Tobson's Big ESC 2019 review, part 4

The invention of the semi-final in 2004 was long overdue and almost like a re-birth of the contest in many ways. All through the 1990's countries had been pushed out and forced to miss editions whenever they scored poorly.

Soon enough the ratings started to drop also in the most ESC-loving territories. Finland - always keen on a song contest throughout history - lost interest in a spectacular and dramatic way and the old interest has perhaps never really fully recovered.

Giving all the countries the chance to take part every year they wish to do so has been a very important step forward for the ESC. One of many radical decisions taken between 1997 and 2008.

If you want to read about the entries taking part in the first semi final you can do so in part one, part two and part three. This is the first bunch of songs from semi two.


01 ARMENIA
Srbuk / Walking Out

Although this is just a little contest for mere pop songs, sometimes you want to write A Very Meaningful Lyric about A Very Important Subject. Sometimes it works out nicely, sometimes it will just turn out to be flat, superficial and not very good at all. Female empowerment and toxic relationships are two subjects well worthy of exposure but these songwriters think the answers are simple. In Armenia, however, family is seen as most important and most cases of domestic abuse are swept under the rug. Not so easy to just walk out after all. Superficial lyrics aside, there is quite a good chorus in here and Srbuk turns out to be a vocal powerhouse towards the end.

Qualifier:
Yes. Armenia seldom loses out and vocalists as competent as this usually go down a storm with jurors and viewers alike.

My grade: 3/5


02 IRELAND
Sarah McTernan / 22

Ireland did so well last year and maybe that has inspired them to make braver choices when the RTÉ internal jury sits down to have their say. This is a breezy and radio-friendly little number and despite the aching heart there are few clouds in the sky here. Pleasant, likeable and competently performed. And yet we are light years away from the unbeatable Ireland of the 1990's.

Qualifier:
No. Unless this one turns out to be a real explosion on stage, this will be stranded on 12th place in the semi and remain the best non-qualifier of the year.

My grade: 3/5


03 MOLDOVA
Anna Odobescu / Stay

When Moldova is at their best, they send in hysterically catchy, amusing, energetic entries that leave nobody indifferent. Last year's master class of comedy performance and by far the most feelgood entry of the year is just one out of many examples. When Moldova is at their worst, they make use of some lukewarm dull-as-dishwater standard song written by international songwriters that got rejected everywhere else. Like this year.

Qualifier:
No. This is not disastrously bad in a way that would add some undeliberate entertainment. It is just mind-numbingly anonymous and square, desperately lacking any sort of personality or purpose.

My grade: 1/5


04 SWITZERLAND
Luca Hänni / She Got Me

If you look around the internet you will find a fair share of people willing to bet on Switzerland winning the whole shebang in Tel Aviv. Now wouldn't that be great? Switzerland last made it into the top three back in 1993 and has made it into the top ten only once since then. They surely would deserve a break. I'd let them win at once. Unfortunately I can't fully share the enthusiasm. A good song, but the likes of Malta and Cyprus are doing very much the same thing. And what about Luca himself, will he deliver on the scale that this song needs? Maybe he has it deep down inside but I'm not convinced just yet.

Qualifier:
Yes, absolutely. Even if a few other countries are stealing the Swiss thunder, this is fun and easy-going enough and truly deserves a spot in the final.

My grade: 3/5


05 LATVIA
Carousel / That Night

I can't help but wonder what Aminata is up to these days. Keeping herself busy, I suppose, leaving Latvia to fend for itself. It's not going very well. Even if the new Supernova national final format has resulted in better songs - more focused, more professional and with better performances - they are still not enough to convince the larger audiences. Just like last year, this is really pleasant and a gem designed to be enjoyed in your headphones during a walk but it will be anything but a points magnet.

Qualifier:
No. It will get a few polite points from here and there and remain the second best non-qualifier of the year.

My grade: 3/5


06 ROMANIA
Ester Peony / On A Sunday

Shock and horror ensued last year as Romania crashed out in the semi finals for the first time ever. Apparently this lead to a shake-up back home at the TVR offices and some major changes in ESC management. This year they took a real risk as they reduced viewer influence to a minimum and let an international panel bulldozer the favourite of the people. The eventual winner has a certain something and is not a bad song and yet... it doesn't feel like the sure fire success Team Romania would want at this point.

Qualifier:
Borderline. I lean towards a yes but only because this is Romania and they have a very strong record. Had this been Latvia it would have had 15th place written all over it.

My grade: 2/5


If you want to agree or disagree with me, please leave a comment or send me a tweet. All the preview clips can be seen here.

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Tobson's Big ESC 2018 review, part 2

There is always something to be unhappy about. The fans are in general not fond of the fact that the running order is sequenced by a producer instead of the result of a draw. They would want things to be more random.

However, as the songs were revealed for this year's contest it turned out the first semi seemed way stronger in most people's minds compared to the second semi. This was seen as deeply unfair. Maybe people would want the draw of the semis to be less... random.

