OMSC 24

Online Music Song Contest 24, often referred to as OMSC 24, was the twenty-fourth edition of Online Music Song Contest, held in Cochabamba, after Bolivia won for the second time in a row. Since this edition the participants limit was brought up to 55 countries and the wildcard was re-introduced.

The Pre-Qualification Round of OMSC 24 occured on the 27ᵗʰ February 2022, the Semi-Finals on the 6ᵗʰ March 2022 while the Final occured on the 13ᵗʰ March 2022. Fifty countries participated in the twenty-fourth contest, under the slogan “Hora De Bailar (Time To Dance)!”.

The Canary Islands won the contest with the song "Figa", sung entirely in Galician, receving a total of 152 points. Norway finished in second place with a margin of just five points from the winner, while Fiji finished in third place. They were followed by Armenia, which reached the fourth place and Belgium which reached the fifth place.

Location
After it's winning for the second time in a row, the broadcaster TVB chose to host the contest in the fourth largest city in Bolivia, Cochabamba, which is also the birthplace of Michelle Andrade, the young artist who achieved the record of being the first artist to win Online Music Song Contest twice (in a row). Cochabamba is also the capital of the Cochabamba Department and has a population of about 700,000 inhabitants. It is considered one of the three main cities of Bolivia, forming part of the so-called Central Axis, together with the cities of Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Nuestra Señora de La Paz. It is located in central Bolivia in a valley in the Andes mountain range, being considered as the heart of South America, which offers interesting natural landscapes to visitors.

The Cochabamba valley has been inhabited for thousands of years due to its fertile productive soils and mild climate. Archaeological evidence suggests that the initial inhabitants were of indigenous ethnic groups who inhabited the valley at times before the Spanish arrived. The area got its name from Quechua Kochaj-pampa, as part of the Inca civilization. The area was conquered by Topa Inca Yupanqui. His son Huayna Capac turned Cochabamba into a large production enclave or state farm to serve the Incas. The local population was possibly depleted during the Inca conquest and Huayna Capac imported 14,000 people, called mitimas, to work the land. The principal crop was maize which could not be grown in much of the high and cold heartland of the Inca Empire. The maize was stored in 2,400 storehouses in the hills overlooking the valley or transported by llama caravan to storage sites in Paria, Cusco, of other Inca administrative centers. Most of the maize was probably used to sustain the Inca army during its campaigns.

The first Spanish inhabitant of the valley was Garci Ruiz de Orellana in 1542. He purchased the majority of the land from local tribal chiefs Achata and Consavana through a title registered in 1552 at the Imperial City of Potosí. The city, called Villa de Oropesa, was founded in 1571 by order of Viceroy Francisco de Toledo, Count of Oropesa. It was to be an agricultural production centre to provide food and wood for the mining towns of the relatively nearby Altiplano region, particularly Potosí which became one of the largest and richest cities in the world during the 16ᵗʰ and 17ᵗʰ centuries, funding the vast wealth that ultimately made Spain a world power. In fact, anthropologist Jack Weatherford and others have cited the city of Potosí as the birth of capitalism because of the money and materialism it provided Spain. Thus, with the silver mining industry in Potosí at its height, Cochabamba thrived during its first centuries. However, the city entered a period of decline during the 18ᵗʰ century as mining began to wane. In 1786, King Charles III of Spain renamed the city to the "loyal and valiant" Villa of Cochabamba. This was done to commend the city's pivotal role in suppressing the indigenous rebellions of 1781 in Oruro by sending armed forces to Oruro to quell the uprisings. Since the late 19ᵗʰ century it has again been generally successful as an agricultural centre for Bolivia. The 1793 census shows that the city had a population of 22,000 persons. There were 13,000 mestizos, 6,000 spaniards, 2,000 indigenous natives. In 1812, Cochabamba was the site of a riot against the Spanish Army. Thousands of women took up arms against the Spanish.

Nowadays, Cochabamba is the industrial hub of Bolivia, producing cars, cleaning products, cosmetics, chemicals, and other items like cement. Its climate permits extensive agriculture, including grains, potatoes, and coffee in the highlands and sugar cane, cocoa beans, tobacco, and fruit in the tropical lowlands. Although modernization has destroyed some of the colonial residences, Cochabamba still has a number of architectural treasures, such as the cathedral, the municipal palace, churches, and a cloistered convent. There are also notable 19ᵗʰ century buildings and one of the largest statues of Jesus Christ in the world which towers over the city on San Pedro Hill.

Participants
Fifty-five countries participated in the twenty-fourth edition of the contest: fourteen European countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden), twelve Asian countries (Abkhazia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, India, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, North Korea, South Korea, Thailand), fourteen American countries (Anguilla, Aruba, Bolivia, Bonaire, Brazil, Canada, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Falkland Islands, Greenland, Puerto Rico, United States of America, United States’ Virgin Islands, Uruguay), eight Oceanian countries (American Samoa, Australia, Fiji, Guam, New Zealand, Northern Mariana Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa) and seven African countries (Canary Islands, Ghana, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa).

In this edition Abkhazia participated for the first time.

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

Faustix represented Denmark at its fourth appearence in the sixteenth edition of the contest. He performed the song "Happy Place", together with Cathrine Lassen, which made it to the final and placed 4ᵗʰ out of 50 participating countries with 116 points. In this occasion, he represented Denmark again, together with the Dutch singer Shannon Rani. The performed song was "Crying In The Sun", again in English, which placed 19ᵗʰ with 70 points.

Dolla represented Malaysia at its second appearence in the ninth edition of the contest with the song "Impikan", sung both in English and Malaysian, which placed 3ʳᵈ out of 46 participating countries with 113 points. In this occasion they were selected to represent Malaysia again. The group performed the song "Bad", again in both languages of their previous participation, which placed 6ᵗʰ out of 55 participanting countries with 130 points.

Ina Wroldsen represented Norway in the thirteenth edition of the contest, together with Alok, after their win in Melodi Grand Prix (OMSC 13) which allowed them to represent their nation in Odessa. Their song was "Favela", sung in English, which made it to the final and placed 8ᵗʰ out of 42 participating countries with 89 points. In this occasion she represented Norway again, this time with Broiler. This time they performed "Lay It On Me". It almost won the edition, being the runner-up with 147 points.

Dove Cameron represented Kiribati in the sixteenth edition of the contest. She participated together with the Canadian record producer Rezz. The performed song was "Taste Of You" which placed 43ʳᵈ out of 50 participating countries with 39.5 points, without unfortunately qualifying for the final. In this occasion, as soloist, she was chosen to represent the United States’ Virgin Islands with her song "Boyfriend", sung in English placing 17ᵗʰ with 84 points.

CXLOE represented the Marshall Islands in the eighteenth edition of the contest with her song "Show You", sung in English, which unfortunately didn't make it to the final, placing 41ˢᵗ out of 50 participating countries with 48 points. She returned to the competition three editions later. She represented the Cocos Islands after the country's return after fifteen editions. She performed her song "Devil You Don't", again in English, placing 24ᵗʰ with 36 points. In this occasion she was selected, one last time, to represent the Northern Mariana Islands with her song was "New Trick" which placed 33ʳᵈ out of 55 participanting countries with 74 points without unfortunately qualifying for the final.

KSHMR represented India at its fourth appearence in the contest in the twenty-second edition. He participated together with Armaan Malik and Eric Nam with the song "Echo", sung in English, which placed 20ᵗʰ out of 50 participating countries with 65 points. In this occasion he represented India again, together with the Norwegian artist and music producer Tungevaag. The performed song was "Close Your Eyes", sung in English too, which placed 7ᵗʰ with 120 points.

