[Nicky91]

what a dumb mess the EBU has been, seems like belarus entry wasn't political at all, the lead singer of the band has come clean what the intention of his entry was all about

and he was surprised too the EBU pulled it out for being too political, it was never their intention


and this band will remain their act too for this year it seems (not sure if they opted for change of lyrics or a new song since lyrics editing feels tempting not much work to be done there)

[Nicky91]

HoD Meeting today


Azerbaijan song: hmm kinda disappointing, but maybe it can grow on me idk


we'll get Malta and Georgia later on


and since its HoD meeting i am expecting again some news on Belarus's format of participation, which option of the two they went for me, maybe some final decisions (more bc BTRC are constantly in contact with EBU)

[Legrand]

Finland is winning, a bop!

[Nicky91]

now only belarus's song left

[Nicky91]

on Belarus

nothing new on twitter, apart from one confirmation post that Galasy Z Mesta will remain their act for rotterdam if everything goes to plan, so i presume the new song is now more undergoing the screening process under BTRC/Lukashenko and EBU supervision very thorough i think too

wouldn't surprise me if we get the most sterile/PC song eurovision has ever seen


but hope all goes well, i'm among minority ofc, and they won't get high result but i hope they are still in, russian retro rock seems to make me very very happy and in a good mood so

[Legrand]

I'm pretty sure this is unpopular here but this year is complete crap.

[Nicky91]

Originally Posted by Legrand

I'm pretty sure this is unpopular here but this year is complete crap.

one of best years ever

[Nicky91]

no international big name interval act this year

[Nicky91]

songs whom i recommend to anyone on here: from Azerbaijan (another homage to a historical figure Mata Hari), Malta (bit of 1920's in music video meets sister act sort of gospel/soul diva pop song with a hint of french), Serbia (serbian pussycat dolls, but song wise very 80's disco in serbian language), Ireland (very folkish 00's pop, really catchy)

Iceland (for me much better than think about things, similar disco vibe but somehow better)

Poland (alcazar vibes, also a very likeable singer one of JESC2020 hosts too fun fact)

[Nicky91]

also more interesting fun facts

Norway: sending most current artist out there, No Keiino aren't current at all with mainstream norwegian audience

Portugal: Black Mamba are a respectable quite known band, also they sing mostly in english so it was expected when the lead singer was revealed on list of composers the entry would be in english, and in this style too, happy they won, the right english and not dull overhyped NEEV, whom is a talent but still has much to improve upon

Denmark: Fyr og Flamme are also quite current in todays charts over there, so yeah somehow a bigish name, and also fully in danish which is a first in 24 years


Russia: Manizha quite a story actually, she retired from music few years ago, but she recently made her comeback (also if it was up to her father she wouldn't have been a singer, since he does not believe muslim women should be singers) song is strong women enpowerment message with nice russian folk music

Sweden: Tusse won Idols couple years ago, his song is not entirely BLM related, can of course be used for that, but basically against all form of racism, homophobia, extremism

Netherlands: song against slavery in suriname, Jeangu is a surinamese singer, his sranan tongo phrases mean ''you can't break me''

Serbia: Hurricane made up out of Sanja Vucic (whom we know from ESC2016 solo) Ksenija Knezevic (her father is Knez whom was at ESC2015 for Montenegro with ''Adio'' where she was in the backings on stage) Ivana Nikolic (a dancer whom won many european dance competitions) the group was formed at the caribbean island Sint-Maarten, first single was a charity song for the victims of a hurricane there at that time

Azerbaijan: full dutch songwriting team for Samira Efendi, a song about the tragic life of dutch erotic worker and spy Mata Hari (also in the song, first we hear azeri in ESC one repeated phrase)




all languages we either fully or a bit of this year: Albanian, Azeri, Croatian, Czech, Danish, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Russian, Serbian, Sranan Tongo, Spanish, Ukrainian

also quite a nice genre diversity either for this year

[Nicky91]

Georgia, well what can i say, Tornike is a bit their own Leonard Cohen, the entry ''You'' is really not what you expect to hear at ESC

its good but its so alternative, that somehow does make it quite nice

[Nicky91]

one day closer to the UK win, this will do extremely well with juries how new and fresh sound this is, never heard before too

also massive televote appeal


so

Its Coming Home, Its Coming Home

Eurovision is Coming Home to the all time best nation ever, the United Kingdom, the country of the music elite

[Nicky91]

i wanna be his dancer in ahoy, i would dress up as a devil, that we're ''gonna light up the roof'' embers = we can relate back to Hell

[Jarrod]

Originally Posted by Nicky91

one day closer to the UK win, this will do extremely well with juries how new and fresh sound this is, never heard before too

also massive televote appeal


so

Its Coming Home, Its Coming Home

Eurovision is Coming Home to the all time best nation ever, the United Kingdom, the country of the music elite

I love your optimism on this but Eurovision will only come back to the UK when pigs fly unfortunately.

[Jay28jay2]

Originally Posted by Nicky91

one day closer to the UK win, this will do extremely well with juries how new and fresh sound this is, never heard before too

also massive televote appeal


so

Its Coming Home, Its Coming Home

Eurovision is Coming Home to the all time best nation ever, the United Kingdom, the country of the music elite

You’re not from the UK though lol

[Nicky91]

Originally Posted by Jarrod

I love your optimism on this but Eurovision will only come back to the UK when pigs fly unfortunately.

well one of few times i love a UK entry (this and also i liked last years too, would've probably not gotten my vote but MLB is still better than a Bigger than Us or that from Joe & Jake in 2016)


but no i am overall excited about it all this year, also i think a virtual eurovillage would be better, wouldn't mind lack of audience either since as long as we can get artists there they can cheer for each other and that would also feel quite nice i think

virtually we can have ''acoustic performances from their rooms'' instead of euroclub


the last resort ''live on tape'' is kinda dull, not horrendous or a disaster but it lacks the live performance feeling how it felt for me at JESC last year


and these next few months we got theme music and postcard music to look forward to either

[Nicky91]

we got some news from EBU regarding Belarus, they were granted a deadline extension to finish off the new entry before end of this month (since all countries have that deadline for their final performance videos done in time and sent over to EBU for eventual last resort live on tape performance if necessary but they are not hoping to use them anyway, since main focus is on scenario B with all artists live from ahoy)

https://wiwibloggs.com/2021/03/19/be...n-2021/263415/

[Nicky91]

Germany internal selection confirmed for ESC2022, search begun to shortlist several artists/songs for internal jury

[Nicky91]

It was still in 2020, the year in which the Eurovision Song Contest should have taken place in Ahoy, but the corona pandemic led to postponement. As early as 2020, the organization announced that the festival would definitely go ahead this year. Either way.

To make that message possible, Twan van de Nieuwenhuijzen (52) and his team are currently working their way out of the seams. This month, van de Nieuwenhuijzen, who can call himself head of contest, is mainly concerned with the so-called backup tapes. That's a special video and audio recording of every performance to take place during the semifinals or final in May. After today, three-quarters of the participating countries have had their turn, including the Netherlands.


Twan van de Nieuwenhuijzen, one of the heads of delegation of the Eurovision Song Contest. Van de Nieuwenhuijzen is responsible for making the backup tapes.

It is a possibility that no one is waiting for, but unfortunately not only imaginary in this day and age: The winner of the Eurovision song contest is not in Ahoy on 22 May, but somewhere at home in Europe. And he or she then sees himself performing the winning performance again from a previously recorded tape. Van de Nieuwenhuijzen explains exactly how this works.

Why is it necessary to record all the performances already?
,,To get the most equal possible match. If you switched live with the countries during the shows, you run the risk of faltering image connections, you can't do it again if things go wrong and you have less control. Each country has an hour in which a notary, people from the umbrella organization EBU and the Dutch organization watch live. In that hour, an artist is allowed to sing his or her song up to three times. They can choose the best version themselves, which is submitted. So far, all the countries have taken advantage of those three attempts, it was never said after one or two times: 'it's good'.''

Are there any special rules attached to that?
,,It is not realistic to build the same stage 40 times, so there are differences that you cannot escape. However, the rule is: what is not allowed or can't be done in Ahoy is also not allowed with the backup tapes. For example, water should not be part of the act, because that is not allowed in Ahoy. Suppose a country wants to use water, then you will never get the stage so dry in the 35 seconds between two performances that the next artist will no longer suffer from it.''



Suppose the vocals on a backup tape are just not completely pure, can they still secretly tinker with that?
"That has also been considered; before the hour is over, the local national broadcaster must start sending the material. This way we prevent any clever tricks.''

In what cases are the backup tapes used?
,,There are several conceivable cases, anyway if some or even all artists are not allowed to come to Rotterdam because of the corona restrictions. Then the presenters in Ahoy would present the semi-finals and final and talk from tape to tape. But it can also be a godsend when an artist is tested positive after the semi-final. Then that tape will be there before the final.''

And at best...
"We're not going to see one again. It sounds contradictory, but we're in the middle of a massive operation that hopefully is for nothing. Wouldn't it be sad if the winning song wasn't played live afterwards, but from a tape? On the other hand, this guarantees that the festival will continue. I think a lot of people are yearning for an evening of Eurovision watching on the couch, with a points list on their lap. What I personally like about those hours in which we record; you really feel the match tension on the other side of the 'line'. The people there are aware that what they do in that one hour may already be their final Eurovision performance. That makes it very special anyway, whether we use the material or not.''

translation of this dutch article https://www.ad.nl/songfestival/de-co...iets~a92c13bc/

[Nicky91]

https://eurovisionfun.com/en/2021/03...2BKIkuIEv78A0c

Belarus's Galasy Z Mesta submitted 2 new songs for eurovision to be screened

[Nicky91]

my review on line up (so far)

Albania: outdated snooze

Australia: authentic, well produced, could be another top 10 finish for the almighty aussies

Austria: decent ballad

Azerbaijan: very catchy, boppy tribute to a amazing historical icon Mata Hari, Efendi is a lovely girl too (fun fact she has had military training herself) also the composer team is 90% dutch, and one part swedish