This is just the way it happens. It should be no job of a producer to decide what is good and what is bad in order to create a balance between semis. We just have to live with it, I suppose. And these are the final nine songs of the first, stronger semi.

11. FYR MACEDONIA
Eye Cue / Lost And Found

An ambitious entry co-signed by one of the country's most prolific hitmakers - a daring mix of different styles and tempi and sounds all joined together in a three-minute experiment. Would deserve a spot in the final not least because of its sheer nerve and its bravery but that is not how it works.

Qualifier:
No. There are bit too many sudden turns in this entry and the televoters will lose interest before they realise what an interesting piece of music this is.

My grade: 3/5

12. CROATIA
Franka / Crazy

Croatia did pretty well since their comeback two years ago but still nowhere near living up to their potential. This year they internally selected a real pop starlet who revitalised her own career lately. Her entry falls into the popular "Could have been a Bond track"-category and this is a classy piece of craft. Only not engaging enough to break through.

Qualifier:
No. In the second semi it would have qualified but while the song sounds good - and Franka is a solid performer - it lacks that last piece of sparkle needed to turn it into a vote magnet.

My grade: 3/5

13. AUSTRIA
Cesár Sampson / Nobody But You

This one puzzles me as it is quite highly rated by fans. I tend to like Austria way more than most and defend their songs to the bitter end. All I see and hear this year is a decent but pretty anonymous attempt at gospel, performed by somebody who is not exactly burning through the screen.

Qualifier:
No. I don't think it will be enough when placed against a whole bunch of stronger contenders in this semi.

My grade: 1/5

14. GREECE
Yianna Terzi / Oneiro mou

I must applaud Greece for going back to their roots. I love the sound of this as well as the general atmosphere in this entry. Yianna has an enchanting voice and presence and the whole thing brings in an air of older traditional Greek pop that I loved in my youth. I should love this to bits and yet I am not blown away. I don't know what is missing but if I don't get blown away by this, how could I expect anyone else to be?

Qualifier:
Borderline. It will depend very much on the staging but I'm afraid this could turn out to be a flop in the voting.

My grade: 2/5

15. FINLAND
Saara Aalto / Monsters

Some of my initial doubts have blown away. Not all of them, mind you. I still fear some decisions taken concerning styling and choreography and I still doubt Saara's ability to keep her calm when it matters the most. However, this entry is very much helped by its spot in the running order.

Qualifier:
Yes. This is the right song at the right time. Catchy, contemporary and with the right sort of climax.

My grade: 4/5

16. ARMENIA
Sevak Khanagyan / Qami

Another piece of carefully written etno performed in the country's own language. Well sung and with a nice climax towards the end but still lacking something to make it dramatic enough. Having Greece coming so close before it could also be a really bad thing for the Armenians.

Qualifier:
Borderline. Probably yes - Armenia is good at making its way into the final - but it is far from sure. It would be pretty interesting if both Armenia and Azerbaijan would miss the final the same year. Is that when time breaks and the universe melts?

My grade: 2/5

17. SWITZERLAND
Zibbz / Stones

Switzerland never made a name for themselves as a European stronghold for rock music - maybe for a cause - but these siblings moved across the big blue water and made careers for themselves over there. They represent their own homeland with quite some gravity and energy. As a rock song, this is not half bad and far more engaging than any Swiss entry has been for many years.

Qualifier:
Borderline. Which is a good thing for Switzerland. On a good day, they could grab an 8th place and a spot in Saturday's line-up. But then they better not mess up live.

My grade: 3/5

18. IRELAND
Ryan O'Shaughnessy / Together

I saw the really cute video clip and fell headlong both for it and this melodic and uncomplicated little song. It was a nice gesture of the RTÉ to make a clip like this - it is not gay baiting when a straight performer decides to show an lgbt storyline in a clip, folks - and this is clearly the best Irish entry for year and years. And yet...

Qualifier:
Borderline. Probably no. In Lisbon, there will be no clip and everything comes down to how interesting you can make this look on stage. I would be very happy to be positively surprised here.

My grade: 4/5

19. CYPRUS
Eleni Foureira / Fuego

This is where my mixed emotions kick in. The final could definitely do with a commercial pop song like this, but doesn't it sound very much like a track Helena Paparizou would have left off her 2006 album or so? Slightly dated, slightly unsurprising. And how well can Eleni sell this on stage?

Qualifier:
Yes. The advantage of being the last song out will help. But we are hardly bound for Nicosia in 2019.

My grade: 3/5

Find part one of this review here.

Tobson's Big ESC 2017 Review, part 7

Today rehearsals began in Kyiv and I am rushing to get this series done. The whole idea of reviewing songs based on the preview clips is guessing all the things you don't know and try to put together a beautiful puzzle although at least half the pieces are missing or only exist in theory.

When the rehearsals begin for real, the game of guessing and hoping and expecting is through. Here goes with some more guessing and hoping as well as some more songs that are really difficult to predict.

