Extra: See our 3D videos with all 26 Eurovision finalists - All of them with our improved good sound Follow us now on Youtube and subscribe to our videos

Georgia

2010 - Final

Basic information

Date:

29 May 2010

Contest type:

Grand Final

Venue:

Telenor Arena

Broadcaster:

NRK

Presenter(s):

Erik Solbakken, Haddy Jatou N'jie & Nadia Hasnaoui

Other shows this year:

2010 - 1st Semi-Final

2010 - 2nd Semi-Final

About the contest:

For the first time in nearly thirty years, the contest was won by Germany. Famed for its anthemic ballads (usually with an ‘everyone should love everyone else’ type theme) and blatant europop, the song that finally brought success is a stylish, contemporary pop song that would have slotted neatly into the charts without looking out of place. The victory by one of the ‘Big 4’ also put an end to the theory that one of these countries would never win the contest again. It was thought that they were at a great disadvantage, as all of their competitors would already be familiar to the audience.

The process of selecting a song proved drawn out for Belarus and Ukraine. Five piece vocal group, 3+2, were selected by an internal jury to perform a song called Far Away, an up-tempo, rock based number. However, and not for the first time in the history of the former USSR member, the song that as originally selected would not be the one to go to the contest. National broadcaster, BTRC, allowed 3+2 to change the song. The more peaceful and anthemic Butterflies was chosen instead.

The situation in Ukraine was even more complicated. The first singer to be selected was Vasyl Lazarovich with the song, I Love You. However, broadcaster NTU decided that the internal selection process had been unfair and so organised a new final, this time open to a public vote. To say it was organised in a hurry would be an understatement. Writers had only 24 hours to enter a song and the chosen songs were shown on television over the following two nights. This final was won by Alyosha, with a song called Be Free. All was not over yet, as it transpired that Be Free had been on an album that had been released two years previously. Alyosha was allowed to remain as the Ukrainian representative, but with Sweet People. A credible and unlikely 10th place in the final must have made all the effort worthwhile.

Two moments to forget both involved the Russian song. Not many people saw Lost and Forgotten as having the remotest chance of reaching the final. As a result, there was enormous surprise when Russia was revealed as a finalist. What darkened the moment was the booing that emanated from parts of the audience where fans were sitting. Like sulky schoolgirls, they couldn’t let Peter Nalitch enjoy his moment as they indulged in some behaviour more suited to a pantomime. Not content with this, there was more booing, possibly by the same people, when Peter performed in the final itself.

There must have been red faces among the security staff after the Spanish performance. Somehow, a man who seemed to be trying to make a name for himself by interrupting major events, managed to evade security staff and join Daniel Diges and his team on the stage. Fortunately, he wasn’t there to cause harm, only to join in. To Daniels enormous credit, be continued as if nothing had happened, and most viewers probably didn’t realise anything was wrong. In the interests of fairness, Daniel was allowed to perform again after the last song had finished.

In 2009, the EBU had re-introduced the juries to the voting, to work alongside the public televote on a 50/50 basis. This had only been in the final, although a special jury had nominated a wildcard from each semi-final. In 2010, the national juries were present for the semi-finals as well as the final; their votes were combined with the public to produce the 1-8, 10 and 12 points scoring system.

Hungary, Andorra, Czech Republic and Montenegro all withdrew from the contest, while Georgia returned after choosing to sit out in 2009.

Niamh Kavanagh and Feminnem both made their second song contest appearance. Germany’s Lena enjoyed the experience so much (well, she did win, after all) that she asked to sing again in the 2011 contest.

Eldrine talk to EuroVisionary

Posted 13 April, 2011 - 21:11 by Ian Fowell

Eldrine will represent Georgia at the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest with the song, One More Day. Here the band talk about their history and their plans for Eurovision and the future.

2011ge Eldrine - One More Day

Posted 13 March, 2011 - 14:22 by Serkan Uluçay

Eldrine will be representing Georgia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with their song One More Day. Georgia has never failed to qualify for the final where they finished 9th last year.

