Welcome back to ESCBubble’s coverage for Eurovision 2021! Rehearsals at the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam have kicked off this morning with the seven countries performing in the first half of Semi Final One set to have their 30 minute first rehearsals today.

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! Semi Final One will take place at 21.00 CET on Tuesday 18th May 2021 with sixteen countries competing for ten qualifying spots for the final.

 Second to rehearse this morning is Slovenia!

First Rehearsal

Well it is safe to say that Ana Soklic is one hell of a vocalist! In all her runthroughs she knocked the vocal out of the park, with the addition of the gospel choir being enough to give you goosebumps. Her vocal remains flawless through every run through. She did have a bit of a problem with her heels on the second runthrough though, getting from the main stage to the smaller satellite stage.

Having said that, the backdrop and screens are doing their best to really elevate the song. The colour scheme is mostly gold, with golden lights spraying across the LED screens. If we were to compare them it would probably be along the lines of Lucie Jones performance back in 2017 for the United Kingdom. As you can imagine, there is also a big finish.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the performance though is the use of the big side-screen that comes down from the ceiling halfway across the stage. The LED screens drop from the sky and accompany Ana on her walk. All in all, an incredibly strong performance and one surely to make her a dark horse contender to qualify!

Before Eurovision

Soulful songstress Ana Soklič is very much ‘The Voice’. A listen to any of her songs quickly reveals the depth to her voice, and it is with that depth that Ana triumphed at the Slovenian selection show EMA in 2020 with her song “Voda”.  Despite the cancellation of the 2020 Song Contest, the intended date for the final – May 16th 2020 – saw some good news for Ana as she received confirmation by broadcaster RTVSlo that she was invited back to perform at the 2021 contest instead.

This year, Ana did not have to compete at a national selection show instead having her song chosen internally and then presented back in February with a slightly different version of the EMA competition show we usually see. At the show,  Ana Soklič presented “Amen” which is the song she is taking to Rotterdam. The song is a classic ballad with a clear gospel inspiration and Ana has also promised a new, slightly adapted version of her song which will be seen for the first time on the Eurovision stage. Check out her official video performance here: