This Saturday, February 24, was known in the Eurovision community as “Super Saturday,” due to five national finals taking place which would reveal each country’s participant for this year’s contest. One of these nations was Hungary, with their selection process A Dal presenting Europe with the first group entry in six years.
As reported by Eurovision.tv, rock band AWS will perform in Lisbon, Portugal, on May 10, in the second half of the second semi-final. The group won A Dal 2018, a national final format which saw three heats and two semi-finals in itself. Beating out seven other participants, AWS won over both the jury and the public with their song “Viszlát Nyár,” which they will present at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Three other entrants were chosen as “super-finalists” by the expert jury alone: Dánielfy Gergely, Király Viktor and yesyes. The public was then asked to vote for their favorite, with AWS sweeping the results.
AWS was founded in 2006, and consists of five members: Dániel Kökényes, Áron Veress, Örs Siklósi, Bence Brucker, and Soma Schiszler. Their sound is described as metalcore and post-hardcore, with genres such as psychedelic rock and alternative mixed into their tracks. The past 12 years has seen the group travel outside of their native country on several occasions, with the band getting the opportunity to perform in nations such as England, Slovenia, Romania, and Austria, and thus increase their fanbase. Their music videos, although sometimes viewed as somewhat controversial, often use juxtaposed images of violence and celebrities, as a way of bringing to light the issues faced in the entertainment world today.
Their discography to date includes three full-length albums and an EP, with the first record being released in 2011. AWS’s Eurovision entry, “Viszlát Nyár,” was written in memory of the lead vocalist’s late father, who passed away in 2017.
Hungary has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since 1994, sitting out between the years 1999 and 2004, as well as 2006 and 2010. Their best result to date is fourth place, with the nation coming in the top 10 on five occasions: 1994, 2007, 2013, 2014 and 2017. The country failed to qualify in the years 1993, 1996, 2008, and 2009. Their worst result was in 2008, when Hungarian pop singer Csézy received last place in her semi-final with the song “Candelight.” This year’s entry will see Hungary sending a song in their national language for the 10th time, with six out of their 15 entries sung solely in English and two a combination of Hungarian and English.