The Lonely Birds

So, we’re almost there in regard to this year’s entries. Almost. We know all the performers that will take to the stage in Malmo even if we don’t have all the songs confirmed quite yet. And this year’s contest is shaping into a close, close race – with only 3 or 4 songs really standing out so far as ones that could take the “Glitter Ball” trophy.


So, this year’s not that stellar, in terms of the quality of entries, but come the traditional reading of the votes in the final and we may find ourselves lurching the length and breadth of Europe before we have a host country for 2014 which should make for an exciting show.

Host country Sweden, who has direct entry into the final in Malmo, created a first during their National Selection contest, Melodifestivalen, this year. Robin Stjernberg’s “You” initially had to find it's way out of the relegation final, Andra Chansen, to earn a spot in the actual final where the entry pipped the much favoured YOHIO’s “Heartbreak Hotel”, courtesy of an overwhelming majority in the judges voting, to win the chance to represent the home nation. The selection was the right one too - YOHIO's entry smacked of "novelty" whereas Robin's song is catchy, especially the “you-o-o-o-o-o-io-io-io”, and has some great dramatic moments - cue pyrotechnics.   Mr Stjernberg's challenge will be getting through the vocal gymnastics of the song on the night and the backing dancers are awful - ditch the peasant chic and replace with some glam please. Really solid entry and could see a Top 5 finish for Sweden especially as they’ll feature in the later half of the final. Is a repeat win on the cards? Don’t discount it – Robin’s already #1 on the Swedish singles charts with this entry and the song is charting in Denmark & Norway.

The Netherlands have been in the Eurovision wilderness for many, many years without a crumb trail to follow to find their way out. Victims of the “revolt against the West” it’s been a tough gig for the Dutch in recent years with no entries making it past the Semis but in sending Anouk, a superstar in her native Netherlands, they may just have discovered the dry loaf that can be used to start a trail back to "contest contenders". "Birds", Anouk’s entry, is a haunting ballad which will, again if given the correct staging, see her as a firm favourite for the title. Boding very well for Anouk is that she too is topping the charts in her native The Netherlands where the song actually entered the singles charts at #1. Good signs if The Netherlands could vote for themselves…doh! Still – list this as “one to watch”.

Returning to the contest this year is Armenia and they’ll be represented by the fabulously mono-browed Gor Sujyan with his entry “Lonely Planet”…um, yes the irony is not lost on me or any of my colleagues. At least he named his entry correctly not like the mistaken name given to our company by our founder from a misheard Joe Cocker lyric. This is not my “cup of tea” by any stretch. The vocals are strained and the song, although earnest, is clumsy. This meandering offering is turning into a bit of a bookie favourite and Armenia have a great track record in the competition so I’d expect this to qualify through to the final. If he gets a spot late in the final he could feature prominently toward the end of the night.

Drums – check! Disco lights – check! Big dance-chorus – check! Ireland are taking the competition seriously again. Phew! Young Ryan Dolan’s “Only Love Survives” is one of my favourite songs this year so far. It’ catchy dance pop and should have some excellent percussion staging (take note Ms de Forest). The Irish National selection had acts being mentored by “industry insiders” and producer Stuart O’Connor’s slick influence assists this entry. Ryan’s in Heat 1 and this entry will stand out due to its exuberance and should qualify for the final. Again, Ryan needs to watch his scratchy vocal.

And now to one of my perennial favourites…Estonia – who always put up a worthy entry for consideration. Ott Lepland was last year’s real breakout performer with his stunning rendition of “Kuula” and equally impressive trouser theatrics. The gorgeous Birgit Oigemeel will be taking another simple ballad “Et uss saaks alguse” or “So there could be a new beginning” into Semi #1 (the more competitive of the 2 Semis). Birgit’s flowing black hair would give Morticia Adams a run for her money and this simple song could find itself in the final very easily.

And I have not even touched on Azerbaijan’s answer to Saakis Rouvas or GB’s latest gamble by sending 80’s songbird Bonnie Tyler into the competition. So much more to come…

For the record – my top 3 remain – Denmark “Only Teardrops”, Norway “I Feed You My Love” and Ireland “Only Love Survives”.

I've got the "Glittery" Ticket!

Hats off Europe – many of you appear to be getting a lot of your National selections for the ‘Vis right this year. Recent National finals in Finland, Norway and Malta have thrown up some worthy entries that all deserve a crack at the Grand Final at the big event in Malmo.

“Where is my proposal?” squeaks Krista Siegfrids during the opening verse of “Marry Me”…well no dear there’s no proposal but there is a ticket to Malmo for you to perform your 80’s up-tempo ditty courtesy of the Finnish voting public. Uunden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK – it’s just easier) was run and won this weekend and it ended up being a tight race that came down to the public vote to decide who would get the “glittery” ticket. Personal favourite Diandra made it into the final 3 along with Siegfrids and Mikael Saari but it was the blonde in the wedding dress that took the bouquet. She’s perky, the songs cute (the chatty bippy chorus is a winner) and the performance will be classic Eurovision. If she substitutes the backing dancers for buff oiled shirtless men in tuxedos and cranks the wind machine to “cyclone” she’ll sail straight into the final.

The Norwegians too seem to have sent a very worthy entry to Malmo this year and one which should be immediately classed as a “dark horse”. Margaret Berger was an overwhelming first choice from the Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix this weekend with her bare yet compelling staging of “I Feed You My Love”. Referencing Bjork’s “Army of Me” this is one of the more serious entries we’ll see in Malmo but as soon as the strings kick in with the chorus there’s really no stopping your leg from tapping along. Norway have lucked into a strong spot late in Semi 2 and with some really dazzling lighting design as part of the bare staging we won’t need to put a knife to Ms Berger’s back and she should make it to the final.

And then finally one of Eurovision’s most endearing countries to have never won top prize…Malta. Kurt Calleja surprised everyone (not me – see earlier entries) to shuffle step his way into last year’s final and this year’s entry comes from another Maltese cutie…Gianluca Bezzina. It became a 2 horse race in Malta at last weekends National final  where it boiled down to Gianluca’s “Tomorrow” and Kevin Borg’s ballad “Needing You”. Interestingly Borg’s Scandi connections could have seen “Needing You” do very well in the competition but that will need to be filed under “we’ll never know”. It came down to the final round of voting to hand Ginaluca the “glittery” ticket to Malmo and guarantee that at least one Ukulele will appear on the Malmo stage. “Tomorrow” is a simple and bouncy little song and we know the Eurovision audience loves a simple ditty – see Tom Dice amongst others – and given a love for Malta in this competition a place in the final should not be discounted.

It'll End in Tears

With the national selections well under way across Europe, where nations are trying to decide who’ll get the chance to pack up their glitter bombs and oiled up backing dancers and get the opportunity to prance around on the Malmo stage for the Eurovision Song Contest in May, the next two months will prove a boon for Europop. As countries select and discard entrants, sometimes with little rhyme or reason, it’s often the songs that get left behind that actually go on to be successful (Dilba anyone?) and launch or resurrect some careers.


Iceland’s 2 semi-finals have been run and won, with former Icelandic representative Yohanna already finding herself on the scrapheap but the lovely Birgitta having survived her Semi and now with a chance to perform at the coming weekends Final (Feb 2/3). Finland have 4 finalists already, including Finnish Idol winner Diandra, with more to come. The Danes have selected their entrant in a glittering spectacle this past weekend. The Norwegians are up to Heat 3 in an attempt to assemble their finalists in the search for the perfect tune, Margaret Berger is the pick of the finalists so far, and the bench-mark for all National Selections Sweden’s Melodifestivalen kicks off next weekend with the 1st of 4 heats (and last year’s winner Loreen performed in Heat 1 in 2012…so we’ll watch carefully). Phew…and that’s only in Scandinavia!

The Danes certainly did it right. The Dansk Melodi Grand Prix collected only 10 songs for one stunning evening of energetic performances and cutting the chaff really proved for a successful show. Sultry Emmelie de Forest’s ‘Only Teardrops’ secured the Danish berth for Malmo. This song certainly will sit well with the Eurovision voters with an eccentric performance, a slightly ethnic mix of whistles/ recorders and some serious drumming action that cuts in at regular intervals but best of all is the mid-tempo "Oh My God' i'm singing it in my car chorus.   We're certain to see some pyrotechnics in the final staging and, given the Danes good track record in the competition, Emmelie has stamped herself as an early frontrunner.

But, it’s Kate Hall’s ‘I’m Not Alone’ which is a great example of a super pop ditty that’s got the potential to perform well on the charts but won’t grace the Eurovision stage. Hall’s performance borrowed a little form Loreen’s winning entry last year but with a big bonus of adding laser lights. Seriously, this girl had a costume reveal, serious smoke machine action and laser light show…think of the drinking games DENMARK!

With Malta, Iceland, Finland, Sweden and Norway all undertaking their national finals in the coming weeks it’s a good time to certainly trawl through the various heats, semis and finals to discover the gems that may not actually hit the stage in Malmo this May.

We're Going U U U U Uuup!

Top 5 Final Predictions

We'll be going to Stockholm, Belgrade or Rome in 2013...but it's anyone's race and it really comes down to where acts will perform in the final!   Could the favourite actually take the top prize?   I'd like to hope so...it's about time the contest returned to Sweden.

1. Sweden

2. Italy

3. Serbia

4. Russia

5. Denmark or Iceland

Inside the top 10 - France, Germany, Norway and Ireland with a rank outside chance to Romania and Cyprus


Semi Final 2 Predictions

Could this be the year that Georgia, Turkey and Israel all miss the final???

Donny's lost his way...



1. Serbia

2. Sweden

3. Ukraine (when Boobs attack)

4. Bosnia n Herzegovina

5. Norway

6. Slovakia (for the hair and the pecs)

7. Estonia

8. Lithuania (for the literal interpretation)

9. Malta (not realistic but I have my fingers crossed)

10. Slovenia

Excuse me...I've lost my hunky backing dancer(s)

Here are my picks for Semi 1

Anggun (France) - we'll have to wait till the final to see where they're taking her...

1. Iceland (best song in this Semi)

2. Greece

3. Albania

4. Romania

5. Cyprus

6. Denmark (potential Top 5)

7. Russia (likely runner up)

8. Ireland

9. Moldova

10. (hard pressed but I think it’ll go to) Israel or (if the audience loses their minds) Austria

Bad luck to Montenegro (really – 3 times going first in the first Semi is awfully bad luck but you sent an awful song so insert something about karma here).

Shame on San Marino for sending one of the worst songs to have been entered into the contest in the last 5 years…not a good way to return to the competition. Really a song about Facebook and Social Networking…urgh!

Missed opportunity for Latvia – former winners should know better than to send this kind of trite.

Snow Storms, Marching Bands and Y-Fronts

Now that I’ve delivered all the content for SBS Televisions forthcoming Eurovision ‘12 website (phew – I’ll let you know when it goes live!) it’s back to this year’s contenders…and it’s onto the girls.


As there’s over 21 female solo performers in this year’s competition I’ve extended this list to feature Top 10 ladies (as there’s some excellent entries which may fail to qualify due to the abundance of ladies on stage).

(Still from Anngun's Video for Echo (You and I)

10. Portugal – Filipa Sousa – “Vida Minha”

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Portuguese entries and this year’s Fado inspired entry is worth highlighting. Expect lots of hand grasps and the use of one powerful wind machine at one stage. IF there’s a costume reveal she’ll have achieved the trifecta. As Portugal’s qualification beyond the Semi-Final has been patchy in recent years Filipa Sousa will struggle to qualify but this is a great example of where Eurovision can highlight a unique musical styling of a particular slice of Europe.

9. Greece – Elftheria Elftheriou - “Aphrodisiac”

With Greece’s phenomenal track record in recent years I would expect this entry to qualify for the final – although it’s not the best track Greece have sent to the competition. It’s a decent enough pop song with the right amount of bouncing and hair flicks from the performer but sadly the song does not really go anywhere. She’ll be saved by stripping down her backing dancers to bare a bit of male flesh whilst she cavorts around the stage.

