After the excitement of the first semi-final and amid the preparations for the second semi-final, the six countries who have an automatic place in the final staged their second rehearsal, after which, they all spoke to the media in their own press conferences.
In addition to the usual answering of questions and posing for photos, each would also make the draw to determine in which half of the final they will perform.
Spain had the misfortune of having to get up early as they were the first to rehearse. All seems to their satisfaction so far, "We felt really good on stage. The first rehearsal was amazing and this one was perfect. Can’t wait for Saturday" the Celtic sound of the song is something that most people associate with Ireland. However, ESDM are keen to stress that the style is also Spanish. At the end, they drew themselves in the first half of the final.
French singer Amandine is also happy with the progress so far, “It felt good, it was great. I saw my performance in the viewing room and I’m satisfied.” The head of the French delegation seems very happy with their choice of performer, “Amandine is a great performer and she has a powerful voice, there’s no really need for way too much special effects, but we will change the light a bit, just to get the right atmosphere.” Amandine drew herself in the first half of the final.
Next it was the turn of the Germans. One of the first questions was about the origins of the group’s name. “It’s from Spanish and means waterfall. It was not my name first, but a project name a part of which I was. But people started to call me Cascada. I can say I am Natalie from Cascada.” replied lead singer Natalie. Is there anything that she is worried about? “Yes, I have thousands of fears! Eurovision is the biggest thing I’ve done in my career. And I’m a bit scared because the staircase is a bit shaky.” When the time came to draw the position in the final, it was three in a row. The first half ticket came out again.
Naturally, one of the best attended conferences was that of the defending champions, Sweden. Robin is happy with the rehearsals so far despite needing to work on the camera angles. Of his outfit, he said he feels like a prince (or was that princess?) when he is wearing it. He was keen to promote his album which he described as "awesome" adding "I want to be freaky." He didn’t have to make a draw as Sweden’s place in the running order has already been decided; he will be on stage in 16th position.
Another well attended conference was Bonnie Tyler’s. As the biggest name in the contest, there is naturally a lot of interest. She was asked about today’s rehearsal, "I preferred the first one, but in my experience if something goes wrong in rehearsal it will be alright on the night." She discovered ‘Believe in Me’ when she met with the writer in Nashville and heard a CD of his songs. "I fell in love with it immediately" she said of her song for Saturday. As all three available places in the first half of the running order had already been drawn, there could only be one outcome and Bonnie was confirmed to perform in the second half.
Finally, Sanremo winner Marco Mengoni and he spoke about how the contest is viewed in in native land. "I hope I help my country to get to know this event – we missed it for 14 years, that’s why it’s not that popular in Italy. But it’s important that people know it, that people are not only united by coins but also by music" He was asked about the simplicity of his performance, "As a person I am not as simple, I’m in fact very diverse. But for this song, which is called ‘The Essential’, me and my team decided to be just like that on stage. I think it also fits with the message of this Eurovision Song Contest, We Are One. Music doesn’t need the spending of a lot of money, you just need the air to hear it." As the only remaining place in the final to be allocated, he drew himself in the second half of the draw.
