If the bookmakers do not fail, Spain already has a clear candidate for Eurovision. A few hours before the first semifinal of the Benidorm Fest 2023 kicks off the festival, the best placed to take the bronze microphone is Fusa Nocta, with a flamenco proposal fused with urban rhythms that inevitably refers to Rosalía.
According to the specialized Eurovision World page, which includes the main payment odds on betting platforms, the artist from Alicante starts as a favorite with a 14% chance of reaching first place, one point ahead of her main rival, Alice Wonder, who has been going up and down positions in recent weeks but has never left the top 5.
In a contest in which the public has a voice and a vote, social networks can also serve as a previous thermometer. And here things change. Although the visual proposal of My family also sweeps YouTube with more than 650,000 views between its own channel and that of RTVE, the clear winner in the digital universe is Vicco, who came to the stage at the hands of Alejandro Sanz and accumulates almost a million and a half views on Spotify, stepping on the heels of Fusa Nocta on YouTube and sweeping the younger audience on TikTok.
However, experts ask to put the brakes on expectations. "You have to wait for the live show", recommends José García Hernández, better known as Luka, one of the directors of the specialized media Eurovision-Spain.com, "let's not forget that both Benidorm Fest and Eurovision go beyond the artist or the song : The staging is essential for the product to work. After seeing them on stage, the favorites list may change."
In fact, the festival took a tremendous turn last year after the first performances. The polls predicted Chanel a sixth or seventh place at the Benidorm Fest, but she reached the podium thanks to a very careful set design. Given the historic result of her proposal at Eurovision, is it worth repeating the formula? "It doesn't usually give good results," warns Luka, "Cyprus has again opted for the explosive diva model several times after the success of Eleni Foureira in 2018 and it has not gone well at all. Chanel was unique in its edition, but this year We will probably see more than two and three Chanels from different countries."
For the expert, the best option would be to opt for something radically different. Not just as a strategy. "We must value the diversity of the Spanish music industry, not limit ourselves to sending Europe that cliché of what Europeans expect from Spain," he suggests. And that's where the ballads of Alice Wonder or the urban flamenco of Fusa Nocta would come into play. "Having Rosalía as a reference can be good, a priori. But then you have to get on stage and defend it. Rosalía is Rosalía," he points out.
However, and beyond the specific proposals, the debate in the second edition of the Benidorm Fest goes through defining the direction that the festival wants to take. Based on the choice of the professional jury, the objective seems clear. On this occasion, RTVE has selected eight personalities closely linked to Eurovision, including several members of international delegations to the festival and even the president of OGAE, the official Eurovision fan club.
To avoid controversy in the event of divergent opinions between the public and the jury, as happened in the last edition, this year the Corporation has reserved the last word for professionals, in addition to greater weight in the decision based on the scoring system. "Focusing the Benidorm Fest on choosing a Eurovision candidate is a double-edged sword", says Luka, and wonders: "What is it about, choosing a Eurovision product or choosing the best proposal and then taking it to Eurovision? ".
His reflection is based on evidence: the chanelazo relaunched a Benidorm festival that had been missing for too many years, yes, but it meant rewarding a proposal that had not won the popular vote. "The future of the Benidorm Fest is in danger if we limit it to a simple and plain pre-selection of products for Eurovision because it puts back many good protests that do not identify with that approach," warns Luka.
It seems that his prophecy has begun to come true already this year. Of the 80 established artists that RTVE has invited to participate in the Benidorm Fest 2023, only 14 have agreed to submit their proposals, and in this edition there is much less stylistic variety than in the previous one. The worst prognosis, for the director of Eurovision-Spain, will be marked by the connection with the audience: "If you want the Benidorm Fest to be a successful festival, you have to make the public empathize," he says, "and this year it's hard for me to see it get out of the eurofan bubble".
Nor does Luka see the formula positive for the international event in Liverpool. "In the end, in Eurovision authenticity works, it is what makes you make a difference. The Eurovision formula can work for you once, but the second or third time is overexploited. Do you think that Salvador Sobral was a product for Eurovision ?".
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