OMSC 23

Online Music Song Contest 23, often referred to as OMSC 23, was the twenty-third edition of Online Music Song Contest, held in Santa Cruz, after Bolivia won the previous edition of the contest.

The Pre-Qualification Round of OMSC 23 occured on the 30ᵗʰ January 2022, the Semi-Finals on the 6ᵗʰ February 2022 while the Final occured on the 13ᵗʰ February 2022. Fifty countries participated in the twenty-third contest, under the slogan “Let’s Have A Fiesta!”.

Bolivia won the contest again with the song "Échale", sung in Spanish, receving a total of 137 points. Martinique finished in second place with a margin of eight points from the winner, while Haiti finished in third place. They were followed by New Zealand, which reached the fourth place and Romania which reached the fifth place.

This makes Bolivia the second nation and Michelle Andrade the first artist to win the Online Music Song Contest two editions in a row and on home soil.

Location
After it's victory in the previous edition, the broadcaster TVB chose to host the contest in the largest city of Bolivia, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, commonly known as Santa Cruz. It has a population of over 1,600,000 inhabitants. It is located on the Pirai River in the eastern Tropical Lowlands of Bolivia. Due to its low elevation at the foothills of the Andes and being situated in the Amazon basin, the city has a tropical climate unlike the other main metro area of La Paz that is thousands of metres higher in terms of elevation.

The city was first founded by Spaniards from Paraguay in 1561. Spanish explorer Ñuflo de Chavez founded it about 200 kilometers east of its current location at what is now San José de Chiquitos, and was moved several times. It was attacked repeatedly by Indians until 1595, when it was finally established on the Pirai River in the late 16ᵗʰ century and renamed Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Its inhabitants declared their independence from Spain in 1811, and the city was recaptured only briefly by royalist forces. For much of its history, Santa Cruz was mostly a small outpost town, and even after Bolivia gained its independence in 1825 there was little attention from the authorities or the population in general to settle the region. In 1950 a highway to Cochabamba was completed. Railways provide access to Brazil, Argentina, and southern Bolivia, and the city’s international airport is the country’s busiest. It was not until after the middle of the 20ᵗʰ century with profound agrarian and land reforms that the city began to grow at a very fast pace.

Nowadays Santa Cruz produces nearly 35% of Bolivia's gross domestic product, and receives over 40% of all foreign direct investment in the country. This has helped make Santa Cruz the most important business center in Bolivia and the preferred destination of migrants from all over the country and from some neighboring countries as well. Santa Cruz is the seat of Gabriel René Moreno Autonomous University (1879) and other educational institutions. It is also home to natural-history, ethno-folkloric, and other museums, as well as several art galleries. Two large national parks are located east and west of the city.

Participants
Fifty countries participated in the twenty-third edition of the contest: fifteen European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Crimea, Denmark, France, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom), fourteen Asian countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey), thirteen American countries (Anguilla, Argentina, Aruba, Bolivia, Bonaire, Canada, Chile, Guyana, Haiti, Martinique, Paraguay, United States of America, Venezuela), three Oceanian countries (Guam, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea) and five African countries (Algeria, Canary Islands, Madagascar, Morocco, Réunion).

In this edition Anguilla, Bonaire, Martinique and Paraguay participated for the first time.

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

Naïka represented Haiti at its debut in the eighth edition of the contest with her song "Water", sung both in English and French, which unfortunately didn't make it to the final, placing 21ˢᵗ out of 37 participating countries with 94 points. In this occasion, she represented Haiti again with her song "Ride", sung in English, placing 3ʳᵈ with 123 points.

Andia represented Romania at its second appearence in the contest in the fifth edition, together with DJ Project. She performed the song "Retrograd", sung in Romanian, which placed 10ᵗʰ out of 29 participating countries with 50 points. In this occasion she represented Romania again, as soloist, with her song "Mi-e Dor", placing 5ᵗʰ with 108 points.

Broods represented New Zealand in the fifteenth edition of the contest with their song "Free" which placed 27ᵗʰ out of 50 participating countries with 87 points, without unfortunately qualifying for the final. In this occasion, they were chosen to represent New Zealand again with their song "Piece Of My Mind", sung in English, placing 4ᵗʰ with 115 points.

Froukje represented Aruba at its two previous appearences in the contest of the contest. In the twentieth edition Froukje performed her song "Niets Tussen", sung entirely in Dutch, which placed 31ˢᵗ out of 50 participating countries with 71 points, without unfortunately qualifying for the final. Two editions later she was chosen to represent the country again with her song "Licht En Donker", which placed 37ᵗʰ out of 50 participanting countries with 63 points, without qualifying for the final as well. In this occasion, Aruba selected her one last time. She performed her song "Onbezonnen", sung in Dutch too, placing 33ʳᵈ with 66 points, without qualifying for the final even this time.

