Eurovision 2015: The Aftermath

Although Eurovision has been over for a couple of weeks, I'm typing about it now because I've finally had my yearly Eurovision party.

Congrats to Sweden.  We ranked your fourth.

Usually I have it a little while after the live broadcast, it's an excuse to have people over, make some interesting food, and have a little bit of fun by ranking the songs.

It's always very interesting on where we agree and disagree with the voters from Europe.

Our Favorite:

Aminata   "Love Injected"   Latvia

Latvia's first final qualifier in eight years won us over with the exceptional vocals from Aminata and the extremely modern, almost avant garde, staging.

It was ranked in the top five of everybody at the party and would recieve our "douze points".

Other Winners:

Lisa Angell   "N'oubliez pas"   France

Even though Angell was placed in the "slot of death", performing second on the night of the final, Angell's passionate hit us in the sweet spot, coming in second our voting and would have received ten pomts from us.  Angell receiving only four points was one of the biggest shocks of this year's voting.

Ann Sophie   "Black Smoke"   Germany

Ann Sophie wouldn't have gone away with "nul points" if our little group of voters were considered.  "Black Smoke" came in sixth in our voting and picked up five points from us.  The sexy staging  and the powerhouse vocals worked for this little group of Americans.

The Biggest Loser:

Elhaida Dani   "I'm Alive"   Albania

I'm always happy when Albania makes it to the finals, but I have to agree with almost everybody else at our party and put Dani dead last.  There's no hiding off key, screechy vocals.

Other Losers:

Polina Gagarina   "A Million Voices"  Russia

Although Russia came in seventh in our voting, the little group I had over was made up of members of the LBGT community and their allies.  Politics caused us to vote the song down our list, even though we all admitted she hit this song out of the park.

However, the booking of Gagarina by the crowd was extremely tasteless.  She's just a singer, not a politician.

Nadav Gued   "Golden Boy"   Israel

Israel may have hit the top ten in European voting, but the ethnopop from a guy attempting to be Justin Timberlake attempting to be Michael Jackson got more jeers than kudos.

The fake selfie at the end of the song was a particular groan worthy moment...

And that's Eurovision 2015.   Now it's time to focus on a move and look forward to 2016 and the contest in Sweden.

Semifinal One: The Aftermath

Hooray for the ten finalists!

Well, I just shocked myself.  I took a look at the list of songs I selected to make it through to the final, and I got nine out of ten correct.

Here are the ten finalists:

• Armenia
• Belgium
• Greece
• Estonia
• Serbia
• Hungary
• Russia
• Albania
• Romania
• Georgia

The only one I missed was Albania.  I had the Netherlands in instead.

But for those of you who aren't interested in watching the whole thing, here's some of the highlights of the contest.

The Biggest Surprise:

Elhaida Dani   "I'm Alive"   Albania

I'm happy that Albania has made it into the final.  But Dani got really lucky because her final performance was off key and rather stilted.

My guess is that she had a superb performance last night and she scored well with the juries.  It's the only explanation for the qualification.

The Biggest Disappointment:

Trijntje Oosterhuis   "Walk Along"   the Netherlands 

I'm certain that Oosterhuis and the Dutch team wanted to make the final, and the vocals were superb.  But everything else chosen was chosen to make people not vote for it.  The clothes, the camera shots, and the lighting all were weird for no good reason.

Had she performed the song as she had on The Voice Holland this would have been in the final.

The Song I Would Have Voted For:

Boggie   "Wars For Nothing"   Hungary

I enjoy watching the semifinals without knowing much about the final performances.  That means a song that I didn't necessarily rate will get my vote.   Like last year's San Marinese entry, I didn't rate Hungary's song highly.  But when seeing this live, this was the song I would have voted for.  A simple song performed perfectly will get my vote.

The Can't-Miss Song

Eduard Romanyuta   "I Want Your Love"   Moldova

It's a rare song that makes you feel like you could get a STD by watching it.   Good job Mr. Romanyuta.  You made me feel like taking a course of antibiotics.   And now you need to watch it too.

Semifinal One: Who Will Qualify?

Now here comes the fun part of Eurovision week, attempting to prognosticate the choices of European juries and public.

The Sure Qualifiers:

• Russia
• Estonia
• Romania

The Songs Without a Chance:

• Moldova
• Macedonia  (It hurts me to put Macedonia here.  I really love the song.)
• Belarus

The Undefined Middle:

• Armenia
• Belgium
• Netherlands
• Finland
• Greece
• Serbia
• Hungary
• Denmark
• Albania
• Georgia

So, after taking a look at the rehearsal clips, my choices to qualify are:

• Armenia
• Belgium
• Netherlands
• Greece
• Estonia
• Serbia
• Hungary
• Russia
• Romania
• Georgia

I'm not really good at predicting, so take my choices with a grain of salt.  I'm looking forward to how everything shakes out on Tuesday.

Eurovision 2015: Latvia

Right now, rehearsals are happening in Vienna,so it's high time I finished up the tour of the national finals with Latvia.

Latvia has has one of the worst track records at Eurovision in the past few years, not qualifying for the final since 2008.  And because of those duff results, it was rumored that Latvia would withdraw this year.

Instead of withdrawing, Latvia has completely rethought their selection process, and unlike some other countries (Ireland), the rethink worked.

Instead of the weird tweeness that has haunted the national finals of prior years, Latvia's final had four interesting and rather modern songs to choose among.

ElektroFolk   "Sundance"

Markus Riva   "Lights On"

MNTHA   "Nefelibata"

(Well, maybe not Markus Riva. His song is really kind of lame.)

But the jury and televoters selected the best of the songs to represent them.

Aminata   "Love Injected"

She's got a powerful voice, the visual is striking, and all in all, it think this is the best song Latvia has ever sent.  If they can't qualify for the Eurovision final then there is no justice.

Eurovision 2015: Austria

I'm getting to the end of my national final reviews, and now I'm getting to the host country.  Austria is hosting Eurovision this year after the win of Conchita Wurst (as if you didn't already know that).

Conchita Wurst   "Rise Like A Phoenix"   2014

And now ÖRF, the Austrian broadcaster, has to do the delicate dance of selecting a song to represent them on home soil.

It's generally assumed that the host country doesn't want to host Eurovision two years in a row.  Although every country taking part in the contest gives money to the EBU for the right to participate and broadcast the contest, it costs millions of euros to put on the show.   It's currently estimated that Austria has spent 35 million euros on this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

In response to this, the host country selects a middle of the road song that is going to be respected but not going to light the light on fire.

And this year, Austria has chosen the perfect song to do just that.

The Makemakes   "I Am Yours"

The Makemakes have been somewhat successful in their home country, with a couple of Top 40 singles and a forthcoming album.  They're competent musicians, and their performance is spot on.   

Besides, it's the perfect example of a safe home crowd song--it's three minute aural blanket.   Nobody is going to say bad things about it, but it's also not going to get anywhere near the top of the scoreboard.

---

That said, I kind of with that the Austrian public had gone completely left field with their choice and selected the song that came in fifth:

Johann Sebastian Bass   "Absolutio"

The well performed insanity of Johann Sebastian Bass, a "electrorococo" band, would have put on a great show and would have been a memorable part of the sixtieth Eurovision Song Contest--going down with acts like Telex and Gypsy.cz

Yeah, it means they would have likely come in last.  But in a year of utterly safe songs, a bit of color would make things fun.

Eurovision 2015: Albania

The first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest starts in less than a week, so it's time to finish taking a look at the last songs in the contest.

Albania chose their winner through Festivali i Këngës, an Albanian broadcast that is now in its fifty-third year.   This contest takes place over a three day period on Christmas weekend.   The winning artist and song are sent to represent Albania at Eurovision and this year, Albania selected this song.

