Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

The most exciting news of the midsummer is Michele Imberti, this blogger's Stockholm based dear friend has released a single! Yes! He has self penned the Italian lyrics for Peter Jöback's masterpiece Stockhom i natt and Dimitri Stassos has produced an uptempo pop number of it.  It's totally different but equally fabulous! What's there not to love? Spotify   iTunes

Namely first European to sing the lead role in The Phantom of the Opera ! This weekend Jöback was in New York to sing in the play as a special guest. "This is the musical world's biggest role for a male singer, and an absolute dream" he tells the media. Last spring he sung the role already in West End, London and it must have gone very well as Sir Andrey Lloyd Webber picked himself Jöback for Broadway. He will do it for four months from the end of April until August, eight performances a week. Peter says he's not sure yet if his husband Oskar will also move to New York. Anyways, he says he's going to enjoy the experience and find himself a new dream as his biggest dream ever comes reality at the age of 41....   The Phantom of the Opera premiered in London 1986 with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. It's the second longest running West End musical ever. Today it's the longest running show in Broadway's history and it hits 25 years there, too. T...

Time to check some new and old videos from Eurovision artists, most of these on rotation in EFR12 as well - just click the player on right hand side! Tom Dice has been dueting with two very different kind of artists this year. First providing vocals to DJ Antoine's Sunlight , then singing with Elisa Tovati in Il nous fait  which is pretty fabulous and would have done wonders in Eurovision as well I'm sure. Peter Jöback has released a new single off his latest "French album" and it's Släpp in mig while Kati Wolf comes with the English version of  Vár a holnap , already presented here, titled Life goes on . She has also released a new album that includes both these versions as well as her Eurovision 2011 entry What about my dreams in both versions.

Peter Jöback has released a new album Livet, kärleken och döden ä La vie, l'amour, la mort , or Life, love and death. All covers of French songs with big orchestra and Swedish lyrics. The lead single off the album is Jag har dig nu with Izabella Scoropo and steamy video here . The album entered the Swedish album charts at #2 and has got great critic.

Tomorrow we should know all the artists in the first two Melodifestivalen 2011 semifinals and next Monday the rest but apparently it's not all yet clear in Christer Björkman's camp. One of the names he desperately wanted in was September who after initial yes decided to say no instead and concentrates on her international career and launch of her new single. While Björkman is still hunting for big names apparently Jenny Silver and Daniel Karlsson have been accepted just a few days ago. " Since Peter Jöback's flop last year many serious artists have lost their interest in Melodifestivalen and wish to have nothing to do with it" commented an insider. We already know 18 names and Erik Saade, Linda Bengtzig, Elisabeth Andreasson, Danny and Sanna Nielsen could remain the biggest names along side with various Mr Gay Sweden's, dragqueens and Idols drop outs?

Peter Jöback did Melodifestivalen earlier this year with Hollow , got married and has been touring Sweden and Norway this fall. Now the tour is about to reach Finland. En kväll med Peter Jöback will be in Stockholm tonight, then Mariehamn in Åland islands on November 2, the day after in Turku, then Helsinki and Pietarsaari before ending the tour in Oslo on November 13. He is touring with a trio only and the concert will be released on CD shortly. The first digital single is Inte redo än .

Sweden is slowly recovering from the royal wedding but today finally Peter Jöback married his Oscar Nilsson, nicely on midsummer! They must have been thinking of this day in the royal wedding where they were also invited. See the newlyweds right after the wedding here . Pernilla Wahlgren was there, so was Andreas Lundstedt and Sarah Dawn Finer, another royal wedding performer. Congrats Peter & Oscar!

You can follow it live here . Malena Ernman ( Jeg elsker dig) and Salem Al Fakir (world premiere for Princess) have already performed amongst many others in front of Victoria and Daniel, the Swedish royal family and some 70 other royalties from all over the world and 1300 other guests in Konserthuset in Stockholm the night before the wedding. Peter Jöback now on stage with She . And now ever so fabulous Sarah Dawn Finer with Kärleksvisan . Lisa Nilsson with Utan din andetag . We have had accapella and male choirs but now again Lisa Nilsson and Sarah Dawn Finer together in At last. Followed by Malena Ernman & co in hilarious Flight of a bee.  After that absolutely stunning Swanlake by some Chinese dancers and then Peter Jöback and Helen Sjöholm in Come what may. And then the icing on the cake: Roxette! And by special request by Victoria herself they did The Look! Standing ovation from all the royals, even the queen mummies! Grand finale with all the singers doing Can't he...

Two days to go and the kings and queens, crownprinces and other blue blooded are heading to Stockholm. Today also the lists of the invited and selected ones have been published. We already know Eurovision and Melodifestivalen veterans have been singing all around Stockholm this week and will continue to do so tonight and tomorrow in official and unofficial receptions. Carola and others will entertain the guests in the royal wedding dinner Saturday night, Agnes and Björn Skifs will perform in the church during the wedding. But also amongst the real guest - both in church and the dinner - we also have some names: Roxette's Per Gessle with his wife, Malena Ernman with her husband, Lisa Nilsson with her husband and Peter Jöback with his husband to be shortly, Oscar Nilsson. Schlager rules in Sweden!

Peter Jöback is no longer Hollow . He will marry his boyfriend, Colombian born Oscar Nilsson, three years his junior, this midsummer weekend. The rumour is they have rented Circus in Stockholm for the party. They wish to adopt a child from Argentina in the future. Nilsson was left to a orphanage at the age of 5 with his brother and then adopted to Sweden. He's an aerobics teacher and dancer and came third in Mr Gay competition in the past. Also Jöback has had a troubled childhood with alcoholist father who got cancer when he was 14. He also  had to move to live with his brother leaving his parents. Peter came out in live tv in 2004. These troubled souls have found love in each other. Congratulations!

Anna Bergendahl is concidered the biggest favourite by the bookmakers and Aftonbladet readers (and me, btw) to win Melodifestivalen and go to Oslo 2010 for Sweden. A lot has changed since a nervous and shy 16-year-old took part in the Swedish Idols two years ago. " I have been to India. It changed my whole way of thinking and seeing things. A year ago all this fuss would have been just so stressful, now it only makes me stronger" she says. "It feels great to be a favourite but I still hardly can believe I beat names like Peter Jöback and Pernilla Wahlgren in the semifinal! " She spent her time in India doing a project, living in an orphanage, visiting hospitals and health centers. "I saw it all. It gave me a new perspect for life ". Her biggest adversary in Oslo 2010 would be Tom Dice from Belgium who has a similar song and presentation. "I saw his video . I's fantastic, what a voice! I don't see him as a threat even if his performance is a b...

Peter Jöback, one of the Melodifestivalen 2010 wildcards and finalists has released the video for his song Hollow . Here .

I have had my moment. That Moment when you think you are listening to the Eurovision winner. I had it with Fairytale when I first heard in the Norwegian semifinals. With Believe . With Molitva when I first heard it once the Serbian songs were out in 2007... . And I got it with This is my life . I might be completely wrong but we will see... At least it's Is it true? moment. In meantime she qualified directly to the final in Globen and if she wins there, too, we might be back there in 2011?. Noll Dicipline I didn't think would go to top-5 but was thinking Sibel or Lovestoned would take that last place but I got it rest right. Peter Jöback went to the final as expected and Pernilla and Neo meet again in Second chance round next week. This was all in all the best Swedish semifinal this year so SVT was saving the best for last and used some simple but very effective special effects but what was wrong with Måns jacket???

Finally! Peter Jöback is back in Melodifestivalen singing Hollow. . This blog has been mentioning him often, wrote about his tour with Eva Dahlgren, about his latest album and OGAE Song contest always hoping he would do Melodifestivalen again. He did it back in 1990 when he was just taking his first steps in the business. Since then he has gone a long way, come out, made musicals, lived in the US, conquered Finland along with Sweden and recorded standards and covers, pop in English and Swedish, Christmas songs.... a multitalented guy in one or in two words actually. Great news! Here is Absent friends and Sing   from his latest cover album.

Peter Jöback moved to New York this January and inspired by the new environment and people he has recorded a new album Eastside stories to be released October 22. Besides new songs it also includes several covers: Everybody hurts (R.E.M), Wicked game (Chris Isaak), Sing (Travis) and Somebody (Depeche Mode). Excellent choises as I like all these songs, especially Sing! Wouldn't it be time for Peter to return to Melodifestivalen, too? And here's Peter with his latest success Stockholm i natt .

Tomorrow is the night. OGAE Spain will host the annual Ogae Song Contest. Now I can confirm my favourite's Italy's Sonohra and Sweden's Peter Jöback. More information on entries and the videos here: http://www.ogaesongcontestspain2008.com/banderas.html 01. CROATIA Franka Batelic - Ruža u kamenu 02. FRANCE Zazie - Je suis un homme 03. RUSSIA Serebro - Opium 04. BELGIUM K3 - Kusjesdans 05. NORWAY Geir Rönning - Bare du som bet 06. IRELAND Westlife - You must have had a broken heart 07. ISRAEL Shiri Maymon - Kshe'Halachta 08. SERBIA Seka Aleksić - Aspirin 09. ANDORRA Lexu's - La vida perfecta 10. POLAND Blue Café - Czas nie będzie czekał 11. SWEDEN Peter Jöback - Stockholm i natt 12. ESTONIA Rolf Junior - Ingel 13. SPAIN Mónica Naranjo - Europa 14. GERMANY Ich+Ich - So soll es bleiben 15. THE NETHERLANDS Nich & Simon - Kijk omhoog 16. LEBANON Elissa - Ayami beek 17. GREECE Sakis Rouvas - Stous 31 dromous 18. FYR MACEDONIA Toše Proeski - Creša (disqualified) 19. MAL...

Belgium's K3, Sweden's Peter Jöback, Estonia's Rolf Junior and Lithuania's Aiste all have one thing in common: they have all participated in their countries national fnals for Eurovision. Aiste has the record with six tries. She has been getting closer and closer (1999 unknown, 2004 11th, 2005 9th, 2006 6th, 2007 3rd and 2008 2nd) so will she give it another try in 2009? Estonia's Rolf Junior also tried his luck in Eurovision after Estonian Idols with a very respectable 4th place. He has also gained a lot of experience in musicals. Sweden's Peter Jöback came 2nd to last in Melodifestivalen 1990 but has then built up a very creditable career in musicals besides being a pop star. K3 didn't reach the final in Belgium's 1999 selection.

Eva Dahlgren and Peter Jöback performed to sold out audiences in Finland this week with their tour and got excellent reviews everywhere, especially Eva as always. Helsingin Sanomat described Thursday's extra concert almost magical as a very heavy thunderstorm hit the town while Eva doing some of her most acoustic ballad songs... Peter was a bit lost in Eva's imposing precense but he got the evening's biggest applause after singing Stockholm i natt , the Swedish entry to the OGAE Song contest 2008. As an encore they performed together Eva's classic Vem tänder stjärnorna .

Peter Jöback, who is touring Finland this week with Eva Dahlgren is the Swedish hope in this year's OGAE Song contest with his Stockholm i natt. Have a look here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te4Vv4qio7A More about OGAE Song contest 2008 later on this blog.

Swedish stars Eva Dahlgren and Peter Jöback are touring Finland with their joint concert experience Himlen är ingen tak . They have also recorded a doublealbum to be sold in the concert places in Finland, Sweden and Norway. Each sold album donates a mosquite net distributed by Red Cross in malaria effected areas where it is cause of thousands of deaths daily. “Malaria is one of worlds most deadly illnesses but one which can be fought very easily ,” say Eva and Peter. The Finnish dates are: August 12 Lahti, 13 Tampere, 14-15 Helsinki and 16 Turku. Eva Dahlgren participated in Melodifestivan 1979 with Om jag skiver en sång (3rd) and in 1980 with Jag ger mig inte (7th) while Peter Jöback debuted in 1990 with En sensation (9th). Both have then created remarkable careers, Eva mainly in rock and Peter in musicals. Eva is propably the most succesful Swedish singer ever in Finland. They both are also out as gay. Eva is married to Efva Attling since 1996 and Peter came out four years ago as ...