8. Ukraine – Gaitana - “Be My Guest”

Another formidable participant the Ukraine’s recent Eurovision history would suggest that this entry will sail through to the final. It’s an anthemic pop/ dance track performed by the very booby Gaitana. On the upside she’ll have the audience dancing around on the downside she’ll need to watch her vocals as her performance at the national selection was not the best and in a year which includes some incredible singers this could be the difference between a Top 10 or Top 20 finish.

7. Bosnia & Herzegovina – Maya Sar – “Korake Ti Znam”

There was a bit of early money on Maya Sar’s entry which is a soft jazzy piano driven number. Using last year’s 6th placed Dino Merlin’s band will also go a long way to helping her qualify for the final but she’ll be pushed to replicate Merlin’s result from last year. One of the big positives for Maya Sar is that she goes on stage 2nd to last in the second Semi and is the only female solo artist in the last 6 acts (the others are all male soloists). Staging will go a long way to securing a finals birth too – expect a stark, stripped back performance with few bells and whistles.

6. France – Anggun – “Echo (You and I)”

South East Asian superstar and French national Anggun is a terrific choice to represent France. Her ethno-Asia-pop is perfect for a competition such as Eurovision and let’s hope she adopts the same staging as she has in her videoclip. Military lads, wearing only their Y-Fronts, moving down conveyer belts is surely worth Douze Points from several countries. The whistling in the chorus is cute and catchy and this is yet another strong entry from France, in recent years, have taken their participation in this competition seriously.

5. Cyrpus – Ivi Adamou – “La La Love”

A perky little pop entry which is very on trend at the moment and the best thing that Cyprus have entered in the competition in years. Fresh faced 18 year old Ivi Adamou is no stranger to singing contests having been a contestant on Greece’s X Factor 2 (so expect 12 points from Greece to go Cyprus’ way) so she won’t be concerned about performing. She’s also fortunately performing directly after the worst song in the competition (entry from San Marino) in Semi Final 1 which will make her performance look award-winning.

4. Albania – Rona Nishliu – “Suus”

My favourite ballad in this year’s contest the Rona Nishliu’s vocals are going to blow the roof off the Crystal Hall in Baku. This is a powerful ballad drenched with pathos and a forlorn acceptance of love lost. The dreadlock beehived Rona Nishliu will make a very striking figure on stage and she’ll have the audience on their feet come the end of this entry. She’s in the weaker Semi (Semi Final 1) and given a good place in the Final she may see herself creeping up the leaderboard during the final.

3. Denmark – Soluna Samay – “Should’ve Known Better”

Now we get to potential Top 5 finishers. Soluna Samay’s little Indie Pop track is currently well regarded by bookies and experts alike. Dressed in Marching Band regalia Samay strums her guitar lamenting that she “Should’ve Known Better” in a cute English/Danish twang. Channelling a little bit of Jewel and a little bit of Natalie Imbruglia this entry should get a lot of “middle of the road” votes. Pretty song, pretty girl and should place pretty high in the final.

2. Italy – Nina Zilli – “L’Amore E’Femmina (Out of Love)”

Another serious contender for this year’s top prize – my guess is she’ll take the Silver medal. Zilli has emerged in recent weeks, with Serbia, as the two entries that could actually beat Sweden’s Loreen. Taking the best parts of Amy Winehouse and Lana Del Ray Zilli’s funky ditty will be well received on the night. The only disadvantage she’ll have is that she’ll only be performing once (in the final) and may find the momentum behind the Swedish, Serbian or Russian entries to much to overcome.

1. Sweden – Loreen – “Euphoria”

It’s going to be hard topple Loreen from taking the crown in Baku. Her brilliant dance infused entry is the highlight of this year’s competition. She’s kooky – her pseudo Karate dancing will have the audience mesmerised – and her vocals are fabulous. Only Denmark’s chorus gets close to beating the anthemic “up, up, up, up, up, uuuuup….Euphoria!” of this entry. Already charting well across Europe (and even available on iTunes as a single here in Oz) she’s got a massive career ahead of her and this will propel her onto the world stage. Stockholm in 2013 then.

Beware Babushki Bearing Gifts

In a year dominated by soloists the groups and duos will stand to benefit from a voting public and jury bored by ballad after ballad after ballad. There’s a decent enough crop of contenders within this category this year, and after the high placing’s for both Denmark and Georgia at last year’s competition, expect to see the a couple of these entries feature well up the leader-board at the end of this year’s country call in.

Unfortunately I’ve had to leave out the Belarusian boy band and the lisping brothers from Switzerland in my Top 5 groups or duos off to contest for the crown in Baku but here’s the best of the bunch…

5. Austria – Trackshittaz – “Woki Mit Deim Popo”

With lyrics like “Your Booty has Feelings” and “Your Booty has an Opinion” and even “Your Booty Says Something About You” the entry from Austria’s “tractor gangsta party rap” (no, I don’t know what that is either) duo will have the Azerbaijani’s looking at their rears in a whole new light. Ahhh – how many jokes about trumpeting butts will the commentators come up with on the night. This may just qualify as it’s ridiculous. Song itself is actually a bit crap (no pun intended).

Find out what you're Booty may be saying to you here...

4. Ireland – Jedward – Waterline

After coming in 8th at last year’s competition, with the high octane “Lipstick”, those Irish Ritalin requiring twin gnomes Jedward are back for another crack (sorry, this is not Austria) at the title. However, even with a songwriter who’s written for boy bands like The Wanted, the song’s just not as good as last year. That said, expect high hair, high jumps and dodgy vocals on the night. They’ll qualify, due to their huge popularity across Europe, but they had a better shot at winning with last year’s entry. The staging will need to be flash to give them any chance of beating their placing last year but there’s a lot more in this year’s competition for the voting public to get excited about. They’ll finish in the bottom (Austria again!) half of the final.

Caution: Irish ADHD twins ahead...

3. Romania – Mandinga – Zaleilah

Now it gets interesting…this is a 7 piece Romanian Cuban inspired entry and will stand out due to its unique blend of sounds. Sung in Romanian and in English this is a toe-tapper and will have the Crystal Hall in Baku swinging. Romania deserves a win and this could be one of those lurking dark horses that snare enough votes to rattle the standout entries from Sweden, Denmark and Russia. This is one of the few entries which won both the jury and public vote at its national final so it should qualify easily and may surprise by placing inside the Top 10 in the final.

2. Iceland – Greta Salome & Jonsi – Never Forget

Now here’s a dark dirge from the depths of Iceland that no-one’s going to forget on the night. Originally qualifying from Iceland’s national final in its native tongue composer, songwriter and performer Greta Salome has opted to take an English version to the competition. And it’s all the better for it. Greta and Jonsi are the competitions most attractive couple and look like they’ve stepped off of an H&M billboard. Expect lots of drama in the staging – wind machines, some floating materials and strings on-stage will be the bare minimum. Jonsi’s been here before, having already represented Iceland in the 2004 final, so when Greta cracks out the violin half way through this ditty he’ll be cracking some decent Abercrombie & Fitch style poses to accompany her fiddling. There’s nothing like this number in the competition and it will be remembered for, at least, it’s uniqueness. Iceland, criminally, have never taken home top prize and this year they’ll give the leaderboard another solid nudge and this could even go Top 5 dependent on where they perform in the final. I’m going to invest in some knitwear just in case we’ll be in Reykjavik next year.

Delve into the darkest depths of Iceland...

1. Russia - Buranovskiye Babushki – Party for Everybody

Beware a Babushki bearing gifts. Seriously, don’t take anything from them. This is a serious contender for the top prize this year. It’ll take a lot to beat Sweden’s Loreen but this group of 6 Russian grannies could just see us returning to Moscow in 2013. Having formed in 2008 the Buranovskiye Babushki, who’s eldest member is 77, have performed all over Europe covering songs from Queen and the Beatles and shared the stage with the likes of Jose Carreras. The song’s catchy, they’re as cute as kittens and they I’ve already shocked many when they took out former Eurovision winner Dima Bilan at their national final to win the chance to represent Russia in Baku. Block country voting aside, this entry will take home either Silver or Gold and it will probably come down to where Sweden and Russia perform in the final. If either country is drawn in the top quarter (with the UK’s Mr Humperdinck) that’ll be enough to relegate them to second – that’s how close it is this year.

Check Out the Go-Go Grannies...