It’s the Eurovision down season, and don’t you for a second think we’re going to stop speculating, arguing, and pushing our heated opinions. Our latest series looked at the national finals of Eurovision, and discussing how we would reform the national finals of Eurovision. This time we’re creating national finals from scratch; continuing with Georgia.
In part six of this series Daniel, Angus, and Georgia discuss how they’d create a national final for Georgia.
Do we think that they will return to a national final, and would we want that?
Daniel
I’ve given up trying to find any consistency with how Georgia select their entries, all I ask from them is to choose a format and stick with it. If that’s a NF that’s great, if not that’s fine too.
Angus
Georgia could return to a national final at the drop of a hat, most likely once again in combination with a talent show selecting the artist. That is not how I would want them to pick an artist, but in the end I just agree with Daniel. I don’t really mind how they pick their entries as long as they stick to it.
Georgia
I think there is a possibility that I return to a national final, probably without warning. The national final would just suddenly appear on GPB without anyone’s knowledge and it’d just be like okay let’s go. There’s been very little consistency as to how entries are selected, so I think consistency is the thing I’d most like to see first.
What would our dream national final look like?
Daniel
Remember ESCZ23? That, but it’s Georgian. Get a lovable yet awkward dork to introduce the best 5 or so songs that were submitted to you, put them in a nice little studio, then let the public have their say. Cheap and cheerful.
Angus
Sorry Daniel, it should be ESCZ22 or even 19. Give me a set of live-on-tapes or even just a glorified clipshow and see what we get. But yes, a cheap and cheerful national final consisting of a small collection of the eclectic Georgian mix of (potential) entries would be great.
Georgia
Similar to what Daniel and Angus have said, I think my national final should be somewhat in the vein of an ESCZ, a small, cheap but cheerful event that allows for the eclectic-ness of Georgian Eurovision to shine.
Georgia’s Eurovision Journey
Georgia’s history in Eurovision has been mixed since they began competing in 2007, represented by Sopho Khalvashi with “Visionary Dream”. Their highest placements – both coming in 9th – were achieved in 2010 and 2011, with Sopho Niharadze performing Shine and Eldrine with One More Day. They have not qualified for the final since 2016, where they were represented by Nika Kocharov & Young Georgian Lolitaz with Midnight Gold.
For 2024, former American Idol contestant Nutsa Buzaladze represented Georgia with her song “Firefighter”. In Malmö, Georgia qualified for the Grand Final for the first time since 2016. In the Grand Final Nutsa received 34 points, 19 of these were from the televoters, while the other 15 were from the national juries.
What do you think about our reforms? As always, let us know what you think by commenting down below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all the latest Eurovision news!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: Andres Putting / EBU
Tim J