Here are the first of the Good luck Messages, starting with Semi 1.
Have a look at the messages to Finland and Greece
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc2czi-dgguizjDxZsonYSA
Category Archives: News
OGAE Rest of the World – New YouTube Channel
Hello Everyone
I would like to introduce OGAE Rest of the World’s new YouTube Channel. Between today and the 30th of April, we will be posting the Good Luck Messages that our Fans have made for the Artists who will be performing in Stockholm at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016.
Jason, Luc, and Ronny have worked extremely hard to get these all ready and I believe that this shows just how great we are as a club.
Show your support by watching and you’ll see what great group of fans we have here at OGAE Rest of the World.
I will be publishing the link to our YouTube Channel on the OGAE Rest of the World Facebook Page and the ESCcovers Website daily. Make sure you have a look at what new good luck message has been added.
UNITED KINGDOM SEND JOE & JAKE
Words by Sascha Stolp. Photos by Edward Till
On Friday, 26th February, the UK National Broadcaster, BBC, held the first UK national final for 6 years with Eurovision:You Decide at the O2 Forum Kentish Town. The show was hosted by Mel Giedroyc, a popular British television presenter and commentator for the UK broadcasts of the Semi-Finals of Eurovision. The contest consisted of 6 acts vying to represent the UK at the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest in May, and also included performances by last year’s Eurovision winner, Måns Zelmerlöw as well as the last UK winner in 1997, Katrina Leskanich performing her winning entry Love Shine A Light. Katrina was also part of the judging panel, along with Carrie Grant (part of 1983 UK Eurovision entry Sweet Dreams) and choreographer Jay Revell who will be working with the 2016 UK Eurovision act.
The 6 contests were Dulcima with their folk-inspired entry When You Go, Matthew James singing A Better Man, Darline bringing some country with Until Tomorrow, Karl William Lund and his entry Miracle, Bianca with her power ballad Shine a Little Light, and finally Joe & Jake with their entry You’re Not Alone.
Following all 6 performances, voting lines opened, with the winner chosen solely by public vote. The UK decided that Joe & Jake impressed them the most and will be their representatives at the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest.
Joe Woolford, 21 yo from Ruthin, Wales and Jake Shakeshaft, 20 yo from Stoke-on-Trent, met when they both took part of the 2015 series of The Voice UK.
Their song You’re Not Alone was written by Schwartz, Justin J Benson and S.Kanes.
See their winning performance below, as well as some other photos night. Good luck Joe & Jake!
IT’S FRANCESCA MICHIELIN FOR ITALY
Italy has announced their representative for the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest. Francesca Michielin was the runner up in the 2016 Sanremo Song Festival with her song Nessun grado di separazione and was announced as the Italian entrant for this year’s Eurovision when the winners of Sanremo 2016, the band Stadio, declined the chance to represent Italy.
Francesca is a 20-year old Italian Singer/songwriter who found fame after winning the Italian X-Factor in 2012. It is not yet been announced whether or not Francesca will entry Eurovision with her Sanremo entry or whether they will choose a new song.
Well done Francesca. See you in Stockholm.
AUSTRIA CHOOSES ZOË
Tonight (Friday 12th February 2016), the Austrian National Broadcaster, ORF, held their National Final to choose the 2016 Austrian entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Wer singt für Österreich? was hosted by Andi Knoll and Alice Tumler and saw 10 acts compete in the competition. The contest consisted of 2 rounds. In the first, scores from a public vote were combined with those of 3 judges, plus an additional press vote to choose the top 2 acts. These two chosen acts were Zoë, with her song “Loin d’ici”, and Elly V, with her song “I’ll Be Around (Bounce)”
After these two contestants went head to head in a speed vote with the winner chosen by public vote only. Austria decided their winner would be Zoë, a 19-year old singer/songwriter from Vienna. She is no stranger to Eurovision fans, having entered her song “Quel filou” in the Austrian selection for 2015 where she finished third.
Zoë will be hoping her French language entry “Loin d-‘ici” will repeat the success of Austria’s latest winner, Conchita in 2014.
Good Luck in Stockholm Zoë
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PngYUBK9enU
FIRST ARTIST OF ESC 2016 CHOSEN!
The Netherlands has declared the 2016 Eurovision season open today when the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS announced that they have chosen the artist internally to represent the Netherlands in Stockholm.
Douwe Bob, a 22 year old singer songwriter, is the first artist to be announced for the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest. In 2012, he won the talent show De beste singer-songwriter van Nederland (The best singer-songwriter in the Netherlands ) and has released 2 albums since then, including his latest album Pass It On which reached number 1 on the Dutch charts.
The actual song is still be be announced, but in the meantime, you can hear him in action dueting with the 2014 ESC entry for the Netherlands, Anouk.
CHIARA LIVE IN LONDON
Last night (Friday 24th July) the regular Eurofest party was held at the historic Royal Vauxhall Tavern in London. The special guest for this Eurofest was the wonderful Chiara from Malta.
©Photo by Edward Till
Chiara delighted the crowd, which consisted of not only her Eurovision fans but also a large number of Maltese fans, with a number of her most well known hits. She opened the night with the song she described as ‘her everything’, her 1998 Eurovision entry “The One That I Love” . This was followed by her 2005 Eurovision entry “Angel”.
