Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

This is my maybe favourite song from Sanremo 2025. Brunori was a familiar name to be beforehand but I wasn't so familiar with his music but L'albero delle noci hit home with the first hearing. Great artist, beautiful melody and lyrics, no gimmicks. But I never believed he'd end up 3rd overall and I was even more surprised when he told he would do Eurovision without a moment of hesitation and actually wanted to win because of that! And along with Lucio Corsi a great new artist for me to discover and like! The video btw stars his family, wife and daughter.....

So it happened as I suspected: Nelli Matula scored the biggest radio hit from UMK2025 staying already at #1 for the 5th week when writing this. And no wonder, Hitaammin hautaan was also my favourite right away when released. As a song, not necessarily for Eurovision though even if I would be very happy if this was our entry as I am with Ich komme and would have been with Made of....

This little butterfly left a mark on me in the first Albanian semi-final. She didn't pass. But she was one of my favourites with this pretty little song. And I remember liking her entry last year, too, when she qualified for the final with  Pikturë . I hope she tries again!

David Afonso may have placed last in the first Benidorm Fest 2025 but he deserved so much more. Vocally perfect with a melody that has stuck into my mind. But he's just in the beginning of his recording career so please do come back in coming years and win it all!

Another goodie from Croatia. Marko Tolja offered a solid classic ballad, extremely well sung. A classic polished performance. Of course fandom doesn't get these songs but as an Eurovision old schooler I just loved it. One of the best songs of the season. Had it been in Croatian it would have been perfection!

Goldielocks entered UMK2025 as the least known artist and in a short while charmed most everyone and placed close second to pre designed winner Erika Vikman. And not only she has conquered the radips as well being the 2nd most played song in the Finnish radios last week - behind another UMK2025 artist Nelli Matula who sits firmly at the #1 spot for the 4th week already. Friday we know if Goldielocks claims that spot from her following her rise in the charts! If it wasn't for Erika this would have been such an amazing entry and maybe the best staging of the whole national selection season!

This is a song that made me the most impact when hearing the Serbian songs for the first time. In the end it wasn't my favourite to win it being rather un-Eurovision song but it is a good pop song with a good vibe. Something that made into my playlist. Even if it only received one point from the jury and none from the public in semi-final.....

  Another dose of #Finpop for your enjoyment. Last year's revelation Hugo teams up with UMK veteran Sexmane while Jenni Vartiainen teams up with last year's most streamed artist Turisti. UMK veteran and disco queen Eini belts out another banger - written by Kuumaa's Johannes and Softengine's Topi among others! -  and finally a newcomer Kaukua.  Hugo / Sexmane - Sekunnis Jenni Vartiainen / Turisti - Leima Eini - Cocktail Kaukua - 10 000 tuntii

Tone Damli may have entered Norwegian MGP as sort of a pre-favorite but the reception by the fandom was very cold once the song was out, and the live performance the night didn't help her either. In the end she placed only 5th. But for me this is perfect pop with a lot of 80's/90's vibe to it aka the period I was young and love the music of the moment. Also this has been one of the most earwormy songs for me from the national selections. For that alone this deserves a spot in this series, despite the somewhat uninspired and awkward performance. 

Marco Rodrigues offered one of those timeless beautiful songs that makes Festival da Canção very dear national selection for me. A minha casa was just one of those, masterfully sung by successful and multi awarded, Grammy nominated fado singer Marco and one of those that sneakily starts playing in your head after the more instant and upbeat songs fade away and you grow tired of. 

Sanremo had one song that was Euroviison by numbers and a bit odd one in the list: Sarah Toscano's Amarcord. If Italy should one day have a national selection made for Eurovision rather than Sanremo that is just for the domestic market aimed affair I suspect the songs would be a bit in this genre in aim to please a mediocre Eurovision audience. Even if I like this song a lot I rather stick with Sanremo.... But Sarah (19) is a star in the making. Even if her first Sanremo ended with 17th place.

It's time for another dose of fresh new music from Finland or #Finpop 2025! After two previous post of pure pop we slow down a bit here with maybe a bit less known names, except of course UMK veteran Robin Packalen and already very succesful Aliisa Syrjä along with not so household names yet. Enjoy! Jemina - Ihmishirviö Aliisa Syrjä / Robin Packalen - Leijonanruokaa pins.ku / Yeboyah - Sido mut Lasse Havu - Hyväksyvä katse

Ukrainian runner up was by far my favourite in Vidbir 2025. My sea is a perfect pop songs performed by an interesting duo. 

When I first heard Monopol I thought this is 100% Croatian Eurovision as I would imagine it. A male Maria Magdalena some 25 years later. The semi-final performance was rather disastrous with its sound problems but he did well in the final and the 10th place finish was a big disappointment for me, and even somewhat surprising. Great stuff; Eurovision by numbers but not like all those songs written in various song writing camps even if this might be one with its Swedish co-writers. 

  The running orders for the semi-final were revealed today and we see we will have the very first non-English opening number since the producers have decided on the running order when Iceland rows it away come Tuesday May 13. Cyprus will end the first semi-final.  The second semi-final is opened somewhat surprisingly by Australia and ends with not at all surprisingly with Finland.  And for the first time - FINALLY!!!! - the Big5 and host country will perform among the semi-finalists and even not in the end of the show separately but spread evenly here and there in the line up! This should have been the case ever since the Big5 or back then Big4 were introduced. Let's see if that stands also for the rehearsal schedules!

One of my favorite songs this season is Elvana Gjata's Karnaval against all odds. Yes, it's all heard a zillion times before, the use of Spanish and English simple phrases, too, and the staging wasn't really that ground breaking. Yet, somehow it all works and comes together and the song seems to have taken a permanent residence in my head. 

Another dose of fresh #Finpop 2025 for you! It's Käärijä again, this time teaming up with UMK and fan favorite Bess followed by UMK veterans Mikael Gabriel and Benjamin along with Evelina who would fit UMK perfectly and I suspect and suppose has submitted song or two in previous years. Maybe next year she'll be there? BESS / Käärijä - Kaistaa Mikael Gabriel - Valinnu mun tien Evelina - Kirsikat Benjamin - Tommi (seksipommi)

Now after the national selection season is over and before the real thing starts happening in Basel it's a good time to check some #Finpop released in the past few days, weeks and months.  We kick of with none other than Käärijä with Swedish Hooja followed by Averagekidluke or Lucas Kihlman, a Finnish-American artist, singer.songwriter and designer who has been one of the most streamed artists lately, ever so popular Isac Elliott and finally Eurovision veteran Windows95man with his latest offering fresh from his European and American tour! Enjoy! Käärijä x Hooja - San Francisco boy Averagekidluke - Mitä meist jää Isac Elliot - Ehkä se siitä Windows95man - What's my name

Emma Gaala or the Finnish Grammy awards were celebrated in Espoo's Metro Arena a week ago and last year's most successful artist was Mirella who picked four out of six nominations (Artist of the year, Newcomer of the year, Song of the Year, Pop of the Year, Public's choice, Album of the Year) On top of that she was awarded The Most sold album of the Year and The most streamed Song of the Year. Several UMK artists were nominated and won awards. It's worth remembering three UMK entries have won The Song of the Year award in recent years: Dark side , Ram pam pam and Cha cha cha . Käärijä and Bess also have won The Artist of the Year award in 2022 and 2023, Kuumaa has won The Band of the Year now three years in a row (2022, 2023, 2024). Newcomer of the Year has been won by Jesse Markin (2019), Käärijä (2023), Kuumaa won Album of the year (2023). Pop of the year award has gone to Bess (2022) and Kuumaa (2023). Rock of the year to Blind Channel (2021, 2024), Export award to ...