09. IRELAND
Brendan Murray / Dying To Try

My biggest disappointment with this song was that Ireland - this nation of song - felt the need of getting a Swedish song instead of employing local songwriters. I'm slowly getting so fed up with every other song in the ESC being written by Swedes that I am slowly losing my wits and my mind but that's the subject for some other blog post some other time. At first I thought this sounded by a song written for but left out of Agnetha Fältskog's 2013 album, then I realised that's not such a bad thing after all.

Qualifier:
Yes. If boyband boy Brendan can manage all the higher notes, this should sail through to the final relatively easily.

My grade: 3/5



Brendan Murray / Dying To Try (Ireland 2017 preview)

10. SAN MARINO
Valentina Monetta & Jimmie Wilson / Spirit of the Night

Valentina competed three years in a row, then vowed to stay away from the ESC for a long, long time. We can now deduct that a long, long time equals two years for her. Long enough, I suppose. She joined forces with an American musical theatre actor and together they seem to be aiming at acting out their very personal idea of what goes on in night clubs these days. Maybe this is what clubbing is like in San Marino? There is some sort of 1980's vibe, vaguely reminiscent of "Flashdance", in here somewhere but in spite of a never-ending cavalcade of key changes my interest fades terribly quickly.

Qualifier:
Not a chance. Repetitive and only half a song. Or the sketch of a song.

My grade: 1/5



Valentina Monetta & Jimmie Wilson / Spirit of the Night (San Marino 2017 preview)

11. CROATIA
Jacques Houdek / My Friend

From one duet to another as dear Jacques from Croatia decided to step out on the big ESC stage and duet with himself. Part of him is a pop star, half of him is a local Pavarotti and when the two meet words fail me. The pompous song is crowned by equally pompous lyrics, with a fake Einstein quote as the cherry on top. Maybe it could have worked better had Jacques been at least a tiny bit likeable, but I find it very hard to warm to this. Where's the mute button?

Qualifier:
Borderline. Never underestimate the outright ridiculous as people will remember it and easily mistake it for being good. But if there was any justice...

My grade: 1/5



Jacques Houdek / My Friend (Croatia 2017 preview)

12. NORWAY
JOWST / Grab The Moment

Back to the order of the day with a piece of pretty contemporary pop, well grounded in current trends and far from unthinkable on a commercial radio station close to you. JOWST is perhaps a new Kygo in the making and this is above all a strong and most functioning verse. However, the whole song works a lot better when you only hear it. The stage presentation is a bit beige and anonymous and I am not sure anyone can afford that in a semi final as even and close as this one.

Qualifier:
Borderline but I'd say the risk is really big that Norway makes another early exit. The song is clearly better than that but then JOWST & Co need to step up their game a bit.

My grade: 3/5



JOWST / Grab The Moment (Norway 2017 preview)

13. SWITZERLAND
Timebelle / Apollo

Switzerland has had a bit of a bumpy ride lately and has ended last in their semi for the last two years. Maybe their songs were not the worst but in both cases they were anything but memorable and you can't blame neither juries nor Europe for not voting for them. This year they found a much better song - one that worked up a certain amount of fan following too - but the question is if they didn't fall into that same old trap again. While this is catchier and better sung, it still remains to be seen whether it is good and original enough to make anyone vote for it.

Qualifier:
I am afraid not. It is a good song, but still too polite to attract heaving scoring from anywhere. At least it shouldn't place last, if that's any kind of consolation.

My grade: 1/5



Timebelle / Apollo (Switzerland 2017 preview)

Semi 2: 07 Ireland / Sunlight

After two consecutive years getting stuck in the semi, RTÉ had had it and scrapped their national final. Good idea. If there is one national final that should have been scrapped years ago, it is the Irish one. Or at least it would need a serious reboot.

Instead of any reboot the Irish decided to internally select Nicky Byrne, former global pop star with Westlife as well as a prominent figure in RTÉ's own broadcasting. That came in handy.

The thing that really surprises me here is that the internally selected entry sounds remarkably much like the kind of song that would have won the Irish national final anyway. And then get stuck in the semi. Why didn't they use this opportunity to find something fresh and new and exciting instead of this really dated production?

Qualifier:
No. This one feels like a song destined to end in 12th place on a Thursday night.

My grade: 1/5



Nicky Byrne / Sunlight (Ireland 2016 preview clip)

Molly is Ireland's own Pernilla

Ireland's Molly Sterling didn't make it to the grand final of Eurovision which is a shame for a very pretty little song. Given how overwhelmed she seemed to be - both on stage and when interviewed in the green room - maybe it was all for the better.

Maybe she'll be happier to go home now, let the experience sink in and then keep on making music.

Regardless, her song reminds me of a very young Kate Bush sitting at her piano, singing something not violently different from The Man With The Child In His Eyes.

But it also reminds me of Finland's Pernilla Karlsson in Baku 2012. There is some sort of sisterhood between these two entries. Neither one made it to the final but both were a chance worth taking. And both will have their loyal fans for years to come, regardless of the result.



Pernilla - När jag blundar (Finland 2012)

Interview: Christer Björkman

I had absolutely no time for blogging today, which is weird considering the ESC kicks off with it's first semi tomorrow. But let me at least offer you something.

