So here's some initial thoughts on the semi-finals. Obviously there will be more, as well as thoughts on the finals. However, so far, we've had a few good performers, songs, or acts that for whatever reason don't succeed. Some highlights (or lowlights):
Joan Franka - "You and Me" (Netherlands)
The song grew on me over the past few weeks. It's kind of sweet, and girl with guitar can go over really well (see, eg, Soluna Samay). But Eurovision is about 3 minute presentations and most people were probably scratching their head at the bad 1980's-Cher head dress and didn't vote for her. It probably didn't help that the closest neighbors and traditional supporters were all in the other semifinal either. And that's kind of a shame.
Max Jason Mai - "Don't Close Your Eyes" (Slovakia)
This was the only true rock song, and one of the better entries in my opinion. So what happened? Slovakia was in the semi-final with a lot of former Yugoslav and Soviet states. Whether it was all bloc voting or just a few guitar solos too much for older voters, it just couldn't get the support it needed. It might have fared a little better in the first semi-final, which featured more of its neighbors.
Nina Badric - "Nebo" (Croatia)
Croatia was exactly where it wanted to be: A good song, great performer, and in a semifinal with 4 other former-Yugoslav states. I figured three of them would get in, and I was right. Unfortunately, when it came down to it, Croatia and Slovenia were on the outs with FYR Macedonia sneaking in. Bloc voting giveth, and bloc voting taketh away.
Filipa Sousa - Vida Minha (Portugal)
This was the complete opposite boat than Croatia. A nice song with great traditional overtones, in a semi-final of Eastern European countries. Neighbor Spain voted in the other semi-final, which probably didn't help Portugal break up the eastern blocs.
Pernilla Karlsson - "När jag blundar" (Finland)
A rather pretty little song from Finland (we've come a long way from Lordi) that against just didn't get the support it needed. While Greece and Iceland have given Finland a lot of points over the years, it probably didn't help that Sweden, Norway, and Estonia (other traditional supporters) were in the other semi-final. Also am I the only one who thought the first semi-final was pretty stacked?
Valentina Monetta - "The Social Network Song" (San Marino)
Again, my bias is showing, but I loved this song. It was fun, cheeky, upbeat, and satirical, and Monetta was great to watch in the lead up. Obviously the voters just didn't get it. Europe's loss.
I'm sure we can analyze the voting until the cows come home. What are your thoughts?
In her bitter breakup song, "Superhero," Ani Difranco laments, "Art may imitate life, but life imitates tv." Nowhere is that as apparent as the Eurovison song contest, especially this year.
Earlier today, the Spanish EBU affiliate (jokingly?) told Pastora Soler not to win Eurovision because the country can't afford to host the competition. Soler herself made similar comments, saying it wouldn't be in the best interests of Spain or the Spanish people for her to win.
Now, I'm going to lay my bias out on the table here and say that I think Spain's entry is one of the better ones this year, and I would love to see a neck and neck race between her and Nina Zilli (Italy). But what does any of this have to do with tv?
In the episode "A Song for Europe," from British comedy "Father Ted," the main characters catch Eurosong fever, and decide to enter the fictional Eurovision-esque competition. They write a terrible song called "My Lovely Horse" and enter it into the Irish selection competition.
So what happens? They win and head to Eurosong? Why...because Ireland had won for five years running and simply couldn't afford to host it again, so the competition was rigged to send the worst song imaginable. The plan worked, as the episode ends with everyone giving our heroes nul points.
The saddest part? "My Lovely Horse" is better than some of the actual songs that have been up on stage over the years...
Well, I was 10 for 10 yesterday. Let's see if I can do it again. Here are my predictions, based solely on history, what I like, buzz, and betting odds for semifinal 2:
Serbia
Portugal
Ukraine
Slovenia
Sweden
Norway
Estonia
Slovakia
Bosnia
Croatia
That's basically it. Belarus may find a way to sneak in as might FYR Macedonia (since the former Yugoslav and Soviet countries are voting tonight). Outside chance for Turkey since Germany is voting in this semi-final.
So tonight's the night, cats and kittens! The first semi-final will take place in Baku, and 10 of the following songs will move on to the Grand Final this Saturday.
Here's your running order:
Montenegro: Rambo Amadeus - Euro Neuro
Iceland: Greta Salóme & Jónsi - Never Forget
Greece: Eleftheria Eleftheriou - Aphrodisiac
Latvia: Anmary - Beautiful Song
Albania: Rona Nishliu - Suus
Romania: Mandinga - Zaleilah
Switzerland: Sinplus - Unbreakable
Belgium: Iris - Would You
Finland: Pernilla - När Jag Blundar
Israel: Izabo - Time
San Marino: Valentina Monetta - The Social Network Song (Oh Oh - Uh - Oh Oh)
Cyprus: Ivi Adamou - La La Love
Denmark: Soluna Samay - Should've Known Better
Russia: Buranovskiye Babushki - Party For Everybody
Hungary: Compact Disco - Sound Of Our Hearts
Austria: Trackshittaz - Woki Mit Deim Popo
Moldova: Pasha Parfeny - Lăutar
Ireland: Jedward - Waterline
So who can we expect to move on? My vaguely expert predictions, based solely on internet chatter, betting odds, and stuff I just frankly like
Iceland
Greece
Albania
Romania
Cyrpus
Denmark
Russia
Hungary
Moldova
Ireland
San Marino (one of my personal favorites) probably won't get through, which really is a shame! Possible dark horses may be Finland, Israel, and Switzerland.
So we're just a few short weeks away from Eurovision and the betting odds are more or less holding steady.
The predicted top 10, based on the current odds:
1. Sweden
2. Italy
3. Russia
4. Serbia
5. UK
6. Denmark
7. Spain
8. Ireland
9. Iceland
10. Germany
I'm happy that Italy and Spain are doing as well as they are. Russia's high place is a bit surprising, although whether its due to sentimentality, bloc voting, or something else I'm not sure. Expect to see Ireland move up over the coming weeks (Jedward shot up right before the finals last year). I personally wouldn't mind seeing San Marino crack the Top 10, but that's just me, although a move into the Top 10 by perennial underdog Cyprus might not be that unheard of. The big question though is still whether Loreen can hold on to the top spot.
I love acoustic music, and quite frankly who doesn't. Heck, back when MTV actually showed music, "Unplugged" was one of my favorite shows. So when a few of the contestants put out acoustic versions, I jumped all over that.
First of is Sabina Babayeva (Azerbaijan) who gives "When the Music Dies" a little flamenco flair. It doesn't have the same power notes as the official version, but her voice is just gorgeous.
Iris (Belgium) also shines in "Would You." I really think it suits her voice a lot better, and the entire song seems a bit sweeter and less generic pop.
Roman Lob (Germany) gives yet another swoon-worthy performance of "Standing Still." I swear, if this song played on American radio, people would think it was the new single by The Fray.
And as a bonus, here's the acoustic version of last year's winner, Ell & Nikki's "Running Scared" (Azerbaijan). There's harmony in that song I never knew existed before!
While I love Eurovision (and perhaps I would even consider myself a Eurovision geek), that's not the only thing I love. I love good young adult fiction and dystopian stories. Hence, my love for Suzanne Collins' amazing trilogy, The Hunger Games.
Recently, Jezebel.com ran several articles discussing race as it relates to The Hunger Games. The most shocking, in my opinion, was an article about angry racist tweets. Without spoiling the books, the tweets questioned why black actors were cast as certain characters (the characters are described by the author as being black) and one even said that she was no longer saddened by a character's death when she found out the character was actually black.
With this in the back of my head, I should not have been shocked by the racist comments directed against 2012 Ukrainian competitor Gaitana.
Gaitana, one of the pioneers of R&B music in Eastern Europe, is of Congolese and Ukrainian descent. She was born in Kiev, but spent the next four years in the Republic of the Congo before returning to Ukraine with her mother. She sings in three languages and knows two more, and writes and composes all of her own songs. She plays the saxophone. The Kyiv Post called her unpretentious and discussed how she likes to cook and wants to have children.
However, as as Armenia and Azerbaijan have already shown us, an international singing competition is the best place for complex demographic and political issues to be addressed. As the Kyiv Post reported, Yuriy Syrotyuk, a senior member of the Svoboda party (an extremist right wing party that, among other things, seeks to include nationality on Ukrainian passports and ban adoption of Ukranian children by non-Ukrainians), criticized Gaitana's selection, stating “Gaitana is not an organic representative of the Ukrainian culture” and that, since Gaitaiana is biracial, Ukraine will be “associated with a different continent.” He further stated, "As we want to be accepted to the European Union, it could be our opportunity to show the Europeans that we are also a European nation. We need to show our originality."
Let's take a look at that statement again. Gaitana does not deserve to represent Ukraine because she's not white enough. Despite being born in Kiev, having lived most of her life in Kiev, and being a pioneer of Ukrainian music, in the eyes of some, the simple fact that she is biracial somehow makes her not a true representative of Ukrainian culture (never mind that there a hell of a lot of originality in the song itself).
Does she need a birth certificate? Would that make you happy?
Syrotyuk later tried to backtrack, claiming he was merely criticizing the Ukrainian selection process, and did not make any comment about Gaitana's race or skin color. Really? REALLY?! The concern that was Gaitana, a biracial woman, would make people associate Ukraine with Africa. If that's not a comment about skin color, I don't know what is. And, to be sure, I'm certain that the true representatives of Ukrainian culture are white performers such as Verka Serduchka and Svetlana Loboda who sing in English. Ukraine: Come for the glitter, stay for the drag queens.
Now I wish I could write this whole thing off as someone who really truly misspoke (at best) or a racist with a microphone (at worst). After all, in 2012, a biracial singer couldn't really cause that much of a stir outside of Tea Party-esque circles. Boy, was I wrong. These are all comments copied directly from the official "Be My Guest" youtube video:
I didn't write this to imply that Ukrainians are any more racist than anyone else, or than race relations are more problematic in Ukraine than here in the United States or elsewhere in world. Rather, it's to show that no matter how far we think we've come, there's still a long way to go. What shocks me isn't that there are people who have these thoughts, and we can't police thoughts. But rather, what shocks me is how blunt they are in saying it.
Claiming Gaitana is somehow unfit to represent Ukraine because of her race says the wrong thing not just about Ukraine, but about humanity. Whether you love or hate the song, she has worked hard to be able to get up onto that stage, and the color of her skin should have no bearing on whether or not she's "Ukrainian enough" (whatever that means).
Maybe in the end, we should just take what Gaitana herself says to heart. It's not about politics or demographics or xenophobia. It's simply life. “Of course I am Ukrainian! I live here, I work here, I sing here, I fall in love here.”
We're down to our last six contestants! Just as a quick refresher, last year's winning entry automatically qualifies for the finals. Additionally, the five countries that contribute the most money to the EBU ("The Big Five") also gain automatic slots. The rest of the countries need to battle it out in the semi-finals. I guess money can't buy happiness, but it can certainly buy a lot.
Azerbaijan
First Appearance: 2008
Highest Place: 1st (2011)
Sabina Babayeva - "When the Music Dies"
Wow. A stunning blend of traditional Azeri folk music (listen to those instruments) with Western music, with great pipes to back it up. It should continue Azerbaijan's streak of placing in the top 10, and it might make a run to keep the contest in Baku next year.
Italy
First Appearance: 1956
Highest Place: 1st (1964, 1990)
Nina Zilli - "L'amore è Femmina (Out of Love)"
Wow. Again. If Babayeva is the Azeri Adele, I suppose that makes Zilli the Italian Amy Winehouse. The song is original, catchy, and she nails it (translation available here). Don't bet against the contest going back to Rome next year. As a note, Zilli originally announced that she would be singing "Per Sempre" before changing to the current song. I'm really not sure which one I like more.
Spain
First Appearance: 1961
Highest Place: 1st (1968, 1969)
Pastora Soler - "Quédate conmigo"
Yeah, so the Finalists are making it really difficult to pick a favorite. So ballads can really be hit or miss, and this is definitely a hit. One of the ways I try to judge a song is to see if I can feel the emotions without knowing what on earth they're singing about, and this one definitely passes the test (translation available here). Eurovision to Barcelona again? And as a fun fact, all of Spain's entries have always been either totally or partly in Spanish
France
First Appearance: 1954
Highest Place: 1st (1958, 1960, 1962, 1969, 1977)
Anggun - "Echo (You and I)"
How did Lady Gaga get into the competition? Seriously, if that song and video don't scream Gaga, I'm not sure what else does (translation available here). France is looking to bounce back from some rather disappointing placement lately, and they've picked one of their biggest stars to do it. This won't do too badly (nothing like a fun, upbeat, catchy dance number), and it will be interesting to see if anything comes of Anggun's self professed claim that 98% of her fans are gay with Azerbaijan's poor gay rights record. Bit of trivia: Anggun was born in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Germany
First Appearance: 1956
Highest Place: 1st (1982, 2010)
Roman Lob - "Standing Still"
Following in the footsteps of Lena, Germany's sending another young performer. Maybe I'm a sucker for the smooth vocals and the dreamy eyes, but that's probably where he's going to pick up his votes. It won't win, but it probably won't do too poorly either. Also, does anyone else think this sounds exactly like The Fray?
United Kingdom
First Appearance: 1957
Highest Place: 1st (1967, 1969, 1976, 1981, 1997)
Englebert Humperdinck - "Love Will Set You Free"
So Humperdinck, despite being a bajillion years old isn't even the oldest singer thanks to those crafty Russian babushkas. The song is really great, and despite being a bajillion years old, Humperdinck's still got it. It's certainly better than Blue. Humperdinck, Humperdinck, Humperdinck!
So this is a really tough group for me to pick a favorite. If I'm going to choose, I'll narrowly go with Italy over Spain.
We're in the home stretch, cats and kittens, with our last pot of semi-finalists. Central and Eastern Europe ahoy!
Austria
First Appearance: 1957
Highest Place: 1st (1966)
Trackshittaz - "Woki mit deim Popo"
Definitely one of the most original songs in this year's field (translation available here). Much like a glow-in-the-dark badunkadunk, you just can't stop watching. I'm really looking forward to see the performance, and perhaps a little bit of humor will take them a long way.
Bulgaria
First Appearance: 2005
Highest Place: 5th (2007)
Sofi Marinova - "Love Unlimited"
This Romani singer is known for her five octave range, which is on display. Although it's probably closest to the pop dance numbers of the younger contestants, it might just be original enough to score a few points. Bulgaria hasn't had much success lately, but this could finally turn things around. Final note: Although the song is primarily sung in Bulgarian, it contains "I love you" in 10 languages (translation available here).
Hungary
First Appearance: 1994
Highest Place: 4th (1994)
Compact Disco - "Sound of Our Hearts"
An underrated performance by an MTV Europe award winning band. The electronic rock is certainly a welcome change, but it's almost overshadowed by the music video. Hungary has frequently not placed as high as it deserves (Magdi Ruzsa being the prime example), but this should at least make its way out of the semi-finals.
San Marino
First Appearance: 2008
Highest Place: 16th in the semifinals (2011)
Valentina Monetta - "Facebook Uh, Oh, Oh (A Satirical Song)"*
This is what happens when parody viral video becomes an art form (200,000 views within the first 5 days, and to compare, Jedward only has about 130,000 in total)! It's gotten horrible negative reviews, including in Forbes, but in my humble opinion, it's absolutely brilliant (and really Eurovision, are you now trying to take yourself far too seriously?) Love it or hate it, you can't stop watching it, and if the Russian babushkas can have a little fun, so can San Marino! And to explain the asterisk: That is the original title and video. However, a few days after it's release, the EBU ruled that the song violated contest rules for having a commercial message about Facebook (although, really, I'm not sure it's all that commercial, given that Facebook is free). In response, San Marino basically just replaced "Facebook" with more "Oh oh ohs" and took out that great reference to Mark Zuckerberg. The not-as-awesome version is available here.
Slovenia
First Appearance: 1993
Highest Place: 7th (1995, 2001)
Eva Boto - "Vergamem"
Taking things in the complete opposite direction than San Marino, we have our youngest competitor (she's only 16, folks!) The song is pretty enough, and she certainly has stage presence, but the voting hasn't been kind to Slovenia in recent years, but look for things to possibly change this year (translation available here). Slovakia
First Appearance: 1994
Highest Place: 18th (1996)
Max Jason Mai - "Don't Close Your Eyes"
The only real rock song of the competition (which is a shame) but this one is pretty cool. It will probably draw heavily on the over 25 crowd, especially those who have a soft spot for acts like 30 Seconds to Mars. Slovakia has never done well in the competition, but with any luck, this will be distinct enough from the dance and pop to place pretty high.
Final thoughts? With all due respect to everyone else...SAN MARINO! SAN MARINO! SAN MARINO!
Just two more pots to go before moving onto our finalists! This is our most random pot to date, and if anyone can see the pattern in the countries, please share...
The Crayola Twins are back for another shot at the prize. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but....that song is really damn catchy. Like humming all day catchy. And if last year taught us anything, it's that they do know how to put on a show. I really can't believe I'm gonna write this next part, but if they sing like this live and they put on a great performance, Jedward could be your new Eurovision champion.
Latvia
First Appearance: 2000
Highest Place: 1st (2002)
Anmary - "Beautiful Song"
A surprisingly restrained song that reminds me a bit of the Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift version of pop country (am I the only one who hears a bit of a twang there?). Simple, but unique, is frequently underrated but can definitely win people over ("Satellite" springs to mind) so I wouldn't be shocked if this winds up doing a lot better than the odds suggest. Plus, the Anglophiles might be willing to throw it a few points for the references to Johnny Logan (three time Eurovision winner for Ireland), Mick Jagger, and Paul McCartney.
Lithuania
First Appearance: 1994
Highest Place: 6th (2006)
Donny Montell - "Love Is Blind"
The best part of this song is the somewhat unexpected shift between ballad to disco dance number, and the fact that his voice sounds good in both halves may win him some points (especially from the swooning female youth). Don't expect a shocking win though.
Malta
First Appearance: 1971
Highest Place: 2nd (2002, 2005)
Kurt Calleja - "This Is the Night"
So, speaking of swooning female fans, Kurt Calleja seems poised to pick up more of those than even Tooji or his other young male pop star competitors. Malta has been one of the most successful countries to never win Eurovision, although lately it hasn't been doing too well. It's a long shot to win, but don't be surprised if this catchy pop song winds up making it into, and doing well, in the finals. Bonus points for writing his own lyrics and music.
Portugal
First Appearance: 1964
Highest Place: 6th (1996)
Filipa Sousa - "Vida Minha"
Moving away from pop, we have Portugal's Fado entry. Sousa certainly knows how to sing and truly captures the longing and melancholia of the genre (translation of the lyrics available here) . If it sounds a bit familiar, the songwriter also wrote Portugal's 2008 entry "Senhora do mar (Negras aguas)" (also Fado) as well as entries for Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Unfortunately, it likely won't do as well as it probably deserves ("Senhora do mar" only came in 13th). Interesting note, Portugal has never submitted a song other than in Portuguese.
Romania
First Appearance: 1994
Highest Place: 3rd (2005, 2010)
Mandinga - "Zaleilah"
I'd never heard a Latin dance song featuring a bagpipe until this (translation available here). Soloist Elena Ionescu was advised by another Romanian singer to appear as naked on stage as possible in order to be remembered. Frankly, it's upbeat and fun, which is really what dance and pop music is all about. I must say, I'm a little sad that it beat out the Stephenie Meyer-inspired "Twilight" (and before you ask, that would not be the first Eurovision song about vampires).
My final thoughts? Look for Jedward to make a dash for first, hopefully with Malta hot on their heels.
We're half way done with the semi-finals! Only three more pots and the finalists to go! Today's pot is a strange mix of Mediterranean and the Benelux.
