SPAIN 2025

The Spanish Final song and act was selected on February 1st through "Benidorm Fest 2025". The week before the final there were 2 semi finals. The winner was chosen by an equal mix of app voting & televoting and jury score. Going to Basel is Melody with the song "Esa Diva" (That Diva) 

Melodía Ruiz Gutiérrez is from a musical Andalusian family, her father being a member of Los Quillos, Aged 10 she was discovered by producer El Fary and released her debut album which received a Latin Grammy nomination. The big song from this collaboration was "El baile del gorila" (The Gorilla Dance) reaching number 1 on the Spanish chart. She has been in the music industry ever since racking up Billboard Latin Music nominations, numerous movie soundtracks and collaborations. She attempted Eurovision glory in 2009, however in the final she was in a tie for first place and as Soraya had the higher televote she went through to represent Spain. Her sound has flamenco and Latino pop undertones but also has released reggaetón and hip hop inspired songs. 

Melody begins high above the stage on a swing, dressed in black, with a very long train and topped off with a wide brimmed black hat. Once lowered the hat is removed, the train is detached and the dress is whipped off revealing a skin-tone cat suit embellished with rhinestones. She is joined by 5 male dancers during the very heavily choreographed performance. At the back of the stage there is Gothic inspired centrepiece which Melody performs from at times while the floor is covered in smoke and the colour palette is pinks and purples. The song has a verse-pre chorus- chorus structure which repeats through twice. There is then a bridge and dance break instrumental before a final blast of the chorus to the big finish.  The song is a bit of a roller coaster and there are plenty of tempo and musical changes to keep the viewer guessing what will happen next.

I barely watched any of the festival as none of the songs outwardly impressed me before the show. The winning song obviously sounds Spanish with its flamenco touches but at its backbone this is effectively a pop-schlager song and, having seen the songwriters, this should be no surprise. The song has a positive female message but unfortunately this doesn't really show in the presentation. The many tricks, stunts and staging ideas makes this come across a little bit desperate. Melody is a passionate performer and handles this 3 minute rollercoaster with aplomb but this recipe has too many ingredients. This is the kind of bombastic performance that creates energy in the hall but down the camera feels messy. The crouching looks ungainly and the helicopter hair got a cheer but I don't know why. I feel like the narrative of the song needs to be made clearer throughout for the international audience. This very much feels like a local song for local people. This entry seemed to satisfy and enthral the target demographic in the crowd but that cohort makes up a small percentage of the voting public - and jury make up - who I feel may not be quite so impressed as the Spanish public were.

ARTIST - Melody

SONG - Esa Diva

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS -  Peter Boström, Joy Deb, Thomas G:son, Alberto Lorite, Melodía Ruíz, Juan Sueiro

SPAIN 2024

The Spanish act and song was chosen on February 3rd through their recently revamped "Benidorm Fest". Earlier in the week 4 songs qualified from each of the two semi-finals. During the semis and final the voting weighting was 50% jury and 25% each for the national televote and the demoscopic panel. Going to Malmö is Nebulossa performing the song "Zorra" (Bitch).

Nebulossa is a Spanish electropop duo from Ondara in the community of Valencia. The duo consists of  Maria "Mery" Bas - the singer - and Mark Dasousa - keyboard player and producer. They are married , have been together for over 20 years and have two children. This all said, the project of Nebulossa has only been in force since 2018. Their only album to date is "Poliédrica de mí" which was released in 2021. In 2022 they participated in the preselection round of "Una voce per San Marino" as a trio, along with singer Ophelia Alibrando, but did not get to the finals of the competition.

The duo are joined by a female drum player as well as two male dancers initially dressed in suits but then reveal underneath thigh-high boots and a corset. On set was also a large red two tiered circular pedestal - doubling as a performing platform and as seating. The song starts with a very immediate and pulsating 80s style opening which really gets you hooked. The first half of the song fits the normal verse chorus, verse chorus structure however the second chorus then turns into an elongated bridge until the end. It does not go on too long, or feel too repetitive, and does cement the rhythm of the chorus in your head. The sung parts are more measured and purposeful than the beginning instrumental might suggest. Mery's sung parts have a very calm quality to them which, at times, is at juxtaposition to the words. However, her performance comes across as measured and confident which absolutely fits with the words she's singing. 