During the recording sessions of the Swedish preview shows in April, I had a chat with Christer Björkman - in charge of most things regarding Sweden's Eurovision entries.

That interview is online now and can be seen here at EILE Magazine. Enjoy!

Semi 2: 02 Ireland

I was around to see the Emerald Isle almost win this contest to death in the 1990's and have admittedly been a bit reluctant to liking their entries ever since. Childish, perhaps, but my initial gut reaction to Irish ballads have for many years always been highly negative.

I didn't think much of this year's entry either until I heard the studio version and saw the video clip and was totally blown away.

There is something deeply sincere and sensual about this song, how it is juvenile and mature at the same time, and something in Molly herself and her way of performing makes me think of a very young Kate Bush at her piano.

In short, I haven't loved an Irish Eurovision ballad this much since Niamh Kavanagh won in Millstreet twenty-two years ago. And it breaks my heart that I have absolutely no faith in it doing well.

In this endless stream of slow tempo songs - many of which admittedly pretty bland - the chances of Ireland standing out in many people's minds by the end of this semi are low indeed. Placing this warm and personable little song at the second spot stands out as the injustice of the year, at least in my mind.

Qualifier:
Borderline. Hopefully the jurors will appreciate all the qualities on offer here, but what are the chances? I sure hope Molly will be the hit she deserves to be, regardless of the final outcome.

Grade: 4/5



Molly Sterling - Playing With Numbers (Ireland 2015)

Suddenly it just happens...

There is a fair amount of mumbling going on among eurovision fans right now as the uniform opinion forming is that 2015 is shaping up to be the slowest and least convincing line-up since the mid-90's or so.

I do agree that there is an unfortunate amount of ballads piling up and whenever there are too many low-key entries in a row, it threatens to do damage to the dynamics of the show. For some reason it is easier to sit through five mediocre pop songs in a row than five mediocre ballads.

When one ballad gets selected after the other, it also clouds your judgment. As soon as you hear the next ballad chosen, you easily discard it right away just for not being uptempo.

Then suddenly, when you get one of these sings you already decided to think little of singled out in front of you, suddenly they can open up and reveal themselves as tiny masterpieces. The first one I had to reconsider a while ago was the pretty appealing pop entry from FYR Macedonia. And now I am about to apologise in public to Ireland's Molly Sterling.

When I watched the Irish final I kept asking myself how a nation of song can hark up such dull entries and when Molly came on as the last entrant my attention span had already ended.

Upon hearing the studio version today, I had to ask myself if it was still the same song. What made me yawn during the national final finally sounded like a young Kate Bush. Melodic, warm, pretty darn wonderful.

I'm still scarred by Ireland winning the contest to pieces in the 90's and haven't supported an Irish ballad since Niamh Kavanagh's "In Your Eyes" but now I just have to lie down flat and surrender.

Ireland - I think I love your entry. Just so you know.



Molly Sterling - Playing With Numbers (Ireland 2015)

Runner-up: Ireland 1990

It could be hard to believe, but Ireland's 1990 eurovision entry - ending in a tie for second place with France - was in fact a soft and humble ballad performed by a male singer. Shocker.

Jokes aside, playing it safe used to be Ireland's favourite game in the ESC and depressingly often they got away with songs that were pleasant but not much more than that.

This one has its moments. It's melodic and the piano man approach makes it feel pretty intimate. Liam Reilly has a pleasant voice and if you really want it to, the whole package could remind you a bit of Elton John.

Again the big problem is in the lyrics, possibly vaguely inspired by the big ongoing political changes of Europe at that time. More than anything this is a list of places worth a visit around the continent, like random Tripadvisor pages set to music.

Everytime it almost gets close to the listener, on the brink of containing real emotion, there is a new cascade of tired name-dropping of famous sights until nothing of it could possibly mean anything to anyone anymore.

A deserved 2nd place?
Compare this one to the fresh, attractive and tempestuous French entry it shared its runner-up position with. Does this one measure up? Not even close.



Liam Reilly - Somewhere In Europe (Ireland 1990)

Runner-up: Ireland 1997

As already stated when reviewing Ireland 1967, there has been an abundance of soft and inoffensive male ballads representing the emerald isle through the years.

How inoffensive can you be before that in itself turns offensive? How much pleasant can you take before it feels unpleasant? This very song has at least for me crossed some kind of line.

It's a song about a man who sees a beautiful woman at an airport. He wonders where she could be from. He knows he will never forget her. Now his entire life will have a sombre undercurrent and a bitter after taste since he knows this woman was the only one in the world that could have made him happy.

I'll repeat that: he sees her for a matter of seconds and knows nobody else can ever make him happy again. Not that he talked to her or anything but perhaps personality is overrated.

Just how trivial can any story get? Seriously? If it hadn't been for the dimwitted lyrics, it would only have been a seriously average ballad with some lovely strings. Now instead it is a fantastically annoying piece of drivel. With some lovely strings.

