Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

  I have had a soft spot for Kate Bush since amazing Wuthering heights and she falls into category of female  singers with with weird voices, eccentric image and challenging music. My favorite list includes quite a few of those. The 80's albums Hounds of love and The sensual world are my top favorites with the compilation The Whole story (1986) so she's a true 80's artist for me....

Rotterdam and it's Ahoy have been announced as the city and venue for the 65th Eurovision song contest today, just as I already said back in June 4 thinking its the only and obvious choice. The dates are May 12, 14 and 16, 2020. 

  The most succesful act of Eurovision song contest 2019 has released a new single, Barrio , that follows his Sanremo winner and Eurovision runner, Italian #1 hit Soldi , (nearly 126 million Youtuber views) that has sold 4xPlatinum at home besides platinum and gold in Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Barrio is a new song and not from his debut album Gioventu bruciata , that has sold gold and went straight to #1 at its release in Italy.

  Miguel Bose is a curious case. The Spanish-Italian-Colombian-Panaman musician, singer and actor, a hybrid of a Spanish bullfighter and Miss Italy 1947 whose household was filled by people like Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hewingway started his career as a teenager. I got to know him thanks to his Italian compilation album Bravi ragazzi in 1982. I have kept an eye on him ever since but it would be only in 2007 and 2012 when I reconnected with him again thanks to Papito and Papitwo . Check out also:

  Jennifer Rush co-wrote and released The power of love , one of the best selling female hits ever and later by covered by both Laura Branigan and Celine Dion among others but she was a lot more than that. After a couple of albums I lost her and realize now she's still been recording and releasing music. Maybe I have to dust the oldies and check the new stuff.... Check out also:

  Alice. My all time favorite artist of them all. I came across her in early 80's and never looked back. After Eurovision I started actively collect her old vinyls and also discovered artists she was connected to from Battiato to Giuni Russo, Milva, Camisasca and Rosario Di Bella. My unlimited love for her stays today despite gaps of 14 years between studio albums and albums with sacred music and Italian classics, new versions and all that. She's the soundtrack of my life and Nomadi maybe being The Song, and Park Hotel The Album of my life I never get tired of, after listening to it for 33 years already.... Check out also:

  Kim Wilde is one of those artists I have followed more or less ever since she came out, with her ups and downs in career and in my interest. And not so long ago she wonderfully surprised me with her new release Pop don't stop that would have been even a great Euroviison entry for the UK. It even runs under 3 minutes! If only....

I was a huge Nena fan. Huge. Yet strangely it wasn't 99 Luftballons , their international smash hit that made it, never liked that one so much. Thanks to them I took German as 4th language at school over French in a similar fashion kids today learn Finnish because of the heavy rock bands... sort of. I loved non hit songs like Ich häng an dir and Der Anfang vom Ende .  Nena split, Nena herself went solo and I slowly lost interest while new versions of the songs came and went by..... Check out also:

  Ankie Bagger may have been a bit of an one hit (or album) wonder, at least for me but she has left a long lasting mark with those songs that I enjoy hearing even today after all these years....

  Before Vanessa Paradis there was Elsa who scored her first hit even younger, at 13. T'en va pas was a number one hit and I was a fan of this soft melodic pop. Next three singles were also either #1 or #2 in the French charts and she stayed in charts until early 90's. Being of Italian origin (Lunghini) she has recorded songs also in Italian. Like Paradis Elsa has then become more of an actress than a singer....  Check out also:

  Pet Shop Boys, one of my favorite bands ever. I got onboard in a very early stage and I'm still onboard and they're still doing music I like. I have also seen them live and my little wish is to see them do Eurovision sometime soon. I think they might be amused to do it if BBC lets them..... Check out also:

  Tina Turner is a legend, no doubt about that. I became a fan with Private Dancer album, loved Foreign affair and studied her back catalogue as well. I was lucky enough to see her in Helsinki during her last tour in 2009. Check out also:

  Eva Dahlgren has been always very popular in Sweden and no wonder I was exposed to her, too, and liked what I heard and ended up seeing her live a couple of times, in the 90's though when in my opinion her best work was done, or in the late 80's. The first album I really liked was 1984's Ett fönster mot gatan  followed by two more before her best one in 1991.  Check out also:

  Matia Bazar was in my radar ever since their Eurovision 1979 but only in the 1984 album Tango I became a devoted fan - at least until Antonella Ruggiero was the lead singer until 1989. I also liked the early 90's version with Laura Valente in vocals but it was Antonella's amazing crazy vocals that made Matia what Matia was. Weirdly fantastic! Check out also:

  Nina Hagen may not be at first glance a very fitting addition to my collection of music I like but to be honest I was a huge fan in the 80's, and finally saw her live a few years ago but to a huge disappointed as she was singing some random Jesus loves you music and the only old song was Atomic Flash deluxe .... Sigh. But in the 80's she was  on drugs, wild and crazy Queen of Punk and I loved her like no other.... Nonsexmonkrock is a fabulous album! Check out also

  What can I say? Ricchi e Poveri and I go a long way. I remember liking their Eurovision entry back in 1978 when they were still a quartet. The real fandom started however in 1981 with Sará perche ti amo . And those three (Marina had left/kicked out) are responsable for me starting Italian studies and the fact I learned it with music and vocabularity rather than real studies. I listened, read the lyrics at the same time from the album's sleeves and checked the words I didn't understand and along the way learned to pronounce well as well.  After 52 years in business they are still touring and singing, but as a duo because Franco left Angela and Angelo in 2016 to dedicate to his family after his son died.  2019:

  Pointer Sisters is a real family thing when sisters June and Bonnie started as a duo, later joined by sisters Anita first and Ruth then. Then Bonnie left for solo career and the trio June, Ruth and Anita had the most commercial success in the early 80's. June left in 2004 (and died in 2006) and was replaced by Ruth's daughter Issa. Today's line up includes also Ruth's granddaughter Sadako! But it's the early 80's when they were at their best, and my favorites. Slow hand and I'm so excited are among my all time favorite songs! Check out also:

  While the others may have listened to Boney M and similar I had a soft spot for Goombat Dance Band, at least for a short while and a few songs I played over and over from my uncle's vinyl. Also, their stardom didn't last much longer than those (or these songs below) but the band went on with changing members and is somewhat alive even today it seems.  Their songs live on as remixes year after year as well, like this one:

I was introduced to Patricia Kaas music from the beginning thanks to a French friend and I have followed her ever since and got all the albums and singles and also seen her live a couple of times in Helsinki, each time in front row or almost. Enough said. I'm a fan. Another favorite

  Laura Branigan had her biggest hits with covers of Raf's ( Self control ) and Umberto Tozzi's ( Gloria , Ti amo ) songs and she also recorded songs made hits by someone else later ( I found someone by Cher for example) but her own repertoire is respectable as well. I found her thanks to Self control of course, and then followed and searched back her previous career and was a fan until the end. When I heard the news of her death in a car radio I was maybe a bit more shaken as I should have been....  she's still missed.  Check out also

  Paul Young was one of those artists that lasted with me basicly two albums only, his debut No parlez released in 1983 and 1985. Loved them to bits and the hits it provided with his soulful voice and vibes. 

  Scialpi made it big in early 80's having more success in Festivalbar than Sanremo, and I followed him well into the 90's, but lost interest later on. He's still around as Shalpy, at least in digital from and in the gossip magazines and various reality and variety shows. But back then he had his own style, and music helped by names like Mango to stand out and had a following. Those were the days... worth noting also

  Ofra Haza. What can I say? I loved her Eurovision entry in 1983 and started following her after that, also exploring her past albums. I liked her pop songs but loved her Yemenite songs album, that later gave her a worldwide stardom with Im nin'alu and Galbi remixes, and the music that followed with strong ethnic vibe. This said, one of my favorite songs of her is Le'orech hayam from early 90's, that has become to me a sort of requiem for her.  If she only was alive and making music I'd still be a devoted fan. Meanwhile I still listen her regularly.  And yes, Im nin'alu was also played in this year's Eurovision song contest opening medley. Open the heaven's gates, indeed. 

Eros won be over the first time I heard him, winning Sanremo newcomers 1984 with Terra promessa, And I wasn't alone. Since then he has become one of the biggest Italian artist globally never having a downside in his career. I'm still a fan and will see him for the third time in Helsinki this October. Enough said. check out also

I had a clear fondness for weird woman in the early 80's from Nina Hagen to Kate Bush and original Matia Bazar, and Toyah falls into this category. For a couple of years I was really into her, and The Vow reminds one of my favorite songs ever. She's an allaround artist being also actress and author and everything else. And still touring.