LIVE: Who wins A Dal in Hungary?

After weeks of preselections, the A Dal in Hungary finally comes to a conclusion tonight. With top favorites Andras Kallay-Saunders & Viktor Kiraly and six other competitors in the running, it promises to become a close call. Steef van Gorkum is once again present in the studio in Budapest. Tune in @ESCDaily to follow everything as close as possible!

The way it works tonight is very simple: the artists perform, the jury gives them a verdict, and after the last song has been performed, the four songs with the highest rating go to the final round. In this round, the final word is for the televoters who will choose the Hungarian entry for Copenhagen. Watch the livestream here, and read our commentary below!

* Depresszió – Csak a zene
* Bogi – We All
*András Kállay-Saunders – Running
* New Level Empire – The Last One
* Dénes Pál – Brave New World
* Fool Moon – It Can’t Be Over
* Viktor Király – Running Out Of Time
* Honey Beast – A legnagyobb hős

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We are live from the studio here in Budapest! Welcome to the final of A Dal.

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1. DepresszióCsak a zene

In the first semi final, metalband Depresszió caused a major upset by beating fan favorite Gigi Radics in the televoting. Hungary is a rock country! People like their alternative songs, and this is one of them. Musically, this song is quite okay for those people who enjoy the genre. There is only one problem: so far, Depresszió always qualified by the televote and never received the fiat from the jury. Tonight, they will need to pass the first jury round in order to have a chance. Unfortunately I do not see that happen.

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2. BogiWe All

‘We all’ is a big radio hit in Hungary! At least so concluded the jury last week during the semi finals, when commenting on the hippie girl with her rainbow t-shirt. Still they found it necessary to protect Bogi from the televoters so far in the contest. It will be interesting to see if Bogi makes it to the televoting tonight – she could, but she is not a given super finalist. Last week she told the readers of ESC Daily ‘We are all interconnected and we should help each other’. Are you gonna help Bogi if she makes the last round?

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3. András Kállay-SaundersRunning

Last year, Kallay-Saunders did not fulfill his dream of qualifying for Eurovision when his A Dal entry just missed out on the win. He did however manage to score a huge hit in Hungary, and this year he returns with a song in a totally different genre: drum & bass. ‘Running’ is about domestic violence, and it is based on a story from Saunders’ childhood friend. Pay attention to the perfect camera shooting, and the intriguing act with the girl behind the piano – this performance would easily transfer to a big Eurovision stage.

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4. New Level EmpireThe Last One

New Level Empire is one of the lesser known artists in this Hungarian national final but their star is rising. In the semi final, their song ‘The last one’ was chosen over some big names in the Hungarian music industry and after that, it became a national hit. All together that makes the band, who combines soft feelgood rock with a hint of dance in the refrain, a dangerous outsider tonight. After all it is the only competitor who so far has proven to be suitable to the ears of both jury and televoters!

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5. Dénes PálBrave New World

After winning The Voice of Hungary, Pal Denes became a famous artist among disabled people. That is why, as he told ESC Daily last week, he will perform the refrain of his mid-tempo popsong ‘Brand New World’ in sign language tonight. Also in the rest of Hungary, Denes is becoming a well-respected artist and I can see why: his tone of voice is interesting. The problem tonight though: this competition is not called The Voice, but The Song (literal translation of A Dal). And Pal Denes has a great voice, but only a mediocre song.

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6. Fool MoonIt Can’t Be Over

A capella groups never reached far at the Eurovision Song Contest, but Fool Moon is different: they use a music tape in the background, they have a rhythmically interesting song, and their performance is intriguing. For one minute. Then, the bore kicks in and the televoter will have a hard time keeping his eyes open. In the semi finals the jury saved this song, and tonight they might do it again. In a hypothetical super final, however, Fool Moon does not stand a chance.

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7. Viktor KirályRunning Out Of Time

In the quarter finals, Viktor Kiraly scored a 40 point maximum among the jury and in the semi final again, his song ‘Running out of time’ did not need televoting support. That does not mean he can’t get it: Viktor is a popular guy in Hungary, and he knows his way in the business. If you hear a hint of Ricky Martin on stage, do not be surprised: Kiraly got most of his music education in the States. He considers simplicity to be the strongest point of his entry, or as he told ESC Daily last week: ‘You hear my song on the radio, and you just feel good. That’s the point.’

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8. Honey BeastA legnagyobb hős

Let us imagine: what would be the Eurovision odds for ‘the song with the beautiful lyrics’? Not many Europeans speak Hungarian, and many would miss the irony in this text about the ups and downs of marriage. Thereby, the live performance is vocally not always so strong. Up till now both jury and televoting enjoyed the medieval performance of Honeybeast, but tonight, the competition is fierce. Too fierce.

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Now time to see who the jury decides is worthy of the final four, which televoters will then decide between.

First judge gives points to: 4 Pal Denes, 6 Bogi, 8 Fool Moon, 10 Kallay Saunders Andras

Second judge gives points to: 4 Kallay, 6 Kiraly Viktor, 8 New Level Empire, 10 Bogi

Third judge gives points to: 4 New Level Empire, 6 Viktor, 8 Kallay, 10 Fool Moon

And fourth judge gives points to: 4 Fool Moon (22), 6 Viktor (18), 8 Kallay (30), and 10 Bogi (26)

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The top four vying for the televotes will be:

Kallay Saunders Andras

Bogi

Fool Moon

Kiraly Viktor

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For the interval we get a variation of last year’s entry from Bye Alex’s Kedvesem, but this time the music is played in a symphony.

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And the WINNER of this year’s A Dal competition is! :

András Kállay-Saunders with his song Running

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An encore and that’s a wrap! Thanks for joining us this season in Hungary; share your thoughts with us and check back for more news!