Elley Duhé represented the United States of America in the second edition of the contest. She performed her song "Nature" with which she placed 12ᵗʰ out of 14 participating countries with 48 points, achieving one of the best results so far for the United States of America. In this occasion, Fijian Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) made her the proposal to represent Fiji. This time she performed her song "Middle Of The Night", sung in English, placing 3ʳᵈ with 142 points.

Noa Kirel represented Israel three editions ago, in the twenty-first edition of the contest. She performed her song "Drum", sung in English, which placed 7ᵗʰ out of 50 participating countries with 94 points. In this occasion she represented Israel again, with her song "Sound Like That", placing 26ᵗʰ with 27 points.

Tamta represented Georgia at its debut, back in the third edition of the contest, with her song "Unloved" which placed 4ᵗʰ out of 27 participating countries with 69 points, achieving Georgia's best result to date. She returned to the contest after fourteen editions representing Togo, not as soloist. She represented the debuting nation together with the Togolese singer Stéphane Legar. The performed song was "Yala", sung both in English and French, which placed 45ᵗʰ out of 50 participating countries with 136 points, in the pre-qualification round. In this occasion, she was selected one last time, this time to represent Georgia again. She performed her song "Face" together with Die Arkitekt, sung also in English, placing last in the pre-qualification round with 50 points.

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. She returned for Haiti in the previous edition when she competed with her song "Ride", which placed 3ʳᵈ out of 50 entries with 123 points. After the success achieved in the last edition, Télévision Malagasy (TVM) chose her internally to compete one last time, representing Madagascar. She performed her song "Oh Mama", which placed 29ᵗʰ out of 55 participating countries with 93 points and achieved the nation's best result to date.

Winona Oak represented Sweden at its third appearence in the contest in the seventh edition of the contest, held in South Tarawa. She performed her emotional ballad "Piano In The Sky", which placed 13ᵗʰ out of 33 participating countries with 69 points. In the twenty-second edition she was chosen to represent the Åland Islands with her song "Let Me Know", which placed 13ᵗʰ as well, out of 50 participanting countries with 78 points. In this occasion, she was selected one last time, to represent Sweden again. This time she performed her song "She", placing 15ᵗʰ with 91 points.

Babet represented the Netherlands in the fifteenth edition of the contest with her song "Chameleon" which made it to the final but eventually placed 25ᵗʰ out of 50 participating countries with 25 points. In this occasion she was internally selected to represent Aruba with her song "Third Eye", sung in English, placing 31ˢᵗ with 83 points, without unfortunately qualifying for the final.

Drew Sycamore represented Denmark in the nineteenth edition, in Guadeloupe. She performed as soloist her song "45 Fahrenheit Girl", sung in English, which placed 35ᵗʰ out of 50 participating countries with 55 points, without unfortunately qualifying for the final. In this occasion she was chosen to represent Greenland with her song "Perfect Disaster", sung again in English, which made Greenland qualify for the first time and placed 23ʳᵈ with 52 points.

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

• Algeria – Établissement Public de Télévision (EPTV) announced on the 20ᵗʰ February 2022 that Algeria would not participate in the twenty-fourth edition of the contest.

• Argentina – While Televisión Pública Argentina (TPA) had provisionally confirmed their participation in the contest on the 13ᵗʰ February 2022, it was later announced on the 17ᵗʰ February 2022 that Argentina would withdraw from the contest, despite achieving quite good results in the previous editions.

• Chile – Televisión Nacional de Chile (TVN) announced on the 17ᵗʰ February 2022 that its participation in the twenty-fourth edition of the contest would not be possible, probably because of the poor results in the last three participations.

• Crimea – Crimea announced that its participation in the twenty-fourth edition of the contest would not be possible due to social and political crises in the country in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

• France – French broadcaster France Télévisions announced on the 14ᵗʰ February 2022 the country's withdrawal from the contest, for unknown reasons.

• Gibraltar – Gibraltarian broadcaster Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) confirmed on the 14ᵗʰ February 2022 that Gibraltar would not take part in the twenty-fourth edition of the contest, despite achieving a good result and their best result to date in the previous edition.

