Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

You voted and here it is, the countdown to the ultimate Eurovision entries from 1956 to 2013.... Listen at escradio live from 11 CET. This is the 6th edition already. Check out the previous winners here .  1.(1) Loreen - Euphoria (Sweden 2012) *winner* 2. ( 3 ) Alexander Rybak - Fairytale (Norway 2009) *winner* 3. ( 5 ) Sertab Erener - Everyway that I can (Turkey 2003) *winner* 4. ( NEW ) Anouk - Birds (Netherlands 2013) 5. ( 4 ) Lena - Satellite (Germany 010) *winner* 6. ( 2 ) Pastora Soler - Quedate conmigo (Spain 2012) 7. ( NEW ) Emmelie De Forest - Only teardrops (Denmark 2013) *winner* 8. ( 7 ) Željko Joksimović - Lane moje (Serbia&Montenegro 2004) 9. ( 8 ) Elena Paparizou - My number one (Greece 2005) *winner* 10. ( 9 ) Marija Serifovic - Molitva (Serbia 2007) *winner* 11. ( 10 ) ABBA - Waterloo (Sweden 1974) *winner* 12. ( 6 ) Eric Saade - Popular (Sweden 2011) 13. ( 25 ) maNga - We could be the same (Turkey 2010) 14. ( 11 ) Yohanna - Is it true? (...

Tune in on escradio.com, and follow all the news the whole day right here. The show will start at 11:00 CET on 31 December, and finish close to midnight. Talk with us at twitter, using the #ESC250 hashtag.

A few days ago the second UMK 2014 program aired. The judges saw the first six artists for the first time on stage in studio performing their demos. They gave comments and suggestions how to improve the act, what was good and what was not. You can watch this show online here . Here's a round up what was said and this blogger's views as well. JASMIN MICHAELA - KERTAKÄYTTÖSYDÄN Jasmin thinks her song stands out for its rhythm, way of singing and her sensual, smiley and energetic performing. She's got a clear vision what she wants to do and look but all advice from the professionals is more than welcome! And what did they think? Aija: Awesome song! I really like it, the chorus is a killer. You look stunning and interesting, and most of all fitting to the song. Toni: I really like your choreography - little movements, old fashion hidden sexuality in your hips and such. A great contrast to these silicon babes in hotpants these days! This is much more interesting! S...

The three day long 52nd Festivali i Këngës took place right after Christmas and 23-year-old Herciana (also known as Hersi) Matmuja emerged as a clear winner with Zemërimi i një nate that translates to "one night's anger". Time will tell if it's going to be one night only for her in Copenhagen as the song is rather demanding to digest, and how the song will sound after Eurovision revamp. This blogger watched with half eye only the final this year and picked up Venera Lumani & Lindi Islami and Blerina Braka as favorites. Hersi is no stranger to Festivali i Këngës as she took part last year with Kush ta dha kete emer (3rd), with Aty ku më le in 2011 (14th), Me cilin rri ti dashuri in 2010 (11th) . Hersi has graduated from the Conversatorio di Santa Cecilia di Roma in Italy.

Valentina Monetta releases a new video A Kiss , a duet with Joshua de Cadenéx today. It also features Corale di San Marino choir. It is a track taken from her forthcoming album to be released in the beginning of 2014. The new album will include songs written mostly by herself and Ralph Siegel. It will obviously include her third Eurovision entry, following TheSocial network song and Crisalide . The video for A Kiss was shot during the recording of the track. The studio footage has been turned into stylish black and white video that fits the song like a glove. It is directed by Alessandro Capicchioni and Fabrizio Raggi and produced in San Marino. The song has been recorded and produced between San Marino, Rimini and London. You can watch the video here . A Kiss showcases nicely both Valentina's and Joshua's vocal skills and is a bit more of the style Valentina has been singing for years before her Eurovision adventures. Joshua has been w orking with criti...

It's again Christmas. Thank you all for this another fantastic year. This blogger wants to wish all my readers a very merry Christmas, buon Natale, hyvää joulua, feliz Navidad, god jul, frohe Weihnachten, Καλά Χριστούγεννα, glædelig jul, gëzuar Krishtlindjet, joyeux Noël, с Рождеством Христовым.... and the same in all the other languages!

Softengine is a band from Seinäjoki. They have been playing together since summer 2011 and the band members are Topi Latukka (guitar, vocals), Ossi Mäkelä (guitar, synths), Eero Keskinen (bass), Henri Oskár (keyboards, percussions) and Tuomo Alarinta (drums). They are driven by big dreams, ambition, joy of playing and creating something new and different. Their music style could be called alternative rock with indie influences. And talking about influences they name Coldplay, Thirty seconds to Mars and Disco Ensemble. The released their debut album last year and have taken part in various band competitions. Now it's time to make it big via UMK - with Something better . Like their Facebook here and vote for them in my poll on the right hand side.

Hanna Seppälä aka Hanna Sky is a singer-songwriter from Tampere. She's new and fresh as a singer to the great public as she started as a singer only this summer! She has of course self penned her entry Hope . The song is a mix of many things and as we are listening only demos at this point it's interesting to see and hear where the focus will be put in the end. She says writing songs is her way of life, and taking care of her soul. She wants to tell stories and write rich melodies, her music is a mix of r'n'b, ethnic influences and electonic pop. She loves to sit by the pian and create new songs - nothing beats the moment when a new melody takes shape and she realizes it's going to be a good one!  She's also very taken her song was selected and just about to burst of happiness! Her influences include three strong female artists: Ellie Goulding, Alicia Keys and Emeli Sandé. Like her on her Facebook here and vote for her on my poll on the right side.

Sängyn reunalla ( At the edge of the bed) sits Mikko Pohjola. Originally from Oulu, now based in Helsinki this 22-year-old started making music to attract girls but since then he has already scored a radio hit with Kuuluuko, kuulen and after UMK 2014 he will surely become a household name. And not only, he wants his name known all over Europe as well!  He has also written his entry himself and it is from his second album he's recording at the moment. His influences include Michael Jackson, Finnish band Don Huonot and John Mayer. This is also one of the entries the judges disagreed a lot whether to add it to the top-12. You can like him on his Facebook here , and vote for him in my poll on the right hand side. His other songs include Paikkani tiedän and Et nää .

Lauri Mikkola is no stranger to TV audiences who followed The Voice, just like Krista Siegfrids he was kicked out way too early as this boy surely can sing! Now he's trying to do what Krista did and get a revenge in UMK and Eurovision instead and very well so. His Going down is a self penned song with great atmosphere and fine vocals. And Lauri oozes charisma (even more in real life than on TV screen or photos, I may add having been in his presense). He's from Turku, but like many others is now based in Helsinki. He's a bit of a Finnish Justin Timberlake, and surely has the blackest voice of any young male singers. Besides Justin also Otis Redding and Jonny Lang have influenced his sound. Like him in his Facebook here , his homepage is here and vote for him on my poll on the right side. Watch him doing September , featuring in Elastinen's Uus , and singing with Krista Siegfrids Blame it on the boogie

San Marino's Eurovision 2014 entrant Valentina Monetta hinted something's going on yesterday on her Facebook and today we got this rather mysterious press release: "Eurovision season is getting closer and Valentina Monetta has a special Christmas present for all Eurovision and her fans!  Make sure to tune in on Christmas Eve 24.12.2013 in RTV San Marino's Christmas show Tombola di Natale at 20.45 CET.  You can watch the show online here: http://www.smtvsanmarino.sm/programmi/web-tv   Make your Christmas a bit more special with Valentina!" Could it be that she presents her Eurovision 2014 entry a bit earlier than we thought?  It has been said earlier the entry will be presented in January but we know she has been in London studios to record her new album, due to be released in January as well. I guess we just have to skip Christmas Eve dinner and tune in to find out what she's got for us :-) Maybe it is what we all want to hear, and maybe it...

Ukraine had it's nationale final for Eurovision and the winner is 20-year-old Maria Yaremchuk, who has made her way through the Voice and Jurmala to Copenhagen 2014. Her song, at least for now, is Tick-tock . This blogger isn't very impressed, but I rarely am with the Ukrainian choices and then watch them climb the scoreboard in the final.... That's life. She seems to be like a petite version of Hanna Pakarinen in Helsinki 2007 what comes to styling having a group of hunky male dancers and enough skin to distract from the song that's rather bland. With all that the performance as it is now gathers up all the Eurovision cliches in staging, but be sure by May she will enter the stage riding an elephant and have dwarves flying around her..... Despite that both the jury and the televoters put her on the first place so she scored 24 points. Viktoria Petryk with Love is Lord came 2nd (17) and Volodymyr Tkachenko came third with Buty Tam De Ty (16) along with Viktor Rom...

The girl trio of MIAU who perform God/Drug comes originally from Kuopio but they all are based in Helsinki now. They started back in 2010 by drawing lots who gets which instrument and so we ended up with this line up: Henna Juvonen in guitar, Susanna Tikkanen in bass and keyboards and Anu Kaukola in drums and samplers. They also take the mic when needed. They say music is like a dangerous lover , it is intoxicating , challenging, punishing, rewarding , and brings back to life. That's why they do music. They have their roots in indierock and heads high up in the clouds. Their career has been very colorful and eventful so far, so UMK fits them nicely. The lovechilds of pop are influended by the Beatles, Skunk Anansie, Lykke Li and Queen, and their debut album will be released in May 2014. The judges seemed rather unsure if to put them into top-12 or not, but time will tell if they conquer the hearts of the viewing audience.... You can like them in Facebook here . You can a...

Gigliola Cinquetti (born December 20, 1947 in Verona) won the Castrocaro 1963, the legendary contest for new voices and gained also a right to participate in the next Sanremo festival. This sweet 16-year-old came, sung Non ho l'età and won the hearts of Italians and the festival. Next she was off to Copenhagen for the Eurovision and stormed to victory. But her story with Sanremo was just begun. She returned the year after with Ho bisgono di vederti and went to the final. She scored another victory the year after with Dio come ti amo , that Domenico Modugno himself took to Eurovision , only to score the worst Italian placement ever (apparently the juries boycotted him for having acted a bit of a diva, or so the rumors go). Then she participated six further times in coming years: 1968 Sera (8th), 1969 La pioggia (6th), 1970 Romantico blues (6th), 1971 Rose nel buio (9th), 1972 Gira l'amore (9th) and 1973 Mistero , that didn't reach the final. Then she had a break ...

The Finnish Idols, season 7 just ended in Espoo's Barona Areena and the winner is 21-year-old Mitra Kaislaranta, who was since the very start this blogger's favorite, despite this season giving us several very good singers with their own styles and interesting personalities, but only one can win. As we remember Diandra Flores won season 6, and Hanna Pakarinen the very first one. She beat Jospeh Miettinen in the final and one could say they were very different. Mitra has a fantastic voice and can make almost any song her own and comes across a bit mysterius and distant but giving her soul to each song at the same time. Joseph may lack in singing voice but makes it up as a real show man and security on stage. One can xpect both of them starting a succesful career... Here are some Mitra's performances along the way: Maailma on sun , Sex on fire , I will always love you , Toinen and with Flute of Shame, Coming home . Her debut single is Äkkisyvää. Joseph did along t...

Luca Carboni released his new album Fisico & Politico earlier this year featuring duets with likes of Alice, Franco Battiato, Cesare Cremonini, Tiziano Ferro, Jovanotti, Elisa and others. He's about to start his tour and the kick off is tomorrow in Bologna's Paladozza celebrating 30 years of career. He will have special guests in this concert including Alice . It's the first time ever they perform together. He recalls he met her briefly in 1983 in a music festival He was just beginning his career but she was alredy a Star he also admired and followed. She tells she heard Carboni for the first time in radio and liked what she heard and kept eye (and ear) on the guy. Now 30 years later they finally met again thanks to Tiziano Ferro and recorded Farfallina that according Carboni symbolize the 1980's, the period Alice was one of the music queens.  The other guests that will join Carboni on stage in this occasion are Tiziano Ferro, Biagio Antonacci, Jovanotti an...

MAKEA (translates to SWEET or COOL) singing Painovoima (or Gravity). An act that makes it debut in every sense in UMK 2014. It's their first release, and apparently their only song (so far) and it looks like they got together for UMK. Artificial? Hmm... perhaps. Labelled as urban pop with influences from hip hop, electro and rock it's rather radio friendly indeed, so who know if we are witnessing the birth of something big? The band resides between Turku and Helsinki and is made of Kadi (vocals), Olli (rap), Jura (guitar), Jussi (bass) and Josu (drums). Their influences include Bruno Mars, The Black Eyed Peas and Rage against the Machine. Their Facebook is here so like them, and vote for them in my poll on the right hand side.

The speculations keep going in Italy among the fans. EurofestivalNews brings the possibility that the Italian entrant this year won't be picked among the Sanremo artist but an internal choice landing on Emma Marrone, the winner of Sanremo 2012 with Non é inferno and rumored first choice for Eurovision as well. Back then she declared she prefers to be big in Italy and concentrats on that. Now she has let us know she's got something cooking on concerning promotion abroad and conquering Europe so she may have had a change of heart. She's also aiming to the Latin market recording in Spanish. Meanwhile she has a new song out, La mia città . Remarkable is also that none of the artists from Maria De Filippi's Amici talent show are present in Sanremo 2014, for the first time since 2008 - after they have won in 2009, 2010 and 2012. Maybe there has been a mutual agreement or something in true Italian way? :-) She would surely create a same kind of fan boost like Marco Me...

Today the names of the 14 Big artists and their songs were revealed. It seems the final cast has not been welcomed that well and it is let known that indeed Alice, Dolcenera, Sal Da Vinci, Paolo Belli & Vincenzo Salemme, Enzo Gragnaniello, Alex Britti with Bianca Atzei, Annalisa , the trio Daniele Silvestri, Niccolò Fabi and Max Gazzé, Mondo Marcio and last year's newcomers winner Antonio Maggio are among those who didn't make it. It is also reported Franco Battiato who wrote one (or two) of Alice's song is pretty annoyed at the moment.... Fabio Fazio promises us contemporary songs, that should work on radio and interest the people and become hits. The cast may be not very TV friendly but the aim is to bring back the music. One can note the lack of artists coming from reality talent shows compared to the past few years. Let's hear the songs before further judging... No word on Eurovision but the fans have already picked up their favorites to fly the Italian ...

Also Iceland has selected its entries for the semifinal on February 1 and 8 leading to the final on February 15, 2014. Two songs from both semifinal will advance to the final where the final two will be decided by duels (jury + televote) and the final duo will battle it out again wit only televote decided the faith. There has been a real change of generation with all the usual writers missing, with the exception of Vignir Snær Vigfússon who co-wrote the Icelandic entry If I had your love in 2005, and was one of the Sjónni's Friends in 2011. StopWaitGo wrote Disco love to The Saturdays scoring a top-5 hit in the UK recently. Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir - Amor  (Haukur Johnson)   Guðbjörg Magnúsdóttir - Aðeins ætluð þér  (María Björk Sverrisdóttir, Marcus Frenell, Beatrice Eriksson & Johnny Sanchez)   Sverrir Bergmann - Dönsum burtu blús  (StopWaitGo aka Pálmi Ragnar Ásgeirsson, Ásgeir Orri Ásgeirsson and Sæþór Kristjánsson. )   Vignir ...

Delusion. That was the first feeling when I saw the final list. Where is Alice? Mango? Nek? Dolcenera? Then it hits that there are only four ladies, all the rest male! And then Antonella Ruggiero! A very welcome back to the great original voice of Matia Bazar. Another Eurovision veteran in the list is Raphael Gualazzi, back again but with Bloody Beetroots. Also nice to see Renzo Rufino back, the one who sung "love me, postman" last year in the newcomers. Well, let's hear the songs before further judgement.... Antonella Ruggiero Quando balliamo, Da lontano Arisa Lentamente, Controvento Cristiano De Andrè Invisibili, Il cielo è vuoto Francesco Renga A un isolato da te, Vivendo adesso Francesco Sarcina Nel tuo sorriso, In questa città Frankie Hi-Nrg Pedala, Un uomo è vivo Giuliano Palma Così lontano, Un bacio crudele Giusy Ferreri L'amore possiede il bene, Ti porto a cena con me Noemi Bagnati dal sole, Un uo...