Our reporter Kal did another interview, this time with The Busker. They talk about Amsterdam and how they like the city, about how they learn lessons with this promo tour, and they ask you to vote…. for no. 2 in the first semifinal!
We can not wait for the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Therefore, we have a closer look at one of the contestants every day. Today: Austria. Teya and Salena Teya and Salena were chosen internally to represent Austria. Their song “Who the hell is Edgar?” was written and composed by themselves with Ronald Janeček and Pele Loriano. Teodora Špirić is Teya’s real name, but she is also known as Thea Devy. Under that name, she released her debut single “Waiting for” in 2017. She also worked in Switzerland. She took part in the Beyond Music Project. In 2020 she submitted the song “Judgement day” to the Austrian internal selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. She also took part in the Serbian national final with the Serbian version “Sudnji dan“. A year later, she took part in the Austrian show Starmania under her real name. She featured in Croatian Ninski’s song “Runaway (stay)“. Salena’s real name is Selina-Maria Edbauer. She took part in The Voice of Germany in 2017. Two years later, she submitted a song for the Eurovision Song Contest, “Behind the waterfalls”, to the Austrian internal selection. Just like Teya, Salena took part in the 2021 Starmania. Who the hell is Edgar? Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American writer, poet and literary critic. He was known for his dar, mysterious and often macabre tales. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Poe had a difficult childhood marked by the death of his parents and a turbulent relationship with his foster father. Despite these challenges, he became one of the most influential literary figures of the 19th century. He published works such as “The Raven”, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, and “The Fall of the House of Usher”. Poe’s writing was characterized by themes of death, madness and the supernatural. His contributions to the horror and detective genres continue to inspire and captivate readers to this day.It is not the first time someone sang about Edgar Allan Poe on Eurovision. In 1990, Joëlle Ursull sang about him in her “White and black blues”: Je me sens d’un conte d’Edgar Allan Poe (I feel like I’m in an Edgar Allan Poe tale). Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest Austria first took part in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957. It was in 1964 when Udo Jürgens first took part. He then became 6th. A year later he reached the 4th place. For him it was 3 times lucky: in 1966 he managed to win the Eurovision Song Contest for Austria.The country had to wait a long time before they won again. It was Conchita Wurst who managed to bring the trophy home in 2014 with her “Rise like a Phoenix”.Austria had not always been successful in the Eurovision Song Contest. The only other song that managed to reach the top-3 was Cesár Sampson‘s “Nobody but you” in 2018. It was even the winner of the juries! Austria reached the 4th place only with Udo Jürgens. The country was 5th on four occasions. Bookmakers Austria is currently 8th at the betting odds. If that would happen, Austria can definitely be satisfied with the result, because 2018 was the last year they even qualified. The song And of course, this is the song:
“It was a last minute decision”, the Tvorchi guys say to our reporter Kal. And they tell him more. What has a ‘happy birthday’ song to do with the start of Tvorchi? What would the guys say to their younger self? And what do they tell about the Ukrainian part of the lyrics? The answers to these questions and many more can be found out below! Watch this interview, it’s really worth it!
We can not wait for the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Therefore, we have a closer look at one of the contestants every day. Today: San Marino. Piqued Jacks The band was chosen to represent San Marino this year. The song “Like an animal” was written and composed by the bandmembers themselves. Piqued Jacks are an Italian band. They were formed in Buggiano in 2006. Their first three EP’s were released in respectively 2010, 2011 and 2013. In 2014 they released the singles “Upturned perspectives” and “No bazooka”. One year later they were able to release their first album. After some changes in the line up the band released the singles “Wildly shining” and “The living past”. In 2020 they were selected by MTV for the New Generation platform. Valentina Monetta When you say San Marino, you say Valentina Monetta. She is a Sammarinese singer who rose to fame when she took part in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest. The lyrics of her song “Facebook” had to be changed. Names of brands are not allowed in songs, so it became “The social network song”. She did not make it to the final. A year later, with “Crisalide (vola)” she was among the favourites in the betting odds. Strangely enough she just missed the final again. So it was a great surprise when, in 2014, her song “Maybe” did reach the final. In 2015 she was the jury spokeswoman and in 2017 she took part again. This time not allone but with Jimmy Wilson and their song “Spirit of the night”. No final for Valentina this time. At the 2018 rehearsals, the Sammarinese delegation did an inside joke for Eurovision fans. A robot had to hold a piece of paper with a text during the act. At the rehearsals, the text was “Justice for Valentina”. San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest San Marino took part for the first time in 2008. Italian/Sammarinese band Miodio didn’t make it to the final. It caused a stop, but in 2011 they returned. Three artists took part for San Marino more than once. Senhit, the aforenamed Valentina Monetta and Serhat. And exactly those three made it to the final: Valentina in 2014, Serhat in 2019 and Senhit in 2021. With a 19th place, Serhat’s entry “Say na na na” is the best scoring song for San Marino. Bookmakers Unfortunately it doesn’t look good for San Marino this year in the betting odds. They are no. 33, and in the specific odds about the 2nd semifinal they are even last. Hopefully they are wrong, but maybe a second participation for Piqued Jacks is necessary to reach the final. The song And of course, here is the song:
“The stars have connected for us”, Joker Out says to our reporter Kal. In this great interview they explain what they mean with that. Joker Out also tells something about how the band started and where the name come from. Kal also talks with them about the lyrics of “Carpe diem”. Watch it, you will not regret it!
We can not wait for the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Therefore, we have a closer look at one of the contestants every day. Today: Georgia. Iru Iru won The Voice Georgia and with that the right to represent her country in Eurovision. The song “Echo” is composed for her by Giorgi Kukhianidze. Iru wrote the lyrics together with Beni Kadagidze. Iru’s full name is Iru Khechanovi. She was born in Tbilisi in 2000. She is of Armenian descent. She started her career when she was a child ad won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2011. She was a member of the group Candy, who reached the first place with the song “Candy music”. In 2019, Iru participated in Georgian Idol. That year, the show was the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2021 she released her debut solo single “No Jerk Around Me”. The song was followed by two more singles, “Not like today” and “Tu mama”. Georgia’s success in Junior Eurovision As said, Iru won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Georgia is extremely successfull in the Junior contest with three victories and a total of no less than 6 top-3 placings. And all of that since their first participation in 2007. The first victory was in 2008, when the bees of Bzikebi won with the song “Bzzz…“. Three years later it was the aforementioned Candy. In 2016 the first place was for Georgia again. Mariam Mamadashvili brought the trophy home with her song “Mzeo“. Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest Georgia started participating in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007, the same year they started in the Junior version. It was Sopho who sang her “Visionary dream” to a 12th place. On two occasions, Georgia became 9th: Sofia Nizharadze with “Shine” in 2010, Eldrine with “One more day” a year later. The last few years, Georgia is not so successful. The last time the country reached the final was in 2016. Bookmakers When the betting odds are right, the odds turn for Georgia. Currently they are 16th in the betting odds, and with a 4th place in the semifinal bettings they can almost be called a sure qualifier. Let’s hope for Georgia this will happen. They deserve it. The song And of course, this is the song:
Our reporter Kal had an interview with Spain’s contestant Blanca Paloma. She explains how she was inspired by her grandmother in this song. And Kal proves that music is a common language. Watch this video. Believe us: it’s more than worth it!!
We can not wait for the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Therefore, we have a closer look at one of the contestants every day. Today: Slovenia Joker Out Slovenian broadcaster RTVSLO internally selected the band Joker Out to represent the country. Their song “Carpe diem” was written and composed by the band members themselves. Joker Out excists of Bojan Cvjetićanin, Jure Maček, Kris Guštin, Jan Peteh and Nace Jordan. The band is from Ljubljana and was founded in 2016. A previous band, Apokalipsa, split up. Their first public performance was at the Festival Na Gaj in May 2016. The band released many singles, and their debut album “Umazane misli” was released in 2021. A second album, “Demoni”, was released a year later. Joker Out won prizes for Newcomer of the Year in 2020 and Artist of the year in 2021 and 2022. “Umazane misli” and “A sem ti povedal” were nominated for Song Of The Year. EMA Because of lack of success, Slovenia decided to select the band internally. Normally, the national final held in Slovenia is called EMA. It was already held since the first participation of Slovenia in 1993. Names as Regina and Darja Švajger were returning artists. On a few occasions, the results were controversial and the jury overruled the televoter. A song that surpassed the national finals in 2006 was Saša Lendero’s “Mandoline“. She became 2nd but the song is still famous among Eurovision fans. In more recent years it was the famous band BQL failing to represent Slovenia on several occasions. Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest When Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia, Slovenian entries reached the Eurovision stage four times. The most successfull one was Berta Ambrož, who became 7th with “Brez besed”. In 1993, Slovenia took part for the first time as an independent country. The country had to qualify through an Eastern European preselection. Slovenian band 1X Band managed to win this contest and took part in the international final. Best score for Slovenia was a 7th place twice: in 1995 Darja Švajger did the job with “Prisluhni mi”, in 2001 it was Nuša Derenda who took the spot with “Energy”. The last two years, Slovenia did not make it to the final. Bookmakers Slovenia currently is in 21st place in the betting odds. Also in the specific odds for the 2nd semifinal, Slovenia has a good place: 7th. That means Slovenia is likely to return to the final! The song And of course, this is the song:
We can not wait for the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Therefore, we have a closer look at one of the contestants every day. Today: Poland. Blanka Poland has chosen for Blanka. She will sing “Solo”, a song composed by Blanka herself with Maciej Puchalski, Mikołaj Trybulec, Bartłomiej Rzeczycki and Marcin Górecki. She wrote the lyrics with Maria Broberg and Julia Sundberg. Blanka Stajkow is a wellknown Polish model and singer. She took part in Top Model, a Polish reality show, in 2021. During that time, she also released her first single “Better“. A year later, on 23 September 2022, she released a second single, “Solo”. The song reached the no. 4 spot in the Polish charts. As the song was released after the 1st of September, Blanka was able to submit it to the Polish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. And she won the contest. Jann The Polish national final this year was called Tu bije serce Europy! Wybieramy hit na Eurowizję!. The clear favourite of the audience was Jann with his song “Gladiator“. The televoters awarded Jann, as expected, with 12 points, Blanka with 10. The juries however awarded “Gladiator” with only 7 points, Blanka with 12. Immediately, accusasions came towards the jury. Did they do this on purpose to make Blanka win. Especially when Blanka appeared to have a relationship with Allan Krupa. Krupa’s mother, Edyta Górniak, was the chairman of the jury. Blanka was accompanied by dancers of dance group Volt. Agustin Egurolla, who is the owner of this dance group, was one of the members of the jury. The fact that TVP already started writing an article about the winner of the contest, being Blanka, hours before the national final, didn’t help much. Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest Poland took part in the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 1994. Aforenamed Edyta Górniak was the contestant with the song “To nie ja!”. She took the second place. Poland has never had such a high score again in Eurovision. Only two times after this, the Polish entry reached the top-10. In 2003 it was Ich Troje with the multilinugal song “Keine Grenzen – Żadnych granic” who took the 7th place. Michał Szpak did the thing in 2016 with “Color of your life”, good for an 8th place, and even no. 4 in the televoting. Bookmakers Blanka is currently 25th in the betting odds. In the specified odds about the 2nd semifinal she has the 12th place. That would be no final for Poland. If that happens, which we don’t hope for Blanka, we got the feeling that somehow the storm will not lay down very quickly. The song And here is, of course, the song:
We can not wait for the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Therefore, we have a closer look at one of the contestants every day. Today: Greece. Victor Vernicos Victor Vernicos was chosen internally to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest. Victor wroteand composed the song himself. Victor Vernicos Jørgensen, born in Athens, is a Greek singer/songwriter of Danish descent. He started making music at a very young age. When he was 8 years old, he sang his own version of the Eurovision song “Heroes”. His first single “Hope it’s heaven” was released in 2021. A year later, the song was followed by the song “Mean“. On 30 January 2023, it was announced that Victor Vernicos was going to be the Greek representant in the Eurovision Song Contest. Legal action The internal selection in Greece was quite complicated. Out of 7 shortlisted songs, 3 were chosen for the final selection: the female duo Antonia Kaouri and Maria Maragkou, Melissa Mantzoukis and of course Victor Vernicos. However, Antonia and Maria withdrew. Still, all three acts were awarded points. Melissa Mantzoukis took legal action to this and the way the winner was chosen. The voting system made Victor win, while with a voting system were every jury member would award 1, 2 and 3 points, Melissa would have won. A temporary injunction halting the Greek participation was denied by Greek courts on 6 March, citing the short time period between then and the EBU’s 13 March deadline for entry submissions. Mantzoukis’ lawsuit to be declared the winner and awarded damages is anticipated to be heard in mid-May following the contest. Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest Greece first took part in the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1974. Marinella‘s “Krassi, thalassa ke t’agori mou” didn’t gain many points, but is still a classic in Greece. The first top-5 score for Greece came in 1977, when Pascalis, Marianna, Robert and Bessy sang “Mathema solfège”. The first time Greece entered the top-3 was in 2001, thanks to the duo Antique and the song “Die for you”. Helena Paparizou, half of the duo Antique, brought the trophy to Greece in 2005 with “My number one”, but also Sakis Rouvas (“Shake it” in 2004) and Kalomira (“Secret combination” in 2008) reached the top-3. Bookmakers The bookmakers currently give Greece a 28th place in the betting odds. However, the specified semi final betting odds give a 9th place, which means Greece will head to the final in Liverpool. Let’s hope for the sympathatic singer that this will happen. The song And of course, this is the song: