Zendari Song Contest 9

From Zendari Song Contest
Zendari Song Contest 9
"Expanding Horizons"
Dates
Semi-final(s) 29 October 2018
Final 14 November 2018
Host
Host city Qyzylsha Kunurum
Venue Doma Kunurum
Presenter(s) Bruce Greene
Elyse Willems
Host broadcaster Qyzylsha Qyzylshalar Ulutuk Taratu (QUT)
Opening act Semi Final 1: Freia performing "Call My Name"
Semi Final 2: Qyzyl Folk Orchestra performing "Spirit of the East"
Grand Final: Sirusho "PreGomesh", "I like it" & "Qele Qele"
Interval act Semi Final 1: John Krasinski's Face
Semi Final 2: Elina Netsajeva performing a bad lip sync to "La Forza (Dance Version)"
Grand Final: "RIP Gili Gili" - An Ode to Jelena
Participants
Number of entries 44
Debuting countries  Alirie
 Draydal
 Marnos
 Putslopistan
 Rhosỳna
 Sutru
 Üsmile

Returning countries  Achalasia
 Nuevo Province
 Offriano

Withdrawing countries  Ayolulek
 Olkenland
 Purple Country
 Saõ Jung
 Sosij
 Vasseau
 Xobrania
Vote
Voting system Each country awards 12, 10, then 8 through 1 points to their 10 favorite songs.
Winning song  Moo
"Body Talks"
Zendari Song Contest
◄8 9 10►

Zendari Song Contest 9 is the ninth edition of Zendari Song Contest. It will be hosted in Qyzylsha, the winning country from the previous edition. The contest will consist of two semi-finals and a final.

On the 14th of November 2018, it was revealed that Moo had won the contest, with the song "Body Talks" by The Struts & Kesha. They received 142 points.

44 countries participated in this edition, with 7 countries competing for the first time, 3 countries returning and 7 countries withdrawing from Zendari Song Contest.

Location

On 30th September 2018, The broadcaster of the Republic of Qyzylsha announced that it would host the contest and called for various cities throughout the country to place bids to host the contest. After the bidding process had concluded it was revealed that the contest would take place in the city of Kunurum, one of the largest cities in Qyzylsha, in the Doma Kunurum which would undergo extensive renovation during the lead up to the contest to make sure that it is completely capable of hosting the event. The arena can host 36,000 people making it the third largest arena to place a bid.

Bidding phase

A few venues have been announced to have shown interest in hosting the contest. The ZBA announced the conditions under which cities and venues could announce their interest in hosting the contest.

  • The host city has to be near a major airport.
  • The venue must have good connections to public transport.
  • The venue must be available for at least six weeks before the contest and one week after the conclusion of the contest.
  • The venue must not be open-air, but an air-conditioned building with a capacity of at least 10,000 and a minimum ceiling height of 15 metres (49 ft), insulated for sound and light.
  • The green room must be located as close to the arena as possible (or within it), with a capacity of 300.

 dagger   Host venue

City Venue Capacity Notes
Yuzurunut Yuzurunut Park 48,600 Yuzurunut Park is the biggest arena used for sport in Qyzylsha and was the first venue to place a bid to host the contest. This was rumored to be the initial choice of the Qyzylshan broadcaster, however, the arena is much older in comparison to others and is on the opposite side of the city to the airport.
Ul-Azaar Azaar Amphitheatre 65,000 The largest arena in the whole of Qyzylsha and was purpose-built for concerts and international competition in 2009. The Arena had already hosted a Zendari event, namely the third edition of the contest, however, had to withdraw their bid this time around due to a scheduling conflict.
Ul-Azaar Exhibition Hall 16,000 The Ul-Azaar Exhibition Hall was the first arena to be built in the capital and has hosted many internal events raging from The International Book Festival, Art and Design Exhibitions and Comic Conventions.
Ozbülar Stadion Ozbülar 22,800 Stadion Ozbülar is home to Ozbülar FK (Konarski Fudbal Klub) who were willing to finance the building of a roof over the building as currently, the arena was an open air one. QUT deemed the cost of the roof to be too much especially considering there were other arenas who possessed a roof and were in better locations too.
Kunurum Doma Kunurum dagger 36,000 The Doma Kunurum announced their bid to host the contest on September 5th and quickly amassed support due to its illustrious history and catalogue of hostings. Despite this, the arena is one of the oldest in Qyzylsha and would have to undergo extensive renovation in preparation of the Zendari Song Contest. Nevertheless, the Qyzyl broadcaster were willing to cover the costs to modernise the arena so that it could be used for other larger events in the future, with the first one being the ninth Zendari Song Contest.
Goriyok Goriyok Arena 10,200 Seating 10,200 people, Goriyok Arena, located in the province of Mulur, was the smallest venue to submit a bid to host the contest. However, the owners of the venue stated that it would be good for Qyzylsha to host the contest somewhere other than the main cities as tourists would get a chance to see other cities.

