Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

  I wasn't very convinced about Madonna when she hit it big with Like a virgin , nor Material girl even though I liked her. Then came Into the groove and I was sold. Also songs like Dress you up , and older songs discovered delayed like Holiday, Lucky star , Borderline made me a fan and I have been a fan ever since, with her ups and downs. I must admit when she lately has tried to be hip and cool wirth some semi rap nonsense I have preferred her other songs like Ghosttown , that is fabulous, in her albums. And after all these decades her Madame X album as a whole is one of her finest work. She's still got it! Check out also:

  Oh Kylie, the Queen of PWL! Who would have thought her career still goes on over 30 years later, a bit like Madonna's. Over the years she has changed - or tried to change styles - but she's always Kylie, and I was rather surprised when seeing her live what a showgirl and fine vocalist she's on stage. She's one of those rare ones I have kept eye and ear on ever since her start.... Check out also:

  Oh I still remember well when I first saw Taylor Dayne's Tell it to my heart music. I was hypnotized. She came across like Nina Hagen's and Madonna's lovechild and I was in love. I followed her through the next releases but lost interest when her looks and songs became mainstream AOR stuff... Shame. That esaggerated mouth deserved an everending string of fierce hit songs.

Some details have been announced about the 70th festival della canzone italiana aka Sanremo 2020 ( more news here ). The  Big artists won't be announced during the Sanremo Giovani selection on December 17 but only on January 6, 2020. Amadeus has also stated he would like to have Monica Bellucci as his co-hostess, and dreams of bringing either Madonna or Lady Gaga to the festival as guest, but Tiziano Ferro is more likely..... Meanwhile the rumours of possible artists are already started, as while the Italian Eurovision fans are afraid Amadeus will bring the festival back in time with likes of Albano and other oldies after baglioni's surprising fresh approach here are some names rumored and/or  who I would like to see in the festival..... Click for their latest or best videos. Alexia Tommaso Paradiso Alberto Urso Dolcenera Malika Ayane Elodie Lorenzo Fragola The Kolors Pierdavide Carone Loredana Berté Modà Irama Lisa Federica Carta Mar...

  From Levi's tv advert (later chosen as one of the top-5 adverts ever) to getting Madonna write you a song and sing backing vocals that's what model Nick Kamen experienced in mid-80's. Then he continued my covering a Motown classic while Madonna returned as backing singer for Tell me, and especially Italians went wild for Nick .  His career continued to early 90's and his self penned I promised myself became his biggest success with several cover versions in the years to come. And then.... nothing. Or is he a painter in London these days? Check out also:

  Before Madonna and Lady Gaga there was Cyndi being the Italo-American pop star with a look you couldn't ignore and songs that were hits. She's got some real classics under belt and she was the first female artist to score four top-5 hits in the US from a debut album. I was a total fan. Today she's a LBGT activist, Tony and Emmy award winning writer for Kinky Boots musical, actress and respected songwriter besides singing blues and country. I kinda lost her after 80's, I think I must redust her and check out also her latest works.... Check out also:

Despite her rather unsuccesful performance in the Eurovision song contest's interval in Tel Aviv, string of singles released so far and none of them really making an impact the album Madame X is proving a critical success and also one of her most fortunate ones in charts for a long, long time. It has become her 9th Billboard Top-200 number one album, and it topped the iTunes charts in 58 countries upon its release.  She's now only second to Barbra Streisand (she's got 11)  as a female artist, and above her are only besides Streisand The Beatles (19), Jay-Z (14) and Bruce Springsteen (11). Fun fact is Bruce Springsteen is #2 in the charts, just like in 1985 with their albums Like a virgin and Born in the USA . In UK they also top the charts but Springsteen takes the #1 spot, Madonna #2. Madonna is also the artist with most Top10s in all every Billboard charts combined: 163. This week besides topping the album chart Medellin tops the Hot Dance Club songs, becoming...

Madonna has released Future , the song she's going to perform at the Eurovision song contets 2019 final as interval act with Quavo, in Tel Aviv, Israel.  Not everyone is coming to the future Not everyone is learning from the past Not everyone can come into the future Not everyone that's here is gonna last, gonna last

It seems Israelis have dusted off the Turkish opening of the Eurovision final as Dana International will arrive "by plane" to the stage flown by Netta singing Tel Aviv ya habibi/Diva during the flag parade with all the finalists. Remember Istanbul when Sertab Erener arrived by helicopter to the stage singing amazing Leave ( Aşk ) after with her winning entry Everyway that I can? It seems it has also been confirmed Madonna will perform Like A Prayer  ( read more ) and a new yet unnamed song, but most likely I rise , not Medellin as speculated at first.  However it seems she has watched Eurovision lately and got some hologram ideas, as apparently for the American audience they are something new and exciting while for us Eurovision viewers nothing new anymore :-) Medellin gets its spotlight in Billboard Music awards on May 1, 2019 with a huge show featuring holograms and virtual reality so Eurovision is a good chance to premiere a new song with equally spectacula...

It is rumored Madonna's classic she's about to perform in Tel Aviv's Eurovision song contest 2019 will be Like a Prayer , and no wonder. This is one of her signature songs, an anthem even, the one that made critics admit she's more than virgin like material girl light pop hit machine. It also came after her failed marriage with Sean Penn. personal struggl with turning 30 and memory of her mother and two flopped movies. She also fought with the producers until the very end over the arrangements and even the lyrics - that she wrote in about three hours, the story goes - but didn't give in making this very song a turning point in her career in many ways.  The video concept changed along the way but dealing with racism all along but caused a scandal and angered Vatican and Pepsi Cola among others but the song went to #1 in countlesss countries including USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Belgium, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Sp...

The rumours have been confirmed today apparently and Madonna will indeed be the interval act during the Eurovision song contest final in Tel Aviv. She will perform two songs - one new maybe called Indian summer and one classic - and arrive in town four days before the final with a team of 60 persons. Apparently her act will include also two other surprise artists. Possible names ar Brazilian Anitta and Colombian Maluma, both have been spotted in studio with Madonna while she's been working on her new album. Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams is behind the whole affair funding the costs that are 1,3 million dollars to Madonna alone.... She's releasing a new album shortly and was rumored to be involved already last year when the contest took place in her present home town Lisbon. Only she didn't have anything to promote back then.

copyright  www.davechoate.com We just celebrated Motown legend Diana Ross's 75th birthday but today and tomorrow marks both the birthday and death of another Motown legend: Marvin Gaye.  He would have been 80 on April 2, 2019. Instead he was shot dead by his own father on eve of his 45th birthday on April 1, 1984. Songs have been dedicated to his memory by Diana Ross and Commodores among others, and likes of Madonna feat. Massive Attack and Cyndi Lauper have covered his songs. Let's remember him with some of his major hits and my personal favorites:

As much as I would like the countries hosting Eurovision song contest showcase their own musical heritage and culture - best done in recent years by the underdogs Finland in 2007 and Portugal last year - the rumor of Madonna being in negotiations for performing in the Eurovision 2019 final is just too juicy to let go by. And wasn't she rumored also for Lisbon at some point, after all she lives there now and seems to be somewhat familiar with the event. If that becomes reality I hope it's done better than Justin Timberlake's somewhat out of the place performance in 2016 of Can't stop the feeling , did he even know where he was? After all the Kabbalah loving queen of pop already has done a very fitting performance on her Confessions Tour, including Im nin'alu and all.... Let's get unconscious honey, get into the groove and I'm gonna party (It's a celebration) etc. You know. And there's still plenty of room for Netta, Dana International and Idan ...

Whitney Houston , Eurythmics or Annie Lennox, Donna Summer , Madonna , Rihanna . All these female artists must have influenced the Italian superstar Giorgia, often said to have the best Italian voice. But not only, she has released an album full of covers from artists she admires herself, including Italian Eros Ramazzotti, late Mango , Jovanotti, Elisa , Zucchero , Tiziano Ferro , hauntingly beautiful Ultimo bacio by Carmen Consoli, late Pino Daniele , Vasco Rossi and Sanremo winner, Eurovision entrant Marco Mengoni's L'essenziale . But that's not all: Tiziano Ferro duets, Elisa and Aliné are featured and even Eros Ramazzotti makes a cameo. What could you ask for more? Already #2 in the Italian charts this one's c´going to yet another multiplatinum selling album for her.  This album follows multiplatinum selling  Oronero , released in 2016 with hit singles Oronero , Vanità , Credo , Scelgo ancora te , and Come neve , the duet with Marco Mengoni off the re-releas...

If we think back Italian entries since their return they have made best with yet rather unknown jazz singer Raphael Gualazzi with a song that was pretty much as far from a typical Eurovision entry dreamed by typical Euroboys as can be and placed 2nd to their horror. Then we have televote winners and overal 3rd placed Il Volo, an operatic trio somewhat looked down in Italy by most.  Now we have a fusion of them in our hands, a Sicilian tenor that can do jazzy swing and pop rock with ease and mix them all together if needed. Despite winning X Factor last year his career hasn't quite exploded yet. Italy has sent their biggest stars with the highest expectations and failed (according themselves only). Why not trying someone known but not yet big, with something typically Italian according Europeans (like Il Volo) and not trying too hard to be modern, international and hip? It doesn't seem to work for you.... Listen to Italia , Who wants to live forever , Million reasons , Like...

  Sometimes it's good to dust off the CD shelves and listen to something you haven't listened for years and walk down the memory lane. Music makes memories and becomes the soundtrack of your life. Younger readers don't even know Paula Abdul seriously challenged Madonna and Janet Jackson as the dancing pop queen in the late 80's/early 90's. Over 20 million albums sold worldwide in a couple of years and a string of hits between 1988-1991 like Straight Up , Cold hearted , Opposites attract , Forever your girl , Knocked out , Rush rush and My love is for real featuring late Ofra Haza. I was a fan, and this funny Vibelology off her second album was a huge a favorite. Enjoy!

Not even the queen of pop has avoided recording a Motown classic. Marvin Gaye releases I want you in April 1976 and scored a #15 US hit as well as #1 in Billboard Hot r'n'b/Hip hop charts, and widened his success even to a new disco era public.  Massive Attack was asked to participate in the Marvin Gaye tribute album in 1995 and was ment to record this with Chaka Khan. Various legal problems between labels led to Madonna, an origina Detroit girl just like Motown, to do it instead. They however never met but Madonna was so pleased with the finished product she included it in her own compilation album as well and released it even as a  promotional single and video. Legality problems between Motown and Madonna's label prevented the commercial release she would have wanted as the lead single off the album.... The song is co-written by Arthur T-Boy Ross, Diana's brother. Diana recorded her version of the song in her 2007 album.... Pet Shop Boys used the lyric...

Did you know Motown had alternative genre labels for Latin, Rock, Jazz and so on, including shortlived Gaiee Records, that released in 1975 Valentino's I was born this way , an openly gay anthem -  way before Village People and others? This was the very first gay related release by a major record label anywhere. Actually it took the writer four years to find someone not only to publish and promote it, but also to record it. It was an instant hit. Valentino's version was a #1 in UK Disco charts, while Bean's #15 in the US Club charts. It was remixed by Shep Pettibone in 1986 as Better Days mix and other remixes came by Next Plateau record in 1995, Pet Shop Boys in 2005, Jimmy Somerville,   DJ Gomi .... And I certain Lady Gaga got heavily " inspired " by it ..... never though admitting it really.  Magnus Carlsson released the song as well in 2008. Charles Valentino Harris, a dancer actor singer poet songwriter pretty much disappeared from the spotligh...

Portugal is really in at the moment. Not only they won Eurovision, but previous winner Jamala filmed her latest video there and now Madonna has bought a six million euro 18th century Unesco protected Quinta do Relogio Palace to move in in September to support her adopted son's football dreams in Bemfica juniors and become a soccer mom. She stayed in Lisbon two weeks recently house hunting and seems to love it.  Hello RTP, she's already in town, have her for interval act next year, ok? I guess she'd love to do something Lady Gaga failed.... Couldn't she just go and host the Welcome Party here, too?

ZOË has left French loin d'ici and opts for English in her new single Dangerous affair . But French or English her chrystal clear voice fits it like a glove. The arrangement recalls Madonna's Bond theme Die another day and Selma's If I had your love at first hearing but in a good  zoescque way. Quite a contrast to Loind'ici's colorful explosion of good mood! Trés cool, ZOË!