PORTUGAL

The Portuguese Final was held on March 7th at the RTP TV Studios in Lisbon, hosted by Júlio Isidro & Catarina Furtado. The winner was chosen in two rounds of voting. In the first round two songs were chosen by televoting and one by a jury. In the second round the winner was chosen by televoting alone. Going to Vienna will be Leonor Andrade with the song "Há um mar que nos separa" (There's a sea that separates us).

Festival Da Cancao once again helped to choose the entry to Eurovision. Before the final there were 2 semi finals of 6 songs each. But unlike Eurovision in this modern era all of the songs were backed by a live land and backing group. Although this made for an interesting show with a bit of an edge, it also made it tricky to judge what might happen with a backing track. Unfortunately the songs were generally of an average quality and any song that was not middle of the road or in the style of fado seemed to get left at the wayside pretty early on.

The song is a contemporary mid tempo song sung in Portuguese. The introduction and first verse are come in quite menacing and in a more minor key. The verses are a little bland and not exactly singalongable. The chorus is much more lively and memorable and has a much more memorable hook. There is a very noticeable key change before the final chorus but this sounds a little weak and it not always on target. The song, to me, is more of a male rock singer song that that of a female.

Last year, Leonor participated in The Voice Portugal where she lasted right up until the penultimate episode. After appearing she joined the cast of soap opera "Água de Mar" and so would have been quite a familiar face to the Portuguese public. She has quite a raspy tone to her voice and sounds a bit like she pushes it way too much. This is particularly noticeable on higher notes and key changes.

A lot needs to be done tot his to make is ready for Eurovision. The back track needs to be far more punchier and with a stronger beat in order to make it more accessible. Then there is the issue of language. It was part of the rules of "Festival Da Cancao" that songs were sung in Portuguese however there is nothing to say this can't be changed or partially changed for Eurovision. Changing, if not partially, to English would be a good idea as I think that the song would suit being sung in that language. However seeing that the majority of their past ESC entries have been fully in Portuguese I don't think this will be the case. Work need to be put into creating a suitable backdrop AND somebody needs to seriously sort out her hair and outfit!

On the positive side this is a contemporary song and is something that apart from language does not feel stereotypically Portuguese. The song and tune itself has memorable parts but the language does get in the way. I say this as I feel that the story of the song is important and I feel by being in a wider spoken tongue it might reach more people. This song will be in the first half of the very competitive semi final 2 and I believe that most of the qualifiers will come from the second half, the chances of this qualifying are very, very slim.

ARTIST - Leonor Andrade

SONG - Há um mar que nos separa (There's a sea that separates us)

MUSIC - Miguel Gameiro

LYRICS - Miguel Gameiro

UNITED KINGDOM

The United Kingdom entry was revealed on March 7th via a music video and interview on the BBC Red Button service presented by Scott Mills. The artist and song had not be revealed at all before the broadcast. The song chosen was "Still in love with you" sung by the duo Electro Velvet.

Like the last few years, the BBC decided to internally select their artist and song for Eurovision. However, there was a more 'open door' policy to submissions. As well as having submissions directly from record labels and artist organisations, members of the public could also forward entries. This meant that anybody could send in a clip of a possible song directly to the judging panel and it seems that it was through this process that this particular song came to the panels ear.

The song is a fun, quick-tempo dance number in a Charleston 1920/30 style with electronic elements. The songs structure is a little unusual as there is no real verse/chorus alternation. There is a main hook and tune which is repeated albeit with slightly different lyrics but these are inter-dispersed with small instrumental breaks, bridges and scatting. In some ways this makes the main tune of the song others may see it as too repetitive. Many might see this as dated compared to acts like Doop! and the recent mash-up using the Birds Eye Potato Waffle ad was pure genius.

The duo is made up of singers Alex Larke and Bianca Nicholas. He is currently the lead in a Rolling Stones tribute act whist she is a former auditionee on the Voice UK. Neither of them are very well known outside of these spheres and probably the reason why the secret was kept so well under wraps for so long. As the reveal was made in the form of a music video it is hard to judge their vocal ability or confidence. Although the song is quite simplistic the lines can be quite long and rambling which might cause a few tongue twisters.

This is very much a Marmite song - you either hate it or love it. One cannot accuse anybody of this being safe or boring. The video concept is really good but achieving anything like this will be impossible with 6 people on stage, unless they have some kind of old-film type backdrop like a Steve Silk Hurley video. It would be nice to have some Charleston dancers on stage, especially some who can do some of the shouty bits in the middle. Also the ultraviolet effect would be really good if possible on the Eurovision stage and would be a great visual trick for a very distinctive song.

This is not a safe song and not to everybody's cup of tea but at least it is a song that will get people talking. People who like this style of music and dancing will love this - I can already see a Charleston on Strictly Come Dancing being performed to this. What I am not sure about is how likely people are to vote for it. I'm not sure which type of juror would give this votes and I'm not sure if the people who like this type of music watch Eurovision. Either way, it will stick out like a sore thumb during the Eurovision final and possibly add a moment of madness to an otherwise middle of the road evening. A good try but on the right hand side of the scoreboard.

ARTIST - Electro Velvet

SONG - Still in love with you

MUSIC - David Mindel, Adrian Bax White

LYRICS - David Mindel, Adrian Bax White

GERMANY

The German Final was held on March 5th at the Expo Plaza Arena in Hanover, hosted by Barbara Schöneberger. Before the final there was a clubkonzert round when a wildcard was given the 8th place in the final. After being declared the winner, Andreas Kümmert singing "Heart of Stone", announced that he did not want to go to Eurovision and gave the victory to Ann Sophie. She will be singing the song "Black Smoke".

ARD used the exact same structure to select the song as they did last year. During the Klubkonzert round, newcomer Ann Sophie won the 8th place singing "Jump the gun". In the first round of the main final the 8 singers performed one song and 4 singers were eliminated. In the second round the 4 remaining singers performed a second song but both songs sung could be voted for. Finally, the top 2 songs were chosen to compete in the superfinal where a winner was chosen.

The song is a mid tempo song with edges of jazz and urban style. The structure of the song is very clear, with distinct differences between the verses and the chorus. About 2 minutes in the song has a broken down bridge which catapults the song into the very last chorus where she does a little bit of free styling. It certainly feels like a song that would not feel out of place on the Radio 2 playlist. Although not an unpleasant song its main downfall is that it has take multiple listens to really get going in my head and for the regular one night viewer of Eurovision it might not be immediate enough to get votes.

As Ann Sophie won the klubkonzert round, very little was known about her before this time. Her talents seemingly range far beyond singing as she has danced since she was little and studied acting in New York after leaving school. She has quite a distinctive tone and clearness to her accent. At times she can go a little overboard and the end of the words which can make her seem a little Lena-cockney-esque. She has a really good range, which is particularly shown off in the chorus however she much make sure she doesn't come across as too shouty and big mouthed.

Part of me quite likes the monochrome feel of the backdrop and outfit however it feels a little nondescript and even a bit cabaret for Eurovision. One might even say that there are slight "Satellite" overtones in terms of style and  stage layout with the backing singers. It might be nice to see her in something a bit more fitted and modern, she may even be better off wearing the quite eye-catching red outfit she wore for "Jump the gun" Something like that against the monochrome would be quite noticeable and classy. She is a good natural mover and just need to be more aware of her angles and know where the camera is going to be.

Although not the true winner of the German ticket she will certainly do a good job in Vienna. It is a shame the song is straight through to the final because gaining more familiarity with the song will make it easier to vote for. I think that the song and performance is a good one and is probably going to be favoured by jury members that the televoting public. This is a steady midfielder neither appealing or offending anybody.

ARTIST - Ann Sophie

SONG - Black Smoke

MUSIC - Michael Harwood, Ella McMahon, Tonino Specialea

LYRICS - Michael Harwood, Ella McMahon, Tonino Specialea

GREECE

The Greek Final was held on March 4th at Enastron Music Hall in Athens, hosted by Mary Sinatsaki & Doretta Papadimitriou. The winner, chosen by televoting (50%) and an "expert" jury (50%), was "One last breath" sung by Maria-Elena Kyriakou.

After NERIT became a fully fledged member of the EBU, the Greek broadcaster announced that they would be opting for a national final to select its entry. The show was, once again, made in conjunction with another broadcaster, Mad TV. The show took a long time to get going with a plethora of past acts, dancers and even a Eurovision quiz before getting to the actual acts started. The show was a very simplistic one, compared to many around Europe but did the job of selecting its entry well enough.

The song is slow ballad, something which Greece has not sent to Eurovision in a long time.  It seems to share some similarities to last year's Austrian winner, especially in the crescendo and build up at the very end of the song. She also shows some great emotion in her voice which seems to share that angsty style. However unlike "Rise like a phoenix" the song structure is really lacking. It doesn't really have a noticeable and repetitive verse and chorus structure mainly as the mood and backing of the songs changes all the time, so even when you hear a repeated bit, it feels like you actually haven't heard it before. The ending is the best part but almost by the that point it is too late.

Like many acts that go to Eurovision these days, Maria-Elena came to prominence through appearing in a reality TV show. In this case winning the first series of The Voice Greece in 2014 in which she impressed many with her take on songs in both Greek and English. Although representing Greece, she actually hails from Cyprus. She has a very good voice - being able to do the breathiness at the start AND the full on voice at the end. Her only stumbling block here is that her breathy voice is heavily accented and at time you ahve no idea what she is saying.

During the show, Maria-Elena was backed just by a pianist. Even on a small stage it seemed bare and over-minimal and the team are going to work hard on somehow making this more of a spectacle. I don't think she would benefit from dancers, unless they contribute something to the story of the song. She could possibly do with some backing singers to make the ending more powerful or even the addition of more musicians might make it feel like quite a orchestral performance.

In some ways it's nice to see that Greece have chosen something a little more reserved and a little less 'stereotypical Greece at ESC'. It's also nice to see they have chosen a female singer who doesn't need to rely on a ridculously short skirt to divert attention or backing singers to hide behind. This all said and done it is a very mediocre song and is very much a wannabe of last year. But being Greece this will more than likely qualify with ease but I don't see it troubling the left hand side of the scoreboard.

ARTIST - Maria-Elena Kyriakou

SONG - One last breath

MUSIC - Efthivoulos Theoxarous, Maria Elena Kyriakou

LYRICS - Vaggelis Konstantinidis, Evelina Tziora

SPAIN

The Spanish entry was revealed on March 1st via a clip on the TVE website which was closely followed by a video on youtube.  It was unveiled back in Janary that popular singer Edurne was going to be representing Spain in Vienna. The song she will be singing is called "Amanecer" (Dawn).

This year TVE, the Spanish broadcaster, decided to internally select their artist and song for Eurovision. Over the last few years they have switched between open and closed selection processes. Many names were mooted to be the Spanish representative and Edurne was seen to be a positive choice. It was then announced that the song would be co-written by Eurovision winning songwriter, Thomas G:son.

The song is an orchestral, atmospheric ballad in Spanish. The song itself if quite straightforward but the recorded version seems to be very highly processed so I already have some doubts as to whether  a) it can sound this good live or b) she can sing it live at all. The chorus itself I find to be quite poor as the first lines are her warbling and if sang badly live, it's not going to bode well. After a few listens, especially in the verses, I was reminded of "Cool Vibes" by Vanilla Ninja which did well for Switzerland, however I don't really like that song either.

Edurne first came to prominence during the 4th series of the popular show " Operación Triunfo" - a show not averse to uncovering Eurovision talent itself. She's has also played Sandy in a Spanish version of Grease, which shows she also has experience of consistently performing on a live stage. Up to now she has released 5 albums, with varying amounts of success and in 2013 recorded a duet version of "Hand on Heart" with Olly Murs.

Being a video/audio release it is quite tricky to identify changes and directions that the song and performance can go to. The video though has a strong nature/warrior feel and one may guess that the backdrop, dress and any dancers (possibly) might be reflected in the staging on the night. I found that the video didn't really do anything for the song and implied to strong narrative to suggest what she is singing about or to. I really I think they need to work on her vocals and production to make sure it is as slick and flawless as possible because nay flaws will stick out a mile on such a fluid backing track. I'm also not sure how the song will translate to the televoters. There is no real hook to the song and I don't think this is the type of song that the everyday televoter would feel compelled to pick up the phone and vote for.

My main issue with this song is that after about a week of mulling it over, this song is much of a muchness for me. There are days when I just can't remember the song or the tune - and if I can't do that after a week's worth of listens will any body be able to do so after one listen in the final? This said, some Eurovision fans have raved about this since its release and I guess if this style and genre is your thing then it will appeal. Although the Eurofans may gush, this is the type of song that if it had to fight its way out of a semi-final, it would fail miserably. Bottom 10 finish, if not worse.

ARTIST - Edurne

SONG - Amanecer (Dawn)

MUSIC - Tony Sánchez-Ohlsson, Peter Boström, Thomas G:son

LYRICS - Tony Sánchez-Ohlsson

Videoclip de "Amanecer", la canción de Edurne en Eurovisión

HUNGARY

The Hungarian Final was held on February 28th at the MTV Studios in Budapest, hosted by Csilla Tatár & Levente Harsányi. Before the final there were 3 quarter finals and 2 semi finals. The winner was chosen in two rounds of voting. In the first round the top 4 were chosen by an "expert" jury and in the second round the winner was chosen by televoting. Going to Vienna will be Boggie with the song "Wars for nothing".

Hungary once again used the successful A Dal system that has been in place since 2012 and has resulted in a good run of its songs progressing to the final. The select process was heavily influenced by jury voting as well as public voting, seen more as a 5th juror. Boggie was seen as quite the favourite from early on due to the story conveyed in her song.

This is a very small song in terms of instrumentation. The only instrument you hear in the whole of the backing track is an acoustic guitar and as the song progresses, Boggie is joined, one by one, on stage by her backing singers. In this way the song could be seen as being very atmospheric and being very different - almost a bit of an anti-song. The other half of the 'song' seems to be what happens on the back wall which displays messages in Hungarian and English about the song's theme. This may be a bone of contention during Eurovision time.

Boglárka Csemer, also known as Boggie, has come to prominence almost on a worldwide scale through a song of hers from last year called "Nouveau Parfum". Her style of singing is also quite quiet, which fits the song and has a nice vibrato, as long as she doesn't push it too much. During her performance she can come across as a little bit cold and emotionless which could affect how the teletovers perceive her.

The physical performance of the song with the backing singers and guitarist will not change and neither should the backing track. Boggie does need to work a little bit more on engaging with the camera and coming across as bunny in headlights. This all said I think they could be a little more imaginative when it comes to what they are wearing as they all come across as a bit dour and not really making that much of an effort. I can understand that they might be trying to keep her 'normal' and not too glamorous but there is a very fine line. Then there is the backdrop. Some of the messages on the back wall (if they keep it) at a little too in your face or raw. One has to remember that Eurovision as 'rules' about keeping political messages out of songs and performances and so some of these ideas may been some serious scripting or omitting.

I am really torn by this one. I appreciate the message that the song it trying to convey and I believe the song writers have tried to do this in an honest manner. One may see the song and performance as a cynical ploy to curry favour or sympathy with certain countries to gain more votes. Plus there is the fact that some could just see the whole this as a little bit too wet and gushy. As a performance it does stand out and looks and feels very different to everything else on show this year. I just honestly cannot judge if this song is potent enough to get people to vote for it.

ARTIST - Boggie

SONG - Wars for nothing

MUSIC - Áron Sebestyén, Sára Hélène Bori

LYRICS - Áron Sebestyén, Sára Hélène Bori

2015 show9

As you will hear the last week has been a bit of a wash out...

Not only was it the start of the three busiest weekends in terms of Eurovision selection, as well as being the week I was to sort out the baby furniture... but it was also the week the husband and I were struck down by a cold and flu of epic proportions :/

The podcast is a little rough and ready but that is mainly because I did all my research the night before! I am still a little worse for wear and it seems as though some of the choices selected over the past week hasn't made me feel much better...

Musical accompaniment comes from Turkey, Luxembourg and Israel.

Follow us on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/DVVHolland
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/DVVHolland to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)

You can download or listen to it here https://archive.org/details/2015_show9

Click here to listen to this podcast in your usual music player (M3U Playlist)

MOLDOVA

The Moldovan Final was held on February 28th at the TRM TV Studios in Chisinau, hosted by Olivia Furtuna & Sergiu Beznitchi. To select their entry, there were live webcast auditions as well as 2 semi-finals where the list of 24 was reduced to 16. The winner was chosen by televoting (50%) and an "expert" jury (50%) and was announced as "I want your love" sung by Eduard Romanyuta.

Way back in October, Moldova announced an open selection process for songs and held auditions for their top 50 selections at the beginning of January. This all said and done it seemed from the very outset that this was a foregone conclusion. This particular song was seemingly in place as a possible Ukrainian entry *if* the country decided to join this year but when this fact was confirmed the song was transferred to the Moldovan selection. Eduard came a close second with the jury but easily won the televote.

This feels like a boy band song from the 90s. This is not helped by the dancing and styling created on stage or by Eduard's rather dated looks. The tune in the verse is very similar to that of "A little bit" by Liberty X and the chorus is incredibly repetitive and earwormy. The thread of the song is the archetypal boy chancing girl number. I can imagine the song going down quite well in the hall, especially as an opener or as respite from all the slow numbers.

Eduard Romanyuta is no stranger to Eurovision preselections. He has competed in 4 previous Ukrainian shows each time being unsuccessful. He has quite an American twang to his voice and doesn't really have any of those Eastern European traits to his English singing voice. To his credit he is an all-round performer, not shirking the use of full on choreography with his singing. He spends most of the time interacting and being concerned with what is going on on the stage. He will need to take more time to interact with the cameras and getting the people involved and interested at home

I think the essence of the song and performance is not going to change. I think they style of performance, although dated, will stand out and one can say that there is nothing much like this in the contest already. A lot of work needs to be done on the choreography, staging and styling to make it less dated, more appealing to viewers but also more cohesive as a performance. As for the ending of the song - the reveal of the woman with a beard - it doesn't really sit well. I mean it's interesting that they have referred to this but it's not done in a positive way and might not sit well with Conchita who will be in the auditorium!

I am really torn on this one because in some ways it has a lot going for it but in other ways it feels old and dated. In a contest of mainly middle of the road and ballad styled songs this is a real breath of fresh air and something that really grabs your attention but this brings nothing new to the table. It's certainly not going to set the world of radio on fire or being something heard in the clubs so I feel this ultimately has limited appeal. Maybe it's links to Ukraine may get it a free make over (or make under in some points) but as is I don't think this is going to be a qualifier.

ARTIST - Eduard Romanyuta

SONG - I want your love

MUSIC - Erik Lewander, Hayley Aitken, Tom Andrews

LYRICS - Erik Lewander, Hayley Aitken, Tom Andrews

FINLAND

The Finnish Final was held on February 28th at the YLE TV Studios in Helsinki, hosted by Roope Salminen & Rakel Liekki. Before the final there were 3 semi-finals, with 3 sings qualifying from each. The winner was chosen by televoting (90%) and public juries (10%) and going to Vienna will be the band Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät singing "Aina mun pitää" (I always have to).

Finland kept the successful Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) format that has selected entries since 2012. The standard of entries in this selection process was generally good but also varied - from pop to punk to opera to bhangra to reggaeton. This meant it was a very entertaining final but also one that kept you watching and wondering who was going to win. That said, Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät easily won the televote which accounted for the majority of result.

The song, written by the band, is a repetitive punk song with shouty lyrics. The song's lyrics go on about the things they have to do such as washing the dishes and going to work but also some of the things they are no allowed to do, like go on the computer or see friends. Many may see this as seeing life through the eyes of someone with a learning disability although many might empathise with their list full stop! It is not exactly the catchiest of tunes but has a very repetitive structure. As it stands though, this will be the shortest Eurovision song ever performed at only 85 seconds long - but that's punk for you!

Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät are quite a well known band in their native Finland. They were formed back in 2009 through a Finnish charity project but then the band was featured heavily in a documentary film in 2012 called "The Punk Syndrome" which looked at their life in a group home and how they use their music to funnel their frustrations with life and how they are perceived. There is not much in terms of performance quality or show but I would guess most people would say their being there is show and purpose enough.

Very little about this is going to change. What they have got is a very raw very in your face, very punk performance and one cannot say this is not being authentic to their cause and to their lives. I can see the stage performance being almost identical on the Eurovision stage. I can also imagine the words of the song being projected onto the back wall or even pictures of the band doing the things they are talking about in the song.

This has caused a lot of divisiveness amongst ESC fans mainly due to the fine line many blur between liking or not liking the song and liking or not liking the band. Either way, this has garnered a lot of publicity which can only be a good thing for the cause of people with mental disabilities. In more forward thinking countries they will get support, even some sympathy votes. However will the televoters (or even juries) of less forward thinking countries even give this the light of day? Can you imagine certain ex-soviet countries giving this votes? It will get 'backlash' and 'support' votes like Lordi and Conchita have gained in the past but I feel there will be lots of bigger voids and silences to go with it.
This is a very challenging song - and so it should be. If this makes you confront your own prejudices and makes you change your mind just a little bit then they have done their work. As for Eurovision, even though they are the most publicised band this year I have a feeling it won't be going very far.

ARTIST - Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät

SONG - Aina mun pitää (I always have to)

MUSIC - Pertti Kurikka, Kari Aalto, Sami Helle, Toni Välitalo

LYRICS - Pertti Kurikka, Kari Aalto, Sami Helle, Toni Välitalo

SLOVENIA

The Slovene Final was held on February 28th at the RTVSLO TV Studios in Ljubljana, hosted by Darja Švajger, Maja Keuc, Tinkara Kovac & Nejc Šmit. The winner was chosen in two rounds of voting - in the first round an "expert" jury selected the top 2 songs and in the second round the winner was chosen by televoting. The winners were Maraaya and their song "Here for you".

This year the EMA final had 8 finalists. I felt however it was a shame that the general public were only allowed to vote on the top 2 chosen by the jury. Part of me would have felt better if the choice had been between a top 3 or 4 or at least a 50/50 split decision for a superfinal.

The song was written by the duo with help from Charlie Mason - one of the co-writers of last year's winning sing. The song starts of slow and starts of unusually with the chorus. The verses are seemingly in a more minor key whilst the chorus is much more upbeat. The changes in beat are also interesting. The use of the violin solos are also very interesting if not mainly due to how it is displayed on screen. At times I feel like this could have been an old 60s or 70s number that has been remixed.

Maraaya consists of married couple Marjetka Vovk & Raay, hence the portmanteau name and have both had hands in Slovene finals in the past as well as the 2014 Junior Eurovision entry. Marjetka has a very distinctive voice quality having quite a nasal Americanised twang to the ends of her lines and particularly on high notes but this style does suit the song and gives it some kind of character. Raay is found on his keyboard/piano but does get a fair bit of camera time. A visual schtick of this song seems to be the styling of headphones which both members of the duo wears. Although slightly confusing it is an interesting visual image and one that sticks in your mind.

The staging of the song was very dark and minimal, which in a way suited the song. The close ups of Marjetka really worked, bearing in mind the whole headphone thing. The use of lighting at the start needs to be low and intense and then grow like the song. They might even put something mechanical or industrial in the background to hone down the action on the people on stage. They also need to keep the dancer and her wonderful suit - although they could do with maximising her camera position. I don't think much needs to be done to the song because it just works as it is.

On first snippet of listen this didn't stand out but as a 3 minute piece of work it really grows on you. The tune is very simplistic in the chorus and you get into it quite quickly. She has a very interesting voice, although I could imagine her twanginess being a bit over the top for some viewers. This has surprised me somewhat as it is not something I would have expected Slovenia to come up with. Seeing it is in the second half of semi 2 this could be a great finishing number and it if is could find it's way to a good placing in the final.

ARTIST - Maraaya

SONG - Here for You

MUSIC - Raay, Marjetka Vovk,

LYRICS - Raay, Charlie Mason