Six weeks from today, we will know the 20 semi-final qualifiers and will be restlessly awaiting the final of the 57th Eurovision Song Contest, to be held in Baku. In the meantime, let’s have a closer look at some of the more familiar faces in the lineup!

A total of three acts return to the spotlight of the Eurovision stage after having performed entries in previous years: The Jedward twins (Ireland 2011 / 2012), Zeljko Joksimovic (Serbia & Montenegro 2004 / Serbia 2012) and Jónsi (Iceland 2004 / in a duet with Greta Salóme for Iceland 2012).

Kaliopi would have been another returning artist if her country, Macedonia, hadn’t failed to qualify in the infamous context of the Eurovision Song Contest 1996.

The Jedward brothers return already after 12 months, and after “Lipstick” was quite a success in several European countries. They have quite a euphoric, mostly young and female fan base in large parts of Europe. This, and the fact that they will be performing in last spot in their semi – just like last year – should make them definite qualifiers. However, this year’s song “Waterline” is a bit less modern and catchy, but rather cheerful pop of the likes that you’d expect from boybands around the year 2000, like 5ive. The advantage they have is their popularity, but I myself think it’s a weaker entry than 2011, and let’s face it – being more known also means that it’s not a new thing anymore. Final yes, top 5 very unlikely (for now).

Zeljko Joksimovic is one of the best known Eurovision names in the last years. The multi-talented artist not only performed for his country (“Lane moje“, Serbia & Montenegro 2004). He also wrote Bosnia 2006 (“Lejla“), and was involved in the ESC 2008 in Belgrade as both host and composer (“Oro“, Serbia 2008). Compared to his older songs, his entry for 2012, “Nije ljubav stvar” is only slightly less ethnic, but still has strong chances to get very far in the final, especially with a late draw.

Jónsi, this year’s duet partner of Greta Salóme,  entered as a solo singer for Iceland before, by singing “Heaven” in Istanbul 2004. Both ballads have their dramatic appeal in common; however, Iceland 2012 sounds much more restless. A male/female duet won last year, so can lightning strike twice?

Meanwhile Kaliopi finally makes it to Eurovision, still with the same style in her voice, but with a much more straight forward, almost rock/pop song. Hard to predict how it’ll fare with the voters.

Many of the participating artists have also entered national finals before. Especially worth mentioning are the Buranovskiye Babushki, who came 3rd in the Russian final 2010 with the song “Dlinnaya-dlinnaya beresta i kak sdelat’ iz nee aishon“. This time they perform a much more modern if less authentic song, but their success or failure at Eurovision probably won’t depend on the song anyway.

Of course, the term “familiar faces” is by no means limited to those with past ESC experience. Engelbert Humperdinck (United Kingdom) is the biggest star in the lineup this year, a label that in previous years was attached to the likes of t.A.T.u., Vanilla Ninja, DJ Bobo, No Angels, Patricia Kaas and Blue. He will open the ESC final on Saturday, a job that none of the aforementioned acts had to do (although DJ Bobo would have loved to have the chance!). That can be a good or a bad thing – it all depends on the night, I guess.

Loreen is of course the other big name, at least for Eurovision fans. People outside of this circle, who will be in the majority, have exactly three minutes to judge her. Originally I considered “Euphoria” to be a favourite for the victory, but more and more I have my doubts if Europe will “get” her within three minutes. We are curious about the changes in the performance!

Going back to those with ESC experience, a lot more people will know Ralph Siegel (composer San Marino 2012) rather than Valentina Monetta, the singer. Siegel wrote too many Eurovision entries to mention them all, the most recent being Montenegro 2009, Switzerland 2006 and Germany 2003, the most remarkable being the German winning song from 1982 (“Ein bisschen Frieden“) and the 4th-placed “Dschinghis Khan” (1979). San Marino 2012, “The Social Network Song – Oh Oh-Uh-Oh Oh” , will stand out a lot more than their entry in 2011, for better or worse. But will it be enough to reach the final?

Whether returning heroes, popular artists or relative newcomers, one thing we can say is that ESC 2012 does not feature all that many groups – instead there are a total of 33 solo singers, of which 21 (half of the total entrants) are female. There have never been so many female solo singers at least since ESC has stretched over more than one night – which may or may not be important for the results, but is remarkable all the same.

So, just six weeks until the most exciting time of the ESC year. Who do you think will win – a famous name or a complete newbie? Join us in the chat to discuss this year’s contest!