Armenia
First Appearance: 2006
Highest Place: 4th (2008)
Armenia withdrew from the competition on March 7, 2012, citing safety concerns for its delegation, a month and a half after the pots and semi-finals had been allocated. For a discussion about the icy relationship between Armenia and Azerbaijan that lead to this decision, click here.
Belgium
First Appearance: 1956
Highest Place: 1st (1986)
Iris - "Would You"
At 17, Iris is one of the youngest competitors in this year's competition, and it shows. The song is nice, in that teenage ballad way (am I the only one who could see Taylor Swift singing something this this?), but I don't think it will score that high. "Would You" won the song selection in Belgium with 53% of the vote, while the other option, "Safety Net" garnered 47% of the vote. However, don't underestimate the youth from Belgium; Sandra Kim won with "J'Aime la Vie" at age 13 in 1986, the youngest winner in Eurovision history.
Cyprus
First Appearance: 1981
Highest Place: 5th (1982, 1997, 2004)
Ivi Adamou - "La La Love"
Another upbeat song by a young competitor, and this one is oddly catching (trust me, after a listen or two, you'll find pops into your head at random times). Eurovision betting odds say that it will do well, although Eurovision isn't likely to be coming to us from Nicosia next year. I'm definitely a big fan of the Snow White motif, although did anyone notice in three minutes, Adamou shows more emotional range than that other Snow White (Kristen "Bella Swan" Stewart).
Greece
First Appearance: 1974
Highest Place: 1st (2005)
Eleftheria Eleftheriou - "Aphrodisiac"
Another upbeat song by a young competitor, and this one is oddly catching (trust me, after a listen or two, you'll find pops into your head at random times). Eurovision betting odds say that it will do well, although Eurovision isn't likely to be coming to us from Athens next year. Wait, is that the same thing I just said about Cyprus? Yes, because they're both nice, fun, upbeat songs that enjoy alliteration. Eleftheriou was actually born and raised in Cyprus (more similarities?) Is anyone else getting vibes of Helena Paparizou (first place in 2005) or Kalomira (third place in 2008)?
So, it's a nice little song that's a change from the ballads and pop numbers in the pot so far. And if you listen to it, it's a kind of sweet (she's talking about playing "Indian" with a friend when she was five). But the outfit...the backup dancers. We're about thisclose to awful stereotype and thisclose to the craziness that Eurovision sometimes can become. I'm not sure which way it's going to fall yet.
Turkey
First Appearance: 1975
Highest Place: 1st (2003)
Can Bonomo - "Love Me Back"
Turkey gives us an interesting mix of modern pop music with traditional flare. The song has yet to grow on me, but the video more than makes up it. Interesting note: Bonomo is of Jewish descent, yet is representing a nation that, as a Muslim state, previously chose not to participate in Eurovision when it was held in Jerusalem.
Five more down, only a few more to go. Pick from this pot? Cyprus.
Well, cats and kittens, it's time to dive into Pot 3, which features (mostly) former Soviet republics.
Belarus
First Appearance: 2004
Highest Place: 6th (2007)
Litesound - "We Are The Heroes"
Upbeat and fun, although it's probably a bit too close to Creed, Daughtry, and other Top-40 rock bands (Although they most certainly are better than Nickleback). The lead singer may be able to score a few votes just for looks, but current odds place them in the middle of the pack. Of course, no Eurovision contest is without scandal. Litesound originally placed 2nd in the Belarusian selection show, but after an investigation revealed the winner and her producers had rigged the voting, the winner was disqualified and Litesound won a trip to Baku (to hear disqualified song, "All My Life" by Alyona Lanskaya, click here)
Georgia
First Appearance: 2007
Best Place: 9th (2010, 2011)
Arni Jokhadze - "I'm a Joker"
So my reaction to watching this for the first time went something along the lines of "What the...oooookay...hmmmm...get it!" The entire production seems to be one big fever dream of craziness, but there's something about it that keeps it just barely on this side of sane. It probably won't do well, but hey, if you got it, flaunt it. And for a bit of trivia, Jokhadze is the first male singer from Georgia to compete in Eurovision.
Israel
First Appearance: 1973
Highest Place: 1st (1978, 1979, 1998)
Ibazo - "Time"
o.O Well it's different. And somehow, completely catchy and bouncy, so it's either going to score well or crash and burn. Although, to be honest, I like the music video more than I like the song, so here's hoping they keep the air guitar mimes and headbanging clowns. And the trapeze artists! For a translation of the lyrics, click here.
Moldova
First Appearance: 2005
Highest Place: 6th (2005)
Pasha Parfeny - Lăutar
Oh my god, it's Edward Norton on the Eurovision stage! No sorry, our mistake. But anyway, another catchy, if quirky song, from Pot 3. And who doesn't love a jazz/swing/big band feel (see Roger Cicero in 2007 or Alex Swing, Oscar Sings! in 2009 for others)? And although the song is sung completely in English, the title refers to a type of traditional Romani musicians.