Elhaida Dani    "Diell"

The winning song is a power ballad that features Dani's vocal prowess and utilizes the live orchestra that is a fixture of Festivali i Këngës.   Dani gives a performance that is worthy of going to Vienna.

'

However, "Diell" isn't the song that Dani will be singing on stage in Vienna.  

Festivali i Këngës doesn't have many of the restrictions that Eurovision has, so songs are typically shortened and rearranged before they take the stage, and this year due to an "unchangable personal reason"  the author of "Diell" decided to withdraw his song after FiK.   This means a new song was chosen internally for Dani to perform.

Elhaida Dani   "I'm Alive"

It's really a smart move.   Instead of cutting down the original song, which is more than a minute too long, this new song is withing the time limit.   It's also in English and structured to highlight Dani's singing range.

For the first time in years, Albania is going to make the finals!   

Eurovision 2015: Israel

Israel has had a terrible Eurovision track record over the past few years.  Having been a powerhouse nation in prior decades, the 2010s have seen Israel miss the final for the past four years.

IBA, the Israeli broadcaster, is hoping to change that by sending the winner of the reality singing competition HaKokhav HaBa to Vienna.

Nadav Gued   "Golden Boy"

In a year of drowsy ballads, this dance number with a feel of the souk about it is doing to stand out.  There's nothing else that sounds remotely like this in the contest--a Justin Timberlake song--and that's in Israel's favor.

However, for Nadav to qualify for the contest, it's going to depend on the performance.   Right now, "Golden Boy" isn't special enough to overcome the lack of friendly neighbor countries on the song alone.   

But if Gued can loosen up and let out his inner Timberlake and the Israeli team can come up with a visually appealing stage show for the viewers, this can make it to the finals.

Eurovision 2015: Azerbaijan

It's really difficult for me to sit and write about the Azerbaijani entry because of my own personal bias against the country.  The naked ambition the Azerbaijani broadcaster İctimai Television has shown since their debut in 2008 is offputting.  

Expect a fire motif from Azerbaijan

Because of their tactical choices (and being from a former Soviet state with a common musical tradition as a number of other Eurovision participating countries) Azerbaijan has been the most successful country at Eurovision, having never failed to make the final since their debut.

Azerbaijan isn't going to fail this year either:

Elnur Hüseynov   "Hour of the Wolf"

In a year of ballads (and there are a lot of them), this is one of the strongest entries.  Like most years, the Azerbaijani song has been written by a truckload of Swedes (who are know for penning many successful Eurovision songs.)    The song is dramatic and generic, which means it's going to do well.

It also doesn't hurt that Hüseynov has done Eurovision before, back in 2008

Elnur and Samir   "Day After Day"   2008

Insane and kind of fun, right?

As for my opinion on the "Hour of the Wolf", I'm lukewarm.   Although the song is well written and the performance is solid, there's nothing extraordinary about the song that makes me love it.   There are no risks taken in "Hour of the Wolf" and it shows.

That said, if Azerbaijan gets the staging right (and trust they will) and Hüseynov doesn't oversing the song (which is more than likely), expect another top 10 result for Azerbaijan.

Hooray?

Eurovision 2015: Moldova

Epic Sax Guy rides again?

I always look forward to the Moldovan national final.  More than any country in Europe, Moldova brings a great mix of fun, quirk and raw talent to their Eurovision songs.   Moldovan entries are rarely safe and that makes watching the national final an entertaining watch.

O Melodie Pentru Europa's final took place on February 28th and the finals delivered some wacky entertainment.  Out of the sixteen songs in the final there were a lot of fun and interesting songs that would have gone over well in Vienna.

DoReDoS   "Maricica"

Mihaela Andrei   "About Love"

Sunstroke Project featuring Michael Ra   "Day After Day"

This is what I want to see from Moldova--songs that is fun, quirky, and something that will get my friends talking.   Any of them would have been a fun and worthy choice to send to Vienna.