Last but not least Georgia finally revealed its card for Eurovision song contest: It's Mariam Shengelia with Freedom. Her name might be the second best kept secret of the season. Not. And surprise: Despite the name the first two minutes of the song is in Georgian! And somehow the act and look and staging recalls their first ever entry Visionary dream in Helsinki 2007! Mariam (22) is another artist that has gone by The Voice and The X Factor before Eurovision stage called her. She was chosen internally among the 18 submissions and the entry is  heavily fueled with Georgian culture and tradition. Apparently Eurovision has been her goal in life and career all along. It was about to happen already back in 2020 when she was supposed to be the backing singer for Georgian entry before the contest was cancelled. But now she's no longer a backing singer but the star in the spotlight.  She's also singing in group Mixtura.  Enjoy some of her other songs below:

Portugal's Festival da Canção 2025 also reached the final after two semi-finals. The winner was chosen by 50/50 regional juries and televotes. For me once again one of the best and most interesting national finals, a true contrast to Melodifestivalen's polished boredom and playing it so safe also here it seemed beforehand a duel between two: for international fandom Josh vs national popular Fernando Daniel with Henka in for a possible surprise. And yes, Portugal did Portugal and unlike San Marino and Sweden where things went as scripted - except Sweden did the unthinkable finish against all odds - chose Napa that no one abroad saw coming.... nor in Portugal I guess watching those votes going everywhere and so different from the juries and televotes Napa (ex Men on the Couch) is a Portuguese indie rock pop band since 2013. Francisco Sousa, João Guilherme Gomes, João Rodrigues, Diogo Góis and  João Lourenço Gomes are from the island of Madeira. Switch from English to Portuguese,...

The most insane national selection - in size and details - has come to an end. After zillions of auditions and heats and twists and turns and semi-finals that didn't air and got results no one could keep up with (read more here and here ) And it all ended as expected, hoped and wished by the fandom: the Sanremo 2025 theme song became San Marino's entry. One couldn't make this up. Tutta l'Italia features vocals by Andrea Bonomo (46), Italian singer-songwriter and well known author for also other artists including Eros Ramazzotti, Annalisa, Emma Marrone, Marco Mengoni (Voglio) and Nek (incl. Fatti avanti amore) just to name a few. His career started in Sanremo 2008 Newcomers.  The other singer and co-writer is Edwyn Roberts (32). He also has a past trying to become a singer via Amici and Sanremo Giovani  but ended up writing songs for others like Laura Pausini, Eros Ramazzotti, Malika Ayane, Giusy Ferreri, Arisa, Elodie, Il Volo, Ricchi e Poveri and most of all Diodato (...

The long, loooong Swedish Melodifestivalen reached its climax after six weeks. In the end it was set to be a duel between Eurovision veteran and winner Måns Zelmerlöw and his utterly polished and perfect revolution and fresh and crazy nonsense by the Finnish band KAJ. KAJ was clearly the winner is streaming and video views and chart action beforehand. Also the only song in Swedish this year in the final, and even a Swedish dialect spoken in a small area in Finland only. In the end KAJ won. This is a bit like Cha cha cha phenomenon. Finland is the new Eurovision superpower; we have Finland, Estonia and Sweden in Basel! How I like happy endings! KAJ is a Finnish group from Swedish speaking Ostrobothnia region and sing in their Vörå dialect. The trio is Kevin Holmströn, Axel Åhman and Jakob Noorgård and they have been working together since 2009. They pop-folk.rock-schlager music is often spiced up with satire and humor. They have produced two musicals for Wasa Theater and have been award...

The worst kept secret of the season is BBC has chosen Remember Monday for Eurovision song contest 2025 for the United Kingdom. The name, and song title, and the song, have been floating the internet for weeks and days so no one was surprised anymore this morning when it was made official. WTHJH? Remember Monday is Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull and Charlotte Steele. The three friends have been singing together since 2018 when they all were studying together. Their music classes were always on Mondays and that explains the name. They've made a name on TikTok and The Voice UK . In 2023 they have worked full time on their music career and have released so far two EPs and What the hell just happened? is their 13th single release.  Below are some of their previous songs for your enjoyment: