Rehearsals are now well and truly underway in the city of Tel Aviv, which will be hosting this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Today sees the first day of rehearsals, with the first half of the first semi-final evening taking to the impressive stage of Expo Tel Aviv.

9 countries are all set to make their debut onstage, 10 days before the live show of the first semi-final. Following their rehearsal, a Meet & Greet session will be coming next. These countries are Cyprus, Montenegro, Finland, Poland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Belarus and Serbia.

Now it’s time for the first returning artist of the year to get on the Eurovision stage! With an emotional song about the deep father-son relationship, Joci Pápai is Hungary’s hope for a second time after 2017.

Joci appears all in black and barefoot on the stage, wearing cropped black trousers with a short decorative overskirt. His tight polo-neck t-shirt is also black, with a long necklace and belt adding a subtle embellishment to his look. His onstage look is a perfect match for his modern-yet-traditional song.

Impression of Hungary’s first rehearsal

Gallery of Hungary’s first rehearsal