Norway #6 - Cindy Zhang

On 15 February, Melodi Grand Prix comes to Trondheim Spektrum for the first time in the national final’s history for an eventful conclusion after 5 semi finals, each celebrating a region of Norway, hosted in H3 Arena outside Oslo. 

The show opened with KEiiNO’s Eurovision 2019 televotes winner, “Spirit in the Sky,” and the ten finalists were introduced as a part of the performance’s instrumental break. 

The Format (Or, How It Was Supposed to Work)
The finalists consist of five pre-selected entries chosen by a jury led by Stig Karlsen and five entries advanced through each of the semi finals. In the first round, the ten finalist songs will each perform once. Unlike past years, where the four entries that advance to the Gold Final are selected through 50% international jury voting and 50% televotes, this year’s selection will be done through 100% online voting. During the performances, the audience can also react to the songs by selecting one of three emojis, which will be displayed at the end of each performance. 

In the Gold Final, another round of online voting will determine the 2 songs advancing to the Gold Duel. Unlike past years (and unlike the semi finals this year), where the four songs in the Gold Final were divided into two pairs, the 2 songs with the highest online votes out of all 4 entries will advance. Each Gold Duel qualifier will then perform again before a final round of online voting will determine the winner. 

The Songs
I have to preface this by saying that with the extended format of the show this year, I didn’t have the time or energy to follow all five semi finals closely, although I did try my best to listen to the studio versions of most of the songs this year and follow the results. As such, I wouldn’t be offering any comments on how each performance changed from the semi final to the final. 

Raylee - Wild (Semi 1 Winner)The show goes off to an energetic start with this up tempo, high energy banger. It’s a solid performance from Raylee, though my one complaint would be that it maintains the same energy level throughout the song to its detriment, as it lacks the sense that it was building to a true climax. The ad libs and high notes towards the end of the song seem intended for a “climax,” but the insufficient power of Raylee’s vocals prevented them from coming off as such.

Didrik & Emil - Out of Air (Pre-qualified)The song itself is more or less the standard issue euro-ballad, but Didrik and Emil did their best to make it work with their mostly solid vocals (although they seemed to struggle a bit with the lower, softer notes in the verses) and charisma. 

Magnus Bokn - Over the Sea (Semi 4 Winner)This song was co-written with JOWST and Alexander Rybak, both of past Eurovision fame, and the latter’s involvement really showed with the violin intro. The violin gimmick aside though, it’s another average song elevated by a solid performance and the early 20th century dock worker aesthetic of the staging. 

Akuvi - Som du er (Pre-qualified)I always appreciate native language songs in Eurovision and the national finals. That said though, this isn’t really the type of music that I normally like at all. It’s a catchy song from a charismatic performer, and her vocals were fine but not powerful enough in key moments to achieve maximum impact. 

Kristin Husøy - Pray for Me (Semi 3 Winner)The monochrome opening immediately caught my interest. While the goal seemed to be soulful vocals, there’s a bit of nasality to her voice (not sure if it’s her techniques or just the accent when it comes to diction) that prevents it from hitting the mark completely. Still, it acquits itself well as a classy entry with a bit of an attitude and nice potentials. 

Rein Alexander - One Last Time (Semi 2 Winner)This has got to be one of my biggest guilty pleasures this Eurovision season. Its concept is very much Denmark 2018 meets Game of Thrones, and while it can be cheesy, it speaks to my inner music theater geek so well that I can’t help but to be fond of it. The vocals here are also impeccable. It’s one of those songs that would likely be annihilated by the juries were it to appear in Eurovision, but are just so much fun that you always, secretly or not so secretly, hope that there’s at least one of these in the show to keep things interesting. 

Tone Damli - Hurts Sometimes (Pre-qualified)First thought: too many pearls. I like the opening shots and how the backdrop opens to the audience behind her to break the illusion of the MV-like look in the first section, but the song itself is rather forgettable. 

Sondrey - Take My Time (Pre-qualified)Hello, Sweden 2017 - 2018, and all the sleek over-production from those songs and staging that I don’t miss. Sondrey is a capable performer with a great voice and charisma, but there’s so little of his character on that stage that I can’t help but to wish him better luck with a song that’s more him in a future year. 

Ulrikke Brandstorp - Attention (Pre-qualified)Another song co-written by a past Eurovision contestant (Kjetil Mørland), this seems like the clear fan favorite judging by the cheers in the arena. The staging is rather simple, and the dress Ulrikke wears is frankly a ghastly glitter nightmare, but her voice is more than enough to completely own the stage. 

Liza Vassilieva - I Am Gay (Semi 5)Maybe I’m too much of a cynical miser, but the lyrics of this song reeks of a calculated attempt to play to a certain audience, and the fact that according to reports, Liza herself isn’t even a part of the LGBT+ community certainly doesn’t help matters. It’s a catchy song and a fun performance to close the show though. 

The Results (Or How It Actually Went Down)
During the last two songs, signs of trouble began with the post-performance emojis disappearing. It turned out that 38 million emojis sent in by the viewers overwhelmed the server, and the voting system remained down for pretty much the duration of the time scheduled for the first round of voting. After the voting system appeared to come online, the finalists were invited back onto the stage where the presenters proceeded to announce the four winners going on to the Gold Final to the audience’s bafflement and audible booing in the arena. As it turned out, NRK decided to go with a backup jury vote (which was later revealed in a press release to be 30 preselected audience members that were supposed to be representative of the voting demographic) instead of risking overrunning the schedule by waiting to fix the problem and then reopening voting. 

Based on the replacement jury vote, the four winners are, in the order of announcement: Kristin Husøy, Ulrikke Brandstorp, Liza Vassilieva, and Raylee

After another round of voting buffered by interval acts including past MGP songs being sung by local Trondheimers, the two finalists going on to the Gold Duel are revealed to be Kristin Husøy with “Pray for Me” and Ulrikke Brandstorp with “Attention,” who each perform their songs again. Kristin Husøy’s voice cracks in a key moment before she recovers herself quite nicely for a otherwise solid performance. Ulrikke, however, seemed to be on another level, with her performance coming off as a winner’s victory lap more than merely one half of a final duel. 

After the performances, Norway votes again. For the final results announcement, past MGP and Eurovision stars are brought on to call out the votes for their home regions: KEiiNO’s Tom Hugo (Eurovision 2019) of Kristiansand for Southern Norway, Trondheim native Margaret Berger (Eurovision 2013) for Central Norway, Agente (Eurovision 2016) from Finnmark for Northern Norway, Bjørn Johan Muri (MGP Gold Finalist 2010) of Ålesund for Western Norway, and Åge Sten Nilsen (Eurovision 2007 as a part of Wig Wam and MGP 1998 and 2017) of Sarpsborg for Eastern Norway. 

And the results are, in order of announcement (Kristin Husøy : Ulrikke Brandstorp):

Southern Norway - 16756 : 19854

Central Norway - 51176 : 21770

Northern Norway - 19932 : 17152

Western Norway - 37107 : 38906

Eastern Norway - 69696 : 102663

Total - Kristin Husøy 194,667 vs Ulrikke Brandstorp 200.345

With a difference of less than 6,000 votes, Ulrikke takes it home and wins the ticket to Rotterdam in May!

Armenia - Mike Whalley

After a disastrous year off from Depi Evratesil (2019 was an internal selection instead and didn’t work out well for them!), Armenia is back with the contest. The 2020 edition is a one-time event (rather than a multi-round series) and features 12 songs to choose from.

This is my first Armenian qualifier, and I set the alarm for 4:55am Sydney time to watch on 1tv.am live! The whole thing is presented in Armenian - although all 12 songs are sung in English - so I’m feeling my way here!!

It’s a studio event with a tried and tested format - short video postcard and then each song.

Song 1 - Agop with ‘Butterflies’ is a strange little pop song with a dreadful little dance break in the middle of the song. Entirely one dimensional and the busy video wall and bubbles blowing around the all male gang of singer + dancers doesn’t help.

Straight into Song 2 - Karina Evn with Why?  - A shaved headed artist in a fabulous/dreadful basque/trouser set, her vocal is pretty weak but the song has a dance beat making it slightly more lively than Song 1.

Song 3 - Hayk Music - "What it is to be in love" - starting softly, this ballad is soft and gentle - solo singer on a stool in a white jacket - very sweet but entirely forgettable.

Song 4 - ERNA - "LIFE FACES" - A solo female artist dressed in yellow with pyrotechnics early on (always a bad sign!) Highly repetitive with no hook or big moments. Another poor option.

Song 5 - No Love by Eva Ride - starts dark, with a soft guitar solo, into a decent singer who can hold the tune. Slightly edgy pop song about pain and struggle - the most promise so far.

6 - Chains on you by Athena Manoukian - a Greek singer songwriter - much more interesting start, it’s the first to have a bit of an ‘armenian’ kick to it, whilst also trying to be - I don’t know - an RnB track from 2015? The vocal isn’t bad and with some production could probably be interesting, but there’s no climax or variance. She is ‘Eleni’- styled (yawn!)

Song 7 - It’s Your Turn Gabriel Jeeg - pop with a bit of a jazz feel - this is pure cruise ship singing. We even go into a bit of a Spanish holiday break at one point - dreadful, although he can sing.

Song 8 - Sergey & Nikolay Harutyunov - "Ha, Take a Step" - a father/son duo (I think) - son is trying to be most earnest but looking (and sounding) a bit stupid. Dad gets involved for the last minute of repetitive yearning, and I’m glad when it’s over. 

Song 9 - Miriam Baghdassarian with Run Away - the FABULOUS red dress and moody start hook me in. When we do eventually get to the chorus, it’s just ‘run away’ sung repetitively- albeit with a strong vocal. The chorus plays back well in the recap video so it may place well.

Song 10 - Vladimir Arzumanyan with What’s going on Mama - it’s a good job Vlad is vaguely pretty, cos he can’t sing.

Song 11 - ARTHUR ALEQ - "HEAVEN" - there is mention of Billie Eilish during the postcard. I’m interested! Then the song starts. Sadly, the Billie Eilish mention was a red herring...

Song 12 - Tokionine, Save Me - an upbeat poppy song which is well sung; probably the most cohesive as a track. The staging has Chingiz 2019 vibes. I’m expecting this to win (and after a quick glance on wiwibloggs during the video recaps, so does their poll).

Less than an hour all up! The next hour includes: 

 - a run down of all the voting rules, we’re off with 15 mins to vote. 

