Fortuna Music Contest 7

Fortuna Music Contest 7, often referred to as FMC #07, was the seventh edition of the Fortuna Music Contest. The contest took place in Cape Town, South Africa. It was the first time that South Africa had hosted the contest, following the country's victory in the sixth edition with the song "Reassemble Myself" by Mila Smith. Organised by the host broadcaster South African Broadcasting Corporation, the contest was held at the Cape Town Stadium, and consisted only of the final, which was hosted by Bonang Matheba.

Twenty-two countries participated in the seventh edition. Egypt debuted, while Mexico and United States returned to the contest. Brazil, Russia and Ukraine had to withdraw. The winner of the edition was France with the song "Pili-Pili" performed by Alvan, which scored 121 points, 28 points over the runner-up, Vietnam. The top five also included South Korea, Denmark and Belgium. The host nation South Africa finished twenty-first.

Location
For more details on the host country, see South Africa.

Host City
Cape Town is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest (after Johannesburg). Colloquially named the Mother City, it is the largest city of the Western Cape province, and is managed by the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. The other two capitals are Pretoria, the executive capital, located in Gauteng, where the Presidency is based, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital in the Free State, where the Supreme Court of Appeal is located.

Cape Town is ranked as a Beta world city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. The city is known for its harbour, for its natural setting in the Cape Floristic Region, and for landmarks such as Table Mountain and Cape Point. Cape Town is home to 66% of the Western Cape's population. In 2014, Cape Town was named the best place in the world to visit by both The New York Times and The Daily Telegraph.

Located on the shore of Table Bay, the City Bowl area of Cape Town, is the oldest urban area in the Western Cape, with a significant cultural heritage. It was founded by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) as a supply station for Dutch ships sailing to East Africa, India, and the Far East. Jan van Riebeeck's arrival on 6 April 1652 established the VOC Cape Colony, the first permanent European settlement in South Africa. Cape Town outgrew its original purpose as the first European outpost at the Castle of Good Hope, becoming the economic and cultural hub of the Cape Colony. Until the Witwatersrand Gold Rush and the development of Johannesburg, Cape Town was the largest city in southern Africa. The city has a long coastline on the Atlantic Ocean, which includes False Bay, and extends to the Hottentots Holland mountains in the East. The Table Mountain National Park is within the city boundaries and there are several other nature reserves and marine protected areas within and adjacent to the city, protecting the diverse terrestrial and marine natural environment.

Venue
The Cape Town Stadium is an association football and rugby union stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, which was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. During the planning stage, it was known as the Green Point Stadium, which was the name of the older stadium on an adjacent site, and this name was also used frequently during World Cup media coverage. It is the home ground of Premier Soccer League clubs Cape Town Spurs (since 2010) and Cape Town City (since 2016). It has also hosted the South Africa Sevens rugby tournament since 2015.

The stadium is located in Green Point, between Signal Hill and the Atlantic Ocean, close to the Cape Town city center and to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, a popular tourist and shopping venue. The stadium had a seating capacity of 64,100 during the 2010 World Cup, later reduced to 58,309. The stadium is connected to the waterfront by a new road connection, Granger Bay Boulevard. Cape Town Stadium is the 5th biggest stadium in South Africa; the biggest in Cape Town.

Returning artists
One returning artist was present in the Fortuna Music Contest 7. Madame returned for Italy, last time they placed twelfth in the Fortuna Music Contest 1.

Final
Twenty-two countries participated in the final, with all participating countries eligible to vote.