OMSC 8

Online Music Song Contest 8, often referred to as OMSC 8, was the eighth edition of Online Music Song Contest, held in London, United Kingdom.

The Semi-Finals of OMSC 8 occured on the 23ʳᵈ January 2021 while the Final occured on the 30ᵗʰ January 2021. Thirty-three* countries participated in the eighth contest, under the slogan “Spice Up Your Life!”

Location
After it's victory in the previous edition, the broadcaster BBC chose to host the contest in the capital of the United Kingdom, London, the largest city of the country which has a population of almost 9 million inhabitants. London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region. Its estimated mid-2018 municipal population was the third-most populous of any city in Europe. London's urban area is the third most populous in Europe, after Moscow and Paris while the London commuter belt is the second-most populous in Europe, after the Moscow Metropolitan Area.

Although there is evidence of scattered Brythonic settlements in the area, the first major settlement was founded by the Romans about four years after the invasion of AD 43. This lasted only until around AD 61, when the Iceni tribe led by Queen Boudica stormed it, burning the settlement to the ground. The next, heavily planned, incarnation of Londinium prospered, and it superseded Colchester as the capital of the Roman province of Britannia. At its height in the 2ⁿᵈ century, Roman London had a population of around 60,000.

With the collapse of Roman rule in the early 5ᵗʰ century, London ceased to be a capital, and the walled city of Londinium was effectively abandoned, although Roman civilisation continued in the area of St Martin-in-the-Fields until around 450. From around 500, an Anglo-Saxon settlement known as Lundenwic developed slightly west of the old Roman city. By about 680, the city had regrown into a major port, although there is little evidence of large-scale production. From the 820s repeated Viking assaults brought decline. Three are recorded; those in 851 and 886 succeeded, while the last, in 994, was rebuffed.

After winning the Battle of Hastings, William, Duke of Normandy was crowned King of England in the newly completed Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066. William constructed the Tower of London, the first of the many Norman castles in England to be rebuilt in stone, in the southeastern corner of the city, to intimidate the native inhabitants. In 1097, William II began the building of Westminster Hall, close by the abbey of the same name. The hall became the basis of a new Palace of Westminster.

During the Tudor period the Reformation produced a gradual shift to Protestantism, and much of London property passed from church to private ownership, which accelerated trade and business in the city. In 1475, the Hanseatic League set up its main trading base (kontor) of England in London, called the Stalhof or Steelyard. It existed until 1853, when the Hanseatic cities of Lübeck, Bremen and Hamburg sold the property to South Eastern Railway. Woollen cloth was shipped undyed and undressed from 14th/15th century London to the nearby shores of the Low Countries, where it was considered indispensable.

But the reach of English maritime enterprise hardly extended beyond the seas of north-west Europe. The commercial route to Italy and the Mediterranean Sea normally lay through Antwerp and over the Alps; any ships passing through the Strait of Gibraltar to or from England were likely to be Italian or Ragusan. Upon the re-opening of the Netherlands to English shipping in January 1565, there ensued a strong outburst of commercial activity. The Royal Exchange was founded. Mercantilism grew, and monopoly trading companies such as the East India Company were established, with trade expanding to the New World. London became the principal North Sea port, with migrants arriving from England and abroad. The population rose from an estimated 50,000 in 1530 to about 225,000 in 1605.

Nowadays, London is one of the world's most important global cities. It exerts a considerable impact upon the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transportation. It is one of the largest financial centres. London's universities form the largest concentration of higher education institutes in Europe, and London is home to highly ranked institutions such as Imperial College London in natural and applied sciences, and the London School of Economics in social sciences.

Participants
Thirty-three* countries participated in the eighth edition of the contest: ten European countries (Belarus, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom), ten Asian countries (Azerbaijan, China, Indonesia, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, North Korea, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey), four American countries (Jamaica, United States of America, United States' Virgin Islands, Venezuela), seven Oceanian countries (Australia, Fiji, Guam, Kiribati, Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea) and one African country (Cape Verde).

In this edition Azerbaijan, Cape Verde, Jamaica and Venezuela participated for the first time.

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

Gjon's Tears represented Switzerland in the second edition of the contest with his song "Back In Light" sung in English, which placed last out of 14 participating countries with 13 points. In this occasion, he represented again Switzerland with his song "", again in English, trying to score a better result!

MAMAMOO represented South Korea in the third edition of the contest with their song "Starry Night" sung in English and Korean, which placed 21ˢᵗ out of 27 participating countries with 66 points. In this occasion, they represented North Korea with their song "Egotistic", again in English and Korean, trying to score a better result!

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

• Bulgaria – Bulgaria's broadcaster announced on the 8ᵗʰ January 2021 its withdrawal from the contest, despite scoring a very good result in the previous edition.

• Croatia – Croatian broadcaster Hrvatska Radiotelevizija (HRT) announced on the 9ᵗʰ January 2021, its withdrawal from the contest, despite scoring a very good result in the previous edition.

• Canary Islands – Canary Islands did not appear on the list of participants published on the 16ᵗʰ January 2021.

• India – Indian broadcaster (DD) announced on the 10ᵗʰ January 2021 its withdrawal from the contest for unknown reasons.

• Iran – Iranian broadcaster (IRIB) announced on the 10ᵗʰ January 2021 its withdrawal from the contest for unknown reasons.

• Israel – While Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC) had provisionally confirmed their participation in the contest on the 10ᵗʰ January 2021, Israel announced on the same day its withdrawal from the contest for unknown reasons.

• Kyrgyzstan – Kyrgyz broadcaster (KTRK) announced on the 10ᵗʰ January 2021 its withdrawal from the contest, for unknown reasons.

• Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabian broadcaster (SBA) announced on the 10ᵗʰ January 2021 its withdrawal from the contest, probably because of the poor results in the seventh edition of OMSC.

• Spain – Spanish broadcaster Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española (RTVE) announced on the 8ᵗʰ January 2021 its withdrawal from the contest, for unknown reasons.

• Ukraine – Ukrainian broadcaster UA:PBC announced on the 9ᵗʰ January 2021 its withdrawal from the contest, for unknown reasons.

Other Countries
• Cyprus – On the 8ᵗʰ January 2021, Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) announced that after a first attempt of debuting in OMSC 6 they were planning to debut again in OMSC 8. However, it was later confirmed on the same day that the country would not debut in this edition of the contest as well.