Romania 2018: The Humans

This is "Goodbye", the Romanian entry for this Eurovision 2018:

She has a great voice but I dont care about this song.

Armenia 2018: Sevak Khanagyan

Here is the song that will represent Armenia in Lisboa: Qami by Sevak Khanagyan

Love the song and the fact that it is in Armenian but I hope they prepare a better performance for ESC. Go Armenia!

Latvia 2018: Laura Rizzotto

Photo: Lauris Vīksne

Here is the winner of Supernova 2018: Laura Rizzotto with "Funny girl":

I dont know how this song will do in may but I think she is a brilliant performer, and I cant wait to see her on the ESC stage! Good luck Laura!

Ukraine 2018: Mélovin

This is "Under The Ladder" the Ukrainian entry for ESC 18:

This is a pretty decent song and I like his energy on stage.

Hungary 2018: AWS

The winner of A DAL 2018 are AWS with "Viszlát Nyár"

I heard the song when it came out and I loved it right away but I didnt expect it to be a contender in A Dal till I watched what they did on stage, they left me on fire after their performance, I dont even know how to describe how I felt after it. THANK YOU HUNGARY FOR SENDING THIS MOTHERFUCKING GREAT SONG TO LISBON! This will definitely be one of my favorite entries of this year. GO AWS! GO HUNGARY!

Shout out to the other acts I liked in A Dal 2018:

Gergely

Beautiful song! (Hope to see him back in A dal in the future)

Tamás

Slovenia 2018: Lea Sirk

Photo: Jani Ugrin

The winner of EMA 2018 is Lea Sirk and her song "Hvala, ne"

She has a fun stage presence and I dont mind the quirky song but I'd revamp those instrumental breaks, right now they just feel flat.

Moldova 2018: DoReDoS

This is the song that will represent Moldova this year: My Lucky Day by DoReDoS

No! This feels like they want to try to repeat their 2017 success but these 3 are no Sunstroke Project and this song is not "Hey mamma".

Germany 2018: Michael Schulte

The winner of the German NF was Michael Schulte and this is "You Let Me Walk Alone", the song he will sing in Lisbon:

This is a very emotional song and even if I liked it when I heard it for the 1st time I wasnt crazy about it but he is a brilliant performer and he made me like it a bit more after seeing it on stage. I think he will do very well in May! Good luck Michael!

Montenegro 2018: Vanja Radovanović

This is the Montenegrin entry for this year: "Inje" by Vanja Radovanović

Balkan ballads are always welcome to ESC but this one doesnt excite me, it's not bad though.

Serbia 2018: Sanja Ilić & Balkanika

Here are the winners of BEOVIZIJA 2018: Sanja Ilić & Balkanika with the song "Nova deca":

This has a familiar ESC 2007/08-ish sound but I kinda like it!

Melodifestivalen 2018 - Deltävling 4

Last semifinal, last 7 songs...

NU KÖR VI!

1. Icarus - Emmi Christensson

Emmi is a good singer but the song is a NO for me.

2. Mitt Paradis - Elias Abbas

I knew about Elias before Mello (I love Min queen) so I was excited to see him on a big stage and he didnt disappoint me, he is the star I knew he was and he did a lovely performance. Cant wait to hear more music from him!

3. Break That Chain - Felicia Olsson

Loved to see Felicia back but I prefer her 2013 song.

4. Fuldans - Rolandz

This was entertaining! (Good job to Af Sillen for the staging)

5. Never Learn - Olivia

This song left me cold, it is very radio friendly but I dont think it worked on stage.

6. Every Single Day - Felix Sandman

STUNNING! I'll be totally honest I wasnt expecting this from Felix but he just killed me with this song (Those lyrics) and damn WHAT A PERFORMANCE! HOW IS THIS MASTERPIECE NOT IN THE FINAL? I DONT GET IT! YOU ALL BETTER VOTE FOR HIM ON SATURDAY! I NEED HIM IN THE FINAL! GO FELIX!

7. For You - Mariette

Mariette is such a wonderful performer and I love her but this is my least favorite song from her 3 Mello entries.

THE RESULTS

7. Felicia Olsson

6. Emmi Christensson

5. Elias Abbas

ANDRA CHANSEN

Olivia

Felix Sandman

FINAL

Mariette

Rolandz

Photos: Magnus Sandberg/Aftonbladet

Melodifestivalen 2018 - Deltävling 3

New week, new songs, same meh feeling

NU KÖR VI!

1. A bitter lullaby - Martin Almgren

I like him, he is not only a great singer, he is also adorable and I think he is so much better than this DMGP-ish song. Im sure he will be one of the acts from this year that will come back in future editions.

2. Stark - Barbi Escobar

This is a nice song but the performance was just flat.

3. Cuba libre - Moncho

Colorful performance! I liked it and I cant get the chorus out of my head! Im glad he made it through AC!

4. Party voice - Jessica Andersson

Finally! We got our first lady finalist! Love Jessica and the song but I wish the performance was better, there were some good moments in it but overall I think it was a bit mediocre. I want her to have more fun and be the schlager diva she is on stage!

5. Min dröm - Kalle Moraeus & Orsa Spelmän

This was one of my fav songs from this semi!

6. Cry - Dotter

I think this is one of the best songs from Mello 18 and it's such a shame that people didnt vote for it, I understand why they didnt, but still she didnt deserve that 6th place.

7. Everyday - Mendez

Hmmm...catchy song but his vocal performance killed it for me.

