This is Beirut

Jim Morrison Bust Returns to Père Lachaise, 37 Years After Theft

This is Beirut, 19/05 16:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

France Police Jim Morrison Bust Investigation Music Culture

French police have recovered by chance the long-lost bust of American singer Jim Morrison that once adorned the grave of the iconic frontman of The Doors, 37 years after it was stolen from a Paris cemetery. The sculpture, missing since 1988, was found during a search tied to a fraud case led by the Paris public prosecutor's office, a source ...

JJ, the Pop-Opera Angel Who Won Eurovision for Austria

This is Beirut, 18/05 09:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Eurovision Contest Music JJ Culture Austria

With his falsetto voice and angelic smile, JJ has given Austria its first Eurovision victory since bearded drag queen Conchita Wurst won eleven years ago. With Wasted Love—a track that soars with soprano highs between soft ballad refrains and climaxes in a techno finale—Austria took a risky but ultimately rewarding gamble. The song earned 436 ...

From Power Ballads to Pyrotechnics: Europe Takes the Stage at Eurovision

This is Beirut, 17/05 12:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Eurovision Europe Contest Sweden Culture Music

In a blaze of laser lights, artists from 26 countries were preparing to rip the roof off at Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest final, the world's biggest live music television event. An estimated 160 million people across Europe and beyond are expected to tune in for the TV extravaganza, where kitsch, drama, pyrotechnics and histrionics take ...

Eurovision 2025: Will Celine Dion Return?

This is Beirut, 16/05 17:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Celine Dion Eurovision Prague Culture Music Art

As excitement builds for Saturday's Eurovision final, one question looms large: could superstar Celine Dion, now in fragile health, make a show-stopping appearance, 37 years after winning the competition? Dion became a global music icon, selling albums by the millions and staging groundbreaking sell-out concerts around the world. But she has ...

Eurovision Returns to Switzerland: A Legacy of Song Evolution

This is Beirut, 16/05 15:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Eurovision Switzerland Europe Music Culture Art

Switzerland is hosting Eurovision for the third time, with the extravaganza a world away from when it staged the inaugural competition in 1956—and also from 1989 when Celine Dion starred. The 2025 edition on May 17 in Basel will draw an expected TV audience of around 160 million, with viewers worldwide casting their votes. Here is a look back ...

12 Points to Politics: The Eurovision Score You Don’t See

This is Beirut, 15/05 16:25 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Eurovision Votes Politics Music

Groans and giggles typically greet votes at the annual Eurovision Song Contest, loved and mocked for its kitsch music and seemingly partisan outcomes. But over time, what are the voting patterns, and what external factors help explain them? Ahead of Saturday's final in Basel, AFP analyzed all points distributed among around 2,300 possible pairs ...

Eurovision 2025: Spotlight on the Second Semifinal’s 16 Competitors

This is Beirut, 15/05 14:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Eurovision 2025 Music Semi-Final 2 Switzerland Culture

Sixteen countries are competing in the Eurovision Song Contest's second semifinal on Thursday, with viewers deciding which 10 go through to the grand final. Saturday's showpiece event takes place at the St Jakobshalle in the Swiss city of Basel. Ten countries have already qualified from Tuesday's first semifinal. The so-called ...

Ehdeniyat 2025: A 21st Edition of Musical Summits and Shared Emotions

This is Beirut, 14/05 15:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon North Ehden Culture Music

Ehdeniyat International Festival will celebrate its 21st edition in July, showcasing a diverse lineup of Lebanese and Arab artists through six captivating concerts from July 17 to August 3. The program includes Guy Manoukian, Abeer Nehme, Adam, Kadim El Sahir, Al Shami and Dancing Moon III, offering a varied musical experience blending magic, ...

From Shadows to Spotlight: Enigmatic and Ever-Influential Mylène Farmer

Marie-Christine Tayah, 13/05 17:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Mylène Farmer Cannes Music France Culture Cannes Film Festival

Between her passion for cinema and loyalty to the stage, Mylène Farmer is reportedly preparing a surprise for the opening night of the Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2025, and possibly unveiling a previously unreleased track. A look back at the path of an unparalleled artist. Among the most anticipated moments of this year’s opening ceremony, ...

"Bkerzay en Musique" Returns: A Cultural Summer in the Chouf

This is Beirut, 09/05 19:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Music Festival Bkerzay en Musique Chouf Artists Culture

The “Bkerzay en Musique” festival is back this summer for its second season of live performances in the lush eco-village of Bkerzay, nestled in the heart of the Chouf mountains. The launch of the second edition was announced Friday morning at a press conference held at the Ministry of Tourism, in the presence of Minister of Tourism Laura ...

Eurovision Sparks Creativity in Swiss Classrooms Through Song

This is Beirut, 09/05 17:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Eurovision Music Culture Concert Art Basel

Swiss schoolchildren are drawing inspiration from Eurovision and creating their own songs, to be performed before an audience of thousands in the build-up to this year's extravaganza in Basel. "It's exciting to see that we're all going to sing together" on stage on the sidelines of the Eurovision Song Contest, said Tessa Cajani, a pupil at a ...

Eurovision 2025 Kicks Off in Basel With Parade and High Hopes

This is Beirut, 09/05 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Eurovision 2025 Music Television Parade Switzerland Culture

The Eurovision Song Contest comes shimmering into Basel on Sunday with a glitzy parade kicking off a week of high-octane revelry building up to the May 17 grand final. The Swiss city is pulling out the stops as it hosts the 69th edition of the light-hearted TV spectacular that celebrates kitsch and pushes the boundaries of taste. While Europop ...

Music