Monday, January 30, 2012

France 2012: Anggun - Echo (You and I)

Anggun was selected internally to represent France this year and here is her song:

Its a very interesting song, i think i was waiting for more, for a winning song, this is not a winner but i hope for a great performance and i know she can do it, right now i can see this in a top 10-15. I didnt like it when i heard it the first time but now after i heard it 4 o 6 times im starting to like this song, all i can say is good luck to Anggun.

Melodi Grand Prix 2012: Semifinal 2

Here we go again! The second semifinal of the mgp 2012 was last night and i was very excited cause i liked all the songs and my favorite in the whole MGP was in this semi so lets start:

1.Cocktail Slippers - Keeps On Dancing

This was a fun and full of energy performance, the lead singer was good, her stage presence was fabulous and even if the song was a bit repetitive i really liked their performance and it was a good start for this semifinal.

2.Isabel Ødegård - I’ve Got You

This song was one of my favorites since i listened the 24 songs of this year, its so sweet and calm just like Isabel that looked so gorgeous, i loved the dress. The performance wasnt bad but her vocals could have been better.

3.Tommy Fredvang - Make It Better

This song was in my bottom 3 of this semifinal, it was the one i liked the least but he is so charismatic, i fell in love with him, it was a strong performance because of his fantastic stage presence but i have a doubt did he sing the whole song or all we heard were the recorded backing vocals? I hope to listen more of his vocals on the final cause i can see this getting in the top 4. 

4.Rikke Lie - Another Heartache

The first thought that came to my mind when i saw her was "WTF is she wearing?" imo that dress looked very bad. This is a lovely song that didnt sound as good as the album version, she has a very interesting voice but i guess she was nervous cause her vocals were shaky in some parts, the performance was ok, i didnt get the choreography of the guys but it looked good.

5.Malin - Crush

1 2 3 Hello, this is soo Junior Eurovision, yesterday i was so mad with this, i just cant believe that from 3 electropop songs they voted for this one. There is not power on her perfomance, too bland/flat, her vocals were kinda bad but that doesnt matter cause she is Malin and im sure a lot of kids voted for her. The song is catchy but thats all.

6.Plumbo - Ola Nordmann

The winners of this year are here and theres not so much to say, i like the song but i dont like them, the performance was just ok not a wow performance and i think Norway is not going to be on my favorites this year.

7.Minnie-Oh - You And I

This song is so good but the performance wasnt good enough, she is really nice but she doesnt have charisma but she can work on that and come back to MGP again next year cause i like her.

8.Rikke Normann - Shapeshifter

I fell in love with this song when i heard a preview of 30seconds, it was so good that i couldnt wait to listen the full song so you all can imagine how i felt when i heard it. It was great to had an interview with her before the semifinal and i knew she was going to rock that stage. I was kinda nervous before the performance but when it started i felt so much energy and when it finished i was so happy, what an AMAZING PERFORMANCE, without a doubt the best of this semifinal, her vocals were great and she looked fabulous. The guys of King Wings Crew did an awesome job and what else can i say? I love it, it was the perfect performance for this song. Norway made a huge mistake but i hope that Rikke gets the wildcard cause she deserve to be in the final. Bravo Rikke! you and all the Shapeshifter team deserve a huge round of applause and a standing ovation!

Some pics:
Foto: Hege Bakken Riise/NRK
Foto: Hege Bakken Riise/NRK
Foto: Hege Bakken Riise/NRK
Foto: Hege Bakken Riise/NRK
Foto: Hege Bakken Riise/NRK
Foto: Hege Bakken Riise/NRK
Foto: Hege Bakken Riise/NRK
Foto: Hege Bakken Riise/NRK

THE RESULTS
3rd place: Malin - Crush
2nd Place: Tommy Fredvang - Make it better
1st Place: Plumbo - Ola Nordmann
Foto: Trond Reidar Teigen/Scanpix
Foto: Trond Reidar Teigen/Scanpix
Foto: Trond Reidar Teigen/Scanpix

Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2012: Semifinal 3 - The Results

The last semifinal was yesterday and here are the performances:

As always im going to start with the songs that didnt qualify and this time only 2 cause there was a song with no video in youtube.

Svenni Þór - Augun þín


Nice song with a very good performance, i like it.
 
Íris Lind Verudóttir - Aldrei segja aldrei


She is a great singer and she did a fantastic performance, Well done Íris.

