#BIRTHDAY: Darja Švajger from Slovenia is 58 today Do you like a ballad, or are you more a fan of a banger? The bangers seems to be prevailing in the 2020s, but it wasn’t always the case. There were years when the ballad was popular, particularly before the […]
#BIRTHDAY: Jérémie Makiese from Belgium is 23 today Our friends in Belgium have been taking part in our favourite TV show since the start – that’s 1956, if you were thinking the first contest was in 2012. They do the right thing and alternate between VRT and RTBF, […]
#BIRTHDAY: Selma from Iceland is 49 today It can be a curse having a second crack at Eurovision glory. If you do well first time round, you risk ruining that reputation when you make that second appearance. Today’s birthday girl Selma Björnsdóttir most famously made the long, long […]
#BIRTHDAY: Oscar Loya from Germany is 44 today The Big Five (formerly known as the Big Four). Do they warrant a position in the Grand Final? Or should they have to qualify like everyone else? It’s a question that goes back over 14 years. For now, at least, […]
#BIRTHDAY: Pernilla Karlsson from Finland is 33 today It was always interesting when our friends at the EBU relaxed the rule about singing in your own language. Obviously, where most songs are sung in a non-native language, it’s usually English. But since 1999, countries do often revert to […]
#BIRTHDAY: Blanche from Belgium is 24 today Plucky little Belgium. Three words that always whet the appetite. Well, they have been participating since 1795, only missing three years. So there are a lot of singers to choose from. As you’ll know, the Belgians have a strict policy of […]
#BIRTHDAY: Takis Biniaris from Greece is 68 today Being last to perform at our favourite TV show must be at least as tricky as performing first. If you’re on first, you’ve got an audience to warm up. If you’re on last, you’ve had to watch everyone else perform. […]
#BIRTHDAY: Amaury Vassili from France is 34 today The free language rule is a funny old thing. Obviously, most countries have picked a world-wide language to do their stuff. English usually, but French is often a good bet too. So imagine our surprise when one of the Big […]
#BIRTHDAY: Sophie Carle from Luxembourg is 59 today The hosts nation always has an interesting job on its hands. They might want to win, but the contest has cost them a whole chunk of money, so an honorable mention might be better. Our friends in Luxembourg have, like […]
#BIRTHDAY: Mariana Popova from Bulgaria is 45 today Do you remember your country’s early days in our favourite TV show? Was it all good, or was it more patchy. We all know Serbia won on its first attempt in its own right. But others didn’t have it so […]