Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Loreen of Sweden is the 15th previous Eurovision song contest winner who has decided and/or managed give it another try. Only Ireland's Johnny Logan has managed to win twice, as we all know. One can't really do a ranking however as the contest had changed so much from the 1950's with maybe a dozen songs to the approx 40 we have these days. In coming days I will feature the winners who decided to come back  after  winning the contest as there also many winners who have won with their second or third try. Alexander Rybak (36) came back in 2018 and so insignificant his comeback was that I had already completely forgotten about it! This said, he scored one of the biggest and most memorable wins in modern times with his Fairytale in 2009. Just like he had done in the Norwegian final. After winning he kept busy performing, releasing songs, collaborating with other (Eurovision) artists in various countries, even wrote a few songs to various national finals. He was working in Norwa...

From the series Where are they now? there are news about Waldo's People's Waldo aka Marko Reijonen (52). He says he's been suffering for a long time unexplainable tiredness, like living in a permanent jetlag state also thanks to his way of life as an artist. Now the reason is out: he has to undergo an operation for coronary artery disease. This comes as no surprise as his dad died of heart attack at the age of 52, and his granddad at the age of 44. He says some of his veins are blocked up to 70%! This blogger gives Waldo thumbs up and it'll surely all go well and he'll be like new afterwards! Waldo is not alone with his health problems, as Emma also announced she has to put her career on hold for a moment. .... Waldo's is still doing gigs actively, also thanks to the 90's revival shows and festivals. At the moment he's touring with Ysärin Kuninkaalliset (90's royalty) Tour with another 90's superfavorite Movetron . 

Or depends how you want to count it. if we only count the top-10 placings then Sweden has 7 and Italy 6, and then we have Denmark, Norway, Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan with 5 so it makes it all very Nordics Vs. ex-Sovjets. And the odd one out: Italy. On the other hand if we look at the placements turned into Eurovision points (12, 10, 8....1) Sweden is still ruling with 56, but Azerbaijan is second with 43 (but we all know what happened, how all of sudden they were no longer in top-5 every year but where they belonged: vote rigging. Before that they managed to collect in five years one of each placements from one to five, with Swedish songs mind you). Russia follows with 38 with Italy close behind with 35. Ukraine completes the top-5 with the Nordics after: Denmark and Norway. Italy has been flirting with the victory already several times, it's time they take trophy home soon. All other countries in Top10 have won (except Turkey, abseent since 2013 but but strong with 3 to...

This one we will only know in about six weeks. The winner of 2009 contest Alexander Rybak is trying a double in Lisbon 2018 Eurovision song contest. Fairytale holds the record of most votes under the old voting system - 387 vs Iceland's 218 and 16 times 12 points, 10 times 10 and 10 times 8! (He was equally overpoweering in the Norwegian national final btw) Rybak came to Eurovision through various talent shows, culture prizes for his violin playing and theater. After Eurovision he was busy performing all over Europe incuding the Nobel Prize ceremony, starring and writing music for films in Norway and Russia, dancing in the Swedish Stricty come Dancing , and keeping his career going also in nis native Belarus and in the Russian market, besides dubbing cartoon in Norwegian. All these years he's also been a regular guest in Eurovision related events and happenings. In 2013 he wrote I'm with you  (4th) for Annsofi Pettersen for the Norwegian national final, in 2015 f...

  Alexander Rybak, Eurovision song contest 2009 winner will return to the contest after winning the Norwegian national final with his That's how you write a song. He beat Rebecca in the super final. Her song was written by Eurovision 2015 entrant Kjetil Mørland while the other Eurovision veterans in competition Alexander Walmann and Stella Mwangi finished 3rd and 4th. Old timers ruled. Gold final: 1. Alexander Rybak - That's how you write a song   306.393 2. Rebecca - Who we are   123.504 First round: 1. Alexander Rybak - That's how you write a song  133.164 2. Rebecca - Who we are  46.260 3. Stella & Alexandra - You got me   29.784 4. Alexander Walmann - Talk to the hand  7.927