Russia
First Appearance: 1994
Highest Place: 1st (2008)
Buranovskiye Babushki - "Party for Everybody"
How can you not root for the 6 babushkas from the village of Buranovo, especially the smallest grandmother in the world? Based on the betting odds, their currently slated to place 2nd. With an average age of 71, the babushkas defeated former winner Dima Bilan and former t.A.T.u. member Yulia Volkova in the Russian selection to travel to Baku (t.A.T.u, famous for their song "All The Things She Said" competed for Russia in 2003, placing third). The group has said if they win, they will use the prize money to build a church in their village. For a translation of the lyrics, click here.
Ukraine
First Appearance: 2003
Highest Place: 1st (2004)
Gaitana - "Be My Guest"
Another high energy act from Ukraine, and another one that should do extremely well. Gaitana, who wrote and composed this song as well, is one of the pioneers of R&B in Ukraine and definitely deserves a high score with this performance. Unfortunately, her selection to represent Ukraine in Baku was marred with controversial claims that the bi-racial Gaitana was not a suitable choice to represent the predominately white Ukraine (a full post about that will be going up soon).
So this was definitely our most eclectic group to date. Push comes to shove, I'm going with Ukraine here, but I would love to see Russia pull it out!
Now that we've taken a brief look at Pot 1, let's take a look at Pot 2 for the 2012 Eurovision song contest.
For those of you unaware, countries are divided into pots based on how those countries voted in the past and then the half of each pot competes in each semi-final. Combining this with the critiques of block voting, it's easy to see why, for the most part, the countries in each Pot have similar demographics, including language and ethnicity. While Pot 1 was made of states that were formerly part of Yugoslavia, today's Pot features Baltic and Scandanavian countries.
Denmark
First Appearance: 1957
Highest Place: 1st (1963, 2000)
Soluna Samay - "Should've Known Better"
Samay was born in Guatemala and did not emigrate to Denmark until 2000. She is one of the youngest competitors, and her personal introduction, a capella singing, and use of her winning performance in Denmark all seems geared towards reaching the youth vote. The song is catchy, she sings well, and I appreciate that she plays her own instruments. While she has the whole hip, young superstar thing going (dare we say, we could totally see this as a winning song on American Idol), I do suggest that she gets a better outfit. Current betting odds place her in the top 5.
Estonia
First Appearance: 1994
Highest Place: 1st (2001)
Ott Lepland - "Kuula"
Lepland won the Estonian version of Pop Idol and has the vocal talets to prove it. Lepland certainly gets props for writing his own song (translation available here). At first I was a bit bored, but to be honest, the more I listen to it, the more it grows on me. I could see it either doing very well or falling into the bottom for just being "nice" (then again, Azerbaijan rode nice all the way to a win last year.)
Finland
First Appearance: 1961
Highest Place: 1st (2006)
Pernilla Karlsson - "Nar Jag Blundar"
A nice little minimalist piece from one of the youngest contestants. It will probably grow on me, but I didn't necessarily like it or dislike it. Interesting bit of trivia though: The song, although from Finland, is sung in Swedish (translation available here). Although Finnish is primarily spoken in Finland, Sweden is one of the two official languages of the country, and Swedish is the native language of 5.39% of of population.
Iceland
First Appearance: 1986
Highest Place: 2nd (1999, 2009)
Gréta Salóme and Jónsi - "Never Forget"
Is it me, or does Iceland seem to always send great songs year after year, and this is the second Icelandic guy/girl act in 5 years (Euroband competed in 2008). There isn't much to complain about here (let's not get started on how beautiful the country is), and as a bonus, not only did Salóme write and compose the song, she plays the violin as well. Not to be outdone, Jónsi competed for Iceland in 2004, placing 19th. With so much success without winning, could this be Iceland's year?
Norway
First Appearance: 1960
Highest Place: 1st (1985, 1995, 2009)
Tooji - "Stay"
The first of many high energy pop dance songs, this one featuring a former model and MTV host who certainly can dance and put on a show. This is type of thing that audiences love and expect a high placement (it certainly worked for Eric Saade in 2011, who wound up in 3rd). It's pretty infectious to boot. Two bits of trivia: Tooji was born in Iran but moved to Norway at the age of one, and he also co-wrote his own song.
Sweden
First Appearance: 1958
Highest Place: 1st (1974, 1984, 1991, 1999)
Loreen - "Euphoria"
Another dance number from the country that brought you Eurovision's most famous winners, Abba. According to the betting odds, this is the clear favorite to win, and with its upbeat tempo and catchy lyrics, it's a pretty safe bet this will do well. Interesting note, the producer for this song also produced "Stay" from Norway. And one last thing: Loreen, lose the house coat. Seriously.
So there we have it, our second pot and there's not really a bad song in here. While the odds are still in Sweden's favor, here's hoping this is Iceland's year.
So we've talked about politics and voting, but let's be honest, what you're really here for is the music. So here we go, our first look at the 2012 contestants, with some facts, trivia, and our thoughts. Feel free to share your own!
Albania
First Appearance: 2004
Highest Place: 7th (2004)
Rona Nishliu - "Suus"
She has a great voice and she really captures the pain and emotion of the lyrics (translation available here). She's definitely relying on those high notes to carry her through. Quick bit of trivia, this is the first Eurovision song to feature Latin lyrics, as well as the first Armenian entry to feature a singer born in Kosovo (stay tuned for a Politics of Eurovision post discussing Kosovo, the EBU, and Eurovision).
