| Universong 106 "Music will inspire you" | |
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Date |
4 - 23 January 2018 |
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Host city |
Marseille, |
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Participants |
50 |
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Debuting countries |
None |
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Returning countries |
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Withdrawing countries |
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Winner |
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Timeline |
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Universong 106 was the one hundred and sixth staging of the Universong Contest. This was the fourth production of Universong made in France, and the third in metropolitan France. This time, the chosen city was Marseille, capital of the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, and it was possible thanks to the winning of Slimane, with the song "Viens on s'aime" on the previous edition held in Reykjavik, Iceland. As aforementioned, this is the fourth time France produced a USC, and the third in the European French territory, after two editions held in Paris (USC 16 and USC 62), and one held in the overseas region of Reunion Islands and its capital Saint-Denis (USC 88).
50 countries competed to be the new Universong champion, remarking the returns of Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Faroe Islands, Finland and Serbia. It was the last round for the two Hungarian admins, hph01 and TMark, as one of them get banned and the other withdraw, after they complained against a clause of the rules that establish that players are free will to play with any country.
From the earlier stages of voting, it appeared to be evident that Moldova would win, with the song "Cosmos" by Irina Rimes, song that spent most of the voting in the lead, meaning that it would be the second Moldovan winning, and the first in 83 editions. Even though, in the mid- to late-voting, host country France began to threaten the lead of the Moldovan entry. The song "Pour quoi veux-tu que je danse?" by Nazim Khaled approached dangerously to Irina Rimes' song, by taking the lead for short intervals of time, or tying in the first place along with Moldova (after the votes of the Swedish and the Finnish juries), making it a two-horse race. After the vote of the Spanish jury, and with three countries left to vote, Cosmos had 170 points, while Pour quoi veux-tu que je danse? had 164 points. France eventually took the lead away from Moldova with 8 points given by the Canadian jury, plus 4 points from the Venezuelan jury, while ignored by the Australian jury. Those three juries didn't award any points to Moldova. Thus, France the third back-to-back winning in the history of Universong, an achievement that only was reached by Croatia and Greece in earlier Universong stagings, the last time 77 editions ago. Nazim Khaled took eventually 176 points and six sets of maximum points (given by Greece, The Netherlands, Italy, Turkey, Guatemala and Peru), with an advantage of six points over Irima Rimes, who collected 170 points and five sets of 12 points (from Finland, Sweden, Russia, Cyprus and Czech Republic). The top 10 was completed by the entries of Greece, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Norway, Belgium and Spain.
About the city[]
Marseille (/mɑːrˈseɪ/; French: [maʁsɛj] ( listen), locally [mɑχˈsɛjə]; Provençal Marselha [maʀˈsejɔ, maʀˈsijɔ]), also known in British English as Marseilles, is the second-largest city of France. The capital of the Bouches-du-Rhône department and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, it is located on France's south coast and had a population of 852,516 in 2012,[1] and an area of 241 km2(93 sq mi), the third-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris and Lyon.[3]
Known to the ancient Greeks and Romans as Massalia[4] (Greek: Μασσαλία, Massalía),[5][page needed][6] Marseille was the most important trading centre in the region and the main commercial port of the French Republic. Marseille is now France's largest city on the Mediterranean coast and the largest port for commerce, freight and cruise ships. The city was European Capital of Culture, together with Košice, Slovakia, in 2013. It hosted the FIFA World Cup 1998 and the UEFA Euro 2016, and will be the European Capital of Sport in 2017. The city is home to several campuses of Aix-Marseille University and part of one of the largest metropolitan conurbations in France, the Metropolis of Aix-Marseille-Provence.
Semifinal 1[]
In this semifinal, the semifinalists plus 
United States shall vote in this semifinal. 
France will decide in which semifinal it'll vote. The rest of the countries can vote too, but their votes will be counted as Rest of the World.
