Eurovision Song Contest finalists 2009

Lithuania's Sasha Son - the singer is a hot favourite and could follow in the footsteps of last year's winner Dima Bilan. Judging by this shot of the rehearsal, he looks capable of an incendiary performance Photograph: Sergey Ponomarev/AP

Israel's Noa and Mira Awad - an Israeli-Arab combination, sweetly, singing a song called There Must Be Another Way Photograph: Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA

France's Patricia Kaas - started singing at age eight and hasn't stopped since, according to her official Eurovision profile. Time for a throat lozenge Photograph: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images

Sweden's Malena Ernman - an opera singer, with an entry modestly entitled La Voix Photograph: Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA

Croatia's Igor Cukrov featuring Andrea - Cukrov came to fame as a contestant on Operacija Trijumf, the Yugoslavian version of Fame Academy, but controversially lost out before the final. Apparently he plays the guitar, piano, trumpet and clarinet - but will he strike a chord with the judges? Photograph: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images

Portugal's Flor-de-lis - folky music, folky outfits Photograph: Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA

Iceland's Yohanna - her song is called Is It True? Perhaps the relatively bare backdrop is due banking-crash-related budget cuts Photograph: Sergey Ponomarev/AP

Greece's Sakis Rouvas - sings This Is Our Night. Out of him and Jade 'It's My Time' Ewen, only one can be right Photograph: Dmitry Kostyukov/AFP/Getty Images

Armenia's Inga and Anush - their song is called Jan Jan. The arm movements are necessary to avoid breaking the beams and setting off an alarm Photograph: Sergey Ponomarev/AP

Russia's Anastasia Prikhodko - big sister is watching you, by the looks of it. And her song is called Mamo Photograph: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images

Azerbaijan's Arash and AySel - he's a producer, she's a thrusting young student, they were united by their country's Eurovision jury. They seem happy about it so far, although that woman on the right doen't look entirely comfortable in those metal tights Photograph: Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images

Bosnia and Herzegovina's Regina - the red flag looks like part of a French revolutionary theme, rather than some kind of bullfighting thing Photograph: Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA

Moldova's Nelly Ciobanu - also a TV presenter, and she dedicates her performance to her daughter, according to the Eurovision site. Somewhere a manufacturer of peasant shirts is extremely happy Photograph: Sergey Ponomarev/AP

Malta's Chiara - appeared in Eurovision in 1998, and came second in 2005. Can she go one better? Photograph: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters

Estonia's Urban Symphony - it's a six-woman group, so the others must be hidden in the smoke Photograph: Dmitry Kostyukov/AFP/Getty Images

Denmark's Brinck - he comes armed with a song co-written by Ronan Keating, as well as a whole load of fireworks Photograph: Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images

Germany's Alex Swings Oscar Sings - complete with the US burlesque artist Dita Von Teese, which surely wraps up the tasteful understatement vote Photograph: Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA

Turkey's Hadise - big in Belgium, apparently: she was born there, and appeared in the local version of Pop Idol in 2003. Got to be good for a few votes, that Photograph: Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images

Albania's Kejsi Tola - sings Carry Me In Your Dreams. No information on why she's dreaming of a mysterious figure in a mirrorball gimp mask - or indeed why he/she/it is dreaming of her Photograph: Dmitry Kostyukov/AFP/Getty Images

Norway's Alexander Rybak - another talent-show graduate (he won) with a song called Fairytale. And he has a violin that makes people do press-ups - there's magic for you Photograph: Dmitry Kostyukov/AFP/Getty Images

Romania's Elena Gheorghe - she comes from a family of priests, according to her official Eurovision profile, and her song's called The Balkan Girls. That's them behind her Photograph: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters

Ukraine's Svetlana Loboda - her song is called Be My Valentine! She also has her own fashion label called, more daringly, F*ck the Macho - although not that daringly: the asterisk is in the original Photograph: Yuri Kochetkov/EPA

Britain's Jade Ewen - you may have already heard about her. Andrew Lloyd Webber is out of shot Photograph: Dmitry Kostyukov/AFP/Getty Images

Waldo's People of Finland - Europop and flames: what could be more Eurovision? The song's Lose Control Photograph: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters

Spain's Soraya - sings La Noche Es Para Mi (The Night Is For Me). She's going to have to discuss that with Jade Ewen and Sakis Rouvas Photograph: Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA