EmberVision Song Contest 1

Final date
 Venue
 Interval act
 Entries
 Debuting

The **EmberVision Song Contest 1**, often referred to as EVSC 1 or EmberVision 1, was the inaugural edition of the EmberVision Song Contest. It took place in Seoul, South Korea following the nation's appointment as the first host country.

27 countries have confirmed their participation with all countries making their debut.

The contest consisted of one show: a grand final which took place on 12th March 2021.

## Bidding phase

 Seoul
 Jamsil Student's Gymnasium
 Busan

## Controversies

### German Head of Delegation's Disqualification

Following the leak of several posts made by Micheł, who at the time was the Head of Delegation of Germany, in which posts the HoD has made several body-shaming statements connected to a fellow singer **Yseult**, the council of the Ember Broadcasting Union has made the decision to immediately suspend Micheł's membership of the contest. Following a voting between the leaders of the EBU, Micheł's position was given to Matvey eventually, thus making Germany eligible to participate.

## Hosting informations

### Hosting city

**Seoul** (/soʊl/, like *soul*; Korean: 서울 [sʌ.ul] (listen); lit. 'Capital'), officially the **Seoul Special City**, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. Seoul has a population of 9.7 million people, and forms the heart of the Seoul Capital Area with the surrounding Incheon metropolis and Gyeonggi province. Seoul was the world's 4th largest metropolitan economy in 2014 after Tokyo, New York City and Los Angeles. In 2017, the cost of living in Seoul was ranked the 6th highest globally.

With technology hubs centered in Gangnam and Digital Media City, the Seoul Capital Area is home to the headquarters of 14 *Fortune* Global 500 companies, including Samsung, LG, and Hyundai. The metropolis exerts a major influence in regional affairs as one of the five leading hosts of global conferences; as of 2018 it was ranked 3rd in the world after Singapore (1st) and Brussels (2nd). Seoul has hosted the 1986 Asian Games, 1988 Summer Olympics, 2002 FIFA World Cup (with Japan), and the 2010 G-20 Seoul summit.

Seoul was the capital of various Korean states, including Baekje, Joseon, the Korean Empire, Goryeo (as a secondary capital), and presently South Korea. Strategically located along the Han River, Seoul's history stretches back over two thousand years, when it was founded in 18 BC by the people of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. The city was later designated the capital of Korea under the Joseon dynasty. Seoul is surrounded by a mountainous and hilly landscape, with Bukhan Mountain located on the northern edge of the city. As with its long history, the Seoul Capital Area contains five UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Changdeok Palace, Hwaseong Fortress, Jongmyo Shrine, Namhansanseong and the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty.

### Hosting arena

**Jamsil Arena** (Korean: 잠실체육관), also known as **Jamsil Indoor Stadium**, is an indoor sporting arena. It is part of Seoul Sports Complex, located in Seoul, South Korea. The capacity of the arena is 11,069 for basketball and was built from December 1976 to April 1979. The Seoul Samsung Thunders are the tenants.

### Hosts

#### Song Hye-kyo

**Song Hye-kyo** (Korean: 송혜교; born November 22, 1981) is a South Korean actress. She gained international popularity through her leading roles in television dramas *Autumn in My Heart* (2000), *All In* (2003), *Full House* (2004), *That Winter, the Wind Blows* (2013), *Descendants of the Sun* (2016), and *Encounter* (2018). Her film work includes *Hwang Jin Yi* (2007), *The Grandmaster* (2013), *My Brilliant Life* (2014), and *The Queens* (2015).

In 2017, Song Hye-kyo ranked 7th in *Forbes* magazine's Korea Power Celebrity list, and 6th in 2018. She is referred to as one of "The Troika" along with Kim Tae-hee and Jun Ji-hyun, collectively known by the acronym "Tae-Hye-Ji". The Success Of Song's Television Dramas Internationally Established Her As A Top Hallyu Star.

#### Hyuna

**Kim Hyun-ah** (born June 6, 1992), better known by the mononym **Hyuna**, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper and model. She debuted as a member of the girl group Wonder Girls in February 2007. After leaving the ensemble shortly after, Hyuna subsequently left JYP Entertainment and joined the girl group 4Minute, under Cube Entertainment. 4Minute debuted in June 2009 and went on to become one of the most popular girl groups in the country. In 2010, Hyuna began a solo career with a style she described as "performance-oriented music". Her debut single "Change" charted at number-two on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart.

#### Ahn Jae-hyun

**Ahn Jae-hyun** (Korean: 안재현; born July 1, 1987) is a South Korean model and actor. He is best known for his roles in television dramas such as *You're All Surrounded* (2014), *Blood* (2015), *Cinderella with Four Knights* (2016), *Reunited Worlds* (2017), *The Beauty Inside* (2018) and *Love with Flaws* (2019).

## Final

Twenty-seven countries participated in the contest. The betting odds expected TBA as the winner.