SORAYA IS DOING A KEY-CHANGE IN MOSCOW!

OH MY DEAR GOD!!! Soraya, the Spanish hope for Moscow, has just confirmed on eurovision-spain.com that she will be singing a special version of La noche es para mí that isn't gonna be comercially released and will only be performed in Moscow in the rehearsals and in the final. The beginning of the song will be calmer and violin-based so that the song can build up more dramatically. They've also added more spanish-guitar sound and a big exploding ending preceded by a KEY-CHANGE!!!! Hurray!!!!
Soraya also explained that she'll be joined on the stage by 3 female backup-singer and two male dancers, one of them a cute Russian lad. They are preparing a BIG SURPRISE, something that has never been seen before at the Eurovision song contest. Soraya said :"Trust me, you're gonna be blown away." Can it still be more than a month until the Eurovision? I can't wait anymore!!!

Here's a link to her performance in Madrid last Friday.

Belarus, SWEDEN, and Armenia

Who was it that said the history repeats itself? Well, if anything, this is definitely not a common phenomenon at the Eurovision Song contest. The copycats usually fail and the originality is awarded. So generally speaking the countries usually dare to experiment. However, every year there are a few exceptions. 

Take Belarus for example. Ruslan (Oh Ruslan!) was obviously a real trend-setter in Belarus last year for it seems that Petr Elfimov would never dare to have second thoughts about that trend and prepare something fresh and originl for this year's ESC. But stil - a few adjustments had to be made so it wouldn't be too obvious: that explains the freshly-dyed blond hair and an interesting costume choice at the Belarus preselection.

Maybe that's why I get the feeling that it's almost the same song and performance we're gonna witness this year on the ESC stage. In any case, it's very likely that Petr's song ends up just like Ruslan's - if they don't decide to make a schlager version of the song instead, we were robbed last year when Ruslan changed to the rock version instead.. 

2 points.

Sweden! Another masterpiece written by Fredrik Kempe and performed by amazing Malena Ernman. Definitely the best key-change of the year. The song is briliantly composed and has something that I'm sure will please the eastern countries - that's where all those votes usually stay - among them. I really hope the song will manage to unite the two blocks, opera is highly appreciated in both - so it just might happen. 

I give it a straight 12.

It's hard not to love Armenian song this year! This highly danceable oriental song is great for doing shimi-shimi based dancemoves, there are lots of shouting high tones and! there's a key-change too. Also, a very useful video was published a few days ago - will come quite handy before hitting the dancefloors of schlagerparties. I give this song an 8!

Here we go go go!!

And what a fabulous beginning of our preview-review of the Eurovision 2009 songs indeed! Just a few days behind the schedule - Madrid unschlagertastic scene was very very happy upon my homecoming from Stockholm and demanded all the details and a reprise of me dancing with Tess at the Melodifestivalen Finalfesten...

(I wish) but worry not! - we will catch up - starting today.




Montenegro first - and schlager it is!! I've liked the song from the first time I heard it - it's catchy, has a short but effective bridge and a nice melody. Great for remixes and schlagerparties! Oh dear, all this sounds like an ad for the song but what can I do, it's a nice schlager! It's just the type of song that last year's ESC was lacking of. Let's just hope that Andrea gets herself a proper choreographer because she didn't quite know what to do on stage at Beovizija and the Greek preselection... And we want a nicer frock too. And a pair of Charlottes:

For now I'm awarding this song an 8. If improvements are made a higher mark is expected.

Czech republic! The lead-singer claims he can make me feel and sing like a gipsy - in a super-gipsy costume? I don't think so. I guess they were supposed to be funny or at least entertaining - it doesn't quite work out for me though. But at least it's an up-tempo song and that Tingaling vibe that won't leave the audience in Moscow indifferent. And just because the possible party-atmosphere that the song might bring, I'd give it a 3-points (in French).





Belgium. Well, at least it's better than last year. The song is just a bit silly but I have to admit (and I think I'm not the only one here) that the backing singers are fab and that we'll all eventually get used to the song and be doing the oh-yeah, oh-yeah singalong. The melody is catchy and the performance is expected to be a 60s' tribute but it's really hard to tell at this point. Let's give it a 4.
That's it for now, more coming up tomorrow!

What now?

We're all back home, arrangig photos which bring back so many memories while the songs of Melodifestivalen in all possible versions and remixes keep on rocking. This year's Melodifestivalen final was an amazing experience not just for me but for many experienced reporters who claimed that there has never been a voting so nerve-breaking and that they had never had more fun at Melodifestivalen final-week as this year. With all the promotional concerts, signings and guest appearances in clubs taken into accout Stockholm really turned into a promised land for schlager-fans. 

If you thought that after so many events happening in the past week it was now time to take a break - you were obviously wrong. It is now time to see meet the contestants of this year's Eurovision song contest, listen to their songs - particularly their live performances if at all possible - and of course try to find out who the winner is gonna be. That is why I will be presenting and analysing the songs from tomorrow on with a steady tempo of, let's say, one song a day. Starting with Montenegro and finishing with Spain as decided on Monday 16th March when the official draw was held in Moscow.

I'm getting very excited about Moscow especially now that all the songs have finally been chosen. It's stil about 2 months away so we can take a very good look at every contestant. Until then, have a Månsy-cake! 

We have a winner!

After the most exciting voting ever, Måns winning the national juries vote, SDF winning the international jury vote and Malena with the final, and most important, public vote it was decided that Malena Ernman will represent Sweden in Moscow with the song La voix.

Snälla snälla came 2nd. Somehow I would have prefered if Caroline won but stil, what's a boy to do... 

Not quite the song I wanted to win but anyway - it could be worse! EMD for example!

Congratulations to Malena and to Fredrik Kempe who won Melodifestivalen for the 2nd time in a row so he joins Lasse Holm and Monica Forsberg who co-wrote the winning songs of Melodifestivalen 1982 and 1983. 

I stil think that Alcazar deserved to win. But anyway..

I'm so happy and sad at the same time that it's all over until next year... But no worries - we stil have the afterparty to go to!

THIS IS IT!!!

This is the only night that Absolut vnilia doesn't work. I am now officially nervous. It's the most important evening of the year for me and I still can't thell who he winner's gonna be. That's also the best part of Melodifestivalen, the tension, the final heat, so many possible winners.... Let's leave it to the public vote and the juries. I'm just going to sit in the arena and enjoy the show as a fan of Melodifestivalen. 

Let the best song win. Let's forget about all the predictions, polls, speculations and just enjoy the show!!! 

Good mornig Stockholm!

Waking up in the "morning" in Stockholm is one of the best sensations I've lived to feel in my life. Why? Well, not only is Stockholm one of the most beautiful cities in the world, there's also always something schlagertastic to do, see or visit.

Take last night for example. The night at Paradise started with some amazing Melodifestivalen parody performances by local drag-queens and continued with Velvet rocking it down to electric avenue with fantastic live performances of her greatest songs: Queen, Chemistry (just being releast in the UK), Take my body close, Fix me, Déjà vu... She's an amazing singer and the most interesting fact about her is that she's more famous abroad than she is in her Sweden-we-love. So much so that she didn't speak a word of Swedish last nigh, she was talking to her international audience in English all the time. And the diversity of her fans was pretty exceptional too: The majority were from the UK and Ireland, then I would imagine Germany, Belgium.. And there was one guy from Canada also, and one from Slovenia too ;-)

It was an amazing night, we heard some new Melodifestivalen 2009 remixes such as Stay the night and Moving on but it all ended too soon. I'm so used to the clubs of Madrid which usually close around 6AM so 3AM was way to early for me, but still - we had lots of fun and some fabulous schlager moments! Another great night in Stockholm!

We're going to try to see Maria Haukaas Storeng och Anna Sahlene this afternoon at Hötorget and then get ready for the grand finale!