Pots

Pots for the Zendari Song Contest are based off of voting patterns. The pots will be used for semi final allocations for the 9th edition of Zendari Song Contest.

Pot A Pot B Pot C
Pot D Pot E Pot F

Automatic Qualifiers

Although these countries are automatic qualifiers for this edition, each country has still been assigned a pot.

  •  Yuvia would have been in Pot C.
  •  Zerox would have been in Pot D.
  •  Qyzylsha and  Sakao would both have been in Pot E.
  •  Franova would have been in Pot F.

Returning artists

Country Artist Song Previous appearances
 Alotraxia Smith & Thell (featuring Swedish Jam Factory) "Forgive Me Friend" #2 (for  Wallica)
 Campre Lady Gaga (featuring Bradley Cooper) "Shallow (A Star is Born)" #3 (for  Junker)
 Cyan Elina Born (featuring Jüri Pootsmann) "Jagatud Saladus" #2 & #3 (for  Offriano)
 Elune Valentino Khan "Lick It" #6 (for  Elune)
 Fokland IC3PEAK "Fairytale" #8 (for  Diversia)
 Junker Within Temptation (featuring Jacoby Shaddix) "The Reckoning" #2 (for  Achalasia), #7 (for  Vashia)
 Moo The Struts (featuring Kesha) "Body Talks" #3 (for  Moo)
 Rosalina Bring Me The Horizon "Follow You" #6 (for  St. Vitus & Roch)
 Sakao Hadise "Sampiyon" #6 (for  Purple Country)
 St. Vitus & Roch Eleni Foureira "Pio Dinata (Bass Boosted Remix)" #5 (for  Qyzylsha)
 Teardrop Islands Cardi B (featuring Kehlani) "Ring" #7 (for  Cine)

Participating countries

Semi Final 1

Yuvia and Zerox were randomly drawn to vote in this semi-final.

A playlist can be found here, and a recap can be found here.

A full scoreboard of the voting can be found here, and the international jury scoreboard can be found here.

Draw Country Language Artist Song Place Points
01  Üsmile English Rachel Row "L Square" 7 72
02  Haña English The Lovers of Valdaro "Lost Forever" 17 [2] 29
03  Othar English KARD "Don't Recall (Hidden Ver.)" 10 65
04  Alotraxia English Smith & Thell ft. Swedish Jam Factory "Forgive Me Friend" 5 84
05  Rosalina English Bring Me The Horizon "Follow You" 14 46
06  Vashia English LiSA "Crossing Field" 16 39
07  Campre English Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper "Shallow" 4 87
08  Teardrop Islands English Cardi B ft. Kehlani "Ring" 19 23
09  Achalasia English The Wandering Hearts "Devil" 6 73
10  St. Vitus & Roch Greek Eleni Foureira "Pio Dinata (Bass Boosted Remix)" 13 56
11  Sutru English Yaeji "Raingurl" 12 63
12  Cine English Disturbed "The Sound of Silence" 8 71
13  Vendujo English Ralph "Cold to the Touch" 20 [1] 0
14  Sierra English Luna Shadows "Cry Wolf" 3 99
15  Aquazia English, Spanish Lao Ra "Patrona" 9 68
16  Tibiris English War of Ages "From Ashes" 15 46
17  Cefloana English Kate Linn "Thunderlike" 11 63
18  Draydal English Jiggly Caliente ft. Sharon Needles "I Don't Give A Fuck" 18 28
19  Kydziya English Mitski "Geyser" 2 102
20  Shairia English Marina & The Diamonds "Oh No!" 1 104

* Note 1 - After a scandal regarding the behaviour of the Vendujo Vendese delegation, it was determined that  Vendujo would no longer be able to take part in Zendari Song Contest. This means that all of their points are nullified, and that they are automatically placed last in the semi-final.
* Note 2 - Haña received the highest amount of points amongst the international jurors and was picked as the 11th qualifier.

