This is the first of several Swedish entries that reached the final 12 – UNDO by SANNA NIELSEN.
The song is from 2014 and composed by Fredrik Kempe. It has been covered in Afrikaans by Linda Kilian and she won an OGAE award for for as best new comer in 2015.
As the winners tour concluded last night in Copenhagen. Let’s have a look at some of the great moments that Måns gave us. Back on the London leg of the tour, just outside London’s West End at the gay venue, Heaven, Måns delivered a very intimate concert to a massive crowd. Performing most of his new album, Perfectly Damaged, but also some amazing favourites of the past.
He pleased the crowd by performing the Melodifestivalen 2009 finalist classic, Hope & Glory but it was the Mirrors Tung Version, which was a funk rock version of the song that still had an infectious beat.
He then sang the ever popular Cara Mia from Melodifestivalen 2007, which in my eyes still should of won of that year.
And of course no evening would be complete without the 2015 Eurovision winner, Heroes. Annouced by Conchita and replaying that winning moment back in Vienna.
Overall, it was a night to remember and can’t wait for the next time that Måns stops off in London. He is welcome back anytime.
An open letter to TRT
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to you about Turkey’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, imploring you to reconsider your decision to not attend in 2016.
As a great fan of Eurovision, and of Turkish entries in particular, it deeply saddens me that you have withdrawn from the contest indefinitely. It is particularly disappointing that you have cited moral objections, as Eurovision is inherently about inclusion and diversity. The contest is a celebration of differences, with no one being unwelcome: even Australia attended this year! What makes Eurovision so great is the manifestation of diverse cultures, attitudes and beliefs all coming together in one event. While your government may have objections to certain events that have occurred within the contest, it is a great shame for you to remove yourself entirely.
The theme of inclusivity is extremely relevant now, with Turkey playing such a pivotal role in the current Syrian refugee crisis. Participating in Eurovision again would be a wonderful gesture of Turkey’s willingness to be a part of the European community, with a view to improving diplomatic relations with the rest of Europe. The political implications of Eurovision participation cannot be lost on you, with you yourselves initially withdrawing for political reasons. While the contest was initially established as a tool to unify Europe after World War II, it continues to foster harmony amongst European nations. In the face of a global humanitarian crisis, continental unity is critical and Eurovision holds the key.
Politics aside, it is worth noting that Turkey has had great Eurovision success in recent years. Reaching the top ten seven times in ten years is a remarkable feat, and one of which you must be proud. Your bold stage presentations and Mediterranean/oriental flavoured pop music products are a winning combination; the voting population cannot get enough. And just think, Eurovision 2017 held in Istanbul could even further strengthen Turkey’s relationship with the rest of Europe. This could be a key opportunity for you to use the recent popularity of Turkish music and culture to your advantage.
Looking closer to home, Eurovision is very popular within Turkey itself. This year, hotel searches for Vienna increased by 91% in Turkey, higher than in any other country in the world. Clearly there is still huge support for Eurovision within Turkey. It is a great shame that Turkish fans can no longer enjoy the broadcast from within their own country, in addition to not being represented on the stage.
Let’s not forget that there are approximately 150,000 Turkish people living in Sweden. They must also be very disappointed that a representative from their homeland will not be joining them in Stockholm. There are millions of Turkish people living across Europe who are actively involved with Eurovision, as displayed in Eurovision voting. Turkey has historically received the most points from Germany, which has the largest Turkish population in the world outside of Turkey, estimated at four million people. The second and third most points received have come from France and the Netherlands, who have the second and third largest Turkish populations in Europe. Vast numbers of Turkish people at home and abroad support Eurovision and they are being let down by your non-participation.
There are a multitude of reasons why Turkey should reconsider their position, but in the end it boils down to this: a Eurovision without Turkey does not feel complete. Something is missing. Your absence is felt deeply by all the fans, Turkish and otherwise, and we urge you to rejoin us.
Kind regards,
Huge Eurovision fan
Written by David Thielen (USA)
The first Eurovision I attended in person was Malmö and it was beyond anything I could have imagined. All of it was incredible but of the acts, Zlata had me in tears her song and presentation was so beautiful. And then Cezar, where I left the semi-final thinking OMG what was that, and not liking it at all. And then over the next couple of days it grew on me to the point that it was my second favorite in the final.
And then came Copenhagen. There were a lot of songs I thought were brilliant. But none reached me like Zlata and Cezar. I figured part of that was the first time. And part was that while there were about 10 that I wanted to see win (including Moldova who came in last in their semi), none were as special. And so maybe it was the acts. I did have a wonderful time there and a lot of the music was everything I expected, but no beyond wonderful moments.
So for Vienna I expected once again for it to be like Copenhagen, wonderful but nothing that was beyond anything before. And then…
Monika’s entry from Poland – my god. One of the most uplifting beautiful songs/story I have ever seen. The song by itself is beautiful. The way it was staged was brilliant. One of the most emotional songs ever.