The finalists:

Greta Salóme, Heiða & Guðrún Árný - Aldrei sleppir mér


This song is nice but not a winner  for me, the performance was kinda boring but the last part was good it had all the energy that the whole performance needed.
 
Magni Ásgeirsson - Hugarró


This is a contender to win it all, not sure if its going to be my favorite in the final but i like it.

So we have 6 songs in the final but there will be 7 here is the wildcard:

This was one of my favorites last week and its great to see her as one of the finalists.

Hungary 2012: A Dal - Semifinal 1

Hungary is doing a national preselection this year and the 1st semifinal was yesterday. Here are the 4 finalists:

Gábor Heincz - Learning to let go


Compact Disco - Sound of our hearts


Caramel - Vízió

 
Gabi Tóth - Nem kell végszó

 
From the4 finalists the song i like the most is Vizió but i dont know it was kinda boring live then the best performance of the finalists i think it was Gábor Heincz, even if i think the song is not good enough. All the songs and performances were ok but i didnt see a winner or a song that could be one of my favorites in eurovision.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Rikke Normann - From a Soul Duet to an Uptempo Pop Explosion

Its time for another interview and this time is with the lovely Rikke Normann, i loved "Not that easy" last year and this year she is back with an amazing song and she is definitely my favorite in the 2nd semifinal and the whole MGP 2012! so i asked some things and here are her answers:

Hey Rikke, Im going to start asking you how do you feel right now?
Right now I am very excited and a little nervous. My tummy is full of butterflies, as it's getting closer to my semi final
Tell us something about yourself? what do you like to do in your free time? what did you want to be when you were a little girl?
I am a 29 year old girl, with the same interest as a squirrel - I collect things :) My apartment looks like a crossbreed of a music, shoe and toy store! I love colors and contrasts, robots and flamingoes! I also collect music gadgets and cool synthesizers.
In my free time I like to go skiing, running, write songs and hang out with friends.
When I was a little girl I wanted to be Whitney Houston, not a singer like her, but the actual Whitney! Haha, funny what you think is possible when you're young!

This is your 2nd time in a row in the Melodi Grand Prix, how was the last year experience?
Last year was amazing, I still can't believe everything that happened! A great experience which opened many doors for me .
Not that easy

Last year you sang Not that easy with Åste and won the 1st semifinal. What were you thinking in moment of the results?
Before they announced the results we were talking about how great it had been and how much fun we had, we were sure we were going home, so when they announced our names we just couldn't believe it!!! Crazy!!
You and Åste were my favorites last year and i still singing ah oh ah oh dadadadadadadaa hehe. Where is Åste? and what are the differences between Rikke 2011 and Rikke 2012.
Aaaaaw, thank you!! That's so sweet!! Åste is working on her own music and we are currently planning what the two of us should do together next... :-)
Rikke 2012 is quite a contrast to Rikke 2011, soul duet last year uptempo pop explosion this year :-)

This year you are back with the song Shapeshifter written by you and Silya. What made you write this song? and what is the song about?
The song was initially written by Silya, then I made some rewrites, and changed the chorus to make it 100% Rikke :-)
The song is about allowing yourself to let go and be totally you. It's about showing another side of yourself, that you usually keep locked up, allowing yourself to be true to who you are, if only for one night.

I really cant wait to see the performance so can you tell me something about what are you going to do on stage?
The performance is very exciting!! I get to do some stunts I never imagined I would get to do and have 6 male break dancers in it! Can't reveal to much, so you'll have to wait and see :-)
Describe your performance with 4 words
Fun, crazy, loving, quirky

Can you give me a hint about what are you to wear on saturday?
It's a dress, 3 colors, elegant but fun!

Did you watch the 1st semifinal? if you did can you share with us your thoughts about the performances and results?
I did watch it and thought the whole show was spectacular! Loved the round stage and thought the artists did great! Not surprised by the results :-)
This year the 24 songs were released before the semifinals, did you hear them? what do you think about the 7 that are in your semifinal? do you like any of the 24 songs?
I've heard parts of them and I love the fact that there's great variety this year, from dance to ballads to rock, great! Yes I like many of the songs, but haven't heard them enough to have any favorites yet. My semifinal is going to be hard because of all the great songs and artists, fingers crossed!
Tell me what do you think about the last 4 MGP winners (Maria Haukaas, Alexander Rybak, Didrik Solli Tangen & Stella Mwangi) and their songs
I think their all great winners with catchy and cool songs. My favorite song of the 4 is Maria's, but my favorite artist of the 4 is Rybak!

Did you watch Eurovision last year?
I didn't watch it because I was in the states, where it couldn't be seen :(

Rikki's Guns is the name of your album, tell me everything about it.
It's my debut album, split into an "A side" containing electro pop songs and a "B side" with more acoustic neo-soul songs! I love many different genres and this album allowed me to combine many of them. The album is also released as a "mini-rikki-usb" you can see it and get it on my website http://www.rikkenormann.com/


Do you have a message for the Eurovision fans?
Hey Eurovisioners!! Hope you get your favorites from every country to the big final in Baku! Enjoy the music, stay true and have fun! - and wish me good luck on Saturday, I am so excited all ready!
Well i have to tell you that you are my favorite this year too, i already learned the lyrics of Shapeshifter and i cant stop singing it so i really wish you all the best on Saturday. Go Rikke!
Thank you so much!!! You're very sweet :-)

If you want more of Rikke visit her website: http://www.rikkenormann.com/

Like her on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Rikke-Normann/200514903342283
Follow her twitter: http://www.twitter.com/RikkeNormann
And you can buy Shapeshifter here: http://itunes.apple.com/no/album/shapeshifter-single/id492009063

Once again thanks to Rikke Normann for being so nice and lovely. If you are in Norway dont forget to vote for song number 8 "Shapeshifter" remember melodi 8! Go Rikke Normann!!!

"Dont cage me, dont cage me, dont cage my love" GO RIKKE!!

Cyprus 2012: Ivi Adamou - Check / La La Love - Check


Im already feeling the energy cause this fabulous song is the one Ivi is going to sing in May, i like her a lot, she is very sweet, i really hope she can do a great performance in May. Well done Cyprus.

Here are the lyrics:

Lala lalalalalala lalalalalalala love
Lala lalalalalala lalalalalala love

Love the way you fill me up with life
Baby we can break the speed of light
Nothing to fear when you are near
Just gimme more

Reaching for the sky, I’m aiming high
Close my eyes and then it’s almost like you fly
Up in the air, let’s take it there
Never let go

Oh oh oh, I feel the energy between you and me, baby it’s so right
Oh oh oh, I feel the energy just taking over me, over me

How I’ve been waiting for this
Lala lalalalalala lalalalalalala love
Oh I’ve been waiting for this
Lala lalalalalala lalalalalalala love

From Paris to LA over the night
All around the world just you and I
Nothing to fear, when you are near
We’re on a roll
And we do it again, no stop no end
Out of control

Oh oh oh, I feel the energy between you and me, baby it’s so right
Oh oh oh, I feel the energy just taking over me, over me

How I’ve been waiting for this
Lala lalalalalala lalalalalalala love
Oh I’ve been waiting for this
Lala lalalalalala lalalalalalala love

Nothing to fear… when you are near

Oh oh oh, I feel the energy between you and me, baby it’s so right
Oh oh oh, I feel the energy just taking over me, over me

How I’ve been waiting for this
Lala lalalalalala lalalalalalala love

Lala lalalalalala lalalalalalala love
Oh, I’ve been waiting for this
Lala lalalalalala lalalalalalala love

Good luck Ivi!!

Eurovision 2012: Light your fire!

Today the semifinal allocation draw took place in Baku and now we know the slogan, theme art, the venue and the countries that are going to participate in the Semifinal 1 & 2.

Today was an important day for Eurovision 2012, a lot of news and a lot of work to do.

The Crystal Hall arena was approved as the Eurovision 2012 venue.
 
Light your fire!
Well i think we all expected the word fire to be in the slogan but i really like it and the theme art looks very good.

Results of the Semifinal allocation draw

First Semi-Final, Tuesday 22nd of May (18 countries):
First half
Montenegro
Iceland
Romania
Albania
Belgium
Latvia
Switzerland
Finland
Greece

Second half
Moldova
Cyprus
Austria
Denmark
Russia
San Marino
Israel
Ireland
Hungary

Second Semi-Final, Thursday 24th of May (19 countries):
First half
Serbia
The Netherlands
Portugal
FYR Macedonia
Belarus
Malta
Ukraine
Armenia
Bulgaria

Second half
Sweden
Georgia
Slovenia
Estonia
Turkey
Slovakia
Croatia
Norway
Lithuania
Bosnia & Herzegovina

Now i wonder how 5 ex-yugo countries are in one semifinal, the pots are not made to avoid that?

