Flamenco-style act to represent Spain in Eurovision

LOCAL Valencian singer Blanca Paloma will represent Spain at Eurovision 2023 after winning the final of the Benidorm Fest song contest on Saturday (4 February).

Blanca, who was born in Elche in 1989, secured her place in Liverpool in May, after scoring 169 points with her flamenco-inspired song Eaea at the Palau Municipal d’Esports, l’Illa de Benidorm. Eight acts competed on Saturday night and in second place was Agoney with 145 points for Quiero Arder and in third was Vicco with Nochentero which gained 129 votes. Ten other acts had also been eliminated during two semi-finals held earlier in the week.

The voting is comprised of three sections: 50% is from an expert jury made up of both national and international professionals from the industry, 25% comes from the public televote and the final 25% is the demoscopic jury, comprised of 350 people selected from across the country to represent a cross-section of Spanish society.

After the event there were scenes of celebration in Benidorm on Saturday with many convinced that come May, Eurovision fans from across Europe will be singing along to Eaea, but the question remains, is Eurovision ready for flamenco? Will Blanca Paloma be bringing the contest to Spain or will she be flying home with nul points?

If at first you don’t succeed……

Blanca is no stranger to the Benidorm Fest, having taken part in last year’s event, which was won by Chanel and her song SloMo. Chanel achieved third place in last year’s Eurovision Song Contest held in Turin, Italy, behind the winners Kalush Orchestra from Ukraine with their song Stefania and second-placed Sam Ryder from the UK with Space Man.

Benidorm Fest 2024 confirmed

In a press conference on Sunday morning, Valencia president, Ximo Puig, confirmed that Benidorm Fest 2024 would take place following the success of this year’s event. He said that this edition of the festival had fulfilled expectations “much higher than expected”, he mentioned the increased tourism occupancy in the city and the international repercussion of the event, and also praised the determination of Blanca Paloma’s work despite her youth.