All posts by Roy van der Merwe

MALTA 2018 EUROVISION – shortlisted 30 songs

MALTA has announced the 30 SHORTLISTED SONGS for Eurovision 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal.

Here are the 30 songs in alphabetical order of the artists

Abire Sekkaki – “Casablanca Love”
Aidan – “Dai Laga”
Aidan – “See You”
Avenue Sky – “We Can Run”
Brooke Borg – “Heart Of Gold”
Christabelle Borg – “Taboo”
Dan – “If Only”
Danica Muscat – “One Step At A Time”
Deborah C – “Turn It Up”
Deborah C & Joseph Tabone – “Human”
Dominic Cini – “Picture I Draw”
Eleanor Cassar – “Back to Life”
Ishmael Grech – “Good Times”
Jasmine Abela – “Supernovas”
Kelsey Bellante – “Super Woman”
Kevin Paul Calleja – “Great Adventure”
Kimberley Cortis – “Monsters”
Kurt Anthony Cassar – “You Will Find Me”
Lawrence Gray – “Love Renegade”
Malcolm Pisani – “Kiss”
Matthew Caruana – “Call 2morrow”
Mikhail Attard & Cherylis Camileri – “Breaking Point”
Miriana Conte – “Rocket”
Nicole Azzopardi – “Mixed Feelings”
Petra Whiteford – “Evolution”
Raquel Galdes – “In My Mind”
Rhiannon Micallef – “Beyond Blue Horizons”
Richard Joe Micallef – “Song For Dad”
Stefan Galea – “Closer”
Tiziana Calleja – “First Time”

As usual an interesting list of artists and song titles. Looks like just one of the 30 songs is in Maltese, the rest in English.

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AFRI FRIEND AWARDS – CATEGORY ONE – BEST FULL CD BY A MALE SINGER

We start off with the first of ten categories of the AFRI FRIEND awards 2017. The category is BEST FULL CD BY A MALE SINGER.

The criteria for CD’s to be considered are

a – Obviously it has to be by a male singer (although a couple of duets are allowed on the CD)

b – 60% or more of the songs have to be in Afrikaans

c – At least one song has to be cover (Eurovision or otherwise)

d – Released after 1 January 2016 but before 31 October 2017

So far 4 CD’s are being considered (and as we discover more that fulfill the criteria, they will be added to this post

01 – DEON GROOT – GEE MY OOR

02 – DIRK LAZENBY – SONSKYN LIEFDE

03 – ERNIE BATES – DROOM

04 – ANDRE VAN WYNGAARDT – DIE ENGELE HAAL ASEM

ADDING

05 – HENRY VAN DYK – SOMMER SO

SWEDISH SELECTION SONG – DET VACKRASTE

It took almost 22 years but finally the CD single of the 1995 selecting song DET VACKRASTE by Cecilia Vennersten is in the ESC Covers collection. This song was a major hit and many fans thought it was better than the actual song SE PA MEJ by Jan Johansen. Both rank among the best songs ever to come from Sweden. This song in various covers are already in the collection

One more time- Living in a dream (English)

Frans Bauer – ‘n Lied voor iedereen (Dutch)

Dana Winner – I’ll sing a song today (English)

Dana Winner – Ik zing vandaag een lied (Flemish)

Dana Winner – Ein lied for diese welt (German)

And hopefully an Afrikaans cover can be added soon

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AFRI FRIEND – MONROVIA – LIBERIA

Monrovia “Monroe” Africafriend
Country that represents: Liberia
Gender: Male
Birthday: January 6
Eurovision Land counterpart friend: Skopje Eurettefriend
Monrovia (Or Monroe as everyfriend in AfrimusicVille prefers to call him) is a a turf dude with an African twist ready to ride the highest waves on the Beach on a summer day!
He’s a relaxed friend and spends his days in the beach teaching his fellow Africafriend pals to surf up and making fruit smoothies to drink. Just like his counterpart Skopje, both Friends enjoy summer from head to toe!
No matter the season, he keeps his mood in summer mode (literally) all year long, even in the coldest winter he ever faced!

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AFRI FRIEND – KIGALI – RWANDA

Kigali Africafriend
country that represents: Rwanda
Gender: Female
Birthday: July 1st
Eurovision Land counterpart friend: Stockholm Eurettefriend
Kigali is an music diva in AfrimusicVille and a friend who puts the right feelings in the right people through every genre, specially jazz, hip-hop and rap! Her colourful voice makes the weather everywhere she goes, it turns a gloomy rainy day to a sunny one and filled with rainbows (Just like her outfit!)!
She adds the beat in every song ever heard, in addition to Stockholm’s (Singing and) songwritting! She isn’t picky of what kind of music she listens, she loves all songs in the Song Contest.
This Africafriend is always paired with Johannesburg when they help people to discover Afrimusic around the Song Contest.

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AFRI VRIENDE TOEKENNINGS

This post is in AFRIKAANS – if you want to read it in ENGLISH, go to EUROVISION COVERAGE facebook

Dit is nou amptelik – ESC Covers en Eurovision Suid-Afrika gaan weer ‘n TOEKENNINGS funksie he. Hierdie keer is dit sonder OGAE Res van die wereld maar in samewerking met twee venote Afri music song contest en ESC Kaz.

Die naam van die toekennings sal AFRI VRIENDE TOEKENNINS wees en die geleentheid waar die wenners aangekondig sal word sal die AFRI VRIEND IN KONSERT wees wat beplan word vir Februarie 2018 – reelings hiervoor is in die hande van Michael de Lange.

Die naam van die toekennings sal AFRI VRIENDE TOEKENNINS wees en die geleentheid waar die wenners aangekondig sal word sal die AFRI VRIEND IN KONSERT wees wat beplan word vir Februarie 2018 – reelings hiervoor is in die hande van Michael de Lange.
Die logo vir die toekennings sal deur Carolina van Peru ontwerp word en sy sal die Johannesburg afri vriend as centrale tema vir die logo gebruik.

Daar sal toekennings in 10 kategoriee wees – die finale lys van kategoriee is nog nie gefinaliseer nie maar daar sal 5 wees wat voorgestel is deur ESC COVERS, 3 van EUROVISION SUID-AFRIKA en een elk van ESC KAZ en AFRI MUSIC SONG CONTEST.

Ons beplan om die toekennings op ‘n gereelde basis te doen en in die toekoms ook sangers van die res van Afrika te betrek, maar vir die eerste een is dit slegs oop vir SUID AFRIKAANSE kunsenaars en hoofsaaklik die wat in Afrikaans sing.

Vir die 2017 toekennings sal alle vrystellings vanaf 1 Januarie 2016 tot 30 November 2017 oorweeg word. Ons sal outomaties sangers, liedjies en CD’s oorweeg waarvan ons bewus is maar as jy voel datons jou opnames of CD moet oorweeg, skryf aan roy@esccovers.com om uit te vind of ons jou CD of liedjies oorweeg. Daar sal spesifieke kriteria wees vir elke kategorie. Sommige sal fokus op FISIESE vrystellings terwyl ander op DEMO of DIGITAAL kan wees sodat ons die hele musiek sprektrum dek.

‘n Maksimum van 5 nominasies per kategorie sal toegelaat word, As daar byvoorbeeld 20 liedjies is wat kwalifiseer per kategorie, sal ‘n paneel van 7 beoordelaars dit uitdun tot 5. Die 7 beoordelaars is van Kazakhstan, Noorwee, Oostenryk, Verenigde Koningkryk, Switzerland Frankryk en Suid-Afrika.

Natuurlik sal daar ‘n fokus wees op EUROVISION opnames in sommige kategoriee terwyl in ander daar weer op oorspronklike musiek gekonsentreer sal word.

Die spermdatum is 30 November, en kort na dit sal die 5 nominasies in elke kategorie bekend gemaak word.

Die wenner in elke kategorie sal as volg beslis word – 7 beoordelaars sal elk 10% van die stemreg he en die publiek 30% vir die finale uitkoms.

 

AFRI MUSIC SONG CONTEST – RENE REICHERT

We continue to give some promotion to South African artists who have registered to take part in the first AFRI MUSIC SONG CONTEST. This time we look at RENE REICHERT. He will enter as a solo singer as well as in a duet with CLAUDINE BOTES. Rene has done two Eurovision covers as a solo singer – My wereld draai om jou (Switzerland 2013) and In jou drome (Sweden 2015). He is currently busy with Claudine in their duet cover of Denmark 2010 which will be called Sprei jou vlerke. Happy Rene has spread his wings to the Afri music song contest.

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AFR MUSIC SONG CONTEST – LINDA KILIAN

Next up in our series of South African artists who registered for the first Afri music song contest and have done Eurovision covers is LINDA KILIAN. Linda covered the 2014 Eurovision entry from Sweden – UNDO of Sanna Nielsen as Hoor jy my. he also covered several other Sanna songs, mostly Swedish selection songs. Other euro covers were done in duets with different partners and all in English. 2016 Denmark – Soldiers of love with Lufuno, Lithuania 2015 – I feel love with Rian Swanepoel and Sweden 2003 – Give me your love with Ruhan du Toit. Not sure what Linda will enter into Afri music song contest – but hopefully some more Euro covers, both solo and with duet partners.

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