Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Antti Tuisku is really living the highlight of his career as we know it. His latest single Hanuri went straight to #1 in the official singles chart last week upon its release and yesterday he was the last act on Helsinki Day's open air free concert to celebrate Helsinki's 467th birthday in a strng of names like Chisu, The Rasmus, Kaija KooMikael Gabriel and Lauri Tähkä - all Finnish pop's royalty. Hanuri flirts with the Balcan sound and features to Kosovan brothers (aka Boyat) while the lyrics are tongue in cheek between dirty and hilarious filled with double meanings and read between the lines in true Kikka style! And if Kikka was the female Slavko os the late 80's-earöy 90's Antti is becoming the Finnish Slavko with his over the top performing..... If only in UMK.....

Not only the spokesperson is a job for the previous Eurovision stars but some of them also end up as commentators. This year we have at least four. Freddie from last year returns for Hungary from stage to commentator box. Same goes for France as Amir is in the box wishing well and commenting the success of his friend Alma. Sebalter from Switzerland sung for the country in 2014, he was the spokesperson last year and this year he does the commentary for the Italian speaking television. And finally Måns Zelmerlöw, he has done it all: participant, winner, spokesperson, host. Now he's commenting. What next? Producing? Besodes the participating countries at least China, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, United States and Greenland are broadcasting the show. 

Australia has been in already two years and most propably will be present also in Kyiv despite launching their our Asiavision next year. The decision to invite them - or rather let them in - is highly critizised by Eurovision purists but this blogger thinks it's just fine. But I would still rather prefer a different solution..... Now that EBU has changed the rules also on paper by  "Associates of the EBU, outside of the European Broadcasting Area, may also be eligible to enter the Eurovision Song Contest. Such decisions are taken by the Reference Group, the governing body of the Eurovision Song Contest, on a case by case basis." I would propose a rotation. Every year a country outside Europe that wants to take part would be invited as a special guest, just like Australia the first time. Or maybe even several depending on the number of the regular countries participating, after all the maximum is set to 46 countries by EBU. If several regulars decided to step ...

Not everyone is welcomed in Eurovision song contest..... Or at least don't bring your flag if you are coming from one of these: Kosovo, Nagorno-Karabach, Basque, Islamic State, Crimea, Palestine, People's Republic of Donetsk, Northern Cyprus, Transnistria. As approved by the ESC Reference Group in April 2016.  You can and are welcome to bring your official national flag if you are from any of the participating countries, or countries that have recently taken pasrt like Turkey, Portugal and Romania.  Rainbow and EU flags are being tolerated, if they are not used intentionally to make any politcial staement during the show.  Read more here , to check out also allowed sizes fo flags. Follow up: It didn't take long to Basque and Kosovo among others to react to this list. In Spain that matter ended up in the parliament and EBU had to release a statement soon after. As it turns out, the published document was a draft of the EBU’s policy that wasn’t yet read...

Albanian entrant Eneda Tarifa has been promoting her entry in Kosovo - apparently she's aiming for a local success rather than Europeanwhide, as she also confessed she's not going to win, but qualfying for the final will be a victory for her - and in the press conference it has been said Kosovo is prepairing their own debut in the next year's contest. Radio Televizionit të Kosovës director Mentor Shala said they have been invited and will be making a decision this fall. It's more like a question of financial matters than political whether they will be able to make it.  Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and Serbia still refuses to recognize it, while already 108 UN member states recognize Kosovo as a soveregn state.  Many Kosovan singers have taken part in the Albanian Festivali i Këngës, and Rona Nisliu even won it, finishing 5th in the Eurovision 2012, Albania's best result to date. 

Now it seems clear that there will be four extra delegations in Vienna: Morcco, Tunisia, Kosovo and Kazakhstan will all send their delegations to Vienna. Why, one may worder? To study and to learn and have a look at it, how it really is. Are we getting ready for a return and/or debut in 2016 perhaps by covering the event? Then it's forth remembering Palestine was very much present in Helsinki 2007 (I've even got t-shirts and other promotional material to prove it...)

And finally we also have a visitor from Kosovo! Actually I'm a bit surprised I didn't have it already... A huge welcome, whoever you are! That brings the Flagcounter flags up to 217 already..... Anyone in North Korea? ;-p

How time flies, another week has passed and here are some videos I have enjoyed the past week. We start with Norwegian Tooji who looks rather different in his Rebels . The song is pretty good and the video is beautifully shot black and white affair. Me likes! Italian Tiziano Ferro is featured in Baby K 's latest single and video Sei sola . An interesting mix of Tiz's deep vocals and Baby's female rapping...  Kosovan Rona Nishliu is back with her unmistakable voice in Se vetëm zemra flet saktë, a little bit Latin affair, a lot of orange in the video and again a great dress! The song apparently is of a campaign to raise gender awareness and against adolescent gender violance. Heart speaks right . Finnish rapper Cheek is really enjoying a huge success and his latest Timantit on ikuisia is becoming one of the biggest hits of the 2013. He has really crossed over to all audiences. Proving that some reality TV won't hurt your career....

Kosovo's Deputy Foreign Minister Petrit Selimi has an intense struggle to get membership of the EBU. "I really think it is an important part of making people feel being part of Europe. ESC is a special way to confirm their identity today, especially in Eastern Europe where the competition is super popular" he says. Kosovo is now making every effort to get a place in the Eurovision Song Contest. But so far, Kosovo has been rejected. Kosovo declared its independence in 2008, but may still not participate in ESC because it is not recognized by the UN nor member of EBU. But what is the most important -  UN membership or participation in the Eurovision Song Contest? At first he hesitates a little. " I have rarely seen a young man proud of the place in the United Nations. However, we are very proud when Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores, or when ABBA wins a contest. So you have these platforms to be proud of their country. I would be extremely disappointed if we did not ...

This year's Eurovision is a very international affair in many ways. Not only are 42 countries taking part with many songs written by authors from another country and the various groups on stage featuring for example dancers from countries other than they represent. Also among the featured artists we have some nice mixes; Joan Franka from the Netherlands is half Turkish, Gaitana from Ukraine is half-Congolese. Finnish Pernilla is of the Swedish speaking minority in Finland and Bulgaria's Sofi Marinova of the Romani minority. Can Bonomo is Sephardian Jew, a minority in Turkey. And we can add Albanian Rona Nishliu to that lot as well being from Kosovo. The Russian grannies represent the Udmurts, a small Finno-Ugric tribe while the Romanian Mandinga makes its own tribe by featuring artists from Cuba, Chile, Romania and who knows where else, too. Then we have singers born in Guatemala and Indonesia representing their new home countries Denmark and France, ...

Last year 130 million people watched the contest and over 10 million televotes were given, let's see if those records will be broken tonight when the competition is fiercer than ever before. There is not a clear winner candidate unlike last year when Norway was won before the voting started really. The juries have already voted last night, tonight it's time for the people in all 39 participating countries to do so. Eurovision 2010 will be also broadcasted live or delayed in Australia, New Zealand, Kosovo, Kazakhstan and also in Hungary and Montenegro giving them a possibility to return next year. The final can be also watched all over the world by various satellites including TVE Internacional, RTP Internacional, HRT Sat, RTS Sat, TVP Polonia and SVT World, and of course on line in eurovision.tv. Have a great time wherever you are watching!

As Eurovision song contest is for the EBU members all of them could actually take part from Libya to Algeria, from Egypt to Jordan. All European members with the exception of the Vatican City have participated in the Eurovision. Tunisia was rumoured to be ready (like Lebanon in 2005) to take part in the late 1970's but it never happened and has not been heard since. Liechtenstein, Kosovo and Kazakstan are all interested, if you believe the internet but none of them is a full member yet. Maybe one day they will join the Eurovision family?  Australia, an associate member, has always been very interested in Eurovision and broadcasts it every year. The wildest rumours some ten years ago said Australia was ready to host the show in Sydney Operahouse and pay all the costs in change of being able to participate! True or not? My guess is as good as yours. The latest wild rumour is the interest of Qatar. But then, they have bought the African sportsmen to bring them medals in the Olympics s...