A deserved 2nd place?
No no no. One of the most pointless entries ever. Should have been in the bottom five and nowhere else.



Marc Roberts - Mysterious Woman (Ireland 1997)

Runner-up: Ireland 1967

Ireland made a relatively late debut at the Eurovision Song Contest and their 1967 entry was only their third participation. They had already proved popular with the juries, opting was simple and soft ballads, competently performed by male singers.

Sean Dunphy brought a deep and very pleasant voice that added quite a bit of personality to his ballad. So did the very nice orchestral arrangement with it's cute little piano bits.

It's all very nice and pleasant but a critical ear will still hear that beneath all the nice detail and the flawless vocal delivery, there isn't much excitement going on at all. A pretty standard ballad that in no way troubles or disturbs or leave any visible traces anywhere.

Ireland would make this something of their own thing at Eurovision: celebrating the simple and understated and scoring pretty well with songs that were clean-cut and pleasant but not particularly interesting.

A deserved 2nd place?
Let's see. The juries could have love bombed "L'amour est bleu". Or "Il doit faire beau là-bas". Or "Hablemos del amor". Or "Boum badaboum". Or "Anouschka". Instead they went for this one. A victory for the safe (and dull) ballad. Not what I would have wished for.



Sean Dunphy - If I Could Choose (Ireland 1967)

Runner-up: Ireland 1984

Sometimes it's a good thing to have a tiny break. Ireland decided to sit out in 1983 - apparently due to RTÉ feeling the need to save some money and cut some budgets - and came back in excellent form indeed.

Linda Martin - former lead singer of the band Chips - had gone solo and was given a dramatic pop song written by Johnny Logan, who had made a splash winning the 1980 ESC but whose career subsequently had gone more or less down the toilet.

Apparently he scribbled down this song in a matter of minutes while killing time at Heathrow, never regarding it as one of his better songs. I couldn't disagree more.

I'm intrigued by the inner monologue of this song. How the response to an old lover's sudden comeback is superficially happy and careless while old memories seem very hard to dismiss. It is easy to say that things are forgiven and forgotten, but are they really?

"I told him nothing's changed and I still feel the same." So she told him. It doesn't mean it's true. It makes me wonder what happens once they are reunited and the song ends. Will they be all smiles or will there be a tense drama à la Bergman? I love not knowing, I love that not everything is said in the open. It's a great little story.

Johnny Logan would famously get a second chance and even if there was no grand international career in store for him, he will always remain Eurovision royalty. In 1992, he and Linda Martin scored Ireland's fourth victory together with "Why Me?" - another really good, but possibly slightly less intriguing, song.

A deserved 2nd place?
Indeed. There were better songs in the running in 1984, but this one is certainly ahead of the Swedish winner in my list.



Linda Martin - Terminal 3 (Ireland 1984)

Semi 2: 09 Ireland

It took a while but after a couple of years Swedish entries started borrowing the sound of Abba at Eurovision. Maybe enough time has passed now for Ireland to start making use of the sounds of The Corrs and B*Witched?



Can-Linn feat Kasey Smith - Heartbeat (Ireland 2014)

At first I was just confused by the billing here. Where are Can-Linn? Who are they? The only person to be seen or heard in this preview clip is Kasey Smith. Why isn't this considered a solo act? Or at least Kasey Smith feat Can-Linn?

Once I looked past that, I heard an energetic little pop number stuffed with as many Irish references as only possible. I doubt this song felt particularly Irish before the arranger was let loose, but the effect is nice if possibly slightly overloaded.

Unfortunately for the Irish, the chorus - which is the major selling point in this package - outstays its welcome rather soon and feels nagging rather than hooky. An OK song - not a bad one at all - that most will grow tired of far too soon.

Qualifier: Yes, I think so. The first impression is good enough to take it to the final, where it might meet a fate pretty similar to last year's Irish entry.

My grade: 2/5

2013 prediction: How wrong was I?

Yesterday I had a stab at predicting the outcome of the Eurovision final in Malmö and looking back on it now, I realise I wasn't completely wrong.

Out of 26 countries, 14 placed according to my prediction. Another five found themselves only one placing away from what I predicted. I can live with that. Then there were some spectacular miscalculations, of course.

FRANCE - I liked Amandine's raw and tempestuous performance, but this kind of song is hard to sell to a mainstream audience. I appreciate when people try to break out of the most common formats, but maybe there are limits as to how far you can go without putting people off.

FINLAND - Despite all the publicity and a very energetic appearance, Finland only scored a mere 13 points. None of which from its neighbour countries. Keeping the masses entertained does not automatically mean they will reward you with points.

GERMANY - I felt like I ruined the party for everyone yesterday not thinking Cascada had a chance of surpassing fourth place. In retrospect, my prediction was almost hysterically over-optimistic. Probably the miscalculation of the year.

GEORGIA - The G:son-penned love ballad failed to set the scoreboard on fire this time. While thinking the song and performance deserved more, I'm relieved the cheap trick didn't work out.

MALTA - I didn't think Gianluca would hit home the way he did but I was happy to be wrong. For a while, when he was not too far behind the top scorers, I secretly hoped for Malta to be the unexpected twist that would suddenly collect a bunch of twelvepointers and sail to victory.

IRELAND - I did get a bad feeling during Ryan's performance and thought to myself that this could be the one generic modern pop song too many for the audience, but I never in a million years thought this one would be left in last place. Completely undeserved.

DENMARK - Of course I saw the Danish song as a potential winner, but this is the second year that the biggest favourite wins by quite a comfortable margin. Also, the winner is a very typical safe old-school eurosong, and I would have hoped for the contest to have moved on a bit from that. It would have been so nice with a daring and more original winner. Like Netherlands, like Norway.

But all in all a great show with great songs and some really fine performances. Just possibly maybe I like the songs better than the final result, but you can't have it all, can you?

My Eurovision debut - seventeen years ago

May 18th is a very special date in my book - today seventeen years ago I made my first visit to Planet Eurovision as I sat in the audience at the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest. A real dream come true for my 20 year-old self.

I come from the countryside where no stars live and where no celebrities are ever to be seen. Tv shows were made somewhere else and something as grand and spectacular as the ESC always seemed so far, so unattainable.

Suddenly I found myself on the night train to Oslo and when I arrived, I felt like a fairytale hero who had been transported through time and space into another dimension. I got to talk to a fair share of participants, I got a couple of autographs and I got to help a friend make an interview with the adorable Maja Blagdan, being every inch as wonderful as I had hoped for her to be.



Maja Blagdan - Sveta ljubav (Croatia 1996)

I was so excited to finally be present in the hall and to meet other eurovision fans who could also sing along with the entries that I didn't even notice that 1996 was a vocally shaky edition of the contest where many participants underperformed and sang only moderately well.

I didn't get disappointed until the voting came to a close and Ireland had secured its fourth victory in five contests. I kept wishing for the stagnating contest to produce another one of those smash hit winning songs like in the old days and instead the juries settled for yet another set of violins and a flute.

I wouldn't have to wait for long to see the ESC make a major turnaround and re-invent itself, but regardless of the disappointing outcome the 1996 Eurovision remains one of my strongest memories. To finally realise that Planet Eurovision was no distant planet at all but a place you could visit, explore and make your own. I hope every real eurofan will have that opportunity at least once.



Eimear Quinn - The Voice (Ireland 1996)

No polite points for the host

Back in the day, there was this idea that the host country automatically recieved a bucket full of complimentary points regardless of what their entry sounded like. Politeness points.

I'm not so sure about that, honestly. Wouldn't the host countries win a whole lot more often, then? In the 57 contests to date, only six occasions saw the host entry win.

In some years, the home ground entries have not exactly been drowned in points. Like in Bergen in 1986, where Norway didn't really make a splash.



Ketil Stokkan - Romeo (Norway 1986) - 12th place of 20

When Ireland first organised Eurovision back in 1971 - and went colour just for the occasion - the panel of expert jurors showed no excessive politeness anyway.



Angela Farrell - One Day Love (Ireland 1971) - 11th place of 18

Latvia had a very promising start at Eurovision and hosted the 2003 ESC in Riga, where their own act were red hot favourites to secure them a second consecutive victory. Those predictions proved a bit on the positive side and in the end, the Latvians only recieved a modest five points, all awarded by neighbour Estonia.



F.L.Y - Hello From Mars (Latvia 2003) - 24th place of 26

Swedish eurovision general was - as you all know - a contestant at the 1992 ESC in Malmö and was the opposite of a hit with the juries. Maybe he sees this year's event - hosted in his city of defeat - as a revenge for the second last place he got back then? Hopefully the 2013 Swedish entrant Robin Stjernberg will have more understanding from Europe this time around.



Christer Björkman - Imorgon är en annan dag (Sweden 1992) - 22nd place of 23

At least he should avoid the fate of the 1958 Dutch entry - the only time in history that the host country ended in the very last place.



Corry Brokken - Heel de wereld (Netherlands 1958) - Equal 9th place of 10

Semi 1: eight out of ten is not bad

After a stylish first semi final with no visible hiccups (not any I could detect anyway) we stand here with the first ten qualifiers of the year.

Estonia, Denmark, Russia, Ukraine, Netherlands, Lithuania, Belarus, Moldova, Ireland and Belgium.

When I predicted the results earlier today, I got eight right out of ten. That's pretty good. I finally ticked the boxes of Croatia and Serbia, who failed to convince the audience in the end. I don't miss them an awful lot, but I feel sorry for Croatia losing out on four consecutive occasions.

But the two finalists I had not foreseen, then? What can I say? 

I take pride in not having predicted Belarus. Not only do I find the song weak and cheesy, I also thought the performance was strained and forced and anything but charming. Everyone else must have seen something that was invisible to me.

Lithuania has made a nasty habit of failing when I like them and qualifying when I think they deserve to fail. I'm not going to cry "diaspora vote" until I see the complete scores from tonight's voting, but it's surprising that a performance as flat as this one could make the final cut.

On the other hand, I am really happy about Estonia and Belgium making it. They were my personal favourites tonight and I doubted that either one of them would enthuse the masses. Especially Roberto Bellarosa was so touching when he almost tore up his little plastic flag with pure happiness.

I also felt for the Dutch, since they were the last country to be announced. Of course. Had I worked for the EBU, I would have saved them for last as well. They have not been in a final since 2004, and extra tension is good for any old show.

Now it is time to recharge the batteries a bit and think about how to predict the second semi. Not at all sure who I'll settle for there. But I save that problem for later.

Semi 1: these are my ten qualifiers

I don't really know why this is, but every year when you are supposed to predict the results you get hit by a surreal feeling of seriousness. But its just a game, isn't it? My guess is as good as yours, et cetera?

Well, there is still some sort of pressure. I wouldn't want to stand there with only four correct countries in the end when everyone else predicted everything right.

So here are tonight's contenders and my final prediction as to who will make it and who won't.

1. AUSTRIA Shine / Natália Kelly
I always thought this would be a very good opening number for the semi final. Perhaps it still is, but it comes at the cost of being eclipsed by everything that comes after it. The song is pleasant and Natália does nothing wrong, but the audience is highly unlikely of remembering this particularly well when the phone lines open.
Qualifier: No.

2. ESTONIA Et uus saaks alguse / Birgit Õigemeel
If this ballad and the Cypriot ballad could swap places in the running order, there would be no doubt in my mind that Birgit and Estonia would make it. This is elegant, sober and very well performed. Not to mention my favourite ballad in this semi. I want to believe in this.
Qualifier: Yes

3. SLOVENIA Straight Into Love / Hannah
Modern, slick and club friendly - but for some reason these qualities seem to matter very little when people cast their votes. Even if Hannah hits all the notes correctly, this is not the kind of song that usually breaks through and a qualification would be a great surprise.
Qualifier: No

4. CROATIA Mižerija / Klapa s mora
Many will find this dull and old-fashioned but a large section of the audience will also hear competent singing and a competent melody line. I'm pretty convinced that quite a few jury members will belong to that latter category.
Qualifier: Yes

5. DENMARK Only Teardrops / Emmelie de Forest
Will the biggest pre-contest make it through the semi? Of course it will. Denmark missing out at this early stage would be more drama than anyone could handle on a Tuesday night.
Qualifier: Yes

6. RUSSIA What If / Dina Garipova
A clean and plesant melody line, a good vocalist and tons of cheese in the lyrical department. Quite far from being one of my personal favourites, qualification is still pretty inevitable.
Qualifier: Yes

7. UKRAINE Gravity / Zlata Ognevich
All this talk of Zlata being carried by a giant and possibly overacting her performance in rehearsals made me worry a bit at first, but there is enough of brilliance and elegance in this song to make it sail safely into the final either way.
Qualifier: Yes

8. NETHERLANDS Birds / Anouk
Suddenly people started having doubts, thinking that the Dutch curse will continue and that Anouk will fail. That is not going to happen. This is the first really good and credible Dutch entry for more than ten years, it will get rewarded for that.
Qualifier: Yes

9. MONTENEGRO Igranka / Who See feat Nina Žižić
One week ago I predicted these party bunnies in the final but I think I changed my mind again. This is a big hit in several ex-yugoslav countries, but even if they shower them in points it won't be enough unless everyone else also fall for this. I would not mind if they did, but I don't see it happening.
Qualifier: No

10. LITHUANIA Something / Andrius Pojavis
I thought I would like this more when I just heard it and didn't have to see the confusing preview presentation. It didn't help, it just showed me how underproduced it is. How little bite or attitude there is. Lithuania surprised me by qualifying in 2011 and 2012. I don't think they will surprise me this time.
Qualifier: No

11. BELARUS Solayoh / Alyona Lanskaya
The more I hear this one, the more I think it sounds like a jingle from an ice cream commercial more than a pop hit. And I can't shake the feeling that it even leaves poor Alyona cold. I still can't see who would vote for this, especially not if they happen to sit in a jury room.
Qualifier: No

12. MOLDOVA O mie / Aliona Moon
I wasn't too sure about this ballad at first, but it kept growing and growing. Just like Aliona's dress is going to tonight. A good performance that also stays in the visual memory is never a bad idea in this contest, a trick that Moldova has mastered well in recent years.
Qualifier: Yes

13. IRELAND Only Love Survives / Ryan Dolan
The first uptempo song that is modern, dance-friendly as well as user-friendly and easily accessible, performed by a fresh and likeable young man accompanied by a healthy amount of drumming and dance beats. The Irish should have nothing to worry about.
Qualifier: Yes

14. CYPRUS An me thimase / Despina Olympiou
Elegance, temper and talent can take a weak song quite a long way. The televoting masses have short memory and in an unfair world Cyprus could win precious ballad votes and take Estonia's place in the final. If so, I promise to be happy for Despina, but her song doesn't quite deserve it.
Qualifier: No

