Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

  Latvia's LTV organized the national selection Supernova once again. 15 semi-finalists were selected among the 108 submissions and 10 of them reached the final. Dons took an easy win with his Hollow. He has been twice the runner up already: in 2010 with My religion is freedom and 2014 with  Pēdējā Vēstule .  Artūrs Šingirejs aka Dons (39) is a Latvian singer-songwriter, born of Belarusian father and Latvian mother. He has learned to sing and play guitar by himself and has studied culinary arts instead. He started performing at school but didn't get into music until 2003 when he took part in Talantu Fabrika talent show where he also met Lily (or Linda Kalnina, his future wife) and they did an album together. His solo debut  album came in 2006. Since then he has become one of the most succesful Latvian singers and has won Top Hit Radio award eight times for the most played song, and The Song of the Year award for five times. Add twice the Best Pop Album (out of five ...

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 win ners Italy has had a real triumphant comeback to the contest since 2011 and they have only two two figure placements since, this one being the other. 21 out of 37. Oh my. It is also the only year they searched outside Sanremo for the entry. Big mistake! Sanremo 2014 was won by Arisa who is wel known to dream of Eurovision, and Controvento . Instead we got Emma Marrone (37) and somewhat medicore song in her catalogue, La mia cittá .  It was like a flashback to the 70's when the entries were not from Sanremo and finished mid table or lower... Emma however was the Sanremo 2012 winner with Non è l'inferno and even 2011 runner up with Arriverà (with Modà). In 2010 she won the talent show Amici and has been a top selling artist ever sin...

Senhit was due to represent San Marino in 2020 Eurovision song contest for the second time but for reasons we all know very well it's going to happen only in 2021. But she's not lazily waiting for next spring but will keep herself busy with a series of Eurovision covers until May 2021. Each month a new video, worked together with Italian art director and choreographer Luca Tommassini that will be a real work of art with transformation of her style and look with a real artistic video clip. The first one's out and it's the Belarusian entry 2014 Cheesecake by TEO, that finished 15th in the final. The song gets a whole new meaning with the video imaginary that throws in role and gender play and recent #Blacklifesmatter movement with references to Grace Jones, Andy Warhol and Keith Haring among others. 

Eurovision 2020 may be cancelled but the various broadcasters are filling the empty hours with Eurovision related programmes and their plans are slowly coming out. Besides the specials in the making in Germany and Sweden, and EBU's own Love shine a light show airing on May 16 that should involve all the artists of Eurovision 2020 somehow there are alternative ideas. Yle has decided to celebrate the brightest moments of Finland in recent years instead. On May 14 Krista Siegfrids and Mikko Silvennoinen will be hosting a Top-10 show (19.00-20.30 local time). Finns have an opportunity vote online before hand the Eurovision 2020 songs and they will reveal and showcase the top-10. The voting opens on May 8 and the show will feature also other performances and guests. After that Yle will broadcast again the Eurovision 2014 final , where Softengine placed 11th with their Something better .  On May 15 we will have Krista and Mikko again (19.00-20.30 local time) and this tim...

  Emma is back! Stronger than ever after the sudden operation  last month that caused quite a speculation of the state of her health and the cancer thread. She announces she wants music, more music, and music for the rest of her life and that she's the happiest girl in the world! Meanwhile she's beautiful in her latest single Io sono bella....

  Italian music world and not only, is turning to support Emma (35) on social media after her unexpected announcement on her instagram earlier this week. "Things happen. This really isn't the best moment but then, never would have been the right moment for this. It's time to deal with it and take care of it for good. I'll be back stronger than ever" as she cancelled her participation in a concert in Malta and apologing her fans who had booked flights and accomodations on the island to come and support her, along with her other plans.  Most propably it's cancer, people are whispering. She was operated already 2009 for a tumor in uterus, and for the second time in 2014 and apparently it's back for the third time. Update 24.9.: According TG1 it should be neoplasm, and apparently benign and curable.  The moment is the most unfortunate as her latest single Io sono bella (I am beautiful) has been well received by the critics and becoming one of her bi...

Täydellisii paperil , or Perfect on paper is Topi Latukka's new solo single in Finnish. It follows Pehmeitä pintoi and Tekohengitystä   in the past few months  The video is apparently the first in the world fully filmed with OnePlus phone. The song itself is midtempo radio pop, maybe a bit anonymous like the previous ones with lyrics that challenge all grammar rules like it is the habit these days. He is a good vacalist and writes good songs, perfect on paper , but something better is needed to stand out I'm afraid. However I'm positive sooner or later he hits the jackpot and gets a major smash hit he deserves. This one is not that one. Yet. 

Thomas Neuwirth, Eurovision song contest 2014 winner has been flirting with the idea of getting rid of his alter ego Conchita Wurst already for years and it seems the time has come.  A week ago he released a video Trash all the glam where he was potrayed in a latex jumpsuit like a crisalide to be born and heading to the new direction, Wurst.  And here he is now, without glamour, wigs and evening gowns as a bearded man and and not a lady, in Hit me . Wurst is reborn.

Macedonia has internally chosen a familiar name: Tamara Todevska (33), already twice a backing singer and once a part of a trio and even a runner up in a national final.... however she seems to be suffering from some sort of Saara Aalto syndrome as she also tends to place 2nd and that's what she aims in Tel Aviv 2019 (that's what Saara did, too. landed 2nd to last tho). Her entry will be made public  later. And yes, she just gave birth.... Meanwhile here's her Eurovision story so far: Backing vocalist Eurovision 2004 National final 2007 - 2nd  - Kazi koj si ti Eurovision 2008 Backing vocalist Eurovision 2014 for her sister Tijana

Spoiling the day for San Marino also the Netherlands decided today's a perfect day to reveal their artist and it is Duncan Laurence. He's 24 and has graduated from Rock Academy in Tilburg. He has been also spending time in London and Stockholm writing his songs. As Duncan De Moor he took part in The Voice of Holland 2014, and is also a singr in The Slick and Suited. The song itself will be revealed on March 7.

Softengine scored the best Finnish finish in the Eurovision since Lordi's win with their Something better in Copenhagen 2014. They released their debut album, got good critic abroad and for a while it seemed they would actually make it and become world known band. Then September one of the guys left the band and they continued as foursome, releasing singles and promised two EPs to be released. One came, the other never. Then May 2017 another guy left and they were three... Then we haven't quite  heard of them until now: lead singer Topi Latukka has released his debut solo single (but the band still exists). In Finnish. Pehmeitä pintoi is a far cry from bands rocky pop and flirts with today's radio friendly trends and thus remains rather anonymous sadly.... The year after Satin Circus was in UMK and instantly became a fan favorite with Crossroads . They already gained popularity before UMK but sadly Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät run over them for all the wrong reasons...

Kazakhstan seems to be eager to join the Eurovision family while fans are a bit divided. This blogger would welcome them with open arms if they keep their promise and bring some national flavor with their songs. Zhanar is one of the leading ladies in business and has expressed her will to do the honors, after all she already won the substitute Turkvision song contest 2014 with Izim körem .  Her career started in a succesful girlband KeshYou while releasing also solo stuff and since 2014 she's been delivering solo hits like Ala ketpedin , Ayta bersin  and  Sen meni tüsinbedin .

Chances of getting Kendji Girac to do Eurovision anytime soon despite his minor flirting with the idea are rather slim now that France has gotten back to the national final system - unless the new man in charge decides to cancel it all and go internal after all (As Edoardo Grassi was axed in favor of Steven Clerima as HoD after all (and because of) that he has done in the past three years) Kendji is still only 22 even if it feels like he's been around a lot longer already. He rose to the fame in 2014 when winning The Voice and has released three #1 albums with six top-10 hits. His mix of pop, folk and catchy gipsy music is a cocktail that should work everywhere in Europe. He has it all going and would be a perfect choice if France should go internal again. Just listen to Maria Maria , No me mires ma , Color gitano and Andalouse to gt the idea. 

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...

Waylon it getting ready for his second Eurovision song contest by releasing an official music video for his entry Outlaw in 'em - better late than never! But that's not all as his new album The world can wait is out, too. This blogger is loving both of them. 

Australia is now taking part for the fourth time in Eurovision song contest and has been faitful for its idea of selecting artists of mixed origins, if that has been intentional - I think I read somewhere it is or at least was for the first three participations. Either way, Jessica Mauboy continues the trend. Guy Sebastian was born in Malaysia and moved to Australia with his family when he was six. His father has Malaysian Indian and Tamil blood  with a hint of Ceylonese and Portuguese. His mother is English-Portuguese and was raised in India. He later became the very first Australian Idol in 2003. Dami Im is pure South Korean. She moved to Australia when she was nine and represents the large Korean population in the country. She won X Factor Australia in 2013. Yorta Yorta art Isaiah Firebrace is a real Australian aboriginal. His father is Yorta Yorta and his mother is Gunditjmara. He won X Factor Australia 2016 and went on to Eurovision within months. Fight...

Oh my, Waylon has chosen the real banger: Outlaw in 'Em. It is really good, and so different from the rest chosen so far and most importantly very different from his Eurovision debut with The Common Linnets. Me likes! A lot! Out of the five songs he presented the past days this one was the one that stood out being so energetic and rough, even if there were some other goodies as well. But yes, great choice!

  Waylon of The Common Linnets (Eurovision 2014 runner ups) fame was internally chosen for the Netherlands already last year. Now the time has come to present his songs. Or actually the song is already chosen but he will tease us all the next week by presenting five songs from his new album The world can wait , but we don't get to know which one is The Song until we have heard all of them. The first one tonight was Back together , listen to it here .  23.2 Back together 26.2 Outlaw in Em 27.2 The world can wait 28.2 That's how she goes 1.3 Thanks but no thanks

"The Scenography, designed as an auditorium, is conceived prospectively to expand into the Teatro Ariston. Wide meshes of steel - almost streets - build a link with the outside through light paths. White triumphs as a symbol of purity of art. The music inside, thanks to these links, comes out of the outside drawing inspiration and reason to exist. The architectural elements give stage volume to represent an urban agglomeration, a city of the future. Through two video spirals that rise and fall in helical twist to help the music rise to new horizons. Acoustic arcs find verticality to help the sounds become universal ". This is how Emanuela Trixie Zitkowsky, scenographer of the 68th Sanremo Festival, recounts the encounter between light, image and architecture on the stage of the Ariston, to accompany the show of the songs in front of the millions of viewers at home and the 1273 spectators seated in the theater. "A thousand square meters of video and light  transfor...