In typical me-style, my 2011 Eurovision review / travelog :) stopped in its prime. Worry ye not, I did not die, I just got so carried away sharing the Düsseldorf moments, I never got around to completing it. Sorry, it won't happen again...til the next time! :(
Anyways, wasn't 2011 a great Eurovision year? In that the arena, the show, the quality and the variety of the songs, the open contest were all wonders to behold.
I'm not sure that Running Scared is a GREAT contest winner, more a winner by default, if anything. The first winner for a good while to scrape to victory rather than thunder anyway. I mean, three twelves!
Onwards! This week saw the semi final allocation / draw in Baku (the order draw will follow). The split of countries seems fairly even between traditionally strong and weak Eurovision, it goes without saying that that could all go out of the window when songs are selected!
If there is anything that's evident, well, two things: the second semi holds more Eastern European countries and also more countries and therefore statistically harder to qualify from...slightly!
Here are the stats:
First Semi-Final, Tuesday May 22
First half: Montenegro Iceland Romania Albania Belgium Latvia Switzerland Finland Greece
Second half: Moldova Cyprus Austria Denmark Russia San Marino Israel Ireland Hungary
Second Semi-Final, Thursday May 24
First half: Serbia The Netherlands Portugal FYR Macedonia Belarus Malta Ukraine Armenia Bulgaria
Second half: Sweden Georgia Slovenia Estonia Turkey Slovakia Croatia Norway Lithuania Bosnia & Herzegovina
I think that any country drawn in the second half of either semi should be happy...for now!
These countries that are automatically qualified for the final will broadcast / vote as follows:
Italy (first Semi-Final) Azerbaijan (first Semi-Final) Spain (first Semi-Final) United Kingdom (second Semi-Final) France (second Semi-Final) Germany (second Semi-Final)
Four countries have revealed/chosen their entries to date. And I'll be looking at them real soon!
So I had my first sense of the Eurovision-in-the-flesh bubble yesterday, catching the first semi final in Düsseldorf's Esprit Arena... and I'll never forget it!
My husband and I set off from Birmingham airport at dumm Uhr, which meant that we arrived in Düsseldorf mid-morning.
As we're staying in Köln, 42 km and a 30 minute train ride away, we spent much of the first day on trains and in taxis.
Köln looks, on first glance, a beautiful and friendly city but whether or not the constant to-ing and fro-ing will make us regret the decision to stay there, I'm not sure.
Also financially, we saved a few pennies on the hotel but whether the train fares negate that, I'm not sure. It doesn't help that we bought the wrong train pass yesterday (only for the local (red) trains) so ended up paying again on one of our journeys. I'm starting to doubt the wisdom of my using my schoolboy German when seeking advice.
The semi final itself started at 21:00 local time. We were advised to be seated at 20:15. We wanted to soak in the atmosphere beforehand so arrived about 19:00. It was great fun to see the fans from all different (mainly the ones that were competing) countries arrive. The banter between them, the singing, the costumes.
At the recommended time we made our way to our seats. As we entered the main part of the arena, I had a big rush of adrenaline, a huge wow moment, seeing the beautiful set. The gorgeous circular stage, the huge screens behind, the (love oh love!) satellite stage in the middle. All shined to within an inch of their lives, vivid and colourful.
Our seats were in block G, by the satellite stage (it was to our right and we were three rows back in that section). It was a shame not to have had these on the Thursday as only the presenters used it but I'm splitting hairs, they were excellent seats. About a quarter of an hour before the show began, Marco, the warm up guy came on. After a little crowd participation, we were introduced to our presenters. For the record I found them really good and very funny, besides being warned otherwise.
The show started and soon the acts themselves were on. The sound in the hall was great. We couldn't see what was going out on TV so sometimes it was hard to get an idea of how things would look at home but ultimately it was good I think that you watched what was happening on stage rather than looking at a screen.
My favourite performances were: Norway, Russia, Switzerland, Finland, Hungary, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Greece. Pretty similar to before the night. It's really hard to not get carried along with the excitement in the hall for something like Hungary. It was the big one in the night for the fans, everyone was singing along, jumping, dancing, cheering and clapping. If I had to pick one favourite though, it would have to be Stella Mwangi for Norway. Pure party for 3 minutes. The glitter storm was just beautiful.
The various pyros in the hall were amazing. The fire shooting from the ground and the shower of sparks were all stunning. I hope they came across on screen but can't imagine anything beats being there.