15. BELGIUM Love Kills / Roberto Bellarosa
This is one of my biggest favourites in this semi final but it seems my sentiments are not mirrored by the people predicting the outcome in Malmö. I don't care - I think this chorus and Roberto's nervous intensity will break through to enough people.
Qualifier: Yes

16. SERBIA Ljubav je svuda / Moje 3
The Serbian trio rip and tear their little song to bits and the little hooks and ideas scattered around the chorus get a bit lost in this shoutfest. And yet I think this will make the final cut by looking and sounding familiar enough in combination with being the last country in the presentation. I would prefer Montenegro or Slovenia in the final, but I don't think I will have my way.
Qualifier: Yes

So these are my ten qualifiers tonight: Estonia, Croatia, Denmark, Russia, Ukraine, Netherlands, Moldova, Ireland, Belgium, Serbia.

If I get eight songs right, I will be content. Nine and I will be happy - unless the one I'm wrong about is Anouk. Ten right and I will celebrate until the second semi.

What do you think, folks?

ESC 2013: who is our winner, then?

Two weeks before the big eurovision final and right before the rehearsals start, I managed to finish my big review of the entries in their preview versions.

At some point somebody asked me in a comment who would get my full five-pointer out of these entries and the answer is that nobody got a rating of five.

No less than thirteen countries (one third of the line-up) got four points out of five possible, and for me that describes this year perfectly. It is a good year with many strong contenders but it lacks those complete standout, runaway victory-type of entries.

Which is arguably a good thing. With a bit of luck we could get a tight, nerve-wracking, intense voting sequence that will keep us in suspense up until the very last country has cast its votes. It has been ten years since we had a voting like that. It would be about time.

What about my thirteen four-pointers then? Well, they can be divided into a number of sub-categories:

Personal favourites

I don't really believe that Estonia, Greece, Hungary or Malta will have any real chance of winning the big final, they just happen to ignite something in me. Nobody would be happier than me if I was wrong but I don't think I am.

The potential surprises

I was there to see Marie N win the 2002 final. I remember the sound of everyone's jaws dropping as Riva won for Yugoslavia in 1989. Sometimes the unlikely will happen and then Finland, Belgium, Ireland or France could break through to the audience in an unexpected way and start collecting points aplenty.

The gourmet entries
Italy's song is perhaps too slow, Norway is too modern and has too sharp edges and the Netherlands sounds more like a classy film soundtrack than a eurovision winner. Don't forget that sometimes quality stands out and wins through despite not being tailor-made for this contest. Think Molitva. Think Yohanna.

The crowd-pleasers

Denmark is the biggest favourite to win and has a most easily accessible formula with its singalong chorus and tin whistle. Ukraine has a very engaging performer and always knows how to tweak the last little drop of entertainment out of their songs.

Conclusion?

Do I have to say something clever to sum this up now? Before any rehearsals have started or anything like that, I will just state that my dream winner - the one I think could be the best choice for the future of the contest - would be Norway, Netherlands or Italy. Sharp edges and hit potential for the win.

Ask me again in a week and I might have changed my mind completely. Bring on the rehearsals.

2013 Finalist: Spain

In this competition for popular music, Spain has surprisingly often chosen to let their own colours and folklore shine through - also this year's entry has a distinct taste of ethnic music.



ESDM - Contigo hasta el final (Spain 2013)

In the 90's, when Ireland had their win-athon and a set of bagpipes were a stronger weapon than any chorus in the world, Celtic flavours were often heard at Eurovision, often as a sort of gimmick or colourful decoration that possibly could make your song work.

These days, the Celtic sound only pops up occasionally and in this case it comes in a most genuine form as ESDM - El Sueño de Morfeu - come from northern Spain where the Celtic heritage is strong and most influential.

If we start in the positive end, I really like this band. The singer has a warm and sensual timbre that reminds me ever so slightly of my personal house gods Mecano, and this song has a good chorus including some good hooks and steady handles.

So why did they have to make things so complicated?

The long intro might be artistic and pleasant, but it takes forever until the song really starts. When it does, the group keep fiddling with the tempo and the intensity: suddenly it goes up, then it goes down and the listeners never stand a chance of knowing what kind of song this really is, where it wants to go, what it wants to say. After three minutes, this song is still a stranger.

The whole entry feels unfocused, diffuse and pretty hard to grasp. Which is a shame as the chorus - when the group gives it full gas and drowns it in Celtic pipes - is really rather good.

Potential winner:
No, far from it. Spain could find themselves struggling this year as I can't see who will instantly fall in love with this song and vote for it. A bad slot in the first half of the running order and all hope is lost. Unfair, but such is life.

My grade: 2/5

Apart from Mecano - which is a great compliment - this song makes me think of another eurosong with a Celtic flavour, quite a good chorus but a long tedious intro as well as a meek and uninspired verse that lost this group basically all their points in the final.

Will ESDM have a better fate in Malmö?



Dervish - They Can't Stop The Spring (Ireland 2007)