Pedro from Colombia has just informed us they have found a fantastic place to watch the Eurovision 2015 final – the biggest and best gay club in Bogota. Pedro will do a lot of P R for the event to make sure tons of Colombian fans will be there to watch and enjoy it and maybe see one or two of our members in the audience in Vienna.
Monika Linkytė and Vaidas Baumila will represent Lithuania at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest with their song This Time and they will perform as the opening act of semi-final 2.
Now Monika and Vaidas have recorded the Lithuanian version of their song and it is entitled Dabar. You can here this version below.
The Summer Hit Song Contest was revived in Malta in 2014. It proved a big hit with viewers and artists. The 2015 finalists have been announced on The Celebrity Night tv show on F Living channel hosted by Deo Grech. A lot of acts and writers will be familiar to those who follow the Malta Eurosong finals and local festivals.
The 21 acts and song and writers are –
Danica Muscat – Amour (Philip Vella)
Maria Cassar – Astronaut (Marco Debono / Rita Pace)
Sarah Bonnici – Bandwagon (Pamela Bezzina / Emil Calleja Bayliss)
Michela Galea – Bounce Back (Renato Briffa / Emil Calleja Bayliss)
Jillianne Camilleri – Dangerous (Elton Zarb / Matt ‘Muxu’ Mercieca)
Rita Pace & Audrey Marie – Do It Better (Rita Pace)
Ana-Maria Grima – Eclipse (Andrew Zammit / Rita Pace)
Stefan Galea – Escape (Carlo Gerada / Matt ‘Muxu’ Mercieca)
Odessa – Feel (Joe George Micallef)
Simaria Galea – Freedom (Elton Zarb / Matt ‘Muxu’ Mercieca)
Christian Arding – Guess What? (Chan Vella / Alexia Schembri)
Marilena Gauci – Hurricane (Elton Zarb / Matt ‘Muxu’ Mercieca)
Sarah Crystal – If I Only Knew (Pamela Bezzina / Sarah Crystal)
Dario Mifsud Bonnici – Lessons in Love (Ray Agius / Rita Pace)
Graziella Vella – Lucky Me (Kaya / Rita Pace)
Michela Dalli – One of a Kind (Andrew Zahra / Rita Pace)
Marie Claire – Remember (Yann Charpentier / Emilio Martinez Verdejo / Emil Calleja Bayliss)
Annalise Psaila – Shattered Dreams (Chan Vella / Alexia Schembri)
Kurt Cassar – Summer Time (Marco Debono / Doris Chetcuti) – Kurt Cassar
Julie Pomorski – Tabula Rasa (Augusto Cardinali / Giovann Attard) – Julie Pomorski
Cherylis – Unbreakable (Marco Debono / Rita Pace)
The current champion is Domenique Azzopardi who won last year’s title with Back To …
Source: www.escflashmalta.com; www.esccovers.com
Monika Linkytė & Vaidas Baumila will represent Lithuania at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna with their upbeat song, This Time.
The duo have just released a new video for This Time which includes lots of kissing from invited guests from all genders. The video showcases the happiness and love the song portrays.
You can see the video for This Time below.
Source: LRT; www.esccovers.com
The final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 is just over 1 month away away and this year’s Eurovision artists are hard at work promoting their entries. You’ll have seen the videos or heard the songs (you can find them all here) and I am sure you all have your own personal favourites.
I’m am taking a look at all the songs in this years contest and providing some brief thoughts. If you agree or disagree, why not add your comments at the bottom of the page.
In order to avoid personal bias, I’ve decided to review the songs based on their semi-final. So in part 2, we’re looking at the second half of Semi-Final 1 (plus 2 of the songs already qualified for the Grand Final).
