One semi-final down, one more semi-final to go before the big Eurovision grand final this Saturday.
Each year, Spain, which is part of the Big Five, goes straight to the final. This is because it is one of the countries that contribute the most money into the European Broadcasting Union, the union which organises the annual contest.
Spain has won Eurovision twice in the past. In 1968, Massiel's rendition of La, La, La ensured Spain was triumphant while, in 1969, Salomé's Vivo Cantando helped Spain win the competition in a four-way tie with France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
So who is Blanca Paloma, the singer many people compare to the Bizcochito singer Rosalía, who will be representing Spain in this year’s Eurovision?
Who is Blanca Paloma?
Paloma, born Blanca Paloma Ramos Baeza, is a Spanish singer, set designer, and costume designer who is representing Spain with the song Eaea.
Born and raised in Elche, Spain, Paloma is an emerging artist, who earned a fine arts degree from Miguel Hernández University of Elche and moved to Madrid to pursue a career in theatre in 2013.
After an unsuccessful turn at Benidorm Festival in 2022, Paloma succeeded and won first place in 2023, thereby qualifying for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. She won with 169 points: 94 points from the juries, 40 points from the televote, and 35 points from the demoscopic juries.
The 33-year-old released her first single, Secreto De Agua, in 2021.
EAEA
The performer is competing with her single EAEA for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.
Paloma has stated that her grandmother served as both the song’s inspiration and the reason it is a lullaby. When she was a young girl, her late grandma Carmen (who is pictured on the singles cover) used to perform for her a song that poked fun at death, derived from her Sevillan heritage.
This theme of honouring the strength and might of female ancestors is also central to the performance, in which she performs with five supporting vocalists.
The song incorporates a number of ideas that are typical of flamenco and numerous well-known Spanish authors. As well as her grandmother, Paloma was inspired by Federico García Lorca, one of the nation’s best-known playwrights of the 20th century.
Famous for writing important pieces of Spanish literature like The House of Bernarda Alba, Blood Wedding, and the Gipsy Ballads, Lorca was a leader in the rediscovery of Spanish folklore. He combined Andalusian and avant-garde themes, and women were a recurring motif in his artwork. Due to this, many people now associate Eaea with this tradition.