Belgium: Geike's voice is so damn sexy, far better and more hooverphonic's style than last year

Bulgaria: wonderful composition, very international sound thankfully rather than outdated bulgarian chalga

Croatia: far better than last years outdated snooze by flopzo, very modern banger

Cyprus: when Gaga meets Zara Larsson, good bop nevertheless, and i'm not bothered about the devil reference either

Czech Republic: very solid dance-pop song, also a upgrade from Benny compared to last year, love the subtle hint of czech in there too

Denmark: very feel good danish italodisco 80's banger, even though you don't understand it, it makes you feel happy

Estonia: radio friendly pop song ala Russia back in 2016 or Austria in 2018, also a upgrade from Uku compared to last year

Finland: for anyone who is a linkin park fan, you'll adore this most definitely

France: classic french chanson, in style of Edith Piaf could really do well i think, a contender to win maybe

Georgia: for any Leonard Cohen fans out there, this is your cup of tea, very intimate, emotional, very not typical eurovisionish song, this might stand out bc it is so alternative

Germany: feel good pop song, Jendrik has a very fun personality either, reminds you of electro velvet meets alf poier, meets stefan raab/dadi freyr, also nice little return of german language even if just two phrases

Greece: 80's pop banger, for dua lipa fans a real treat, Stefania is also a very nice bubbly sweet girl

Iceland: for me personally a upgrade from last year, or i'm more used to Dadi's quirky voice now with that think about things overload we had last year, very nice first slow intro into quirky disco song

Ireland: very folkish feel good pop song, good that RTE gave Lesley this second chance after last years ''katy perry sound'' disaster, but i want this to do well honestly

Israel: it feels very israeli in instrumentals which is good, almost like a israeli dua lipa sound, few hebrew parts (curious about the revamp though)

Italy: good italian rock song, also fun fact the one girl in the band is half danish too

Latvia: for the LGBTQ+ and drag race fans out there, this is a true serve, Samanta is the diva queen of Sassiness

Lithuania: very original, very boppy, catchy song, feel good choreography as well, could be a contender again

Malta: bit of 1920's style in music video, very sassy diva pop song, also reminds you of electro velvet

Moldova: bit of musical theatre burlesque vibe you get, a typical Kirkorov signature

Netherlands: authentic, inventive, clever usage of sranan tongo language

North Macedonia: beautiful tribute to musical theatre, also beginning bit reminds me of Pure Imagination

Norway: showstopper, piece of theatrical art of angels and demons

Poland: lots of alcazar vibes, very polish accent in his voice, could be a nice result if staged/performed well

Portugal: unique vocal skill, also a first for them in english, very gabrielle/macy gray/james morrison lounge style

Romania: billie eilish vibes all over, very nice showcase to see she is very talented, also quite charismatic at least for me

Russia: mix of modern pop and russian folk, strong women enpowerment song

San Marino: fuego vibe done Senhit's way, adrenalina is in italian language btw, for international streaming success well i think it might be huge bc of Flo Rida's rap and composer credit

Serbia: even though u don't understand it, very feel good and makes you happy, these ladies are so charismatic and sassy at same time, also a nice disco vibe

Slovenia: her voice reminds you of anastacia, song bit similar to conchita rise like a phoenix (same composer charlie mason)

Spain: very lovely spanish ballad, Blas is a good performer too, if staged well could be nice

Switzerland: Gjon is talented, this song has some of ''Arcade'' team behind it, modern french chanson

Ukraine: ukrainian folk, it is very authentic, one of a kind probably too, this band well they are so so talented, i saw them in home concerts last year, they are amazing live performers too, don't underestimate it my advice

United Kingdom: very catchy, fresh and new, modern fun bop, James is a great singer-songwriter, lovely person too, read good things about him from our Armin van Buuren what he said after working with him on ''Therapy'' and ''Slow Lane'' could be a very great result for UK i think



will update this post later on when we will get Belarus

[Nicky91]

https://wiwibloggs.com/2021/03/23/eu...likely/263530/

Organisers: live audience still an option, but current situation in netherlands makes it look more unlikely



update: our health minister Hugo de Jonge in press conference last night, if we all work together now in staying home, and speeding our vaccination rollout there might be more possible in May and in summer

[Nicky91]

Youtube video

teaser of possible new belarus entry at 5:21


dai dai dai, hmm it sounds like it could be part of a chorus, bit to make it catchier idk


i mean we ourselves had Lai La La Lai Lai La La in de troubadour in the 60's and we won that time, simplistic can work


Dmitry (frontman of the band) i find sooooo incredibly charismatic, sweet

[Nicky91]

there was some doubt due to Vasil's dual nationality (macedonian and bulgarian passport holder) but the support vasil petition won, and he will go to rotterdam for them with ''Here i Stand''

indeed Music wins

[Nicky91]

Australia's postcard (with artist virtually through hologram) will be at Sparta Rotterdam stadium, since their artist Montaigne is a fan of football


Sparta's stadium getting attention of 200 million people