Strangely, none of them did particularly well.  Instead Moldovans chose the lamest and most derivative song in the contest:

Eduard Romanyuta   "I Want Your Love"

Romanyuta has been trying to go to Eurovision for years, attempting to represent his native country of Ukraine three times.   However crossing the border to Moldova gave him the win and I don't understand why.  The song is drippy and outdated while the staging is horrible.  

I don't understand how this won, but I do know that it's not getting out of the semifinal.

This is the second year where Moldova hasn't chosen a good song to go to Eurovision.  I hope the Moldovan national broadcaster goes back to the drawing board.   I need more Eurovision songs like this:

Pasha Parfeny   "Lăutar"   Moldova   2012

Eurovision 2015: Germany

The format for Unser Song für Österreich is one of the most confusing setups that I have seen in Eurovision.

Let's see if I can explain this:

1. 1213 amateurs submitted songs to the German National Broadcaster.
2. Ten artists were selected to compete for one "wildcard" spot in the final.
3. The winner of the wildcard joined seven established artists in the final.
4. Each of the eight artists performed a song.  Four were eliminated.
5. The four remaining artists performed another song.   The eight songs were ranked and the top two (from differing artists) continued on.
6. The final two songs were performed again.  The most popular song and artist wins.

I'm not trying to watch all of those things and choose my favorite, so I'm just going to take a look at the winning song.

Andreas Kümmert   "Heart of Stone"

Interesting, it's the German version of Darius Rucker.  Self assured, different, and perfectly nice.  Not going to challenge but not an embarrassment either.

But wait, there's a surprise!

Kümmert decides he doesn't want to go to Eurovision.

So why did he compete in the first place?   It's really confusing to me.  If you don't want to do Eurovision, don't enter the contest.

So here's the song going to Vienna.

Ann Sophie   "Black Smoke"

I flat out love "Black Smoke".  It's getting heavy rotation in my musical library and I'm going to be purchasing Ann Sophie's first CD when it gets released.   

It's challenging Maraaya and "Here For You" as my favorite Eurovision song this year.

Eurovision 2015: Romania

In a year of perfectly bland and safe national finals, finally a country gave a Eurovision WTF moment.    I have been hoping for one of these all season.

Super Trooper    "Secret Place"

God bless you Romania.

----

Selecția Națională 2015 took place on March 8th with twelve songs presented.  Like many other countries, the Romanians had a variety style format, so there's a song everybody is likely to enjoy.

Blue Noise   "Love Won't Run Away"

Luminița Anghel  "A Million Stars"

Aurelian Temișan feat. Alexa   "Chica Latina"

I do realize I use enjoy rather loosely, but the Romanian broadcaster knew how to put on a show and I can appreciate that.

----

However, after hearing the first song performed, it was obvious that it would be the winner.

Voltaj   "De la capăt"

Voltaj is a well known band in Romania--they've released nine albums and won international music awards.  

The staging and camera work were polished and professional something missing from many of the other performances.

And the song is also really moving.  It's an extension of work the band is doing to give support to children whose parents live and work outside the country--the song can be read as a message of love to a child living far away.

It couldn't lose, and I can't disagree.  This was the right choice.  

Eurovision 2015: Lithuania

Monkey Business.  You can take down US presidential candidates and Eurovision hopefuls.

You have to feel sorry for Mia.

Mia   "This Time"

Mia was one of three finalists at "Eurovizijos" dainų konkurso nacionalinė atranka, the interminably long selection process Lithuania set up to choose both the singer and song to send to Vienna. She made it through six weeks of eliminations and had a good chance to win.

Then, after the winning song was chosen, somebody decided to pair up the other two contestants and make the winning song a duet.

Vaidas Baumila & Monika Linkytė   "This Time"

Poor girl didn't have a chance at all.

-----

As for the winning contestants, this is the best example of hopping on the coattails of Eurovision trends that we have at the contest.  This is a countrified schlager duet--it's as if last year's Dutch and Swedish entries cross pollinated.  It's a likely final qualifier and rather popular in the Eurovision fandom.

I personally hate it.  The chorus is catchy enough on one listen, which is perfect for casual Eurovision fans, but it's really hard to listen to over and over again.  It's skippable.

Vaidas and Monika were the right singers to send to the contest. I just wish they had a less annoying song.

Eurovision 2015: Hungary

When it comes to Eurovision, Hungary always seems to march to the beat to their own drum.  Over the past couple of years, they've had a lot of success with not following Eurovision trends, getting critical and popular support for their songs, with two consecutive top ten finishes..

The Hungarian national final took place back on February 28th, and it had the requisite mix of pop rock bands, dance tracks, and even a former Hungarian representitive.

Kati Wolf    "Ne engedj el"

But the winner continues a trend of interesting, idiosyncratic songs from Hungary:

Boggie  "Wars For Nothing"

Instead of a pop duet with a country feel or a dramatic ballad, Hungary has sent a message song.  Message songs were big during the late 80s and early 90s in Eurovision, but with the end of communism and breakup of Yugoslavia, they became a rarity.

So this profoundly antiwar song is an oddity and a welcome one at that.  "Wars For Nothing" stands out starkly from the rest of the songs in this years contest.    It gets major points from me on that fact alone.

Yet I don't see people actually going out of their way to vote for this song.   This is a song you respect but don't vote for.

I hope the jury vote will get Boggie into the final, but this could bet the first time since 2009 that we won't see a Hungarian song on Saturday night.

Eurovision 2015: Norway

Every year at Eurovision there is one song where I vigorously disagree with the rest of the Eurovision fan base, and this year Norway has sent that song.

Yep, a lead balloon.  A metaphor for the Norwegian entry.

Mørland & Debrah Scarlett   "A Monster Like Me"

For me, this is the worst song of the forty entries.  The twee vocals, the swoony strings, and the melodramatic staging are so repellent to me in visceral way.   I have only been able to watch the clip once all the way through.  Any other attempts cause me to cringe and switch to something else.

However, it ticks all the boxes for a top ten finish on the night of the finals, so "A Monster Like Me" is getting a lot of love from Eurovision fans.

---

I personally wish that the Norwegians had chosen a different song, one that was upbeat and completely silly.

Staysman & Lazz   "En godt stekt pizza"

Country techno with rap.  It's kind of off the wall and insane but this song is the only song I've seen throughout the final that was silly and fun.   Eurovision needs to be silly and fun and I would have loved for this to go to Vienna.

But, serious we must be and we have another dramatic duet.  At least I know when I'm going to make myself a cup of coffee during the first semi final.

Eurovision 2015: Portugal

Portugal likes to stick with tradition when it comes to Eurovision and this year is no exception.  The 49th edition of Festival da Canção 2015 took place back in March, with six songs competing in the final on March 7th.

Portuguese Eurovision songs, more than any other country at Eurovision, reflect the national musical taste, particularly the fado.

Fado influenced songs are always popular in Festival da Canção, with this song by Teresa Radamanto being a perfect example of this genre.

Teresa Radamanto    "Um fado em Viena" 

Sadly, there's no cut of the performance on the night, but Radamanto was perfectly polished and professional.  The song was lovely and came in second.  It would not have done anything in Vienna, but it was lovely.

The Portuguese public decided to go a little bit more modern with their choice, selecting this song by a former contestant from The Voice Portugal.

Leonor Andrade   "Há um mar que nos separa"

It is different that the typical Portuguese Eurovision song, which is a pleasant surprise.  A song that has some rock influence is a refreshing change of pace from the typical fado/folk songs that have been sent from Portugal in recent years.