It was extremely warm in the hall though so we hoped that not many of the acts that used the fire would make the final. Especially as we'll be in the third row on Saturday.
The interval act, Drumline(?) were fun but really just 'padding' to us in the hall awaiting our favourites' fate.
When the time came for the opening of the envelopes it was so tense. Lithuania going through was a huge shock to me, though the vocal sounded excellent. When it came to the last three spots, I knew Norway was a goner as Russia, Turkey and Finland all remained. I was right about Norway but didn't count on Turkey not making it too, being replaced by Iceland.
The show was then over and all that remained was the post-mortem. Being in the fans section, everyone had an opinion. Most were sad for Norway. Lots said they didn't expect Georgia or Switzerland through. Pretty much all of us were surprised by Turkey and Lithuania's differing outcomes.
Two slow train journeys followed back to the hotel, via our local 24-hour Maccy D's! Having a slow, restful day today, saving our energy for tomorrow. Still thinking about whether to attend the OGAE UK & Ireland party tonight but we (I!) don't want to wear ourselves out.
We have met some lovely people already this trip so it would great to be able to do that some more. We'll see...
I'm going to try and upload a couple of pics but not sure how it'll look as I haven't posted from abroad before! (edit: No I'm not, it's not working!) I've taken one of the arena with Photosynth which looks great on my phone. Let me know how it looks!
OK, so it's been a while, preparations are well and truly underway in Dusseldorf and the first semi is nearly upon us!
I haven't religiously followed the rehearsal videos posted online this year, for a change, but I have caught a few of them. I've tried to base my comments here on my initial thoughts and my predictions are all from before I saw any rehearsals!
1 Bosnia and Herzegovina - Dino Merlin - Love in Rewind
As previously reviewed, I love this! It's another strong semi opener and the song will clearly appeal not only to Dino's huge Balkan fanbase, but continent wide.
Chance of qualifying: definite
2 Austria - Nadine Beiler - The Secret Is Love
Daniella Westbrook lookylikey Nadine's faultless vocal and the acapella intro is going to prove irresistable to many I think, though I'm not sure the song is one of the strongest this year.
Chance of qualifying: likely
3 Netherlands - 3JS - Never Alone
The Dutch have had have a wretched few years trying to qualify for the Eurovision final. They aren't expected to break their run this year but I think that this pretty song performed by a modern if slightly unexciting band will pick up some jury votes.
Chance of qualifying: unlikely
4 Belgium - Witloof Bay - With Love Baby
The Belgians so often get it so wrong. After their brief flirtation with success last year with the brilliant and gorgeous Tom Dice, they prove it was a fluke with the naff and not so gorgeous Witloof Bay. Novelty votes alone I fear. Not without redeeming features, just not enough of them.
Chance of qualifying: not a chance
5 Slovakia - TWiiNS - I'm Still Alive
As a boy whose record collection includes The Corrs and Wilson Phillips, I was strangely drawn to the TwIiNs ballad. The song is just not strong enough to my ears though and the production is probably not modern or cool enough to garner votes.
Chance of qualifying: unlikely
6 Ukraine - Mika Newton - Angels
Ukraine find another in a seemingly unending string of gorgeous females to represent them. And they certainly know how to present them too. Some of Eurovision's finest three-minute-shows have come from Ukraine. And the word from rehearsals is that they haven't changed their ways. Who cares if the song isn't much cop?
Chance of qualifying: likely
7 Moldova - Zdob si Zdub - So Lucky
This year's contest is littered with returning artists. Unfortunately, without exception, they seem to be struggling to recapture their former glories. Wacky funsters Zdob si Zdub didn't have a lot to do to beat their last effort. They failed! Tuneless.
Chance of qualifying: not a chance
8 Sweden - Eric Saade - Popular
Hard to know what Eurovision will make of Saade. The show for 'Popular' is so polished and the choreography probably the funkiest this year but the song being so Swedish and so...tweeny, it's hard to imagine wide appeal and specifically, jury appeal.
Chance of qualifying: likely
9 Cyprus - Christos Mylordos - San Aggelos S'agapisa
Very very Greek and slightly old-fashioned, can't imagine this doing much even with the best show in the world, best vocals and perfect draw.
Chance of qualifying: not a chance
10 Bulgaria - Poli Genova - Na inat
Poli seems like a cool girl and her vocals are fine. To me, it's another case of the song not being up to scratch.
Chance of qualifying: unlikely
11 Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia - Vlatko Ilievski - Rusinka
Fits a number of Eurovision cliches but definitely less than the sum of its parts. And that voice!
