U.S. rapper Flo Rida helps San Marino reach Eurovision final

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Tiny San Marino got a big dose of star power Thursday as U.S. rapper Flo Rida helped the city state qualify for the grand final of the 65th Eurovision Song Contest along with nine other national acts.

The rapper known for hits including 2008′s “Low” joined singer Senhit on stage for her song “Adrenalina” as the first of 17 performers in the second semifinal at the Ahoy arena. He then sat in San Marino’s booth to watch the rest of the show along with 3,500 fans who had tested negative to the coronavirus.

Flo Rida said he was enjoying the Eurovision vibe as San Marino reach the final for just the third time.

“I love the energy, you know, to be up there,” the rapper said. “I mean, it’s just amazing, man. The whole set up, it’s like over the top. So, you know, I’m embracing it very well.”

Iceland also was among the 10 national acts voted into Saturday’s final despite not even performing because one of the band members tested positive for COVID-19. The crowd instead watched a recorded rehearsal from last week of the kitsch act Dadi og Gagnamagnid.

Band members were shown on giant screens in the arena cheering from quarantine in a Rotterdam hotel room as presenters announced they had progressed.

“It just feels weird. I don’t know, really. It’s still kind of processing,” singer Dadi Freyr said. “Maybe I’ll know later how we’re feeling about it. And we’re not going to be on stage on Saturday, which is annoying because we put out a lot of work into this and we’ve been ready for a long time”