Unfortunately, I don't think that this song is going to make it to the final though.  The problem is Ms. Andrade is the wrong person to sing the song.  The song needs a singer with a rock voice, not the sweet pop interpretation the Andrade brings to it.

If Andrade had a gruffer voice and a bigger stage presence, this song could soar.   Instead, the song plods.  

Sadly, Portugal isn't going to get out of the semifinal again....  

Maybe next year...

Eurovision 2015: Greece

I'm not talking about this type of Greek.

Greece has been a powerhouse at the Eurovision Song Contest for the past 10 years--winning the contest back in 2005 and successfully making the finals every year since.

This year the Greek national final took place on March 4th with a two hour show from a concert hall in Athens,  Five acts competed to represent their country and a whole lot of former Eurovision contestants performed their songs.  (Seriously, the competition started an hour into the contest because they had so many former contestants on the bill.)

After years of sending high-octane dance numbers, Greece has send a straightforward ballad that features no traditional Greek instrumentation.   (It's rather shocking.)

Maria Elena Kyriakou   "One Last Breath"

Athough it's a rather middling affair with a "Bond theme" feeling reminiscent of last year's winner, it's quite easy to understand why Kyriakou won with a sweep of the jury and televote.   The other four songs had problems with either their composition or performance which made "One Last Breath" the obvious choice.

Thomai Apergi & Legend   "Jazz and Sirtaki"

Shaya Hansen   "Sunshine"

It also didn't hurt that Kyriakou is the winner of The Voice Greece, where she was a fan favorite being saved by the audience multiple times.   Eurosong 2015--60 Years of Music was hers to lose.

As for her chances...   Yeah, Greece is qualifying.  There's no question about that.   It's not likely to challenge for the win, but will place respectably enough.  Greece can't really afford Eurovision, so they sent the perfect song to give them a respectable result without forcing them into shelling out money they don't have.

Eurovision 2015: Belgium

I've been listening and thinking about the Belgian entry for a while now and I really don't know what I think about it after letting it settle for almost a month.

Take a listen.

Loïc Nottet   "Rhythm Inside"

The sound of "Rhythm Inside" is interesting.  It's very modern sounding and reminiscent of this huge international hit of last year.

Lorde  "Royals"

"Rhythm Inside" sounds great when coming through my stereo speakers, and I'm looking forward to blasting it when driving down the interstate later this year.  

However, I am not convinced that the Belgian team has an idea on how to present the song in a way that will appeal to voters.   The video for "Rhythm Inside" attempts to make Nottet moody and sexy.  The problem is Nottet comes across in the video about as moody and sexy as a Golden Retriever.  The effect is unintentionally hilarious.  

Belgium is another country that isn't a Eurovision powerhouse, and Nottet needs to be charming and charismatic, not failing at being sexy.   That charm and charisma is there.  You can see it at the end of the video when he smiles after attempting to look moody with water dripping all over him.  The "Blue Steel" look is dopey, but the smile draws you in.

If he can come across the TV during the semifinal as "himself" and not something the Belgian team is attempting to manufacture, he's sure to make the final.  If he doesn't, "Rhythm Inside" will be the quality song that gets left behind for something mediocre.  It happens every year...

Eurovision 2015: Montenegro

Pretty, ain't it?

Montenegro made it to the finals for the first time last year and they're hoping lightning strikes twice with their entry sung by Knez. 

Knez   "Adio"

"Adio" is a traditional Balkan ballad sung by Knez, a performer who has had a 20 year career in the region.   The song has a golden pedigree, with both music and lyrics by one of the most successful participants in Eurovision, Željko Joksimović.  This should give "Adio" a chance to make it to the finals.

However, I don't think as it is now, "Adio" will make it to Saturday night.

If you take a look at the successful male Balkan ballads at Eurovision, there's an aura of polished quality behind them:

Sergej Ćetković  "Moj svijet"   Montenegro  2014

 Željko Joksimović   "Lane moje"   Serbia and Montenegro   2004

Dino Merlin   "Love in Rewind"  Bosnia/Herzegovina  2011

Unfortunately, in the form it is in now, Knez and "Adio" don't have that quality.  In the video, Knez is squeezed into clothing that would look stupid on someone 20 years younger than he is and he's backed up by a group of Kardashian clones.   It's trashy attempting with all of its might to be classy.

Of course, my opinion can change once I see the performance come the night of the first semifinal, but as of right now, Montenegro's song is a big disappointment.

Eurovision 2015: Russia

A million voices would be very loud...

It is really hard to sit down and type up a review of the Russian entry, since than any other country there is a political bent to the song that should be addressed.

For the third year in a row, the Russian broadcaster C1R has chosen their song internally.  Their choice, released on March 9th, is this song by Star Factory winner Polina Gagarina.

Polina Gagarina   "A Million Voices"

Gagarina has had chart success in the countries of the former Soviet Union and the song is a simple and insipid little song about peace.   Russia's entry is built to be as inoffensive as humanly possible.

The fact that "A Million Voices" is so sweet and inoffensive is where global politics comes into play.   Under the rule of Vladimir Putin, Russia has been acting more like it did during the Cold War--sending military troops into neighboring countries, limiting the rights of gays and lesbians, and pushing national sovereignty in air and sea encounters with other countries.

These choices have made Russia a pariah in much of Europe.   This distaste became very evident at last year's Eurovision, where the Tolmachevy Sisters were booed when they qualified for the final. 

Their song, "Shine", was another inoffensive song about unrequited love and the negative reaction from the audience in Copenhagen was politically beneficial to the Russian government.

"A Million Voices" is another song in that vein--instead of unrequited love the song like "Shine", "A Million Voices" is about unity and peace.   Here's the opening verse.

We are the worlds people/

Different yet we're the same/

We believe/

We believe in a dream

Praying for peace and healing/

I hope we can start again/

We believe/

We believe in a dream

So if you ever feel love is fading/

Together like the stars in the sky/

We can sing/

We can shine

This song is perfect because whatever the outcome, the current Russian government can use the results to help bolster their political power.   If it's well received, it will be spun as Europe supporting Russian ideals.  If it's booed or scores poorly, the "liberal Western Europe" can be blamed for not understanding Russian idealism.

It's quite brilliant in that regard.

As for my personal opinion, I'm rather disappointed.  I wish they would have given Ms. Gagarina something a bit more hard edged to sing.  She has a beautiful voice but the both the lyrics and arrangement let her down.   It leaves me longing for the days where Russia wasn't so worried about the optics of their song.

Serebro   "Song #1"   Russia   2007

I'd vote for "Song #1".  I wouldn't vote for "A Million Voices".  

Eurovision 2015: Australia

You read that right.  I didn't mistype Austria.   Australia, which is about as far away from Europe as you can get, has been invited to participate in this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

Australia has been broadcasting Eurovision since 1983 and it's become something of a national institution there, garnering large ratings and a major following.   Because of the contest's popularity, the Australian broadcaster SBS has been treated more and more like a normal Eurovision member.  In recent years the EBU has allowed them a broadcasting booth, unofficial televoting privileges, and even participation with an interval act in Copenhagen.

Jessica Mauboy   "Sea of Flags"   2014

So naturally, the next step was actually to have a song compete in an actual final, and as a nod to the theme of this year's contest "Building Bridges" and to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Eurovision, Australia was allowed to participate in the competition this year.

Guy Sebastian   "Tonight Again"

And Australia is in it to win it.   

Guy Sebastian is a winner of the singing contest "Australian Idol" and has had some international success--here in the US and in Europe as well.  So he does have the singing chops.  

The song, an pop tune heavily influences by classic R&B, is tailor made to make an impact on the stage of Vienna. it's upbeat, instantly catchy, and fun.   It's going to stand out.

I like it and am so looking forward to the staging when Sebastian hits the stage in the national final.