Weird Genius represented Indonesia, together with Sara Fajira, in the fourteenth edition of the contest. The group performed their song "Lathi (ꦭꦛꦶ)", sung in English and Javanese, which made it to the final and placed 5ᵗʰ out of 43 participating countries with 104 points. In this occasion, the group represented Thailand, together with the Thai singer Violette Wautier. The performed song was "Future Ghost", sung in English, which placed 13ᵗʰ with 90 points.

Jain represented Madagascar at its debut in the fifteenth edition of the contest. She performed her song "Come", sung in English, which unfortunately didn't make it to the final, placing 31ˢᵗ out of 50 participating countries with 78 points. In this occasion, she represented Madagascar again, this time with her song "Makeba", sung in English as well, placing 30ᵗʰ with 78 points, without qualifying for the final as well.

Michelle Andrade represented Ukraine in the twelfth edition of the contest with her song "Mirror", sung both in English and Spanish, which unfortunately didn't make it to the final, placing 40ᵗʰ out of 44 participating countries with 34 points. She returned in the twenty-second edition when she represented Bolivia with her song "Rumba", which won the contest with a record score of 224 points and brought the contest to Santa Cruz. In this occasion she was selected, one last time, to represent Bolivia again, on home soil, She performed her song "Échale", sung entirely in Ukrainian, which won the contest again, this time with 137 points, making her the first artist to win the contest twice.

EVERGLOW represented South Korea in the fifteenth edition of the contest with the song "First", sung in English and Korean, which unfortunately didn't place 1ˢᵗ. It placed 3ʳᵈ out of 50 participating countries with 111 points. The girl group returned to the contest in the previous edition representing China, with the song "Pirate", again in English and Korean, placing 45ᵗʰ with 187 points, in the pre-qualification round. In this occasion they were selected, one last time, to represent Hong Kong. The group performed the song "Adios" which placed 20ᵗʰ out of 50 participanting countries with 47 points.

Lola Índigo represented Chile at its debut in the ninth edition of the contest, together with Danna Paola and Denise Rosenthal, performing the song "Santería", sung in Spanish, which made it to the final and placed 19ᵗʰ out of 46 participating countries with 68 points. She returned to the contest in the seventeenth edition to represent Chile again. She represented Chile with Denise Rosenthal, also returning in that edition. The performed song was "Demente", again in Spanish, which placed 32ⁿᵈ with 75 points, without unfortunately making it to the final. In this occasion she was selected, one last time, to represent the Canary Islands together with the Spanish singer Rvfv. The performed song was "Romeo Y Julieta" which placed 41ˢᵗ out of 50 participanting countries with 39 points, without qualifying for the final.

Raye represented Micronesia at its fourteenth appearence in the contest in the nienteenth edition. She performed her song "Call On Me", sung in English, which placed 13ᵗʰ out of 50 participating countries with 74 points. In this occasion she represented Algeria together with the Algerian singer Miraa May with the song "Go Girl", sung in English as well, placing 37ᵗʰ with 54 points, without qualifying for the final.

Ashe represented Fiji at its third appearence in the eighth edition of the contest with her song "Moral Of The Story" which made it to the final and placed 8ᵗʰ out of 37 participating countries with 87 points. In this occasion, she represented Guam with her song "Save Myself", again in English, placing 12ᵗʰ with 96 points.

Daya represented India at its debut in the seventh edition of the contest with her song "New" which made it to the final and placed 19ᵗʰ out of 33 participating countries with 44 points. In this occasion she represented Papua New Guinea, who returned to the contest after four editions. She performed her song "Bad Girl", again in English, placing 21ˢᵗ with 43 points.

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

• Åland Islands – Television Åland (TVÅ) announced on the 16ᵗʰ January 2022 that the Åland Islands would not participate in the twenty-third edition of the contest.

• Albania – Albanian broadcaster Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) confirmed on the 16ᵗʰ January 2022 that Albania would not take part in the twenty-third edition of the contest.

• American Samoa – American Samoa did not appear on the list of participants published on the 23ʳᵈ January 2022.

• Australia – Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) announced on the 23ʳᵈ January 2022 that its participation in the twenty-third edition of the contest would not be possible, without further explanation.

• Belarus – Belaruskaja Tele‑Radio Campanija (BTRC) announced on the 16ᵗʰ January 2022 the country's withdrawal from the contest, despite placing 3ʳᵈ in the previous edition and achieving Belarus's best result so far.

• Brazil – While Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão (SBT) had provisionally confirmed their participation in the contest, it was later announced that Brazil would withdraw from the contest, despite achieving quite good results in the previous editions.

• Cambodia – National Television of Kampuchea (TVK) announced on the 16ᵗʰ January 2022, that Cambodia would not participate in the twenty-third edition, citing debts and the ongoing financial issues.

