Skip to main content

FINLAND: #UMK17 REVIEW: NORMA JOHN - BLACKBIRD

 
86/120
Ta-dah! We have a winner! Norma John, the other big favorite by fans with Emma  beats Lauri Yrjölä narrowly and wins our little #UMK17 panel with their Blackbird

If Norma John is your favorite, too, vote for it in my poll on right or for real here
Norma John are Leena Tirronen and Lasse Piirainen. They form this indie pop band based on their long lasting friendship and tied together by weird sense of humour and the fact they are musical soul mates. The main point for them is to write songs together, and their musical collaboration has lasted years, since high school even if bands and productions have changed over the years. They think UMK is a good platform for new names to emerge.
Leena Tirronen came third in the first Finnish X Factor in 2010 and released an album under name Leena Ihmemaassa. Lasse is an allaround musician, producer, writer and dreamer. He's about to take over the hugely popular musical quiz show BumtsiBum! as one of its two pianists later this spring. 
Blackbird tells about breakup and constriction, how everything reminds of the other person when all you want to do to forget (s)he ever existed. It's dramatic and very visual, like a movie, 
Should they win they promise to do their best in Kyiv, most of all it would be a huge honor. 

So, in our little international* panel Norma John was the number one for three of us (Michele, Markus and Robert) and it scored well with all the others as well, except Francisco and 3M. "Beautiful melody, voice and lyrics. This touches me truly" said Robert. "Thoughtful and touching, beautiful voice, a bit sad but emotional performance. I like this and imagine a beautiful staging" from Valentina. "A tad dull" says Jack in a moment of complete honesty but he still likes it and hopes it will come alive on stage. Marco imagines "the Big North, ice and winter" and thinks it's a classy song that both juries and audiences would appreciate. 
This blogger picked this up with Emma with the first hearing, only to find out so did most of the other fans which is pretty rare actually! The song is hauntingly beautiful, as said by most everyone before. It's also a song that keeps your attention the full three minutes and as an icing on the cake when the instrumental parts comes towards the end you think it's over but no, surprise, the vocals come back to nail and finish it. Great song but once again the staging will be crucial in a contest like Eurovision. Well done, 86 points and our winner! 

Final ranking and reviews:
1. Norma John – Blackbird 86

*Valentina (SanMarino), Jack (UK), Michele (Sweden/Italy), Markus (Germany/UK), Marco (Italy), Francisco (Spain/Venezuela), 3M (Malta), Robert (Netherlands), 3K (Finland) and Blogilkar (Finland). Most jurors have years of experience inside and outside Eurovision as artist, producer and delegation members. Some are just active fans while 3K are a group of teenagers, non-Eurovision fans who follow it as randomly as any normal people, :-) 
All of us gave votes from 0-10 to each entry, so the maximum votes is 120. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sabina Babayeva for Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijani selection show for the represant was as long as the selection process for the five finalists. Kurt Calleja from Malta and Can Bonomo from Turkey were present with Ell/Nikki to see Sabina Babayeva to emerge as the winner after each and every finalist had done about zillion songs amongst other guests. Now the Azeri TV will shop around a suitable song for her.

SONGS OF THE YEAR 2015: #5 KRISTA SIEGFRIDS - ON & OFF

Krista Siegfrids is delivering nice pop tunes one after another and this one is particularly catchy and soon you will be singing along..... Hopefully her Melodifestivalen entry will be equally good!

ESC 2015 NORWAY: LISTEN TO THE FINALISTS

The Norwegian entries are now and there to listen, or here . This time Norway has only one off final with 11 songs and a live orchestra, so it will be interesting to hear how these songs will turn out as most are rather modern sounding and not so Eurovisionesque midtempo numbers. There could have been also only ten if they had dropped that joke entry from the line up. The old veterans Elisabeth and Tor have nothing to be ashamed among this lot. To be honest I didn't get excited by any of these really...  Something is wrong in my books  if a classic schlager like Heaven sounds almost the best... What's wrong Norway?

ESC 2016 WISH LIST: MARGARET FOR POLAND

Małgorzata Jamroży aka Margaret has also been tipped for Eurovision and apparently she did turn it down but she'd be perfect. She's got a look and persona you can't unnotice nor forget, she's got hit songs, she has been voted or nominated for everything from Trendy artist to the Hope of the Year, Fashion Icon and Glamour Woman of the year besides the usual best video, song, album, debut..... Oh she's also a fashion designer! She's very clever with social medias and would surely use it to her advantage if selected for Stockholm 2016. Her debut album is titled Add the blonde , do we need to say more? Except it includes mostly Swedish written pop tunes like Tell me how are ya , Wasted , Start a fire and Heartbeat . And of course her debut single and internationally noticed Thank you very much that you can enjoy below with all its anti-textil feel. I think she's Eurovision perfection, she's cheeky and fun, can we have her?

FINLAND: LORDI RELEASES SEXORCISM - THEIR 9TH STUDIO ALBUM

Brand new studio album SEXORCISM is released tomorrow, 12 years and 5 days after their monstreous victory in Athens 2006 Eurovision song contest. It is quite possibly the most controversial Lordi album yet and already their 9th stuido album (plus three compilations and one Ep)

THE ABBA REUNION 2016 - WATCH THEM SING TOGETHER AGAIN

The 2016 Eurovision song contest organizers didn't manage it - or any of the previous ones either nor those offering them millions of dollars - but they seem to get together for birthdays, the way the old friends do. Back in 1999 they performed together in a private party for Görel Hansel's 50th birthday, and now to celebrate the first meeting of Björn and Benny 50 years ago. Venue was Stockholm's Bern's Salonger and once again in a private setting but today even they can't stop the cell phone videos and social medias. Enjoy the magic of Frida's and Agnetha's voices again. 

GOODBYE, FAREWELL...

The time has come. After all these years, 5,7 million visits, 12.000 articles I guess the time has come. As much as I love and care for Eurovision it just doesn't feel the same. The Corona years took their toll and the past two years and certain decisions have helped me to mature the idea that next year I will hear the songs for the first time in semi-final just like any so called local.  The bubble has burst. Add the toxicity in social medias and fandom. The arrogant teenagers who saw their first contest somewhere 2017 or even 2021 who think they know it all and only their opinion matters. Did I mention the toxic atmosphere on social medias? I'm too old for that sh*t. It's been a long ride that took me to various Eurovision on spot as a fan and tourist,  as a journalist, as a delegation member. I met some great people, made memories of lifetime. In stressful, sad periods of my life this blog has been my safe place, a place to escape and forget everything else for an hour o...

FINLAND: REMEMBERING KIRKA

ESC 2016 BELARUS: NAKED WITH WOLVES?

Today's funniest Eurovision related story comes from Belarus. Some sources claim Ivan wants to perform on stage naked and with live wolf or wolves. It surely would be a first on Eurovision stage! We have seen some forgotten underwear over the years, and some cardbox animals though..... Is it time to take things a bit further?  No, according the rules live animals are not allowed, and Eurovision being a family show nudity won't do either. (It seems to be ok to be half naked if you are a dancer though..... )

Boobs for summer: Samantha vs Sabrina!

The old rivals have put their bras (or the lack of them) in peace and entered the studios together to record Blondie's boombastic Call me . Life could be worse.....