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Singer Melody performs during the second semi-final of the Benidorm Fest. Roberto Plaza / Europa Press
Melody is Now 'That Diva' of the Benidorm Fest

Melody is Now 'That Diva' of the Benidorm Fest

The singer from Dos Hermanas triumphs in the semi-final and will perform last in the decisive gala

Nicolás Van Looy

Benidorm

Viernes, 31 de enero 2025, 17:46

Melody is now a diva of the Benidorm Fest, and from the 'euroevent' perspective, that is a significant statement. The second semi-final of the contest, from which Spain's representative for Eurovision will likely emerge on Saturday, attracted over three million viewers to their televisions, with an average viewership of over one million, making it the most-watched program of the day with an 11.7% audience share.

Beyond the viewing figures, the key aspect of Thursday's evening was identifying the four semi-finalists who would join La Chispa, Kube, Daniela Blasco, and Lucas Bun, the winners of the first gala.

As always, with a touch of 'eurodrama', the fourth selection divided the jury and the audience. While the choices of Melody, J Kbello, and Mel Ömana aligned the often disparate jury and public, the latter, through voting (free this year via the app), opted for DeTeresa, who, like Sonia and Selena on Tuesday, ended up being excluded in favor of Mawot, who had the endorsement of RTVE's expert panel.

Undoubtedly, the most anticipated performance of the second night was Melody's. The days of 'Baile del gorila', which catapulted her to fame in 2001 as a child, are long gone. Now, 'That Diva' can be seen not only as the title of her song but as a declaration of intent for what was later witnessed on stage.

To become a serious contender for Eurovision, any Benidorm Fest participant must demonstrate not only vocal prowess but also great resilience to potential technical failures in a live performance of this nature. This was also true for the Dos Hermanas native, who turned a sound glitch into a mere anecdote, which, however, quickly became fodder for social media.

Melody, Favourite for Basel

After this second gala, Melody not only confirms herself as the main rival to La Chispa and her 'Hartita de llorar', both highlighted for weeks as the top contenders for the Bronze Microphone, but she has also made a 'sorpasso', positioning herself above the Chiclana de la Frontera native, who was born in 2001, the same year 'Baile del gorila' was a hit across Spain.

Until Thursday night, La Chispa was the bookmakers' favourite, but Melody's performance at the Palau d'Esports l'Illa de Benidorm has turned those predictions around. Now, with a 35% chance of travelling to Basel, she represents the least profitable betting option in a very close contest with her rival, who holds a 23% chance of winning, according to the same bookmakers.

Far behind, and it would be a major surprise on Saturday, are J Kabello and Daniela Blasco, who have to settle for an 18% and 17% chance, respectively.

Order of Performance in the Final

After confirming the names of the eight finalists of this fourth edition of the Benidorm Fest, RTVE proceeded, on Friday morning, to draw the order of performance for the gala, which will determine who succeeds Chanel, Blanca Paloma, and Nebulossa in the contest's record.

Thus, with the last winners of the event as the 'innocent hand', the draw has determined that the gala, which will be broadcast again by La1 from 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, will be opened by Daniela Blasco ('Uh nana'). Once the ice is broken, the performers will take the stage at the Palau d'Esports l'Illa de Benidorm in the following order: Kuve ('Loca xti'), Mawot ('Raggio di sole'), La Chispa ('Hartita de llorar'), Mel Ömana ('I'm a queen'), J Kbello ('VIP'), Lucas Bun ('Te escribo en el cielo'), and finally, Melody ('Esa diva'), who will close the competitive show.

In that final gala, besides the contenders for the Bronze Microphone, familiar faces from the festival like Nebulossa or Rigoberta Bandini will also perform. Outside the 'euroevent' atmosphere, the televised gala will also feature a performance by the Aragonese band Amaral.

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