Semi Final 2

Franova, Qyzylsha and Sakao were randomly drawn to vote in this semi-final.

A playlist can be found here, and a recap can be found here.

A full scoreboard of the voting can be found here, and the international jury scoreboard can be found here.

Draw Country Language Artist Song Place Points
01  Offriano Russian LOBODA "SuperSTAR" 8 75
02  Cyan Estonian Elina Born & Jüri Pootsmann "Jagatud Saladus" 10 65
03  Rhosỳna English Fleur East "More and More" 5 88
04  Cascadia English Carrie Underwood "Spinning Bottles" 14 54
05  Fiorenza Russian Yulia Parshuta "Hastalavista" 4 90
06  Junker English Within Temptation ft. Jacoby Shaddix "The Reckoning" 6 83
07  Titonüi English Christina Perri "Sea of Lovers" 17 40
08  Nuevo Province English Silk City, Dua Lipa "Electricity" 1 114
09  Violía English Julia Viktoria "Paralyzed" 15 49
10  Diversia English Sleeping At Last "Already Gone" 12 59
11  Putslopistan Korean BLACKPINK "Boombayah" 9 68
12  Elune English Valentino Khan "Lick It" 11 [1] 59
13  Skandinavisk Kingdom French, English June the Girl "Same" 13 55
14  Alirie English Alice Chater "Heartbreak Hotel" 3 95
15  Fokland Russian IC3PEAK "Fairytale" 18 35
16  Moo English The Struts ft. Kesha "Body Talks" 2 102
17  Chattahoochee English Crown The Empire "what i am" 16 41
18  Jojo's Reich English Austin Weber "Mamma Mia" 19 29
19  Marnos English Bea Miller "Fire N Gold" 7 75

* Note 1 - Elune received the highest amount of points amongst the international jurors and was picked as the 11th qualifier.

Grand Final

A playlist can be found here, and a recap can be found here.

A scoreboard showcasing each individual votes can be found here. The rest of the world voting scoreboard can be found here.

Draw Country Language Artist Song Place Points
01  Alirie English Alice Chater "Heartbreak Hotel" 8 103
02  Franova Spanish María Isabel "La Vida Sólo es Una" 19 70
03  Putslopistan Korean BLACKPINK "Boombayah" 12 88
04  Kydziya English Mitski "Geyser" 4 119
05 [1]  Qyzylsha English Torul "Monday" 26 25
06  Fiorenza Russian Yulia Parshuta "Hastalavista" 24 55
07  Shairia English Marina & The Diamonds "Oh No!" 3 120
08  Sakao Turkish Hadise "Sampiyon" 23 61
09  Marnos English Bea Miller "Fire N Gold" 7 106
10  Offriano Russian LOBODA "SuperSTAR" 9 101
11  Nuevo Province English Silk City, Dua Lipa "Electricity" 27 [2] 139
12  Aquazia English, Spanish Lao Ra "Patrona" 10 94
13  Achalasia English The Wandering Hearts "Devil" 13 88
14  Othar English KARD "Don't Recall (Hidden Ver.)" 14 81
15  Cyan Estonian Elina Born & Jüri Pootsmann "Jagatud Saladus" 22 61
16  Junker English Within Temptation ft. Jacoby Shaddix "The Reckoning" 5 115
17  Üsmile English Rachel Row "L Square" 15 79
18  Yuvia Russian Sabi Miss "Shlepat'" (Шлепать) 21 63
19  Alotraxia English Smith & Thell ft. Swedish Jam Factory "Forgive Me Friend" 16 76
20  Rhosỳna English Fleur East "More and More" 18 72
21  Zerox English Bad Lip Reading "Seagulls! (Stop It Now)" 25 52
22  Cine English Disturbed "The Sound of Silence" 20 66
23  Elune English Valentino Khan "Lick It" 11 89
24  Campre English Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper "Shallow" 6 109
25  Haña English The Lovers of Valdaro "Lost Forever" 17 74
26  Moo English The Struts ft. Kesha "Body Talks" 1 142
27  Sierra English Luna Shadows "Cry Wolf" 2 130