 

The Benidorm Fest stage was extremely versatile and reminiscent of the 2003 Eurovision stage. The main lighting colour was red, possibly to emphasise the angry and defiant tone of the storytelling. The word 'zorra' was predominantly displayed on the backdrop and the Spanish crowd were singing along very noticeably. Mery looked regal in black and I loved the way the mesh flourish on the sleeves caught the red lighting and also interacted with the platinum blond Hollywood glamour hair! Mery's voice does struggle a little on the high notes of the bridge but I think with more practise and breath control this could easily be remedied. The song works really well as a whole although I feel the rhythm of the verses are stronger than the chorus. The staging would work really well 'in the round' of Malmö  but they may been to think about making the instrumentalists more prominent on stage. This is a fun song with a serious message and the audience on the Saturday night will be vocal about their support.

ARTIST - Nebulossa

SONG - Zorra

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - María Blas, Mark Dasousa

SPAIN 2023

The Spanish final "Benidorm Fest" was held on February 4th at the Palau Municipal d’Esports l'Illa de Benidorm, hosted by Mónica Naranjo, Rodrigo Vázquez & Inés Hernand. In the week before the final there were two semi-finals where 8 songs qualified from the 18 competing songs. Voting in the final was divided into televoting and demoscopic jury (25% each) and the expert panel having a 50% say. Going to Liverpool is Blanca Paloma with "Eaea"

Blanca Paloma is an real all-round creator as she has a background is many different spheres of art. As well as her singing pursuits she's worked with RTVE creating music for the series "Lucía en la telaraña". She also studied Fine Arts at Miguel Hernández University in her home town of Elche and has also worked a costume designer and set designer for theatrical productions. Last year, she participated in Benidorm Fest with the song "Secreto de agua" coming 5th in the final.

The song has a very clear Flamenco personality although the backing track is much more electronic and avant garde. Blanca Paloma is wearing white trousers, a maroon bodice with black latticing on one arm. The maroon colour is also shared by the backing singers and dancers. Apart from the fringing used to encompass the stage there is little backdrop. There are, however, clever lighting effects and overhead/tracking shots to create atmosphere. The song is rather transfixing with a pulsating backing track which almost works like a heart beat  - twinned with the clapping. It starts unusually with a pre-chorus and chorus which allows this part to be repeated more times. There is then the first verse followed by a pre-chorus/chorus then again. The final chorus is mainly sung by the backing vocalists as Blanca Paloma sings a long powerful almost heart-wrenching note to end.

This song comes to life when performed on stage as the studio version really belies Blanca Paloma's powerful vocals, enchanting personality and mastery of her artform. Whether you like this or not or enjoy it or not EVERYONE has an opinion or point of view on it. Those who love this will vote, vote and vote again and - being Spain - the nation will support this to the hilt. The tight staging works well as it is and I hope they make few major changes. 

A concern some people may have is that the song sounds a little bit nagging and Blanca Paloma's face can pull some odd faces which may put people off. I also wonder if this 'new flamenco' style is a little too removed - in a similar way that "Fulenn" was a step too far for France. One can look back to 1983 when Remedios Amaya came to Munich with a very contemporary modern flamenco number and came away... with nil points. But in this modern era of pushing authentic artists and showcasing diverse talents this surely has to be up there are something special - whether people vote for this or not may well be another matter.

