | Merab Amzoevi | "Skin" | Advanced |
| 3 | Archil Gvasalia | "Vagiorkoma" (ვაგიორქომა) | Advanced |
| 4 | Mako Maisuradze | "I'd Rather Go Blind" | Advanced |
| 5 | Liza Sengelia | "Dream a Little Dream of Me" | Advanced |
| 6 | Anri Guchmanidze | "I've Got News for You" | Advanced |
Live show 1 (16 November 2019)
| Draw | Artist | Song | Televote | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mariam Shengelia | "Alive" | 10.31% | Advanced |
| 2 | Barbara Samkharadze | "You Don't Own Me" | 12.91% | Advanced |
| 3 | Merab Amzoevi | "Skyfall" | 2.55% | Eliminated |
| 4 | Davit Rusadze | "Atlas" | 11.91% | Advanced |
| 5 | Tamar Kakalashvili | "Golden Slumbers" | 16.53% | Advanced |
| "Carry That Weight" | ||||
| 6 | Tornike Kipiani | "Smells Like Teen Spirit" | 14.5% | Advanced |
| 7 | Nika Kalandadze | "Video Games" | 5.7% | Advanced |
| 8 | Anri Guchmanidze | "Thirty Seconds To Mars" | 8.64% | Advanced |
| 9 | Liza Sengelia | "Read All About It " | 8.15% | Advanced |
| 10 | Mariam Gogiberidze | "My Funny Valentine" | 8.8% | Advanced |
Live show 2 (23 November 2019)
| Draw | Artist | Song | Televote | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anri Guchmanidze | "Heaven on their Minds" | 8.64% | Advanced |
| 2 | Barbara Samkharadze | "When You're Good to Mama" | 12.11% | Advanced |
| 3 | Mariam Gogiberidze | "I Am Changing" | 8.69% | Advanced |
| 4 | Mariam Shengelia | "Show Me How You Burlesque" | 8.72% | Advanced |
| 5 | Nika Kalandadze | "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" | 8.68% | Advanced |
| 6 | Tornike Kipiani | "Rock'N'Roll Queen" | 19.13% | Advanced |
| 7 | Liza Sengelia | "Moon River" | 8.09% | Eliminated |
| 8 | Tamar Kakalashvili | "All That Jazz" | 15.71% | Advanced |
| 9 | Davit Rusadze | "Falling Slowly" | 10.23% | Advanced |
Live show 3 (30 November 2019)
| Draw | Artist | Song | Televote | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barbara Samkharadze | "Lale" | 14.75% | Advanced |
| 2 | Anri Guchmanidze | "Gamogiva khval" | 10.01% | Advanced |
| 3 | Mariam Shengelia | "Mkholod benzvis" | 9.98% | Advanced |
| 4 | Nika Kalandadze | "Kari k’vlav arnevs" | 9.53% | Eliminated |
| 5 | Mariam Gogiberidze | "Iminebs mze" | 9.91% | Advanced |
| 6 | Tornike Kipiani | "Artificial Love" | 21.17% | Advanced |
| 7 | Davit Rusadze | "Ar madzinebs" | 10.01% | Advanced |
| 8 | Tamar Kakalashvili | "Kuchashi ertkhel" | 14.64% | Advanced |
Live show 4 (7 December 2019)
| Draw | Artist | Song | Televote | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barbara Samkharadze | "Jesus Christ Superstar" | 15.15% | Advanced |
| 2 | Davit Rusadze | "Any Dream Will Do" | 10.79% | Advanced |
| 3 | Tamar Kakalashvili | "As If We Never Said Goodbye" | 13.79% | Advanced |
| 4 | Anri Guchmanidze | "Close Every Door" | 9.90% | Eliminated |
| 5 | Mariam Gogiberidze | "I Don't Know How to Love Him" | 14.06% | Advanced |
| 6 | Mariam Shengelia | "Memory" | 12.26% | Advanced |
| 7 | Tornike Kipiani | "Gethsemane" | 24.05% | Advanced |
Live show 5 (14 December 2019)
| Draw | Artist | Song | Televote | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Davit Rusadze | "Q’viteli potlebi" | 13.01% | Advanced |
| 2 | Tamar Kakalashvili | "Numemakhi" | 13.64% | Advanced |
| 3 | Mariam Shengelia | "King Lear" | 12.83% | Eliminated |
| 4 | Barbara Samkharadze | "Ch’adosnuri hvertsni" | 17.75% | Advanced |
| 5 | Tornike Kipiani | "Is akaris" | 29.09% | Advanced |
| 6 | Mariam Gogiberidze | "Sevda" | 13.68% | Advanced |
Live show 6 (21 December 2019)
| Draw | Artist | Song | Televote | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barbara Samkharadze & Grigol Kipshidze | "Juice" | 22.42% | Advanced |
| 2 | Davit Rusadze & Giorgi Pruidze | "O (Fly On)" | 14.22% | Eliminated |
| 3 | Tornike Kipiani & Liza Kalandadze | "Breathe" | 31.88% | Advanced |
| 4 | Mariam Gogiberidze & Giorgi Nakashidze | "Shallow" | 15.28% | Advanced |
| 5 | Tamar Kakalashvili & Oto Nemsadze | "Runaway Baby" | 16.20% | Advanced |
Final (31 December 2019)
| Draw | Artist | Song | Televote | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tamar Kakalashvili | "White Flag" | 18.38% | 3 |
| 2 | Tornike Kipiani | "Love, Hate, Love" | 33.82% | 1 |
| 3 | Mariam Gogiberidze | "Writing's On The Wall" | 16.62% | 4 |
| 4 | Barbara Samkharadze | "This Is Me" | 31.18% | 2 |
At Eurovision
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big 5" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 28 January 2020, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Georgia was placed into the second semi-final, to be held on 14 May 2020, and was scheduled to perform in the second half of the show.[10] However, due to 2019-20 pandemic of Coronavirus, the contest was cancelled.
In the Eurovision Song Celebration youtube broadcast in place of the heats, it was revealed that the song would have performed 16th, between Portugal and Bulgaria[11]
References
- "Georgia Country Profile". EBU. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- Bakker, Sietse (10 March 2009). "Georgian song lyrics do not comply with Rules". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- Jonze, Tim (11 March 2009). "Eurovision 2009: Georgia pulls out of contest over 'Putin song'". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- "Putin jibe picked for Eurovision". BBC News. 19 February 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- "Georgia: GPB confirms participation in Eurovision 2018". esctoday.com. Esctoday. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- "Tinatin Berdzenishvili - IBC2020 - The world's most influential media, entertainment & technology show". Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- "Tinatin Berdzenishvili appointed as the head of EBU Gender Balance Initiative". 4 April 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- "Georgian Idol jury revealed ahead of Eurovision 2020 selection". 1 October 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- "David Aladashvili, piano - LPR". Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- Groot, Evert (28 January 2020). "Which country performs in which Eurovision 2020 Semi-Final". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- Eurovision Song Contest (14 May 2020). "Part two of Eurovision Song Celebration". Retrieved 3 June 2020.
External links
- Georgian Idol YouTube channel (in Georgian)
- Georgia in Eurovision website
- Georgian Idol website (in Georgian)
| |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Note: Entries scored out are when Georgia did not compete | |||||||||||