She also performed a few other songs, such “It’s Raining Men”, “Forget Forgetting Me” and “Zarbun” as well as her 2009 Eurovision entry “What If We”.
The audience loved her, and it was clear that Chiara had a great time performing for the crowd. Chiara is certainly welcome in London whenever she wants to come back.
©Photo by Edward Till
SASCHA REVIEWS VIENNA…SEMI 2.2
In 1 week, we will have a new Eurovision winner and if you are a true Eurovision fan, you will already have a list of your favourites for this year. If you haven’t made up your mind yet, you can have a look at the videos of the songs (you can find them all here).
I’ve been 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.
Today is the final instalment, we’re looking at the second half of Semi-Final 2 (plus the last 2 songs already qualified for the Grand Final which I haven’t covered in the previous articles).
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Latvia | Aminata – Love Injected | Score | |||||
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| This is definitely one of Latvia’s best entries, although their are a number of fans who don’t seem to like it very much. I think that is because this is a performance song, best seen performed instead of listened to on a cd. Aminata has a very strong voice and should have no problem pulling this off on the night. I personally quite like it, however I do need to be in the right mood to listen to it. Could this be Latvia’s ticket to the final? |  |
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Azerbaijan | Elnur Huseynov – Hour of the wolf | Score | |||||
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| One of my absolute favourite songs this year. Azerbaijan always chooses the right song and their past stagings have been spectacular. If Elnur can pull off a flawless vocal along with attention grabbing staging, not only will they easily qualify for the final, but I think they have a very strong chance of their second win this year. |  |
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Iceland | Maria Olafs – Unbroken | Score | |||||
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| This song has grown on me more than any other in the contest. When I first heard it during their National Final, I wasn’t blown away. On listening to the final version on the cd however I think Iceland have changed it just enough to turn it into a very strong entry this year. Maria is very young though, so I am not sure if she can pull off the vocals live, but hopefully she will prove me wrong. I would love Iceland to finally win, but she has some strong competition. |  |
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Sweden | Måns Zelmerlöw – Heroes | Score | |||||
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| Sweden knows how to do Eurovision. This year they have entered a very strong pop song with spectacular staging. It is the type of entry that forces you to watch, even if it is not your style of music. Måns is a very good performer and should pull off a flawless performance. This will easily qualify for the final. I also think they will be very difficult to beat this year, so it may very well be Sweden’s 6th win. |  |
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Switzerland | Mélanie René – Time to Shine | Score | |||||
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| A great entry from Switzerland this year. Mélanie performs very well live and has a beautiful voice. Her position in the second semi-final might work in her favour, give a very different music style to both Sweden and Cyprus, but people watching at home may also be a bit distracted by the previous Swedish entrant as it is always difficult following one of the favourites. I wish Switzerland all the best though and hope they will qualify for the final because they certainly deserve to with this song. |  |
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Cyprus | John Karayiannis – One Thing I Should Have Done | Score | |||||
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| This is a lovely soft ballad sung by a very competent performer with a great voice. It is going to stand out in the show because it is surrounded by much bigger numbers, but will it be the kind of song to make people vote for it? Hopefully Cyprus will be able to provide some memorable staging though for the audience to really take notice. |  |
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Slovenia | Maraaya – Here for you | Score | |||||
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| I’ve loved this song since first hearing it at their national finals. It is different, quirky and enjoyable. Maraaya has a great personality of stage and I love the headphones which she never seems to be without. I really hope this will qualify (and am sure it will). | |
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Poland | In The Name Of Love | Score | |||||
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| When you first hear this song, it comes across as a great ballad and ticks a lot of boxes for Eurovision. However I feel that when you compare it to the other songs in the same genre, it doesn’t really stand out for me. I do sometimes forget who it is when the song comes on, which is not a great sign. I hope Poland pulls it off with some great staging, particularly as they are closing the show. The have come 11th in the semi’s so many times they do deserve to make it to the final. | |
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Germany | Ann Sophie – Black Smoke | Score | |||||
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| I’m not in love with this song and I don’t really know why. It is the kind of music I most tend to listen to, yet there is something about it that just doesn’t appeal to me. I think if maybe it was a softer song, with just a piano and gentler vocal it would make it more enjoyable to listen to. But Ann Sophie is a great performer (I have seen her perform the song live) and I am sure she will do Germany proud. |  |
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Italy | Il Volo – Grande Amore | Score | |||||
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| My favourite in the contest. Italy was the only entry that when I first heard it, caused a little shiver up my spine with excitement. I think the song is beautiful and it builds perfectly for a Eurovision winner. It has the soft and the dramatic. The performers are phenomenal themselves and should easily pull off a fantastic performer. Italy has been doing very well most years since they returned to the contest and I do think this could be their year. | |
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Look Who Appears in Austria’s Largest Newpaper
I have got hold of a copy of the Austrian National Newspaper, “Kronen Zeitung” and look who appeared in a feature they did on Eurovision this week. Roy was busy, but not too busy to stop for a quick photo opportunity to get some national coverage. Well done, Roy!
