Welcome back to ESCBubble’s coverage for Eurovision 2021! After a marathon day yesterday and this morning of second rehearsals, we’re back with some more first rehearsals! Join us this evening as we check out the first rehearsals of the six automatic qualifiers.

As always, you can check out our ongoing coverage through both our Live Rehearsal Blog and also rolling  daily updates on our Twitter Account.

If you are avoiding potential rehearsal spoilers then don’t read any further! The final will take place at 21.00 CET on Saturday 22nd May 2021 where we’ll find out the winner of the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest.

They’re running a little behind schedule but fourth to go is… France!

First Rehearsal

“Voila” had one of the most impressive national selection performances and staging that I think I have ever seen in many years of watching selection shows across Europe. It looked ethereal and beautiful from the first second to the last, and France have somewhat replicated this successful performance. Barbara is in her black basque and leggings and looks stunning, with the whole performance remaining incredibly intimate similar to Portugal 2017. She is lit up by spotlights behind her and it is just a constant connection to the camera. There is also a bit with birds in the background.

Overall, it has a very classic vibe which goes well with the style of the song, with the focus solely being on Barbara and the quality of her voice. Super strong performance and one that will surely score highly at the final.

Before Eurovision

Tom Leeb was the representative for the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest with his song “The Best In Me” however last year following the cancellation of the contest, Tom confirmed that he would not be returning for 2021 due to scheduling clashes. Instead, France hosted a national selection show as they did back in 2019, however this time it had a different name!

The national final, titled “Eurovision France, c’est vous qui décidez!” featured 12 songs, 3 rounds of voting and the winner of 2019 himself, Duncan Laurence! Contestant Barbara Pravi was a hotly tipped favourite with her song “Voila”, which ended up winning comfortably with both the televote and the international jury vote, securing her ticket to Rotterdam. This isn’t Barbara’s first encounter with Eurovision, as she was also a songwriter on both of the last two French Junior Eurovision entries for the 2019 and 2020 contests. Both entries did extremely well, with 2020’s “J’Imagine” securing France’s first Junior Eurovision win. Now it’s Barbara’s turn on the big stage, so check out the music video for her entry “Voila” here: