#BIRTHDAY: Joan Franka from the Netherlands is 32 today You want to make an impression on a stage? Make your outfit memorable. Even more so if your song isn’t. It’s a golden rule. I’m being harsh. Today’s birthday girl Joan Franka (née Ayten Kalan) had a decent enough […]
#BIRTHDAY: Sieneke from the Netherlands is 30 today It’s no April Fool that some countries have probably done a lot worse than they’ve deserved to over the years. I’m thinking of those countries that perhaps didn’t win in a long long time. The one I have in mind […]
#BIRTHDAY: Samanta Tīna from Latvia is 33 today For some, taking part in our favourite TV show becomes all-consuming. They try, and try, and try to win that golden ticket to a city somewhere in or near Europe, desperately wanting the chance to show us all how good […]
#BIRTHDAY: Haldor Lægreid from Norway is 52 today It’s one of those days. I’m not quite sure how to preface today’s birthday song. I could say that it took place in the biggest venue ever used. Or I could wax lyrical about the song, which is a pleasant […]
#BIRTHDAY: Fernando Tordo from Portugal is 74 today Birthdays are like buses. Some days there are none at all. Then other days you get a veritable plethora of them. That then gives you the dilemma of which song to pick. That leads me to decide which one I […]
#BIRTHDAY: Pınar Ayhan from Turkey is 50 today Do you miss Turkey? They weren’t always every juror’s favourite, but they did bring a little extra something to the contests they took part in. They even won once, which proves that anyone can win – yes, even that country […]
#BIRTHDAY: Lidia Isac from Moldova is 29 today Which country would like to see win the contest for the first time? And would you go there if they did? Several countries are gunning for it. Let’s take Moldova for example. Not always a ‘fashionable’ country, but with some […]
#BIRTHDAY: Jonida Maliqi from Albania is 39 today Did you enjoy the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv. In 2019. You were wearing your blue jumper. It was the one that never seemed to end. Our friends in Albania, more often than not, get through to the final, […]
#BIRTHDAY: Debbie Scerri from Malta is 53 today Everyone likes the winners of contests, but we all like those that try, try, and try again. Even if they don’t always quite get that illusive victory. I’m taking about Malta. It’s the Mediterranean’s happiest rock and will be there […]
#BIRTHDAY: Anxhela Peristeri from Albania is 36 today Last year we had a large crop of performers who were lined up for a certain event in 2020, only for it to not take place. For some 2020 performers, however, they had to qualify all over again. Or not. […]
#BIRTHDAY: Lado Leskovar is 80 today What’s your favourite type of song? Is it one that celebrates love? Or one that tells us about what we’re doing to the planet? Or something darker? They all have a place in our favourite TV show. And back in the 1960s, […]
#BIRTHDAY: Zoli Ádok from Hungary is 46 today Our favourite TV show is a singing contest. Well, actually it’s a songwriters’ contest. But our performers don’t just sing. Many of them have other talents too. The prime one we often see – besides the singing – is dancing. […]
#BIRTHDAY: Sopho Gelovani from Georgia is 38 today Songs get some by performers in many forms. I like soloists as they can put everything into their singing. I also like groups as they can share the load and bounce off each other. And then there are duets. Duets […]
#BIRTHDAY: Birthe Wilke from Denmark is 86 today We go with a non-English language song today. And our friends in Denmark are sending a song to Turin in Danish. That’s twice in two years. It’s good to hear the language again. Today’s birthday girl Birthe Wilke is at […]
#BIRTHDAY: Åse Kleveland from Norway is 73 today The old Eurovision thing has captured people who have dabbled in all sorts of things outside of singing. We’ve had medics, lawyers and even baristas (probably). We’ve also had a few politicians. Remember a certain individual who was flitting between […]