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Serbia | Beauty never lies – Bojana Stamenov | Score | |||||
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| This is a strong entry by Serbia this year. It is also the first time ever that they are performing the song in English. Bojana has very strong vocals, but the song is VERY big and I hope she can pull it off on stage every night. I think this should easily qualify for the finals. It probably won’t win the contest altogether, but should become a classic at Eurovision parties for years to come. |  |
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Hungary | Wars for Nothing – Boggie | Score | |||||
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| This is the kind of song that tends to do relatively well at Eurovision. The simple and pleasant voice with backing guitar singing about making the world a better place. Unfortunately I feel we’ve had this type of entry a few times too many now. It is placed between 2 songs in the semi-final with much more of a stage presence, so they will need something to make the viewers take note of Boggie if they hope to make it to the final. |  |
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Belarus | Time – Uzari & Maimuna | Score | |||||
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| For me, this is a great Eurovision song. Something you can sing along too, and also has potential for great staging with the violinist in the hour glass. The vocals are quite strong although a little more attention could be taken on the diction of the words. I would love to see this song qualify for the finals, and with a professional staging, I think Belarus should be able to make it to the Saturday night. |  |
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Russia | A Million Voices – Polina Gagarina | Score | |||||
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| I absolutely love this song. It is everything I want from a Eurovision ballad – the slow buildup, the strong vocals, a good message (even if it does come from Russia), the big notes….this is certainly one of my favourites. It will easily qualify for the Final (although this will probably be met with the usual boos from the audience). |  |
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Denmark | The Way You Are – Anti Social Media | Score | |||||
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| This is unmistakenly Danish. Slightly retro, but yet slightly modern. A good little vote earner from many of the countries around Europe, it is sure to make it to the final. I don’t think it is strong enough to win, but it is a pleasant song that you can tap your foot to. |  |
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Albania | I’m Alive – Elhaida Dani | Score | |||||
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| In a year with a number of “Angst-Ballads”, I think this is probably one of the strongest. Elhaida has a fantastic voice and this song is a very strong entry from Albania. It is one of the few songs that I end up singing to myself after I hear it which should hopefully help Albania in the results. I’m Alive, is certainly a better entry than the one Albania had originally selected, and hopefully changing the song will end up working out in Albania’s favour. |  |
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Romania | De la capât (All over again) – Voltaj | Score | |||||
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| Romania is very often one of my favourite entries, although this song is a far departure from their usual high energy songs. It is a very high-quality soft-rock song and should be performed brilliantly on the night, given the quality of the artists. It’s not the type of song that usually sets the scoreboards on fire, but I do enjoy it, and it will be included in my Eurovision playlists from now on. Hopefully Romania will be rewarded on the night for entering this very high quality song. |  |
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Georgia | Warrior – Nina Sublatti | Score | |||||
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| I love Nina’s voice, and at first the song sounds like it had great potential, but unfortunately I am not sure if the song quite does it for me. It is slightly too repetitive and I find myself not really paying attention by the end of the song. Hopefully Georgia will be able to keep our focus through the staging but for me, I think this song is in danger of not qualifying. |  |
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Austria | I am Yours – The Makemakes | Score | |||||
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| I think this is a very confident entry for a hosting nation. Something that won’t win, but is good enough to make them proud. It is obviously inspired by the great bands of years gone by, but yet still feels current, meaning it should appeal to both the younger and older generations. The Makemakes have a good stage presence and perform with confidence which should see Austria quite high on the scoreboard. | |
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United Kingdom | Still in Love with you – Electro Velvet | Score | |||||
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| Easily one of the most controversial entries this year. After some promising hints from the BBC, fans were expecting something very modern, only to be surprised by a Charleston. I personally really love this song for Eurovision. Having seen Electro Velvet perform the song live, they certainly have the vocal ability to provide a great performance on the night. And the song is so different from any other this year, that is should stand out. Hopefully the BBC will be able to come up with some really innovative staging, was the song really does need more than just 6 people of stage and some flashing lights. I doubt that it could win, but I suspect that it will fare much better than the UK’s songs the past few years. | |
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Pavel Marozau has sent us a great drawing by Rene Rig of Nina Sublatti who is representing Georgia in Eurovision 2015 with Warrior. He was sent this by Georgian fans. If we have any other talented fans out there feel free to send in other contributions.
The final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 is less than 2 months away and all the songs for this year’s contest are now know. You’ll have seen the videos as they were released (you can find them all here) and I am sure you all have your own personal favourites.
Over the next few weeks, I will give you my review of this year’s entries. The views are entirely of my own personal opinion and I encourage you to share your views in the comments section. Please do try to keep your comments constructive though, rather than simply declaring your hatred for the entry.
In order to avoid personal bias, I’ve decided to review the songs based on their semi-final. So in part 1, we’re looking at the first half of Semi-Final 1 (plus 2 of the songs already qualified for the Grand Final).