SASCHA REVIEWS VIENNA…SEMI 2.1
The rehearsals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 are scheduled to start in a matter of days and this year’s Eurovision artists are hard at work perfecting their performances for the live shows. 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’ve been 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.
Today in part 3, we’re looking at the first half of Semi-Final 2 (plus 1 of the songs already qualified for the Grand Final).
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Lithuania | Monika & Vaidas – This Time | Score | |||||
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| A very strong entry from Lithuania this year. “This Time” is a very traditional Eurovision duet but with a more contemporary twist to it. From the video, and other live performances I have seen of this song though, I don’t feel the chemistry between Monika and Vaidas is quite there though – probably because they were both solo artists who were forced together for the final. If they can get us to believe that they are a couple on the night, and look at each other a bit more while performing, this should do well. | |
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Ireland | Molly Sterling – Playing with Numbers | Score | |||||
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| Unfortunately I think this is another year Ireland is not going to do very well. Although it is a competent song with a good singer, in my opinion, it is lacking something to make it stand out. Molly has the voice to stand out on the night, however the song does not. And the fact that it is in the dreaded #2 spot in the semi, will already count against it. I doubt it will qualify for the final, but hopefully Ireland can pull some magic in the staging and performance to prove me wrong. |  |
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San Marino | Anita Simoncini & Michele Perniola – Chain of Lights | Score | |||||
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| I really want to like this song. It seems to have a lot going for it….performers from the Junior contest as well as a seasoned Eurovision composer in Ralph Siegel, and I probably do “like” it, but I definitely don’t love it and feel there is a lot of room for improvement. I find the heavy strings from the orchestra at the beginning distracting for what should be a gentle opening to the song, and feel Anita repeating Michele’s vocals in that whispered voice at about 2:25 into the song really unnecessary. But these are issues that can easily be fixed and hopefully the stage performance will come across a lot better. |  |
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Montenegro | Knez – Adio | Score | |||||
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| I am a big fan of the ethnic ballad, and no-one writes them quite like Željko Joksimović. This song has the great soft opening with the gradual build up to the wonderful key and tempo change. I love everything about it. I just wish it was Željko performing it again this year. What will work heavily in Montenegro’s favour is that no other country is doing anything this traditional and it should therefore stand out. I think that not only will this sail through to the final, but it will fare very well on the 23rd too. |  |
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Malta | Amber – Warrior | Score | |||||
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| This is a bit of a departure for Malta following their upbeat entries from the last few years. It is a good song and Amber sings it very well live. Is it distinct enough though? There are a lot of entries this year filling the same space and Malta is going to need to come up with something to make people take notice if they want their place in the final, although I think their position in the semi should work in their favour. | |
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Norway | Mørland & Debrah Scarlett – A Monster Like Me | Score | |||||
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| This song is the one that has slowly creeped up my favourites list and is now firmly perched in the top 5 or 6. The song seems to like it is too slow, yet it really keeps your interest going throughout. Add to that the perfect harmonising from the performers, despite having such contrasting voices. It is one of the few songs this year I look for when playing the cd in the car and I am nearing my destination. This will no doubt make it to the final, and with a good position on the night, should do extremely well. | |
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Portugal | Leonor Andrade – Há Um Mar Que Nos Separa | Score | |||||
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| When I first saw this performance I thought I was going to really enjoy it. It had a good start and I quite like Leonor’s look and voice. But the song is just missing something for me, although I don’t know what that something is. Hopefully the version given to us on the night will change a bit from this current version. Something with a little more variety in the performance. And Leonor will have to make sure she nails the key-change in her performance. |  |
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Czech Republic | Marta Jandová & Václav Noid Bárta – Hope never dies | Score | |||||
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| This is the kind of Eurovision duet that the Scandinavians have done so well for a number of years, but with a Czech influence from Václav’s gruff masculine vocals that Eastern Europe tends to prefer. They are excellent performers live and work very well together. I think this should go down well on the night with the right staging and performance. But it is a strong semi-final, so I simply cannot predict whether this will make it though. I hope so… | |
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Israel | Nadav Guedj – Golden Boy | Score | |||||
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| Israel regularly comes up with one of my favourites every year and this year is no exception. In a contest filled with slower ballad-style songs, Israel has sent something modern and upbeat. The switch from the slow ethnic ballad start to the song to the uptempo Bruno Mars style R&B with a Middle-Eastern flavour added in should really make people take notice. It should make it through to the semi’s without any problems. Despite only being 16, Nadav seems to be a very confident performer and I really look forward to the live performance. |  |
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Spain | Edurne – Amanecer | Score | |||||
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| Spain definitely won the award for the most anticipation thanks to the buildup from first announcing the performer as Edurne (who has been one of my favourite Spanish artists for years) to their slow leaks of studio clips and bits of information about the song and video. And they didn’t disappoint. Edurne will take to the stage singing a very confident power ballad. Amanecer means dusk, so expect at least one beautiful sunset to appear on the stage during their 3 minutes. Edurne is an extremely competent performer with an amazing voice, so I am sure she will do Spain proud on the night. | |
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