Eurovision 2012 Preview: Pot 3

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!

What is your favorite act from Pot 3?

Eurovision 2012 Preview: Pot 2

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.

What is your favorite act from Pot 2?

Eurovision 2012 Preview: Pot 1

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.

What is your favorite act from Pot 1?

The Politics of Eurovision: Armenia and Azerbaijan

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.

Source:  United States Central Intelligence Agency, 1995

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."