2008 Final

Basic information

Date:

24 May 2008

Contest type:

Grand Final

Venue:

Belgrade Arena, Belgrade, Serbia

Broadcaster:

RTS

Other shows this year:

2008 - 1st Semi-Final

2008 - 2nd Semi-Final

About the contest:

Had the results of the semi-final voting been released before the final, then few would have predicted Dima Bilan’s victory. Finishing third was not a positive sign, but Dima managed to defy the odds to win the contest at his second attempt. How much the presentation of the song help is a matter for debate. In his first appearance in the contest, a dancer emerged from the piano on stage. This time, he used the talents of international ice-skater, Evgeni Plushenko, in his performance. Those interested in statistics would have noted with interest that Russia’s victory was the eighth time in a row that a country had won for the first time.

Due to the number of countries now taking part in the contest, holding one semi-final was no longer viable. To avoid the all nighter that would have been one semi-final, the EBU decided that there should be two. Press and delegates attending the contest now faced a marathon. In the days before there were semi-finals, rehearsals and preparations lasted one week. Now, with three shows to prepare for, a full two weeks was required to be ready.

The 2008 contest was the year of the novelty song. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, , Ireland, Latvia and Spain all entered songs that were meant for entertainment rather than musical integrity, while some would argue that the Azeri and French songs were in that direction. Bosnia singer, Laka, had a performance that included his sister hanging out the washing and backing singers knitting. The Estonians had three dirty old men dancing in a manner worse than your uncle at a wedding, singing lyrics that made no sense, even to those who spoke any of the three languages used in the song. Ireland was represented by a turkey that was a big star in Irish TV begging Europe to vote for him. Latvia sent a gang of pirates and the Spanish elected a specially created character with his own dance to represent them.

Romanian singers, Nico and Vlad, won their national final, but not the hearts and good wishes of a lot of the public and press. Accusations of plagiarism abounded and there were also claims that Pe-o Margine De Lume had a public performance before the date permitted by the rules laid down by the EBU. Neither accusation could be proved and so no change was necessary or was made by national broadcaster, TVR.

Austria kept its promise of withdrawing from the contest, but debuts by Azerbaijan and San Marino boosted the number of countries to a new record 43.

In addition to Dima Bilan, Sweden’s Charlotte Perrilli, a former winner herself, was singing her second Eurovision entry.

In each semi-final, only the countries participating in that semi-final were allowed to vote. The five countries already in the final (the Big 4 plus hosts Serbia) were each allowed to vote in one of the semi-finals. The points system remained as it had been for over 30 years, 1-8, then 10 and 12 to the ten most popular songs in each country.

About the songs:

Nico & Vlad	Romania - Nico & Vlad - Pe-o Margine De Lume (Romanian) Music/Lyrics: Andrei Tudor/Andreea Andrei, Adina Şuteu Having survived the plagiarism controversy when they won the Romanian final, Nico and Vlad took to the Belgrade stage with a rather dreary, lifeless and, at times, untidy ballad.
Andy Abraham	United Kingdom - Andy Abraham - Even If (English) Music/Lyrics: Andy Abraham, Andy Watkins, Paul Wilson/Andy Abraham, Andy Watkins, Paul Wilson It was clear from the moment Andy won the British selection that the United Kingdom was heading for the bottom of the scoreboard, again! Andy is an excellent singer and he more than did his bit, but the funk/pop song just wasn’t even close to being good enough.
Olta Boka	Albania - Olta Boka - Zemrën E Lamë Peng (Albanian) Music/Lyrics: Adrian Hila/Pandi Laço Albania’s first five entries had established it as a country to watch for songs of quality, even if they weren’t potential winners. Zemrën E Lamë Peng is a western style ballad sung in Albanian to give it a local flavour.
No Angels	Germany - No Angels - Disappear (English) Music/Lyrics: Remee, Hanne Sorvaag, Thomas Troelsen/Remee, Hanne Sorvaag, Thomas Troelsen At times, No Angels sounded like a gang of alley cats. They screeched their way through Disappear, a below average pop song that was always going to finish at the wrong end of the scoreboard.
Sirusho	Armenia - Sirusho - Qele, Qele (Armenian) Music/Lyrics: H A der -Hovagimian/Sirusho Despite a ropey performance in the semi-final, Sirusho, one of the big favourites going into the contest, made it into the final easily. The vocals in the final were much better and her very strong, up-tempo pop song deserved to do well.
Laka	Bosnia and Herzigovina - Laka - Pokušaj (Bosnian) Music/Lyrics: Elvir Lakovic Laka/Elvir Lakovic Laka Oh to be a fly on the wall in the Laka household while he was growing up! He was joined on stage by his equally mad sister, who hung out the washing while he sang. The song goes where it wants to and is an acquired taste.
Boaz	Israel - Boaz - The Fire In Your Eyes (Hebrew/English) Music/Lyrics: Dana International/Dana International, Shai Kerem The distinctive sound of Hebrew may lead to feelings of déjà-vu, but that should not take anything away from Boaz’s very strong vocal and strong, anthemic ballad.
Teräsbetoni	Finland - Teräsbetoni - Missä Miehet Ratsastaa (Finnish) Music/Lyrics: J. Ahola/J. Ahola Perhaps not wanting to fix something that wasn’t broken, the Finns stuck to the rock formula that had proved successful for them two years previously. It was good, but maybe a bit laboured to have mass appeal.
Kraljevi Ulice & 75 Cents	Croatia - Kraljevi Ulice & 75 Cents - Romanca (Croatian) Music/Lyrics: Niran Hadzi Veljkovic Niran/Hadzi Veljkovic Many feared that septuagenarian 75 Cents might not live to see the night of the contest. All fears were unfounded, and he lasted long enough to stroll around the stage like a grumpy grandparent, occasionally speaking during intervals in this Croatian café style song.
Isis Gee	Poland - Isis Gee - For Life (English) Music/Lyrics: Isis Gee/Isis Gee Isis was striking to look at, although not necessarily for the right reasons! Her performance of a gentle ballad was competent, although a little automatic. Poland making it into the final was, strangely, both surprising and not unexpected.
Euroband	Iceland - Euroband - This Is My Life (English) Music/Lyrics: Örlygur Smári/Paul Oscar, Peter Fenner Possibly the most perfect harmonising ever heard on the Eurovision stage! Euroband seemed a certainty to climb out of their semi-final with such a strong pop/disco track, although voters have turned against this type of song in recent years. It was an up-to-date taste of contests past, and the taste was sweet.
Mor ve Ötesi	Turkey - Mor ve Ötesi - Deli (Turkish) Music/Lyrics: Kerem Kabadayi, Burak Guven, Kerem, Özyegen, Harun Tekin/Kerem Kabadayi, Burak Guven, Kerem, Özyegen, Harun Tekin Deli is a solid rock song with a spark of individualism about it. Their performance got the audience to their feet as they continued the lively start to the show.
Vânia Fernandes	Portugal - Vânia Fernandes - Senhora Do Mar (Negras Águas) (Portuguese) Music/Lyrics: Andrej Babic/Carlos Coelho When the Portuguese do a good ballad, they do it very well. It’s not quite Fado, more’s the pity, but it is a welcome return to the Portuguese sound after a few attempts at trying to sound less traditional.
Pirates of the Sea	Latvia - Pirates of the Sea - Wolves of the Sea (English) Music/Lyrics: Jonas Liberg, Johan Sahlen, Claes Andreasson, Torbjorn Wassenius/Jonas Liberg, Johan Sahlen, Claes Andreasson, Torbjorn Wassenius It was time for the children’s party when the Latvians bounded on to the stage. It was highly entertaining, but a daft way of trying to win the votes of adults.
Charlotte Perrelli 2008	Sweden - Charlotte Perrelli - Hero (English) Music/Lyrics: Fredrik Kempe, Bobby Ljunggren/ Fredrik Kempe, Bobby Ljunggren Charlotte was expected to qualify for the final and she did…. just! It is the kind of Swedish schlager that the fans love, but can be a bit hit or miss with the public at large.
Simon Mathew	Denmark - Simon Mathew - All Night Long (English) Music/Lyrics: Jacob Launbjerg, Svend Gudiksen, Nis Ogvad/Jacob Launbjerg, Svend Gudiksen, Nis Ogvad While the melody and the arrangement aren’t obviously in that direction, Simon’s voice lends All Night Long a jazz feel. Looking a bit like a reject from a Hovis advert, his performance was strong and very confident.
Diana Gurtskaya	Georgia - Diana Gurtskaya - Peace Will Come (English) Music/Lyrics: Kim Breitburg, Karen Kavaleryan/Kim Breitburg, Karen Kavaleryan It seems Political Correctness has reached Eastern Europe. Georgia selected a blind singer with a song about desiring world peace. If this was a tactic, it failed, although it finished higher than it should in both the semi-final and the final.
Ani Lorak	Ukraine - Ani Lorak - Shady Lady (English) Music/Lyrics: Philip Kirkorov/Karen Kavaleryan Ani gave a supremely confident performance of this near perfect pop song. It was always going to be a contender and so it proved, winning the second semi-final and finishing second in the main event.
Sébastien Tellier	France - Sébastien Tellier - Divine (English) Music/Lyrics: Sébastien Tellier/Sébastien Tellier, Amandine de la Richardière Divine caused a bit of a storm in France as it became the first French entry to be completely in English without a word of French. Its style is 1980’s synth pop, but one look at the backing singers would make you forget all that. They were dressed identically to Sébastien, even to the extent of sporting long wigs and beards - yes, even the girls!
Elnur & Samir	Azerbaijan - Elnur & Samir - Day After Day (English) Music/Lyrics: Govher Hasanzadeh/Zahra Badalbeyli Azerbaijan debuted with something out of the Rocky Horror Show. There is more drama and over the top acting than a Christmas episode of Eastenders, and more shouting too.
Kalomira	Greece - Kalomira - Secret Combination (English) Music/Lyrics: Konstantinos Pantzis/Poseidon Yannopoulos The modern Greek pop sound was starting to become predictable as it was very much the style of most Greek entries at that time. Kalomira’s version is no more than acceptable.
Rodolfo Chikilicuatre	Spain - Rodolfo Chikilicuatre - Baila El Chiki Chiki (Spanish) Music/Lyrics: Rodolfo Chikilicuatre/Rodolfo Chikilicuatre Of all the novelty songs in the 2008 contest, this is arguably the best. A hit on-line in the first part of the Spanish selection process, it is easy to sing along with despite being in Spanish, and the Rodolfo character is amusing.
Jelena Tomašević	Serbia - Jelena Tomašević feat. Bora Dugic - Oro (Serbian) Music/Lyrics: Zeljko Joksimovic/Dejan Ivanovic The hosts made a strong case for winning again with a classically Serbian ballad. There could have been more lyrics rather than the use of nuna-nej, but that doesn’t detract from Oro’s overall beauty.
Dima Bilan 2008	Russia - Dima Bilan - Believe (English) Music/Lyrics: Dima Bilan, Jim Beanz/Dima Bilan, Jim Beanz Dima’s second entry was favourite with the bookies almost from the start. Like his first effort, Believe is very contemporary pop’ like his first effort, the presentation was much too gimmicky!
Maria	Norway - Maria - Hold On Be Strong (English) Music/Lyrics: Mira Craig/Mira Craig Maria was one of the favourites, but after nine of the qualifiers had been announced ‘at random’ at the end of the semi-final, there was no sign of Norway. Cheers all round then, when the last computerised envelope said Norway, and Maria’s ballad about waiting for ‘the one’ rightly made it to the final.

2008 - 2nd Semi-Final

Basic information

Date:

22 May 2008

Contest type:

Grand Final

Venue:

Belgrade Arena, Belgrade, Serbia

Broadcaster:

RTS

Other shows this year:

2008 Final

About the contest:

Austria kept its promise of withdrawing from the contest, but debuts by Azerbaijan and San Marino boosted the number of countries to a new record 43.

In addition to Dima Bilan, Sweden’s Charlotte Perrilli, a former winner herself, was singing her second Eurovision entry.

About the songs:

Euroband	Iceland - Euroband - This Is My Life (English) Music/Lyrics: Örlygur Smári/Paul Oscar, Peter Fenner Possibly the most perfect harmonising ever heard on the Eurovision stage! Euroband seemed a certainty to climb out of their semi-final with such a strong pop/disco track, although voters have turned against this type of song in recent years. It was an up-to-date taste of contests past, and the taste was sweet.
Charlotte Perrelli	Sweden - Charlotte Perrelli - Hero (English) Music/Lyrics: Fredrik Kempe, Bobby Ljunggren/ Fredrik Kempe, Bobby Ljunggren Charlotte was expected to qualify for the final and she did…just! It is the kind of Swedish schlager that the fans love, but can be a bit hit or miss with the public at large.
Mor ve Ötesi	Turkey - Mor ve Ötesi - Deli (Turkish) Music/Lyrics: Kerem Kabadayi, Burak Guven, Kerem, Özyegen, Harun Tekin/Kerem Kabadayi, Burak Guven, Kerem, Özyegen, Harun Tekin Deli is a solid rock song with a spark of individualism about it. Their performance got the audience to their feet as they continued the lively start to the show.
Ani Lorak	Ukraine - Ani Lorak - Shady Lady (English) Music/Lyrics: Philip Kirkorov/Karen Kavaleryan Ani gave a supremely confident performance of this near perfect pop song. It was always going to be a contender and so it proved, winning the second semi-final and finishing second in the main event.
Jeronimas Milius	Lithuania - Jeronimas Milius - Nomads In The Night (English) Music/Lyrics: Vytautas Diskevicius/Jeronimas Milius The fortnight of rehearsals had clearly taken their toll on Jeronimas’ voice. He was one of the best singers of all those competing but didn’t have the opportunity to show it due to the strain his vocal chords were under. This was a real pity as his ballad is superb, but needed the big notes to be hit.
Olta Boka	Albania - Olta Boka - Zemrën E Lamë Peng (Albanian) Music/Lyrics: Adrian Hila/Pandi Laço Albania’s first five entries had established it as a country to watch for songs of quality, even if they weren’t potential winners. Zemrën E Lamë Peng is a western style ballad sung in Albanian to give it a local flavour.
Paolo Meneguzzi	Switzerland - Paolo Meneguzzi - Era Stupendo (Italian) Music/Lyrics: Vincenzo Incenzo, Paolo Meneguzzi/Vincenzo Incenzo, Paolo Meneguzzi Paolo was already an established singer, having been in Italy’s Sanremo festival five times (including in 2008) prior to singing for his native country in Eurovision. Many expected his Italian style ballad to do well, but it couldn’t escape the semi-final.
Tereza Kerndlová	Czech Republic - Tereza Kerndlová - Have Some Fun (English) Music/Lyrics: Stano Simor/Gordon Pogoda Finishing last on its debut the year before with a rock song sung by a bunch of hairy, growling rockers, the Czech Republic went the other way and entered a pop song sung by a pretty girl. The tactic might have worked had the song not been lightweight and Tereza’s performance not been like a bad karaoke singer.
