Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

  A bit I like Chopin , a bit Modern Talking, a lot 80's vibe. Marco Mengoni has done it again! He may slightly change style and sound but once again he offers us exactly what we, or at least I, need. A melodic 80's pop with a hint of melancholy and the atmosphere of summer holidays early evening when the aftersun is in the air, a cold aperativo in your hand and the night still ahead. Somehow this feels like the perfect one to complete the holy trio of tunes with this feeling after TheGiornalisti's Riccione and Colapesce Dimartino's Musica leggerissima .

Ok, everyone's talking about Måneskin's post-Eurovision success in the Spotofy etc charts globally, in the US, in the Uk and so on but what about a look how they are doing in the Finnish charts? Are you ready? Let me just say I have never ever seen anything like this, Eurovision related or not! This is the official singles chart. They occupy 3/5 places in the Top-5! And like that wasn't enough ... ... Coraline is also charting at number 16, down from last week's number 5! The same story in the official albums chart: 3/5 in Top-5 is Måneskin! If only they had more albums..... Finally Zitti e buoni is in the Radio play charts at 57, down from last week's peak at 45.  Hey guys, isn't it time to pay Finland a visit, too?

 This week's second dose is all in English for a change! Noora - Antiseptic Louie Blue - Spaceman Juffi - The Tree Lxandra - Sabotage

It's summer time and Italian airwaves are filled with summer rhythms and beats. Enjoy! Fedez, Achille Lauro, Orietta Berti - Mille Emma, Loredana Berté - Che sogno incredibile Annalisa, Federico Rossi - Movimento lento Samuel, Francesca Michielin - Cinema

 A new week, a new set of #Finpop tunes. Enjoy! Mira Luoti - Paperinuket The Rasmus - Bones Ike - Puolet minusta DJ Oku Luukkainen x K-System - Nousen ilmaan 

  Here it is. Five million hits. I never thought I would see this day when I started this little blog long time ago. But you keep coming back and slowly it all ads up. Some years have been busier, 2009 being the top of the tops with some incredible figures, some less but the flow of visitors is a steady never stopping flow. I am so grateful and keeps me going even if with each new million milestone I have been planning to stop this adventure and concentrate on something else and this five million was meant to be The One but then came Måneskin and Italy won! It's impossible to stop now as I always said I will be present at Eurovision again only if and when Finland or Italy wins again.... So.... I guess I will go on at least another year. Or another million? Thank you! Grazie! Kiitos!

Mahmood's very much awaited new album, his second is finally out. Ghettolimpo unites ghetto and Olympus being a sort of concept album and each song having a new personality and character for Mahmood. The album was already planned for 2020 release but as we know, sh*t happened and it was postponed. Rapide (#5), Dorado (#19), Inuyasha (#21), Zero (#44), Klan (#59) and now Kobra are the singles off it already, as well as Barrio (#4) as a bonus track. This said the album still has eight new and fresh song, including a duet with Elisa, Rubini . Moonlight popolare (#3) released between Rapide and Dorado didn't make the album cut. 

  Another quartet of new Finnish pop tunes, these from rather bubbling under category, if you please... pins.ku - Tuu mun kaa tanssilattialle tikee Mikko Ilmari - Paratiisin viimeiset Tamu - Löydät sun taivaan Sana - Viimeinen

  This weeks' second dose of new pop tunes from the Finnish radio waves, charts and nowhere. Frans Harju - Minä sydän sinä Nomi - Pienestä kii Tuure Boelius - Heinäkuu Mooa - Kotikoti

  Another week, another set of songs from the Finnish radio waves, charts and outside charts right here!  This time including Erika Vikman's latest release,  summer 2021's national safe sex anthem! Chisu - Mysteeri Jussu Pöyhönen - Pinnalla Erika Vikman & Arttu Wiskari - Tääl on niin kuuma Neili - Deja vu

  And here we go again. So many songs were kept waiting during May but here I'm to expose them all one by one while new ones are being released..... Ellinoora - Meille käy hyvin Aksel Kankaanranta - Sydän paareilla Jeremie - Rooli Titta - Elämä on nyt

  More Finnish music from the charts, radio waves and elsewhere. Enjoy! Elias Kaskinen - Kerran elämässä Lxandra - Sideways Matias Väisänen - Pelastaudu Romu - Kattojen yllä

  Ok, let's restart this series of Finnish pop now after Eurovision has passed. New tunes from the big stars, new talents and everyone between that I fancy even a little bit.  Sanni - Pettäjä Edi - Kukkii Milia - Mozart ja Chopin Tuure Kilpeläinen ja kaihon karavaani - Lumous

What a time to be alive, would someone say. Nine Eurovision 2021 songs are in the official Finnish singles Top-20 (week 21). Add winner's another song in the mix and voilà..... history is happening right in front of your eyes! And that's not all. Five Eurovision artists albums enter the Top-40 albums!  I let the charts speak to themselves: Official singles chart 1. (6.) Blind Channel - Dark side 2. ( - ) Måneskin - Zitti e buoni 5. ( - ) Gjon's Tears - Tout l'univers 6. ( - ) Måneskin - I wanna be your slave 7. ( - ) Elena Tsagrinou - El Diablo 8. ( - ) Dadi Freyr - 10 years 10. ( - ) Barbara Pravi - Voilà 17. ( - ) Go_A - Shum 19. ( - ) The Roop - Discotheque 20. ( - ) TIX - Fallen angel Official albums chart 2. ( - ) Måneskin - Teatro d'ira, vol. 1 9. ( - ) Måneskin - Il ballo della vita 21. ( - ) Måneskin - Chosen 23. ( - ) Dadi Freyr - Welcome 39. ( - ) Blind Channel - Blood brothers Radio play charts 2. (3.) Blind Channel - Dark side 79. ( - ) Måneskin - Zitti

The Eurovision song contest 2021 was a great success in every way, there's no doubt about that. It managed to keep the virus out (well, almost....) and gave people all around Europe what they wanted: a live show. That is proven by the viewing figures that are all over Europe the best ones in many years if not record breaking. (Well, almost...) 183 million people turned in to watch the shows on television or online where over 50 million people in 234 countries joined in! But the real success comes afterwards in streaming platforms. I have never witnessed such a rush to download and stream the Eurovision songs. And so many of them! Besides the winners Italian Måneskin who has really taken over the globe with their music, not only the winning song but their music in general, notable success has been evident for Ukrainian Go-A and Finnish Blind Channels, but that's just to name a few.  I have already lost of Måneskin's records including the most streamed Italian song within 24

Mahmood is the cover boy of Italian Vanity Fair in the very nice interview he is asked about his dreams and he says: Uno è incontrare il maestro Franco Battiato. Per quella volta che mi rapì dalla radio di una macchna, mentre andavo verso una spiaggia; con I treni di Tozeur io scoprii l'estasi. Salutarlo come fossimo in quel capolavoro della sua Alexander Platz : "C'era la neve, ci vediamo questa sera fuori dal teatro, "ti piace Schubert?" One is to meet maestro Franco Battiato. Since the time I heard I treni di Tozeur on car radio on my way to beach and I found heaven. I would greet him like if we were in his masterwork Alexander Platz . "There was snow, let's meet outside the theater tonight: "Do you like Schubert?" Sadly this dream will just stay a dream as Franco Battiato passed away last Tuesday. 

Alice will honor her late friend Franco Battiato in a very exclusive concert in Auditorium Centro Gaetano in Padua/Padova On June 6, 2021 singing his most beautiful songs accompanied by Carlo Guaitoli in piano, Battiato's long lasting collaborator. There's space for only 115 people in the intimate concert due Covid-19 restrictions. Alice will also tour Italy in July-August bringing his music to the people again.  The concert is a part of Padua's van Gogh exhibition, a continuation to the one in Bologna in 2014 when Battiato did a musical performance La ragazza con l'orecchino di perla linked to the exhibition featuring Alice and a young Francesca Michielin.  

  "Siamo fuori di testa, ma diversi da loro"  they wrote in Instagram already in May 2017. The street musicians from Rome have gone a long via X Factor to Sanremo and to Eurovision in a short time. As I didn't do any artist presentations this year, and to be honest I'm not so familiar with Måneskin, let's do a short biography who they are and what they have been up to in the past few years. The band is made of lead singer Damiano David (21), Victoria De Angelis (20) in bass, Thomas Raggi (19) in guitar and Ethan Torchio (20) in drums.  Novembre 2015. Damiano asked Victoria to form a band, she brought in her friend and school mate from Monteverde Thomas. Ethan was found after an ad in Facebook. The year after they took part in a competition Pulse - High school band contest and won it.  The same year they had their official concert and usually they were found playing in the streets of Rome, their hometown.  2017. They took part in X Factor when they all were jus

It's been just hours when the first cities announced they want to host it ( read more here ) but also first proposals to conduct it. Who said Italy wan't willing to win & host Eurovision? Or is it a classic case that everyone wants to have a piece of action now? But just like with the lack of suitable arenas Italy has also a problem of suitable hosts for the simple fact the conductors must speak fluent English and quite a lot of French, too. Or, let me phrase it again: There are those who can do the job but it might take awhile before the audience and people in charge realize they can't put there some random Amadeus & Fiorello to attract home audience to the screens (Amadeus indeed has said he'd consider it) like they did in 1991 with Toto Cutugno & Gigliola Cinquetti . That was then, this is now. The show must be hosted in English and a little bit of French, it must be aimed to the European audience, not the locals. Something that is very uncommon for Rai

After a string of top-10 places since their return to the contest back in 2011 (2nd, 9th, 7th, 21st, 3rd, 16th, 6th, 5th, 2nd) Måneskin managed to finish the business Raphael Gualazzi, Nina Zilli, Marco Mengoni, Il Volo, Francesco Gabbani, Ermal Meta, Fabrizio Moro and Mahmood started nor forgetting Francesca Michielin and Emma. Now it's time to Rai to show what they can do and put the legend "Rai doesn't want to win" to rest for good. Italy has hosted the contest twice before but that was a long time ago and a different concept. In 1965 Naples had the honors in Rai's tv-studios there, and in 1991 originally planned Sanremo changed to Cinecittá studios in Rome due to the Gulf war in the last minute that caused some hick ups to the Italian style already a bit confused organisation. But that was and this is now.  Back then it was much small event and could be held in a theater or big studio but not now. And here comes the problem with Italy: the lack of suitable, bi

It didn't take long but here it is, the first candidate city to host the contest next year: Bologna!   Bologna is situated in the heart of Italy, youthful University city, Unesco's Citta della musica or Music city, they have an arena, hotels, flights... everything! This blogger would be thrilled, I love Bologna, one of my favorites in Italy - with many friends! Previously when the Gabbamani was wild in Europe it has been made public that Italy was planning to host in Turin/Torino should they win.... Also Milan and Pesaro have already showed interest......  UPDATE: During the Sunday after also Turin aka Torino has confirmed they are interested and that they have been waiting for this already for years!

Let's have a closer look how Finland received votes in the semi-final and the final. In the semi-final the juries  voted less than the televoters, just like in the final: 7   France, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia 6   Iceland, Switzerland, Portugal, Serbia, Czech Republic, UK, Albania 5   Austria 4   Georgia 3   San Marino 2   Poland 0   Greece, Moldova, Bulgaria, Spain        TOTAL 84 points The televoters spread more love to the dark side placing it FIRST : 12   Poland, Bulgaria 10   Denmark, San Marino, Iceland, Estonia, Serbia 8    Czech republic, Greece, Moldova, Latvia, UK,  6    Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, Georgia 5    Austria, Albania 2    France  TOTAL 150 points                  Finland placed only 5th in the semi-final but really upped their game for the final. In the jury votes only 11th but in the televotes 4th and overall 6th, our second best showing ever! The jury votes: 10   Serbia, Italy 8     Belgium, Romania, Denmark 7     Estonia 5     Iceland 4     Slovenia, UK; L

  Ommiodio!!!! What can I say? Italy wins, Finland 6th, our second best placing ever! A little sad for San Marino but ... oh well, Italy won! Finland 6th! And what an amazing string of zero points for the UK, Germany and Spain from the public! That was like WTF?! And did Natalia drop her microphone? If the 2017 plans are still current next year it will be Torino! Here are the televotes: 1. Italy 318 2. Ukraina 267 3. France 251 4. Finland 218 5. Iceland 180 6. Switzerland 165 6. Lithuania 165 8. Russia 100 9. Serbia 82 10. Greece 79 11. Sweden 63 12. Moldova 62 13. Norway 60 14. Malta 47 15. Cyprus 44 16. Albania 35 17. Azerbaijan 33 18. Bulgaria 30 19. Portugal 27 20. Israel 20 21. San Marino 13 22. Belgium 3 23. Netherlands 0 23. Spain 0 23. Germany 0 23. United Kingdom 0

It's been two long years and four days since Duncan Laurence was crowned the Eurovision champion in Tel Aviv. Meanwhile his winning song Arcade has gone viral and on Tuesday night he received a platinum record for a one billion streams globally. Tonight he was meant to perform the song again and hand over the Chrystal microphone to a new winner. But no. On Wednesday he was tested positive for Covid-19 and instead will be watching the show in quarantine in his hotel room.... Sometimes destiny just plays tricks on us. (Not to mention some other tricks played by another Destiny's delegation to anger the fandom...) This said I can only say it's going to be a great show and the strongest line up I can remember, and also the most open contest I can recall, and I have been watching since 1976. Usually at this point I have firm favorites to win, 2-3 of them, and I can't remember when last time one of them didn't win. Maybe Marie N? Quite often I have had a winning candidat