EUROVISION 2018 REVIEW: AZERBAIJAN, AUSTRALIA, FINLAND, UNITED KINGDOM

Azerbaijan - Aisel - X my heart

Aysel Mammadova (28) aka Aisel is jazz and blues singer, pianist and songwriter but for this Eurovision adventure she goes all pop. There are so many reasons I shouldn't like this one but this has grown to be my guilty pleasure this year aka Slavko vol.2. These lyrics are priceless. She's got the honor to open the contest this year and set the tune so let's hope she delivers vocally and being Azerbaijan they must have come up with some staging gimmick. And qualify. I may have liked the original version better though. Can't help it but 9/10 (blush)

Australia - Jessica Mauboy - We got love

Jessica (28) is Australian Idol runner up 2006, and the hint of things to come for Australia in Eurovision as she starred in the interval act in the 2014 contest and the rest is history, Australia has taken part in the contest ever since. She may have not quite shined vocally in Copenhagen but apparently she's got it. The song is anthemic radio pop and made for Eurovision. This will be getting points from most everywhere but how many and how deserved? I suppose this ends more like Isaiah rather than Dami. 7/10

Finland - Saara Aalto - Monsters

Saara Aalto (30) aka the eternal runner up: Talent Suomi, The Voice Suomi, Euroviisut, UMK, X Factor UK. Will she score a runner up in Eurovision as well? That's most likely what YLE thought when throwing the already launched UMK 2018 out of the window with its 300 submissions and internally chose her instead in thei illusional bubble. She (and YLE) have put themselves in a tricky situation, anything but real success will be a failure, especially for her. YLE aims for qualification, but she has to win to prove herself finally. And it's not going to happen. And the Finnish media will crucify them both. The song isn't just strong enough, the staging in UMK was a disaster and while it is reworked totally same people in charge will have done it. It's all over the top, aimed for LGBT audiences way too much. She's vocally great no doubt about that but if I put all feelings towards her and all the mess aside and just listen to the song it's rather entertaining three minutes. Borderline qualifier for me. 8/10

United Kingdom - SuRie - Storm

Susanna Marie Coek (29) aka SuRie is no stranger to Eurovision: she's been the backing singer for Belgium both 2015 and 2017, finishing 4th both times. She certainly wants to better that now that the spotlight is on her. Over the past months she has become the Eurovision class'18 social media queen with her funny tweets and adorable sense of humor and enthuasism for the contest. She has released remix and acoustic versions. Somehow I'd like to like the song a lot more than I actually do. I do like it when I hear it but right after do I remember it? Not really. It leaves me quite indifferent so... 6/10

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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?

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!

Regina Lund - naked and censored

Regina Lund's new video Jag är osynlig was censored by Youtube only minutes after it had been uploaded. In the video she was playing a female Jesus who gets crusified in the end. "I was shocked!" she says. "There's nothing more naked in it as in every church! It's ok to have naked man hanging on the wall but my nakedness is too much on internet? ". Oh well, no comment. She's prepairing a new album Dare Regina Lund and we of course remember her from her Melodifestivalen 2007 adventure with Rainbow star .

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..... )

CAROLA'S BOOBS STEAL THE SHOW, SVT APOLOGIES

Update! Another thing got Swedes talking last night: Carola's boobs when she was giving away an award. This is not the first time her boombs cause headlines; her misfortunate adventures in the 80's in Japan wer explained with her boobs being too big for Japanese market. Ok.... Or was it the song ? Anyways, Carola apologies and says she thinks the dress is stylish and elegant (even her friends said so) and she's a mature woman in her 40s, not a 16-year-old girl and looks like one. The Swedish Oscars, Guldbagge awards were given out last night. Carola was there as a guest star to sing Barbra Streisand's The way we were when honoring the movie stars who passed away during 2012. However, the cameras were too much on Carola, not on the stars showed in photos in the background and that upset many viewers as that part of the show was to celebrate them, not Carola. Oh well... The producer of the show tells in Aftonbladet the part of the show was made the sam

TIM SCHOU AND HIS NAKED GRAVITY

Tim Schou has a pretty good solo career going since he left his friends in London. He's travelling the world and relesing songs and videos. The latest one is a great track and comes with a steamy video that kinda takes away from the song really. But who's complaining. If you got it, flaunt it. Enjoy the video below. This post coming after the other Dane, Rasmus Seebach as wishlist for Eurovision. To think about it, Tim would do nicely, too. Maybe he should give it another go?

JEDWARD GETS NAKED FOR THE FANS

Well, almost. The boys celebrated their 650.000th follower on Twitter by being photographed fresh from shower as promised. It's not the first time they drop their clothes as you see here . Meanwhile their second album is nearly here and the title track Young love is hitting the charts....

GREECE: HELENA PAPARIZOU HITS AGAIN WITH HAIDE

Eurovision song contest 2005 winner Helena Paparizou has been enjoying Top-5 hits every year since 2003 with the exception of 2010 and 2014, this latest one being already her 27th! And Haide is charting also in Bulgaria and Finland, of all places. The catchiness of her hits has changed less over the years than her face.... Here's the English version , below the Greek version.

ITALY: ALICE 70 - PER ELISA

Alice's second Sanremo. No longer Alice Visconti, nor Carla Bissi but simply Alice. A song written by Alice herself with Franco Battiato and Giusto Pio. An usual song lacking a proper refrain, performed in an aggressive way by fierce looking Alice with wild hair. It was a real breakthrough. If the trio's first offering the year before for Italian hit waves was a hit this became a mega hit and international success that made her known not only in Italy but abroad as well. Such a shame Italy didn't participate in Eurovision that year (but her time would come) but then again, most likely they wouldn't have had sent Sanremo winner anyways. Number one hit in Italy, Top-5 in Austria and Switzerland, Top-20 in Germany. The song featured in her 4th album simply titled Alice, that was published abroad as Per Elisa with different styling. A new version of the song is included in Personal Jukebox album. Per Elisa Vuoi vedere che perderai anche me Per Elisa Non sai più distinguere

ITALY: ALICE 70 - NATA IERI

Alice - Nata ieri In 2012 Alice released her first studio album with new original songs in 14(fourteen!!!) years, Samsara . Among them a song Franco Battiato had written especially for her (Eri con me), a first since 1982!, a couple from Tiziano Ferro including this Nata ieri. The album included also three covers from Lucio Dalla, Giuni Russo and Califfi. Her fans had been waiting for this album and it entered the Italian charts straight at number 10. Se la vita è migliorata dopo ogni ferita, è grazie a te. Tra le grigie ceneri dei giorni neri, lì sono nata ieri. If life has improved after every wound, it is thanks to you. Among the gray ashes of the dark days, there I was born yesterday.

Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

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