EuroVision stages online edition of song contest
EVENTS and festivals from across the globe have had to cancel or postpone their 2020 productions due to the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak.
In the wake of the cancellation of this year’s EuroVision Song Contest, which was scheduled to take place in Rotterdam in The Netherlands, several EuroVision websites have joined forces to organise an alternative online edition of the contest.
Under the joint name Eurostream 2020, three live shows (two semi-finals and the grand final) are taking place this week with the second semi-final happening tonight. The final will take place on Saturday.
Since 2018, the AfriMusic Song Contest has teamed up with EuroVision and taken each winner to perform at the Eurovillage, to thousands of fans and spectators across the globe. This year the AfriMusic Song Contest winner, Dhortune ThatOndoBoy, representing Nigeria, will be a guest performer at the Eurostream 2020 grand final.
“We are very excited that we are able to offer our winner an opportunity to perform at the grand final,” said the organisers of the AfriMusic Song Contest.
“During these very trying times we are uncertain when social gatherings will resume, therefore it is important to keep music alive and secure global opportunities for our artists to showcase their talents digitally.”
This year 30 artists from across Africa competed in the AfriMusic finals, among them South African singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Kenton Lee, with his song Echo. When the pandemic hit South Africa and the country went into lockdown, Lee used his time to write a song titled
Undefeated, which carries a global message of hope during a time of fear and uncertainty around the world.
Lee’s song will be showcased during tonight’s semi-final with an edited music video, to include messages from children across the globe.
“Undefeated is so beautifully written and produced, that AfriMusic wanted to share Kenton’s original song with the world, in order to bring people and communities together, with a universal message.
“Undefeated is so relevant to the struggles the world is currently facing and to have Eurostream 2020 as the very first international platform to showcase this song of hope from Africa to the world, is a huge honour,” said the organisers.