Il Volo’s entry from Italy – possibly the most amazing act at Eurovision ever. And what made it better is I went in thinking their entry was good, but not the best there. Then they came out as the last act, and pulled me in, more and more and more. And by the end they blew me away, far beyond any of my favorites up to that point.
And the list goes on. Russia, France, Sweden all had songs that most years would (or at least should – what were the voters thinking with France) have easily won. Serbia when they broke it open half way through had me jumping and shouting and basically going nuts. I’d say over 30 of the entries were world class.
So there will never be another entry like Zlata or Cezar. But there will also never be another entry like Monika or Il Volo. And that means next year in Sweden I can again expect what I found in both 2013 & 2015 – something absolutely magical.
Rebecka Karlsson is a young and rising star in Sweden. She has just released the official song for the Malmö Pride 2015 entitled Surrender. Rebecka also recorded Ghost Flower for the Stockholm Pride 2014.
Surrender is composed by Ylva Persson and Linda Persson who are prolific songwriters and performers from Sweden. Ylva and Linda have written several songs for Eurovision national selections such as Belarus, Malta and Moldova in recent years. The music, lyrics, arrangement and production are by Ylva and Linda Persson, who also provide the backing vocals. It is produced and mixed by Will Taylor with Rebecka’s lyrics recorded by Jens Lundgren at Studio Titan Dalby.
Rebecka has been singing since a young child. She has successfully competed in the 2008 and 2014 Talang competitions in Sweden and also performs in a duo called ReWind and is currently touring with the Cadillac Band. Rebecka is passionate about the Eurovision Song Contest and has big ambitions to perform on the Eurovision stage in the near future.
You can see the video for Surrender below. You can stream the song at Spotify https://play.spotify.com/track/1Ibri9g73xHwAHCpmcgmvg?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open and purchase at iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/se/album/surrender-malmo-pride-2015/id1016381461
Source: facebook.com/rebecka.karlsson; facebook.com/facebook.com/ylvalindapersson; www.esccovers.com
ISRAEL
One word – HORROR.
0 out of 10
LATVIA
Again, giving my close relationship to Latvia and the delegation, this was easy.
10 out of 10
AZERBAIJAN
This country is quite interesting; some years it is difficult dealing with them, some years easy. This year it was easier than normal.
8 out of 10
ICELAND
Iceland has been fairly easy until last year when I was unable to get the promo CD in Copenhagen, and hands up music did post it to a friend in Europe after the contest. This year again it started off difficult but I did manage to get the promo CD in the end.
8 out of 10
SWEDEN
Last year was very difficult, but this year it was very easy. Mans personally was very down to earth and I think we had good interaction with the press team of Sweden.
9.5 out of 10
SWITZERLAND
This country ranks probably on top every year, no need to interact with them, they put the promo items into each pigeonhole almost from day one.
10 out of 10
CYPRUS
Because I am quite impatient, this was a little difficult for me but in the end it was very easy, they just gave put the promo CD’s towards the end of week two.
9 out of 10
SLOVENIA
100% change from last year when I was unable to get the promo CD. This year there were tons, for most one of the best as it has something like 9 remixes. I would have preferred rather 9 language versions.
9 out of 10
POLAND
I got on very well with Monika’s husband and main composer of the song and got the beautiful promo CD quite fast.
9.5 out of 10
Hopefully all 42 clubs will vote in the OGAE CLUB voting, but we will list each club’s winner. And it will be updates as more clubs reveal their voting
OGAE ALBANIA – ITALY
OGAE ARMENIA – ESTONIA
OGAE LUXEMBOURG -SWEDEN
OGAE SWITZERLAND – ITALY
OGAE ESTONIA – SWEDEN
OGAE RUSSIA – ITALY
OGAE DENMARK – SWEDEN
OGAE R O W – SWEDEN
OGAE POLAND – AZERBAIJAN
OGAE NORWAY – ITALY
OGAE LITHUANIA – NORWAY
OGAE SERBIA – SLOVENIA
OGAE MACEDONIA – ITALY
OGAE FRANCE – SWEDEN
OGAE ITALY – NORWAY
OGAE UNITED KINGDOM – SWEDEN
OGAE ROMANIA – ITALY
OGAE MONTENEGRO – SERBIA
OGAE MALTA – ITALY
OGAE ANDORRA – SWEDEN
OGAE SPAIN – ITALY
OGAE SWEDEN – ESTONIA
OGAE FINLAND – ITALY
OGAE GERMANY – ESTONIA
OGAE LATVIA – SWEDEN
OGAE SLOVAKIA – SWEDEN
OGAE BELGIUM – NORWAY
OGAE PORTUGAL – ITALY
We can now reflect on the latest voting from one of our LATIN AMERICAN countries, this time from CHILE. We publish it first as general news and then Jeff will move it t0 the sub-page for Chile under OUR WORLD.
Now we have a third set of results, this time from our members/fans from Venezuela.
We have already published the votes form our members/fans in Costa Rica and now here are those from Peru.
