WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2

‘For all of you who don’t speak Spanish, this is a message for the 1s who didn’t believe in me, well guess where I am honey? I made it … and I’m Here To Stay.’ Here to slay more like.

• Read on for reasons including everything we know about Sofia and 2024’s Eurovision selection show Benidorm Fest

We’re listening to the 16 songs competing to be the Spanish entry for 2024’s Eurovision and this is the 1 to beat for us.

We’ll preview the Benidorm Fest contenders closer to the 31 January 2024 launch of the show but we can contain our excitement no longer for this absolute banger of a song.

We’re listening to Here To Stay in Barcelona, Sofia’s home town, and the spoken word switch to English really stands out and is the point where we begin to realise just how strong this song is.

Immediately after the statement of intent as Sofia vows to maintain her success and prove her doubters wrong comes a nostalgic dancefloor-driven belter of an anthemic chorus we’re completely here for and we suspect the song’s defiance will strike an absolute chord at Eurovision should it be able to negotiate its way to victory in the really tough edition of the always reliable show in which it finds itself competing.

Eurovision.tv has more on the rivals for the Spanish ticket and says of Sofia: ‘a singer, dancer, actress, composer and presenter from Barcelona. Extroverted, charismatic, edgy and fashion-forward, she is known for her participation in La Voz Kids 2014, Bany Compartit and, more recently, in Euforia 2. She is currently working as a presenter on the programs Dèficit d’Atenció and Epic Nails. The last two years, she has been working on her next musical project between Barcelona, ​​Madrid, New York, Miami and Los Angeles. Her main references are pop culture, camp and the most current trends. Her first album, Génesis, rightly earned her a loyal fanbase.’

We’re just hoping Sofia can give this disco stomper the absolute top notch performance it deserves. Benidorm Fest is in its 3rd year and our 2022 and 2023 favourites were 1st and 2nd, so our hopes are high for 2024.

• Main picture via Facebook courtesy Sofia Coll and Benidorm Fest
• Have you seen a Eurovision show before or been to Benidorm Fest? Tickets
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