Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

It's time to kick of the usual reviews. The opinions are all mine and if I don't like some song it's simply just not my cup of tea so to speak. If I like something you dislike or hate, it's fine, too. No stresso, no need to be depresso it's just music and tastes that are diverse and therefor beautiful! I also try to predict their success come May a little bit, but as we know once the staging is out everything may change, remember Fuego and Rise like a phoenix for example? For this series I have grouped the songs in fours as usual as the songs may have similarities or something in common. Some fours came out beautifully, the others.... well not so well. But here we go! ALBANIA - Shkodra Eletronike - Zjerm One of the big fan favorites. Original, well performed, great arrangement, intriguing stage presence. Could it be Albania's big year? Or will it be the shock non qualifier? I wasn't hooked up the first time I heard it nor the second and that might be it'...

The most insane national selection - in size and details - has come to an end. After zillions of auditions and heats and twists and turns and semi-finals that didn't air and got results no one could keep up with (read more here and here ) And it all ended as expected, hoped and wished by the fandom: the Sanremo 2025 theme song became San Marino's entry. One couldn't make this up. Tutta l'Italia features vocals by Andrea Bonomo (46), Italian singer-songwriter and well known author for also other artists including Eros Ramazzotti, Annalisa, Emma Marrone, Marco Mengoni (Voglio) and Nek (incl. Fatti avanti amore) just to name a few. His career started in Sanremo 2008 Newcomers.  The other singer and co-writer is Edwyn Roberts (32). He also has a past trying to become a singer via Amici and Sanremo Giovani  but ended up writing songs for others like Laura Pausini, Eros Ramazzotti, Malika Ayane, Giusy Ferreri, Arisa, Elodie, Il Volo, Ricchi e Poveri and most of all Diodato (...

Half Italian DJ LUM!X aka Luca Miichlmayer (29) returns to his ex-hometown Turin as Austria's Eurovision 2022 entrant. He has over 700 million streams for his songs, the biggest being done with Italian legend  Gabry Ponte, Monsters . His other hits include The Passanger (LaLaLa) and Thunder that have charted also in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France. Poland and Denmark. He will be joined o stage for vocals by Pia Maria (18). Their joint effort Halo will be released next month.  The Austrian selection happened internally and behind closed doors but some information has been revealed, like that DJ LUM!X was the last one remaining with electronic duo Anger. The other ones who submitted entries and were considered were apparently Benny König, Candlelight Ficus, Christl, DelaDap, Der traurige Gärtner, Diego Federico, Fred Owusu, Freude, Gary Lux, Matthias Nebel, Max the Sax, Miblu, Popmaché, Poxrucker Sisters, Rian, Rydell, Selina Maria (Sålina), Serenity, Sladek, Slomo, ...

  Gianni Togni may not be exactly a name on everyone's lips these days but he did have his moment in the spotlight in the 80's with Luna at least. He has continued to release albums and has written also a few musicals. My favorite is Giulia, love its piano arrangement that I still play in my head every now and then. It has also a fantastic remix by Gabry Ponte. Check out also

Today's Gabbani daily: Ten top deejays have remixed Francesco Gabbani's Occidentali's Karma and those official remixes have been distributed to the radios last week. One can only hope the remixes will be also available for us common morals at some point. The remixes are by  Benny Benassi & Mazz, Marc Benjamin & DNMKG, Addal, Dj Ross & Savietto, Molella & Valentini, Tyro Maniac, Simon from Deep Divas, Ken Holland vs Mess and Wlady as well as Gabry Ponte that you can hear below. Meanwhile his new album Magellan o will be released this Friday!