Eurovision 2012 Preview: Finalists

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.

Which finalist is your favorite?

Eurovision 2012 Preview: Pot 6

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!

What is your favorite act from Pot 6?

Eurovision 2012 Preview: Pot 5

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...

Ireland
First Appearance:  1965
Highest Place:  1st (1970, 1980, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996)

Jedward - "Waterline"

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.

What is your favorite act from Pot 5?

Eurovision 2012 Preview: Pot 4

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)?

Netherlands
First Appearance:  1956
Highest Place:  1st (1957, 1959, 1969, 1975)

Joan Franka - "You and Me"

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.

What is your favorite act from Pot 4?

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?