The 2018 Georgian Eurovision hopefuls Iraio have flown to Portugal in order to film their Eurovision postcard. The band visited Lisbon where they partook in the Chinese New Year celebrations in the Portuguese capital.

The delegations and participants of the 43 participating countries at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest will be travelling to Portugal prior to the contest in order to film their respective presentation postcards. Each artist will be portrayed in an activity or a challenge.

The postcards will showcase the beauty of Portugal and will portray the Eurovision artists enjoying the sights and sounds of the host country.

The presentation postcards serve as a massive platform for the host country to promote its tourism and showcase itself on a global scale as millions of viewers tune in to watch Europe’s favorite television show. The Eurovision Song Contest reaches households beyond Europe, from Australia to Argentina, from China to New Zealand, from USA to India etc.

The Georgian postcard

The 2018 Georgian Eurovision hopefuls, Iraio flew to Lisbon earlier this week in order to film their Eurovision postcard. Their visit to the Portuguese capital coincided with the Chinese New Year celebrations in the city.

Every year the Chinese community in Lisbon celebrates the Chinese New Year, an event that reflects the multiculturality of the city and usually includes various parades, shows and exhibitions showcasing Chinese cultural traditions.  Lisbon’s Martim Moniz Square was much part of the  Chinese New Year celebrations this year and housed several tents with typical Chinese products and handicraft exhibitions.

For the filming of their postcard, the 2018 Georgian Eurovision representatives visited this iconic site, where they were  welcomed by two Chinese ladies who invited them to live this magnificent experience. The Georgian band got to taste new foods and cuisine, danced with the dragons and celebrated with the community. They enjoyed partaking in the festivities.

Iraio commented about their postcard:

It was the first time we visited Lisbon and we loved the city! We really enjoyed participating in this Chinese New Year celebration and we felt lucky to have been part of this party.

About Iraio

Iraio were selected by Georgian national broadcaster via an internal selection in order to fly the Georgian flag at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon.

Iraio was formed in  in 2013 and was created by David Malazonia, songwriter with extensive professional experience in the music industry. The band define their musical style as ethno-jazz and their unique repertoire joins the Georgian Polyphonic singing – recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO – to jazz. In recent years, the band has performed at numerous music festivals all over the world.

Georgia in Eurovision

Georgia debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007 with Sopho Khalvashi and is yet to win the event. The country’s best placing in the competition is a 9th place, achieved in 2010 and 2011.

Georgia has partaken in the competition 9 times since its debut in 2007 and will be participating at the forthcoming 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon. 2018 will mark Georgia’s 10th Eurovision participation, the country has participated in every contest since it joined the Eurovision family with the exception of 2009 when it withdrew from the competition.

Georgia will compete in the Second-Semifinal of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest on 10 May in Lisbon.