Chance of qualifying: not a chance
12 Israel - Dana International - Ding Dong
The Diva tornera! Time has moved on since Dana lifted the trophy in 1998 but this song indicates that maybe she hasn't. It's cute... but the vocal and performance standard she gave the song in the national final mightn't be enough to see her back on the big final stage this year.
Chance of qualifying: 50/50
13 Slovenia - Maja Keuc - No One
At the time of writing this, I am 12 hours from setting off for Germany! So I'm quickening up the pace. Please forgive any errors... I mean more than normal!
Slovenia...a classy but dull song but allegedly sung like an angel which can go a long way!
Chance of qualifying: 50/50
14 Romania - Hotel FM - Change
Starts off all cool and Muse-y and ends up sounding like a redcoat singalong at Butlins. I also think the production sounds like a home demo on a cheap Bontempi keyboard. Shame cos it could have been so much better.
Chance of qualifying: likely
15 Estonia - Getter Jaani - Rockefeller Street
For me, this would be the most deserving winner of the contest this year and the one I would be most proud of. Beautiful girl, great song and routine and very very current.
Chance of qualifying: definite
16 Belarus - Anastasia Vinnikova - I Love Belarus
This sounds so close to pastiche that it wouldn't be out of place in Eurobeat the Eurovision musical. But it's kind of so-bad-that-it's-good!
Chance of qualifying: unlikely
17 Latvia - Musiqq - Angel in Disguise
I love the rap section. Think that's really cool. The rest of the song is just a bit too laid back and self-indulgent for my taste. And I hope they've had a restyle since the national final as they looked like they walked out of a Top Man ad.
Chance of qualifying: 50/50
18 Denmark - A Friend In London - New Tomorrow
From the happiest and most beautiful countryfolk ever (Chanee and N'Evergreen aside), the Danes always seem to craft some perfect Eurovision pop. This year is no exception. They've just cranked the template forward a few years timewise to make this year's effort a little more current, maybe the only thing they've been missing. Great anthemic pop rock that should do *really* well. Don't rule this one out!
Chance of qualifying: definite
19 Ireland - Jedward - Lipstick
The butt of many a joke in the UK since X Factor, Jedward are proving to be an incredibly popular package with German media since landing in Dusseldorf. Europe, without the constraints of a talent-show format, seems to be welcoming the twins with open arms. The song, as previously reviewed here is modern and fun. With little else aiming at the kids this year, could this pick up televotes Europe-wide? And if it does, could televotes alone possibly lead to glory? A fascinating unfinished story.
Glen is as camp as Deen to the power of Pall Oskar multiplied by Euroband. He is fun, full of life and a great vocalist to boot. But this song just isn't doing it for me. It's like some weird 90's dance track that you can't dance to, with a weak chorus interspersed with verses that are even worse. But Glen, in case we meet in May, in some dive bar in Dusseldorf, as surely isn't all that unlikely... *you*... I love! ... And It's still an improvement on Thea Garrett last year!
Chance of qualifying: not a chance
12 San Marino - Senit - Stand By
This is an odd one. San Marino's return to the contest since its disappointing debut in 2008 hasn't caused great waves amongst fans but I rather like 'Stand By'. It's polished to within an inch of its life and maybe borrows too heavily from a power ballad or two but it definitely has a charm. As a Eurovision fan you hear so many opinions before the contest about each country's effort that after hearing someone has no chance of qualifying fifty times, you start to believe it... But why not?
Chance of qualifying: 50/50
13 Croatia - Daria - Celebrate
Celebrate isn't a very auspicious song title in Eurovision. Switzerland's 'Celebrate' from 2004 was the last nil-pointer! Hopefully Daria won't meet the same fate or it'll seem like some sort of jinx. It's a pretty song with a cool dubstep-ish breakdown but eurodance, contrary to much public opinion in the UK often bombs... and this one might too!!
Chance of qualifying: unlikely
14 Iceland - Sigurjón's Friends - Coming Home
The 'friends' being a group of Icelandic singers coming together to pay tribute to the composer and previous singer of the song, Sigurjón Brink, who died suddenly days before this year's Icelandic national final... I'm not sure that this song would have won in Iceland if it hadn't been for this tragic event. Who's to say? But I don't think the story or the emotion will transfer to the big event. It's pretty but very subtle and the mix of different singers may not connect with the viewers at home.
Chance of qualifying: not a chance
15 Hungary - Kati Wolf - What About My Dreams?
More high-octane eurodance. If you squint you can maybe imagine Katy Perry singing this, so to my ears, this is more relevant and has more chance of qualifying than Croatia which arguably occupies the same territory. The only live performance on the internet for this is unconvincing vocally to say the least. Oh and it's doing extremely well in fan polls... which means absolutely nothing else!
Chance of qualifying: 50/50
16 Portugal - Homens da Luta - A luta é alegria
An 'unconventional' song, about the joy of the protest rather than it being overtly political, this struck a chord with the Portuguese public, possibly as the public's own protest at the lack of Eurovision success recently... or ever come to mention it! I like it's cute melody and harmonies... but having said that, I don't want it to win!
Chance of qualifying: not a chance
17 Lithuania - Evelina Sašenko - C'est ma vie
The country that has a long line in Eurovision awfulness has surpassed itself with C'est ma vie. With its painful chorus of schoolboy French phrases and depressing, dated torch song style melody, it's from another era but not one you would want to revisit. The delightful dress from the video could even be the best thing about it!
Chance of qualifying: not a chance (still too much)
18 Azerbaijan - Ell and Nikki - Running Scared
Azerbaijan's by-any-means-necessary quest to win Eurovision continues. This song, bought in from Swedish songwriters/producers, like last year's entry 'Drip Drop', is more glossy, radio-friendly, modern pop. I don't think it's a winner. It just doesn't seem like the type of thing that will motivate droves to vote all over Europe. It's perfectly lovely though and I'm sure it'll be a respectable finish yet again.
Chance of qualifying: definite
19 Greece - Loukas Giorkas feat. Stereo Mike - Watch My Dance
The perfect draw for the Greeks but will it be enough? Their recent Eurovision results-record is beaten by few countries, so eyebrows were raised when the run of happy, uptempo songs of recent years was confined to history with the selection of the darker, less-accessible 'Watch My Dance'. The rap seems a little dated and angsty. Personally I like the singing but it's certainly something different for Greece and for the contest and it's certainly the first year that, despite the draw, Greece aren't a shoe-in for the final.
Chance of qualifying: 50/50
So! ... I make it:
Definites: Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia
Likelies: Norway, Poland, Finland, Switzerland
50/50 (but will qualify I reckon): Greece, Serbia
50/50 (but won't): Hungary, San Marino
Unlikelies: Croatia, Armenia, Albania
Not a chance: Iceland, Portugal, Malta, Lithuania
It's the first year for a long time that I've not had a bet on Eurovision. Make of that what you will about my confidence in my predictions!
I'd love to hear your comments. Semi 2 thoughts soon! Maybe even tomorrow if it's cloudy again!
As a result of a combination of a bad back along with my usual shabby organisational skills, my dream of fully previewing all 43 Eurovision entrants remains a dream.
So instead, I'm going to have a brief comment on each entrant here, in the order that they will perform, giving my personal thoughts and my thoughts on their likely chances of qualification and then victory.
My overall thoughts on this year's standard is that it's probably on a par with previous years if we look at the longer history of the contest but, compared to the last few years, which I've loved, it would have to be a bit of a disappointment.
However, interest-wise, it's huge for me. Even if I weren't going to Dusseldorf, the UK selecting Blue, our best group, best song and most interesting selection process in years, Jedward coming in for Ireland, Lena and Dana International coming back, Eric Saade for Sweden, there are all the ingredients for a fascinating contest.
I think the standard of the two semis is fairly even with the big five coming up with some great songs with a couple of them definite potential winners.
Videos and pictures coming in of the stage construction from Germany look fantastic. And different. Roll on the start of rehearsals on May 1!
1 Poland - Magdalena Tul - Jestem
A great opener to the show, Magdalena's hot, the song is modern and the performance is sure to reflect that.
Chances of qualifying: likely
2 Norway - Stella Mwangi - Haba Haba
An early favourite for winning the whole thing but concerns about the draw and Stella's vocals have seen it shift to ninth favourite now. A gorgeous summer's day across Europe and I wouldn't bet against it though!
Chance of qualifying: likely
3 Albania - Aurela Gaçe - Feel the Passion
Old school Eurovision song and performer. I'm not sure this style cuts it any more round these parts
Chance of qualifying: unlikely
4 Armenia - Emmy - Boom-Boom
More stuff that's sounding a little long in the tooth, it's been a while since Armenia haven't made the final but with this weak-chorused effort, it could happen.