ARTIST - Blanca Paloma

SONG - Eaea

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS -  José Pablo Polo, Blanca Paloma Ramos, Álvaro Tato

SPAIN 2022

The Spanish Final was held on January 29th at the Palau Municipal d’Esports l'Illa de Benidorm, hosted by Inés Hernand, Màxim Huerta & Alaska. Before the final of the invigorated "Benidorm Fest" there were two semi-finals with the top 4 in each semi-final qualifying. The qualifiers, and eventual winner, were chosen by a mixture of jury (50%), televote and demoscopic jury (25% each). Going to Turin is Chanel with "SloMo"

This Cuban born singer moved to Spain when she was just 3. From a young age she studied different performance styles and became involved with many different musical productions including The Lion King, Mamma Mia! and Flashdance. She has also helped choreograph routines for many Spanish TV shows but may well be most famous in her homeland for her role in the Spanish comedy series "Gym Tony"

The song starts with the sounds of cameras flashing and photos being taken and a rather basic bassline pumps up behind it. As Chanel starts singing the song beefs up immediately which really perks your ears up. The song follows a rather simplistic structure of verse-pre chorus-chorus which leads to a rather long instrumental where Chanel's epic dance solo fits in. After this is a slew of pre-choruses and choruses until the end. All in all is song is as much to do with the visual presentation and the dance routine than it is about the song..

Many people will rightly comment that this is riding on the coattails of the success Cyprus have had over the last few years with their Latino inspired bangers. This one even has a title ending with the letter O too. It does, however, have a tad more authenticity because this is a Spanish sounding song, sung mainly in Spanish and is the actual Spanish entry.  On the negative side the lyrics are rather cringeworthy, especially the mentions of "mami", "daddies", " booty" and "yummy" (other words ending in the *ee* sound are surely available?!?!?). Although this is still a song contest the performance quotient is very much there to sway the televoters and this has bags of character. The dance routine is outstanding and the costuming is simplistic but very effective (her semi outfit I think worked better than the one she wore in the final). In an odd way, the voracity of the dance routine and the prominence it is given almost justifies the use of recorded backing vocals. I feel that Chanel was somewhat lucky to win the national final, especially after the results were revealed, but I think this song would be much more accessible to an international audience than many of the other songs favoured by the internal televote. Chanel has great stage presence and the show as is just works. They would be LOCO to change it - they wouldn't dare... would they....?

ARTIST - Chanel

SONG - SloMo

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Iberê Fortes, Keith Harris, Leroy Sanchez, SWACQ, Maggie Szabo

SPAIN 2021

The Spanish Final (Destino Eurovisión 2021) was held on February 20th, hosted by Tony Aguilar & Julia Varela. The act selected to represent Spain in 2020, Blas Cantó, sang both songs and the winner was chosen by televoting & online voting which started on February 10th. The winning song was "Voy a quedarme" (I am going to stay)

Blas is alone on stage, dressed in black with his famous quiff. The stage starts off dark and smoke filled. An eclipse is captured on the video screen and as the song progresses we see the moon  which then becomes very bright. Below him lights come through this video floor possible mirroring the eclipse feature or maybe even to replicate the starry sky surrounding the moon. If anything a little bit more light on his face would be good and/or more longer close-ups.

The song unusually starts off acapella. This is an audacious way to start off the song as it could easily go awry with nerves or maybe even ear piece issues. However Blas shows great control and confidence and paves the way for the rest of the song. The backing track comes as the pre chorus commences although the backing in the chorus is still rather minimal and string led. At the end of the first chorus there is a shuddering moment where the beat, although slow, comes in under the song During the second prechorus/chorus backing vocalist become more prominent - and also rather annoying. Their constant ba-ba-ba-ing continues through the bridge and the last rendition of the chorus. The songs culmination ends just before the end of the chorus and concludes with Blas singing the last line in a similar way to how he began.

He has had a varied and successful career in his homeland. In his early days he even auditioned for Junior Eurovision, losing out to the eventual winner of the contest, Maria Isobel. He then had hits as part of the boyband Auryn and then has had a pretty successful solo career since they disbanded. His solo career has included some notable duets and collaborations as well as music in English as well as Spanish. He has appeared on my TV shows as a guest or as a participant and seems to be well thought of by those in the industry.

