19 Beirut, Lebanon

### Debuting

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic, 🇪🇹 Ethiopia, 🇭🇹 Haiti, 🇵🇸 Palestine, 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka, 🇺🇾 Uruguay

### Withdrawing

🇩🇿 Algeria, 🇦🇴 Angola, 🇰🇭 Cambodia, 🇪🇬 Egypt, 🇮🇷 Iran, 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan, 🇽🇰 Kosovo, 🇱🇺 Luxembourg, 🇲🇪 Montenegro, 🇲🇰 North Macedonia, 🇵🇪 Peru, 🇵🇭 Philippines, 🇸🇰 Slovakia, 🇸🇮 Slovenia, 🇹🇼 Taiwan, 🇹🇭 Thailand, 🇹🇳 Tunisia, 🇻🇪 Venezuela, 🇻🇳 Vietnam.

## Voting

### System

Each country awarded 12, 10, 8-1 points to their 10 favourite songs

### Winner

🇳🇿 Ben Hazlewood - *Lay Me Down*

**Fabulous Song Contest 19**, often referred to as **FSC #19**, was the 19th edition of Fabulous Song Contest, held in Beirut, Lebanon.

66 countries participated in the 19th contest. Ben Hazlewood from New Zealand won the contest with the song "Lay Me Down" receving a total of 230 points.

### **HOST CITY**

**Beirut** is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. As of 2014, Greater Beirut has a population of 2.2 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coast. Beirut has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years as one of Phoenicia's most prominent city states , making it one of the oldest cities in the world. The first historical mention of Beirut is found in the Amarna letters from the New Kingdom of Egypt, which date to the 15th century BC. Beirut is Lebanon's seat of government and plays a central role in the Lebanese economy, with many banks and corporations based in the city. Beirut is an important seaport for the country and region, and rated a Beta + World City by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. Beirut was severely damaged by the Lebanese Civil War, and its cultural landscape underwent major reconstruction.

### **BROADCASTER**

The **Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International** widely known as **LBCI**, is a private television station in Lebanon. According to the non-funded claims of its owners, LBCI was founded in 1992 by acquiring the assets, liabilities and logo of LBC, an entity founded in 1985 during the Lebanese Civil War by the Lebanese Forces militia. LBCI went global in 1996 when it launched its satellite channel LBC *Al-Fadha'iya Al-Lubnaniya* covering Lebanon, the Arab world, Europe, America, Australia and Africa.

### **VENUE**

AVA Venue is located at the heart of Lebanon’s cultural scene, and we are happy to dedicate our premises to spreading arts and culture of all kinds.   To flexibly transform our space into any artistic vision you wish to achieve, AVA Venue operates the latest state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment, LED screens, and laser technology. The control room is fitted with a fully integrated control and automation system, as well as a live broadcast setup. Additionally, the venue offers high-speed broadband internet access and free Wi-Fi. With the help of our specialized on-site technicians, we will help you transform your vision into an unprecedented experience. AVA Venue offers a vast indoor space that can accommodate up to 15000 people all year round. During the summer, lush green garden is open for outdoor weddings, equipped with laser and LED lighting for a captivating atmosphere. The spectacular space, dedicated staff, premium packages, and exquisite menu will cater to your inspiration. Every wedding at AVA Venue is unique. Whether you’re planning an extravagant wedding or a simple one, we will ensure that it is at the height of refinement. Sometimes Ava Venue is used for bigger music events or even awards.

### **PRESENTER**

**Fady Fatrouni** (born 2 February 1987), best known by his stage name **Faydee**, is an Australian singer and songwriter of Lebanese descent. Fady was born into a Muslim family in Sydney, Australia. His parents originated from Tripoli, Lebanon. Fady is the oldest of five children, with two sisters and two brothers. Fady's interest in music began through his cousins, who would record beats and rap and sing over them for entertainment. At the age of thirteen, he began writing and recording music from his bedroom. Faydee was discovered online at the age of 19 by Ronnie Diamond, owner / founder of record label Buckle Up Entertainment. After signing with Buckle Up, Faydee wrote several songs and, in the process, honed his writing, production and recording techniques. In 2008, Faydee partnered with producer Divy Pota to develop his sound and sonically trademark his style. The pair had a string of increasingly successful releases including "I Should've Known", "Never Saw Me Coming", "Psycho", "Say My Name" and "Forget the World". The positive response to these releases landed Faydee at the forefront of the Australian music industry within a short time of entering the market. Meanwhile, Faydee used the power of the internet to reach an international audience, and while progressing in the Australian market, was also able to develop a grassroots following all around the world.

### **SEMI-FINALS**

There were 3 Semi-Finals with total of 60 participants. Only 8 countries from each Semi-Final qualified to the Grand Final.

### **GRAND FINAL**

At Grand Final we had 30 participants. 6 countries from BIG 6 and 24 countries that qualified from Semi-Finals