Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Italy took its well deserved third victory - finally! - at the Eurovision song contest 2021. Over the years several other Italian entries would have been worthy winners. In this series I will go through all of them from the worst ranking to the winner s. Sanremo 2912 was won by Emma Marrone and Non è l'inferno (after top-3 new voting, after first voting she was only 3rd behind Arisa and Noemi who won the first round), bur Rai had decided to pick up the one for Eurovision for reasons they know only themselves - or maybe among those who and their labels that were willing to do it - and they chose Nina Zilli. Her Sanremo song Per sempre , that placed 7th was first announced the one for Baku 2012, but was later changed to L'amore è femmina from her new album, and re-recorded with partly English lyrics and co-written with the usual Eurovision songwriters from Sweden and US. That caused quite some controversy and there are still fans bitter Rai didn't stick to Per sempre . Oh w...

Salvador contiues on his path of feelings, not fireworks..... even if this song sparks at moments... Lena jumps into Juan Magan's and Topic's Latin pop when you least expect it.... Dima Bilan goes very eletric in his Девочка, не плачь aka Gil, don't cry. The girls in question is Miss World 2008 Ksenia Sukhinova Loreen is dark and mysterious on her ride, that is a lot more interesting than most of her stuff ever....

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...

Lys Assia, the first ever Eurovision song contest winner took part in the first three editions representing her native Switzerland (just like Corry Brokken did for the Netherlands).  However Lys holds the record of four entries as she sung both songs in 1956.  Das alte Karussell wasn't a hit, but Refrain won the whole thing. The year after she was back with L'enfant que j'étais finishing 8th and finally in 1958, third year in a row and she took Giorgio to the second place losing closely to France's Andre Claveau 27-24. Those two were real runaway favorites, as third placed Italy's Domenico Modugno's Volare only got 13 points.... Giorgio became a hit also in Italy and is played still today in its various cover versions and ... other things . Had it won, it could have changed Eurovision already before 1965 for more uptempo songs..... Maybe... Lys started her career as a dancer but switched to singing in early 1940's. In 1950's and 1960...

The winter is dragging on and spring is delayed, but Nina Zilli brings us some summer moods with her latest single 1xUnAttimo , that translates to One for a moment, with a very colorful video .  I'd love to be one with summer's heat for a moment....

Every now and then Eurovision song contest winners come back to the contest and looking back quite often it hasn't been such a good idea. A total of 14 previous winners have managed to return (and even more have tried but failed to win the national final. Latest of them is Swedish Loreen last year). In this series I have a brief look at them and how did it go..... If Dana International became the first Eurovision winner not to make the final again, it was a close call for Charlotte Perrelli. To her luck in 2008-2009 there was the jury wildcard rule or only the top-9 of the semifinalists qualified for the final and the jury chose the 10th one. In 1999 Charlotte Nilsson won Melodifestivalen with Tusen och en natt , and thanks to the new rule of free language it became Take me to your heaven in Jerusalem and she beat Iceland's Selma with 17 points taking a somewhat surprise win. Conflicts with SVT caused her to stay out of Eurovision song contest in 2000, breaking ...

  The Fizz (or Eurovision 1981 winners Bucks Fizz) continue their comeback success with second single Amen (following amazing Dancing in the rain ). The video is very fitting for this Halloween period. Welcome back! San Marino's Eurovision entry I didn't know by Serhat has been re-released as a new duet version with legendary disco queen Martha Wash . As much as I love her she isn't bringing much extra to the table and it's a shame. Martha: belt it out LOUD! As no one does that as beautiful as you do.... Another Eurovision winner Helena Paparizou has released for a change a goodie in Greek, An me deis na klaio , apparently translates to If you make me cry . It features Anastasios Rammos and is the best thing I've heard from her for years! Check out also this live version ! (And so great Greece will sing in Greek again in Eurovision!) Third Eurovision winner in this post is Loreen . Yet another release from her worthcoming album, Hate the way I...

  Italian Nina Zilli comes with a new sound and style in Domani arriverà and asks us to unplug that wi-fi, get up and out and enjoy the life as it used to be. When is the last time you got a real letter? Freddie from Hungary sings there no tomorrow in his new  Nincsen holnap . It's a pleasant radio friendly pop rock sing-a-long song underlined by the road trip-esque video mixed with live performance footage. Similar sounds in Swiss Sebalter 's latest Awakening , where sings about searching for an awakening like running naked in the rain.... now that'd be one awakening! This world would be better place if people were a bit less serious and a bit more natural :-) And he borrow's Nina's finger pointing action. And when thinking about it, also the message. Ukrainian Eurovision winner Jamala is lost in her latest video  Сумую - Lost. Another atmospheric electro jazzy number from her, having a nice relaxed retro feeling to it and fitting perfectly t...

  French Patrick Fiori is back with a new album this year, and Oú je vis is the lead single of it. A song that grows and grows and gets stuck in your head. Another Fiori goodie. He should do Eurovision again! Sweden's Eurovision winner Loreen continues releasing singles off her coming album and 71 charger is out now. This is a far cry for euphoric feelings, but a lot more enjoyable than her other latest efforts, mainly thanks to its mysterious atmosphere. Slovenian Marayya are trying to go international with their latest Diamond Duck , an obvious reference to the orange man in the white house. Filled with emojis and stuff, the video is far more interesting than the song that sounds more like an idea of something that never became a proper song. But sometimes these things work and become hits. Released already awhile ago it seems this is not one of those, Shame. Russian Serebro has released a song about "the love between us" in the middle of yet anot...

A decisive change of style for NIna Zilli in her fourth studio album Modern Art released today. The first sngle Mi hai fatto fare tardi already promised something else if you were stuck on Per sempre -esque Zilli, but it still fit easily into her earlier repertoire in large. The album is modern art indeed in sounds but her singing style is still the same old familiar Nina. An interesting album.  Listen here

Nina Zilli will releases her fourth album titled Modern Art on September 1, 2017. It includes 12 new songs, one of them featuring J-Ax and of course this summer's hit Mi hai fatto fare tardi . This is as good as any occasion to have a look back at her career.... Besides singing she's been a judge in Italy's Got Talent and worked in MTV Italy.  Nina first hit the radios and video channels with  gold selling single 50mila  featuring Giuliano Palma in 2009 off her debut EP. She also covered You can't hurry love by The Supremes In 2010 she was in Sanremo with L'Uomo che amava le donne , placing 3rd among Newcomers and winning the Critic's choice award. The single sells gold. Her debut album sells platinum.  In 2012 she's back in Sanremo, among the Big, with Per sempre (7th), that sells platinum She is chosen to represent Italy at Eurovision with L'amore è femmina ( Out of love ) , the title track from her second album that sells gold. S...

 Loreen. A legend for some. A one hit wonder for most. Since winning Eurovision song contest 2012 with Euphoria she has released seven singles. None of them has left the mark really. Her third attempt in Melodifestivalen this year with Statements ended up in a real defeat.  Now she's ready to finally release her second album Nude in August. The lead single is Body . It's... well, like her previous stuff. Okeyish to listen to when it's on but completely forgettable once it's finished.... Pretendious comes to mind. But then maybe I just don't get her. Maybe I never did. Her fans are surely euphoric. Maybe.  Listen in Spotify

Pernilla Karlsson turns 27 today. She came from nowhere to win the first UMK and sung a song written by his brother for their mother in the Eurovision 2012 and disappeared as soon as she appeared from the music business. Since then she's done a name in Swedish speaking radio and YLE  web with her programmes where she tries most everything . Yes, even something with that thingy below ... err.... check it out yourself! This summer she's going to common people's houses to help them with whatever they need help with..... What would you invite her to do in your house? Congratulations!

It may be officially summer season in Finland as of tomorrow but when the termometer shows +8 and it's cloudy and rainy one needs something else to get into the mood. Like Mandinga's (of Zaleilah fame, ESC 2012) Besame , with its tropical sound and laid back atmosphere and most of all sunny video full of tropics! Enjoy!

Also Nina Zilli is feeling the summer as her new single is very summery reggae inspired tune. This is her first release since 2015 and anticipated a new album. Hooray!

  This year it  happened to Georgia and Serbia. The dreadful 11th place in the semi-final. As for Georgia it was pretty clear with 16 points missing but Serbia lost only with 3 points, and Switzerland was only 4 points away from a possible qualification. Let's have a look at the closest miss outs over the past years. The 2011 edition was very close with three songs one point shy of qualification, while in 2016 the qualifiers were more than clear with a huge margin to the 11th ones in the semi-finals. Bulgaria 2012 - Sofi Marinova - Love unlimited The only tie so far with Norway that qualified having been voted by 11 countries, while Bulgaria only by ten. So Norway qualified for the final and Bulgaria was left out.... Malta 2011 -  Glen Vella - One life -1 point (placing 11th in the first semi-final) Armenia 2011 - Emmy - Boom boom  -1 point (placing 12th in the first semi-final, tie with points with Glen Vella) Belgium 2011 - Withloof Bay ...

In an interview with Libertas Valentina Monetta doesn't rule out a historic fifth Eurovision song contest participation, but not for San Marino.  She is giving finishing touches to her concert and gig schedule for the summer - including a joint gig with Jimmie Wilson in San Marino on July 20, 2017 and confesses she doesn't know what wil happen next year or in the years to come.   "I have been asked from other countries to participate for them, I'm valutating some interesting proposals for Portugal 2018. It's quite unexpected, I didn't know I was so appreciated by the other delegations." Should Valentina reappear in Eurovision song contest she would be the only artist to have appeared five times as an artist.  As she said she won't be representing San Marino simply because San Marino most likely won't be participating anymore.....

Pictured is the national flower of San Marino, cyclamen WIN THE PROMO - ENTER THE COMPETITION! San Marino once again used the internal selection and after a long process the final decision was made just a couple of weeks before the headline with a phone call to the one and only Valentina Monetta. She will be joined on stage with American born, Germany based Jimmie Wilson for this black & white disco duet penned by Ralph Siegel with Jutta Staudenmayer and Steven Barnacle. This is La Monetta's 4th Euroviison, Ralph Siegel's 24th. Maybe next year they make Valentina's 5th making her the ONLY Eurovision artist with five participations, and Siegel's 25th? Valentina Monetta (42) seems to be the oldest artist this year (!!!) but she seems to be having the most fun of it. After Copenhagen she's been doing her own thing, singing jazz and r'n'b in clubs and living in London for some time. Jimmie who comes from the original Motown city Detroit, has stu...

She already hold the record of being the only artists having three minipop icons to her credit but this year she's pushig it even further with the fourth one. These icons by Ben Morris and  Europops are ever so popular and you can buy a lot of things made of them from Redbubble for example. 

After the announcement yesterday Valentina Monetta makes a welcome return to the Eurovision song contest, this time in duet with Jimmie Wilson, the fourth timer is interviewed by the SMRTV evening news around 19.30 tonight. UPDATE : She told she's doing it again for the fans who since 2014 keep asking her to come back and is happy she'll finally be able to have fun and dance, and make people dance, in the Eurovision stage. The best things happen quickly and she's still finding it hard to believe she's back but overjoyed. She also found a soulmate in Jimmie immediately, and is honored to work with Mr Eurovision Ralph Siegel once again.