Rita Ora will perform during the interval of the Eurovision Song Contest semi-final, along with other acts. The singer-songwriter, 32, is part of a line-up which includes Liverpudlian soul singer Rebecca Ferguson and former Ukraine representatives at the international music competition such as Alyosha and Mariya Yaremchuk.
The UK, selected to host Eurovision on behalf of 2022 winners Ukraine after the Russian invasion, will host the contest in May at Liverpool ACC. Zlata Dziunka, who came ninth when she competed in Junior Eurovision last year on behalf of Ukraine, and Ukrainian rapper Otoy, will also be performing at the live show.
Kate Phillips, BBC’s director of unscripted, said: “There won’t be a moment to miss during these very entertaining and very tense semi-finals. Good luck to all the countries involved as they compete for a place in what’s going to be an unforgettable grand final.”
Opening the first semi-final is BBC Eurovision host Julia Sanina, who is performing part of the song Mayak with her band The Hardkiss, which came second at Ukraine’s contest to represent the country at the 2016 Eurovision event. Ora, known for the number one hits I Will Never Let You Down, How We Do and Hot Right Now, will subsequently perform a medley of her songs and her brand-new single Praising You.
Alyosha, who came 10th in Eurovision 2010 with the song Sweet People, will perform alongside former The X Factor contestant Ferguson. Exploring the Ukrainian singer’s personal journey fleeing the war-torn country is a new arrangement of Duran Duran’s Ordinary World.
The second semi-final will see two live interval performances, the BBC said. Yaremchuk, who came sixth at Eurovision 2014 with the track Tick‐Tock, will lead a contemporary montage of some of the most well-known pieces of music from her country, before Otoy and Dziunka perform alongside her.
Three drag performers will also do a routine with pop performances along with a troupe of eclectic dancers. The live performances at the grand final, on May 13, will be announced in due course.
On Thursday, plans for the official Eurovision Village, at Liverpool’s Pier Head, were announced, starting with a performance from the Kalush Orchestra on May 5. The band’s lead singer Oleh Psiuk, said: “We have never been to Liverpool before and, you know, performing where the Beatles themselves started will be very inspiring.
“We believe that this year’s organisers of Eurovision 2023 will be able to best convey the Ukrainian atmosphere in the design of the show in Liverpool.”
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Their performance will be followed by Welcome to Eurotopia, a collaboration between Liverpudlian and Ukrainian artists. Fellow Eurovision winner Jamala, who represented Ukraine in 2016, will also perform in the village on May 11, when she will be accompanied by the BBC Philharmonic for the world premiere of her album QIRIM, inspired by the folk songs of Crimea.
On May 6, it will screen the King’s coronation, continuing celebrations with a range of Eurovision acts and The Royalty Ball. Performances during the week of the contest will include English National Opera does Eurovision and The National Lottery presents United by Music, as well as music from Ukrainian artists.
EuroEve will be held the night before the contest with performances from Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Charlotte Church’s Late Night Pop Dungeon. The Grand Final Party on the Pier Head, the only ticketed event for the Eurovision Village, will see Katrina, of Eurovision-winning Katrina and the Waves, and acts including pop group the Vengaboys take to the stage.
Their performances will come before what organisers promise will be the “biggest and best Eurovision viewing party on the planet”.
The first wave of tickets for the Grand Final Party on the Pier Head will go on sale on Friday. The semi-finals are broadcast on the BBC on May 9 and May 11.