| Draw | Country | Artist | Song | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 |  Venezuela
|
Viniloversus | "Only hungry for you" | 14 | 58 |
| 02 |  Italy
|
Gazzelle | "Meglio così" | 13 | 63 |
| 03 |  Canada
|
Lights | "Giants" | 7 | 93 |
| 04 |  South Korea
|
Sunmi | "Gashina" | 18 | 42 |
| 05 |  Denmark
|
L.I.G.A. | "Skylder dig ik' noget" | 9 | 82 |
| 06 |  Russia
|
Arnelle | "Parma" | 4 | 97 |
| 07 |  Ecuador
|
Set Collins | "Hacia el sol" | 10 | 75 |
| 08 |  North Macedonia
|
Karolina Goceva | "Zvona" | 16 | 54 |
| 09 |  Finland
|
Kaija Koo | "Nää yöt ei anna armoo" | 6 | 96 |
| 10 |  Poland
|
Mikromusic | "Tak mi się nie chce" | 19 | 39 |
| 11 |  Cyprus
|
Nearhos Evangelou | "In the streets" | 17 | 46 |
| 12 |  Türkiye
|
Mahmut Örhan ft. Meliksah Beken | "Hold you" | 21 | 28 |
| 13 |  Australia
|
Dean Lewis | "Lose my mind" | 1 | 115 |
| 14 |  Monaco
|
KeBlack | "J'ai déconné" | 23 | 20 |
| 15 |  Liechtenstein
|
Jannine Weigel | "Ghostbuster" | 8 | 92 |
| 16 |  Lithuania
|
Evelina Young | "Wildfire" | 5 | 97 |
| 17 |  Greece
|
Nikos Oikonomopoulos | "Gia kapoio logo" | 3 | 102 |
| 18 |  Israel
|
TAL | "Des fleurs et des flammes" | 11 | 70 |
| 19 |  Guatemala
|
Viernes Verde | "Huye" | 24 | 8 |
| 20 |  Latvia
|
Brainstorm | "Gori, gori jasno" | 15 | 57 |
| 21 |  Iceland
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Sturla Atlas | "I know" | 20 | 37 |
| 22 |  Moldova
|
Irina Rimes | "Cosmos" | 2 | 103 |
| 23 |  Colombia
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Sebastián Yatra | "Edge of the night" | 12 | 65 |
| 24 |  Andorra
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Alicia Nurho | "Under the light" | 22 | 27 |
Semifinal 2[]
In this semifinal, the semifinalists plus 
Sweden shall vote in this semifinal. France will decide in which semifinal it'll vote. The rest of the countries can vote too, but their votes will be counted as Rest of the World.
| Draw | Country | Artist | Song | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 |  Norway
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Ina Wroldsen | "Strongest" | 1 | 120 |
| 02 |  England
|
James Arthur | "Naked" | 7 | 78 |
| 03 |  Romania
|
Trupa Zero | "Picătura chinezească" | 13 | 57 |
| 04 |  Bulgaria
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The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices ft. Lisa Gerrard | "Pora sotunda" | 14 | 54 |
| 05 |  Peru
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Temple Sour | "Chibola manyada" | 23 | 14 |
| 06 |  Belgium
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Puggy | "To win the world" | 2 | 104 |
| 07 |  Czechia
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Skyline | "Timeless" | 15 | 53 |
| 08 |  Netherlands
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Miss Montreal | "A million ways" | 4 | 94 |
| 09 |  Costa Rica
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Debi Nova | "One rhythm" | 22 | 29 |
| 10 |  Morocco
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Eve-Yasmine | "Losing you" | 5 | 92 |
| 11 |  Chile
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Eyci and Cody | "Me gusta" | 21 | 41 |
| 12 |  Ukraine
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The Erised | "Even if" | 20 | 48 |
| 13 |  Germany
|
Natalia Avelon | "In another life" | 11 | 60 |
| 14 |  Croatia
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Marin Jurić-Čivro | "Pjesma za tebe" | 9 | 73 |
| 15 |  Hungary
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Honeybeast | "Így játszom" | 16 | 53 |
| 16 |  Mexico
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Danna Paola | "Todo fue un show" | 18 | 50 |
| 17 |  Brazil
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Nina Fernandes | "Cruel" | 8 | 77 |
| 18 |  Argentina
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Lali | "Una na" | 12 | 59 |
| 19 |  Spain
|
María Parrado
ft. Antonio José |
"Un milagro" | 3 | 99 |
| 20 |  Philippines
|
Karencitta | "Cebuana" | 10 | 66 |
| 21 |  Luxembourg
|
Maître Gims | "Caméléon" | 17 | 51 |
| 22 |  Faroe Islands
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Oh Land | "Renaissance girls" | 19 | 49 |
| 23 |  Serbia
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Aleksandra Radovic | "Ljubavi moja" | 6 | 87 |
Grand Final[]
| Draw | Country | Artist | Song | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Philippines
|
Karencitta | "Cebuana" | 26 | 59 |
| 02 | Brazil