This is a really sweet ballad and Blas sings this sweetly and with real belief - even for those not able to understand a word of Spanish. The simplistic set up of the show suits the song although as we know the Spanish delegation have a bad habit of ruining perfectly good staging ideas. This is one they need to leave well well alone! In terms of the song, I would personally lose or quieten the backing singers as their monotonous ba-ba-ba-ing is extremely annoying and doesn't fit with the tone of the song, I might even be tempted to make a version even more string led and possibly hush the beat a little until the bridge. Compared to his 2020 entry this is a total step up. It has a great melody that you remember and recall straight away and suits Blas' voice to a tee without being too yodel-tastic. The song feels much more authentic and less faux-dramatic that "Universo" and I actually think this could cut through the chaos and busy-ness and be a nice oasis of calm in the final. 

ARTIST - Blas Cantó
SONG - Voy a quedarme (I am going to stay)
WRITING CREDITS - Blas Cantó, Dan Hammond, Dangelo Ortega, Leroy Sanchez

03/03/12 SPAIN

The Spanish Final was held on March 3rd at Prado del Rey Studios in Madrid, hosted by Anne Irgatiburu. Pastora Soler sang 3 songs and the winner was chosen by a 50-50 mix of televoting and "expert" jury. Pastora chose 2 songs herself whilst the other 2 songs were voted for on the internet to be here third choice for the final. Unusually the teletoving started way before the televised final - on February 22nd - and finished during the show.

The winning song with both jury and televote was “Quédate conmigo” meaning Stay with me. Quédate conmigo is a very atmospheric and emotional ballad is Spanish, co written by one of the most prolific Eurovision writers of late, Thomas G:son. Because of its international writing team, I would not say it is typically Spanish and could probably work in any language, although this is very unlikely to change for Baku. The song is not exactly singable but the repetition of the same words and same melody in the chorus makes it really stick in your mind.

Pastora is a fantastic singer and performer. She looks really into the song and had a very good emotional performance. Although she was alone on stage (backing singers will be need to be added though) she really did own the stage and looked very professional. The song really showed off her vocal range and strength especially during the high and long notes in the chorus.

Obviously being part of the Big 5 means that the song automatically qualifies for the final. This song will do really well, especially with the juries, as well as those countries who appreciate the more dramatic ballads. I have no worries about Pastor being able to pull this off in Back. Another possible contender…

SONG – Quédate conmigo (Stay with me)

ARTIST – Pastora Soler

COMPOSERS – Thomas G:son, Tony Sánchez-Ohlsson, Erik Bernholm

LANGUAGE – Spanish

UPDATE 3

Although most of the songs have been presented, songs are re-written, re-produced and changes made and finalised. Aslo offical video clips are madepublic. Here is around up of some news over the past few days.

HUNGARY – As reported a few days so, the Hungarian song “What about my dreams?” has finally been released with a very professional looking video clip. The song is mostly in English, but the second verse is in the original Hngarian




BELGIUM – Witloof Bay have finally released their video for their entry “With love, baby” The style of the video really suits the song but this type of visual with be almost impossible to recreate on the ESC stage.




SPAIN – Lucia Perez has been very busy over the past 2 weeks making her music video which was filmed during the carnival at Sitges. The song has been slowed very slightly and sounds much more folky than before with more instruments used rather than electronics. I think is needsto be speeded back up again slighty.




IRELAND – the video clip for “Lipstick” has been released. Not sure whether they are at the Eiffel tower or Blackpool tower XD I hope that Jedward are working hard on their choreography for the Semi-final and don’t do their Michael Jackson impressions half way through !




BELARUS – as expected the entry “I am Belarusian” has been replaced due to the fact it had been performed before the EBU opening date. A new song and video imaginatively titled “I love Belarus” has been recorded and filmed over the past few days. The song will be presented on March 14th.

SPAIN

The Spanish final took place on the 18th February and filmed at Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona. There have been 2 semi-finals previous to the final and three acts that have won places in the final are solo singers Melissa and Lucia Perez and boy band Auryn. They will sing 3 songs each will be whittled down to one each

Melissa begins by singing “Eos” a quite atmospheric ballad with lots of tribal drumming. The dong becomes more rock influenced at it progresses. Melissa sings the song well and it has a key change too.

Auryn sing “Evangeline” They are seated on stools, reminiscent of Westlife. The song has a very 80’s eurovision ballad feel to it. The boys cope very well with all the different melodies to the song. Themiddle bridge part is quite catchy.

Lucia Perez joins the stage with “Que me quiten me lo bailao” This is a little more Spanish that the songe before. She is joined by some backing singers/dancers. The songs shows of the very top of her range with is interesting to listen to.

A short break in the proceedings as Sole Ginenez (one of the jury) takes the stage.

Melissa sings “Sueños Rotos” a modern sounding ballad. The verses of this song are very RnB influences which she sings very well. The chorus is not as strong and the tune is a little weak and her voice cannot quite the high notes

Auryn sing “El sol Brillara” The boys take it in turn sings part of the song separately. Not sure how much of a good idea this is. They sound stronger together in the chorus. Sounds like a very cheesy song.

Lucia returns to sing “Abrazame” This is a low key ballad with Spanish tones. It sounds a little like “Non ho l'età” The chorus also have interesting arrangement in the backing track. Sounds like an audience favourite.

Melissa now sings her final song “Diamonds” Sounds a bit Swedish/ABBA to me. Nice to see some disco in the final. She is interacting more with the dancers on this one. Shame her English accent is not that good.

Auyin sing the last of their songs “Volver” a ballad. They seem to suit this style of song much better but not quite perfect. The backing track for this needs to be much richer and louder as it can barely be heard over the 5 boys. A good song though.

“C’est le vie! It’s all right!” is Lucia Perez’s last song. This is more of a jazzy cabaret type number with extensive choreography with chairs.. The song is quite catchy and sounds interesting however it needs a bit more excitement during the number.

The UK’s entry Blue take the stage and sing “Breathe Easy”. Thy also appear to be singing live and seem actually quite impressive (especially compared to Auryn) and get a very warm applause and appreciation fro the audience.

The jury then votes on each of Melissa’s songs to go through to the televote –
Eos - 14
Sueños rotos - 11
Diamonds - 5
So Melissa’s song “Eos” will be voted on by the public

The jury then votes on each of Auryn’s songs to go through to the televote –
Evangeline - 9
El Sol Brillara- 6
Volver - 15
So Auryna’s song “Volver” will be voted on by the public

The jury then votes on each of Lucia Perez’s songs to go through to the televote –
Que me quiten me lo bailao - 12
Abrazame - 12
C’est le vie! It’s all right! - 5
After some confusion because of the tied votes the jury deliberates again and chooses “Que me quiten me lo bailao” to be voted on by the public

The numbers are then shown and the vote begins !

Melissa returns to sing ”Eos” The song in certainly dramatic and the chorus is definitely memorable. She sings the song powerfully and the audience is responding well throughout the song. Sounds like something Greece or Cyprus would send.

Auryn return to sing “Volver” The song was certainly the right choice for the final for the group. Alough a good song, as it progresses you realise this is not a very Eurovision song and is missing something in the performance quality of the song.

Lucia Perez joins the stage with “Que me quiten me lo bailao” This has a very light-hearted summer vibe to it. Definitely the most ‘Spanish’ of the 3 finalists. Needs a bigger punch during the chorus though.

Daniel Diges, last years representative, sings “Angel” a Spanish version of the Robbie Williams hit.

Then, Albert Hammond (one of the jury) sings a song.

Lines are closed and votes are in

And the winner is … Lucia Perez !


SINGER – Lucia Perez
SONG – Que me quiten me lo bailao (Nobody can take away the good times I've had)
MUSIC – Rafael Artesero Herrero
WORDS - Rafael Artesero Herrero