• Guyana – National Communications Network (NCN) announced on the 17ᵗʰ February 2022, that Guyana would not participate in the twenty-fourth edition, citing debts and the ongoing financial issues.

• Haiti – Haiti's broadcaster Télévision Nationale d'Haïti (TNH) announced on the 17ᵗʰ February 2022 its withdrawal from the contest, despite placing 3ʳᵈ in the previous edition and achieving Haiti's best result so far.

• Hong Kong – Hong Kong's broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) announced on the 20ᵗʰ February 2022 its withdrawal from the contest, because of the broadcaster's intention to focus on news content instead of music and entertainment.

• Indonesia – Televisi Republik Indonesia (TVRI) announced on the 20ᵗʰ February 2022 that Indonesia's participation in the twenty-fourth edition of the contest would not be possible, citing low ratings during their time in the contest.

• Kazakhstan – Kazakhstan Radio and Television Corporation (RTRK) announced Kazakhstan's withdrawal from the contest a couple of days after the confirmation period started, due to a lack of interest from the Kazakh public.

• Liechtenstein – While Fürstentum Liechtenstein Television (FLTV), had provisionally confirmed their participation in the contest on the 13ᵗʰ February 2022, Liechtenstein announced its withdrawal from the contest in the following days, for unknown reasons.

• Lithuania – Lithuanian broadcaster Lietuvos Nacionalinis Radijas ir Televizija (LRT) announced on the 14ᵗʰ February 2022, that Lithuania would not participate in the twenty-fourth edition of the contest.

• Martinique – Martinican broadcaster Martinique La Première (MLP) announced on the 17ᵗʰ February 2022 its withdrawal from the contest, without further explanations, despite the success from the results of their debut.

• Moldova – Moldova would not participate in the contest because their broadcaster is bankrupt and aren’t able to pay the debts. As a result, Moldova has now to pay the imposed sanctions on their broadcaster Teleradio-Moldova (TRM), which was also suffering from financial difficulties due to insufficient legislation that would ensure its continued operation. It was also announced that Moldova might return in the future.

• Netherlands – Dutch broadcaster Netherlands Public Broadcasting (NPO) announced on the 14ᵗʰ February 2022 that the Netherlands would withdraw from the contest, due to a lack of interest from the Dutch public.

• Paraguay – Paraguay did not appear on the list of participants published on the 20ᵗʰ February 2022.

• Philippines – People's Television Network (PTV) announced on the 20ᵗʰ February 2022, that the Philippines would withdraw from the contest, for unknown reasons.

• Romania – Romania's broadcaster Televiziunea Română (TVR) announced on the 15ᵗʰ February 2022, that Romania would not participate in the twenty-fourth edition, after seven consecutive participations.

• Réunion – Réunionese broadcaster Réunion La Première (RLP) announced on the 20ᵗʰ February 2022, that Réunion would not participate in the twenty-fourth edition, citing low ratings during their time in the contest and for never having participated in a grand final.

• Taiwan – Taiwan Television (TTV) announced on the 23ʳᵈ January 2022 its withdrawal from the contest, after achieving bad results and their worst result to date in the previous edition.

• Turkey – Turkey's broadcaster Türkiye Radyo ve Televizyon Kurumu (TRT) announced on the 19ᵗʰ February 2022 its withdrawal from the contest, due to a lack of interest from the Turkish public.

• Ukraine – Ukrainian broadcaster Nacional'na Suspilʹna Teleradiokompanija Ukraïny (UA:PBC) confirmed that Ukraine was unable to participate in this edition of the contest, citing martial law imposed on the country as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war.

• United Kingdom – British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) announced the country's withdrawal on the 15ᵗʰ February 2022.

• Venezuela – Venezuelan broadcaster Corporación Venezolana de Televisión (VTV) announced on the 17ᵗʰ February 2022, that Venezuela would not participate in the twenty-fourth edition of the contest, due to financial difficulties.