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Nina Fernandes | "Cruel" | 13 | 111 |
| 03 | Greece
|
Nikos Oikonomopoulos | "Gia kapoio logo" | 3 | 146 |
| 04 | Australia
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Dean Lewis | "Lose my mind" | 11 | 119 |
| 05 | Netherlands
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Miss Montreal | "A million ways" | 15 | 92 |
| 06 | Finland
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Kaija Koo | "Nää yöt ei anna armoo" | 6 | 137 |
| 07 | Liechtenstein
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Jannine Weigel | "Ghostbuster" | 16 | 91 |
| 08 | England
|
James Arthur | "Naked" | 14 | 109 |
| 09 | France
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Nazim Khaled | "Pourquoi veux-te que je danse?" | 1 | 176 |
| 10 | United States
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Hayley Kiyoko | "Feelings" | 23 | 71 |
| 11 | Belgium
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Puggy | "To win the world" | 9 | 131 |
| 12 | Morocco
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Eve-Yasmine | "Losing you" | 19 | 86 |
| 13 | Spain
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María Parrado ft. Antonio José | "Un milagro" | 10 | 128 |
| 14 | Moldova
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Irina Rimes | "Cosmos" | 2 | 170 |
| 15 | Israel
|
TAL | "Des fleurs et des flammes" | 20 | 82 |
| 16 | Serbia
|
Aleksandra Radović | "Ljubavi moja" | 12 | 113 |
| 17 | Ecuador
|
Set Collins | "Hacia el sol" | 17 | 89 |
| 18 | Sweden
|
Dead by April | "As a butterfly" | 5 | 138 |
| 19 | Denmark
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L.I.G.A. | "Skylder dig ik' noget" | 21 | 81 |
| 20 | Norway
|
Ina Wroldsen | "Strongest" | 8 | 134 |
| 21 | Canada
|
Lights | "Giants" | 18 | 89 |
| 22 | Croatia
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Marin Jurić-Čivro | "Pjesma za tebe" | 22 | 75 |
| 23 | Russia
|
Arnelle | "Parma" | 4 | 142 |
| 24 | Argentina
|
Lali | "Una na" | 27 | 54 |
| 25 | Colombia
|
Sebastián Yatra ft. Sheppard | "Edge of the night" | 24 | 71 |
| 26 | Germany
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Natalia Avelon | "In another life" | 25 | 66 |
| 27 | Lithuania
|
Evelina Young | "Wildfire" | 7 | 136 |
Split Results[]
| Place | Finalists Votes | Points | Non-finalists Votes | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil
|
88 | Finland
|
85 |
| 2 | France
|
81 | Moldova
|
83 |
| 3 | Sweden
|
74 | Norway
|
78 |
| 4 | Moldova
|
72 | Serbia
|
74 |
| 5 | Australia
|
70 | France
|
74 |
| 6 | Belgium
|
68 | Lithuania
|
73 |
| 7 | Greece
|
68 | Spain
|
71 |
| 8 | Morocco
|
65 | England
|
67 |
| 9 | Lithuania
|
55 | Liechtenstein
|
66 |
| 10 | Canada
|
54 | Russia
|
62 |
| 11 | Denmark
|
54 | Greece
|
61 |
| 12 | Spain
|
51 | Sweden
|
56 |
| 13 | Russia
|
46 | Belgium
|
55 |
| 14 | Finland
|
46 | Netherlands
|
47 |
| 15 | Ecuador
|
44 | United States
|
43 |
| 16 | Israel
|
44 | Australia
|
37 |
| 17 | Norway
|
42 | Israel
|
35 |
| 18 | Croatia
|
41 | Canada
|
35 |
| 19 | Colombia
|
39 | Germany
|
33 |
| 20 | United States
|
35 | Colombia
|
32 |
| 21 | Netherlands
|
33 | Ecuador
|
31 |
| 22 | Serbia
|
30 | Philippines
|
29 |
| 23 | Philippines
|
29 | Denmark
|
27 |
| 24 | Germany
|
28 | Croatia
|
26 |
| 25 | England
|
26 | Morocco
|
21 |
| 26 | Argentina
|
26 | Brazil
|
20 |
| 27 | Liechtenstein
|
25 | Argentina
|
13 |
Returning artists[]
Special Awards[]
Bartek Award[]
| Country | Artist | Song | Place | Situation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finland
|
Kaija Koo | "Nää yöt ei anna armoo" | 6th | Winner |
| South Korea
|
Sunmi | "Gashina" | 18th (SF1) | Runner-up |
| Peru
|
Temple Sour | "Chibola manyada" | 23rd (SF2) | 3rd place |
Non-English Award[]
| Country | Artist | Song | Place | Situation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moldova
|
Irina Rimes | "Cosmos" | 2nd | Winner |
| Serbia
|
Aleksandra Radović | "Ljubavi moja" | 12th | Runner-up |
| Spain
|
María Parrado ft. Antonio José | "Un milagro" | 10th | 3rd place |
hph01 Award[]
| Country | Artist | Song | Place | Situation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria
|
The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices ft. Lisa Gerrard | "Pora sotunda" | 14th (SF2) | Winner |
| Poland
|
Mikromusic | "Tak mi się nie chce" | 19th (SF1) | Runner-up |
| Luxembourg
|
Maître Gims | "Caméléon" | 17th (SF2) | 3rd place |