Category Archives: 2011
What I’ve Been Doing Today So Far…
You can see more details on my experiences here in Germany at http://www.esckaz.com/new/en , but I’ve been thrilled to do a handful of interviews today!
Eurovision Report: Day 0-1
I can’t even tell what day it is anymore, all I know is that it’s been a beautiful one…
I woke up at about 4am Minnesota time to watch the Royal Wedding, lusted after the Duchess of Cambridge’s dress for a few hours while I finished my packing, and shuffled off to MSP airport for my long journey to Düsseldorf. After thanking my lucky stars that I missed the tornadoes that have been plaguing the Southeastern part of the United States, I took off for Atlanta, and, eventually, Düsseldorf.
I normally sleep peacefully on flights (possibly because I have pilots in my family, so I’ve been airborne since I’ve been in utero), but I was way too wired to rest. I’ve been dreaming of attending a Eurovision for a few years now, and I’ve had my passage booked for months, but taking the approach into Düsseldorf, flying right over the arena where everything was actually going to be happening in two weeks’ time…it all became so very real.
I found my way to the airport’s Eurovision Welcome Stand and waited for my fellow OGAE Rest of the World members Roy and Juanita, as their flight from South Africa via Paris was scheduled to arrive only about 45 minutes after mine. About five minutes before they arrived, I was thrilled to come face to face with Anastasiya Vinnikova, this year’s Belarussian representative. Even at such an early hour, and having just endured an interminable line at Customs, she was incredibly sweet and cordial.
Roy, Juanita and I ran over to the Press Center (just in the shadow of the Düsseldorf Arena), where we picked up our press accreditation, and Roy and I got our “pigeonholes” (2023 and 2024!), and were promptly loaded up with bagfuls of promotional material ranging from maps and programs to hairspray and chocolate. Considering that we were already lugging our baggage around, we had to waddle to the U-Bahn and bus before we made it to our lovely little apartment in the residential Wittlaer district north of the city. Roy went out to meet a friend downtown, and Juanita and I explored the neighborhood, which was almost eerily quiet for a Saturday afternoon. After picking up some groceries for the apartment, the two of us made a quick bite to eat, had a nice chat, and promptly conked out at 5pm with the TV still on. A well deserved bit of shuteye…
More to come, of course!
New Videos from Norway and Finland
Norway’s Stella Mwangi has just released the preview video for “Haba Haba” and, as expected, the fun, bouncy atmosphere in the song carries over perfectly to the parade-meets-beach-party setting in the clip:
Also in Nordic Eurovision news, Finland’s Paradise Oskar has released a second video for “Da Da Dam” (granted, the first version wasn’t bad!).
New Videos from Serbia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom
Adding to the list of new videos for this year’s ESC competitors are new clips from Serbia, Sweden, and the UK.
Although Serbia’s Nina will be singing “Caroban” in Serbian, a new video has just popped up with her singing the English-language rendition, “Magical”. The swinging-60’s vibe remains vibrant and sweet, and Nina’s just cheek-pinchingly adorable! (Very Twiggy-meets-Edie-Sedgwick!)
Next up, Sweden’s Eric Saade has released an official preview video for “Popular”:
The lesson in this clip? All of life’s problems can be solved via a dance-off.
And finally (for now, at least), the United Kingdom’s representatives, Blue, have unveiled a new video for “I Can”:
It’s not a secret that I love this song, so having the boys release a second video was an unexpected treat! Furthermore, the BBC aired a special on Blue’s preparation for Düsseldorf, “Eurovision: Your Country Needs Blue“. With appearances by Cliff Richard, Lulu, and others, it’s a pretty cool peek into what goes into putting a Eurovision entry together.
Until next time!
New Videos from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Latvia (plus, new versions for France and Croatia!)
Over the past week, a number of new videos have been released for this year’s Eurovision hopefuls. Let’s have a look, shall we?
