As a member of the "Big Five", Spain automatically qualified to compete in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest.

They have also finished second four times, with "En un mundo nuevo" by Karina in 1971, "Eres tú" by Mocedades in 1973, "Su canción" by Betty Missiego in 1979, and "Vuelve conmigo" by Anabel Conde in 1995.

In 2011, RTVE placed twenty-third with the song "Que me quiten lo bailao" performed by Lucía Pérez.

[11][12] Eurovisión: Pastora Soler took place on 3 March 2012 at Prado del Rey in Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), hosted by Anne Igartiburu and broadcast on La 1, TVE Internacional, and online via RTVE's official website.

[17][18] The three members of the in-studio jury that evaluated the songs were:[19] To specifically promote "Quédate conmigo" as the Spanish Eurovision entry.

On 21 April, Pastora Soler performed "Quédate conmigo" during the Eurovision in Concert event which was held at the Melkweg venue in Amsterdam, Netherlands and hosted by Ruth Jacott and Cornald Maas.

[21] According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final.

[27][28] The five backing vocalists that joined Pastora Soler were Antonio Tomás Sepúlveda, Mey Green, Miguel Antelo, Rebeca Rods and Sheila Blanco.

This jury was asked to judge each contestant based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act.

In addition, no member of a national jury could be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently.