Never Stop The Europop!

It's Britney, bitch.

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 11:12:00 +0000

Two years later...

Off-topic: Tigerentenkoalition

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 20:34:00 +0000

Seriously, WTF? Totally Wort des Jahres. Merkel was right to challenge the host on how ridiculous a term it is.

Does that make schwarz-rot-grün the Tigerente-Plus-Günter-Koalition?

I'm Not Dead, Just Floating

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 15:17:00 +0000

Don't worry folks, I'm not dead. So why has this blog been abandoned since April? That's a really good question.

For one thing, I was travelling in central Europe some of the time. But the real answer: attempting to cover every national final was simply too big a task. In both 2007 and 2008, I only managed to review about half the songs and performances. I have a full-time job and a life to manage, and as it turned out, trying to cover around 650 songs from over 40 countries was more than was feasible. I stopped enjoying it - it became a task, not a pleasure.

Of course I enjoyed discovering great artists like Hera Björk, Janni Santillan and sevdahBABY, to name a few, as well as watching comic horrors like Anri Jokhadze - but in future, I'm just going to listen to the MP3s. Like everyone else does. After all, at the end of the day, this blog is about great music - not about costume changes, ribbon dances or campy Stalin mini-musicals (yes, Anzi, I'm looking at you again). Well, it's about those too, but the music comes first. And I simply no longer have either the time or the energy to plough through several hundred YouTube videos of wildly varying quality each year.

So what did I think of Eurovision this year? In a word: not impressed. OK, so that's two words, but you get the gist. Though I didn't cover them here, I live-twittered both semis and the final on a private account. Semifinal 1 was enjoyable but middling, and in my opinion, the wrong songs qualified; of my 10 favourite songs, only 3 made it through. Semifinal 2 was fabulous - an outstanding, entertaining, quirky, musically diverse show from start to finish, possibly better even than the second semifinal in 2008. And yet, when the results came through, it was once again a huge disappointment - only 3 of my 10 personal choices made it into the final. By the time the final came around, I'd already tuned out. And when Norway developed a huge lead within the first 10 minutes of voting, I stopped being a Eurovision fan - at least not in its present form.

What we witnessed in 2009 was a "mainstream-ization" of the contest. All of the most original, daring, off-the-wall, unconventional, musically inspired entries failed to make it through the semis. In general, the better I thought a song was, the worse it fared. By and large, the songs which qualified - and which went on to take the top 3 spots in the final - were bland, mainstream, middle-of-the-road, radio-friendly, musically uninspired numbers - inoffensively pleasant musical wallpaper, suitable for an unsophisticated mass audience with no real appreciation of popular music or even an interest in music at all. In short, this year's soporific Eurovision final was music for people who don't like music. No wonder, then, that non-fans are proclaiming it as the highest quality final ever. The real fan community knows that's hogwash. The 2005 and 2007 finals, both classics, were far, far stronger than this year, as was the underrated 2008. The 2009 final was on a low with 2006 as one of the dullest Eurovision finals in memory. And, as in 2006, something rubbish from Scandinavia won with a record margin.

In my entirely biased opinion, "Fairytale" is one of the weakest songs to ever win Eurovision. I'd take Viktor, erm, I mean Dima Bilan or even Lordi over Rybak anyday, and that's really saying something. In terms of saccharine obnoxiousness, it's beaten only by "Fly On The Wings Of Love" from 2000. Yet it does have some musical value. I'll give it its due. Was it the best song of the contest? Absolutely not. Was it even one of the best 20 songs? Again, no. Because it's uninspired drivel. But it was well performed, and what it did, it did well. It knew its target audience, aimed itself cunningly and mercilessly at them, and reaped the rewards. And anyway, in terms of sheer wretchedness, no winner - no matter how bad - will probably ever be able to match 2003's "Everyway That I Can" (sic), almost undoubtedly set to remain Eurovision's rubbishest winner.

I know a fair number of Eurovision fans ranging from casual to diehard, and none of them particularly liked "Fairytale". Without wishing to sound like a snob, the few people I know who did like it are all the type of people who own about 10 CDs. Or in some cases, LPs. The "massive passive", the casual viewing lumpenproletariat, whose critical opinion ranges from "it's nice" at one end of the scale to "it's weird" or "I don't like it" at the other. And by being the absolute epitome of "nice", "Fairytale" and Rybak mobilised the power of the "massive passive", tapping into the "oh, that's nice" vote from bourgeouis, non-musical audiences across the continent to ensure a record victory.

I'm starting to realise that as a self-appointed expert in European pop with highly diverse tastes, my preferences are the opposite of the mainstream voting public. Not only that, they only partially overlap with those of the average Eurovision fan.

Anyway, next topic: the relaunch. Like Charlotte Perrelli did last year, Never Stop The Europop will be returning in January 2010 with a facelift and a mission. I'll probably continue to post occasional "daily picks" over the coming months. But in terms of Eurovision and the European pop scene, it all kicks off next year. Watch this space. Or better still, don't - go and play outside! I love you all, darlings ;-)

Spain 2009: El Retorno Final

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:18:00 +0000

Won:
1st: Soraya - La noche es para mí (22 points)

Lost:
2nd: Melody - Amante de la luna (22 points)

2009 Spain - Melody (Final)
by Galiza

Very Spanish pop, with a bunch of topless men in waistcoats dancing around. It's pure flamenco, very Spanish indeed, but not that great. Really, the song is absolutely nothing to write home about - it's the Vivancos, the flamenco dance troupe, that everyone's been raving about. But after they withdrew their participation, they were replaced by a bunch of phoned-in dancers in identical outfits (above). Not a patch. Without them, this is nothing - Melody herself is barely relevant, and the song is like a thousand other standard Spanish or Portuguese songs you've heard before. Surprisingly bland given the hype - glad this didn't win.

3rd: Santa Fe - Samba House (16 points)

Spain 2009 (final) - Santa Fe - Samba House
by jief75

I have absolutely no idea what I make of this. I have no idea whether it's good or bad. At least it's original. It reminds me of many things, yet is ultimately unlike any of them. All I know is it's quite fun, very energetic, and makes me laugh for some reason.

4th: Mirela - Nada es comparable a ti (13 points)

Spain 2009 (final) - Mirela - Nada Es Comparable A Ti
by jief75

Is this going to be the Spanish Sinead O'Connor? Not quite. It's a very competent, very classy ballad, with a strong performance from Mirela. I love the song; it's understated and surprisingly powerful. The only negative: the staging and choreography are entirely unsuited to the song - green lasers are flashing everywhere and some men are doing a ridiculous dance. It's all just an unnecessary distraction. The song is strong indeed, with brill vocals from an unfazed Mirela, especially in the bridge. Good stuff.

5th: Virginia - True Love (11 points)

Spain 2009 (final) - Virginia - True Love
by jief75

Another Big Ballad. Virginia has a really lovely voice and knows how to use it well - she persents the song professionally and emotively. By the time the chorus comes in, I realise I absolutely love this. It's tender, sincere, fragile, heartfelt, wrenching and beautiful - and both singer and song are a revelation. The interplay between Spanish and English works well. There are no words for Virginia's performance - well, no, there are: touching, flawless, incredible. My only complaint is that the song seems to end rather suddenly.

6th: Isi - Ahora no (11 points)

Spain 2009 (final) - Isi - Ahora No
by jief75

A vamp in a leather catsuit stood on a podium. The song is a formula stomper, perhaps slightly above average but still nothing to really write home about. Performance is good. Ends after just two and a half minutes.

7th: La La Love You - Dame un beso (9 points)

Spain 2009 (final) La La Love You - Dame Un Beso
by jief75

A fun, poppy punk number. It's cacophonous, of course, but it doesn't take itself seriously and is good-natured and jokey. The band are all wearing pink, and there's a girl on stage operating a candy floss machine and handing out candy floss to the audience. Now she's just chucked some water over one of the guitarists. Song's alright but not a keeper. Fun performance.

8th: Julia Bermejo - Ya no estás (4 points)

2009 Spain - Julia Bermejo (Final)
by Galiza

A blond girl with a big theatrical ballad. It's modern, well-performed, respectable and competent. We like. Quite a good song, and good vocals from Julia, but no classic.

9th: Jorge González - Si yo vengo a enamorarte (4 points)

Spain 2009 (final) Jorge González - Si Yo Vengo A Enamorarte
by jief75

Generic latin pop. Not bad. Better than could be expected, in fact. I like it, I respect it, but I don't love it. There's even a cursory ribbon dance right at the end...

10th: Salva Ortega - Lujuria (3 points)

Spain 2009 (final) - Salva Ortega - Lujuria
by jief75

A Ricky Martin copy. Everything about this is directly cloned, from the singer's look to the dancers, stage presentation and especially the structure of the song. While it's not a plagiarism per se (the melody is original), the production, structure and overall sound are directly based on "Livin' La Vida Loca" and "She Bangs". As a piece of music, I can't get worked up about it - it's Ricky Martin without the tune.

11th: Noelia Cano - Cruza los dedos (1 points)

Spain 2009 (final) Noelia Cano - Cruza Los Dedos
by jief75

Fabulous technopop. It's like Haffi Haff, except with a (good) female singer and male dancers. Great beat, enjoyable tune, and funky industrial production with blips and grinds - but I'm not sure that it's melodically strong enough to be a keeper. Also loving the performance, fashion and outfits.

12th: Gran Baobab - Despedida de soltero (0 points)

Spain 2009 (final) Gran Baobab - Despedida De Soltero
by jief75

Fun latin jazz. This is enjoyable, professional and authentic, and I don't think it deserved to come last.

Summing up the Spanish selection this year: better than last year's disaster, but still a very mixed bag. Out of 30 songs, most were middling and many poor, and the whole thing seemed somewhat dull. There has to be more exciting and progressive music in Spain than what's on offer here!

Spain 2009: El Retorno Semifinal 3

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 20:12:00 +0000

Won:
1st: Santa Fe - Samba House (24 points)
2nd: Mirela - Nada es comparable a ti (18 points)
3rd: Isi - Ahora no (17 points)
4th: Julia Bermejo - Ya no estás (14 points)

Lost:
5th: El Secreto de Álex - Por esta vez (13 points)

Spain 2009 (sf3) El secreto de Alex - Por esta vez
by jief75

Really good pop-rock, with joyous guitars and a real 60s summer feeling. The lead singer gives a great performance - strong vocals, but lots of acting and camera interaction too - it's a proper performance which more than does the song justice. By far the best thing we've seen in Spain in so far - the melody and guitar line are just fantastic. A shame this didn't go further.

6th: Dulce - Bésame (8 points)

Sounds like a 2002 Eurovision entry from some anonymous Mediterranean country. It's a good piece of summery pop, complete with WHITE OUTFITS and random BIG DRUMS. How many more 21st century Eurovision cliches can we pack in? A lesbian dance, perhaps? Some of the vocals are slightly painful towards the end, but I'll give it a pass - good song, good performance.

=7th: Remembrances - Espejismo (7 points)

Spain 2009 (sf3) Remembrances - Espejismo
by jief75

And it's the Spanish Evanescence. The song is good, but it's not the most confident vocal performance I've heard - she's mostly in tune, but it could do with a bit more strength; her vocals sound a little wobbly in places. The woman flailing around behind her dressed as a shuttlecock is entirely unnecessary.

=7th: Biquini - Una chica normal (7 points)

More full-on 60s flower-power stuff. In Spanish. Natch. And entirely out of tune. Natch. In fact, I can't even tell what melody they're trying to sing, or what this is even supposed to sound like. Without doubt, this is the most atrociously out-of-tune performance I've ever witnessed. No amount of mindlessly gleeful hand jiving can rescue it. Someone should warn Macedonia's "XXL" that they have competition. The song ends; as Biquini leave the stage, there is a mixture of cheering and booing. Some people are saying "Boo-erns". That says it all. "Una chica normal"? "Una chica atonal" would be more like it.

9th: Beatriz - ¿Dónde te metes? (5 points)
And it's the return of the upside-down question mark! How we've missed you, ¿.

Upbeat country music, complete with a bunch of guys and gals in cowboy hats, line-dancing. The song is alright, and Beatriz certainly gives an animated performance. Apart from the fact it's in Spanish, this is one of the more authentic country songs I've heard in this year's selections. It's genuinely fun.

10th: Solydo - Tú (3 points)
TECHNO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spain 2009 (sf3) Solydo - Tú
by jief75

Seriously, who cares about the vocals? It's just nice to hear a great beat like that. The tune's not bad, and there's a nice dark vibe to the whole thing. With a proper presentation and stronger vocals, this wouldn't have embarassed Spain at Eurovision - unlike many of their recent entries. Probably shouldn't have been last, although this does seem to have been a stronger semifinal.

Spain 2009: El Retorno Semifinal 2

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 20:01:00 +0000

Won:
1st: Soraya - La noche es para mí (24 points)
2nd: Virginia - True Love (20 points)
3rd: Jorge González - Si yo vengo a enamorarte (16 points)
4th: Salva Ortega - Lujuria (14 points)

Lost:
=5th: Diqesi - Subiré (9 points)

Spain 2009 (sf2) Diqesi - Subiré
by jief75

A young band made up of twenty-something girls - performing proper Latin music. It's excellent. Strong vocals, an engaging song and performance, and great use of acoustic guitar and percussion. There's even a bit of traditional dance in the middle. Finally some quality! Good for them - a real quality act, who I hope go on to every future success. Best of all, you can really tell this comes from Spain.

=5th: Roel - Y ahora dices (9 points)

Spain 2009 (sf2) Roel - Y ahora dices
by jief75

Midtempo Spanish pop from an Enrique-a-like. It sounds like a Spanish or Greek Eurovision entry circa 2002, except slightly more downbeat and without the leather trousers. It's fine - unremarkable but vaguely competent, and at least passively pleasant. A female singer appears from nowhere and joins in for the final minute - did she spontaneously generate?

=5th: Ángeles Vela - Vístete de primavera (9 points)

2009 Spain - Angeles Vela (SF 2)
by Galiza

Midtempo pop-rock. Angeles has a strong and versatile voice and gives a fun performance. The song is also fairly good. This is a good effort - all the best to her.

=5th: Leather Boys - We're Livin' In A Bar (9 points)

Spain 2009 (sf2) Leather Boys - We're livin' in a bar
by jief75

Abominable "rock". It's weak and embarassing. If "The Young Ones" formed a band and entered the Spanish Eurovision selection, it'd probably sound something like this, except far more entertaining.

9th: Calipop - Burbuja (4 points)

Spain 2009 (sf2) Calipop - Burbuja
by jief75

Summery electropop which harks back to the 80s. It's vaguely fun and studenty in a laid-back sort of way.

10th: Electronikboy - Mon petit oiseau (2 points)

Spain 2009 (sf2) Electronikboy - Mon petit oiseau
by jief75

A manic-limbed fruitcake with rocky electropop. He's really treating the performance like performance art - he can barely keep still. The vocals are barely there; it's Shatneresque sprechgesang rather than actual singing, which is probably just as well. Why there's a trapeze artist hanging from the ceiling, I have no idea. As a song, it's backgroundy, forgettable, a piece of incidental music or a song between songs in a nightclub - nice enough, chilled, professionally produced, but not moving or engaging.

Spain 2009: El Retorno Semifinal 1

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:53:00 +0000

Won:
1st: Melody y Los Vivancos - Amante de la luna (24 points)
2nd: La La Love You - Dame un beso (20 points)
3rd: Noelia Cano - Cruza los dedos (11 points)
4th: Gran Baobab - Despedida de soltero (10 points)

Lost:
5th: La Red de San Luis - Gracias, Madre Tierra (10 points)

Spain 2009 (sf1) La Red de San Luis - Gracias, madre Tierra
by jief75

A soporific boyband ballad. Nothing to see here. They're good singers but it's a wet dishcloth.

=6th: Yulia Valentayn - Uh la la (9 points)

Spain 2009 (sf1) Yulia Valentayn - Uh la la
by jief75

An Enya Z-side sung by a paper towel. It's dire - the song is naff and tinny in the extreme, and her vocals are barely audible. It's just a waste of everyone's time.

=6th: Carlos Ferrer EAI - El patito (9 points)

Spain 2009 (sf1) - Carlos Ferrer Eai - El patito
by jief75

A naff novelty guitar song. Carlos has a rubber duck strapped to the end of his guitar, and a bunch of guys in suits do the Chicken Tonight dance behind him during the fast bits. It's nice enough, and probably mildly funny if you understand the words, but it's lost on me, I'm afraid. At the end, the dancers hold suitcases in the air, which together, read "BE HAPPY!". Word. Next, please.

=6th: Normativa Vigente - Alejandría - The New Generation (9 points)

Spain 2009 (sf1) - Normativa Vigente Alejandría the new
by jief75

Mediocre-to-poor Spanish rock. Mostly poor - especially the vocals. Mixes Spanish and English unconvincingly. It exudes boringness.

9th: Vicente Casal - Tú me complementas (8 points)

Spain 2009 (sf1) Vicente Casal - Tu me complementas
by jief75

A balladeer. It's not dire, just mostly uninspiring. By now, it's clear there's definitely something off about the sound tonight - none of the acts have sounded good. Suddenly an upbeat chorus comes in and everything goes a bit Michael Wendler. Harmless and inoffensive, but not what I'd call good.

10th: Atalis - Retrato frontal (6 points)

Spain 2009 (sf1) - Atalis - Retrato frontal
by jief75

A large, freaky, camp goth guy, performing tuneless, freaky dance-pop - entirely out of key. It's the Addams Family go discofox. It is SHITE-A-RIFFIC, and so incredibly out of tune it makes "100% te ljubam" sound like Händel's Water Music. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, he launches into a rap. END THIS NOW. Before my ears bleed all over the carpet.

Spain is going to have to a) make sure artists have a proper sound system in future, and b) reconsider the use of MySpace selections, as I already remarked during last year's similarly shite selection. I can't watch much more of this without going seriously fruit loops.

I've already decided that this will be the first and last year I watch all selection songs from all countries. It's becoming a form of torture. In future, I'm just going to download the MP3s like everyone else does. This year, while individual countries like Finland have delivered more than their fair share of classic songs, they remain the exception. The overall level of quality has been substantially lower than last.