First up, Armenia has revealed the official clip for Emmy’s “Boom Boom”, featuring German-Armenian boxer Arthur Abraham:
Well, at least the Armenians are probably realizing just how kitschy their song is…having Emmy and her pals dance around in a ring, wearing bedazzled boxing gloves and randomly turning into comic book characters is a pretty decent sign that they’re taking “Boom Boom” with a grain of salt (and I, for one, could use a margarita after watching it. Oy…)
Next up, we’ve got Armenia’s cross-Caucasus neighbors (and perpetual rivals) Azerbaijan, who released a second clip for Eldar and Nigar’s “Running Scared”:
Compared to previous years’ entries from Baku, “Running Scared” is elegant, subtle, and sweet. The video is visually beautiful (not only because of the landscapes, but also for the copious shots of Eldar and Nigar!). I’m not quite sure why Azerbaijan insisted on recording a second video for “Running Scared”, as their first version was definitely not unpleasant, but considering the country’s penchant for Eurovision excess, they probably just figured that any money spent was money well spent.
We’ve also seen the premiere of Latvia’s “Angel in Disguise”, by pop duo Musiqq:
Another simple, straightforward song with an equally straightforward video. My only concern is that by putting the chorus’s lyrics right up on screen, the fact that Musiqq is singing in so-called “Eurovision English” is put front and center. It’s not grammatically perfect, and it becomes more noticeable when lyrics like “stare me with candy eyes” are repeatedly displayed. Marats and Emīls are definitely easy on the eyes, though, and “Angel in Disguise” is the only ESC entry this year where I actually like the random rap-break.
Croatia’s Daria Kinzer has just released translations of “Celebrate” in Russian, French, and German, bringing the number of versions released to this point up to six (including the original Croatian and the first English rendition, “Break a Leg”). I’m personally still waiting on Esperanto, Swahili and Hawaiian, but maybe that’s just me…
Finally, French tenor Amaury Vassili has recently re-released his second album “Canterò” with “Sognu” added to the track listing, as well as a new, English-language version of this year’s Eurovision entry, entitled “I Would Dream About Her“. I personally prefer the original Corsican version, but as Amaury will not be using this new translation on stage in Düsseldorf, it’s a bit of a moot point.
New Videos/Versions for Bulgaria, Russia, Slovenia, Poland, and Belarus
Over the past few days, a number of official videos have been released for some of this year’s entries (and we’re still expecting ones from Israel, the UK, Armenia, Sweden, and Azerbaijan). Plus, we’ve got new translations for a few entries! Let’s get right to it:
Starting off, Bulgaria’s Poli Genova released the official clip for “Na Inat (For Spite)”, and I must say that I’m really impressed!
This new video blends the anthemic pop-rock vibe of Poli’s National Final performance with the universal message of “we can change the world together” that is all-so-prevalent in Eurovision. Those who don’t understand Bulgarian (like me, for example) will be able to hone into Poli’s meaning pretty easily (if Miss Genova releasing a dove at the end doesn’t hammer it home, you might need your head checked).
Next, Russia’s Alexey Vorobyov (aka “Alex Sparrow”) released his video for “Get You”, although it looks to be a poor re-edit of the clip for his song “Bam Bam!“.
If you’re going to use clips from your previous singles for your Eurovision promo video, an artist had better make sure that it’s a convincing edit. The best example of this would have to be the Ukraine’s 2009 clip for “Be My Valentine“, which took pieces from Svetlana Loboda’s earlier songs “Ne Macho“, “Postoy, Muschina!“, and “Mishka“, with only little snippets of new footage. For “Get You”, however, the lip-syncing seems off, and (for lack of a better word), this just seems sleazy. Ok, Alex, we get it. You’re good looking, you likely have your pick of any woman in Russia, and you could probably kick the teeth out of someone who would get in your way. Good for you. Moving on…
Oh, Slovenia…you had such promise. I loved the original Slovene version of your entry “Vaniljia”, and even when it was translated into English, I could look past a few pronunciation errors and still appreciate Maja Keuc’s powerful vocals and dramatic flair. But the official video…
If the cast from “Mission: Impossible” and “Twilight” had a love child and let her run free in a Renaissance Festival, I imagine the result would look a lot like the clip for “No One”. Maja looks beautiful, as always, but this video just makes me just want to scratch my head and go “huh?”. If you remember my commentary on last year’s Macedonian video, the same sentiment goes for this clip.
The Polish delegation has just released the second English-language version of their song “Jestem“. After “First Class Ticket To Heaven” was panned by Eurovision fans worldwide (it was enough of a disaster that all versions of it have been removed from YouTube, in fact!), their second attempt, “Present“, is a significant improvement. The song will still be performed in Magdalena Tul’s native Polish, however.
Finally, the Belorussian team working with Anastasiya Vinnikova has just released a Belorussian-language version of their entry “I Love Belarus”, entitled “Мая Беларусь (My Belarus)“. (That might have set the record for the amount of times that the word “Belarus” has been written in a single sentence. I expect a statue in my honor to be built in Minsk by this time next week.) The song will still be performed in English. Whether that’s a good thing or not still remains to be seen.
More to come!
A New Version from Israel (plus, Couture!)
As anticipated, Israel has released a new version of Dana International’s self-penned entry for Eurovision, “Ding Dong”.
I was never fully sold on “Ding Dong” to begin with. It paled in comparison to “Diva” and the rest of Dana’s solid catalog of work. Unfortunately, this new version doesn’t inspire me to change my mind. It will most likely be a hit at the Euroclub, but I’m underwhelmed as I listen to it at home. It feels like the producer decided to throw every audio trick in the book at it, and it makes it feel somewhat dated.
On the bright side, though, Dana and the rest of the Israeli delegation has decided to put one major decision in the hands of her fans: her onstage ensemble. She has picked a series of off-the-runway designs from renowned couturier Jean Paul Gaultier, and the public is invited to choose their favorite. (The site is in Hebrew, but it’s still pretty intuitive. Just scroll down to see the eight options, and vote for the one that flips your switch! I was a fan of the green woven number, personally…) Fans might remember that Dana has worn Gaultier designs earlier in her Eurovison career; she famously delayed her victory reprise in 1998 as she changed into a fabulous feathered number:
No matter how the song turns out, Dana will definitely bring a great show to the ESC this year, and letting the audience determine a major factor in the performance just goes to show how much the fans matter to the artists that perform at Eurovision. Todah, Dana!
Maja Keuc’s "No One" presented for Slovenia
After a nice, long, dramatic pause, Slovenia has finally revealed the English version of Maja Keuc’s “Vanilija”, entitled “No One”. Maja unveiled the translation on the popular Slovenian program “Spet Doma”.
Musically, there are few, if any, changes in the arrangement from “Vanilija” to “No One”. Lyrically, however, there are some differences. While the original Slovene lyrics seem to have Maja dealing with her feelings of pain and jealousy over a straying lover, the English lyrics have more of an air of “I’m kicking your worthless ass to the curb, and you’ll be sorry!” I’m happy to see quite a few songs with this sense of empowerment (similar themes come up in the songs from Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Norway, among others).
Between the Slovene and English versions of the song, I personally preferred the original text. There are a few errors in pronunciation in the new version that could definitely be smoothed out, but it’s nothing too insurmountable. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a language nut, so whenever a song as beautiful as “Vanilija” switches to English, it tends to lose a bit of luster in my eyes. But in general, “No One” holds up to its predecessor’s standard, and as it’s not being performed right before or after another ballad in the Second Semifinal, it definitely has a strong chance of bringing Slovenia to the Finals for the first time since 2007.
Sam’s Unranked Rankings, 2011!
Ok, I fold. Some of my readers (I’m looking at you, Jack!) have been asking me for my personal ranking of this year’s Eurovision songs. Out of all of the articles I’ve written, this might be the toughest! I’ve been putting it off, hemming and hawing about how to organize my thoughts. It’s really quite difficult to chew up and spit out 43 songs from 43 nations, stretching from Iceland to Azerbaijan to Malta and back again. Complicating the venture even further is the knowledge that my opinions change as often as the weather (and in a Minnesota spring, that says quite a lot!); I can barely pick out an area rug for my apartment without second-guessing myself eleven thousand times.
So, in order to make my “ranking” somewhat easier (as well as to cover my ass when I invariably change my mind), I’ve decided to break the songs down into groups. With the songs in my “favorite” group, my absolute favorite can morph and change with my mood: if I’m feeling wistful and philosophical, it’s Dino. If I’m channeling my inner dramatic diva, I reach for Aurela. When I’m craving a night out at my favorite wine bar, curling up with a taste of Pinot Noir, I’ll queue up a little Gualazzi. And for those time when I want a full-on, hands-in-the-air, sing-into-my-hairbrush dance-fest, I turn on “What About My Dreams?” (and I hope nobody’s watching!). As an officially accredited journalist for this year’s Eurovision, I know that I’m going to have to choose a favorite when I eventually give my nomination for a Marcel Bezençon Press Award. I might just have to wait and see how the rehearsals hit me…
Anyway, after the jump, I’ll give you my own personal ranking/groupings, as of the night of Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011! (Ask me again on April 22nd, and you might see a completely different list…)
And remember…all songs are available here: Eurovision Song Contest – Düsseldorf 2011 Preview Player
Love It!!! (These songs are the ones that struck me immediately, and have continued to impress me the more I listen to them. The fact that some of them have either survived a translation unscathed or were even enhanced by the change impresses me even further. Hearing these songs played four times in a row wouldn’t phase me in the slightest. Furthermore, these songs have inspired me to investigate these artists’ earlier work, as I’ve done with Tose Proeski, Mor ve Ötesi, Ani Lorak, and Malcolm Lincoln.):
Albania: Aurela Gaçe – “Feel the Passion”
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Dino Merlin – “Love In Rewind”
Hungary: Kati Wolf – “What About My Dreams?”
Italy: Raphael Gualazzi – “Madness of Love”
The Netherlands: 3Js – “Never Alone”
United Kingdom: Blue – “I Can”
Really Like It! (These songs hit my eardrum really well, but not quite as well as the tunes listed above. I’ll listen to them happily, but maybe just once at a time…):
Bulgaria: Poli Genova – “Na Inat”
France: Amaury Vassili – “Sognu”
Georgia: Eldrine – “One More Day”
Germany: Lena – “Taken By a Stranger”
Iceland: Sigurjón’s Friends – “Coming Home” (This one happens to be my Mom’s favorite!)
Moldova: Zdob şi Zdub – “So Lucky”
Poland: Magdalena Tul – “Jestem”
Serbia: Nina – “Čaroban”
Slovenia: Maja Keuc – “Vaniljia” (The English version hasn’t been released yet, so I’m judging this by the original Slovenian.)
Not Bad! (These songs are either enjoyable, but not as memorable OR they’re the songs that I hate to admit that are growing on me.):
Azerbaijan: Ell and Nikki – “Running Scared”
Belgium: Witloof Bay – “With Love Baby”
Cyprus: Christos Mylordos – “San Aggelos S’Agapisa”
Denmark: A Friend in London – “New Tomorrow”
Estonia: Getter Jaani – “Rockefeller Street”
Ireland: Jedward – “Lipstick” (It’s a total guilty pleasure…like eating a big plate of cheese fries. I really enjoy it when I’m in the moment, but I feel somewhat guilty about it afterwards!)
Portugal: Homens da Luta – “A Luta É Alegria”
Spain: Lucía Pérez – “Que Me Quiten Lo Bailao”
Switzerland: Anna Rossinelli – “In Love for a While”
Turkey: Yüksek Sadakat – “Live it Up”
So-So (I don’t actively dislike these songs, but they leave me feeling somewhat unenthusiastic.)
Austria: Nadine Beiler – “The Secret is Love”
Finland: Paradise Oskar – “Da Da Dam”
Greece: Loukas Giorkas feat. Stereo Mike – “Watch My Dance”
Israel: Dana International – “Ding Dong”
Latvia: Musiqq – “Angel in Disguise”
Malta: Glen Vella – “One Life”
Norway: Stella Mwangi – “Haba Haba”
Romania: Hotel FM – “Change”
San Marino: Senit – “Stand By”
Slovakia: TWiiNS – “I’m Still Alive”
Ukraine: Mika Newton – “Angels”
Not For Me (I dislike these songs, but I don’t find them ear-rippingly terrible.):
Croatia: Daria Kinzer – “Celebrate”
Russia: Alexey Vorobyov – “Get You”
Sweden: Eric Saade – “Popular”
Umm…No. (Need I Say More?):
Armenia: Emmy – “Boom Boom”
Belarus: Anastasia Vinnikova – “I Love Belarus”
Lithuania: Evelina Sašenko – “C’est Ma Vie”
(FYR) Macedonia: Vlatko Ilievski – “Rusinka”
The ESC Insider 
Just to tide us over…Eurovision, By The Numbers!
