Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Ok, it's time to reveal my own personal ranking this year. The first song I heard was France and it has stayed the clear number one for me all this time, and I still think it can win it all - maybe not winning neither the jury nor the televotes but ending up winning as a compromise. The other that still moves me every time I hear it, and I just like still as much as the first impact is Ukraine. Italy and Croatia were on top ever since they won their national finals and Albania was my favorite in FiK and even if it took awhile for me to adjust to the new version I still like it a lot. United Kingdom didn't impress that much at first but has been climbing all the time. Azerbaijan was a favorite as well right away while Switzerland took some time to appreciate while Luxemburg and Austria in the end made my top-10.  A special mention bubbling under are Belgium, Netherlands, San Marino, Spain, Lithuania and Israel not forgetting Ireland and Australia.  1. FRANCE - Slimane - Mon amo...

The 74th Sanremo was again a five day affair hosted for the 5th year in a row by hit maker Amadeus. His choices for the festival have sold already millions and beaten his previous records in streaming and sales and those platinum and multiplatinum certifications keep coming every week for the artists. The winner La noia was just awarded a double platinum record. As usual there were several previous Eurovision stars taking part from Mahmood to Il Volo, Emma and Ricchi e Poveri. And for the first time in ten years a woman won! However by far the biggest hit has been Mahmood's Tuta cold that incredibly didn't make the Top-5 superfinal and placed only 6th. Then again, after 2019 and 2022 maybe he didn't need it anymore.... Angelina Mango (22) is relatively a new name to the music scene in Italy. Daughter of legendary Mango (read more here ) and Laura Valente, ex-voice of Matia Bazar among others, it was clear she would end up doing music. She plays guitar and piano besides sing...

Angelina Mango won Sanremo 2024 and is set to represent Italy at the Eurovision song contest 2024 in Malmö with her La noia (Boredom). By winning Sanremo this soon 23-year-old talent managed to achieve what his father (or mother) never did despite being hugely popular and respected musician and singer. In a way at the time he changed Italian pop music the way Mahmood has been doing the past few years, bringing a new sound to charts and influence others.  Mango did seven Sanremos between 1985-2007 placing 5th, 6th and 7th at best. Strangely the songs that became his biggest Sanremo hits and among his biggest hits overall didn't do that well, 11th and 14th. He released 18 studio albums (two of them covers) debuting in 1976 with La mia ragazza è un gran caldo, but the three first albums didn't do so well even if his songs were so loved that legends like Mia Martini ( Se mi sfiori ) and Patty Pravo (Tu pioggia, io mattino and Sentirti ) wanted to cover them. Also Scialpi, at height...

The hugely successful and polar duo has left Sanremo after five years. Whoever follows them has to face a similar situation as UMK2024 artists had to do post-Käärijä. Nothing is good enough. Artic director and host Amadeus and co-host Fiorello, after celebrating Angelina Mango's victory on stage walked out of Teatro Ariston hand in hand, stepped into their Cinderella carriage with horses and drove to sunset, or as it was Sanremo final night to dawn. All that after scoring a record breaking 90,7% share in the viewing figures as nearly 9 million Italians were still clued to their tv-screens to see them off. Earlier in the evening they reached 18,259 million and 85% share at 01.56 when the Top-5 super finalists were announced. How can you beat that? And it's not only the viewing figures but his five years have also been hugely popular in charts as all those chart toppers, multi platinum selling singles prove. Mahmood winning in 2019 was a shock and a start of something new in the ...

  Angelina Mango beats Geolier and has won Sanremo 2024. And there's no reason to think she wouldn't go to Eurovision. The song is co-written and produced by Dardust, just like the Luxembourgian entry. 1.Angelina Mango 40,3%   (televote 16,1%/Media jury 1./Radio jury 1.) 2. Geolier  25,2% (televote 60,0%/ 4./ 5.)) 3.Annalisa 17,1% (televote 8,0%//2./2.)) 4.Ghali  10,5% (televote 8,3%/3./3.) 5.Irama  6,9% (televote 7,5%/5./4.) As expected Geolier score a huge televote. It seems the other two juries backed Angelina heavily. Angelina Mango won also The Lucio Dalla award (Press/Media award) and the Giancarlo Bigazzi award (Best composition) Mia Martini critics award went to Loredana Berté (Mia's sister btw) Award Sergio Bardotti (Bst lyrics) went to Fiorella Mannoia Premio Lunezia went to negramaro Award Enzo Jannacci (Best performance) went to Clara Strangely this year there were minimal changes during the first results (Nights 1-4) and the final night, many just...

  Last nights highly enjoyable night with generally pretty good covers, some great moments (Angelina Mango, Mahmood, Alfa. Mr.Rain, Ricchi e Poveri etc) ended with audience in Teatro Ariston booing and whistling in disapprove when Geolier was revealed as the winner of the evening. A common Eurovision fan watching might wonder why and what happened? He's Napolitan and the music industry in Naples is its own empire, not mixing that much with the general Italian music scene. They have their own musical heritage, language even. They have superstars who aren't big outside Naples and its region. Geolier is a bit of a cross over artist like Gigi D'Alessio and late Pino Daniele. Then again, Napolitans tend to vote - or so it is accused - a Napoletan artist no matter what. A bit like in the 1980's/90's in Finland gypsies voted gypsy artists to victory in several singing competitions. Sometimes with merit, sometimes not. The same is happening now in Sanremo it seems. Televote...

The success continues. I know I am repeating myself but the fact is the third night scored 60,1% share, the second highest share second only to Pippo Baudo's 60,5% in 1995! 60,1% responds to 10.001.000 viewers in average. The first part of the show was watched by 13.243.000 and the second part (after 23.30) by 6.436.000. The most watched moment was when Mahmood was presenting Ghali at 00.08 (67,9%). Remarkable is that 70% of age group 25-34 was watching, and in general 74% of the female viewers.  The Sanremo 2024 Spotify Playlist was the most listened on on February 7 - globally! For the second day in a row, the 30 Sanremo songs occupy the whole Top-.30 of Italian Spotify Daily chart. Geolier stays at #1 but Mahmood takes over Annalisa as #2. Irama ¤3, Angelina Mango #5 and Gazzelle #6. In Youtube Mahmood takes over Angelina Mango as the most watched video.  Mahmood has also taken over Geolier in the Spotify Global chart at #51 (+28) with 2.112.626 daily streams. Geolier is at...

  Here are the Eurovision veterans: MAHMOOD - TUTA GOLD His third time among Big after winning in 2019 (Soldi) and Brividi (with Blanco) in 2022 placing 2nd and 6th at Eurovision. Before that he did Newcomers twice: 2016 he placed 4th behind liked of Francesco Gabbani and Ermal Meta, and in 2018 he won the ticket to 2019 festival. Before the start he's 8th in the odds. EMMA - APNEA Emma came 2nd in Sanremo 2011 with Modà and Arriverà, and won the year after with Non è l'inferno. In 2022 she was 6th with Ogni volta è cosi. In 2014 she was chosen internally by Rai for Eurovision scoring Italy's worst placing ever with La mia citttà, 21st. Emma is 9th in odds. IL VOLO - CAPOLAVORO Il Volo returns for their third Sanremo after winning with Grande amore in 2015 and placing 3rd in Eurovision (after winning the televote). in 2019 they came 3rd with Musica che resta. Il Volo is 11th in odds. DIODATO - TI MUOVI Unfortunate Duiodato won Sanremo 2020 with Fai rumore, and thanks to pan...

 Matia Bazar have participated in Sanremo 12 times winning it twice. The line up has changed over the years as have the lead female singer since Antonella Ruggiero left in 1989. She was replaced by Laura Valente, these days better known my youngsters as the mother of Angelina Mango. When Angelina takes the Ariston stage she follows not only her mom's but also dad's footsteps and who knows will outdo them both? Anyways, Antonella's Matia was fabulous, Laura's rockier but I liked that version, too, and especially this song, Dedicato a te . Silvia Mezzanotte followed her and brought them their second Sanremo win, while Roberta Faccani is the latest lady. However, none of the original members is left...

  Late Mango, Angelina Mango's dad btw, participated 7 times in Sanremo. This Tu...si from 1990 may not be among his biggest successes despite placing 7th but it's a very dear to me. Mango left us way too soon, in a dramatic way mid song on stage but before that he somewhat changed Italian pop music and left his mark with his unique voice and musical style. Now let's see what his and another Sanremo artists Laura Valente's love fruit Angelina wuill give us in Sanremo.....