ESC 2015 SWEDEN: FINAL LINE UP AND MY LITTLE REVIEW

Sweden, the most anticipated national selection by many, comes to an end this Saturday, giving us one of the very last songs for the Vienna 2015 line up. This season in Sweden has been dominated by young male artists and it would be quite a shock if one of them won't win it in the end. As the final is getting nearer all the pressure is building on Måns Z. Let's see if he will be third time lucky!

Samir & Victor propably has a big local hit in their hands but Eurovision? No way. Good opener but that's all it is, one would not even notice it's actually in the competition.... JTR, another act with some following I suppose, next. Another useless filler in the line up. Medicore boyband stuff. Totally uninteresting. Dinah Nah trusts good old la, la, la and it's an okeyish uptempo number. Unfortunately Dinah herself is the weakest link in it with her flat voice and moves. Jon Henrik, first of the favorites offers a screen full of Lappish and Sami exotism (that I see from comments in various chatrooms and comments has been totally misunderstood by some fans. No, it's not indian stuff, nor anything remotely similar. Read what joik is for example here, shouldn't take too long). I love to listen to this, but I don't like the staging. It's a bit too confusing, too much. More sober approach might have done wonders. Jessica delivers a ballad I liked pretty much the first time, but it is already worn out. Especially when thinking that Vienna line up is already filled with female ballads. Next! And it's Måns, the one to beat and it's easy to see why. The staging is something new and innotative in Eurovision and it works. He performs well, the song is memorable and catchy without being banal. Maybe a bit heard before, yes, but then that never hurt anyone. Plagiatism it isn't, just giving the same vibe. Only that they have to create in Vienna that backing choir with only 5 backing singers... We'll see. Linus offers something already heard and seen. Not bad but not very original either bringing back some most used Eurovision staging clichés on stage. Isa is pretty and young, moves well and sings ... well, not so strong. I find the song very boring. Yawn. Magnus sounds like he found some Lena Ph demo from the late 80's and decided to go with it. Not bad, nicely old fashioned and he's a fine singer. Would this work in Vienna? Maybe not.... Eric next. Looks like he has lost a bit of the superfavorite status but we will see how bad he will sting the televoters Saturday night. For me he's saved by the dirty sax in the song. Without it this would be just ordinary. I'm a bit surprised he has such a simple stage routine. The uplifting finish is already sooo old. I read it was altered as he couldn't sing and dance it well enough. Hmm, he's 24. Madonna 56. Do your math. Mariette could be the dark horse by many. Good performance indeed but she'd be (and has been) only compared to Loreen. They aren't the same at all but at first glance; dark, simple, effective, lights... The ingredients are the same. And we don't want another screamy female midtempo to Vienna, do we? Last but not least Hasse. Now that would be a shocker for Vienna! Good in his own genre. If we can send PKN, Sweden can send Hasse. Let's ruin this 2015 for once and for good!
So, I am in #teammåns. Jon Henrik would do as well, but they have to change the staging in that case. Saade would be the third choise but it would do good to his ego not to win. For once I seem to agree with the polls as these three seem to be topping them all..... How ordinary of me :-)

Samir &Viktor – Groupie

JTR – Building it up

Dinah Nah – Make me (la la la)

Jon Henrik Fjällgren – Jag är fri (Manne leam frijje)

Jessica Andersson – Can’t hurt me now

Måns Zelmerlöw – Heroes

Linus Svenning – Forever starts today

Isa – Don’t stop

Magnus Carlsson – Möt mig i Gamla Stan

Eric Saade – Sting

Mariette – Don’t stop believing

Hasse Andersson – Guld och gröna skogar

Comments

ESC 2016 WISH LIST: MARGARET FOR POLAND

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GOODBYE, FAREWELL...

The time has come. After all these years, 5,7 million visits, 12.000 articles I guess the time has come. As much as I love and care for Eurovision it just doesn't feel the same. The Corona years took their toll and the past two years and certain decisions have helped me to mature the idea that next year I will hear the songs for the first time in semi-final just like any so called local. The bubble has burst. Add the toxicity in social medias and fandom. The arrogant teenagers who saw their first contest somewhere 2017 or even 2021 who think they know it all and only their opinion matters. Did I mention the toxic atmosphere on social medias? I'm too old for that sh*t. It's been a long ride that took me to various Eurovision on spot as a fan and tourist, as a journalist, as a delegation member. I met some great people, made memories of lifetime. In stressful, sad periods of my life this blog has been my safe place, a place to escape and forget everything else for an hour o

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Eurovision song contest 2005 winner Helena Paparizou has been enjoying Top-5 hits every year since 2003 with the exception of 2010 and 2014, this latest one being already her 27th! And Haide is charting also in Bulgaria and Finland, of all places. The catchiness of her hits has changed less over the years than her face.... Here's the English version , below the Greek version.

Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

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