Sanna makes Aram Not Alone

Sanna Nielsen has been the big mover in the odds over the last week, moving up to a very close second favourite alongside Aram mp3 from Armenia.  Whereas Mr. mp3 has suffered negative PR in recent weeks, Sanna is flying high in the OGAE Polls, and has confirmed five experience backing singers including former Eurovision winners and a little black designer dress and everybody is getting excited.

Both take to the Copenhagen stage for the first time exactly one week today.  ESCInsight will be there to follow all the action.  This newsletter from next week will be going daily to give you a one-stop resource of all the things we have done and picking up the best cuttings from around the press centre so you don’t have to search them yourselves.  Don’t worry, it won’t be too intense.

Putting the jury out there

As you may have heard me and Ewan discuss on this year’s first Juke Box Jury, will the reveal of all the individual jury information in Eurovision have an effect on the contest.  Ewan believes so, and has written about why the EBU are perhaps being a little bit too transparent this time.  Furthermore on Insight both Ewan and Sam have written up their articles about how which songs just remind them of something else, to give you maybe more good music to listen to.  

And don’t forget Terry.  Here he is checking off Molly’s vital statistics.  

5 more things to do while you wait impatiently

Check out the Eurovision documentaries  The Estonian produced documentary Euro Euphoria is a feature length film that follows the passion of fans at the Eurovision Song Contest.  Featuring not just Estonians but Americans, Norwegians and Australians in the melting pot of fans, this was filmed during Eurovision last year in Sweden and will bring back lots of great memories.  To view the feature length edition will cost 3.49 EUR.

If you want a free alternative, then The Common Linnets had a two hour documentary on Dutch TV.  

Check out the other singles  Maybe you have found some new artists through the 37 songs of this year’s contest, and you are now looking for a little more music from your favourites?

Try Sanna Nielsen’s Rainbow for an alternative and more pop sound to Undo.  Endless Waterfall is an older song released by Softengine, which stays true to the bands Coldplay influences.  Don't forget some of the old national final entries too, Mariya lost to Gravity with Imagine, and somehow this pro EU entry didn't stop Latvia sending their favourite German.  

Practice your karaoke performances  After the release of the official album comes the release as well as each of the 37 karaoke tracks across Europe.  Release your inner Conchita, or fly like Valentina, or simply marvel at the production of Molly’s track.  With these karaoke tracks being released has brought back the Eurovision Karaoke Horror tracks from Israeli Mega Oh’cha.  This year’s first two are covering Amazing and Cheesecake in the name of politically incorrect humour.  Enjoy (or dispair).

Euro Fan Cafe is experiencing ‘double projection’ sales so far, which might be because of all the Eurovision fans are going to be challenging me in the Karaoke contest.

Check out the acoustic entries  In attempts to make it look to the world that they are brilliant musicians, Twin Twin have an acoustic cover of Moustache, Freaky Fortune release the summer mix of Rise Up, and Hersi shows off her voice in One Night’s Anger.  Add to this the acoustic and original Icelandic version of No Prejudice.  

Even more brave is the Kallay-Saunders cover of Start a Fire, showing the true spirit of Eurovision.

Get Planning Your Copenhagen Journey  With all the credit to the team at ESCKAZ.com, here is a wonderful map of all the locations you need to know about in Copenhagen, from the arena to the EuroClub to the official hotels and bus stops - this is your one stop guide to Copenhagen for the Eurovision fan.  

Remember Junior Eurovision Exists

We are already planning our trips to Malta for November, and one of these 8 names will be representing Sweden on the holiday island if they win Lilla Melodifestivalen on 6th June.  When Sveriges Radio dropped the requirement that the kids had to audition with their prospective Junior Eurovision song, is it a surprise that the numbers entering increased over ten times?

The Netherlands are taking this very seriously as always, and are left with 31 acts at the moment of which 10 will have the chance to fight for a place in the live TV rounds.  

Robertson's Reflection

I woke up on Thursday and logged myself online to see news which has brought the end of a lovely era to an end.

In 2010, I was back at university and, like many a Eurovision fan, I was watching Melodifestivalen each week.  I even got a close Swedish friend of mine to watch with me to get all the nuances.  That year lots was expected from big star Darin, but he had to fight to make it to Globen.  An unknown quartet with their ethno-folk-pop-schlager nursery rhyme Kom created a minor shock in winning the 3rd heat in Gothenburg.

It wasn’t love at first sight, but as the girls ditched the frumpy pastel colours for brighter and bolder fashion I have to admit I developed a little bit of a crush on them.  They are quite beautiful...

Without realising it, these girls are not one of the reasons I moved to Sweden, but listening through their two Swedish language albums and reading their sweetly innocent blog posts inspired me to continue learning their beautiful language.  

I was very excited as you can imagine about their 2012 Melodifestivalen entry in my first year living in the country.  Stormande Hav was such an in-your-face-Irish-whistle-and-schlager-car-crash that I was obliged to love it.  Them losing out to Top Cats on a place in Globen still hurts.  I did get to meet them briefly, of all places at a swanky club in Stockholm, just before they left for Andra Chansen.  I fumbled and stuttered in my attempt to speak Swedish to them, I even got their names mixed up, and it was all a rather embarassing experience, akin to love stories in American pre-teen dramas.  

I managed to submit the winning song in the OGAE Song Contest vote that year in Sweden, ensuring Sweden submitted summer hit Het across the European fan clubs, where it finished a respectable 6th.  

Like all good things though, things were starting to come to an end.  The groups new image with a dirtier sound and bolder make-up created personas gave the band rather than a charming feeling, one that was all together a little more grown up and a little less lovely.  The group were still performing around the country each summer, but complementing this with make-up endorsements, shoe deals and attending fashion awards.  

This week, it was announced online that Johanna has left the group.  Always seeming like the most caring, sweetest, smartest and dare I say most amazingly beautiful of the members in any interviews and blog posts I’ve been reading, it’s been clear for a while that her new pursuits of her dancing and hosting radio shows have been prioritised above the group.  I wish her all the best for New York and her adventures, as the other three attempt to sell their oh-so-Swedish charm to China.  

It is sad that this has created such great tensions, as the article above says.  Timoteij as a project is one not to last for eternity like Swedish dansbands, but one that has done wonderfully well to reach this point since that shock Melodifestivalen moment now over four years ago.  Thank you Johanna for giving me inspiration to learn the language and for being true to yourself.  And as I received my C grade in Swedish this week as well, enough to go and study proper high school courses, it is fitting to bring this era to an end as well.