Sunday will be the last semi final in theis year’s Melodi Grand Prix before it all kicks off next Saturday in Oslo Spektrum. This will be a show you don’t want to miss, not least because of one of the major favourites with an extremely emotional performance. Here’s a little low down on the final… Read more
This year’s Norwegian preselection consists of three semi finals on three consecutive evenings. Will this be a blunder on NRK’s part, or have they made the right decision to turn Melodi Grand Prix into a week long music festival? They’ve definitely got the music spot on with five more catchy, hook laden entries, all with hit… Read more
Norway kicks off it’s quest to find Margaret Berger’s successor later this weekend with the first of Melodi Grand Prix three semi finals to be held in Oslo. With much new talent on show this year, a little background information on each artist might come in useful. Check out who’s who among the first five semifinalists with us.… Read more
Dutch songbirds The Common Linnets have had a hectic time of things since the announcement by broadcasters AVRO and TROS that they would be flying the flag for the Netherlands in Copenhagen. Tonight, the pair revealed a little more about their entry Calm after the storm. With the spectacular Dutch return to form in the… Read more
For the first time since 2007, the French have selected their entry for Copenhagen by means of a national final. The result was revealed on air tonight and the French hope that Twin Twin with will bring them plenty of douze points come on that certain Saturday night in May. Despite various attempts in recent… Read more
It’s been twenty years since Estonia made its debut on the Eurovision stage. A canny coincidence also that a pattern is starting to emerge from ten years ago; first a win for Sweden followed by a Danish win and we all know how what followed in 2001. Estonia chose tonight, bringing them closer to repeating… Read more
It’s soon time for the second semi final in Belgium, and only two of the four artists going head to head on Sunday will make it through to the final. Who of the four will go down as well as that famous Belgian combination of frites and mayonnaise? It’s time to take a look at… Read more
Achinoam Nini or Noa to go by her stage name, is one of the more prolific Israeli artists who has been involved in many projects. Her latest project involves a rather special appeal to fans of her music with the concept album Love Medicine. Since her artistic debut tewnty four years ago, Noa has wowed… Read more
Poland hasn’t been represented on a Eurovision stage for two years, the last time ending in major disappointment for Magdalena Tul with her entry Jestem. Broadcaster TVP suprised and delighted many with the announcement of their return this year, and what a return! Since the announcement of their return after a two year absence, speculation… Read more
Belgian broadcaster VRT has surprised many fans this year by organising a grandiose Belgian preselection, with both auditions and semi finals, culminating in a grand final on the 16th of March at the huge Sportspaleis in Antwerp. After a hectic couple of weeks with auditions and call back rounds, the first four semi finalists are… Read more
Tonight’s ten strong line up in the second semi of Eesti Laul features some fresh, undiscovered talent as well as more established names. Estonia has excelled itself this year in terms of originality; will tonight’s choices find universal appeal with both jurors and viewers as was the case last week? Tonight’s semi final from Tallinn… Read more
Last Saturday saw quite a few upsets in Melodifestivalen – two newcomers were sent to the final, with veteran Shirley Clamp being the major casualty of the evening, eliminated from the contest. Saturday’s fourth semi final from Örnsköldsvik has a similar mixture of newcomers and veterans with fan favourites Alcazar hoping to make it to Friends Arena. Fredrik… Read more
Half of the final line up of Eesti Laul is known, and so it’s time for the final ten hopefuls to take to the stage, showing what they’re made of. Both Lenna and Kõrsikud sailed through, but will both the jury and public manage to agree this week too? Only five open spots remain in the final of Eesti Laul,… Read more
Approximately 600 entries were submitted to NRK for Melodi Grand Prix 2014 and on the 27th of January the results were ready for all to see – fifteen expectant acts were presented at a press conference held by the broadcaster. With the start of MGP only weeks away, NRK released the complete versions of all… Read more
Reykjavík welcomed us and the rest of Iceland once again to the national final of their Söngvakeppnin preselection. Ten acts have been reduced to six over the past two weeks and from the six acts competing tonight, it was Pollapönk that emerged victorious with the song Enga Fordóma. The line up might be small in… Read more
The search for the twentieth Estonian entry for Eurovision begins, with the sixth edition of Eesti Laul. Hosts Helen Sürje and Henrik Kalmet are on hand to guide us through the evening’s proceedings, as ten acts become five. Both Lenna and Kõrsikud have been much touted favourites in the media, but will their entries deliver on the… Read more
It’s that time again, as we inch closer towards the first semi final of Eesti Laul. Last year brought both the wierd and wonderful to our attention, Winny Puhh being a prime example. Ten acts are reduced to five this Friday; it will be interesting to see if Estonian viewers have tastes as eclectic as the line… Read more
Amazingly, thirty years have already passed since three young brothers stood on the stage of the Grand Théâtre in Luxemburg, jubilant after giving Sweden a second victory at the contest. Herrey mania ensued and the trio are commonly regarded as the first Swedish boyband. To mark the thirtieth anniversary of their win, a special celebration is planned. They came,… Read more
And so we find ourselves Mid Atlantic once again, in Reykjavík at the RÚV headquarters, Útvarpshúsið to be more precise to cheer on the final five in this the last Icelandic semi. There are two groups in contention tonight; will their combined sounds prove too powerful a match for the three female vocalists? Hostesses Ragnhildur… Read more
With two spots in the final already taken, five new participants will take to the stage at Háskólabíó in a bid to win the remaining two places. Another two other lucky artists from both semis will receive a wildcard to the final from a jury. Come join us for a closer look at the final five and… Read more
As frontman of 2003 Estonian entrant Ruffus, Vaiko Eplik brought both attitude and funk to neighbouring Riga. After the contest, the group disbanded and Vaiko went on to a succesful solo career. Now he’s back with his highly anticipated brand new album Nõgesed. Claire’s Birthday or Ruffus as they came to be known at Eurovision… Read more
Saturday’s result in Melodifestivalen was a fairly foregone conclusion, with Yohio cruising to the final but with newcomer Ellen Benediktsson nabbing the other place from under the nose of Helena Paparizou. This Saturday’s line up is a similar mix, with two big names and a sprinkling of debutants – will it be a case of… Read more
Dutch songstress Glennis Grace was deeply affected by the tragic premature death of celebrated artist Whitney Houston in 2012. Ms Houston was Glennis’ idol and what better way to honour her memory than perform some of her hits on her first theatre tour which got underway yesterday. Prior to representing the Netherlands at the 2005… Read more
A Dal moves one step closer to finding the the successor to last year’s entrant ByeAlex. The third qualifying heat is in just three days time, with six spots in the semi finals up for grabs. Let’s take a closer look at the final ten contenders and try to hazard an educated guess as to… Read more
Georgia is the second country from the Caucasus region to confirm its entrant for the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest, following an announcement from Armenia on New Year’s Eve. The Shin and Mariko Ebralidze are to follow in the footsteps of Nodi Tatishvili and Sophie Gelovani to become Georgia’s seventh entrant at the contest. Since their debut in 2007… Read more
Gissur Páll Gissurarson and Greta Mjöll Samúelsdóttir were the first to secure two places in the Icelandic final in just under two weeks time. Broadcaster RÚV has just released the five remaining songs featuring in this Saturday’s semifinal – who will be a hit and who will be a miss? Listen to the songs here… Read more