Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Fandom tends to complain about the Eurovision song contest tickets but have a look at the Sanremo 2026 tickets and let them prices sink in. it would truly be a once in a lifetime experience. Maybe I should start saving already - if only it would be easy to get those tickets even with those prices: You must register for a sort of a lottery to get a right to buy those tickets if you are lucky, months ahead..... First to fourth night stalls tickets 240 euro x night Stalls tickets for the grand final 875 euro Stalls ticket carnet 1.835 euro for five nights First to fourth night Gallery tickets 132 euro x night Gallery tickets for the grand final 430 euro Gallery ticket carnet 958 euro for five nights Note there's no discount for the five nights carnet.  Teatro Ariston, the venue of Sanremo music festival was built between 1953 and 1963 and ultra modern venua at that time it has now became small and unfit for huge tv productions and endless torn in side between RAI and the town o...

ORF and EBU have have released the participating broadcasters list for Eurovision song contest 2026 and there will be 35 of them (unless more countries will pull out at later stage due public demand) which is the lowest since the introduction of two semifinals. Five broadcasters have withdrawn (from Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Ireland and Iceland) protesting Israel's inclusion while three broadcasters return all of sudden: from Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova. No sight of rumored Canada, Kosovo or Kazakhstan. Yet.  Participating broadcasters. RTSH (Albania), AMPTV (Armenia), SBS (Australia), ORF (Austria), ITV (Azerbaijan), RTBF (Belgium), BNT (Bulgaria), HRT (Croatia), CyBC (Cyprus), CT (Czechia), DR (Denmark), ERR (Estonia), Yle (Finland), France Télevisions (France), GPB (Georgia), SWR (Germany), ERT (Greece), IPBC (Israel), RAI (Italy), LSM (Latvia), LRT (Lithuania), RTL (Luxemburg), PBS (Malta), TRM (Moldova), RTCG (Montenegro), NRK (Norway), TVP (Poland), RTP (Portugal), ...

Sanremo giovani final is titled Sarà Sanremo (It will be Sanremo) will air tonight from Casinò di Sanremo  and six artists have made it this far after submissions (a total of 524), auditions, four weekly selections and a semi-final and two of them will win the ticket to Sanremo 2026 newcomers section tonight along with two artists from Area Sanremo selection picked out of 505 submissions. They were announced yesterday and are Mazzariello and Soniko, Blind & El Ma trio.  Angelica Bove made it already last year to the final but didn't make it to the top-4 losing the duel to eventual winner Settembre. Mazzariello on the other hand was eliminated by Angelica in a semi-final duel. She did also X Factor 2023. Antonia made the final of Amici earlier this year finishing 4th. Also Filippucci comes from the same  Amici 24 placing 6th. But before that he has done most every possible talent between 2022-24 in Italy, San Marino and elsewhere. Senza Cri tried her luck already in Sa...

  The year is nearing the end and so it #Finpop 2025. We started with Käärijä and Hooja and end up with another Swedish connection or KAJ, the Finnish trio that represented Sweden at Eurovision and their latest banger Karaoke. Enjoy and thank you for this year. #Finpop 2026 will be launched in due time! Stay tuned! Aliisa Syrjä - Sydän on rikki Lasse Havu - Tahdon Birgi - Oon sun lähellä KAJ - Karaoke

 Yet another dose #Finpop 2025 with four lesser known more or less indie female artists that re worth a listen. Enjoy! ellaella - Pilalla yaya - Huokauksii Ira - Meistä kertova satu emma - Elvytä mut

  Another dose of #Finpop 2025 with UMK and Eurovision twist. Kuunkuiskaajat (ESC 2010) are back together after nearly ten years apart while Aksel Kankaanranta who missed Eurovision due Covid-19 has released yet another new song as has home ground Eurovision 2007 star Hanna Pakarinen and finally UMK veteran Ilta belting out yet another beautiful ballad. Enjoy! Kuunkuiskaajat - Lemmenhuuto Aksel Kankaanranta - Mitä sanoisin Hanna Pakarinen - Rakenteet Ilta - Yksin et koskaan sä mee

This time a treat: UMK 2026 drops out - and one from UMK 2025! Usually artists keep quiet that they have applied for UMK but sometimes they just admit they did apply and were not taken. This is the case of Berta, Tina and Miki Ratsula with their entries below. Plus One Ghost that apparently applied for 2025 but wasn't taken. What do you think, did they deserve to be there? Berta - Kuu Tina - Kohoma Miki Ratsula - Supposed to be One Ghost - Legacy

Carlo Conti has announced today the Big artists taking part in the 76th Sanremo festival della canzone italiana or simply Sanremo 2026. As widely speculated in the past few weeks the cast may not be as "big" as usually and eyeing it as  the Eurovision in mind it looks rather slim. But then again, let's hear the songs before judging more! Among the artists we have previous winners Arisa (2014), Ermal Meta (2018), Marco Masini (2004) and Francesco Renga (2005) among Big. The previous Newcomers winners among them are Leo Gassman (2020) and previously listed Arisa (2009) and Marco Masini (1990). Eurovision veterans are Ermal Meta (2018), Raf (1987) and again Marco Masini as backing singer (1987).  For this blogger the list includes some names I have no idea of: Bambole di pezza, Eddie Brock, Colombre, Nayt and Samurai Jay among with other names I know the name of but have no idea of their music like Luchè, Sayf and Tredici Pietro. Thus I guess I can consider myself able to jo...

  He's done it again. A real fun banger.  He did Amsterdam's Het grote songfestivalfeest again this year opening the whole show this time

  Another dose of #Finpop 2025. With already familiar names with their latest. Enjoy! Pihlaja - BMW Aatulove - Onnenkyynelii Mikael Gabriel / Senni - Sotilas Ellimei - Susta löysin kodin

  This week's dose includes UMK veteran Goldielocks teaming up with Eurovision veteran TEYA, another Eurovision veteran Joel Hokka, ex-Blind Channel debuting with his new band simply calle HOKKA, another big name collaboration between Tippa-T and Robin Packalen and a new fresh name Helmi Marleena. Enjoy! Goldielocks / TEYA - My religion Helmi Marleena - Sydän sydän sydän Tippa-T / Robin Packalen - Et ollut se HOKKA - In the darkness

  Here comes another dose of #Finpop 2025 with already more or less established  names with their latest efforts. Enjoy! Vahtera - Seitsemäs kerta Lage / Lauri Haav - Yksin tääl Jaakko Kulta - Älä pyydä mua päättää ABREU / Ahti - 7 syntiä 

Käärijä has cha cha chad already almost three years and Finns - and not only - love him as much as ever. Since Eurovision he has released an album, a string of singles with various collaborations at home and abroad, toured Finland and Europe a few times to sold out venues, performed in Eurovision song contest as guest star two years in a row, making him do Eurovision three years in a row,  and this fall he has starred in ever so popular Vain elämää series doing covers of other singers songs on weekly basis. And now.... finally! He has announced an arena concert in Veikkaus Arena, the new names very arena that hosted the Eurovision 2007 in Helsinki.  He has teased many guests, most likely at least everyone he has collaborated (see videos below) and that's not all for sure.  Slovenian Joker Out will be the opening act prior Käärijä stars in their show in Slovenia in June 20,  2026. For this bromance he skips the very generous midsummer gigs in Finland that he could hav...

After Pippo Baudo another Sanremo legend leaves us. Bebbe Vessicchio is dead. He has conducted maybe more Sanremo entries than anyone else (or so it seems as it was always a pleasure to see him appear!) and each time he appeared in front of the orchestra it was a good sign, his sole appearance made you in a good mood.  Giuseppe, or Bebbe as everyone knew him, was born in Naples in 1956. He started his musical career with singers like Nino Buonocore. Edoardo Bennato, Peppino di Capri, Peppino Gagliardi and Gino Paoli with him he wrote hits like Ti lascio una canzone . Soon he was working in television and most notably in festival of Sanremo since 1990 conducting dozens of entries, apparently over 120! His arrangement won the best arrangement award in 1994 , 1997 , 1998 and 2000 , and he conducted the winning entries in 2000 (Avion Travel - Sentimento ), 2003 (Alexia - Per dire di no ), 2010 (Valerio Scanu - Per tutte le volte che ) and 2011 (Roberto Vecchioni - Chiamami amcora amo...

Another dose of #Finpop 2025 and.... #UMK2026 rejects? As Berta and Tina among others have already publicly told they submitted an entry (that you can sneak peak in TikTok) most every other around 3 minute song released is under suspicion these weeks.   Lauri Mikkola is no stranger to national selection and is house singer for Yle's Elämäni biisi shows while the others here are new fresh names who could try to enter UMK to boost their careers. Right? Lauri Mikkola - Jos kukaan ei näkis Sofia Voltti - Suru ei oo sairaus Heidi Beth - Miehii sataa Jamie - Kokonaan ilman sua

Here comes the season's first confirmed artist. Cyprys and CyBc has internally chosen Antigoni Buxton for Eurovision song contest 2026. She lives in London, has Cypriot parents and is best known for her participation in Love Island UK in 2022. She's also doing radio show Crazy roommates.  Update: Her entry is called Jalla and will be published on February 8, 2026. She signed her first publishing deal at the age of 14 and has since been developing her style mixing hip hop, pop and bouzuki waiting for her big break through that might just happen next spring as her dream of Eurovision becomes reality.  Her entry for Vienna 2026 will be released later. meanwhile you can enjoy some of her previous songs below:

Today's hot news is Canadian CBC/Radio Canada might enter Eurovision song contest. This blogger isn't surprised at all and after initial confusion I can't quite see why not? After all Australia is in already for ten years and even if Australians might be more keen viewers of the contest already for decades the Canadian singers in the Eurovision pout number the Australians pre-participation 9-4 with a quick count. Everybody is aware Celine Dion did Eurovision and won for Switzerland in 1988 but not so many don't remember also Lara Fabian did it for Belgium. For the other internationally known names we have Natasha St-Pier and La Zarra doing ti for France but they are not alone. Read more below. As for the Australians I only remember Olivia Newton-John, double winner Johnny Logan, Gina G and Jane Comerford of Texas Lightning. check them also below. CANADIANS (of birth fully or partly or some other way): Sherisse Laurence - L'amour de ma vie - Luxemburg (3rd) Celine D...

  Another dose of #Finpop 2025, already the 40th this year. That's 40 x 4 new Finnish songs and artists already! This time real newcomers, some of these even with their debut release! Aleksi & Eemeli - Miten sä et vois haluta mua Raama - Tuntemattomii TOIVONEN - Ikuisuus on liian pitkä aika olla yksin SCHAR, Scharliina - Needed

 Yum yum, another Eurovision collaboration is here: Australia's Go-Jo and Finland's Erika Vikman met in Paris for some Appetite. Enjoy!

  Another dose of #Finpop. Are these #UMK2026 drop outs or not? We will find out in a few months! Senni - Tuu mun kaa Joe L - Pisamat ja naarmut emma & matilda - Ei kulu päivääkään Henna Uoti - Hoivatuuli

  Here we go again for another dose of #Finpop with songs and names that may or may not have been submitted to #UMK2026 as fandom speculates about most every song released from now on around 3 minutes mark as possible #UMK drop out.... Ellimei - Mun ihminen Benjamin - Bensaa tulipaloon Minttu - Tyttöystävä ( dance video ) Karim B -  Otan kii

  Another dose of #Finpop 2025 . This time a foursome of songs that have been waiting for weeks or months to be included but always left out the last minute for a reason or another. So here they come: Eini's yet another insanely catchy banger, Bee's smash hit and James-J's and Raappana's catchy tunes. Enjoy! Eini - Yön selkään James-J - Parempaa Raappana - Konkurssi Bee - Ei me kuolla kuitenjaan

The Sanremo 2026 had launched the selection for the artists and the very first phase of Sanremo Giovani has got the 524 submissions to 34 who will now have a live audition in front of the jury who will pick up the 24 for the live five shows on Rai2 hosted by Gianluca Gazzoli from November 11, 2025. After three shows on December 9 there will be a semi-final where from only six will reach the final Sarà Sanremo on December 14, 2025. They will be joined by two lucky ones selected through Area Sanremo who will be selected in early December. Those two from Area Sanremo have already their ticket to Teatro Ariston in February at that point along with two selected in that final so in total the Newcomers section in Sanremo 2026 will have four artists. All clear and simple? Among the names many familiar names from various talents shows like X Factor, Amici and even previous Sanremo selections   Here are the 34: Agèlo - Io distruggo  Alunno - Bonnie & Clyde Amsi - Pizza Americ...