It maybe a quiet time for Melodiestivalen & Norsk Melodi Grand Prix,
we can only reflect on some great old entry thats gone by. Yet for some TV stations all across Europe it's a most hectic time. The pressure is still on, as deadlines are met for new songs for
Eurovision 2010- to be put in for each national Pre- Selection TV show, to
find the one song to fly the flag in Oslo next year.
Over in Norsk-land they are calling it the 'Rybak effect' as they have now a record number of
songs and norwegian songwriters- flooding into the office! This will create a lot of international attention to NKR'S Melodi Grand Prix 2010. As well as a more serious and better quaility of music submissions in Norway following last years runaway win. We will track the progress on the blog.
Meanwhile over in Stockholm at Melodifestivalen H.O. plans are just being put in place. Each year Melodifestivalen picks 4 wildcards for the semi-final heats. One these 2010 wildcards will
be choose by a 'new' on-line selection, this has been done by Spain in recent years with
great success.
Sweden has picked unknown performers before for Melodifestivalen back in 2007. They picked upMarie Lindbergtook her out of her class room where she was a school teacher. Marie was a singer songwriter and performed her magical 'Trying to Recall' she went on to Globen, became a firm favourite with the public . Which gave her fifth place that year, see this clip- of Marie, or is it a drag queen! its from GayGalan 2008!
Yohanna recorded her first album at the age of nine, which was released only in 2000. This debut album was a huge success and was followed up by a second album in 2001, confirming her as Iceland's child prodigy.
Yohanna’s teenage years were spent working in and out of the studio with musical instructors, songwriters and producers. After turning down a recording contract with a major label, Yohanna spent some time in Denmark working on her vocal techniques. During this time she also recorded her first adult album ”Butterflies and Elvis” with British songwriter Lee Horrocks and sound engineer Thomas Yezzi. This album has now been re-vamped and released internationally with critical acclaim all over Scandinavia. + this fantastic video for her popular Hit "Is It True?"
In 2008 songwriter Óskar Páll Sveinsson asked Yohanna to sing “Is It True?” for the 2009 Iceland's Eurovision Pre-selection Contest. It famously won 2nd place in Moscow, Eurovision 2009. Giving Alexander Rybak a good run for the top position.
Alcazar was not infact Andreas first band he was a member of the group Stage 4. They featured three other famous Melodifestivalen singers in Sweden; Peter Jöback, Lisa Nilsson and Lizette Pålsson. Here is a rare clip of Stage 4 check to check back in 1989 -
Here we find Andrea's debut in Melodifestivalen 1997. With a hit ballad "Driver Dagg Faller Regn" wrote by Alexander Bard it came 2nd with a total of 48 points... not long afterwards Alcazar was born in Stockholm.
Well its been in the Repair Shop for a few weeks, but now the clutch is fixed Our Melodifestivalen TIME MACHINE is again whizzing thu space n Time next stop is that victory moment in 1995...
as Jan gave back the flowers! was it the wrong colour! No, t'was to do his reprise
Jan Johansen has just put out a brand new CD just in Norway for some reason- Minnen ( Memories ) gasp! Thankfully its 'not' showtunes in swedish. (sigh) More a Greatest song collection spanning his career to date. With seven new swedish songs
The collection has on it 'Ingenmannsland' which he sang in Melodifestivalen 2002.
Eda-InesEtti is from Haapsalu, Estonia - she is a Big celebrity in her homeland, and known mainly in scandinavia due to her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.
In 2000, Ines sung her own song “Once in a Lifetime” she had been tipped for what would have been a famous victory, but in the end came 4th. As Denmark finished flying the wings of victory that year.
In a strange twist of fate, one of Ines own backing singers, Tanel Padar, together with Dave Benton represented Estonia the next year-this time the duo stormed to victory with a song “Everybody”, Estonia then became the 1st former Eastern Bloc country to stage the Eurovision Song Contest in 2002. Then in 2003 there seemed every chance that Ines would once again be Estonia’s artist for Eurovision, as she had reportedly been lined up to sing “Runaway”, in Eurolaul, the Estonian national selection contest for Eurovision.
Then she pulled out at the last moment, apparently concluding that one appearance at the Eurovision was enough!. Given the unfortunate timing, an experienced Swedish star, Anna Sahlene, took her place and performed “Runaway” the song became the Eurolaul winner. The song went on to finish in 3th place for Estonia.
Its rather surprising that Ines has since gone on to be known in her homeland as ‘Miss Eurovision’ - mainly from taking on the role of spokeswoman during the voting procedure, to becoming a host presenter of Eurolaul back in 2005.
Ines’s follow-up album sung in Estonian, '15 magamata ööd', was a huge success back in 2004. The title-track of the record brought her the second “Female Artist of the Year” at the Estonian Music Awards.
Ines’ in 2005 formed her own band to produce her next stab at Eurovision glory, the wonderful song “Iseendale”. The song came a close second to the winner “Through My Window”, performed by the Sandra Oxenryd. “Iseendale” . Ines’ third Eurolaul entry was the song entitled “In Good and Bad” in Eurolaul 2007, the song failed to make the grade for Eurovision 2007. Yet her new album 'Kustutame vead' earned another nomination for the Female Artist of the Year.
Ines today maintains a high profile with the Estonian public. Martin Saar - a controversial young New York artist, who remained her boyfreind for 3 years.
In 2008, the golden couple of the Estonia media' broke up. Since then Ines has found new love in a Portuguese guy called Francesco. Currently Ines is working on her fifth studio album set to release in summer or later this year.
We are hoping this may well bring us a new song set for Schlager Glory- and Ines the girl who gave us Once in a Lifetime' now enters our Euro-Schlager Hall of Fame ...
Best of Eda- Ines Songs- Medley
Kus kulgeb kuu Iseendale Once in a lifetime Lendan In good and bad Keerlen
Its taken a while but Sarah Dawn Finer has a follow-up to 'Moving On' the song from Melodifestivalen 2009 which was for me the biggest grower... The same maybe said for her follow-up 'Standing Strong' + the video is rather good