Norway 2009: Alexander Rybak - Fairytale

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:33:00 +0000

This self-penned song won MGP by a mile, and is the odds-on favourite to win Eurovision. It seems to have broad appeal, and everyone is raving about it. And now that jury voting has been brought back in, it might actually stand a chance, too. So the question on everyone's lips is: will it be a third Eurovision win for Norway this year?

Alexander Rybak - Fairytale

Eurovision Norway 2009 - Alexander Rybak - Fairytale
by jief75

Norway 2009: Melodi Grand Prix Final

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:50:00 +0000

Won:
Alexander Rybak - Fairytale (747888 votes)

Lost:
2nd: Tone Damli Aaberge - Butterflies (121856 votes)

Norway 2009 (final) Tone Damli Aaberge - Butterflies
by jief75

Tone is an Idol runner-up from 2005. This is a mainstream, middle-of-the-road, pop-rock number, in the style of Hilary Duff, Lene Marlin etc. It's fine but won't set the world on fire. Just far too bland and inoffensive, really. Tone does a fine enough job with it.

3rd: Alexander Stenerud - Find My Girl (73380 votes)

Norway 2009 (final) Alexander Stenerud - Find my girl
by jief75

This does the old trick of pretending to be a ballad for the first minute before going upbeat. It's very dark and 1980s, and Alex has a great voice. And he wrote this entirely by himself too - he's obviously a major talent. Overall, I think I'd prefer it if it had stayed as a ballad. As an uptempo number, it's not quite working for me, as much as I like Alexander. It has a certain Russian quality - it sounds like Russian pop.

4th: Publiners - Te stein (62683 votes)

Norway 2009 (final) Publiners - Te stein
by jief75

Ireland meets Norway. It's pretty much what you'd expect from the name - Irish-tinged pub rock in Norwegian. There's some nice instrumentation, and they seem like a good band, but the song itself isn't doing that much for me. Competent but not a winner.

Unplaced:
Espen Hana - Two Of A Kind

Norway 2009 (final) Espen Hana - Two of a kind
by jief75

It's almost like an old Elvis ballad from the 50s. Nice enough, but I'm not madly struck. Fine.

Ovi Martin - Seven Seconds

Norway 2009 (final) Ovi - Seven seconds
by jief75

A stubbly guy on a piano with more MOR. It's fine, he's fine, but it's just more of the same. Variety, please - and HOOKS. We've heard this sort of song a million times before.

Velvet Inc. - Tricky

Norway 2009 (final) Velvet Inc. - Tricky
by jief75

A four-piece girl group with stomping electropop. I have to say, their dance moves are completely uncoordinated. The song has nice production, but isn't exactly setting me on fire.

Thomas Brøndbo - Det vart en storm

Norway 2009 (final) Thomas Brøndbo - Det vart en storm
by jief75

More boring MOR pop-rock in Norwegian. Thomas seems like a likeable guy, and the song is nice enough too, but I'm not swayed.

Summary: Much better than Sweden's Melodifestivalen, but still not great, and definitely not in the progressive, postmodern leagues of Denmark, Finland and Estonia. Too much bland, middle-of-the-road pop-rock that no-one ultimately cares about or will remember. The real star of MGP this year was Janni Santillan, who is destined to come out big.

Norway 2009: Melodi Grand Prix Siste Sjansen

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:16:00 +0000

Won:
Espen Hana - Two Of A Kind
Publiners - Te stein

Lost in Round 2:
Surferosa - U Look Good

Norway 2009 - Surferosa - U Look Good
by jief75

Mad rock, No Doubt-style. I have no idea what the lead singer is wearing. It's alright, in fact it's fairly good, and the performance is certainly eye-catching. The song perhaps needs more to it, though, in terms of meaning. The lyrics could definitely be better.

Jane Helen - Shuffled

Norway 2009 - Jane Helen - Shuffled
by jief75

Goth-rock with an, ahem, iconoclastic lead vocal performance. I'm not at all keen on the chorus, with its awful nu-metal screaming, but her vocals during the verses are really good - she's a good rock singer. But all in all, there's just far too much screaming - it's really unpleasant to listen to. The audience seem to love it though.

Lost in Round 1:
KeSera feat. Anita Hegerland - Party

Norway 2009 - KeSera - Party
by jief75

Starts off as a waily ballad performed by a dramatic woman in a loud frock. This, presumably, is Anita Hegerland. 15 seconds in, the stage erupts, a beat kicks in, and she disappears completely - to be replaced by two insane rappers who rap aggressively in high-speed Norwegian for the rest of the song. It's completely awesome - and yet I don't understand a word. The rhythm is sick, the energy palpable, the performance inspired and dynamic. Love it. Anita's vocals come back in over the chorus in the second half of the song, and the bridge consists of ROBOT DANCING. What mad genius came up with all this? Three thumbs up.

Janni Santillan - (Like You Did) Yesterday

A young girl singing and playing the piano beautifully - with a song she wrote entirely herself. Though I'm initially not struck on her singing voice, I'm soon pulled round - this is wonderful. There's a beautiful darkness to the chorus, and a strange listlessness to the verse which really brings out the meaning of the song. It's a revelation. Inevitably, she gets up from the piano, but only for the very very end of the song. Excellent - and a star-making performance coming from such a young girl. Janni is a brilliant singer and songwriter, her piano playing is a joy to listen to, and she gives a raw, honest, yet unfailingly professional performance to camera. There's a wonderful sense of loss and fragility to the whole thing. This is a keeper, and Janni is a HUGE talent who deserves to be a major star.

Sunny - Carrie

Norway 2009 - Sunny - Carrie
by jief75

More 90s-style grunge. She looks a bit like Katy Perry. This is pretty darn good, with a really strong chorus. The song and band seem to know exactly what they're doing. It's actually loads of fun, and there's a nice 60s vibe to the chorus. A great performance from the whole band, especially the lead singer. Perfectly conceived, structured and performed. Strong stuff.

Foxy - Do It Again

Norway 2009 - Foxy - Do it again
by jief75

Weird electro RnB. Are they twins? The chorus seems like it's been phoned in from a different song. A minor-key chorus would have suited this type of song much better than a happy, major-key one. All in all, it's a bit confused as a piece of music.

Norway 2009: Melodi Grand Prix Semifinals

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:10:00 +0000

Semifinal 1

Won:
Velvet - Tricky
Thomas Brøndbo - Det vart en storm

To the second chance round:
Espen Hana - Two Of A Kind
Surferosa - U Look Good
KeSera feat. Anita Hegerland - Party

Lost:
Chicas del Coro - Men, Men, Men!

Norway 2009 - Chicas del Coro - Men, Men, Men!
by jief75

A full-on fake 40s effort in the vein of Christina Aguilera's "Candyman" or Sestre's "Čez Ljubelj". Two blond girls in faux 40s dresses with 40s hair emerge from behind stacks of giant old-style suitcases, and sing about... well I'll let the lyrics speak for themselves:

"I wanna go sightseeing, and you could be the sight. I've crossed the world and back again to find my Mr Right"

There's even some beboping and 40s dancing. Unfortunately, the vital ingredient - a good tune - is AWOL. The song is pretty much a non-starter - otherwise I would have given this a definite thumbs-up. Basically, it's "Čez Ljubelj" by Sestre, but with one missing, worse dancing, a worse tune, and no yodelling.

Charite - Sweeter Than A Kiss

Norway 2009 - Charite - Sweeter Than A Kiss
by jief75

Disney Channel girl-rock performed by a terribly-dressed girl in feather-boots and black vinyl leggings. She has that nasal, high-pitched, adenoidal singing voice that everyone in High School Musical has. I'm not impressed - maybe the Scandinavian Disney Channel will hire her. That said, it's still miles more credible than anything Bulgaria has churned out over the past months.

Semifinal 2

Won:
Alexander Stenerud - Find My Girl
Tone Damli Aaberge - Butterflies

To the second chance round:
Janni Santillan - (Like You Did) Yesterday
Publiners - Te stein

Lost:
Wenche Myhre - Alt har en mening nå
Wenche Myhre is a bonefide Eurovision legend. Representing Germany, she came 6th in the contest in 1968 with "Ein Hoch der Liebe", and had further musical success on the German schlager scene - most notably with the classic, much-covered "Er hat ein knallrotes Gummiboot". From 2004-2007, she toured through Germany with Gitte Hænning and Siw Malmkvist - two other Scandinavian schlager singers who found success in Germany and represented the country at Eurovision Song Contest in the late 60s/early 70s. Let's see what this is like.

Norway 2009 - Wenche Myhre - Alt har en mening nå
by jief75

The chords of this are near entirely plagiarised from Brotherhood Of Man's "Save Your Kisses For Me". I can sing the tune to "Save Your Kisses For Me" over the chorus of this song, and it matches 1 to 1. This is throwback Eurovision, perhaps too dated for its own good, and without even its own tune. It's lightweight 60s fun, and the performance is fine, but it's just too derivative and old-fashioned.

Tine Wulff - Ride

Norway 2009 - Tine Wulff - Ride
by jief75

Folk-pop a la Amy McDonald. It's good stuff, if a little unexciting, and it rapidly becomes far too repetitive. It seems to run out of musical ideas after the first minute, and then just repeat itself over and over.

Julius Winger - Like An Angel

Norway 2009 - Julius Winger - Like an angel
by jief75

A midtempo radio-rock song. It's alright. Competently written and performed; definitely the best of the losers tonight. I can see this getting a lot of radio airplay as a successful single.

Semifinal 3

Won:
Alexander Rybak - Fairytale
Ovi - Seven Seconds

To the second chance round:
Sunny - Carrie
Jane Helen - Shuffled
Foxy - Do It Again

Lost:
Sichelle - Left Right

Norway 2009 - Sichelle - Left right
by jief75

Modern RnB/soul. Her vocals are a bit wobbly. It's very MTV. Song's alright but not my cup of tea.

The Rebelettes - Soul Train

Norway 2009 - The Rebelettes - Soul train
by jief75

Throwback pop. I'm not convinced by the lead singer, and there's something off about the overall sound. A song like this should sound nice, and should be fun, but it's just a little discordant for some reason. The lead vocals could probably do with being an octave higher, I think that would help - at the moment, they're far too deep, and it doesn't sit with the song.

Slovenia 2009: Quartissimo feat. Martina Majerle - Love Symphony

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:06:00 +0000

This is Croatian star composer Andrej Babić's 5th time at Eurovision - and the first time he's represented a country twice, having written the Slovenian entry in 2007 too. That is a real achievement - kudos to the man.

Quartissimo feat. Martina Majerle - Love Symphony

Eurovision Slovenia 2009 - Quartissimo - Love symphony
by jief75

Slovenia 2009: EMA Final

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 21:11:00 +0000

Perhaps inevitably, the shadow of corruption hangs over EMA once again this year. Skupina Langa and Manca Špik, two of the big hitters from last year's EMA, teamed up this year and entered a song together. It was the public favourite by a mile, winning over 22,000 televotes - almost 14,000 ahead of the song in second place. But as the jury gave it a big fat zero, it ended up in a mere 5th place. This begs the question: why do people even bother televoting if the jury's just going to overrule their decision? This has happened numerous times in EMA before - take 2002 and 2007, for example. Although I have to say in both those cases, I prefer the jury choice to the televote winner. Sestre knock seven bells out of Karmen Stavec, and as much as I like Šaša Lendero and Andrej Babić's "Mandoline", Anžej Dežan's "Plan B/Mr Nobody" was better. Maybe it'll be the same case with "Love Symphony" and "Zaigraj muzikant" tonight. But anyway, I digress. Onto the songs.

Won:
Quartissimo feat. Martina Majerle - Love Symphony (19 points)

Lost:
2nd: Omar Naber - I Still Carry On (16 points)
Omar won the first series of the Slovenian version of Pop Idol (Anžej Dežan was runner-up), then went on to represent Slovenia at Eurovision in 2005 with "Stop", but didn't make it through the semi. Now he's back.

Slovenia 2009 (finale) - Omar Naber - I still carry on
by jief75

This is a strong rock ballad, much better than "Stop". Omar's English pronunciation is impeccable. A good song and a very professional performance, though perhaps not suitable for Eurovision - it lacks enough of a hook and just isn't exciting enough. Very good though.

3rd: Samuel Lucas - Vse bi zate dal (13 points)
What's someone called Samuel Lucas doing in EMA - singing in Slovenian? Let me guess: his real name's Šamuel Lučaš?

Slovenia 2009 (finale)- Samuel Lucas - Vse bi zate dal
by jief75

This is a boring rock ballad in Slovenian. The hat he's wearing has the effect of making me wonder what he's trying to hide under it. His voice is more than good enough, and the song comes to life a lot more in the last minute. On balance, not bad at all.

4th: Alya & Rudi - Zadnji dan (13 points)
Alya is another EMA veteran, and stalwart of the Slovenian pop scene. She's almost the Slovene Christina Aguilera, except that's doing Christina Aguilera an injustice.

Slovenia 2009 (finale) - Alya in Rudi - Zadnji dan
by jief75

This is a rocky duet, which is quite fun. Rudi's quite hot too. Alya's in her typical wild-child gear. They're trying to reach each other through a pane of perspex, but are unable to - it's all very symbolic. I've no idea what the bridge is all about - a load of mad voices come on in the background, and Alya and Rudi both fall over. But they get right back up again, and it's back on track. Not bad, and better than Alya's previous songs.

5th: Skupina Langa & Manca Špik - Zaigraj muzikant (12 points)
Manca Špik is another Slovene pop veteran. And Skupina Langa almost won EMA last year. Now they're back - together. It's a biggie. Let's take a look.

Slovenia 2009 (finale) - Skupina Langa and Manca - Zaigraj
by jief75

The song is not dissimilar to a Kraljevi Ulice offering - very Dalmatian, very Adriatic-sounding. Manca's vocals are good, but I'm not convinced by the singer from Skupina Langa. It actually sounds a lot like Cyprus's "Femme Fatale" from last year, and only becomes upbeat for the last 30 seconds. On balance, a good one, full of real spirit, and much better than either Langa or Manca's entries from last year.

6th: Ne me jugat & Slavko Ivančič - Kaj me briga (10 points)

Slovenia 2009 (finale) - Ne Me Jugat & Slavko Ivancic - Kaj
by jief75

Skiffle, with accordion, double bass and fiddle. Sounds like the Czech band "Tri šestry", except lighter, less punky, and more fun. This also sounds like Kraljevi Ulice. Has Slovenia gone Croatian this year?

7th: Čuki - Mal' naprej pa mal' nazaj (10 points)

Slovenia 2009 (finale) - Cuki - Mal naprej pa mal nazaj
by jief75

I don't know how to describe this, but I really like it. I like ANYTHING with witty men in suits. Why does it remind me of Mambo No 5? It's like a mix of Israel 1987, Lou Bega, oberkrainer, and more than anything else, the hokey cokey - plus random scat singing. And yet nowhere near as good as that description would imply. Still a lot of fun though, and they seem like a really good band.

8th: Nuška Drašček - Kako lepo (8 points)

Slovenia 2009 (finale) - Nuska Drascek - Kako lepo
by jief75

Slovenia goes Motown? That's what this looks and sounds like. That reminds me, I have to rewatch Dreamgirls sometime. Anyway, this is alright - fun, throwaway radio fare, with no end of unnecessary chair dancing. Good performance by Nuška. A real case of "shoot the choreographer" though.

9th: Lea Sirk - Znamenje iz sanj (5 points)

Slovenia 2009 (finale) - Lea Sirk - Znamenje iz sanj
by jief75

More MOR. I just don't even care anymore. No, it's fine, Lea is fine, but it's just got no balls and appears to have been beamed here straight from 1991. The most exciting moment comes when an incorrect on-screen caption identifies the song as Druga Liga by Brigita Šuler. Close, but no turnip.

10th: Karmen Stavec - A si želiš (5 points)

Slovenia 2009 (finale) - Karmen Stavec - A si zelis
by jief75

Karmen is a Slovene pop stalwart who represented the country at Eurovision in 2003 with the deadly "Na na na". She's a serial EMA performer too. This is utterly forgettable pop. Performance is alright, but that's what you'd expect from such an established figure. NEXT.

11th: Eva Černe - Vse (3 points)

Slovenia 2009 (finale) - Eva Cerne - Vse
by jief75

Eva is another Idol winner, and this is her third successive EMA entry. She was second in 2007 with the excellent "Čudeži smehljaja", and entered again last year with "Dovolj", but did less well. This is also utterly forgettable dance-pop - better than Karmen Stavec, but still not great. On the good side, there's some seriously mad choreography going on, which I kind of like. Overall though, it's too tinny and derivative - it sounds like it's trying to pack every possible Eurovision cliche into 3 minutes. I wish Eva all the best for her future career though, she needs better material which allows her personality to shine through. I'm assuming she has one.

12th: Bjonde - Blond Power (2 points)

Slovenia 2009 (finale) - Bjonde Blond power
by jief75

This is a horrific load of tripe, which mostly consists of a bunch of blond women in pink - one wearing a pink fluffy cowboy hat - shouting "BLOND POWER!" and rapping in Slovenian. It is dire. During the bridge, two overweight men in blond wigs roll around on the floor in the middle of the stage. Blissfully, the "song" (I use the term loosely) ends after just 2 and a half minutes - but I still want the time back. How on Earth this idiocy got through the semifinal, I have no idea. BRING BACK DIONA DIM.

13th: Brigita Šuler - Druga liga (0 points)

Slovenia 2009 (finale) - Brigita Suler Druga liga
by jief75

EMA viewers may remember Brigita from last year, when she came third with the song "Samara", which mostly consisted of her going "AAAAAA AAAAAA AAAAAA AAAAAA", *shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy*, "AAAAAA AAAAAA AAAAAA AAAAAA", *shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy*. Let's put it this way: it rivalled Massiel's "La La La" in terms of lyrical greatness. This has a similar overall sound, but is much, much better (they actually bothered to write lyrics this time!) - in fact, it's one of the better songs in the final. It has a proper verse and chorus, and although it's typical Slovenian pop in many ways, it's original and well-written enough to work. The performance is good, with interesting choreography too. This definitely didn't deserve to come second to last. Kudos to Brigita, her dancers and her songwriters.

14th: Nexys - Vsaj za en dan (0 points)

Slovenia 2009 (finale) - Nexys - Vsaj za en dan
by jief75

Competent rock. Better than a lot on offer tonight. She's wearing black angel wings. Good performance, song not bad. That's all.

In short: mostly unengaging. The better songs were still fairly boring, and the boring songs were just a huge waste of time. As bad as last year's EMA, if not worse. Slovenia - what's going wrong? 2007 was excellent - what went wrong since then? Where has all the quality gone? I suspect real musicians and bands in Slovenia run a mile from EMA now. Lots of really musical, serious acts like Nude, Diona Dim, Steffy and Donald Trumpet entered in 2007, with strong songs, gave brilliant performances - and still did badly. As a result, these days, the contest is mostly just stupid half-hearted pop, scarcely even B-side quality - because it seems no-one else will go near the contest with a barge pole. Oh well.

Slovenia 2009: EMA Semifinal

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 20:12:00 +0000

Won:
1st: Quartissimo feat. Martina Majerle - Love Symphony (24 points)
2nd: Nuška Drašček - Kako lepo (14 points, 2466 televotes)
3rd: Karmen Stavec - A si želiš (14 points, 2023 televotes)
4th: Ne me jugat & Slavko Ivančič - Kaj me briga (13 points)
5th: Lea Sirk - Znamenje iz sanj (10 points, 3074 televotes)
6th: Brigita Šuler - Druga liga (10 points, 835 televotes)
7th: Bjonde - Blond Power (9 points)
8th: Nexys - Vsaj za en dan (8 points)

Lost:
9th: Krema - Ob meni si (4 points, 1333 televotes)

Slovenia 2009 - Krema - Ob meni si
by jief75

A young rock band, with three singers - two girls and a guy. There's some awkward posturing and akimbo-legged singing (by the guy), but the overall sound is good - it's a good number.

10th: Mitja - Mission (4 points, 1144 televotes)

Slovenia 2009 - Mitja - Mission
by jief75

A bespectacled guy in a suit who looks like he should be running a design agency, singing a ballad. His English pronunciation is impeccable and the song is pretty good too, but he looks a bit lonely on that big stage by himself. Nice enough voice, but he doesn't strike me as a professional performer, more a good amateur who likes to sing as a sideline.

11th: Gianni Rijavec - Gloria (4 points, 1023 televotes)

Slovenia 2009 - Gianni Rijavec - Gloria
by jief75

I have absolutely no idea what this is. It's like something from a bad church fest. The singer is like a corny vicar - or worse, a cult leader - and the 4 backing singers in red robes and the church organ in the background aren't helping matters. The song has no discernable structure and seems to have little idea what it's doing or what it's even about, apart from the naff rhythm breaks and endless repetitions of the word "Gloria". The Serbian "Gloria" song by Pozitivan Haos was far better. In the bridge, the backing singers do a dance which looks disturbingly like the kebab dance from Tim Toupet's "Ich bin ein Döner". As Charlie Brooker would say, this is a song by maniacs, for maniacs, the sort of thing that plays in the heads of psychopaths as they hack people to death.

12th: Tadeja Molan & Retro Beat - Sanje (1 point, 1054 televotes)

Slovenia 2009 - Tadeja Molan & Retro Beat - Sanje
by jief75

A sort of jazz-pop-ballad thing. I don't know what it is, really. Tadeja herself is fine, but the dancing going on behind her is distracting and unnecessary. In the end, it's a nice jazz song, if a little strange.

13th: Petra Slapar - Skrivnost (1 point, 893 televotes)

Slovenia 2009 - Petra Slapar - Skrivnost
by jief75

Full-on EMA campery. Typical upbeat, happy-clappy, ABBA-esque Slovenian dance pop. I like it, but it takes a while to get going, and the chorus is extremely familiar and highly derivative, while the verses seem to borrow from the James Bond theme. Petra herself is a blond bombshell and gives a good performance, but the song is far too familiar, and I can't wholeheartedly recommend it.

14th: Aynee - Zdaj vem (0 points)

Slovenia 2009 - Aynee - Zdaj vem
by jief75

Nice, laid-back, MOR-type stuff. It's fine, but somewhat forgettable, and I'm not mad about her trousers. An alright song and a good performance, but it's meant more for AM radio than for EMA or Eurovision. Still, 0 points is a bit harsh, methinks. Who on Earth voted for Gianni Rijavec?

Serbia 2009: Marko Kon & Milan Nikolić - Cipela

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:43:00 +0000

Marko Kon & Milan Nikolić - Cipela

Eurovision Serbia 2009 - Marko Kon i Milan Nikolić - Cipela
by jief75

Serbia 2009: Beovizija Final

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 20:43:00 +0000

Won:
Marko Kon & Milan Nikolić - Cipela (19 points)

Lost:
2nd: OT Band feat. Kaya - Blagoslov za kraj (17 points)

2009 Serbia - OT Bend (Final)
by Galiza

"OT Band" are a four-piece rock band formed by finalists of Serbia's Operacija trijumf. This is a good piece of dramatic rock which has a young, fresh feel. Good stuff.

3rd: Etar - Sanjaj me (15 points)

2009 Serbia - Etar (Final)
by Galiza

More young rock. One guitarist has a painted face, and a cuddly white rabbit on the end of his guitar; the other wears a bowler hat. A good performance, and well sung by the young female singer.

4th: Oscar & Beauty Queens feat. Đorđe Marjanović - Superstar (12 points)
Backstory: "Oscar" is a comedy character created by Serbian TV star Ognjen Amidžić, one half of the awesome band Flamingosi, who've been regularly featured on this blog. They won Beovizija in 2006 with a rather weak song called "Ludi ljetni ples", but when an argument broke out between Serbia and Montenegro (at the time still conjoined) as to whose song would go to Eurovision, they were forced to pull out. The Beauty Queens were the backing singers for Marija Šerifović in 2007, and finished 3rd in Beovizija last year with "Zavet", which, like this song, was written by Vladimir Graić - composer of "Molitva". And Đorđe Marjanović is an old Yugoslav schlager singer from the 1960s. Still with me? So basically, this is a big-style collaboration. Let's see how it is.

2009 Serbia - Oscar & Beauty Queens feat Đorđe (Final)
by Galiza

Oscar is a bit like Mr Bean, except far less engaging. The comedy doesn't translate, in fact it falls completely flat. As Oscar, Ognjen wanders aimlessly round the stage, neither singing tunefully nor interacting with the audience or camera at all - which proves fatal. Amidžić should have entered as himself - he's awesome. But when he plays this one-note dork of a character, his true charisma and talent are hidden from view. This just isn't funny and doesn't work. It's rubbish.

The Beauty Queens are fun and give a good performance - they're the saving grace of this. Đorđe Marjanović is entirely superfluous - he's brought on at the very end in a tokenistic fashion, and does absolutely nothing apart from stand there. I really hope they paid him well. Basically, this is an unmitigated disaster, and as much as it pains me to say this, the problem lies mostly with Ognjen Amidžić.

5th: Pozitivan haos - Gloria (11 points)

2009 Serbia - Pozitivan Haos (Final)
by Galiza

An outstanding, indescribable ballad, which mixes male operatic voice with elements of chant and plainsong. It's like Bulgaria's "Biby Michael's Friends" song without the beat, crossed with Croatia's Dubrovački Trubaduri. The song's structure is somewhat unusual, especially the little fast bits which precede the chorus. Overall though, this is excellent - utterly refreshing, and with brilliant, powerful singing.

6th: Ivana Selakov - Moje odbrane (11 points)

2009 Serbia - Ivana Selakov (Final)
by Galiza

A strong, classy, slightly unusual ballad, well performed by Ivana. This would potentially have done Serbia proud at Eurovision, and while it's no instant classic, it sits well with the country's history of strong ballads. Good stuff.

7th: Dušan Zrnić - Tvoje drugo ime je greh (10 points)

2009 Serbia - Dušan Zrnić (Final)
by Galiza

Typical Yugo rock-pop. It's great - poptastic, full to watch, fun to listen to, and packed with Balkan drama. It's like one of the late Toše Proeski's more upbeat songs. And I like Dušan precisely because he's not the type of male pop singer you see every day - glasses-wearing, slightly broad and slightly unshaven, and reassuringly ordinary-looking, yet good-looking at the same time. His powerful voice and robust performance really make the most of what's alreday a good song.

8th: Danijel & Milica - H8ER (7 points)

2009 Serbia - Danijel & Milica (Final)
by Galiza

After a dramatic, rather good but seemingly endless 30-second intro, the song starts for real - and it's completely missable. More weak Skopje-school faux hip-hop. The dancers are good, but that's about it. It's like "Više nisam tvoje" but without the tune. The best thing about it is when it comes to a blissfully sudden end well short of the 3-minute mark.

9th: Saška Janković - Nauči me (6 points)

2009 Serbia - Saška Janković (Final)
by Galiza

A fairly strong, easy-listening-style ballad. Saška has a seriously good voice on her - she's really one to watch. Her vocals are rich, warm, powerful, versatile and fully under her control - she's obviously a professional singer who knows exactly how to use her voice as an instrument. The subdued ribbon dance going on behind her is unnecessary, but thankfully doesn't distract too much. This is a pleasant song which could easily pass the listener by, but Saška's truly star-making vocal performance turns it into something special.

10th: Andrej Ilić - Nemam te (6 points)

2009 Serbia - Andrej Ilić (Final)
by Galiza

A Toše-style rock ballad. If the verse is a little dull, the chorus is really good. It's very, very Toše though, even down to the tone of his vocals, his hairstyle, and the song's structuring. Good... but slightly concerning.

11th: Sonja Bakić - Ništa novo (1 point)

2009 Serbia - Sonja Bakić (Final)
by Galiza

More studenty rock. It's really good, the best of its ilk tonight - the chorus is strong, and Sonja gives an awesome performance. She's tons of fun and has a great voice. This deserved to do a lot better than just 1 point.

Withdrawn: Ana Nikolić - Bili smo najlepši

This is upbeat dance pop with a slight turbofolk vibe to the vocals. I like it. One of the most fun this evening, and the bridge is great. A good, danceable song with good production.

Overall: a good selection, with a quality lineup and a lot of strong performers. Exactly what I like to see!

Serbia 2009: Beovizija Semifinal

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:49:00 +0000

Won:
Sonja Bakić - Ništa novo
Marko Kon & Milan Nikolić - Cipela
Andrej Ilić - Nemam te
Etar - Sanjaj me
Dušan Zrnić - Tvoje drugo ime je greh
Oscar & Beauty Queens feat. Đorđe Marjanović - Superstar
Ana Nikolić - Bili smo najlepši
Ivana Selakov - Moje odbrane
Pozitivan haos - Gloria
Danijel & Milica - H8ER
Aleksandra Janković - Nauči me
OT Bend feat. Kaya - Blagoslov za kraj

Lost:
SevdahBABY & Miki Element - Previše reči

Creeping electro, performed by a young guy wearing a single red fingerless glove. The chorus of this is fantastic, and I love the overall sound and vibe - it gets under your skin. A strong song with a great sound.

Zbogom Brus Li - Ha Ha Ha

An experimental comedy act. In the sartorial department, folk and punk elements are mixed with top hats and MC Hammer trousers. It's mad and fun. Good song, good performance.

Trio Pasaž & Katarina Sotirović - Zauvek

Fun pop-rock, fronted by two women with cool hair. They're both wearing fingerless gloves - obviously the theme of the night. Maybe RTS accidentally ordered a huge shipment of fingerless gloves and is handing them out to everyone. There's a nice leccy-guitar solo in the bridge. Overall, another good one - a good song, well performed.

Vanja Mijatović - Led i žar

A strong ballad, well performed by Vanja and her backing musicians on piano, drums and violin. Yet more good stuff. Serbia - I'm impressed! Very good indeed.

Lejla Hot - Čekajući princa
Lejla came a good 6th in last year's Beovizija, with the nice, if mellow, "Da si tu". This year, she didn't make it past the semi. Let's see what the song's like:

Middle-of-the-road pop. She has Sarah Palin hair and is wearing one of those "I heart NY" t-shirts - this does not augur well :(. Gimmicks to distract us from the song include Lejla reading a newspaper, Lejla carrying a giant teddy bear, and a dancer stirring a cooking pot. Song's not too bad but not that exciting, and could have benefited from better presentation.

Minja Samardžić - Petak uveče

Happy-go-lucky pop. Fine but unremarkable. Nice, feel-good, very much lightweight radio fare for driving to.

Zemlja gruva - Svejedno je

Jazzy ska-type stuff. A nice retro sound which reminds me a bit of "Navika" by Feminnem. Fun to be had by all, whether on stage or off. The keyboard player is obviously on mind-bending drugs.

Tijana Bogićević - Pazi šta radiš

Balkan hip-hop, from the Macedonian school of booty-shake (think Elena Risteska, but better and less slutty). The performance is ever so slightly uncertain, but confident and professional in all other ways. There's some nice production and synths in the background - electro is so "in" and commonplace now, it feels like an established part of our daily musical tapestry, and is even in danger of becoming overused. But long may the revolution continue!

Sweden 2009: Malena Ernman - La voix

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:37:00 +0000

Malena Ernman - La voix

2009 Sweden - Malena Ernman (Final Winner)
by Galiza

Sweden 2009: Melodifestivalen Final

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:07:00 +0000

Won:
Malena Ernman - La voix (182 points)

Lost:
2nd: Caroline af Ugglas - Snälla, snälla (171 points)

2009 Sweden - Caroline Af Ugglas (Final)
by Galiza

Classy, minimalist soul in 3/4. I'm amazed that anything this understated made it to second place in Melodifestivalen. Caroline's choice of outfit (awkward white dress and turquoise boots) don't flatter her, and neither do her hair and make-up - in fact, she needs a full-scale makeover, because at the moment, she's somewhat haggard-looking. But the voice is there, and the performance is professional, competent and authentic - although the song ends somewhat suddenly, leaving me slightly surprised. It's not "rounded off" all that well.

3rd: E.M.D. - Baby Goodbye (145 points)

A three-piece boyband, dressed in white top hats and tails, carrying canes. It's a formulaic eurostomper - not hugely spectacular, but quite catchy, and well performed. Also good: two of them are lookers.

4th: Måns Zelmerlöw - Hope & Glory (144 points)

2009 Sweden - Måns Zelmerlöw (Final)
by Galiza

The ubiquitous Måns, with some utterly boring, stereotypical Swedish pop. Swedish music industry - more INNOVATION is needed, please!

5th: Alcazar - Stay The Night (139 points)

Sweden 2009 (sf1) Alcazar Stay The Night
by jief75

Alcazar are back. And they're poptastic. This is upbeat, pulsing, and loads of fun - a great number. And the performance is MASSIVE. They're brilliant dancers capable of delivering a really good show. A good song - fun for all.

6th: Sarah Dawn Finer - Moving On (87 points)

2009 Sweden - Sarah Dawn Finer (Final)
by Galiza

A dramatic, extremely strong ballad. While the verse failed to engage me, the chorus is gripping. During the bridge, Sarah rises skywards on a huge podium, while the wind machine grinds away at full tilt. A strong number, expertly staged and confidently performed.

7th: H.E.A.T. - 1000 Miles (82 points)

2009 Sweden - H E A T (Final)
by Galiza

Glam rock, which actually isn't all that glam. The lead singer is just a big ball of hair. The song's fairly strong, but has all the standard Swedish chords. Fun and a good performance, but everything's just so similar-sounding in this country.

8th: Agnes - Love Love Love (40 points)

2009 Sweden - Agnes (Final)
by Galiza

More formulaic Swedish europop, performed by a Mariah Carey-lookalike in a gold catsuit. It's overproduced and dull - Stock/Aitken/Waterman without the knowing wink.

9th: Emilia - You're My World (28 points)

2009 Sweden - Emilia (Final)
by Galiza

Yet more dull mainstream pop. Don't colour me surprised, but nothing has any edge in this final - in this contest. Denmark and Finland have totally put Sweden to shame this year in terms of good selections. Everything in Melodifestivalen is just so samey: generic, overproduced, perfect pop, with the same tired hooks, chords and harmonies over and over again. I don't know why so many people like it. But I guess if that's all they're fed, they probably don't know any better.

10th: Sofia - Alla (12 points)

2009 Sweden - Sofia (Final)
by Galiza

Yet more standard, overblown Swedish pop, except in Greek this time. I have the unnerving feeling that these songs are all being written by the same machine somewhere on the outskirts of Stockholm. Melodifestivalen? A fan I am not. There's nothing original or individual about any of these songs, they're just soulless, uninspired examples of robotic perfection, dead inside - written for commercial reasons only, not out of any sense of artistry.

11th: Molly Sandén - Så vill stjärnorna (2 points)

2009 Sweden - Molly Sandén (Final)
by Galiza

My, doesn't she look like Rachel Stevens? This is an old-fashioned ballad which is easily the best thing of the night. That it came last is reflective of both the flaws in Melodifestivalen and the larger Swedish public's monotonous taste in music. 2 points????? Pah. This is far better and far less plastic than anything else on offer tonight, and Molly performs it beautifully - she's a revelation. The song really highlights her beautiful, powerful voice - it's a star-making performance. Brilliant. Strong, powerful, unafraid to be old-fashioned, and just plain GOOD. If Molly wants to try her hand at Eurovision again, she should enter in another country (like Denmark) where people have broader tastes in music and aren't just fed on a diet of plastic crap.

So I guess that was Melodifestivalen for this year. Once again, I remain unimpressed. The Danish, Finnish and Estonian selections knocked it into a cocked hat - even Ukraine and Russia had a far broader range of unusual songs and diverse talents on show. It's time Sweden overhauled its popular music industry, and moved away from this oh-so-tired, plastic, artificial sound, towards the progressive pop pioneered by the likes of neighbours Denmark and Estonia.

Sweden: Melodifestivalen Andra Chansen

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 09:38:00 +0000

Won:
1st: Caroline af Ugglas - Snälla, snälla
2nd: Sarah Dawn Finer - Moving On

Lost in Round 2:
3rd: Star Pilots - Higher

Sweden 2009 (sf4) Star Pilots - Higher
by jief75

Dance music full of 80s sounds, performed by a young guy in pornstar shades dressed as a pilot, backed by a bunch of "airmen" dancers. Sounds like a very close mix of "Waiting For A Star To Fall" and "Eye Of The Tiger", sent to a dance beat. It's actually good, but just sounds very familiar. The electric guitar solo in the bridge is pretty rad, and I have to say, the dancing is amazing - this is the best and most original choreography and dance performance I've seen so far in Melodifestivalen.

4th: Lili & Susie - Show Me Heaven

Sweden 2009 (sf2) Lili&susie - Show me heaven
by jief75

Awesome - and VERY Swedish - dance pop, performed by a pair of well-plastinated mummies. Is there anything real left of them? They are AWESOME though, as is the song - it's pretty familiar sounding, like a mismash of any number of other Swedish pop songs and Eurovision songs, but they've pulled it off pretty well. Plastic pop, highly derivative, written by committee and overthought down to every detail, but very upbeat and still fun, at least on a superficial level.

Lost in Round 1:
5th: Amy Diamond - It's My Life

Sweden 2009 (sf2) Amy Diamond - Its my life
by jief75

Starts out as boring, anodyne, adenoidal girl-pop - too plastic and high-pitched, and she's not quite hitting all the notes either - there's a slight distone (is that a word?) to her voice. But it improves a lot as it continues - the second half is genuinely fun and enjoyable, and it's really upbeat and joyful. The melody is also better than a lot we've heard in Melodifestivalen this year. On balance, a good song, with a stronger tune and a more "fun" sound than many of its competitors.

6th: BWO - You're Not Alone
The inevitable BWO song.

Sweden 2009 (sf3) BWO - You're Not Alone
by jief75

Ominous piano. Well, isn't this the shock of the century - it's a ballad! Everyone on stage is dressed in ridiculous silver jumpsuits with huge shoulder pads. Martin stands front and centre, giving a good performance, while dancers wave red neon tubes around behind him. The ridiculous Alexander Bard, inexplicably wearing a jockey's hat, stands to one side playing keyboard, while Marina stands on the other side doing the same thing (thankfully without the jockey's hat), briefly taking over the vocals at one point. This is a fairly missable song. Martin and Marina are good, but BWO is all hype and Bard is a fruitcake.

7th: Rigo & The Topaz Sound feat. Red Fox - I Got U

Awesome 50s/60s-style reggae. It's about time we saw something original in Melodifestivalen. This is fantastic, right down to the bow ties and red jackets, podium dancers, crazy pianist, 90s-style reggae-ranting, and the girl with the huge afro gleefully playing the drums. It has a great tune, is loads of fun, and fully lives its retro sound. And you can tell they're having a great time performing it. A keeper.

8th: Scotts - Jag tror på oss

Sweden 2009 (sf1) Scotts Jag tror på oss
by jief75

Slick Swedish rock. It's all very blond. Fine, but not mah thang.

Sweden 2009: Melodifestivalen Semifinals 3 & 4

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:56:00 +0000

Semifinal 3

Won:
E.M.D. - Baby Goodbye
Molly Sandén - Så vill stjärnorna
Sofia - Alla (international jury wildcard)

To the second chance round:
BWO - You're Not Alone
Rigo & The Topas Sound feat. Red Fox - I Got U

Lost:
5th: Mikael Rickfors - Du vinner över mig

Sweden 2009 (sf3) Mikael Rickfors - Du vinner över mig!
by jief75

Written by the hugely prolific Swedish composer and Eurovision veteran Thomas G:son. This is old-fashioned rock - it's a bit like Status Quo except a little more staid. Nice enough, but it's music for motorway journeys - neither the verse nor chorus has a strong enough tune to make this memorable. Of note: apart from Mikael himself, the whole band are women.

6th: Velvet - The Queen

Sweden 2009 (sf3) Velvet - The Queen
by jief75

"People, take a bow! I am, I am, I am the Queen!" INSANE europop. It's all very Kylie. She starts the song in front of a fairytale castle (on the video screen) in a massive dress, which I'm just waiting for a load of dancers to burst out of. Which they do - 7 of them. After that, it's standard Kylie fare, right down to the overall sound and the extravagant choreography. Interesting, but the tune's not strong enough for this to be a keeper. Great performance though!

8th: Maja Gullstrand - Här för mig själv

Sweden 20009 (sf3) Maja Gullstrand - Här för mig själv
by jief75

Also by Thomas G:son. Retro 60s pop with a laid-back lounge feel. Again, the tune isn't up to much, all told. I'm seeing a similar story with these Melodifestivalen songs - all the effort has gone into the choreography, staging, production and performance - and not into the melody and musical narrative. I also don't think Melodifestivalen should have increased the maximum number of performers on stage from 6 to 8 - 7 dancers instead of 5 is clearly too many for a lot of these artists.

Semifinal 4

Won:
Malena Ernman - La voix
Agnes - Love Love Love

To the second-chance round:
Star Pilots - Higher
Sarah Dawn Finer - Moving On

Lost:
5th: Thorleifs - Sweet Kissin' In The Moonlight

Sweden 2009 (sf4) Thorleifs - Sweet Kissin' in The Moonlight
by jief75

Full-on Swedish dansband. It's rad. Despite the title, it's in Swedish. Hearing this makes me realise how much ABBA owe to the dansband sound - if they'd come from anywhere but Sweden, they wouldn't have sounded quite the same. This is lots of fun, lying musically somewhere between early ABBA, the upbeat end of German schlager, and late 70s Eurovision. The lead singer himself bears a slight resemblance to Svante Stockselius. At least I think so. It's the hair.

6th: Next 3 - Esta noche

Sweden 2009 (sf4) - Next 3 - Esta Noche
by jief75

Atrocious reggaeton in Swedish, with a Spanish chorus. OK, so maybe it's not that bad - but it only improves when the third member of the band takes the stage. It's certainly energetic - but for some reason I only buy the performance of the guy who sings in Spanish. The other two don't cut it somehow, but the dark-haired Spanish guy is quite good.

7th: Anna Sahlene & Maria Haukaas Storeng - Killing Me Tenderly
Well, if it isn't Maria Hawkass Störung, who finished an incredible 5th for Norway in last year's Eurovision, to my unending surprise.

Sweden 2009 (sf4) Anna Sahlene & Maria haukass- Killing me
by jief75

Disappointingly, she's completely unrecognisable and appears to have been broken by fame. She's put on a load of weight, appears to have had huge plastic boobs put in, and looks AWFUL - a dramatic change from her classy and tasteful appearance at Eurovision last year, where she was easily one of the best dressed and made-up of the night. But the excellent voice is still there. Another soul claimed by the Swedish schlager machine. The song? Not bad but leaves me unmoved. I'm sure Anna Sahlene could do a fine job of performing it on her own, though - she mostly does anyway, and Maria adds little, harsh as that may seem. Not surprised this came 7th.

8th: Susanne Alfvengren - Du är älskad där du går

Sweden 2009 (sf4) Susanne Alfvengren - Du är älskad där du
by jief75

A slightly older lady, dressed in dark colours, with a very straightforward, classy, dark, surprisingly powerful ballad. How on Earth this managed to come last, I've no idea. There is something slightly odd (evangelical?) about her performance, but it's good. An undeserved 8th place.

Sweden: Melodifestivalen Semifinals 1 & 2

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:17:00 +0000

Semifinal 1

Qualified:
Alcazar - Stay The Night
Emilia - You're My World

To the second-chance round:
Scotts - Jag tror på oss
Caroline af Ugglas - Snälla, snälla

Lost:
5th: Nina Söderquist - Tick Tock

Sweden 2009 - Nina Söderquist - Tick Tock
by jief75

A incredibly uptempo, pumping slice of pop/rock/dance, performed by a terrifying leather dominatrix with a formidable voice. This is a pretty stunning performance - I'm surprised the studio audience aren't gripping their seats for fear of being blown away. It's incredibly forceful and energetic. It's THROBBING. It's almost like a leather rock version of the standard Swedish europop song. Pretty impressive. Fast, heavy, and never lets up, with a rhythm that grabs you and doesn't let go. Nina gives a brilliant performance - vocals to blow you away, unafraid to scare the audience, and brave to go on stage dressed like that. I'm not sure how strong the tune is though - not strong enough, I fear.

6th: Marie Serneholt - Disconnect Me

Sweden 2009 - Marie Serneholt - Disconnect Me
by jief75

For an established pop star like Marie, this is a surprisingly wobbly performance, with odd diction at points. Half-hearted pop, but again very upbeat. She looks like a bit like a turkey in that dress, especially when the inevitable wind machine grinds into gear and the feathers start to fly.

7th: Jonathan Fagerlund - Welcome To My Life

Sweden 2009 - Jonathan Fagerlund - Welcome To My Life
by jief75

A young guy with a mediocre but immaculately produced and performed slice of slick Swedish pop-rock. It's the Lene Marlin/HSM breed of pop, although better than that would imply. The Swedes really are at the top of their craft when it comes to pop music - it's a major industry. Although the tune of this isn't that strong, you can still tell a lot of work has gone into it in all areas - it shines with professional polish.

8th: Shirley Clamp - Med hjärtat fyllt av ljus

Sweden 2009 - Shirley Clamp - Med hjärtat fyllt av ljus
by jief75

An uneventful Swedish ballad. The chorus is nice but reminds me of at least one Celine Dion song, for some reason, both in chord pattern and vocal style. The verses are merely phoning in. Not bad, fine on its own terms, but I'm not hugely struck.

Semifinal 2

Won:
Måns Zelmerlöw - Hope & Glory
H.E.A.T. - 1000 Miles

To the second-chance round:
Amy Diamond - It's My Life
Lili & Susie - Show Me Heaven

Lost:
5th: Cookies 'n' Beans - What If?

Sweden 2009 (sf2) Cookies 'N Beans - What If Live
by jief75

It's the Swedish Dixie Chicks again. This is pretty good - there's even a lovely bit of mouthorgan. They're very genuine - this is a really "unplugged" performance, and the harmonies have that certain unpolished "live" quality, which is rather refreshing. Good one.

6th: Markoolio - Kärlekssång från mig
Aw, bless. I love Markoolio, the Swedish comedy rapper. I have his album "Dikter från ett hjärta". I've been a fan for 9 years now, ever since I first heard "Millenium 2".

So what's he doing with a ballad? This is alright, but I can't really appreciate it - it's obviously entirely tongue-in-cheek, a parody of overblown "big ballads", but a lot of it's lost on me as I don't understand the lyrics. The best bit: in the bridge, Markoolio collapses to the floor to sing, and a dancer/stunt man in the background actually catches fire and flails around the stage ON FIRE before being extinguished at the end of the song. That takes the biscuit, as gimmicks go. It's a bit harsh that he came sixth, but that's life, I guess. We love you Markoolio!

7th: Jennifer Brown - Never Been Here Before

Sweden 2009 (sf2) Jennifer Brown - Never Been Here Before
by jief75

A good pop-soul number by a woman with a passing resemblance to Lucy Diakovska from No Angels. Big plus: it's in 3/4!!! The song is strong stuff, particularly the chorus, and she gives a good performance, making the vocals really mean something. A good one - well written and performed, original, and authentic. Should probably have done better than 7th.

8th: Lasse Lindh & Bandet - Jag ska slåss i dina kvarter!

Sweden 2009 (sf2) Lasse Lindh & Bandet Jag Ska Slåss I Dina
by jief75

Modern Swedish rock. There's nothing wrong with it, but I'm not thrilled.

Russia 2009: Anastasiya Prykhodko - Mamo

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 15:23:00 +0000

There's a story behind this one.

Anastasiya, a young Ukrainian singer, was in the Ukrainian selection this year - with the song "Za tebe znov", as we've seen. But when she didn't make it through to the final, she and her manager claimed corruption was at work. You see, her manager is the ex-wife of Oleksandr Ponomaryov (Ukraine's Eurovision debut artist in 2003, and one of the country's biggest stars), who was one of the presiding jury members. So Anastasiya and her manager sent a letter to Viktor Yushchenko (yes) complaining about the unprofessional behaviour of the jury, and asking for the chance to perform before a voting audience and let the public decide. In an intriguing development which may indicate she had right on her side, the letter was co-signed by a number of other Ukrainian artists including Tina Karol (Eurovision 2006).

As a result, the Ukrainian national final was temporarily suspended by a court order. But the situation defused itself when Prykhodko was announced as a last-minute addition to the Russian Eurovision selection - which she then immediately won with this song: Mamo. It was the Russian jury's favourite, and won the public televote too.

But no sooner had she won then the next stage of mud-slinging started. Elements of the right-wing Russian media are aghast that a song in Ukrainian, performed by a Ukrainian singer, will represent the host nation of Great Mother Russia at Eurovision. The ructions are still rumbling on. So it's not been an easy ride to Eurovision for Prykhodko under any circumstances, and the trouble seems set to continue.

Where will this all end? With tanks rolling into Kiev? Anyway, before I forget, the song:

Anastasiya Prykhodko - Mamo

2009 Russia - Anastasia Prikhodko (Final Winner)
by Galiza

Russia 2009: Final

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 12:06:00 +0000

Won:
Anastasiya Prykhodko - Mama (26% of televote, jury choice)

Lost:
2nd: Valeriya - Back To Love (14% of televote)

2009 Russia - Valeriya (Final)
by Galiza

An immaculately preserved platinum blonde fembot dressed in black, with an icy ballad in undecipherable English. She has a good voice, and the chorus is frankly brilliant, but that isn't English. I do pick up fragments though: "We must fight for human dignity", and "Help them find a way back to love". It's a bit Celine. Pretty good.

3rd: Kvatro - Ljubovyu otvechay (12% of televote)

2009 Russia - Quatro (Final)
by Galiza

Another typical big-haired Russian boyband. It's like a watered down version of Ani Lorak's "Zhdu Tebya" - though they can definitely sing. In fact, this is a strong performance - they may look like your average boyband, but they have good sets of lungs on them, and the final thirty seconds are particularly powerful. Good work. Russia's got talent!

Unplaced:
Anna Semenovich - Love lovila

2009 Russia - Anna Semenovich (Final)
by Galiza

Pop with tinges of the orient. I'm familiar with Anna from her "Tyrolean song" (see below), which is a surprising Russian take on Slovene turbopolka. This song is also very like typical, lightweight Slovene pop - in fact it's basically Saša Lendero's "Mandoline" in Russian. Fun, throwaway pop, and a good performance, but nothing memorable.

Anna Semenovich - Tirolskaya pesnya

Thomas N'evergreen - One More Try

2009 Russia - Thomas Christiansen (Final)
by Galiza

A pleasant, laid-back acoustic ballad, ably delivered by Thomas Christiansen and his backing musicians. There's a surprising take on the cliche "try/why/bye" rhyme, as Thomas creatively rhymes "lies" with "surprise". Good stuff, I like it.

Alexa - Ne dumat o tebe

2009 Russia - Alexa (Final)
by Galiza

Dance-pop. Alexa starts the song waving a toy aeroplane around in the air while balanced on the backs of 4 male dancers. When she starts to sing, it's not pretty. Not a confident or tuneful performance. The song's alright and needs a stronger singer - none of this is doing much for me.

Plazma - Never Ending Story

2009 Russia - Plazma (Final)
by Galiza

Dark, spacy electropop - very Depeche Mode. It's pretty darn good. Sample lyrics: "Our incompetence is the happiest curse", "Mankind is blind", " We triumph, we mourn, we laugh and we cry. As soon as we're born, we start to die."

Outstanding. The English isn't always clear, but I love it. And there's some beautiful piano at the end. BRILL.

Nano - Traitor

2009 Russia - Nano (Final)
by Galiza

Grunge-style rock. Think "No Doubt". It's fine, but I'm not hugely engaged by it, at least not until towards the end, though it's definitely a good song.

Tim Rocks - The Happiest Man

2009 Russia - Tim Rocks (Final)
by Galiza

A modern, middle-of-the-road ballad. Not hugely compelling.

Princess Avenue - Never, Never

2009 Russia - Princess Avenue (Final)
by Galiza

It's the Russian answer to Vanilla Ninja. And they're pretty good. Good song, good performance. Two thumbs up. Great key change too! Like this a lot - full of energy!

Nikolay Fokeyev - You Can Stop The Time

2009 Russia - Nikolay Fokeyev (Final)
by Galiza

It's a mullet man! This is a huge 80s cruise-ship piano ballad. Nice, and well sung, but I wouldn't go to the end of the street for it.

Venger Collective - 9 O'Clock

2009 Russia - Venger Collective (Final)
by Galiza

This is a REALLY groovy funk band with a song about the Moscow nightlife. It's loads of fun, and the audience are really enjoying it too - almost as much as the band themselves. Good stuff - VERY funky!

Polina Griffith - Cry For You

2009 Russia - Polina Griffiths (Final)
by Galiza

An offbeat ballad with sparse instrumentation and strange lyrics. The wind machine is on full tilt. Sample lyrics:

Time, time is my best friend
All I need is time
Cos everything I do is cry

Why would you let me go
Like the flame in the snow?
Cut me off like a knife
Was I your sacrifice?

Her voice, performance and diction are all good - it's a class act, no doubt. The song is just... strange, though!

Alexei Vorobyov - Angelom byt

2009 Russia - Alexey Vorobyov (Final)
by Galiza

Girls in the audience are screaming. It's a TEEN STAR! This is good, soulful dance-pop - for some reason it reminds me of Rolf Junior's "Angel", except not as good (what could be?). It's certainly lots of fun - a good song well sung, with good presentation and dancers to boot. Young Alexei ticks every box - he's obviously an old pro.

Unisex - Ai-yai

2009 Russia - Unisex (Final)
by Galiza

Keytar alert! Very upbeat pop-rock effort by a bunch of young guys. The keytarist is really rocking out! It's a really energetic performance, they're obviously enjoying themselves. I particularly like the lead singer. Good stuff, loads of fun, and they really rock out!

Arishata - Breakdown

2009 Russia - Arishata (Final)
by Galiza

Girl with a hip-hop song. The song is strong and so her's voice. It opens with a rather snazzy lyric: "I'm really glad you've noticed things aren't going well. I've got to say, to be honest, you took my life to hell." It's a good song.

In summary: overall, what a brilliant lineup. I take back everything I ever said about Russian pop. Strong songs from start to finish, professionally performed by credible acts - combined with brilliant staging and choreography. There was a real level of professionalism on show - it was even better than the Ukrainian final. Real quality throughout - excellent!

Ukraine 2009: Svetlana Loboda - Be My Valentine! (Anti-Crisis Girl)

noreply@blogger.com (Never Stop The Europop) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 11:44:00 +0000

Svetlana Loboda - Be My Valentine! (Anti-Crisis Girl)

2009 Ukraine - Svetlana Loboda (Final Winner)
by Galiza