• Democratic Republic of the Congo – Democratic Republic of the Congo's broadcaster Radio-Télévision Nationale Congolaise (RTNC) announced on the 23ʳᵈ January 2022 its withdrawal from the contest, after the disappointment from the results of their debut.

• El Salvador – Salvadoran broadcaster Telecorporación Salvadoreña (TCS) announced on the 16ᵗʰ January 2022 its withdrawal from the contest, without further explanations.

• Ethiopia – Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) announced on the 23ʳᵈ January 2022 that Ethiopia's participation in the twenty-third edition of the contest would not be possible, despite achieving a good result and their best result to date in the previous edition.

• French Polynesia – Tahiti Nui Télévision (TNTV) announced the withdrawal a few days after the confirmations opened, for unknown reasons.

• Germany – While Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF), had provisionally confirmed their participation in the contest, on the 16ᵗʰ January 2022, Germany announced its withdrawal from the contest for unknown reasons after sixteen consecutive participations.

• Greece – Greek broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) announced on the 16ᵗʰ January 2022, that Greece would not participate in the twenty-third edition of the contest.

• Greenland – Greenlandic broadcaster Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa (KNR) announced on the 16ᵗʰ January 2022, that Greenland would not participate in the twenty-third edition, citing low ratings during their time in the contest and for never having participated in a grand final.

• Israel – When confirmation period started, Israeli broadcaster Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC) stated that they had yet to make a decision on their participation. Israel later confirmed its withdrawal on the 16ᵗʰ January 2022, despite achieving good results in the previous editions.

• Kuwait – Kuwait did not appear on the list of participants published on the 23ʳᵈ January 2022.

• Latvia – Latvian broadcaster Latvijas Televīzija (LTV) announced on the 16ᵗʰ January 2022 its withdrawal from the contest, without further explanations, despite the success from the results of their debut.

• Malaysia – Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) announced on the 16ᵗʰ January 2022, that Malaysia would withdraw from the contest, for unknown reasons.

• Malta – Malta's broadcaster Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) announced on the 16ᵗʰ January 2022, that Malta would not participate in the twenty-third edition, probably because of the poor results in the last three participations.

• Mexico – Mexico's broadcaster Sistema Público de Radiodifusión del Estado Mexicano (SPR) announced on the 16ᵗʰ January 2022 its withdrawal from the contest, citing low ratings during their time in the contest.

• Micronesia – Federated States of Micronesia Broadcasting Association (FSMBA) announced on the 23ʳᵈ January 2022 its withdrawal from the contest, because of financial crisis.

• New Caledonia – New Caledonia did not appear on the list of participants published on the 23ʳᵈ January 2022.

• Puerto Rico – Corpración de Puerto Rico para la Difusión Pública (CPRDP) announced Puerto Rico's withdrawal from the contest a couple of days after the confirmation period started, due to financial difficulties.

• Russia – Russia's broadcaster Channel One Russia (C1R) announced on the 16ᵗʰ January 2022, that Russia would not participate in the twenty-third edition of the contest, probably after previous edition's disappointing placement.

• Spain – Spanish broadcaster Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española (RTVE) announced on the 16ᵗʰ January 2022, that Spain would not participate in the twenty-third edition of the contest, due to a lack of interest from the Spanish public.

• Uganda – Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) announced on the 23ʳᵈ January 2022, that Uganda would not participate in the twenty-third edition, without further explanations.

• United Arab Emirates – United Arab Emirates did not appear on the list of participants published on the 23ʳᵈ January 2022.

Other Countries
• Costa Rica – On the 16ᵗʰ January 2022, Costa Rica's broadcaster Sistema Nacional de Radio y Televisión de Costa Rica (SINART) announced that they were planning a debut again in OMSC 23, after their previous attempts in OMSC 12 and OMSC 18. However, it was later confirmed on the 19ᵗʰ January 2022 that the country would not debut in this edition of the contest either.

• Jersey – On the 16ᵗʰ January 2022, Jersian broadcaster Channel Television (ITV) announced that the nation had interest in the competition and was planning a debut in OMSC 23. However, it was later confirmed on the same day that the country would not debut in this edition of the contest.

• Niue – On the 16ᵗʰ January 2022, the Niuean broadcaster Broadcasting Corporation of Niue (BCN) announced that they were planning a debut in OMSC 23. However, it was later confirmed on the 23ʳᵈ January 2022 that Niue would not debut in this edition of the contest.

• Transnistria – On the 16ᵗʰ January 2022, some rumours about a Transnistrian debut started. It was said that the nation was planning a debut in OMSC 23. However, such rumours were later denied by the executive supervisor stating that Transnistria is not allowed to compete at the moment as the broadcaster doesn't have full rights to do so and even if a debut would be possible, the broadcaster would also need the backing of the Transnistrian government to be able to carry the cost of the participation fee for the contest.