 - some dreadful footage from a child in a ridiculous dress at Junior Eurovision

 - the same child singing live in a slightly less stupid dress. To be fair, probably one of the best performances of the evening

 - an interview with last year’s contestant Srbuk, which lasts longer than her time at the contest. 

 - a well- produced live medley of songs by Iveta Mukuchyan (of Love Wave, 2016 Fame, Armenia’s 3rd best placing of their Eurovision history)

 - the 12 hopefuls singing Arcade live, which is the best any of them have sung all night - it’s actually super good. 

 - a video recap of all Armenian entries (I’d forgotten Aram in 2014, quite good!)  Love Wave really was their best I think. And Qami, my fave! 

Voting starts and I get confused, as there are three rounds of votes, not the usual two. Song 6 - Chains - wins all three rounds convincingly, totalling 168 points. 

I certainly don’t think Armenia should be bothering us in the finals after those performances - the winning song will get some Greek points of course, and she’s clearly styled herself on Eleni - although does anyone else feel like that’s getting a bit old now...? All in all a run-of-the-mill selection show which filled 2hr15mins more interestingly than sleeping on a Sunday morning!

Norway #5 - Djamel Adja

16 acts already competed for four places in the Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix final. Four acts representing the Northern Region will compete in the final heat for the last spot on February 15th final.

Duel 1

Jenny Jenssen – Mr- Hello

Mr. Hello, at a first listen, appears to be a pretty catchy song, taking us back to the '30s and '40s. While the entry could have been great representing Norway in the '80s, this year's Northern region Heat is beyond reach for Jenny Jenssen. Some might like it a lot, but that would not be me. What I do like however is the story about Jenny’s last Norwegian participation in 2007. She was a new mum, and her little baby girl was backstage with NRK’s program director as a babysitter! And that little baby girl was with her again tonight – as one of the dancers. Good performance, outdated song.

VS

Elin & The Woods – We Are As One

Elin was joined on stage by her producer Robin. They describe their music as ‘the electronic music of the indigenous’, and it fits them well. We Are As One includes the Sami sound, made famous by Keiino last year, but it is also inspired by Electronic music. This was one of my favorite songs of this year's Norwegian entries, and I do believe it could do very well in Eurovision. 

Winner: Elin & The Woods

Duel 2

Kevin Boine – Stem På Mæ (Vote for me)

Starting as a piano ballad, and transitions into Country, then to something more Folk-ish with pop, and rap influence. definitely an interesting mix, where he is asking for people to vote for him. While this entry can be seen as interesting, I felt like there was too much going on for us to focus on his message. I would not be voting for Kevin Boine.  

VS

Liza Vassilieva – I Am Gay

An LGBTQ woman coming out of the closet on  Norwegian television? Not quite. Liza Vassilieva is straight, but this song is written to show solidarity with the LGBT community. She described her song as a message for anyone to just be themselves and be free to say "I am Gay". It's happy and uptempo, with an extremely powerful chorus calling for all of us to join in singing "I AM GAY". It can be seen as Cheesy, and it is, but can also be quite enjoyable.

Winner: Liza Vassilieva

Duel 3

One spot in the MGP 2020 Final for two great acts. Elin & The Woods with "We Are One" vs. Liza Vassileva's "I am Gay". The Gold duel performance was very good. Even if I personally preferred Elin & The Woods, I was happy to see Liza win this last Heat. 

Winner: Liza Vassilieva

Estonia #1 - Ronny Addamo

Hello and welcome to Eesti Laul 2020, the first semi-final in the mechanism to select Estonia’s Eurovision entrant. Semi-final one of two takes place on Thursday 13Th February. The format of the show remains unchanged this year with the top four songs, voted by a jury and public televote 50/50 split. The fifth and sixth qualifiers of the night is decided by a second round of voting with the remaining seven songs, televote only. Ready to dive in, lets do it!

SONG ONE- Räsmus Randvee – Young

Rasmus gives a very enthusiastic and entertaining start to the night, but the walking through the dark crowd and subsequent heads interrupting the shot disengages the performance. Using the mic stand as a weapon is a nice touch. Overall a bit pitchy and a bit of a hodgepodge.

SONG TWO- Kruuv – Leelo

A great happy vibe kicks us into song two with stirrup wearing men in boxes. What’s not to love? Oh, they walk onto the impossibly dark second stage. Thankfully, someone found the light switch and a dancing girl in the audience. This was a lot of fun. 

SONG THREE – Stefan – By My Side

Are suits on sale this week in Estonia? A bit pitchy, and a lot too dark… again! Seriously is there a spotlight in the place at all? Rough on the soft notes and lush on the bigger notes. This was nice, though I expected more.

SONG FOUR – INGA – Right Time

Wow, that’s a real ‘pony’ tail! Yep, that’s as exciting as this performance gets. Amateur at best. Did I mention the very square hair?

SONG FIVE – Annett Kulbin & Fredi – Write About Me

A sparkly outfit for the sparkly jazz number. It’s very professional and well sung. It’s quite lovely really.

SONG SIX – Revals – Kirjutan romaani

Extremely attractive man does country Estonian style. How very! It’s well done but the great vocals merely put it just over forgettable.

SONG SEVEN – Renate – Videomäng

Funky nail art! Funky tune! It’s a little underwhelming vocally and comes across a little under rehearsed.

SONG EIGHT – Laura Põldvere – Break Me

Shadow play which looks odd rather than good. Laura looks a million dollars and easily has the biggest budget so far. However, I find the enunciation terrible and have always thought Laura’s vocals are a little nasal. Great stage presence though.

SONG NINE – Little Mess – Without A Reason

They look fantastic. Great ‘’whole package’ but the vocals aren’t always on point. Not this year girls, but please try again!

SONG TEN – Egert Milder – Georgia (On My Mind)

Hey! I found the Estonian John Mayer! It’s competent, and he has presence, but there’s no real wow about this

SONG ELEVEN – Jennifer Cohen – Ping Pong

It’s a quirky little number which works quite well…..  until that heinous chorus! Poor Jennifer seems to be having some major vocal issues.

SONG TWELVE – Synne Valdri & Väliharf – Majakad

The lady has been doing this schlager schtick for years and it shows. Teaming up with these guys was genius. And who doesn’t love an accordion stomper!  This was a whole lot of fun.

The first four qualifiers were Rasmus Randvee, Synne Valdri & valiharf, Anett & fredi, and Egert Milder.  The fifth and sixth qualifiers voted through by the public were Laura and Stefan. With the two big favourites Jaagup Tuisk and Uku Suviste performing in semi -final two it will be interesting to see how these qualifiers fare in the final.

That’s a wrap for me. Wayne will take the reigns for semi final two on Saturday 15th February. Thanks for reading

Lithuania #3 - Kieran Hegarty

Many of us never thought we’d see the day Lithuania’s national selection ended before the milk spoiled again. With this year’s “Pabandom iš naujo!” (Here we go again!), they’ve brought it down to the manageable 6 weeks regular Eurovision fans are used to with something like Melodifestivalen or A Dal (rest in peace), meaning we’re getting Lithuania’s entry very soon! While most of our eyes are on the 8 finalists, let’s take a look back and see who Lithuania left behind in Heat 1. We’ll skip past Meandi’s “Drip” and Monika Marija’s “If I Leave” for now, since they're in the final, and you’ve already heard about them if you’re keeping up.

Glossarium - Game Over

The show kicked off with an edgy rock song with a killer guitar. It certainly isn’t genre-defying, but if you’re a big fan of rock music, this is definitely the track for you.

Baltos Varnos - Namų dvasia

You’re not seeing double, this ethereal folk inspired ballad was performed by twin sisters. Traditional music styles are always welcome at Eurovision, especially with their unique voices and a build that pays off so well at the end of the track.

Justinas Lapatinskas - Highway Story

I have to give him credit, “Highway Story” sounds exactly like a long, uneventful highway journey. As a cheesy, mid-tempo serenade, it’s not at all offensive; unfortunately for Justinas, the 43 people in the entire country who cast him a televote couldn’t manage to bring it to the next round.

Aistay - Dangus man tu

For a low energy female pop track, Aistay certainly does her best to sell her song. The instrumental is varied enough on the transitions to keep parts of it interesting, but the song plateaus so often, it may not hold your attention for very long.

Petunija - Show Ya

The song is a mysterious combination of mild electronic elements in the verses and a sick electric guitar in the chorus, with a touch of Lithuanian pride sprinkled into the lyrics. If only she had the vocal ability to carry her own entry to the final.

Lukas Norkūnas - Atsiprašyk

Well, it certainly meets the requirements for a classic joke entry. A repetitive musical motif, spastic arm movements, unhinged falsetto and the eyeliner to match should be enough information for you to decide whether this song is for you without even hearing it.

Donata Virbilaitė - Made of Wax

Lyrically, “Made of Wax” outsells with its ability to stick to an entertaining theme that’s fun to watch her perform live. If she came in with something more distinctive than your run-of-the-mill double bass-heavy jazz track, it would have been a treat for both our eyes and our ears.

Andy Vaic - Why Why Why

The bass on the track is insanely catchy, and the electronic elements added as the song progresses make the instrumental one of the best of the night. The only aspect that might put you off is his voice cutting through the backing track like a knife to say the word “Why?” 47 times (yes, I counted) over the three minutes the song lasts.

Aika - Paradas

One of my personal favorites of the night, the guitar heavy track pop always manages to get me grooving when I’ve heard it since. It’s great to see such an expressive performer with such a well crafted track, although spinning around sweeping the floor with her outfit might have been what held her back with the voters.

Gabrielius Vagelis - Tave čia randu

Excited seeing Gabrielius’ name after his fantastic 2018 entry, “Tave čia randu” was the only track I listened to before the show. The combination of retro synths and guitar breaks with a modern foundation works great musically for a modern sounding mid-tempo pop track. However, I absolutely cannot ignore his trainwreck outfit and dance moves, I so desperately hoped he changed them both for the semifinal.

In the end, the qualifiers were Baltos Varnos, Petunija, Andy Vaic, Gabrielius Vagelis, and the previously mentioned Meandi and Monika Marija who we’ll see in the final. Thank you all for tuning in! The grand final is live on LRT on 15 February at 20:00 CET!

Iceland #1 - Tony Peter

Söngvakeppnin 2020 kicked off with the first semi-final being held on 8th February. Five songs/artists competed on the night with the Icelandic public being able to choose the top two that would qualify direct to the grand final. 

For the semi-finals all songs must be performed in Icelandic. Those making it to the grand final are then obligated to perform in the language that they wish to perform at Rotterdam.

The five songs and artists were:

Ævintýri – Kid Isak

Kid Isak has the look and feel of a Bruno Mars but the song doesn’t live up to his standards. A couple of dancers added during the half way mark merely highlight the Kid’s deficiencies. The performance doesn’t get out of first gear and feels like it should be in English.

Elta þig (Haunting) – Elísabet

It’s not Elísabet’s first time in Söngvakeppnin.  The song and performance are a complete yawn fest.  No light, no shade....nothing to keep your interest...nothing to keep you wanting more.

Augun þín (In Your Eyes) – Brynja Mary

One of the saddest costume reveals I have seen, which basically sets the tone for the song.  Not a fan of songs sung to a Casio keyboard...unless it is ‘The Cure’.  This is a saccharine number and no cute pantsuit or backup dancers are going to save it. 

Klukkan tifar (Meet Me Halfway) – Ísold og Helga (qualified)

Ísold and Helga are wearing some sparkly numbers that have been poorly fitted and sewn together.  They do the old staging trick of walking together, sing to each other, walk apart, sing to each other and then repeat. Simple and unimaginatively suitable for the song they are singing.

Almyrkvi – DIMMA (qualified)

If you’re looking for an Icelandic, 4 piece heavy rock / metal band that look menacing...you will not find it here.  This sad attempt at a heavy metal song entry for Eurovision ensures Lordi’s ongoing legacy of being the only heavy metal band to win the contest.

The second semi is on next week and it’s over to Ellise for some Oculis Videre love. 2 further songs/artists will be chosen and RÚV has the option to add a wildcard for a grand final of 5.

Italy - Fred, Alan, Rodrigo, Marcus & Edward

SANREMO NIGHT 1 – Review by Fred Medeiros

First we start off with the 4 performances of the newcomers which has been into two separate heats and the remains 4 artists performing tomorrow. 

NEWCOMERS HEAT 1

Eugenio - “Tsunami” (49.4%)

This hipster style alternative boy band has a very Eurovision feel with some interesting dance moves to pop. I quite like this, I could see this at Eurovision. 

Tecla - “8 Marzo” (50.6%)

This is a much more traditional Italian ballad performed by the young girl, Tecla.  What she lacks in experience she makes up for in vocals. Winning the first heat. I would of gone for Tsunami personally. 

NEWCOMERS HEAT 2

Fadi - “Due Noi” (46.0%)

Beanie topped guy singing a mid tempo ballad. Some weird emotional emphasis of parts of the chorus possibly trying to make it more dramatic than it was. 

Leo Gassmann - “Vai Bene Cosi” (54.0%)

Another mid tempo ballad by the curly top boy but this one has a better chorus. Real emotion comes across along with audience participation hand claps towards the end. Easily wins the second heat. 

BIG ARTISTS COMPETITION 

Tonight the songs are ranked by the specialist music fans to be added to the jury and televote in the final.

Irene Grandi - Finalmente 10 (4th place)

All black clad mature blonde female artist with a rock chick vibe. Feels a bit unnecessarily aggressive but she delivers it well.  

Marco Masini - “Il Confronto” (5th place)

More mature male pianist who sounds like he’s more speaking the lyrics than singing them. 

Rita Pavone - “Niente” (10th place)

Older blonde woman belting a shouty a dated 80s style mid tempo power ballad. Not convinced. 

Achille Lauro - “Me No Frego” (9th place)

A barefoot beach blonde emo covered in tattoos wearing an oversized black cloak singing a moody song about not caring. This screams Eurovision along with a costume change to a nude colored low-cut crystal-covered leotard. Shame his voices don’t live up to the stage presence. 

Diodato - “Fai Rumore” (3rd place)

Another all black clad artist this time with a trench coat. This guy is what I’d come to expect from an Italian selection moody-looking soft ballad with some good camera stares. 

Le Vibrazioni - “Dov’é” (1st place)

This group of guys look like serious rockets but actually delivered a descent mid tempo ballad along with sign language interpretation. 

Anastasio - “Rossio Di Rabbio” (8th place)

Italian rapper trying to deliver his message aggressively. Not for me. 

Elodie - “Andromeda” (2nd place)

Finally a song I really like!!! This was the most modern sounding song of the night with R&B and dance vibes delivered by a statuesque female who knows how to deliver. 

Bugo & Morgan - “Sincero” (12th place)

This is weird. Two mature guys with futuristic space age styling trying to deliver synth pop. Not sure how they got selected. 

Alberto Urso - “Il Sole Ad Est” (6th place)

Really emotionally delivered operatic style ballad. This guy can sing. 

Riki - “Lo Sappiamo Entrambi” (11th place)

I feel sorry for this guy. Clearly the youngest performer this evening with obvious nerves delivering an interesting ballad with a vocoding chorus not dissimilar to Cher’s “Believe.”

Raphael Gualazzi - “Carioca” (7th place)

This song sounds more Spanish than Italian but is pleasant. Unfortunately the artist looks like an Elton John tribute act. 

Demoscopic Jury Result – Night 1

1.    1. Le Vibrazioni – "Dov'è"

2.    2. Elodie – "Andromeda"

3.    3. Diodato – "Fai rumore"

4.    4. Irene Grandi – "Finalmente io"

5.    5. Marco Masini – "Il confronto"

6.    6. Alberto Urso – "Il sole ad est"

7.    7. Raphael Gualazzi – "Carioca"

8.    8. Anastasio – "Rosso di rabbia"

9.    9. Achille Lauro – "Me ne frego"

10. Rita Pavone – "Niente (Resilienza 74)"

11. Riki – "Lo sappiamo entrambi"

12. Bugo & Morgan – "Sincero"

SANREMO NIGHT 2 – Review by Alan Tubery

Sanremo 2020: 

For most of Italy, the Festival della canzone italians di Sanremo is a musical highlight of the year. For many there’s an awareness that it has something to do with Italy’s Eurovision entry. For others it is a show that is to too big, too complicated, and too impenetrable to understand; and following Melodifestivalen is a bit easer.

Since the early 2000 Sanremo has this special evening when artists in competition are performing massive Italian songs. Thursday is covers night! Each of the 24 acts paired up with a non-competing artist to duet on a cover of a Sanremo classic.  

Sanremo Is Not For Eurovision

It’s said every year but it is worth stating that Sanremo may help elect the artist and song for the Eurovision Song Contest, but Sanremo is not for Eurovision… it is for the Italian music industry, the the Italian media, and the Italian public. I’d argue it has a similar hold over Italy as Melodifestivalen has over Sweden, but Melodifestivalen feels like a comfortable ‘Little Eurovision’ in terms of format and staging, whereas Sanremo is a unique beast.

Covers and Duets

Alberto Urso with Ornella Vanoni – La voce del silenzio

(Tony Del Monaco – Dionne Warwick, 1968)  

Alberto is best known for winning the eighteenth edition of Amici de Maria De Filippi (They Will Be Famous) – the longest-running TV talent show in Italy. From then on, his stardom grew and he received a gold disc for his first studio album Solo.

"La voce del silenzio" is a 1968 song which premiered at Sanremo Music Festival with a double performance of Tony Del Monaco and Dionne Warwick, placing last but it ended up being a massive hit 

The song later was covered by numerous (and Eurovision) artists including Mina, Aphrodite's Child, Mia Martini, Loretta Goggi, Paul Mauriat), Orietta Berti, Patty Pravo, Massimo Ranieri, Ornella Vanoni, Alex Baroni, Rita Pavone (who is participating this year), Anna Oxa, Iva Zanicchi, Renato Zero, Riccardo Fogli, Andrea Bocelli, Il Volo, etc.

Anastasio – Spalle al muro 

(Renato Zero, 1991)

he is the favourite to win 

Marco Anastasio is a rapper and singer. He’s best known for winning the twelfth series of Italian X Factor in 2018 and topping the charts with his debut single “La Fine Del Mondo” (The End Of The World). 

“Spalle al muro” is a 1991 song from Renato Zero and from that moment on his career began to rise again. It finished 2nd.

Renato Zero has a career which spans a full six decades, from the 1960s to the 2010s, with 40 million records sold, one of the best-selling Italian music artists.

Elodie with Aeham Ahmad – Adesso tu 

(Eros Ramazzotti, 1986)

Elodie (Di Patrizi) is an Italian singer and model. She first came to prominence as the runner-up of the fifteenth season of the show Amici di Maria De Filippi.

"Adesso tu" is a 1986 Italian song composed from Eros Ramazzotti, and won the 36th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival. 

Ramazzotti is very successful and since 1984, He has released 11 studio albums, and sold over 60 million records His repertoire includes duets with artists such as Cher, Tina Turner, Andrea Bocelli, Patsy Kensit, Anastacia, Joe Cocker, Julio Iglesias, Luciano Pavarotti, Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger and Ricky Martin.

Francesco Gabbani – L’italiano 

(Toto Cutugno, 1983)

We don’t really need to introduce Francesco Gabbani! He won the Sanremo Music Festival 2017 with the song "Occidentali's Karma", and represented Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 finishing in 6th place.

And Toto Cutugno with "Insieme: 1992" was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1990.

"L'Italiano (Lasciatemi Cantare)" was sang by Toto Cutugno in 1983. It was his biggest international hit and is his best-known composition.

Marco Masini with Arisa – Vacanze romane 

(Matia Bazar, 1983)

Marco Masini, is a singer-songwriter and has been around since 1982with mixed success, same with Arisa who rose to fame after her participation in the Sanremo Festival 2009

Matia Bazar is an Italian pop band formed in Genoa in 1975. They represented Italy in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest with a song called Raggio di luna.

Their major hits were Solo tu (1978), Vacanze Romane (1982) and Ti Sento (1985), which peaked the charts in many countries. Vacanze Romane is one of my all time favourite song 

SANREMO NIGHT 3 – Review by Rodrigo Ezequiel Stoessel

In the year of Pop Ballads, 24 finalists of the Italian selection 70th San Remo Music Festival performed their original entries which have never been performed in public before. One of them will act in Rotterdam next May during the 65th edition of Eurovision.

During the marathon third live show called  " Sanremo 70 ", 24 artists of the "Campeoni" category sang covers of the most memorable songs that are part of the history of the Festival with guest artists. Then, they were put to the vote of musicians and singers of the Sanremo Music Festival Orchestra and this was the result:

01 • Tosca ft. Silvia Pérez Cruz* • "Piazza Grande" (Lucio Dalla - 1972)
02 • Piero Pelù • "Cuore matto" (Little Tony - 1967) 
03 • Pinguini Tattici Nucleari • Medley de "Papaveri e papere" (Nilla Pizzi - 1952), "Nessuno mi può giudicare" (Caterina Caselli - 1966), "Gianna" (Rino Gaetano - 1978), "Sarà perché ti amo" (Ricchi e Poveri - 1981), "Una musica può fare" (Max Gazzè - 1999), "Salirò" (Daniele Silvestri - 2002), "Sono solo parole" (Noemi - 2012) y "Rolls Royce" (Achille Lauro - 2019) 
04 • Anastasio ft. Premiata Forneria Marconi* • "Spalle al muro" (Renato Zero - 1991)
05 • Diodato ft. Nina Zilli* • "24 mila baci" (Adriano Celentano - 1961)
06 • Le Vibrazioni ft. Canova* • "Un'emozione da poco" (Anna Oxa - 1978)
07 • Paolo Jannacci ft. Francesco Mandelli y Daniele Moretto* • "Se me lo dicevi prima" (Enzo Jannacci - 1989) 
08 • Francesco Gabbani • "L'italiano" (Toto Cutugno - 1983) 
09 • Rancore ft. Dardust y La Rappresentante di Lista* • "Luce (tramonti a nord est)" (Elisa - 2001)
10 • Marco Masini ft. Arisa* • "Vacanze romane" (Matia Bazar - 1983)
11 • Raphael Gualazzi ft. Simona Molinari* • "E se domani" (Mina - 1964)
12 • Enrico Nigiotti ft. Simone Cristicchi* • "Ti regalerò una rosa" (Simone Cristicchi - 2007)
13 • Rita Pavone ft. Amedeo Minghi* • "1950" (Amedeo Minghi - 1983)
14 • Irene Grandi ft. Bobo Rondelli* • "La musica è finita" (Ornella Vanoni - 1967)
15 • Michele Zarrillo ft. Fausto Leali* • "Deborah" (Fausto Leali - 1968)
16 • Achille Lauro ft. Annalisa* • "Gli uomini non cambiano" (Mia Martini - 1992)
17 • Levante ft. Francesca Michielin y Maria Antonietta* • "Si può dare di più" (Umberto Tozzi, Gianni Morandi y Enrico Ruggeri - 1987)
18 • Giordana Angi ft. Solis String Quartet* • "La nevicata del '56" (Mia Martini - 1990)
19 • Elodie ft. Aeham Ahmad* • "Adesso tu" (Eros Ramazzotti - 1986)
20 • Alberto Urso ft. Ornella Vanoni* • "La voce del silenzio" (Tony Del Monaco - 1968)
21 • Junior Cally ft. Viito* • "Vado al massimo" (Vasco Rossi - 1982)
22 • Riki ft. Ana Mena* • "L'edera" (Nilla Pizzi - 1958)
23 • Elettra Lamborghini ft. Myss Keta* • "Non succederà più" (Claudia Mori - 1982)
24 • Bugo e Morgan • "Canzone per te" (Sergio Endrigo - 1968)

(*) Guest artists

Unlike the previous editions, these votes received by the members of the orchestra will be added to the final results... and what about the public preferences? Look at the next social media facts about each artist:

• On Twitter, the most commented topics during the third night were the #festivalsanremo2020 hashtag (93,6k), the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo in the auditorium (90,7k) and the duo of Achille Lauro and Annalisa (16,7k). 

• On YouTube, the TOP 10 most viewed videos are:

- Achille Lauro canta "Me ne frego" - RAI - ( 3.690.017 views)

- Elettra Lamborghini canta "Musica (E il resto scompare)" - RAI - (1.606.423  views)

- Francesco Gabbani canta "Viceversa" - RAI - (1.281.133 views)

- Elodie canta "Andromeda" - RAI - (1.146.161  views)

- Le Vibrazioni cantano "Dov'è" - RAI - (1.002.538  views)

- Elodie - Andromeda (Sanremo 2020) (842.152 views)

- Elettra Lamborghini - Musica (E Il Resto Scompare) ( 738.405  views)

- Junior Cally canta "No grazie" - RAI - (645.230 views)

- Anastasio canta "Rosso di rabbia" - RAI - (593.051 views)

- Riki canta "Lo sappiamo entrambi" - RAI - (570.301 views)

• On Instagram, the TOP 10 artists with more followers are: @elettramiuralamborghin (5m), @elodie (1.4m), @about_riki (1.3m), @achilleidol (964k), @levanteofficial (666k), @albertourso_official (578k), @giordanaangi (464k), @anastasio_quello (449k), @enriconigiotti (406k) and @juniorcally (398k)

¿Who will be the 47th representative of Italy in Eurovision? Next Saturday we will know.

San Remo Music Festival is celebrated each year since 1951 in Sanremo, Italy, known locally as the 'city of flowers'. In the 2020 edition, the popular host Amadeus (Amedeo Sebastiani) is in front of the musical contest with the support of Albanian presenter Alketa Vejsiu and Argentine model Georgina Rodriguez. The live show takes place in the spectacular stage designed by the set designer Gaetano Castelli in the historical Ariston Theatre.

SANREMO NIGHT 4 – Review by Marcus Davey

SANREMO Music Festival 2020

So, this is my first year of properly watching the Italian Selection.  Especially watching it without subtitles was also interesting. I will be reviewing the Jury selection show on Friday 7th February 2020.

Apart from a few local Italian artists, for me there were only a few stand out performances.  I’ll be very interested in what the result will be tomorrow night.  One thing that I think is quite special for this process is the use of a full orchestra and conductor.  For me that adds a little more romance to the process (even if the song / singer really messes it up).

In addition to the 24 entrants, the festival also previewed another (what appeared to be from night one) the newcomers competition.  This was four acts who performed in groups of two.  They competed against each other via televote were narrowed down to two performers.

The finalists of this were;

Tecla (8 Marzo)- To be honest her song was ok, but the standout for me was her red dress

Leo Gassman (Vai Bene Cosi) - This song was good, and he got the audience involved

The televote revealed that Leo Gassman won at with 52.5% from the televote

Now to the contestants of the 2020 Sanremo Music Festival - The following is my personal and first impressions of the songs as I was watching.  It should be noted that I was considerably impressed with the amount of mature age entries. 

Paolo Jannacci (Vogolio Parlarti Adesso) - meh song was slow (sleepy time) He’s sitting on the stage (is that still a thing?)

Rancore (Eden) – Basically he spoke the whole song – A little like Mahmood but not as good and he gets shot at the end?

Giordana Angi (Come Mia Madre) – She wore a sensible pink suit? Lots of Talk / sing

Francesco Gabbani (Viceversa)-  He plays the piano, not a bad song – could be ok for a win?

Raphael Gualazzi (Carioca) – Is a catchy song, has a band and he plays the piano. Little kids also playing piano and dancing.

Riccardo Zanotti (Ring Starr) – Pretty good song. Good tempo, good audience interaction, there’s a band as well in the background.

Anastassio (Rosso Di Rabbia) – He’s wearing a red suit, just talking, the guitar sort of helps but it’s still just talking.

Elodie (Andromeda) – He’s got a good look, song is ok to meh

Riki (Lo Sappiamo Entrambi)- Ok he’s cute, song is ok (auto tune as well?) I think the sound is better than the singing

Diodato (Fai Rumore) – He seems to be able to sing, which is refreshing, ballady song. Not too bad.  Could be up there to win as well.

Irene Grandi (Finalmente IO) - not too bad, starts off like a lot of these songs (talk sing) but then moves into an actual singing.

Achille Lauro (Me Ne Fuego) – He has an interesting look, song is ok. A bit rock / pop. Conductor actually got involved 0nthat was kinda good.

Piero Pelu (Gigante) - more mature act, rock ish, a bit meh to be honest

Tosca (Ho Amato Tutto) – quite a sweet song, slow but ok by the end.

Michele Zarrillo (Nell’estasi O Nel Fango) – Ummm yeah this is not so great

Junior Cally (No Grazie) – He has the right in his delivery of this song BUT still looks a lot like Mahmood

Le Vibrazioni (D’ove) – the song not strong (lyrically), singing is ok.

Alberto Usso (Il Sole Ad Est) - sounds like a good voice, but of audience interaction

Levante (Tikibombom) – This song is ok, love the high heels. She can sing

Bugo e Morgan (Sincero) – Another mature entry, he’s not so great. Seems to have walked off the stage. I can’t speak Italian, so I don’t know exactly what’s going on. He’s been disqualified (still not sure why – maybe cause they didn’t complete)

Rita Pavone (Niente) – Another mature entry, song is not great. I admire her ability though she really got into it.

Enrico Nigotti (Baciami Adesso) – Ok he’s cute performer, song is fine. He’s not an amazing singer though

Elettra Lamborghini (Musica) – I LOVE her very flowy dress. Song is ok. Very Latin sounding. I’m not sure if she’s the strongest singer.  Plus her name (amazing).

Marco Masini (Il Confronto) - Another mature entry. He’s a piano player. Singing is ok, song is fine (not amazing but not bad). When he goes into the higher vocal ranges, he struggles but normally his range is ok 

At the end the Jury of the Press Room, TV, Radio and Internet selected the following

SANREMO NIGHT 5 – Review by Edward Till

Italy Final—Festival di Sanremo 2020

Saturday 8 February marked the climax of the 70th annual Sanremo Song Festival (70º Festival della Canzone Italiana di Sanremo 2020), Italy’s most important music competition which “helps” choose their entry for Eurovision.  There were four shows prior to the final.

After six and a half hours of performances and much else besides on Saturday, 38-year-old singer Diodato emerged triumphant with his ballad Fai Rumore, or “Make Some Noise”.  He has subsequently confirmed that he will represent Italy in Rotterdam, meaning we have an Italian entry after a very long week of competition.

The entry was picked from the “Big Section” of the contest.  This featured 23 songs after the disqualification of Bugo & Morgan, after Morgan (aka Marco Castoldi) stormed off the stage in an earlier round after his partner changed the lyrics of the song.

There were two rounds of voting on the final night. In both cases, the result consisted of televoting (34%), the press jury (33%) and a “demoscopic” poll, i.e. a group drawn from the Italian public (33%).  For the first round, the 23 finalists started with the scores achieved in the previous rounds apart from the televote, which was added on Saturday to determine who would enter the “super final”.  Three acts went forward to this round—Diodato, Francesco Gabbani and Pinguini Tattici Nucleari—with all previous votes cancelled and fresh sets of votes obtained to decide the final winner.

