#BIRTHDAY: Fredi from Finland is 78 today Eurovision songs are occasionally branded – by muggles – as nonsense. Meaningless lyrics, daft arm-waving dance routines, and reinforcement of national stereotypes. Some of this may be true, but we love them nonetheless. Even if the title may make you think […]
#BIRTHDAY: Braulio from Spain is 74 today It’s always a curious mix of countries in our favourite TV show. We have the 21st Century newbies, to those that have racked up 50 appearances or more. So it follows that, occasionally, we pick songs from times before you, dear […]
#BIRTHDAY: Ester Peony from Romania is 27 today What do you think of stage shows? Should they be kept simple, in order to emphasise a song? Or is there anything wrong in a kickass dance routine or novel staging? Both can work. Just look at the contrast between, […]
#BIRTHDAY: Darude from Finland is 45 today Can you spot a winner from a first listen? Yes? Well, could you spot a candidate for last place at first listen too? It can be tough at the top, but equally tough at the bottom. Imagine the scene. A certain […]
#BIRTHDAY: Monica Aspelund from Finland is 74 today Those Finns have been unlucky over the years. Yes, they’ve had one win, but very few other finishes in the top 10. How many songs that maybe should have done better, ended up a long way down? Back in 1977, […]
#BIRTHDAY: Carl Espen from Norway is 38 today Do you ever notice that some songs are touted as winners, only to fade away once they get to the host city. It could be missed staging opportunity, or the draw conspiring against it. Back in 2014, we all gathered […]
#BIRTHDAY: Tó Cruz from Portugal is 53 today As you know, our friends in Portugal achieved their victory after the longest ever non-winning streak to date. They had tried everything since their début in 1964. Amongst Portugal’s notable achievements was sending the first black male performer in 1967. […]
#BIRTHDAY: André from Armenia is 39 today It’s début time again, and one that saw an expansion into the Caucasus – that area some claim is Europe and some claim is Asia. We’re not going to discuss that geographical question here. Today’s birthday boy Անդրեյ Սերգեյի Հովնանյան/André Sergey […]
#BIRTHDAY: Omar Naber from Slovenia is 39 today Many people can claim to have a unique record in our favourite TV show. It could be their country’s only winner. Or the only person to win twice as a performer. More often – probably – are people who share […]
#BIRTHDAY: Jurij Veklenko from Lithuania is 30 today It must be a thankless task trying to make that first win for your country. For some, it was easier than others. Many people tried before Portugal triumphed, but Serbia got it at the first go. But it’s not just […]