Only a matter of days after the initial A Dal 2018 announcement and we already have to wave goodbye to one bidding act. Due to personal reasons, Hungarian band The Matter have had to withdraw their entry from the country’s national selection for Eurovision.

Earlier this week, the Hungarian national broadcaster – MTVA – released the names of the 30 participants selected to compete in the forthcoming national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest: A Dal 2018.

From the 350 entries submitted, 30 entries were shortlisted by members of the broadcaster and revealed in a special press conference on Wednesday

The Matter withdraw from the selection

One of the shortlisted acts, The Matter, have since had to withdraw their entry for A Dal 2018, citing personal matters as the reason behind their withdrawal.

In a press release, the band confirmed their withdrawal from the competition:

We are not able to compete in A Dal 2018. Our band’s singer will have to stay in Vienna for the next few months for unspeakable family reasons. Thank you very much for the confidence from members of the jury that they have been able to see in our song and band. We wish the other competitors the greatest success! The Matter

Replacement revealed

Shortly after The Matter’s press release, MTVA confirmed their withdrawal from the competition, revealing the name of the act set to replace the band in the selection.

Taking their place in the competition is the band Patikadomb, who will attempt to win the selection and represent Hungary at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest with their entry Jó szelet!.

Check out a short snippet of Patikadomb’s entry via the official A Dal 2018 website.

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Hosts and jury members confirmed

Throughout this week, MTVA has also released more details regarding the country’s forthcoming Eurovision national selection, including the hosts of the competition as well as the selected 4-member jury panel.

Eurovision fans will be happy to see the return of Hungary’s 2016 A Dal winner and representative in Stockholm, Freddie, who will host the country’s upcoming national selection alongside Kriszta Rátonyi.

Joining the hosting duo will be the 4-member judging panel, all of whom will provide 50% of the vote in the national selection over the coming weeks. The jury members are as follows:

• Judit Schell: actress and artist
• Misi Mező: singer, musician and rock singer for Magna Cum Laude
• Károly Frenreisz: rock singer and songwriter
• Miklós Both: composer, performer, singer for the band Napra, guitarist, and vitar violin player

A Dal 2018 kicks off next month and will see a total of 6 shows taking place in order to determine the Hungarian representative for the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest.

• 20/01: Heat 1
• 27/01: Heat 2
• 03/02: Heat 3
• 10/02: Semi-final 1
• 17/02: Semi-final 2
• 24/02: Grand final