  Norway has it's Melodi Grand prix final tonight and the songs are picked out of over 1200 submissions. Among them three previous Eurovision stars, Stella Mwangi, last year's Alexander Walmann this time solo and with his own name instead of credited only as JOWST,  and Alexander Rybak who won the while contest for Norway back in 2009. International jury and Norwegian televotrs will decide on the winner 50-50.  I have three favorites: Talk to the hand follows last year's Grab the moment nicely, and sounds like a song that wasn't written Eurovision in mind which is like a bit of a fresh air these days. Vidar Villa's urging for MILF is just a good feeling bomb I just love to hear it and then Rybak - not the best song in the world but cool idea, well written and constructed with a tongue on cheek and it works. Nicoline, Charla K and Tom Hugo all have decent songs but just missing something extra to make them really stand out. And then we have Tengo otra . Love...

NRK released the names and songs of MGP 2018 on January 15 and among them we have Alexander Rybak (Eurovision 2009 winner), last year's JOWST is back at it, credited as the singer Alexander Walmann this time, Roxette 's Per Gessle has co-written Charla K 's song. Kjetil Mørland (ESC 2015) hs written Rebecca 's song. Stella Mwangi (ESC 2011) is another veteran re-trying. Only one song in Norwegian this time.  This blogger loves Chilean Alejandro Fuente 's Spanish language entry Tengo otra with it's beat - must be the recent Cuban influence and the beat is pure Gente De Zona . Love it! But maybe it's not the way to go, even if Norway has sent some Latin stuff before. Other ones to look out Walmann , Rybak (but I doubt this groovy number would set European wide audiences to voting frenzy.... or would it? Hmm...), Charla K and Vidar Villa .  All in all a good selection of songs a quite many potential winners :-) Alejandro Fuentes - Tengo otra ...

Karoliina Kallio os Waldo's people fame turns 38 today! Her career started already as a kid in 1990 in a talent contest. Finnish national finals, Idols and other stuff followed until 2008 she joined Waldo's People line up just in time for Eurovision. In 2011 she tried also The Voice but only got to the first live. She's been singing backing vocals, gigging and became a mother in 2014.  Congratulations!

Alexander Rybak is having a very productive perios! After the quite wonderful covers of both 1944 and Amar pelos dois he has released Looking my way with Norwegian EDM artist Philip Cecil and while his violin is there it's a bit different sounding affair and his singing is new and fresh. And extremely catchy! Well done!

  ... because there has been some different system for qualification in use..... If the Eurovision song contest semi-final qualifiers were very straight forward with top-10 qualifying from 2010 onwards, before it was a different story. In 2009 only the Top-9 qualified while the 10th qualifier was chosen by a jury, to a criteria only known to themselves. And they surely used their power with variable success..... In the first semifinal the qualifier would have been Macedonia's Next Time  (10th) with  Nešto što kje ostane. The jury decided to skip also the 11th one, Montenegro's  Andrea Demirović 's Just get out of my life and lifted to the final instead Finland's Waldo's People  (12th) and Lose control , that then placed second to last, 24th, in the final. Of course as a Finn I was happy for the sudden turn of the things :-) In the second semifinal it was ever more cruel: the jury chose Croatia's Igor Cukrov feat. Andrea with Lijepa tena th...

Alexander Rybak seems to be in a Eurovision winning mood. Recetly he made a fantastic violin cover of last year's winning song, Jamala's 1944 . And now he plays tribute to Salvador Sobral's Amar pelos dois , singing it in English though. The lyrics are quite wonderful and the interpretation fits him like a glove. This  somehow underlines the song's movie song feeling as this could be straight out from La la land soundtrack. Great job!

Alexander Rybak has made a fantastic violin version of Jamala's last year's Euroviison winner 1944. It underlines once again what a beautiful song it is.  Last night Jamala herself reperformed the song in the Eurovision song contest 2017 first semifinal with a new symphonic arrangement.

Patricia Kaas releases tomorrow her new self titled album, the first one with only new original "pop" songs since 2003, and her 10th studio album. Thirteen new songs and the limited edition of the album has a bonus cd with four acoustic versions of the songs plus a bonus track La refuge . No big surprises nor change of style, this is a classic Kaas sound album! Two singles have been released from it so far and next spring she will be touring Germany and Switzerland. 

