Monday, February 29, 2016

Melodifestivalen 2016 - Deltävling 4: We can do better

Time for the last semifinal of Melodifestivalen 2016!

NU KÖR VI!!!

1. Runaways - Eclipse
This song was not bad, but if you compare it with 1000 miles by H.E.A.T or Echo by Outtrigger this one is super lame.

2. Rollercoaster - Dolly Style
Oh lord! Its so sad to see people voting for this c**p. I kinda liked the idea of the performance but those new girls are not good.

3. Du tar mig tillbaks - Martin Stenmarck
Martin is such a good performer but sadly the song was boring.

4. Killer Girl - Linda Bengtzing
Oh Linda! I love her but I have to be honest, this wasnt good and Im not talking about the song cause I like the song (even if it sounds like 2 different songs together) but the performance was a bit plain, I totally missed Linda's energy on it. I dont know what they did wrong, maybe it was the choreography, or the dress, or the whole idea of the performance but this didnt work for me at all.

5. If I Were Sorry - Frans
I have mixed feelings about this entry, there is a part of me that really likes the song but there is another part of me that thinks this could be the "This is my life" of 2016 (Even though it cant be cause Sweden is already in the final but you know what I mean) Who would have thought that a song like this one could be a contenter to win Melodifestivalen?. Frans on stage is charming in a weird, shy kind of way but there are parts were he looks too nervous so I hope he works on that.

6. Håll om mig hårt - Panetoz
I like them but I prefer their 2014 song.

7. Youniverse - Molly Sandén
If I judge this as one of the 28 songs in MF I would say that I kinda like it but if I judge it as the biggest favorites & the one that SVT wants to see winning I can only say that this is just a nice song, and even if  Molly is a great performer and she knows how to shine on stage I think the whole act lacks of a "winner alert" factor, 

THE RESULTS
7.Linda Bengtzing
6.Martin Stenmarck
5.Eclipse

ANDRA CHANSEN
Dolly Style
Panetoz

FINAL
Molly Sandén
Frans
Photos: Lindwall Sven/Expressen

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Hungary 2016: Freddie!

And the A Dal 2016 winner is...FREDDIE:
Wow! This is really good! I hope they work hard on the staging cause I can see this doing very well in may! GO HUNGARY!

Big shout out to my A dal 2016 favorites:

Petruska

Gergő Oláh
Photo: MTVA

Kallay Saunders band
Photo: MTVA

Mushu
Photo: MTVA

Norway 2016: Agnete

Now its time to post the winner of MGP 2016: Agnete with the song Icebreaker
I dont want to sound mean but I dont like anything about this entry and Im sure she won because of who she is. Compared to Norways great entries from the past 3 years this is too cold and calculated, I dont feel any emotion from her, she is just there singing and Im not going to deny that she is good at it but I need more than that.

Shout out to my winner: LAILA SAMUELS

And here is the best performance of the night: Mørland & Debrah!
BEAUTIFUL!
Photos: Rashid Akrim

Finland 2016: Sandhja

Here is the winner of UMK 2016: Sandhja with "Sing it away"
First thing Im going to say is: "FUCK YOU YLE!" I just really dont get the point of having random people as juries or having "eurovision experts" talking shit about the songs while the public is voting.
I knew this was coming when I saw the list of juries but whatever! I gave up UMK last year when I heard the songs but Im glad I came back to it this year cause there were really nice acts in the competition. 
Congratulations to Sandhja, who I really like as an artist but I wish she had a better song. It might grow on me later but right now is not one of my favorites. Good luck in may!

Shout out to my winner: Mikael Saari!
Photos: Mikka Varila (YLE)

Slovenia 2016: ManuElla

Here is the winner of EMA 2016: ManuElla with the song "Blue and red"
This is another "Why would I vote for it?" entry, the performance wasnt awful but the song is really bland. Maybe it will get better with a revamp but for now is a NO for me.
Photos: Jani Ugrin

Moldova 2016: Lidia Isac

Here is the song that is going to represent Moldova: Falling stars by Lidia Isac
I dont mind the song but the performance in the national final wasnt good at all.

United Kingdom 2016: Joe & Jake

The UK had a national final this year and here is the winner: Joe & Jake - You're not alone
I think the guys have nice voices but the song is just too forgettable. Right now I cant see it out of the bottom 5. Hope they enjoy the experience!

Germany 2016: Jamie-Lee Kriewitz

Here is the song that is going to represent Germany in Stockholm: Ghost by Jamie-Lee Kriewitz
I kinda like the song and her performance in the NF was interesting but I just dont feel passion for this entry.
Photos: Stijn Smulders (EBU)

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Melodifestivalen 2016 - Semifinal 4: The rehearsals

Here are some pictures/videos from the rehearsals of the 4th semifinal of MF 2016:

1.Eclipse
Photo: Aftonbladet

2.Dolly Style
Photo: Aftonbladet

3.Martin Stenmarck
Photo: Aftonbladet

4.Linda Bengtzing
Photo: Aftonbladet

5.Frans
Photo: Aftonbladet

6.Panetoz
Photo: Aftonbladet

7.Molly Sandén
Photo: Aftonbladet

I feel like Im ready to be really disappointed with the results from this weeks semifinal but no matter what happens on Saturday I'll be on Team Bengzting till the end! VOTE FOR MELODI NUMMER 4! GO LINDA!

Raiven: "I could never make music that I don't actually enjoy"

Photo: Jani Ugrin, RTVSLO
The Slovenian national final is on saturday so its time for a new EMA 2016 interview. Here are the answers of RAIVEN:
Name: Sara
Birthday: 26.4.96
Height: 173
Favorite color: Magenta
Favorite food: sushi and Thai food
Where are you right now? In my room
3 things that make you happy: good music, my dog and my boyfriend
What’s your strangest talent? I don't think I have one.
What is the strangest thing you have in your room? A hockey stick.
What are you really good at? Obviously singing :)
What are you really bad at? Volleyball, basketball...basically any sport that includes a ball.
Childhood idol: Christina Aguilera.
Childhood memory: Singing in National philharmonic at the age of 5.
Celebrity crush: Johnny Depp
Tell me something no one knows about you: I love watching documentaries about murderers. Creepy, I know.
What would you do if you were invisible? I wouldn't like to be invisible.
Favorite movie: The other Boleyn girl
Favorite TV series: Dexter
What is your guilty pleasure? Sweet and sour candies
If you were a boy for a day, what would you do? That would be awful...I would hate being a boy, so I would just go to sleep and wake up when it would pass.
Name a song that never fails to make you happy: My song, Jadra.
When did you start singing? When I was four in a school for music in my hometown, Ljubljana.
Can you teach me some interesting words in Slovene? Hmm...something connected to music: singer-pevka, song-pesem, music-glasba.
Photo: Uroš Kramberger
How would you describe yourself as an artist?
As an artist, I would describe myself as someone who always strives to make quality music and as someone who could never go past herself. I could never make music that I don't actually enjoy.

You are one of the participants of EMA 2016. How did it all begin?
I just decided that it's time for me to have an experience with EMA. Since the start of  last year, I knew I wanted to take part.
Photo: Uroš Kramberger
“Črno bel” is the title of your song, what’s the story behind it?
The song is in Slovene and in it, I play the harp. It is very different and even though the title is Črno bel ( Black and white), the song is very colorful.

Describe the song with 4 words:
Dynamic, strong, contrasting, beautiful.
What can we expect to see on stage for the performance?
Many surprises.

What do you like about Eurovision?
The huge stage!

What do you dislike about Eurovision?
I can't really think of anything.
Photo: Ulla Wolk
Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:
Hair: Pink
Nightmare: Stage fright 
Puppies: My Pomeranian Ariel
Fear: Darkness
Watermelon: Fruit
Stage: Dreams
Dreams: Performing
Photo: Matej Zobavnik & Katarina Zakonjšek
What are your plans for 2016?
Releasing my first album.

Is there anything you want to say to close the interview?
Thank you for reading the interview. If you want to know more about me and my music, you can follow me on Instagram, Youtube and Facebook.
Photo: Ulla Wolk
Thanks to Sara for the interview! Good luck on saturday!

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Cyprus 2016: Minus One

Here is the song that is going to represent Cyprus in Stockholm: Alter ego by Minus One:
I dont know what to say cause its not a bad entry but Im not sure if I like it. I think its a nice pop/rock song and with a good performance this could get in the final. Good luck Cyprus!

Ukraine 2016: JAMALA!

The winner of the Ukrainian national final is JAMALA!
THANK YOU UKRAINE! I love Jamala, she is such a brilliant artist, there are no words to describe how talented she is. I have no idea whats going to happen with the song but I hope they get to work on it cause I really want her to shine in the Eurovision stage. GO UKRAINE! GO JAMALA!