There were some guest artists in the allocation draw, Aysel and Safura with playback and Nikki singing live whyy? it sounded worse than in may but Eldar sounded good. Alexander Rybak and Lena were the best of the night without a doubt. They are so charismatic, i love them.

I just love him.

Lena was fantastic.

After all this, i have to say that there are a lot of things to do but i like what we got right so i will light my fire and wish good luck to Azerbaijan and i hope we get a great show in may.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2012: Semifinal 3 - The Songs

The songs of the 3rd and last semifinal of the Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2012 are online and here are the participants:

Greta Salóme, Heiða & Guðrún Árný - Aldrei sleppir mér
Herbert Guðmundsson - Eilíf ást
Íris Lind Verudóttir - Aldrei segja aldrei
Magni Ásgeirsson - Hugarró
Svenni Þór - Augun þín

Click HERE to listen the songs
 
Another great semifinal in Iceland and it seems im going to love their entry this year. The ones i like the most are Magni, Greta, Heida & Gudrun and Svenni.

Melodi Grand Prix 2012: Semifinal 1

Here we go! The 1st semifinal of the MGP 2012 was on saturday and its time to comment. The intro with the orchestra was fantastic, the stage is kinda cool and Marte did a good job, now lets start with the performances:

1.Irresistable - Elevator

Everybody expected some bad vocals in this song but i think the girls surprised us cause their vocals were good but to bad that they doesnt have charisma, there was no interpretation just some girls singing and thinking about the moves they were going to do while they were singing. The choreography was very weak
and they didnt have a strong attitude on stage so if they want to come back next year all they need is to work a lot on their stage presence.

2.Kim André Rysstad - Så vidunderlig

A nice song sang by a good singer with a very boring performance, sorry but there was nothing in his eyes, i guess he was nervous but what can i say, i didnt like it.

3.Reidun Sæther - High On Love

I was very nervous before the performance cause she had a virus infection in her throat and i didnt know what was going to happen, in my opinion her song is the best one in this semifinal and i was worried that because of that virus she couldnt sing well and for that lose a spot in the final. The performance started and i was like "omg she is singing" i was so excited. I think she was very nervous because of the virus and she didnt want to mess with her vocals, so im sure this performance is going to be a bomb in the final. I hope her voice is on 100% for the final cause that will make her feel stronger and she will own the stage. Im very happy for her and she really deserve a huge round of applause and a standing ovation, BRAVO REIDUN.

4.Rudi Myntevik - You Break It, You Own It

I like this song and he did a good performance, he has charisma and knows how to move on stage, so good job Rudi.

5.Lisa Stokke - With Love

I love her, she is so sweet just like the song, her vocals were great and even if i didnt like the dress so much she looked good, this is going to be one of the songs im going to listen a lot this year and im sure everyone will remember this performance cause its was really good and the key change part was fabulous, well done Lisa.

6.United - Little Bobbi

Before the semifinals i didnt like this song but now i kinda like it, i really liked the performance, the guys did a great job, it looked amazing and their vocals were good. The best part of the performance was when Benedicte appeared dancing, i just love her, she made me watch the performance a lot of times now, it was an interesting performance.

7.Nora Foss Al-Jabri - Somewhere Beautiful

I knew she was going to be the winner before the semifinal, she is very talented but i dont love the song and it wasnt the best performance, i think it was pretty bland, i guess its because of the song cause she is great singer but this song is not good enough for eurovision.

8.The Carburetors - Don’t Touch The Flame

I dont like this song but they did a very strong performance so they deserved the final, Congratulations to The Carburetors.

Now some pics:
Foto: Hege Bakken Riise/ NRK
Foto: Hege Bakken Riise/ NRK
Foto: Hege Bakken Riise/ NRK
Foto: Hege Bakken Riise/ NRK
Foto: Hege Bakken Riise/ NRK
Foto: Hege Bakken Riise/ NRK
Foto: Hege Bakken Riise/ NRK
Foto: Hege Bakken Riise/ NRK

THE RESULTS
3rd Place: Reidun - High on love
2nd Place: The Carburators - Don't touch the flame
1st Place: Nora Foss Al-Jabri - Somewhere beautiful