Mar 30
Posted by Samantha Ross
Here we are, a month or so before delegations, journalists, and fans alike all descend on Düsseldorf, awaiting the spectacle that we’ve been fantasizing about since Lena took the Eurovision crown in Oslo last year. This month, however, is generally seen as “the calm before the storm”. All of the songs have been released, and while an occasional promotional video or tour might pop up here and there, and bookies might argue amongst themselves over who will win, there’s really not a lot of major news that arises between the unveiling of the final song and the start of rehearsals.
So, what’s an ESC blogger with too much time on her hands going to do? (The same thing she does every night, Pinky…tries to take over the world!)
No…wait. That’s not it. Tempting as it might be, I have no plans for world domination. Yet. What I will do, however, is crunch some numbers and try to come up with some interesting bits of trivia for you all!
– As we all know, we’ve got 43 nations competing against each other this year. Out of those 43, twenty-two have previously won the competition at some point. The nations that have competed the longest without a victory are Portugal (44 songs since 1964, never cracking the Top 5), Malta (23 entries since 1971, with two runner-up placements), and Cyprus (28 entries since 1981, with three 5th-place finishes). The only nations to have taken a victory on their debut entry are Switzerland in 1956 (although this could be argued, as everybody was a debuting entrant that year, and “Refrain” was the second of two Swiss songs presented that night), and Serbia in 2007 (which could also be argued, as Serbia had performed in conjunction with Montenegro in the past). Other nations to have recently won an ESC title while in their Eurovision infancy were Ukraine (winning on their second attempt in 2004) and Latvia (with a victory on their third try, in 2002).
– Out of the 43 competing nations, 10 debuted during the 1950s, 5 in the 1960s, 4 in the 1970s, 2 in the 1980s, 11 in the 1990s, and 11 in the 2000s. Ten nations entered for the first time between 1993 and 1994 alone!
– The next nation to debut will most likely be Liechtenstein, as they finally established their own broadcaster in 2008, and have applied for EBU membership. Lebanon has also flirted with the idea of entering the ESC, but we haven’t heard much from TéléLiban since their failed 2005 attempt to enter the contest. Radio Television of Kosovo has expressed an interest in competing, but as they are not fully accepted by the United Nations, the broadcaster hasn’t been officially enrolled in the EBU, voiding any chance of participation. Finally, Qatar has also expressed an interest in participating, but we will need to wait until next year to see if this comes to fruition.
– Other EBU-member nations that have not sent a song to Eurovision as of 2011 include Tunisia (who supposedly had tried to send a song to compete in 1977, but withdrew), Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, and the Vatican.
– There are six nations (not counting those that are defunct) that have participated in the ESC in the past, but have withdrawn for one reason or another. They are Luxembourg, Monaco, Morocco, Andorra, Montenegro, and the Czech Republic.
– The last time that Germany hosted Eurovison (1987, in Munich), only 20 nations took part. Out of those twenty, only two no longer participate (Yugoslavia, for obvious reasons, and Luxembourg). In 1987, however, 17 of today’s participating countries didn’t even exist in their current form! Between the division of the former Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia, plus the merging of East and West Germany, Europe’s borders have gone through a pretty significant overhaul.
– Over 50 languages and dialects have been represented on the Eurovision stage, including this year’s introduction of Swahili (in Norway’s “Haba Haba”). However, as many countries choose to sing in English over their native languages, this is becoming a rarer phenomenon. We have yet to hear Georgian, Azerbaijani, or Belorussian at a Eurovision, for example. (I’m also still holding out hope for an entry in Welsh, but it might be a long shot.) The languages heard at Eurovision with the fewest active speakers seem to be Romansh (spoken by about 35,000 people and sung by the Swiss in 1989), Võro (spoken by about 70,000 people and sung by Estonia in 2004). Three songs have been sung (at least partially) in imaginary languages: Belgium in 2003 and 2008, and the Netherlands in 2006.
I might add more to this list as other facts and figures strike me…feel free to add your own contributions in the comments!
Posted in 2011, Special Comment
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