* Note 1 - As the hosts of the contest, Qyzylsha were randomly drawn to perform 5th.
* Note 2 - Nuevo Province failed to vote in the grand final, and as a result, they were disqualified and automatically placed last.

International broadcasts and voting

The contest was broadcasted in over 50 countries.

Spokespersons

Other countries

Eligibility for potential participation in Zendari Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with an active ZBA membership that is be able to broadcast the contest. All countries with an active ZBA membership have been given an invitation to join this edition.

Active ZBA countries

  •  Cine - On the 19th of September 2018, Colleagues Is Lovingly Fantastic (CILF) announced their withdrawal from Zendari Song Contest. It is currently unclear if they will return in the future, but it seems likely at this point. However, on the 26th of September 2018, it was revealed that CILF had re-considered their participation in Zendari Song Contest, and they had chosen to retract their withdrawal.
  •  Olkenland - The country decided to withdraw in support and in solidarity with their ally Xobrania.
  •  Purple Country - NPCB announced on the 14th of September 2018 that they would be taking a break from Zendari Song Contest to focus on some issues within the broadcaster. It is currently unknown when they will return.
  •  Saõ Jung - On the 25th of September 2018, SJTVR announced that they are currently not sure whether or not they will continue participating in Zendari Song Contest. On the 29th of September, it was revealed by the management team that they had chosen to not participate in this edition, and that their future participation was unlikely. On the 21st of October 2018, SJTVR announced their permanent withdrawal from the contest.
  •  Sosij - STV announced the country would likely be taking an extended break from the contest, pending the result of the previous edition. No further information has been released. Withdrawal was officially confirmed on 25th September.
  •  Vasseau - RVB has announced the country's withdrawal from the contest after multiple incidents that occurred during both edition 7 and 8 by a specific delegation directed at both Vasseau, and some of Vasseau's biggest allies. RVB has stated that because of these incidents, they refuse to participate in the contest while that nation is still participating. RVB also confirmed a return would be immediately confirmed upon this nation's withdrawal. In a press conference, Head of Delegation Jordan Syrseé was inquired about the identity of this country by Vasseaunian press. "While we will not confirm this identity, we can confirm that it is not Titonüi or Diversia, like some press have speculated. I will also confirm that the offending nation is not Qyzylsha, the winner of the 8th edition and the host of the 9th edition."
  •  Xobrania - Following a huge lack of interest from the Xobranian audience, XPB decided to withdraw indefinitely.

Inactive ZBA countries

  •  Atkanzia - Despite being invited to the contest, ART declined the invitation and decided to become an inactive nation on the waiting list. On the 25th of September 2018, they announced in a press release that the reason behind their decision was that they "have no interest in competing in Zendari Song Contest as of today".
  •  Epral - Although invited to join the contest, Epral failed to accept or decline the invitation to join this edition of Zendari Song Contest. This is the first time they have been invited.
  •  Jiouji - The nation was invited to join the contest, although JTVR chose to decline the invitation and asked to be removed from the waiting list.
  •  Kaken Republic - Although invited to join the contest, Kaken Republic failed to accept or decline the invitation to join this edition of Zendari Song Contest. They were also downgraded to an inactive nation status. This is the second time they have been invited.
  •  Konismir - Although invited to join the contest, Konismir failed to accept or decline the invitation to join this edition of Zendari Song Contest. This is the first time they have been invited.
  •  Liberland - Although invited to join the contest, Liberland failed to accept or decline the invitation to join this edition of Zendari Song Contest. This is the second time they have been invited.
  •  Tseldora - Although invited to join the contest, Tseldora failed to accept or decline the invitation to join this edition of Zendari Song Contest. This is the first time they have been invited.

See also