Chance of qualifying: unlikely
5 Turkey - Yüksek Sadakat - Live It Up
Another rock band with a quirky sound from Turkey, a formula that has paid dividends in recent years. A good each way bet for the final at 50-1. The Turkish delegation just need to make them look a bit cooler... but they probably will!
Chance of qualifying: definite
6 Serbia - Nina - Caroban
Distinctive old soul flavour that will make Serbia stand out (again! - they're good at standing out in recent years!). Whether or not you're gonna see this on Saturday will depend on Nina's vocal more than any other act's I feel.
Chance of qualifying: 50/50
7 Russia - Alexej Vorobjov - Get You
The Russian sparrow's RedOne track seems to be an acquired taste with fans. Male pop/dance delivered with a thick accent puts me in mind of some Belarussian entries of a few years ago, they had mixed results but Alex is hot. And this is Russia!
Chance of qualifying: definite
8 Switzerland - Anna Rossinelli - In Love for a While
Colbie Caillat's been on the phone and wants her act back! Very derivative but since when has that mattered when it comes to a public vote? Could be this year's dark horse. Might end up doing very well if they can put this song across in a clever way.
Chance of qualifying: likely
9 Georgia - Eldrine - One More Day
And if they can't make the Turkish rock band look cool, Eldrine will do the job very well I'm sure! Coming over all Linkin Park like MaNga did for Turkey last year to great effect, Eldrine look, sound and act the part!
Chance of qualifying: definite
10 Finland - Paradise Oskar - Da Da Dam
If Tom Dice's acoustic singy-songwriter for Belgium was too cool for you last year then Paradise Oskar has a nice alternative for you. Sure to appeal to mums across the continent, a very pretty boy and song, very instant. Pretty and nice-Hm. I do like it, honestly!
I need to rattle through a few of these now otherwise I'm still gonna be talking about Stella Mwangi as she defends her crown in Oslo 2012. So a couple of the more interesting entries can have full reviews then I'll lump a few of the... lumpier ones together-not long to go!
Also, as I've touched on Blue's UK entry already so I'll just point to their first live performance on Graham Norton and say that the UK have a genuinely great chance of winning Eurovision this year with this song which was co-written by the boys and by five Norwegians who go by the name of Dsign who also produced the track.
As you can see below, they have a cute little dance routine worked out and the notes that seemed to be ambitious after hearing the studio version are not only hittable but are sounding like money notes.
Pre-qualified to the final on May 14, Blue have been drawn 14th out of 25 songs.
"Stop don't say that it's impossible!" begs young Eric in one of the worst first lines in the history of recorded music... "Cos I know it's possible!".
Luckily what Popular lacks lyrically it more than makes up for in a thrilling disco production, a not-too-distant relative of BWO's Lay Your Love On Me, funky choreography and a smashing gimmick.
It is co-writer (Lord) Fredrik (of) Kempe's fourth Eurovision entry in as many years, last year's Norway and the previous two Swedens making up the quartet. Whilst his work lights up the National Finals and the charts in Scandinavia it doesn't usually have the same effect come Eurovision time. Eric's track might change Freddie's run of luck though, it sounding a little more up-to-date than the last three and having someone you could actually imagine in the charts at the helm, or at least in High School Musical, rather than a scary middle-aged Swedish femme-fatale or something from The Addams Family.
Those Russians have announced that their Eurovision contestant for 2011 will be Aleksey Vorobyov (Alex Sparrow in English but we won't be using that name here thank you very much).
He'll be singing the rather camp sounding 'Get You' which was done and did by RedOne, composer of Love Generation's Andra Chansen bomb Dance Alone and some other Lady's finest work.
No entry video (yet!) but I found some pictures you might like.
Slight obsession coming on I reckon! Here's some music of his to bring it back on track, which is rather bloomin' hot too!
Austria have been absent from Eurovision for the last three contests and have been absent from the upper echelons for a fair bit longer. They must have watched their neighbours Germany's victory last year and had a bit of a Eureka moment. They certainly took the comeback selection process seriously with a big-budget final with some serious homegrown talent.
Talent show Starmania winner, 20 year old Nadine has a really strong white-soul voice. And The Secret Is Love really showcases her vast range. It's a nice song, a gospel tinged ballad, it's just a little dated for me. Think Nineties-Mariah or Noughties-Christina. A capella intros aren't really my thing either but I guess it'll make an impression on the big night. She'll certainly win a lot of fans with her instrument. Shame the song isn't the whole package. She could have been almost unstoppable with a better song.
