Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Let's continue the series and kill some time having a look at the last decade and see who were the Top-10 best scoring countries in the Eurovision song contest in the past ten years. The ways to calculate are many and here I have used the simple average placement method (and it's not all so serious). Next up is Ukraine at n.o 4. Ukraine, Ukraine.... so many troubles this decade. Still doing great success - when they managed to take part. Due to the crisis with Russia and financial matter they stayed home in 2015 just to come back and win it in 2016. And just like back in 2005 they did poorly at home compared to their other efforts. 2019 again the trouble with Russia caused withdrawel for Maruv (that I have included here just because it's so awesome and err,.. I needed nine songs) Unlike many I think Jamala was a worthy winner in 2016 and the only Ukrainian entry I never cared for is Be my guest really.... The Ukrainian national finals also provide a lot of drama every...

In our exclusive interviews in Malmö 2013 interviews we asked the artists who would they like to see representing their country in Denmark 2014. Ukrainian Zlata Ognevich suggests Jamala. Yet this seems a bit unlikely as Jamala said in the interview she's not interested. Maybe due to her bitter ending attempt in 2011 when her Smile and Zlata's The Kukusha were beated by Mika Newton in rather dubious voting. Or did she actually withdraw stating the contest is rigged besides recount and new final? Anyways, Jamala is a talent with personality on the weird side that is always a plus and already a fan favorite at some level. Maybe if they sent her off to Denmark internally with a song like before mentioned Smile and we might me heading back to Kyiv in 2015? Her exotic looks come from the Tatar part of the family and her style is a mix of jazz, soul and r'n'b with some etno and gospel thrown in. Her career kickstarted big time in 2009 when she won the New Wave festiva...

Zlata did it this time with a song that didn't quite open to me with the first listening I must say. I just loved her The Kukuscha in 2011 selection won by Mika Newton ahead of Zlata and Jamala not without controversy. Now Zlata brings Gravity to Malmö 2012 with her choir of strong voices backing her.  01. Zlata Ognevich – Gravity 40 02. Dasha Medova – Don’t Want To Be Alone 37 03. Eduard Romanyuta – Get Real With My Heart 33 04. Mary Yaremchuk – Imagine 30 04. Tetyana Shyrko – Feeling Like A Sir 30 06. Alina Grosu – Let Go 29 07. Dmytro Yaremchuk – Mamo 28 08. RealIvanna – You Gave Me Everything 27 08. DiO.filmy – Medlyak 27 10. Olena Korneva – You’ll Be The Winner Forever 25 10. Emotion – Saviour 25 12. Gvozdivchanka – Naletily Gusenyata 22 13. Inesh – Delayu Shag 18 14. Ana Stesia – Dare To Change 16 15. Triniti – Belym Po Belomu 14 15. Dmytro Skalozubov – Davno 14 15. Marietta – Wonder 14 18. Angelia – Love Is Life 12 19. Ma...

Slovakia returned after all after initial yes. Then no. Then yes again when they realized it would cost less to participate than withdraw it the late state. So they sent in Twiins, ordered a song from Sweden but they could have as well stayed home what comes to success.  Ukraine on the other hand had the usual lenghty selection process that hardly no one understood in the end with all the change of rules, dates, withdrawels, disqualifications.... and it even ended as a mess but in the end they send off Mika newton with Angel but who remembers her when they had that fabulous sand drawer on stage?  Jamala's Smile was a big fan favourite but I only warmed up to it later. My first favourite A.R.M.YA withdraw with Allo, allo at some point for some reason so I was left with Zlata Ognevich The Kukushka . All three would have been great entries but then, the sand drawer did way better than it deserved continuing the Ukrainian success.... One can only wonder what they would have co...

Belgium sounds and looks just like it always did. And I'm just not warming up for it. And I highly doubt it will qualify. Besides they don't look like they're having fun performing. Next.... Slovakia sounds better now and the girls look stunning as expected in their gowns, white and golden. It doesn't hide the fact the song is a one track beat and rather annoying. And the performance doesn't add to it nothing but waving the dresses a bit.... No final. Ukraine brings in the sand drawer who totally steals the show. Mika sings like an angel and even looks like one but the song itself is nothing to write home about. But nobody really pays attention when watching what's going on in the background and therefor people will vote for this as they will be so stunned. Ukraine will propably qualify but for all the wrong reasons.... Moldova is just fabulous. Likable. Noisy. Crazy. A qualifier. Not that I would listen to this without seeing the staging, no! But it is fun ...

Well, the sand drawer in the background is original - actually rather fabulous when you know it's done live and with sand! - but how well that will transmit on TV-screen? Surely looks nice in the hall though. Mika's vocals are a bit strained at times and the male backing singer at times comes though a bit too much but all that can be fixed I guess. I still don't think the song is very good. Actually it's very boring.  But the drawings are great. And they will propably take Ukraine to the final once again....  Here are the videos: AKOE , Escdaily , Official

Some 200.000 people gathered in the main square of Kyiv to the farewell concert of Mika Newton before she heads to Düsseldorf. She had invited along Austria's Nadine Beiler , Moldova's Zdob si Zdub, Azerbaizan's Nikki and Eldar , Amaury Vassili from France and United Kingsom's Blue making this a real treat. The artists of course shared compliments and will meet again in Germany next week. Watch the artists perform in a beautiful city scenery here .