Patricia Kaas will release her new self titled album this Friday and here's the second single off it, Madame tout le monde . The album is her 10th studio album and first since 2003 with original pop songs. Well, KaasPop. She's never been that pop, has she?

Patricia Kaas is back! I mean the Patricia who's not doing cabaret or paying hommage to Edith Piaf. She's back as herself in a new album (propably titled La langue que je parle) to be released in November, her first of that kind since 2003's Sexe fort . Even if 13 years cap may sound a lot she's been busy in between with Kabaret album (2009) and Kaas chante Piaf (2012), Eurovision song contest 2009 and two world tour,s writing an autobiography L'Ombre de ma voix .....  Here are the first two singles off the new album: She will be touring from January 2017 again all over France

I had a pleasure to visit Qormi wine festival and spend a fabulous night. The food was great, the music was great, the wine was great.... and the people were amazing. In between enjoying the music by a duo Gianni & Papps first, and then by Spiteri Lucas Band with singers Kaya, Neville Refalo, Ivan and Eurovision veterans Ludwig Galea and Chiara taking leads (on again.... off again so to speak) and supporting each other through rock and pop classics to today's hits.  Highly entertaining evening in every sense of the word. I was lucky enough to have a chat with Chiara and greet also Ludwig, who I saw last in Istanbul 2004. Chiara turned out to be the most lovable and wonderful person - check out the video of Grande amore below to see her blowing kisses just for you!    She also sung her very own Angel , but also Euphoria and Waterloo , Dancing queen .... Sadly by dear old Lumia decided not to cooperate at that point anymore :-( But after the jump yo...

The youngest ever Tango King in Finland, Amadeus (Lundberg) has gone a long way after his win back in 2009. The year after he got a free pass to Euroviisut, the Finnish national final for the Eurovision and he presenter Anastacia, that followed nicely his debut single Matador . He released his debut album and after his reign was over went on touring all over tango circuit. Two years ago he released with Riku Niemi Orchestra an album with covers of classics with new songs, and in 2015 another one. The succesful series is completed now with a third one, that is basicly only covers of Italian classics, including Volare and Si from Eurovision song contest plus songs like Il Mondo that has been recently covered also by Il Volo. Listen the album here .  Volare has been of course covered about a zillion times so that's no news and more like a yawn, but it's not everyday you get a new Si cover. His voice fits the song nicely and the arrangement is rather simple dance oriented (...

Russia's Sergey Lazarev is the hot favorite to win this year's Eurovision song contest in Stockholm in May. Should this happen, EBU has demanded in negotiations behind closed doors guarantees for the safety of LGBT people who would follow the contest to Sotchi, St.Petersburg or Moscow, in whichever city Russia would host it in 2017, and that Russia will to suspend their antigay laws and regulations. Read more here . This has got president Putin furious and he's apparently ready to order Russian withdrawal if EBU continues with its demands and has no intention to bend on its requests. On top of that it's also leaked president Putin is no fan of Sergey, and considers his image way too gay and un-Russian. It's worth remembering that back in 2009 when Moscow hosted the Eurovision then prime minister Putin did visit the arena and seemed pretty interested and involved in the image Russia was sending to the world. Also, in the recent year's some politicians have...

Sanremo 2009 winner Marco Carta seem to be the first artist to come out and express his disappointment after today's announcement of the artists and songs that made it to the festival next February. (Yes, the artists were sitting at home in front of the television like the rest of the common mortals to find out their fate.....) He throws the dirt on Carlo Conti with a list of his entries that were not accepted the previous years: 2012 Mi hai guardato per caso - eventually made it to #6 in charts and sold gold 2014 Splendida ostinazione - eventually a #1 hit and sold platinum 2015 Ho scelto di no - eventually #22 and a gold disc Truth to be said Conti is responsabel only for the 2015 and now 2016 dismission so he may have it with the festival itself.... Now let's wait and see how his this year's entry will do when released. 

Alexander Rybak has got some summer kittens in his new song for the Russian speaking markets. Kotik . The video features also some kittens (or are they perhaps Milki :-) ?) The song is clearly one of the best effort he has written for years with a nice retro arrangement.