The entries, presented here in the order in which they finished at the end of the night, were as follows:

1.      Diodato – Fai Rumore

The winning song is a poetic and melodic ballad in slow tempo.

2.      Francesco Gabbani – Viceversa

Gabbani needs no introduction to the Eurovision audience, having represented Italy (with human gorillas!) in 2017 with his song Occidentali's Karma.  This year he presented another charismatic and up-tempo pop song with some whistling.

3.      Pinguini Tattici Nucleari – Ringo Starr

There was more than a whiff of the Beatles in this crowd-pleasing uptempo production number.

4.      Le Vibrazioni – Dov’è

A professional signer was given centre stage to interpret this soft rock song into Italian sign language.

5.      Piero Pelù – Gigante

This was a flamboyant glam rock number, with some drama and a big ending.  Piero even had writing in makeup on his chest.

6.      Tosca – Ho Amato Tutto

This was a slow and dramatic ballad with a “late night” feel, delivered with a strong female vocal.  It was quite unlike anything else in the contest and stood out as a result.

7.      Elodie – Andromeda

This up-tempo dance track was written by last year’s Sanremo winner, Mahmood, and established itself as the Eurovision fans’ favourite.

8.      Achille Lauro – Me Ne Frego

Achille gave us an androgynous look, featuring a ruff and underskirt in in the style of Elisabeth I, which came off early in this flamboyant rock performance.  He subsequently flirted and then kissed the guitarist.

9.      Irene Grandi – Finalmente Io

Irene showed up as serious “rock chick” as she delivered this up-tempo song.

10.  Rancore – Eden

This was a hardcore rap number, with exciting staging.  The song closed the show with a good bang!

11.  Raphael Gualazzi – Carioca

Gualazzi was the first singer to represent Italy at Eurovision upon its re-entry in 2011.  This time he delivered an up-tempo Latino number with a colourful jazz band and “mini me” children dancing and playing a small piano.

12.  Levante – Tikibombom

This song was not the Eurotrash you would expect from its name.  Instead, it was an engaging rock number with a dramatic edge.

13.  Anastasio – Rosso di Rabbia

This was a somewhat angry rap in an “Eminem” vein with a strong background.

14.  Alberto Urso – Il Sole ad Est

This was a more operatic number, performed by a young, but rather oddly dressed singer, who did a walkabout through the audience during his number.

15.  Marco Masini – Il Confronto

This was a traditional ballad, performed in part at the piano by Masini.

16.  Paolo Jannacci – Voglio Parlarti Adesso

This was a traditional slow ballad that resonated well.

17.  Rita Pavone – Niente (Resilienza 74)

“74” refers not to ABBA’s year of success, but the age of the singer.  She is older than Sanremo itself.  We will all be doing well if we can rock out as much as Rita when we reach that age… true resilience!

18.  Michele Zarrillo – Nell’estasi o Nel Fango

This song was performed first and established the soft rock, smoky voice vibe that pervaded many of the entries.

19.  Enrico Nigiotti – Baciami Adesso

This slow tempo rock anthem allowed the singer to showcase his electric guitar skills as he performed a solo live on stage.

20.  Giordana Angi – Come Mia Madre

This was a slow-rock number that was almost spoken in places concerning the singer’s mother.  Unfortunately, much of the speaking seemed a little shouty, which detracted from the emotional content.

21.  Elettra Lamborghini – Musica (E il Resto Sompare)

This had an ethnopop vibe, up-tempo and dancy.  Indeed, Electra danced with the conductor during the musical break.  Unfortunately, a near-miss wardrobe malfunction marred the end of the performance.

22.  Junior Cally – No Grazie

This was a rap delivered in a formal lounge suit, with some singing in the bridge.  While it was exciting as a number, its words had attracted criticism for being sexist, which might account for its low placement.

23.  Riki – Lo Sappiamo Entrambi

Despite the youth of Riki, this entry felt dated and the vocal effects jarred badly against a mid-tempo pop song.

Watching Sanremo is not for the fainthearted, as your team of reporters from OGAE Rest of the World have all discovered over the last week!  That said, the quality of entries is universally high, and I will be downloading a lot of songs.  There is a live orchestra and little staging, leaving singers forced to sing flawlessly, night after night and in concert conditions and with TV audiences peaking at 11 million.  For me, this shows why Italy does so well at the Eurovision and is something from which other countries could learn.

Ukraine #1 - Oleksandr Shyn

After a one year break Ukraine is finally returning to the Eurovision party. Long-awaited national selection Natsionalnyi Vidbir was once again co-organised by popular Ukrainian broadcasters STB and UA:First. As before, national selection consists of two semi-finals (on February 8 and 15) and the Grand Final (on February 22). During all three shows the results are decided by both televoting and professional juries in proportion of 50/50. The First Semi-Final showed 8 acts, only three of which qualified to the Grand Final. In addition, Ukraine’s representative from 2018 MELOVIN warmed up the audience with his interval act ‘Oh, No!’.

What’s new?

After the ambiguity with qualification requirements that caused Ukraine’s non-participation last year, this time the broadcasters introduced clearer rules for the national selection. The Jury team also got an update, with the Eurovision 2006 representative Tina Karol and producer Vitalii Drozdov joining the veteran of Ukraine’s Vidbir Andriy Danylko (Verka Serduchka). Additionally, the host Serhii Prytula announces that unlike before, this year’s winner will receive sponsorship from the broadcasters on their journey to Rotterdam.

8 Acts and Final Results

The three qualifiers were both juries’ and televoters’ favourites:

1. KRUTЬ / ‘99’ / 16 Points: 8 + 8 (maximum points)

KRUTЬ, whose real name is Maryna Krut’, swiped all the highest available 16 points and became the winner of the First Semi-Final. Her sensual lyrical composition ‘99’ includes lyrics in both Ukrainian and English, and conveys the message that although everyone can fall down, there are 99 reasons to get up again and keep pursuing their path. The highlight of ‘99’ was massive bandura resting on the signer’s laps. In her intro video KRUTЬ said that she can prove that the traditional Ukrainian instrument bandura can be indeed the instrument of the future. Although the singer was visibly alone on the stage, her tender vocals and bandura playing were complemented by a peaceful and mesmerizing staging

2. Go_A / ‘Соловей’ / 13 Points: 6 + 7

KRUTЬ was not alone in bringing Ukrainian ethnic motives to the First Semi-Final. The band of three, Go_A performed their composition ‘Solovei’ (‘Nightingale’), a mix of Ukrainian folk vocals and energizing dancing beats. Dynamic but static in the beginning the song culminated with hard rock beats in the end. The host noticed that the band’s lead vocalist Katia Pavlenko’s vocals are indeed indistinguishable from that of Ukrainian grandmas who usually perform using this technique.

3. Jerry Heil / ‘Vegan’ / 13 Points: 7 + 6

After gaining massive popularity with her satirical song ‘Охрана Отмена’ Jerry Heil has been known mostly for her songs that ironically mock mass culture. This time her song ‘Vegan’ ridicules the hardships that vegan people, such as herself, have to face on a daily basis. After her performance Jerry Heil told the host that her song not only represents veganism but also represents Ukraine as a country with progressive and tolerant culture.

The five representatives who did not qualify to the Grand Final are as follows. COUDLESS with their catchy and romantic tune ‘Drow Me Down’ came only 3 points short from the Top-3.

4. CLOUDLESS / ‘Drow Me Down’ / 10 Points: 5 + 5

5. Katya Chilly / ‘Піч/Pich’ / 7 Points: 4 + 3

6. GIO / ‘Feeling So Lost’ / 6 Points: 2 + 4

7. [O] / ‘Там, куди я йду’ / 5 Points: 3 + 2

8. Assol / ‘Save It’ / 2 Points: 1 + 1

Lithuania #2 - Philippe Tytgat

Lithuania had its second semi-final this last Saturday, cutting down its eight acts to four, leaving us with the final eight to compete at the upcoming final of “Pabandom is naujo!” In my opinion, the second semi-final did not live up to the first, with many of the numbers just not packing the punch or having iconic impact… and with that, let’s go again!

If you turned into the first half of the show, you were good.  The four acts that progressed to the final were also the first four to perform:

1.     If I Leave by Monika Marija *

2.     Make Me Human by Moniqué *

3.     DRIP by Meandi *

4.     Fully by The Backs *

5.     Chemistry (Breaking Free) by Germanas Skoris

6.     Vilnius Calling by Rokas Povilius

7.     Show Ya by Petunija

8.     Why Why Why by Andy Vaic

Let’s take a look of these new four:

If I Leave by Monika Marija

For sure this was the most energetic number out of all of them.  Imagine if Sade decided to go a little country and put on blonde extensions… that would definitely be the vibe of this song!  Though it has the sheen of country music, it certainly has that light-hearted, non-angsty Europeaness to it (with princess sleeves)!  My vote is for this one to end up in the final two. #okkkkurr

Make Me Human by Moniqué

Remember that movie from the 80’s, Mannequin with Kim Cattrall?  If you have fond memories of it, you’ll be a fan of this number.  The story is about a pitchy mannequin with blonde bangs coming to life.  I think.  You tell me. #sleepytime

DRIP by Meandi

This song has it all -- at least when it comes to weird elements.  If you wanted to bake your own version of this cake, it would be 1 pound of awkward English, 3 cups mustard, a splash of 101 improv and a smattering of 1990’s throwback.  Bake for 3 minutes at 70-degrees F.  I can’t tell you that this cake would taste good... but I can tell you that you will quickly forget you ate it afterwards. #WTF

Fully by The Backs

Oh man, I would say this actually was the toughest number to sit through.  Honestly, it’s a funeral song.  This choral quartet could rely on its beautiful harmonies, but unfortunately the singers are all flat.  It makes your weary mind wander to the black outfits, which look like Stevie Nicks in the 90’s if she wore a combo of a dhuku and fedora. #hitthosenotesladies

. . .

There you have it.  Want to see the final chapter in this pop saga?   Catch the Grand Final on February 15, 2020.

Poland (#1 & #2) - Edward Till

Poland 2020—Semi-final 1, Szansa na Sukces, TVP2, 2 February 2020

This post may come as something of a surprise, as Poland has not even had a national final in many years, and never had semi-finals previously.  Nonetheless, TVP announced last month that Poland’s entrant for the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest would be chosen via a special round of its proprietary and long-running format, Szansa na Sukces.  The first round was held on Sunday 2 February and there will be two further semis over the coming weeks with a final held thereafter.

Poland has enjoyed something of a rollercoaster at Eurovision since it returned in 2014 after a 2-year break.  This is illustrated by the jury for Szansa na Sukces. Firstly, there is Cleo, who together with Donotan and some milkmaids, came 14th in 2014.  Secondly, Michał Szpak (foreman for the first semi), gained Poland’s third best placing of all time in 2016.  Finally, Gromee, who together with Lukas Meijer failed to qualify for the finals in 2018.

While Poland is conscious that it has underperformed at adult Eurovision, its record at junior Eurovision is much stronger, with two wins in as many years.  The country hosted the most recent contest in the southern city of Gliwice.  Gromee, who had played a role in this contest, was keen to stress how well Poland had organised the event, and that this shows they could successfully host the adult version.

Szansa na Sukces was the first talent show in Poland after the end of communism, debuting in 1993 and running continuously until 2012 then being revived in 2019.  Amateur singers are given an opportunity to sing a song “karaoke style” in front of a jury, giving them a kind of “chance, or shot, at success”, hence the name of the show.

For the special Eurovision 2020 edition, which immediately precedes the main 2020 edition of the show, there were 500 applications, which were whittled down to 21 contestants.  These were divided into three groups, the first seven of which were given the task to perform an ABBA song.  The actual song is randomised, being chosen by the host just before the artist sings.  The future two rounds will feature Eurovision classics and Beatles songs respectively.  The final will combine cover versions and potential entries.

Before each song, there is also a video clip of the original performers.  On this occasion, this included two unusual clips of ABBA’s trip to Poland in October 1976 from TVP’s own archives.  More familiar clips were also shown alongside some Eurovision extracts.

The seven contestants were as follows:

• Patryk Skoczyński, from Inowrocław in Central Poland, who drew lot number 5 and sang Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

• Emilia Sanecka, from a small town in the mountains of the South of Poland, who drew lot 4 and sang Waterloo.

• Julia and Wiktoria Szlachta, twins from the town of Kroczyc, who drew lot 1 and performed Dancing Queen.

• Kasia Dereń, from Warsaw, who drew lot 7 and was allotted Mamma Mia!

• Amelia Andryszczyk, from Ostrów Mazowiecka, who featured in The Voice Kids, and tried out for Poland at Junior Eurovision in 2016, who drew lot 3 and sang SOS.

• Sargis Davtyan, who drew lot 6 and sang Voulez-Vous?

• Maja Hyży, from Kołobrzeg, who drew lot 2 and sang Knowing Me, Knowing You.

The results were given swiftly and with little explanation of process.  Kasia Dereń was announced the winner and will proceed to the final.

Poland 2020—Semi-final 2, Szansa na Sukces, TVP2, 9 February 2020

The show was back for a second round on the afternoon of Sunday 9 February 2020.  This time, Gromee was the chairman of the jury and the theme for 7 new candidates was “Eurovision’s Greatest Hits”.

The quality of the production seemed to have improved from the first semi-final and it was also announced that there would be a live orchestra for the national final.  Of note was also the range of languages sung in this round, to a good level.

The seven new candidates were as follows:

·         Damian Kulej, from Katowice, drew lot 3 and sang Heroes by Måns Zelmerlöw, winner of the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest;

·         Paulina Czapla, a jazz Singer from Malbork in the north of the country, drew lot 2 and sang Salvador Sobral’s 2017 winner Amar Pelos Dois in the original Portuguese.  A video was also shown of her singing To Nie Ja!, Poland’s most successful Eurovision entry to date, to its original singer Edyta Górniak as a child on a talent show;

·         Weronika Curyło, from Katowice and an ethnic Romany, who had placed second in the Voice of Poland, draw lot 6 and sang Dschinghis Khan Germany’s 1979 in the original German;

·         Stashka, who had won a “mini Eurovision” contest in Sweden as a child, drew lot 7 and sang the grammatically corrected If I Were Sorry, originally sung by Frans for Sweden in 2016;

·         Saszan, who came sixth in Poland’s national final of 2018 with the song Nie chcę Ciebie mniej, a competition won by the jury foreman Gromee, drew lot 5 and sung Congratulations by Cliff Richard, the UK’s 1968 entry;

·         Alicja Szemplińska, who has competed in a number of talent shows from an early age, drew lot 4 and sang To Nie Ja!, Poland’s first entry in Eurovision from 1994; and

·         Aleksandra Nykiel, who won the popular vote at the final of the last series of Szansa na Sukcess, drew lot 1, and sang Save Your Kisses For Me, the UK’s winner from 1976.

The judges decided that Alicja Szemplińska had won the round, and she will progress to the grand finale.  They complimented both Weronika Curyło and Paulina Czapla for their interpretations.

Czech Republic - David Lee Rogers

Well who would have thought that at the beginning of February, Czech Republic would have one of the first songs for this year’s contest?  While we wait for the bulk of the songs over the course on the next 6 weeks, Czechia has offered up the best example of what is hopefully to come.  They have kept their process simple and inexpensive, and with the quality of songs, they prove that a country does not need a MelFest or MGP type of production to be a strong contender.  Just focus on the quality of the songs and the quality of the singer.  It helps to have a litany of established artists to choose from, and it is refreshing to see such singers wanting to compete for ESC.  Any song of the seven would have been an excellent choice, and we look forward to seeing if Czech Republic can continue what Mikolas Josef and Lake Malawi have accomplished the past two years.

Their selection process started with the announcement of 152 songs in August, and on 4 September, they announced 8 acts to compete for the chance to compete in Rotterdam.  Once December rolled around, the plan for a live national final on 25 January had disappeared as had one of the 8 acts.  They teased their choices with such things as number of performers, shoe sizes, and the relevant information – genres of the songs.   They decided in November to keep with the jury vote paired with the online voting process that allowed anyone and everyone to help choose their song, a difficult task to do this year considering the excellent quality and the variety that offered something for just about everyone.

With that, here are the genres, with my matches to the songs and performers.  I hope I got them right!

C.              1. Organic pop                                                                           A. All the Blood – We All Poop

D.             2. Dream pop                                                                             B. Kemama – Benny Cristo

G.             3. Indie pop                                                                                 C. Get Up – Pam Rabbit

F.              4. Emo pop                                                                                   D. White & Black Holes – Borbora Morchowa

B.              5. Afro pop                                                                                   E. Wanna Be Like – Elis Mraz featuring Čis T.

E.              6. Reggaetón                                                                              F. Dark water – Olga Lounová

A.              7. Planned coincidence punk pop                               G. At Least We’ve Tried – Karelll

We All Poop with their song All the Blood generated quite a bit of buzz with fans expecting a troll song but finding instead some serious comparisons to Twenty One Pilots.  The song’s self-description (positive song actually) was matched with quite a lot of votes judging by the polls. Did they just want to hear Edsilia Rombley say We All Poop to 180 million people?  Probably not.  The anthemic rock song is a head bobber with broad appeal. 

The Elis Mraz reggaetón bop left me reminiscing about Malta’s Chameleon, yet Wanna Be Like was no wannabe copy, rather a confident, strong start-to-finish improvement over past songs of that genre.  One can only imagine what this would look like on a Eurovision stage with its party song feel. 

Last year’s 2nd place Borbora Morchowa offered up another ballad this year in White & Black Holes that is even stronger than last year’s.  Disappointed fans who did not get to see her perform in Tel Aviv were very hopeful that this ethereal, emotive dream pop lullaby would get her the ticket to Ahoy Arena. 

Olga Lounová and Dark water earned my vote online.  It is at once evocative and sophisticated.  The juxtaposition of the subtle, tender melody and the passionate chorus tugged at the heart and ears.  It is not an all-too-common Broadway type ballad in any way, very radio friendly.

Benny Cristo gave us his upbeat earworm Kemama, a toe-tapping three minutes of happiness that you would hope to hear in a club to get everyone off their seats.  It did not seem to get the interest that other songs received in the online polls, but that did not mean that it was not popular.  *cough*

Karelll offered up this year’s third ballad At Least We’ve tried, a pensive and slightly plaintive song about breaking up.  You would want to compare it to other ESC songs – a mash up of Brendan Murray, Kristian Kostov, and Duncan Laurence perhaps.  Yet, it stands out on its own.  While to me it was not as good as the other two ballads, it is nevertheless a quality, mainstream and quite memorable song.

Pam Rabbit, Mikolas’ back-up singer in 2017, gives it another try as well with her bold song called Get Up. She counters her measured, alluring vocals that beckon you to listen more closely with a booming and exhorting chorus that gets in your face.  It’s an attention getter in all the right ways.

With such good songs, it is a shame that only one could be chosen.  Hopefully, the others won’t be discouraged as they really helped put Czech Republic into the spotlight this year.  After the voting that started on 13 January, ČT have declared their winner on 3 February.  With the most votes this year it is Benny Cristo and Kemama, an excellent choice out of 7 excellent possibilities.  One can only hope that this will be how it is every year, and hopefully ESC Radio will put all seven into heavy rotation.   Will we see #Prague2021 for Eurovision?  Hopefully so as well. 

On to Rotterdam in May! Hodně štěstí, Česko!

Norway #4 - Ilya Marin

The Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix held its 4th regional semi-final on Saturday, February 1st, featuring songs from Western Norway. As was the case in the previous heats, the four competing acts were up against each other in a duel-like format with one winner from each show qualifying for the MGP final to be held on Feb 15th. You can read the reviews on previous shows at the following links: Heat 1, Heat 2, and Heat 3.

Duel I

Magnus Bokn – Over The Sea

First up on stage was Magnus Bokn, who is no stranger to Norwegian audiences, having competed at the Norwegian Idol twice as well as on The Voice. Over the years he’s been able to grow a loyal fan base on social media platforms. Over The Sea was co-written by Alexander Rybak and JOWST, two well-known names in the Eurosphere. The song starts out slow and picks up the tempo towards the end, with the catchphrase  “Might better and it might be wrong, Will we ever figure out where we belong?” being repeated over and over again. With the beret and suspenders adding a nice touch, Magnus seemed confident on stage and delivered a good vocal performance. Though well-executed, this act was not exactly my cup of tea.

 vs.

Oda Loves You – Love Who We Love

Next to perform was Oda Loves You. As you can tell by her name and the song title, Oda has a lot of love to give! And that’s exactly her intention – to spread love through music. Through this song, Oda tells us that everyone should be free to love whoever they love. In fact, the line “We love who we love” is repeated an endless number of times, to be point that it remains engrained in your head.  Oda graced the golden-lit stage looking absolutely sparkling from head to toe. With two very flexible acrobats and a juggler juggling fire torches, the act seems more of a well-choreographed circus performance. Quite a catching number, I’d say!

Winner: Magnus Bokn

Duel II

Nordic Tenors – In This Special Place

Opening up the second duel were the Nordic Tenors, a Norwegian trio that’s been around since 2003. Their style combines classical music and opera with pop music. Surrounded by an all-blue background and decked out in nicely-fitting suits and golden bowties, the tenors cleverly worked the camera angles and did not miss an opportunity to gaze into the camera to connect with the viewers. They performed a sweet song about “a special place called home” where to two people feel complete after having found one another. A touching performance, for sure, though too much sugar for my taste.

vs.

Hege Bjerk – Pang

Hege came out on stage in a three-dimensional dress with all kinds of pink and orange cones sticking out of it from every side. Certainly, an eye-catcher! (or an eye-sore?). The floor was covered in white smoke with sharp, triangular “icebergs” around (a la Azerbaijan 2018).  Hege’s up-tempo song, Pang, is about an eating disorder and how it can affect one’s life. It was the only act in this semi-final sung in a language other than English – in Jærsk language, to be precise, a Norwegian dialect spoken in the country’s traditional Jæren district. The mix of beats, synthesizers, funky dress, strange-sounding language, and most-importantly, Hege’s voice transported us to a dream-like parallel universe. A unique experience!

Winner: Nordic Tenors

The show’s interval act was Ulrikke Brandstorpp, one of the auto-qualifiers for the MGP final. Ulrikke performed her powerful ballad, Attention, in which she kept asking herself (and us) How do we get the attention of the person we love? The song culminated with the iconic Eurovision-style golden sparkles flowing down from above. For me, this was the most memorable performance of the night, and one to watch out for at the final.

Finally, Magnus Bokn and the Nordic Tenors performed their songs once again, in the Golden Duel, with Magnus winning this heat and advancing to February’s 15th final.

Semi-Final 4 winner: Magnus Bokn

Sweden #1 - Dennis Flores

The first heat of Melodifestivalen 2020 was on Saturday in the southern city of  Linköping. For those unfamiliar with Sweden's National Final - seven acts performed, two acts were selected to compete again in the Andra Chansen (Second Chance) Round and two were selected to go directly to the Final in Stockholm.

According to show producers, the approach to Melodifestivalen this year is to focus on the music-- postcards feature the songwriters talking about each song and sadly no pyro. The first show was filled with veterans who were no stranger to Melodifestivalen. Five of the seven acts have previously competed. Sadly, it was not a night for the newbies.  

Competing Entries:

1. The Mamas - "Move" - ADVANCED TO FINAL

2. Suzi P - "Moves" - ELIMINATED (7th Place)

3. Robin Bengtsson - "Take a Chance" - ADVANCED TO FINAL   

4. Malou Pryz - "Ballerina" - ADVANCED TO ANDRA CHANSEN  

5. OVÖ - "Inga problem"  Eliminated (6th Place)

6. Sonja Aldén - "Sluta aldrig gå  Eliminated (5th Place)

7. Felix Sandman - "Boys with Emotions"  - ADVANCED TO ANDRA CHANSEN 

This recap will only focus on the top four placing entries of the night.

Malou Prytz - "Ballerina"Malou Prytz previously completed in Melodifestivalen 2019 with "I Do." This year, Malou is joined by two other Melodifestivalen veterans on her team: ISA (2015, 2016) as a backing vocalist and Ace Wilder (2014, 2016, 2017) for staging. "Ballerina" has a darker and more serious tone, compared to Malou's upbeat entry last year. Fog and special effects as well as a backing dancer who is made to be the mirror image of Malou fill the stage. The song itself is simple, I find the repetitiveness of the chorus helps you remember the song.

Felix Sandman - "Boys with Emotions"Felix previously competed in Melodifestivalen in 2017 with the group FO&O and as a soloist in 2018 where he finished second with "Every Single Day." This song is very slick uptempo dance song. It definitely has a mainstream radio feel to it. Visually, I think this was my favourite of the night. Cool effects with back lighting, strobe lights, and projection.

Robin Bengtsson - "Take a Chance"Robin is also returning for his third Mello appearance. The 2017 champion brings us an uptempo somewhat county rhythm but still distinctively pop. It's just Robin alone on stage with some projections on the stage's back curtain wall and some spotlights. The staging really compliments on the message of the song, it makes you want to focus on him. 

The Mamas - "Move"The Mamas (also known as John Lundvik's backing singers in Tel Aviv) have their own go at Melodifestivalen. Staging is simple as it should be, some lights that remind me of last year's winning song, but clearly the focus for The Mamas is their voices and powerful harmonies. The Mamas bring us a nice blend of gospel-pop, it's a song that puts you in a good mood and makes you just want to dance. Sure it may be really close to "Is It Too Late for Love," but they still sound fantastic, and I can't say no to them!

Lithuania #1 - David Britz

Lithuania will always have a special place in my heart for consistently shelling out quirky numbers -- ones that imbue Eurovision with its distinct and delectable flavor of cheese (remember their 2014 number about baking cakes?) LRT televizija has done it again and televised what makes Lithuania so special in its first semi-final.  Nine of the remaining 18 performing acts performed today...

1.    Alligator by KaYra *

2.    The Ocean by Viktorija Miškūnaitė

3.    Namų dvasia by Baltos Varnos

4.    We Came from the Sun by Rūta Loop *

5.    Tave čia randu by Gabrielius Vagelis

6.    On Fire by THE ROOP *

7.    My Sound of Silence by Kristina Jure

8.    Somewhere Out There by Alen Chicco

9.    Unbreakable by Aistė Pilvelytė *

... with four emerging victorious and will advance to the finals of “Pabandom is naujo!” (We Go Again!).*  In this semi-final, like Eurovision, winners were selected by both a jury vote and televote.

For the sake of this blog, let’s concentrate on the winners of this round, which I must admit, mostly stayed on brand with Lithuania’s unique take on pop music.

Alligator by KaYra

Do you like clowns?  Well, too bad because they’re advancing to the Grand Final.  The singer, who has wet hair for some reason, with her face coated in grease makeup, vacillates between collegiate dance choreography, being a “cutsie(?)” clown and being a disturbed one.  Two blonde backup dancers contort around her as she sings about alligators (and something about Hawaii?).  I’m not sure how it all comes together, but if you want Lithuanian originality at its finest, this should be the one number you check out.

We Came from the Sun by Rūta Loop

Also coming armed with two blond backup dancers, this dance song with a pulsating beat moves well with its camera work and contemporary choreography.  Out of all of the winning numbers, it seems like it has some real potential to go all the way.

On Fire by THE ROOP

Have you ever longed for a dance number with office-supply-store-bought magnifying glasses?  Wait no longer because your dream just came true!  They definitely went for it with zany lighting and their attempt to reinvent the floss… and I have to say it somehow all works.  It’s a super fun number, bouncy and somehow difficult to dislike -- as much as you might want to!

Unbreakable by Aistė Pilvelytė

Personally, this felt a lot like a generic Eurovision ballad with very little to mark it as its own… that is of course except for its love of the wind machine (what a meta throwback to OGAE!).  It’s full of many ballady tropes, but none of them really stand out… and so now we know why Lithuania goes with its iconic quirkiness.

. . .

That’s it! :) Be sure to check out this first semi-final we just delved into along with the semi-final on February 8, 2020 and of course, the Grand Final on February 15, 2020.  Pasimatysime vėliau!

Spain - Enrique Lopez de Vallejo

As all of you know, the 5th of October Blas Cantó was designated to represent Spain in Rotterdam next May. Technically this is the fourth time he has tried to take part in the world's largest music competition. The 30th of January Blas and Spanish Broadcaster (RTVE) released the song he will defend in Rotterdam Ahoy. But let's take look back to this young singer career, so closely linked to ESC.

Blas was born in Murcia in 1991. When he was 9 years old, in 2000, he won a talent contest for children (Premios Veo Veo by Teresa Rabal) in his homeland, Murcia. Two years later (2002) he tried again in the same contest and won the contest in Murcia and the National Final in Spain, obtaining the third place in 2003 in the International Final, representing Spain.

In 2004 he was one of the contestants in 'Eurojunior' Spanish National Selection and he was one of the finalists, just behind Maria Isabel. Maria Isabel finally won JESC in Lillehammer with the song "Antes muerta que sencilla". Here you are one of the songs he defended in the Final Show.

The second time he tried to take his music to Europe was six years later, in 2010, and he bet strong in his purpose to go to Oslo. Finally, after an online voting process, he wasn’t one of the ten finalist of “Destino Oslo”. Daniel Diges interpreted ‘Algo Pequeñito’ in Telenor Arena.

From 2010 to 2015 was a member of the Spanish boyband 'AURYN' and, with this group, won two awards: LOS40 Music Awards and the MTV Europe Music Awards. The band tried to go to Eurovision in 2011 in a controversial National Selection, ‘Destino Eurovisión’. Spain finally was represented by Lucía Pérez and the song "Que me quiten lo bailao". You can watch AURYN's performance during the Final in this video.

In 2016, once the groupo was disbanded, Blas began his solo proyect as a contestant in the Spanish version of "Your face sounds familiar". After 15 TV shows, Blas Cantó was chosen finalist with the maximum points of jury and televote. He finally won that edition.

The day he won the contest, the 3rd of March 2017, was released his first single, "In your bed". Several months later, the 25th of August, released a new single "Drunk and Irresponsible" (both in youtube)

At the beginning of 2018, released his more successful single until now «Él no soy yo», composed by the singer and author Leroy Sánchez (Leroy was born in Vitoria-Gasteiz), with more than 67 millions of views on YouTube.

The 14th of september 2018, Blas Cantó released the album "Complicado" and, only in a week, he got the number 1 between the best sellers.

And now, in a messy launch (typical of RTVE) and after several weeks of speculations since October in order to make media hype, the moment of truth has arrived: we have his song for the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, ‘Universo’.

It’s your turn, my fellow fanclubbers. What do you think about Spanish entry? Take it away!

Norway #3 - Darren S

Velkommen tilbake!  On January 25, we went on to the 3rd round of Norway’s Melodi Grand Prix contest. This week was the contest for entrants from Mid-Norway.

Each round appears to be relatively formulaic: four contestants, who are divided into two pairs in a draw held by the emcees, who then sing in either round 1 or round 2. Before each performer starts, there’s a couple of minutes of a documentary on the performer about to sing. After the first round of 2 contestants, the Norwegian public gets 3 minutes to vote online for their top choice which is then immediately announced. The same public vote happens after the 2nd round of the other 2 contestants, and then a final vote to choose between the top 2 finalists in the “Gold Duel” round. After the 2nd round and before the “Gold Duel”, a singer who has pre-qualified for Norway’s Final Contest in February comes onstage to perform. And interspersed between the rounds are also some lookback documentaries at the Melodi Grand Prix through the years.

So, on to this contest.  After a cute starting cutaway with the emcees, they came on stage with some delightful party hats on (containing a birds nest, castle, and rocking chair, respectively), and the crowd was psyched. The contestants then came out on stage to be introduced:

Alexandru

Sie Gubba (band)

Thomas Løseth

Kristin Husøy

In the drawing to determine order, Alexandru and Sie Gubba were paired together for Round 1 and Thomas and Kristin paired for Round 2. 

Round 1: Alexandru started with his pop song “Pink Jacket”, which was – shockingly – a song about a pink jacket that he bought. The lyrics unfortunately didn’t get much better than that – a song about how he spent all his money on a pink jacket, but it doesn’t matter because it makes him feel good and you’re paying attention to him.

If true, you’re not paying attention to him for either the lyrics or his singing which was fairly off-key.  The choreography with 2 backup dancers was decent, but the singing, not so much. And yes, there’s a pink jacket.

Sie Gubba, on the other hand, impressed audiences with their country rock song, “Kjære Du” (Dear You). Dresed all in black, and starting with a violin solo, the 5 band members were in tight unison and the front singer Petter Øien has a great voice. Between the keyboards, drums, base, acoustic and electric guitars, this was a well-liked and upbeat Norwegian tune.

The voter’s verdict?  Sie Gubba to win the first round.

Round 2: we started with Thomas Løseth, who came out in a black leather coat and a long beard to sing “Vertigo”. Again, not sophisticated lyrics, but if you put them together it was a soft, sad ballad about leaving your lover. (“Gone forever” was the ever-repeated chorus.). While he was billed as the solo singer, the actual singing was shared by Erika Norwich (and seven adorable kids singing chorus).. Thomas had a bit of a falsetto and struggled to stay on key, and so the song felt weak.

Kristin Husøy, on the other hand, has an incredible voice and showed it off during her song “Pray For Me”, a song about a difficult relationship and asking others to pray for her about how she’s treated. She looked good in a dark pin-striped suit which her 5 backup male singers wore as well. While the lyrics were again minimal, her vocal skills shone through in this number.

Round 2 verdict?  Kristin won this round.

Before the Gold Duel, Akuvi came on stage to sing her number, “Som Du Er”(As You Are). Akuvi has already qualified for the final round of MGP. She comes from a musical family as her father had been a musician in Ghana. Looking fantastic in a black leather two-piece, she belted out a great hip-hop number with a terrific voice. The choreography was great and her 4 backup dancers were in almost perfect alignment. She’s going to be a strong contender at the MGP final!

After a piece on MGP through time (with some interesting clips from the 1980’s), the “Gold Duel” took place with Sie Gubba and Kristin Husøy repeating their numbers.  The voters decided that Kristin’s vocals topped the melody of Sie Gubba’s band, and Kristin emerged as the winner to go on to the finals in February. 

Eight of ten total contestants have now been chosen, with just west and north of Norway remaining. Stay tuned for next week’s competition!

Norway #2 - Evan Stewart

On January 18, Norway held its second of five semifinals for the 60th anniversary season of Melodi Grand Prix. Each semifinal represents one of the five regions of Norway; this week was Eastern Norway. Four songs competed in two duels, with the winners of each duel battling it out in a “Gold Duel” to decide which song would advance to the final on February 15 in Trondheim. To maintain transparency, a draw was held at the top of the show to determine which songs would square off in each duel. A fifth song auto-qualified for the final and was introduced just ahead of the Gold Duel.

Duel 1

The first song of the night was Tore Petterson’s “The Start of Something New,” a jazzy number about a man excited about the prospects of a relationship with his latest crush. Tore showed a bright personality, eclipsed only by his even brighter neon yellow jacket, and was surrounded by two attractive male ballroom dancers and two Vegas-style showgirls. Despite some forward-thinking lyrics (Tore’s crush is another gentleman), the song was a tad old-fashioned and lounge-y and Tore struggled to stay on-pitch.

Tore’s competition in the first duel was “Fool for Love,” a duet sung by Kim Wigaard and Maria Mohn that described a long-time couple who, despite the fading charms of their relationship, resolve that they cannot live without one another. It was a traditional ballad staged in a steely blue glow and the attractive couple sang well enough, but they seemed to lack chemistry with one another, leaving a slight sense of inauthenticity. In the end, however, it was enough to defeat Tore as “Fool for Love” advanced to the Gold Duel.

Duel 2

First up in the second duel was Jæger and her song “How About Mars.” Dressed in a hot pink (quasi-) spacesuit with equally pink matted hair, Jæger’s lyrics taunt an unseen partner, promising to take them to places they’ve never been. The lyrics here were of secondary importance, however, eclipsed by the funky electro dancebeat and VR staging that filled the TV screen with various holograms of Jæger, her spaceship’s control panel, and numerous celestial bodies. It was the most technically ambitious performance of the night though Jæger appeared to be working hard to pull it off and might have done so at the expense of polish.

The last semifinalist of the night was Rein Alexander with “One Last Time.” Rein is a veteran musical theater actor and he put his experience to great use. Dressed as a Viking on a dark and smoke-filled stage, Rein sang with a booming bass voice about an impending final battle. The effect was easily the most arresting of the night, one where his haunting verses eventually built to a banging chorus during which Rein was joined on-stage by some rather acrobatic Viking mates. There were shades of Denmark 2018 and Game of Thrones here, but with a boppy chorus not unlike that of KEiiNO. The live audience went wild after the performance and Rein soon advanced to the Gold Duel.

Auto-Qualifier

Prior to the Gold Duel, this week’s auto-qualifiers performed their song. Most long-time Eurofans will already know Didrik Solli-Tangen as the Norwegian representative in 2010. This year, his brother Emil joins him in the competition with the duet “Out of Air.” The song was an attractive modern ballad, carrying a bit of a synthpop feel to it, about saying goodbye to a loved one. I say “loved one” here quite deliberately here as “Out of Air” gave off the impression of a song sung to a romantic partner, making the choice to have two brothers perform it slightly… perplexing.

Gold Duel

The night wrapped-up with a reprise of “Fool for Love” and “One Last Time” followed by a final vote. In the end, Rein Alexander was the winner and will join the Solli-Tangens in Trondheim for the Melodi Grand Prix final on February 15.

Norway - Kevin Fansler

The 60th anniversary season of Norway’s Melodi Grand Prix (MGP) started with the South region’s semi-final. This year’s hosts are Kåre Magnus Bergh (host of NRK’s Stjernekamp, a singing competition), Ronny Brede Aase (host of P3morgen, a popular radio program run by NRK), and Ingrid Gjessing Linhave (NRK host and former host of Norwegian Idol).

Before the contest began, five acts pre-qualified to go directly to the grand finale on February 15, and one of these will debut their song at each of the five semi-finals.

The structure of each semi-final is a single-elimination bracket. Four singers who have not pre-qualified compete in duels, and then the winner of each duel advances a bracket and the loser is out. The winner of the gullduell, or golden duel, at the end of each semi-final advances to the grand finale. Voting seems to be solely a public vote, which can be done from the NRK app or by calling from within Norway.

The first duel was between Geirmund’s song, “Come Alive,” and Lisa Børud’s song, “Talking About Us.” Geirmund is a voice teacher and participated on The Voice in 2013. Lisa Børud is part of the Børud musical family that tours all over Norway and recorded her first album when she was five years old. Lisa participated in Stjernekamp in 2017 and was one of Alexander Rybak’s backup dancers at ESC2018 in Lisbon.

Geirmund went first. “Come Alive” is a dark song about overcoming personal demons and wanting to feel the rain, find the beauty of this place, and come alive. Suitably, the staging was dramatically lit, and Geirmund was accompanied by two robed performers on kettle drums.

In contrast, Lisa Børud’s song, “Talking About Us,” was light and bouncy. She was accompanied by three male dancers and two female dancers, which allowed them to form couples, trios, and a balanced ensemble for the song to build up to. I found the song to be almost all repetitive chorus, but on second hearing, there are actually some verses. (Since Lisa also has a hiphop line of clothing, I suspect the outfits all the performers were wearing were from her line of clothing.

Winner of the first duel: Lisa Børud.

The second duel was between Kim Rysstad’s song, “Rainbow,” and Raylee’s song, “Wild.” Kim Rysstad had a song in MGP in 2012 and participated in Stjernekamp in 2019. Raylee is a former child star, when she went by the name Lotta, and participated in Stjernekamp in 2014, MGP in 2015, and Shall We Dance in 2016.

Rysstad got off to a good start in a gorgeous green blazer with a sequined lapel and gold embroidery. “Rainbow” has a James Bond feel to it, and the staging started off a bit like a lounge singer’s take on “Rise Like a Phoenix.” It was easily the best song of the evening so far, so duel #2  was looking hopeful.

Then came Raylee’s song, “Wild,” wherein she essentially did a mic drop for this semi-final. She had a ponytail like Slavko (ESC 2017, Montenegro) but had actually rehearsed, so all similarities to Slavko end there. “Wild” is super catchy. The staging had a great light show, fun choreography, and all the earmarks of a song that could go all the way at ESC 2020.

Winner of the second duel: Raylee, naturally. (Though we were sad to see Kim Rysstad eliminated.)

Before moving on to the gullduell (golden duel), one of the pre-qualified acts performed. For this semi-final, it was Sondrey, and his song “Take My Time.” Sondrey came in third at this year’s Stjernekamp, and his song had elements of Robin Bengtsson’s “I Can’t Go On” (ESC 2017). By that I mean his backup dancers were all in matching red suits (as opposed to blue for Bengtsson), and the dancing was the strongest part of the performance. Though don’t rule out Sondrey just yet: the song is good; I just have a preference for Raylee. 

Finally, it was time for the golden duel, wherein Lisa Børud went up against Raylee. Frankly, none of these songs could have beaten Raylee in a matchup, and “Wild” was rightly the winner for the evening.

We’ll see Sondrey and Raylee again at the grand finale in February, along with this list of other pre-qualifiers:

To listen to the songs from the MGP to date, follow this link for the Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5kmlDhng1Z0CXN3z6vwCKo?si=E9Km1URARZ-jg5KOwrwFAg