BIRTHDAY: Eneda Tarifa from Albania is 39 today For some performers, it can be a long time between their selection, and the time they get to exercise their vocal chords on the hallowed Eurovision stage. Or at least it can seem a long time. Spare a thought for […]
#PLAYING WITH NUMBERS: Semi-final One draw It’s been another important day on that road to Rotterdam: the draw for the semi-finals. It’s always interesting to see who gets placed where. Will this crucial draw sink a song’s chances? Or will it boost the chances of one that was […]
#BIRTHDAY: Barei from Spain is 39 today They say there’s nothing new in the world of Eurovision. The culturally similar countries may prefer their own songs. Certain personalities will always turn up. And there will always debate on whether the right song won. In 2016, our friends in […]
BIRTHDAY: Bettan from Norway is 63 today We have a real treat for you today. A legend of our favourite TV show. A massive name in singing circles, particularly in the Nordic world. And a former winner. And it’s definitely not Carola. Today’s birthday girl Elisabeth Gunilla Andreassen […]
BIRTHDAY: Polina Gagarina from Russia is 34 today There’s often an air of inevitability about some results. Certain countries will do badly. A country on the Baltic Sea often does well. And then there’s a certain very large country that straddles Europe and Asia. Our friends in Russia […]
BIRTHDAY: Dina Garipova from Russia is 30 today What themes do you like in a song? Something about falling in love with another? Or falling out of love with another? Or wanting everyone to fall in love with everyone in the world? Today’s birthday girl Дина Гарипова/Dina Garipova […]
#BIRTHDAY: Jostein Hasselgård from Norway is 42 today It’s often overlooked how good some ballads are. They may not have the bells, whistles and fancy frocks of something that would fill a dance floor. But quality will out, and a decent ballad is a classic forever. Today’s birthday […]
#BIRTHDAY: Franco Battiato from Italy is 76 today We don’t always pick the recent stuff to celebrate birthdays. We have a long, rich and interesting history of songs. From the outstanding to the less so. And if you’re talking outstanding, one country that springs to mind is Italy. […]
#BIRTHDAY: Pino Gasparini from Switzerland is 75 today It must he tough when you perform at a Eurovision Song Contest, knowing the guest of honour is there watching you. Not only that, but when the guest of honour won for your country, there must be a lot of […]
#BIRTHDAY: Maria Olafs from Iceland is 28 today We all know those semi-finals can be bloodbaths. Yes, each song may have a better than average chance of qualifying but it can still be brutal, knowing your quest for glory could end rather ignominiously on a Tuesday evening. It […]
#BIRTHDAY: Lucie Jones from the UK is 30 today What do you think of the Big Five? Should they get an automatic place in the final, or should they have to go through the semi-finals like the rest of us? It’s true that the Big Five do have […]
#BIRTHDAY: Christine Guldbrandsen from Norway is 36 today Do you miss countries singing in their own languages? Or do you like the songs in English so you know what the performers are singing about? Our friends in Norway have – on the whole – stuck to English since […]
#BIRTHDAY: Bobby Solo from Italy is 76 today That thing where you get to represent your country must be great. Although you never get to take a trip abroad. Unless you’re a false flagger that is. You’re in luck, we don’t have a false flagger today. The Sanremo […]
#ST PATRICK’S DAY: A time to celebrate It’s that time of the year again. No, not that time, that’s in May. If you’re Irish, then this is the day for you. Much of the world goes a little bit green – in more ways than one. So here […]
#BIRTHDAY: Sandhja from Finland is 30 today The Eurovision fortnight can be a long two weeks if they don’t quite go your way. You turn up in the host city a long time before the big Grand Final, and you have to hang in there till the end. […]