Bosnia and Herzegovina
First Appearance: 1993
Highest Place: 3rd (2006)
Maya Sar - "Korake Ti Nzam"
Maya Sar is no stranger to the Eurovision stage, having provided backing vocals in 2004 and 2011, as well as playing keyboard in 2011, all for Bosnia and Herzegovina. With the gorgeous vocals and heartbreaking lyrics (translated here), she's definitely got the Adele vibe going on. Plus, we're a sucker for someone who plays her own instruments.
Croatia
First Appearance: 1993
Highest Place: 4th (1996, 1999)
Nina Badrić - "Nebo"
Our third contestant in a row singing in a language other than English (translation available here)! A bit more pop than the previous two songs, but catchy on its own, and the video definitely makes use of the wind machine and half naked hunks. And how can we not root for someone who writes her own lyrics and music?
F.Y.R. Macedonia
First Appearance: 1998
Highest Place: 12th (2006)
Kaliopi - "Crno i Belo"
Kaliopi released her first single at the age of 18, and previously represented Macedonia in Eurovision in 1996, although she failed to pass out of the pre-qualifying round. With great vocals, lyrics by the singer (translation available here) and the sexiest playing of a sting instrument this side of Yo-Yo Ma, the song deserves to place higher than it likely will.
Montenegro
First Appearance: 2007
Highest Place: 11th in the Semi-Finals (2009)
Rambo Amadeus - "Euro Neuro"
This song is cool like a swimming pool (do you see what I did there?). It may win points for creativity and for a completely bizzare/awesome video that for some reason you can't stop watching. But I'm not sure it will make it into the finals. There's always next year, Montenegro.
Serbia
First Appearance: 2007
Highest Place: 1st (2007)
Željko Joksimović - "Nije Ljubav Stvar"
Another familiar face, Joksimović competed in 2004 (for Serbia and Montenegro, placing 2nd), produced 3 other Eurovision entries, and co-hosted the 2008 competition in Belgrade. The song features great vocals as well as what appears to be nearly a full orchestra (translation of the lyrics available here). Current Eurovision odds place Serbia in the top 10, and with is previous success, look for a high placement.
Switzerland
First Appearance: 1956
Highest Place: 1st (1956, 1988)
Sinplus - "Unbreakable"
Giving us our first song in English, Switzerland seeks 12 points with this pop rock offering by brothers Ivan and Gabriel Broggini. The song is catchy on the first listen and soon you'll find yourself rocking out with your headphones in. If you're worried about the accent, it didn't hold Lena back in 2010 (or 2011 for that matter), and you can't ever discount the country that gave us Céline Dion. Eurovision odds put them behind fellow sibling act Jedward, which is a shame.
So there you have it, your first 6 acts. If we have to pick, our vote goes to Bosnia, but quite frankly, there's not much in here that we wouldn't mind seeing have a good showing.
Eurovision was developed by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in the 1950s as a way to help unite the war-ravaged countries of Europe. Surely, with such spunky diplopop, the countries would find a way to put aside their difference and unite in music. Right?
Wrong.
Armenia's late departure from the 2012 Eurovision content, to be held in May in Baku, Azerbaijan, illustrates the very real political and social issues lurking just below the surface of disco and glitter. Although originally slated to appear, Armenia withdrew from the competition on March 7, 2012, claiming that Azerbaijan had been unable to guarantee the safety of the Armenian delegation.
So what brought Armenia and Azerbaijan to this point. The answer, like most questions in politics, comes down to land.
Armenia and Azerbajan are located between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the Caucasus Mountains region.
The territory in question is a region known as the Nagorno-Karabakh, a self-governing region internationally recognized as being within the borders of Azerbaijan. However, while recognized as being within Azerbaijan, the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh is de facto independent from Azerbaijan.
A close of the disputed territory
While territorial disputes between what is now Armenia and Azerbaijan have long historic roots, including before, during and after World War I, the modern conflict can be traced back to the growing influence of the Soviet Union in the Caucasus region. When both Azerbaijan and Armenia came under Bolshevik control, Stalin originally planned to allocate the Nagorno-Karabakh region to the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, along with the Nakhchivan region (the part of Azerbaijan on the far left side of the map) as well as the territory between the two. However, hoping to placate Turkey, Stalin changed the borders, allocating both Nakhchivan and Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan and, in many ways, wedging Armenia between the two. The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast was formed in the Azerbaijan SSR, with its borders drawn so as to include as many Armenian villages as possible while excluding majority Azeri territories, and separated from the Armenian SSR by a strip of Azerbaijani territory.
Hence, Nagorno-Karabakh is predominantly ethnic Armenian in a country that is predominantly ethnic Azeri. By the time the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989, Nahorno-Karabakh as 76% ethnic Armenian. The Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (as noted earlier, the region is self-governmening and all but independent from Azerbaijan) self reports that it is currently 95% Armenian. Increasing the difficulty, the ethnic Armenians are predominantly Christian, while the ethnic Azeri are predominately Muslim.
Firm Soviet control contained the conflict, but with the crumbling of the USSR in the late 1980s, tension between the two nation-states began to rise. Ethnic Armenians alleged that the Azerbaijan SSR attempted to settle the region with ethnic Azeris. In 2002, Haydar Aliyev, a former Soviet official, admitted to attempted Azerification of the region, claiming, "We opened the institute and began sending Azeris from nearby districts there rather than to Baku. We also opened a big shoe factory. Stepanakert [the capitol of Nagorno-Karabakh] had no sufficient labor force, so we began sending there Azeris from places around the region. By doing this I tried to increase the number of Azeris and to reduce the number of Armenians."
In 1988, the Armenian majority began to revolt against Azeribaijan rule, and the local government voted to merge the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast into the Armenian SSR. Armed conflict between Armenians and Azeris ensued, with the Soviet Union granting the Azerbaijan SSR more leeway in controlling the territory. In 1991, Azerbaijan abolished the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, bringing the territory under direct control of the Azerbaijani government. In November, the ethnic Armenians responded by voting to form an independent state, and by December, full-scale war began between Azerbaijan and the Armenian-supported former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. By 1994, Armenia controlled 14% of Azerbaijan, and for the first time, Azerbaijan regonized Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent actor in the war. On May 12, 1994, a ceasefire was declared and peace talks began. By this time, fatalities and refugees numbered in the thousands, with claims against the Armenians for engaging in ethnic cleansing against the Azeri. Despite calls from the UN, Armenia has still not withdrawn from Azerbaijan.
Although peace talks continue, lead by the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, isolated skirmishes continue between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces, including an attack by an Armenian sniper against Azerbaijani forces, resulting in one death, and an Azerbaijani drone being shot down in Nagorno-Karabakh airspace in 2011. And the territory remains one of the most heavily land mined areas in the former Soviet Union, and there are still around half a million refugees and displaced persons. Yet even after 20 years, leaders remain hopefully that a lasting peace can be achieved. Armenia and the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh retain close ties, although Armenia has resisted internal pressure to formally unite Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh. The close ties, however, can be evidence in the fact that the former President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (1994-1997), Robert Kocharian, served as both prime minister (1997-1998) and then the president of Armenia (1998-2008).
Current status of the dispute
So, what does all this have to do with Eurovision? Well, as we all know, the best way to handle a centuries long dispute is through passive-aggressive sniping at a singing competition.
In 2006, the Armenian singer listed his birthplace as Nagorno-Karabakh, a statement which was later removed from the official Eurovision website due to complaints by the Azerbaijan government. In 2009, the introduction to Armenia's entry included a picture of Nagorno-Karabakh. Again, the Azerbaijan government complained. In retaliation, the Armenian representative who relayed Armenia's results, 2008 competitor Sirusho, read the scores from a clipboard featuring an image from Nagorno-Karabakh while presenting in front of the same image (video below). In addition, Azerbaijan's postcard featured disputed territories in Iran, which Armenia stated created a double standard, as its own postcard did not include the disputed territory.
Additionally, the EBU fined the Azerbaijan affiliate for blurring the number of the voting line for Armenia as well as for disrupting the signal during the Armenian song, with a threat that Azerbaijan could be banned from the competition if such activities continued. Azerbaijan, however, claimed that the breaches of procedure were due to technical difficulties.
We're still not done with 2009, by the way. In August, 2009, the EBU began investigating complaints that Azerbaijani citizens who had voted for the Armenian entry had been detained and questioned by Azerbaijani security personnel for being a security threat, a claim which Azerbaijan denied. Although the EBU did not sanction Azerbaijan, it did note that such questioning was "unacceptable" and it strengthened its privacy rules to protect voter identities.
In the lead up to the 2012 content in Baku, the capitol of Azerbaijan, 22 Armenian singers, including former Eurovision contestants, demanded a boycott of the contest after an Armenian soldier was reportedly killed by an Azerbaijani sniper (it was later confirmed that the dead was the result of friendly fire), claiming "We reuse to appear in a country that is well known for mass killings and massacres of Armenians, in a country where anti-Armenian sentiments have been elevated to the level of state policy."
In decided to finally pull the Armenian entry (although it had already been confirmed as participating), the Armenian EBU affiliate stated, "Despite the fact that the Azerbaijani authorities have given security guarantees to all participating countries, several days ago the Azerbaijani president made a statement that enemy number one for Azerbaijan was Armenians. . .There is no logic to sending a participant to a country where he will be met as an enemy." A member of the Azerbaijan government shot back, stating "The Armenian refusal to take part in such a respected contest will cause even further damage to the already damaged image of Armenia."
The EBU, diplomatic as always, released the following statement: "We are truly disappointed by the broadcaster's decision to withdraw from this year's Eurovision Song Contest. Despite the efforts of the EBU and the Host Broadcaster to ensure a smooth participation for the Armenian delegation in this year's Contest, circumstances beyond our control lead to this unfortunate decision."