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Moldova | I Want Your Love – Eduard Romanyuta | Score | |||||
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| Initially this song feels familiar. It has a catchy beat and tune, but you feel like you’ve heard it before. In my opinion, it does feel slightly dated for the modern audience – although a good little pop song, a bit unremarkable. Had it been entered a few years ago, I think it would have had a broader appeal. It should however still find some fans around Europe. | |
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Armenia | Face the Shadow – Genealogy | Score | |||||
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| This is a very mature song. Well produced and performed and with a lot of potential. The idea behind the band is great and the performers each very good. However I feel there may be some work to go on this song. The singers sound great individually and in harmony, but when moving from one singer to the next, their different singing voices seem to compete with one another rather than blend together. If they can better match the solo parts so that the voices have more cohesion, then this could do very well. | |
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Belgium | Rhythym Inside – Loïc Nottet | Score | |||||
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| This is one of those songs that you either love or you hate. It is a style of music I quite like from time to time, but unfortunately the first time I heard it I was left underwhelmed. It has grown on me to some extent however. It is an incredibly modern and professional song and very brave of Belgium to select an entry like this. It will all depend on the staging for them in my opinion. | |
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Netherlands | Walk Along – Trijntje Oosterhuis | Score | |||||
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| I can’t help but like this song. It is very well performed and has a feel good factor that makes you happy listening to it. It is missing the wow factor though. The song is quite repetative, so you expect it to build up to something special (maybe a spectacular key change or a change in tempo) but it doesn’t quite happen. It’s likeable and should get votes, but is it enough? | |
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Finland | Aina mun pitää – Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät | Score | |||||
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| This is a very difficult song to review. It is in a very specific genre and if you don’t like that style of music, you’re never going to like this song. It’s going to stand out, it’s going to cause discussions, and it probably will get votes. |  |
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Greece | One Last Breath – Maria Elena Kyriakou | Score | |||||
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| A beautiful ballad and very “Eurovision”. Greece continues to enter good quality entries. In a year with a lot of ballads, this one should stand out a bit as it really is meant for a big stage. It ticks a lot of boxes, and assuming a good staging and performance, should to very well indeed |  |
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Estonia | Goodbye to Yesterday – Elina Born & Stig Rästa | Score | |||||
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| A very contemporary entry (with a retro feel) very reminicent of The Common Linnets last year. The artists have great voices and the simple staging in the national final should work well to gian votes from both the Jury and the Public. Although not one of my personal favourites, I think it will score well | |
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FYR Macedonia | Autumn Leaves – Daniel Kajmakoski | Score | |||||
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| FYR Macedonia is usually one of my favourite entries every year, however I really wish they hadn’t decided to enter the song in English. The original was one of my favourites of the year. In English, I feel it gets a little lost among the other entries. It’s very pleasant to listen to, and is still a good song, but will it get the votes? |  |
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Australia | Tonight Again – Guy Sebastian | Score | |||||
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| A very good quality song from a great singer. It’s very contemporary and something you are likely to sing along to on the radio. In my opinion, this R&B style song could be difficult to stage though. A great song also needs a great performance to get the votes. Will Australia be able to pull off a great stage performance with this entry though? I think it is likely to do better with the Juries than the televoters, but given this wildcard entry is a first, who knows what will happen? | |
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France | N’oubliez pas – Lisa Angell | Score | |||||
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| Everything you expect from a French power ballad. A very sophisticated song and performance with the potential for fantastic staging. With the right position in the final, it could do very well – particularly with the Juries | |
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The running order for the two semi-finals of the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest was made today. The producers of the show decided the order of the songs –
SEMI-FINAL 1 – 19 May 2015
SEMI-FINAL 2 – 21 May 2015
In semi-final 1 – Spain, France, Austria and Australia can vote. In semi-final 2 – United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Australia can vote.
Source: www.eurovision.tv
Fred and Liam have sent through all the action from the Final of Melodifestivalen and the After Party they attended. Our own heroes provide an opportunity for the rest of us to share in the excitement of the night and of Måns great win with “Heroes”.
1. Måns Zelmerlöw – Heroes (288p)
2. Jon Henrik Fjällgren – Jag är fri (Manne leam frijje) (139p)
3. Mariette – Don’t Stop Believing (102p)
4. Hasse Andersson – Guld och gröna skogar (78p)
5. Eric Saade – Sting (77p)
6. Linus Svenning – Forever Starts Today (59p)
7. Isa – Don’t Stop (56p)
8. Samir & Viktor – Groupie (49p)
9. Magnus Carlsson – Möt mig i Gamla stan (28p)
10. JTR – Building It Up (25p)
11. Jessica Andersson – Can’t Hurt Me Now (23p)
12. Dinah Nah – Make Me (La La La) (22p)
from SVT.se