Semi-Final 1: 10 Countries Qualify to Grand Final

On Tuesday the Eurovision week officially began with the first semi-final. Nineteen countries took part of the first show, out of which 10 got through the the Grand Final taking place on Saturday night. Take a look and listen to the songs that will be joining last year's finner, Portugal, and the big five - UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

Semi-finals were introduced back in 2005 due to an increasing number of countries participating in the contest. Initially, the contest only had one semi-final, in order to make the grand final shorter, more entertaining, and competitive. In 2008, the second-semi final was added where 10 countries from each would get through to the Grand Final.

Valev Laube

Valev Laube is an Estonian-born multimedia producer & public relations executive currently based in New York City. He's an enthusiastic creative mind whose digital designs have been the cornerstone of many event productions, company brands, advertising campaigns, and personal brands worldwide.

His proven talent for aligning strategy and objectives with established digital media development and multimedia design management paradigms has proven to be successful across many industries from art and music to technology. Growth-focused thought leader with expertise spanning creative design administration, social media management, branding and marketing campaigns, portfolio design, and project management. An honorable list of clients includes Janet Gordon Style, EstDocs Documentary Film Festival, Tian Jiang, Almazan Law, InProximity Theatre Company, Marquee Brand Builders, and many others. During his work at Sacatelle LLC, he worked on design projects for clients including Kenneth Cole, Steve Madden, and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

A dedicated professional with keen admiration for aesthetics and digital solutions is looking forward to build a mutually beneficial professional relationship.