Mia & Dion’s Burning Daylight faces tough competition in Eurovision Song Contest semi-final

• John Komper

  interior editor

After months of preparations and a few tumultuous weeks with the Dutch delegation, the Eurovision Song Contest starts tonight. At 21:00 Dutch time, the well-known Eurovision tune will sound, this year from Liverpool in the United Kingdom.

Fifteen countries will present themselves in this first semi-final, including the Dutch participants Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper. The duo will have to deal with popular opponents and new voting rules.

With their number Burning Daylight Mia & Dion say they bring “an ode to trial and error”. And exactly that also applied to the duo themselves in recent weeks. Because after two false live performances – in Madrid and Amsterdam – they received a lot of criticism.

It came not only from Eurovision fans, but also through former participants, on social media and even on the street. For example, Mia said she was shouted outside “that the song was so shit and that we were going to lose”.

Just before leaving for Liverpool, the two therefore adjusted the number. They now sing it one and a half tone higher than the original and especially with their trumpet voice. As a result, they no longer have to shout and fight,” Dion told the talk show Khalid & Sophie. Backing singers were also added at the last minute.

After a week full of rehearsals in Liverpool, Mia & Dion will perform as the fourteenth act in the first semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest tonight. They stand on a turntable, which should enhance their performance on the big Eurovision stage. They practiced on treadmills for weeks.

And despite all the turmoil, they are confident: “I think there is room for our number,” said Dion. “And I hope people are touched by it,” Mia added.

Here’s footage from their first rehearsal – last week – in Liverpool:

The two are in a semifinal full of bombastic Eurovision bangers with their subdued song. From Croats in underpants, to whistling Moldavians, and the cha-cha-cha sounds from Finland.

Ten of the fifteen participants tonight will go through to Saturday’s final. So the chance of getting there is quite high. Yet many Eurovision connoisseurs think that it will not be an easy job for the Dutch team.

Mia & Dion may perform second to last – which is a good starting position for the Eurovision Song Contest because viewers can then better remember the performance while voting – but that is not all.

The draw is anything but favourable. Of the two semifinals, the competition is the strongest in this one, experts think. Almost all numbers that pass by tonight are high in the favorites lists and at betting offices. The Netherlands is in eleventh place in those lists, a place just outside the final.

The big favorite tonight, but actually of this entire edition, is Eurovision legend Loreen from Sweden. The singer won the festival in 2012 with her song Euphoriato this day one of the best known and most popular Eurovision hits ever.

She now takes another shot at winning, this time with the number tattoo. That is a striking act between two LED screens. In recent weeks, the pop song has already entered the European charts, including the Dutch Top 40.

Her biggest competition comes from Finland – from singer Käärijä with his Cha Cha Cha. With a fluorescent green outfit and strapped dancers on stage, the song – a combination of dark techno and pop – is a crowd favorite.

So many favorites in this semi-final. And that can sometimes play a major role in the outcome. Because for the first time in years, only the viewers at home determine which acts go through to the final on Saturday.

In previous years, there were juries in each country that determined half of which countries went through. But after six of those juries (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania and San Marino) secretly agreed last year to vote for each other, the EBU decided to scrap the jury votes in the semi-final. They still count for the final.

It’s hard to say what the new rules mean for Mia & Dion. “I think we would definitely continue with jury votes,” said Mia. “We are going to do our very best, and then we have to let go of control.”

The results will be announced tonight at 11:00 PM Dutch time.