14 May 2016

Robyn Gallagher: enjoying Eurovision

From Saturday Morning, 9:06 am on 14 May 2016
Barei from Spain performs during Eurovision 2016.

Barei from Spain performs during Eurovision 2016. Photo: AFP

The Eurovision Song Contest is the biggest singing competition in the world –  with 42 countries competing for the title.

This year is it taking place in Stockholm, Sweden and the theme is 'Come Together'.

Self-described Eurovision obsessive Robyn Gallagher is currently in Stockholm for the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest.

Robyn Gallagher

Robyn Gallagher. Photo: Robyn Gallagher

Robyn is usually based in Raglan, and works in the internet and broadcasting industries, and this is the first time she has been to the contest.

She says Eurovision has always been about technological advances and the accompanying visual spectacular.

"It’s huge. Eurovision has always been about music and also broadcast television technology. It's one of the reasons it was created back in 1956 to sort of showcase this new technology that they had.

“So it’s always been about technological advances and this year we’re getting a lot of projection mapping, people performing with things projected behind them, the floor of the stage is a big LED screen so you can have computer graphics underneath performers, creating [sort of] 3D environments.”

But she says having a strong song at the heart of the performance is still the main thing.

And as the competition enters the final stages she says it is "going off".

Robyn Gallagher also writes the blog 5000 Ways to Love You, documenting every NZ On Air-funded music video.