Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

If someone told me back in 2019 when Achille Lauro arrived to Sanremo with his Rolls Royce that 1,5 years later I'll be expecting and excited about his album I would have laughed that off as a good joke. Yet here I am, listening to 1990 that is filled with covers or rather reworked versions of 1990's hits with guest stars like Alexia, Annalisa and Eiffel 65 liking it a lot. Truth to be said I kinda liked Rolls Royce but didn't quite dare to say it to even to myself aloud. Come Sanremo 2020 and Me ne frego and his fabulous outfits night after night, after the 1990 single, 16 Marzo and this summer's Bam bam twist . I'm a fan. Against all odds.  This album will be for the youngsters a similar discovery box as Janet Jackson's Janet album was with all its countless Motown samples. 

  Michele Bravi has released already third single and video of his latest album, Diamanti. Beware, the chorus is a real earworm! Alexia returns with Fragile fermo immagine . It's the third single of her latest album. Isn't it time she returns to Sanremo (and does Eurovision?)  Giusy Ferreri with Federico Zampaglione deliver L'Amore mi perseguita . Another great track from this artists I may have negletted over the years. This latest album is a HIT. Fantastic track. And congrats Giusy, a fresh mother of Beatrice, born September 10 L'Estate sta finendo, or Summer is ending . Yes indeed. And Francesco Guasti has made a cover of this Righeira cover , featuring the original singer Johnson Righeira . Maybe not as boombastic as the original but with the same melancholy..... 

Italian artists who sing in English are a rarity. (The big names go for Spanish and Latin market and make wonders there from Pausni to Ramazzotti, Ferro and Nek.) Not many have made a career of it, if we don't count some dance acts. Those who did - Alexia, Spagna and Elisa come in mind - have sooner or later switched into Italian after all. Now all of sudden we have two new very interesting debuts in English. First of all Michele Bravi . He won the X Factor, got songs written by Tiziano Ferro among others for his debut album and EP. The EP was a success with #1 La vita e felicità but everything ever since went downhill and it seemed he'd be yet another forgotten winner. Now he's back with the single The Days and new album I hate music . (I suppose he means music business....:-) ) All of sudden he's very interesting..... Virginio Simonelli , another reality talent show winner (Amici). Similar story, after initial success a career that went downhill fast. His bi...

Italian OGAE has kicked off their selection for the OGAE Song contest 2014 and it's as good an excuse to check out some new fresh Italian musicc as any. Here you go - who's your favorite? The cast includes Sanremo 2014 winner Arisa and Castrocaro 2013 winner Davide Papasidero as well Raphael Gualazzi. Many goodies here but I'm torn between Giorgia and Arisa. But also Moreno, Giusy, Biagio, Perturbazione.... Cremonini.... Syria.... great selection! Greta - L'estate Renzo Rubino - Per sempre e poi basta Cesare Cremonini - Logico #1 Elisa - L'anima vola Arisa - Controvento Davide Papasidero - Adesso oppure mai Moreno feat. Fiorella Mannoia - Sempre sarai Raphael Gualazzi feat. The Bloody Beetroots - Liberi o no Violetta - Dimmi che non passa Giusy Ferreri - Ti porto a cena con me Patty Pravo feat. Ermal Meta - Non mi interessa  Biagio Antonacci - Ti penso raramente Noemi - Acciaio Francesco Renga ...

Alessandro Capicchioni, the Sammarinese Head of Delegation concludes the round of interviews with San Marino team. What kind of ideas San Marino has for hosting the contest should they win? Who he would like to represent them? Why they don't have a big Italian artists representing them? And who was the one who tried? What do Georgian drivers do with promo material? Read it all here: Alessandro, back in Eurovision again. With the same team but a completely different response by the fans. How does it feel? Well, it feels very good indeed. How scared are you that you will do very well this year? It's too early for real worries. I mean, if we win our semifinal and during the final we have 100 points more than the second and only three countries left to vote, well, then I would start to worry. But seriously, we're such a small country and everything is twice harder for us than for a regualar one. This success among fans may, and I say may, help us to get to the fi...

Nina Zilli beats Adele and wins OGAE Song contest 2012 for Italy with her Sanremo song Per sempre , the song that was also maybe ment to be her Eurovision 2012 entry. So, Nina Zilli follows Mietta & Minghi, Laura Pausini and Alexia and taken the fourth win for Italy. And this was actually  her second try, in 2010 her L'Uomo che amava le donne came 7th. Here are all the Italian entries so far. And here you can follow the voting. And here you can have a look at all entries Nina beat.

Nina Zilli's Per sempre will be Italy's entry in the OGAE Song Contest 2012 after a voting that you can follow here . In all 45 people voted from Italy and abroad and La Zilli scored 303 poibts against Dolcenera ( Ci vediamo a casa ) 244 and Francesca Michielin ( Distratto ) 240.  The song was first announced as the Italian entry for the Eurovision 2012 but was changed to L'amore é femmina (Out of love ) within days.  Italy has won the contest three times previously, in 1990 with Mietta & Amedeo Minghi ( Vattene amore ),  1993 with Laura Pausini ( La solitudine ) and in 2005 with Alexia ( Da grande ). Finland will be represented by teen sensation Robin with Frontside Ollie . 

The OGAE Italy has voting going on for their represant for the 2011 OGAE Song contest. It's a good selection of what's in the pop market in Italy so here they are: 1. Modà - La notte 2. Emma - Cullami 3. Paola & Chiara - Milleluci 4. Jovanotti - Tutto l'amore che ho 5. Alessandra Amoroso - La mia storia con te 6. Noemi - Vuoto a perdere 7. Litfiba - Sole nero 8. Nathalie - In punta di piedi 9. Cesare Cremonini & Malika Ayane - Hello! 10. Paola & Chiara - Pioggia d'estate 11. Anna Oxa ft Ivano Fossati - Tutto l'amore intorno 12. Davide Mogavero - Il tempo migliore 13. Annalisa - Diamante lei e luce lui 14. Gianna Nannini - Ogni tanto 15. Dolcenera - Il sole di domenica 16. Marco Mengoni - In un giorno qualunque Italy has won the OGAE song contest three times. First in 1990 with Vattene amore by Mietta and Amedeo Minghi, then three years later with Laura Pausini's La solitudine and then again in 2005 with Alexia's Da grande . Who do you think...

In 2005 Sanremo got rather confusing with the introduction of all sort of categories; Men, Female, Groups, Classic and Newcomers. Top-5 of each went on to the final and winners of each category had sort of death matches... After all this confusion Francesco Renga's Angelo came out as the winner (Men) with 54% of the televotes, followed by Come noi nessuno al mondo by Toto Curugno & Annalisa Minetti (Classic), Echi d'infinito by Antonella Ruggiero (Female), Che mistero é l'amore by Nicky Nikolai & Stefano Di Battista Jazz Quartet (Groups) and Non credo nei miracoli by Laura Bono (Newcomers). Many previous winners and/or Eurovision artists were there, too: Marco Masini , Paolo Meneguzzi , Umberto Tozzi , Alexia , Matia Bazar (once again a new singer!) and Peppino Di Capri. Worth mentioning is also Paola & Chiara who's A modo mio was eliminated the first night.... Laura Bono went on to have success abroad and would have been great for Eurovision. Or Alex...

Alexia took the trophy with her megaballad Per dire di no after debuting in Sanremo as the runner up last year. So if Matia Bazar went to Eurovision in 2002 she would definately done it in 2003. But 2003 was filled with other good and interesting songs, and ex-Eurovision artists as well.  Alex Britti came second with 7000 caffe and Sergio Cammariere third with Tutto quello che un uomo . Both would have been also very interesting entries. Enrico Ruggeri came 4th with his girlfriend Andrea Miró , Lisa 6th, late Giuni Russo with Moriró d'amore 7th. The song was produced by Franco Battiato and a sort of a testament. This would be sadly one of her last performances, 35 years after her first and only appearance in Sanremo as Giusy Romeo back in 1968. Antonella Ruggiero came 9th,  Luca Barbarossa 10th, Fausto Leali 13th, Anna Oxa 14th, Bobby Solo 16th and Iva Zanicchi last and 20th. Worth mentioning is also the presence of europop band Eiffel 65 but their efforts left them...

Matia Bazar won Sanremo for the 2nd time with their 10th participation with Messaggio d'amore but as the band has been through several member changes including the lead singer only the drummer Giancarlo Golzi is left from the original and Eurovision band back in 1979. The singer in this period was Silvia Mezzanotte following Antonella Ruggiero and Laura Valente. The real revelation is however Alexia, the runner up with her Dimmi come (there's also an English version Don't you know ). She followed Spagna's steps and switched from europop in English to pop in Italian with a success and one can only note she was completely wasted singing that europop: she has a huge voice! And would have been such a great Eurovision act as well being already well known all over Europe if Matia Bazar for some reason wasn't willing to do a bis. Ex-Eurovision artists Fausto Leali and Enrigo Ruggeri did well being 4th and 5th. Also Alessandro Safina was there. I have always thought h...

Alexia returns to Sanremo for the 4th time. She came to Sanremo 2002 after selling over 5 million albums worldwide with eurodance in English, singing in Italian Dimmi come, a song that really showcased her vocal capacities, often ignored for the eurodance songs she used to sing like Uh la la, Summer is crazy, Me and you and even before with Ice MC Think about the way and It's a rainy day . She won the critic's award and took the second place. A year later she was back with Per dire di no , a power ballad and wins. 2005 she's back with Da grande and takes again 2nd place. This time she will sing Biancaneve with Mario Lavezzi. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WU94oWlkV8 , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFn873J9W48 , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XPfMQ4VDic , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqSCsbRL2mk&feature=related , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPjjk3IBiQk , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blAr5XtUXww&feature=related

Raffaella Carrà did it again: she brought Dima Bilan to Italy and managed to talk about Eurovision on prime time RaiUno. Also, she appaently demanded in press conference why Italy is absent and when it's going to return. Raffa, sei un mito! Watch Dima perform here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq2LtOaYe1A And here's an ABBA tribute from the same show with fabulous divas Alexia, Ivana Spagna, Fiordaliso, Marcella Bella and Raffaella herself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMwKzUl46fI with a real promotional opening speech by Raffa.

Some of you may have asked that question after my previous post. And what is OGAE? OGAE (Organisation générale des Amateurs de l'Eurovision) is the international fan club of the Eurovision Song Contest . It has branches in 37 European countries. It all started back in 1984 in Finland and now most participating countries have their own clubs. Lebanon also has one and then there's "OGAE Rest of the world" for all the fans in countries that don't have one. Yet. The OGAE Song contest is an audio contest where each and every club can sent an original song for their country released in the previous 12 months. Naturally, as the fans are Eurovision fans, many Eurovision artists are involved every year but the songs themselves cannot be Eurovision related. Unlike in Eurovision itself the "old Eurovision countries" have done well: France and Spain have 4 wins, Italy 3, Germany and Greece two. Only 12 countries have managed to win in 22 editions, and if Sweden rule...