Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

One Morning Left is propably the most unknown name in the line up and also the only band, the only harder sounding one (and oh Finns love hard rock and metal), and the only humor act (and yes, Finns do like humor) so in paper they have all the chances to win this over pop ladies eating each other out come time to vote. As it is everyone seems to be convinced it's Erika Vs. OML fighting for the ticket to Basel.  The band has been around since 2008 and has toured from Germany to Iceland, from Baltics to Japan and beyond. The line up has had several changes but founder Mika Lahti (unclean vocals) is still there today with Juuso Turkki (guitar & backing vocals), Leevi Luoto (guitar & clean vocals), Miska Sipiläinen (bass guitar & backing vocals), Touko Keippilä (keyboards, synthesizers) and Dennis Hallbäck (drums). Five albums so far and two EPs released since 2011. Puppy will be their 16th single release.  Puppy Written by Johannes Naukkarinen, Saku Ahola, Mika Lahti,...

Neea River (or Jokinen) has been singing all her life and had a dream to become an artist. And in a fairytale like way she has become one. In her early 20s she left for a holiday in Los Angeles and being active in Instagram she posted videos of her singing in various places and tagged Los Angeles, after all that was where she was. She was noted by a local producer who became her friend.  A year later she moved there, they worked together and started writing songs together, Neea made contacts, including CEO of Sony Music Finland and soon she had a contract to write songs for others. Already in LA the third song she had written ended up in a movie soundtrack of The perfect gitl in 2015. Next years she was writing songs for other before she decided to concentrate on her own career and even founded an own record label. She has co-written for example UMK veterans Portion Boys Elämän ABC and Eurovision veteran Blanka's Rodeo .  Her first shot to fame became in Tiktok where one of h...

Here it is finally, the second last to be revealed. Armenia chose internally Rosa Linn and her song is a lovely sing-a-long Snap . I do like this quite a lot. And the video is quite fab, too . This said it has nothing of Armenia in it though, which is always a shame. When you have a rich original musical culture it would always be nice to hear even a hint of it at Eurovision, even in the arrangement. ...

Francesco Gabbani is back and it already sounds like a hit.  La rete has the fashionable hint of 80's vibe in its sound and this blogger couldn't be happier! ( Just like with Marco Mengoni's Ma stasera) . Gabbani gives also a stunning music video where he basically runs from the mountain top to the sea level and into the sea through various beautiful environments from sunflower fields to olive trees and all. Lovely sight indeed! And the song is great, too! 

Another look & listen of what the Eurovision stars have been up to lately.... Ever lovely  ZOË has released already late last year this wonderful feelgood tune C'est la vie . Catchy and 100% ZOË, what could you ask for more? Only more of this same.... Imri has been bitten by the Latin fever it seems and has released earlier this month this summer song with mixed Hebrew and Spanish lyrics. Imrico , Ay que rico! Also released already late last year Guy Sebastian 's Before I go  that sounds like works of Symphonix with its beat and gospel choirs. The same pool Sweden is fishing this year. Great song anyways. Eurovision 2010 winner Lena is also having a minor Latin vibe in Don't lie to me , second single off from her new album out in April. Her previous single Thank you already gave glues of this new sound. 

Last but not least here comes Home by Kobi Marimi, thee Israeli home entry in Eurovision song contest 2019 in Tel Aviv. A ballad highlighting Kobi's original voice and way of singing the best of ways. This clearly isn't everyone's cup of tea but I have been lapping up Kobi's tea since the first audition and this song is taylor made for him, starting off with his trademark lament, then builts and erupts with the choir before calming down for the finish. For me this goes straight to top-5....

Armenia was the first to announce their internally chosen artist already in November 2018, but we had to wait until tonight to hear the chosen song by Srbuk. Walking out  almost became the last song to be heard but officially that goes to Israel's home entry even if it's already leaked to the www..... Walking out  is a decent song and well performed by Srbuk but not something this blogger will have high on my scoreboard propably judging first impression. However this is the third song this season mentioning the crown....

Malta has revealed its entry for Eurovision 2019 in Tel Aviv by X Factor winner Michela Pace (18) and it's called Chameleon - no, not the Ira Losco song she won with in 2016 before they changed it into some random Walk on water . Michela is good but loses this blogger once the chorus hits in - I have always found that kind of sounds irritating and this is no excption. Maybe I'm just old, I don't know. But the video is rather fab featuring all trends what comes to interior design this season: exotic flowers and parrots, palm trees and other animals. And a lot of flowers everywhere! Spot on in that department, looks like a shoot for some department store's spring/summer catalogue. And I know a thing or two about those!

The love of you're the only one has turnd sour in three years and this time Sergey Lazarev presents Scream , written by Dimitris Kontopoulos and Philipp Kirkorov, with lyrics by Sarah Vaugh. Fokas Evangelinos will take of the staging. Moscow Symphony Orchestra is heavily featured in the track. What an anti-climax after all this wait.....

Former Yogoslav Republic of Macedonia is now North Macedonia, and they're sending to Eurovision a real veteran, internally chosen Tamara Todevska with Proud . An emotional ballad dedicated to her daughter and full of girl power. 

Today's already fourth published entry comes from Poland. Tulia was announced as the act weeks ago but now their entry has been confirmed. Pali się: (Fire of Love) is a revamp from their debut album. This is certainly brave move and different. Tulia are Tulia Biczak, Joanna Sinkiewicz, Patrycja Nowicka and Dominika Siepka. Their about one year existance has given them already a lot of success and awards.

Azerbaijan has revealed their internally chosen entry for Eurovision 2019 in Tel Aviv. It comes from the Borislav Milanov-Trey Campbell & co hit factory and indeed there's no doubt this will we another success. Truth is sung by Chingiz Mustafayev (27), a name that has been tipped as the one for weeks already.  Born in Moscow but living in Azerbaijan for over 20 years he has already represented his country in New Wave 2013, and did also The Voice of Ukraine in 2016. Since then he developed his flamenco inspired pop but now for Eurovision takes a radio pop turn. The song comes with visually stunning video that features some of this year's trends: face masks and underwater males....

Another release today: Austria's Limits by Paenda for Eurovision 2019 in Tel Aviv. This one needs some digestion.....

Ireland is today's first to announce and publish their entry: it's 25-yeae old Sarah McTernan with 22 . She came third in The Voice of Ireland in 2015, and last year tried her luck in the Sammarinese selection.

Today's second internally chosen entry premiere for Tel Aviv Eurovision 2019 comes from Duncan Laurence from the Netherlands. His self-written song is called Arcade , a ballad/anthem. Now I want to see how they bring that video on stage! I suppose they can't take much lead from that..... :-)

Switzerland has published today its internally selected entry for Tel Aviv 2019 Eurovision and it's widely rumoured and speculated Luca Hänni with She got me. A nice pop tune with a little Latin flavour. Luca (24) is singer-songwriter/model. He gained popularity by winning the German Deutschland sucht den Superstar 2012. He has released four albums, all of them top-6 incl. two number ones in Switzerland, and charting also in Germany and Austria. 

This is the hot week of releases and here is Spain's revamped version of La Venda by Miki and it's official music video. Not much change really, which is only good. 

Il Volo - Musica che resta Nek - Mi farò trovare pronto Ultimo - I tuoi particolari Simone Cristicchi - Abbi cura di me Paola Turci - L'ultimo ostacolo Loredana Bertè - Cosa ti aspetti da me Francesco Renga - Aspetto che torni Daniele Silvestri - Argentovivo Nino D'Angeelo & Livio Cori - Un'altra lice Arisa - Mi sento bene Irama - La ragazza con il cuore di latta Enrico Nigiotti - Nonno Hollywood Shade & Federica Carta - Senza farlo apposta Mahmood - Soldi Boomdabash - Per un milione Motta - Dov'è l'Italia Einar - Parole nuove Ghemon - Rose viola Ex-Otago - Solo una canzone The Zen Circus - L'amore è una dittatura Negrita - I ragazzi stanno bene Achille Lauro - Rolls Royce Anna Tatangelo - le nostre anime di notte Patty Pravi & Briga - Un po' come la vita

Eurovision song contst 2018 winner Netta has finally released a follow up to her victorious Toy , namely Bassa Sababa that is just about as hysterical as the name sounds. Her runner up Eleni Foureira is enjoying success already with her second post-ESC single Tómame after Caramela . Same story for Mikolas Josef who has just released Abu Dhabi , following Me gusta . And Ermal Meta has another duet (following solo effort Dall'alba al tramonto ), this tim with rapper J-Ax. 

  Last year's host nation Ukraine and this year's Portugal both finally release their music videos for their entries this year today. Cláudia Pascoal & Isaura's O jardim is very green and simple with faces in close ups mainly. Mélovin's Under the ladder is the opposite: dark and dramatic, a bit gothic and a bit disturbing. No wonder he looks so worried most of it! Wednesday we will know how much of this he brings to the staging in Lisbon....