Press releases

MINSK, 31 January (BelTA) – Naviband, Belarus’ entry for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, will perform in the second semi-final, BelTA has learned. The semi-final allocation draw was streamed live via YouTube on 31 January.

The Belarusian duo will present their song Historyja Majho Zyccia (Story of My Life) on 11 May. Belarus will partake in the largest music show in Europe for the 14th time. Naviband will be the first to sing at the international contest in the Belarusian language. All previous Belarus’ entries performed in English.

Representatives of 43 countries will compete for the main prize of Eurovision 2017. Eighteen countries have been allocated to the first semi-final and 19 countries to the second one.

Apart from Belarus, the second semi-final event will also feature Macedonia, Malta, the Netherlands, Serbia, Denmark, Russia, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Ireland, Switzerland, Estonia, Israel, Bulgaria, San Marino, Lithuania, Croatia, and Norway. These countries will vote in the second semi-final.

Representatives of the Big Five – Italy, Spain, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom – and also Ukraine, this year’s host of the international contest, will appear in the grand final on 13 May. These countries were also drawn which of the semi-finals they would air and vote in. Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom will broadcast and vote in the first semi-final, with Germany, France and Ukraine in the second one.

The exact running order will be determined by the producers of the show at a later date. The system that allows the organizers build excitement has been used for several years.

The symbolic Eurovision keys were handed over from Stockholm to Kiev, the host of this year’s edition of Eurovision, as part of the host insignia ceremony on 31 January.

Kiev will play host to Eurovision 2017 from 9 to 13 May. The first semi-final will take place on 9 May, with the second on 11 May and the grand final on 13 May.