EUROVISION 2019 DARE TO REVIEW 5: ICELAND, FRANCE, ALBANIA, ARMENIA

Middle table continues with songs I kinda like but don't know how to place them really....

Iceland - Hatari - Hatrið mun sigra ***

Hatrið mun sigra Evrópa hrynja
Hate will prevail And Europe’s heart impale

The most talked about, award-winning, anti-capitalist, BDSM, techno-dystopian, performance art collective, a political, multimedia project Hatari is maybe what PKN was for Finland (rather than Lordi). Kind of a protest by the voting population against bad success in the contest. And this could as well end up the same way. We will see. They are Klemens Hannigan and Matthías Tryggvi Haraldsson with masked drummer Einar Hrafn Stefánsson and they have been around since 2015 causing commotion. Graphic designer Ingi Kristján Sigurmarsson, video artist Baldvin Vernharðsson and costume designer duo Karen Briem and Andri Hrafn Unnarsson are also part of the team. I must add I hated this at first but now kinda like it somehow, even if this is a bit Rammstein light with discobeat, but then again I kinda enjoy Rammstein in small amounts, too....

France - Bilal Hassani - Roi ***

I’m not rich but I’m shining bright I can see my kingdom now

Quand je rêve je suis un roi

Youtube star turned singer Bilal Hassani (19) of Moroccan origins has become a symbol of being whover you want or think you are, a bit like Conchita Wurst who he covered in The Voice Kids. And there is the problem: we already have Conchita. Somehow I find his character a bit irritating... That put aside his song Roi is written by last year's Madame Monsieur and it mixes French and English in a very fluent way. The song isn't bad but the weak part of the whole is his vocals, proven rather shaky live. On the other side it's also the charm to follow if he will make it or not without major damage?

Albania - Jonida Maliqi - Ktheju tokës ***

Një ditë jeton, Në tjetrën vdes

Sa mall, pak shpresë I vetëm, pa identitet

One day you live, The next you die

So much nostalgia, so little hope Alone, no identity

Jonida (36) is like an adult version of Belarusian Zena: ex-child star, singer, television host, media personality, philanthropist, style icon and entrepreneur. She has won several festivals, done musicals and tv. This was her third participation in Festivali i Këngës having placed 2nd and 3rd before. Her song Ktheju tokës is a dramatic ethnic ballad sung in Albanian that alone makes me wish that this will make it to the final. Hopefully they nail it with the staging as here's a lot of potential to make it something memorable and grand. This said, this is still only a borderline finalist...

Armenia - Srbuk - Walking out **

Whatever I’ve built I’m gonna burn down

I’m walking out (uhuuu) You’re no more a king

‘Cuz I’ was your crown

Srbuhi Sargsyan (Սրբուհի Սարգսյան) aka Srbuk (25) was internally chosen. She has been the runner up in X Factor and tried Ukrainian The Voice (like Georgian and Azerbeijani entrants). Her song leaves me somewhat cold and makes me only want to walk out. It feels aggressive and threatening, but that is maybe the intension, but it's not working with me. And we have a history of angry aggresssive female artists in ESC and it never worked. The arrangement has its moments but... no.

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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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