Yet some more. United Kingdom - Blue - I can ***** I wouldn't be surprised if they won the whole thing. And it might do Eurovision good. Some label them has-beens but Blue has still fans all over Europe and this can be a start of a beautiful come back. The recorded version is filled with all sort of voices but I like even more the stripped live version . They won't go for some over blown choreography which is a relief. If they win I won't be sad at all! Ukraine - Mika Newton - Angel * This song gives me nothing. Total indifference which is the worst I think. She's a good singer I guess but the song is dead boring and forgettable. This should not make the final if there's any justice and sense left to this Eurovision world. Qualifier: No. Slovakia - Twiins - I'm still alive ** This is another boring one. Not bad, just nice. Boring and nice. And Swedish. Compared to Azerbaijan this is totally uninteresting and I don't look forward so much to the vocals c...

After Jamala also Zlata Ognevich dedided to withdraw from the new Ukrainian final set for tomorrow night and therefor only the original winner Mika Newton with Angely is left and therefor indeed represants Ukraine in the coming Eurovision song contest. So we won't here this cuccoo , nor this or this in Germany. Shame.

The farce in Ukraine continues when NTU is planning on hosting a new final with the top-3. Not only Mika Newton is willing to change her song but Jamala did the right thing. The one and only right thing: withdraw. Way to go, gal! Now let's see how NTU reacts. Meanwhile enjoy some Smile . She said:  “Another so called “voting” is announced. I’m more than sure that people who are organizing this will do anything to prove that they are right and once again will use the opportunity to humiliate me and other artists. Also, I do understand that they don’t have a choice. Even if they’ll have to admit that people voted for me, they’ll do anything to pour flows of dirt on me and convince everyone that re-voting was done specially “for Jamala”. I’m happy that three times more people voted for me than for the artist, who won the first place. My gratitude for those who believed in me and supported me is endless. For me your trust is the most precious thing. I do not want to h...

Well, I was expecting this. It took a bit longer than I expected but today it has blown all over. The ladies Mika, Jamala and Zlata are in cat fight who really won Satuday night. On top of that Mika wants to change her song that she won with! Only in Ukraine! Let's see if the last year's fiasco will happen all over again! How hard is it to pick a song? And an artist? And how's poor Vasyl Lazarovich doing these days? You can read all the details elsewhere in the net, I'm too amused to even try to wrap it all up! After the laughing pill Belarus offered today this is a funny day! UPDATE: A new final will he held on March 3 with the ladies. They are supposed to sing the same songs as before, namely Angely , Smile and The kukushka . There will be televote and only only one vote per phone will be counted.

UKRAINE Mika Newton (25) won an bit surprisingly the Ukrainian final beating Pridhenko, Zlata and Jamala amongst others. She has been singing since she was 9 and released her first album back in 2005 with her band. Her song Angely has been translated into English for the occasion. This didn't convince we with the first impact but it's not bad. MOLDOVA Zdob si Zdub returns to Eurovision after 5 years. In 2005 they were the country's first represant and with a little help of their granny took the sixth place with Boonika bate toba . This time their song is So lucky and instead of a granny they have funny hats. They're together since 1994 and have released nine albums so far. In some wicked way I like this a little like I did like the granny songs, too. A little. SERBIA Nina Danica Radojicic won in Serbia with Čaroban which translates to Magic . She is fairly unknow 21-year-old lead singer of a group called Legal Sex Department. The song is written by Kristina Kov...

Mika Newton has won the Ukrainian final. She won all the three votings: jury, televote, internet voting. Well, I don't know how? It's not that special, in fact it's quite a bore. Yawn. Angel wings and all. Here's the original Ukrainian version Angely . And here's the English final version. Now as the results are out we can see cuccuu-Zlata came second and Jamala third: (draw/artists/internet votes=points/televotes=points/jury votes=points: as Newton won all she got 3 x 21 = average 21.00 if that makes sense...) 13 Mika Newton 37384 21 29064 21 21 21.00 1 Zlata Ognevich 14349 13 19900 19 19 18.40 6 Jamala 37232 19 10800 17 17 17.20 2 Darya Medova 32587 16 2980 16 13 14.65 16 Ivan Berezovsky 1289 5 2502 14 16 14.00 5 Alexey Matias 24924 15 2539 15 11 13.20 14 Eduard Romanyuta 5902 12 2472 13 13 12.90 19 Anastasiya Prikhodko 14821 14 1119 12 12 12.20 8 Alyona Korneyeva 1208 4 879 ...