Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Let's continue the series and kill some time having a look at the last decade and see who were the Top-10 best scoring countries in the Eurovision song contest in the past ten years. The ways to calculate are many and here I have used the simple average placement method (and it's not all so serious). Next up is Azerbaijan at n.o 5. Azerbaijan entered with a Top-10 finish and continued the trend with five consegutive Top-5 finishes including a win before all the vote buying scandal and all that exploded. Miracuslously after that they didn't trouble the Top-10 until last year again, and had even one NQ in their table.... Fair enough. Azerbaijan has sent good entries, no doubt about that, but what annoys me personally is the lack of local work in them. In fact, only their debut entry has been written by Azeris (unless its credited by alias). I remember all Azeri entries way too well thanks to their usually very original stagings. 2011 Ell & Nikki - Running sc...

After the 30 minutes techical rehearsal the countries have another 20 minutes rehearsal to polish their acts and after this they should be done with the camera angles, lighting and the rest. Minor adjustments can bee still done after next week's semi-final dress rehearsals but they are unlikely.  AZERBAIJAN - AISEL -X MY HEART And i’ll never sto o o o op, luna moon me up To the t o o op Vocals **** Staging **** Song ***** Overall ****  qualifier  ICELAND - ARI OLAFSSON - OUR CHOICE                                                                   In every single language There’s a word for love and for blame Vocals **** Staging ** Song ** Overall *** Sadly non qualifier  ALBANIA - EUGENT BUSHPEPA - MALL No words can describe the feeling that grows...

The serious business is on. The first acts are having their 30 minutes technical rehearsals to check out the stage, the lights, the camera angles - all this has been already worked out with substitute artists and on going negotitions between RTP and EBU people on spot and the delegations at home the past few weeks. Now it's time to put the theory into practise and make the necessary changes, adjustments and final touches and see how everything looks and feels like in the real world. I will be following the rehearsals at home, spicing up the comments with those picked up from social medias and websites. Enjoy! Azerbaijan - Aisel - X my heart Aisel and her four backing singers/dancers, including Portuguese Rui Andrade, are working those mountains in a choreography that feels a bit too busy at times and dry ice. All dressed in white with mainly white and blue/purple backdrop it seems rather simple and traditional staging with the added props and wind machines. I suspect w...

  Azerbaijan - Aisel - X my heart Aysel Mammadova (28) aka Aisel is jazz and blues singer,  pianist and songwriter but for this Eurovision adventure she goes all pop. There are so many reasons I shouldn't like this one but this has grown to be my guilty pleasure this year aka Slavko vol.2. These lyrics are priceless. She's got the honor to open the contest this year and set the tune so let's hope she delivers vocally and being Azerbaijan they must have come up with some staging gimmick. And qualify. I may have liked the original version better though. Can't help it but 9/10 (blush) Australia - Jessica Mauboy - We got love Jessica (28) is Australian Idol runner up 2006, and the hint of things to come for Australia in Eurovision as she starred in the interval act in the 2014 contest and the rest is history, Australia has taken part in the contest ever since.  She may have not quite shined vocally in Copenhagen but apparently she's got it. The song...

  Azerbaijan has released their cards for Lisbon 2018 Eurovision song contest. Behind it are the usual Kontopoulos-Kirkorov-Bjurman but ... X my heart such a standard middle of the road Melodifestivalen/album filler song that one is lost for words. Not even a minimum effort to try to make it stand out, a little bit original or add some local flavor. The only effort comes in form of the "X". This is loooong 3 minutes...

Aisel, or Aysel Mammadova, has been internally selected for Azerbaijan for Lisbon 2018 Eurovision song contest. She's jazz vocalist, pianist, composer and arranger and has performed already in various music festivals from Baku International Jazz Festival to Montreux and Caucasus jazz festivals.  It seems also Azerbaijani broadcaster has took a hint of less is more and music wins tragedy.... on the other hand it wouldn't be the first time a talented jazz singer would be wasted on some unoriginal pop tune at Eurovision. Hopefully she stays true to her own sound and vision. Her entry will be revealed later....