THE RESULTS

7. Barbi Escobar

6. Dotter

5. Kalle Moraeus & Orsa Spelmän

ANDRA CHANSEN

Moncho

Mendez

FINAL

Martin Almgren

Jessica Andersson

Photos: Olle Sporrong/Expressen 

Belarus 2018: Alekseev

Here is the winner of Eurofest 2018: Alekseev

Hmmm...I dont know how I feel about this act, I like him as an artist but I dont get why he is representing Belarus (Actually I do, he didnt have a chance to win in Ukraine, that's why he submitted his entry to Eurofest). I like the visual part of the performance but Im just not interested in this song (I wish he sang the russian version) and his vocals last night were not good. There are a lot of things to improve but Im sure he and his team will work hard to get a good result in may.

Greece 2018: Yianna Terzi

This is "Oneiro mou", the song that will represent Greece this year:

I will start by saying that I really like their approach to the contest this year, even if the whole NF thing was a mess. This is 10000 times better than what they sent last year and that is a big step for Greece, however there is still something missing in the song and Im not sure what it is, but maybe I'll like it more when I get to see it on stage.

Italy 2018: Ermal Meta & Fabrizio Moro

And the winners of the 68th edition of Sanremo are Ermal Meta and Fabrizio Moro, here is their song "Non mi avete fatto niente":

I wasnt cheering for any act in particular this year in Sanremo, but I did like a couple of songs including the one that won, however I dont know how I feel about all the "drama" around it. I think the song is good and I hope they find a way to keep its essence in 3 minutes.

Shout out to the other acts I liked:

Annalisa

Lo Stato Sociale

Max Gazzè

Melodifestivalen 2018 - Deltävling 2

Not feeling this Mello week but...

NU KÖR VI!

1. Shuffla - Samir & Viktor

This is probably their best mello song but I think I prefer the "Bada Nakna" performance.

2. Allting som vi sa - Ida Redig

I really like Ida as an artist and this song was my favorite from this semifinal but I can understand why it didnt qualify, the whole act was too simple (with this Im not saying she should have had dancers and over the top stuff but there was something missing on stage)

3. Det finns en väg - Jonas Gardell

I have nothing to say about this one, it was okay.

4. In my cabana - Margaret

I dont like this song, it lacks energy imo but I think she did well and Im glad she made it to AC.

5. Titta vi flygger - Stiko Per Larsson

Stiko is one of those artist that I am sure I'd enjoy in a live gig.

6. Songburning - Mimi Werner

Nice performance, I think Mimi enjoyed her 3min on stage (You can see it in her eyes and smile)

7. Last breath - LIAMOO

He has such a fantastic stage presence and even if I think the song is just okay, I liked the performance (Im not crazy about it though)

THE RESULTS

7. Jonas Gardell

6. Stiko Per Larsson

5. Ida Redig

ANDRA CHANSEN

Mimi Werner

Margaret

FINAL

Samir & Viktor

LIAMOO

Photos: Olle Sporrong/Expressen

Denmark 2018: Rasmussen

Photo: Ritzau Scanpix / Henning Bagger

This is "Higher ground", the song that will represent Denmark in Lisbon:

He is handsome and I like the mysterious vibe around the act but to me this song sounds like a nordic NF reject from 2005.

Shout out to KARUI who did a fantastic performance:

United Kingdom 2018: SuRie

The winner of "Eurovision: You Decide 2018" was SuRie with "Storms":

I think she is a really good performer but I cant stand the lyrics of this song.

John Lundvik: "My Turn" is the true story of my ups and downs in the music industry

Photo: Per Kristiansen

Last week he shined on stage and became one of the finalists from semifinal one and now it's time to post our interview with him. Here are John's answers:
Name: John Lundvik
Birthday: 27th of January
Height: 1,85
Favorite color: black 
Favorite food: indian food
Where are you right now? in my office
3 things that make you happy: laughter, friends & family and training
What’s your strangest talent? mc mechanic
What is the strangest thing you have in your room? a pink bunny
What are you really good at? kissing
What are you really bad at? patience
Childhood idol: Stevie Wonder
Childhood memory: My first bike
Celebrity crush: Izabella Scorupco 
Tell me something no one knows about you: I have to brush my teeth before I perform
What would you do if you were invisible? Walk naked through Stockholm city
Favorite movie: Pursuit of happiness
Favorite TV series: Shooter
What is your guilty pleasure? cheese
If you were a girl for a day, what would you do? Just be myself
Name a song that never fails to make you happy: Isn’t she lovely
Can you teach me some interesting words in Swedish? tacksamhet, lagom, gemytlig

Hello John! Congratulations for making it to the final! How are you doing?
Living the dream, so grateful!

How would you describe yourself as an artist?
Real and honest

Photo: Per Kristiansen

You are one of the participants of Melodifestivalen 2018. How did it all begin?
Through singing at a writing camp

“My turn” is the title of your song, and it’s written by you, Anna-Klara Folin and Jonas Thander. How was it to work with them?
Fantastic experience with a great outcome.

What’s the story behind the song?
The true story of my ups and downs in the music industry. Also about taking chances in life while you can.

Photo: Melfest Live page

Describe the song with 4 words:
Honesty, realness, truth and dreams 

I've described your performance in the semifinal as honest and real, how did you feel in those 3min on stage?
Extremely fortunate and grateful, almost like falling in love for the first time!

Photo: Abraham Engelmark

What do you like about Eurovision?
Eurovision is a great party where everyone is welcome and connected through music.

What do you dislike about Eurovision?
It could be global one day.

Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:
Clowns: party
Sauna: sweat
Friends arena: dream come true
Technology: in ears
Nature: forrest
Dreams: Portugal

Photo: Per Kristiansen

What are your plans for 2018?
Continue on my musical journey in a positive way

Is there anything you want to say to close the interview?
Thank you so much for having me and showing interest in me

Photo: Melfest Live page

Thanks to John for the interview. All the best in the final!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnlundvik/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnlundvik