OMSC 11

Online Music Song Contest 11, often referred to as OMSC 11, was the eleventh edition of Online Music Song Contest, held in Stockholm, after Sweden won the previous edition of the contest.

The Semi-Finals of OMSC 11 occured on the 28ᵗʰ March 2021 while the Final occured on the 4ᵗʰ April 2021. Thirty-eight countries participated in the eleventh contest, under the slogan “Light Up, Shoot Up!”.

Poland won the contest with the song "Zgaś", sung entirely in Polish, receving a total of 148 points. This makes Poland the winner with the highest score so far. San Marino finished in second place, with Germany finishing in third place. They were followed by the United States of America, which reached the fourth place and Ukraine which reached the fifth place.

Location


After it's victory in the previous edition, the broadcaster SVT chose to host the contest in the capital of Sweden, Stockholm. Stockholm is the most populous urban area in Sweden as well as in Scandinavia. It has a population of around 1,000,000 inhabitants and it's located on Sweden's east coast, where the freshwater Lake Mälaren, Sweden's third largest lake, flows out into the Baltic Sea. The central parts of the city consist of fourteen islands that are continuous with the Stockholm archipelago.

After the Ice Age, there were already many people living in what is today the Stockholm area, but as temperatures dropped, inhabitants moved south. Thousands of years later, as the climate became tolerable and the lands became fertile, people began to migrate back to the North. At the intersection of the Baltic Sea and lake Mälaren is an archipelago site where the Old Town of Stockholm was first built from about 1000 CE by Vikings. They had a positive trade impact on the area because of the trade routes they created.

The city originally rose to prominence as a result of the Baltic trade of the Hanseatic League. Stockholm developed strong economic and cultural linkages with Lübeck, Hamburg, Gdańsk, Visby, Reval, and Riga during this time. Between 1296 and 1478 Stockholm's City Council was made up of 24 members, half of whom were selected from the town's German-speaking burghers. The strategic and economic importance of the city made Stockholm an important factor in relations between the Danish Kings of the Kalmar Union and the national independence movement in the 15ᵗʰ century. The Danish King Christian II was able to enter the city in 1520. On the 8ᵗʰ November 1520, a massacre of opposition figures called the Stockholm Bloodbath took place and set off further uprisings that eventually led to the breakup of the Kalmar Union. With the accession of Gustav Vasa in 1523 and the establishment of royal power, the population of Stockholm began to grow, reaching 10,000 by 1600.

The 17ᵗʰ century saw Sweden grow into a major European power, reflected in the development of the city of Stockholm. From 1610 to 1680 the population multiplied sixfold. In 1634, Stockholm became the official capital of the Swedish empire. Trading rules were also created that gave Stockholm an essential monopoly over trade between foreign merchants and other Swedish and Scandinavian territories. In 1710, a plague killed about 36% of the population. After the end of the Great Northern War the city stagnated. Population growth halted and economic growth slowed. The city was in shock after having lost its place as the capital of a Great power. However, Stockholm maintained its role as the political centre of Sweden and continued to develop culturally.

By the second half of the 19ᵗʰ century, Stockholm had regained its leading economic role. New industries emerged and Stockholm was transformed into an important trade and service centre as well as a key gateway point within Sweden. The population also grew dramatically during this time, mainly through immigration. At the end of the 19ᵗʰ century, less than 40% of the residents were born in Stockholm.

Nowadays, Stockholm is the cultural, media, political, and economic centre of Sweden. It's also the seat of the Swedish government and most of its agencies, including the highest courts in the judiciary, and the official residencies of the Swedish monarch and the Prime Minister. Stockholm is home to some of Europe's top ranking universities, such as the Stockholm School of Economics, Karolinska Institute and the Royal Institute of Technology. It hosts the annual Nobel Prize ceremonies and banquet at the Stockholm Concert Hall and Stockholm City Hall. One of the city's most prized museums, the Vasa Museum, is the most visited non-art museum in Scandinavia.

Participants
Thirty-eight countries participated in the eleventh edition of the contest: fifteen European countries (Åland Islands, Albania, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican), eight Asian countries (Armenia, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Philippines, South Korea, Turkey, Vietnam), ten American countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, United States of America, United States' Virgin Islands), two Oceanian countries (Australia, Micronesia) and three African countries (Guinea, Morocco, Namibia).

In this edition Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Guatemala, Guinea, Namibia and Serbia participated for the first time.

Returning Artists
This edition featured four representatives who had performed previously as lead vocalists for a country in the contest.

Ava Max represented the United States' Virgin Islands in the third edition of the contest with her song "Belladonna" sung in English, which placed 17ᵗʰ out of 27 participating countries with 32 points. In this occasion, she represented debut nation Albania, after she won Your Voice for Albania (OMSC 11) with her song "My Head & My Heart", sung again in English, placing 25ᵗʰ with 71 points.

Annalisa represented Italy at its debut in the fourth edition of the contest with her song "Tsunami" sung in Italian, which placed 7ᵗʰ out of 38 participating countries with 69 points. In this occasion, she represented Vatican with her song "Avocado Toast", sung again in Italian, placing 36ᵗʰ with 39 points, unfortunately without qualifying for the final.

Jax Jones represented the United Kingdom in the previous edition of the contest, together with Madison Beer and Martin Solveig, with the song "All Day And Night" sung in English, which placed 11ᵗʰ out of 46 participating countries with 71 points. In this occasion, he represented debut nation Antigua and Barbuda, together with Au/Ra, with the song "I Miss U", again in English, placing 9ᵗʰ with 107 points!

Now United represented Lebanon at its only participation in the sixth edition of the contest. They performed, together with R3HAB, the song "One Love", sung in English, which achieved Lebanon's best result so far. They placed 2ⁿᵈ out of 27 participating countries with 91 points. In this occasion, they represented Lebanon again, with their song "Habibi", again in English, placing 29ᵗʰ with 67 points, unfortunately without qualifying for the final.

National Selections
Albania, Germany, Micronesia, the Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico and the United States' Virgin Islands used a National Selection to determine the country's representative for OMSC 11.

Your Voice for Albania (OMSC 11)
Main article: Your Voice for Albania (OMSC 11)

Deutschlands Empfehlung Für Den Online Music Song Contest (OMSC 11)
Main article: Deutschlands Empfehlung Für Den Online Music Song Contest (OMSC 11)

Out In The Sea (OMSC 11)
Main article: Out In The Sea (OMSC 11)

Kanta ng Pilipinas (OMSC 11)
Main article: Kanta ng Pilipinas (OMSC 11)

Krajowe Eliminacje (OMSC 11)
Main article: Krajowe Eliminacje (OMSC 11)

Selección de la Canción Puertorriqueña (OMSC 11)
Main article: Selección de la Canción Puertorriqueña (OMSC 11)

Virgin National Final (OMSC 11)
Main article: Virgin National Final (OMSC 11)

Withdrawing Countries
These countries confirmed their non-participation in the eleventh edition of the contest:

• British Virgin Islands – British Virgin Islands did not appear on the list of participants published on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021.

• Burkina Faso – Radio Télévision du Burkina announced on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021, that Burkina Faso would withdraw from the contest for unknown reasons.

• Dominican Republic – Corporación Estatal de Radio y Televisión (CERTV) announced on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021, that the Dominican Republic would not participate in the eleventh edition of the contest, probably because of the poor results in the previous two editions.

• French Polynesia – Tahiti Nui Télévision (TNTV) announced on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021, that French Polynesia would withdraw from the contest for unknown reasons.

• Greece – Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) announced on the 15ᵗʰ March 2021, that Greece would withdraw from the contest for unknown reasons.

• Guam – Public Broadcasting Service Guam (PBS GUAM) announced the country's withdrawal on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021.

• Japan – Japanese broadcaster Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK) announced the country's withdrawal on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021.

• Kazakhstan – Kazakhstan Radio and Television Corporation (RTRK) announced on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021, that Kazakhstan would not participate in the eleventh edition for unknown reasons.

• Kiribati – Kiribati did not appear on the list of participants published on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021.

• Mali – Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision du Mali (ORTM) announced on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021, that Mali would withdraw from the contest, probably because of the poor results in the previous edition.

• Mauritania – Mauritania did not appear on the list of participants published on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021.

• Nauru – Nauru Broadcasting Service (NBS) announced on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021 that Nauru would not participate in the eleventh edition of the contest.

• New Zealand - Television New Zealand (TVNZ) announced on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021 that, despite scoring a very good result in the previous edition, they would withdraw from the contest.

• North Korea – North Korean broadcaster (KCTV) announced on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021 the country's withdrawal, without further explanations.

• Papua New Guinea – National Broadcasting Corporation of Papua New Guinea (NBC/PNG) announced the country's withdrawal on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021.

• Republic of the Congo – Republic of the Congo did not appear on the list of participants published on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021.

• Romania – Televiziunea Română (TVR) announced on the 15ᵗʰ March 2021 the country's withdrawal from the contest, for unknown reasons.

• Samoa – Samoa did not appear on the list of participants published on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021.

• Singapore – Singapore did not appear on the list of participants published on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021.

• South Africa – South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) announced on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021 that South Africa would not participate in the eleventh edition of the contest.

• Sudan – Sudan National Broadcasting Corporation (SNBC) announced on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021, that Sudan would not participate in the eleventh edition for unknown reasons, probably for the controversies in the previous edition.

• Uganda – Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) announced on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021 its withdrawal from the contest, for unknown reasons.

• Uzbekistan – Uzbek broadcaster O`zbekiston Milliy Teleradiokompaniyasi (MRTK) announced on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021 that Uzbekistan would not participate in the eleventh edition of the contest.

• Zambia – Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) announced on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021, that Zambia would withdraw from the contest, probably because of the poor results in the previous edition.

• Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) announced on the on the 21ˢᵗ March 2021 its withdrawal from the contest, for unknown reasons.