Ruslan Alehno	Belarus - Ruslan Alehno - Hasta la Vista (English) Music/Lyrics: Taras Demchuk/Eleonora Melnik After it had won the Belarusian final, Hasta la Vista was given something of a makeover and was transformed from a pop to a soft rock song. It’s a strong effort and was highly thought of prior to rehearsals starting.
Pirates of the Sea	Latvia - Pirates of the Sea - Wolves of the Sea (English) Music/Lyrics: Jonas Liberg, Johan Sahlen, Claes Andreasson, Torbjorn Wassenius/Jonas Liberg, Johan Sahlen, Claes Andreasson, Torbjorn Wassenius It was time for the children’s party when the Latvians bounded on to the stage. It was highly entertaining, but a daft way of trying to win the votes of adults.
Kraljevi Ulice & 75 Cents	Croatia - Kraljevi Ulice & 75 Cents - Romanca (Croatian) Music/Lyrics: Niran Hadzi Veljkovic Niran/Hadzi Veljkovic Many feared that septuagenarian 75 Cents might not live to see the night of the contest. All fears were unfounded, and he lasted long enough to stroll around the stage like a grumpy grandparent, occasionally speaking during intervals in this Croatian café style song.
Deep Zone & Balthazar	Bulgaria - Deep Zone & Balthazar - DJ, Take Me Away (English) Music/Lyrics: Dian Savov/Dian Savov Take Me Away starts in hip-hop mode but moves into reggae territory when the vocal starts. The lyrics are repeated several times and wouldn’t have taken very long to learn. All in all, it’s messy and a waste of time.
Simon Mathew	Denmark - Simon Mathew - All Night Long (English) Music/Lyrics: Jacob Launbjerg, Svend Gudiksen, Nis Ogvad/Jacob Launbjerg, Svend Gudiksen, Nis Ogvad While the melody and the arrangement aren’t obviously in that direction, Simon’s voice lends All Night Long a jazz feel. Looking a bit like a reject from a Hovis advert, his performance was strong and very confident.
Diana Gurtskaya	Georgia - Diana Gurtskaya - Peace Will Come (English) Music/Lyrics: Kim Breitburg, Karen Kavaleryan/Kim Breitburg, Karen Kavaleryan It seems Political Correctness has reached Eastern Europe. Georgia selected a blind singer with a song about desiring world peace. If this was a tactic, it failed, although it finished higher than it should in both the semi-final and the final.
Csézy	Hungary - Csézy - Candlelight (English) Music/Lyrics: Viktor Rakonczai/Imre Mozsik For the fourth year running, one of the best songs overall finished last in the semi-final. Csézy’s piano based ballad is abundant with class and sophistication.
Morena	Malta - Morena - Vodka (English) Music/Lyrics: Philip Vella, Gerard James Borg/Philip Vella, Gerard James Borg The fast, impactful pace at the start drops slightly for the vocal, but picks up again for the chorus. It’s slightly untidy, but quite enjoyable.
Evdokia Kadi	Cyprus - Evdokia Kadi - Femme Fatale (Greek) Music/Lyrics: Nikos Evaggelou/Nikos Evaggelou Imagine what you might hear at a Greek wedding, or a restaurant high in the hills of rural Cyprus, and you can imagine Femme Fatale. If it is memorable in any way, it’s for the wrong reasons.
Tamara, Vrčak & Adrijan	Macedonia - Tamara, Vrčak & Adrijan - Let Me Love You (English) Music/Lyrics: Rade Vrčakovski/Rade Vrčakovski The presentation was mercifully less flamboyant than it could have been. A mixture of hip-hop, pop and R ‘n’ B, it is maybe trying too hard to sound modern. The result is unimpressive, but it wasn’t too far from qualifying.
Vânia Fernandes	Portugal - Vânia Fernandes - Senhora Do Mar (Negras Águas) (Portuguese) Music/Lyrics: Andrej Babic/Carlos Coelho When the Portuguese do a good ballad, they do it very well. It’s not quite Fado, more’s the pity, but it is a welcome return to the Portuguese sound after a few attempts at trying to sound less traditional.

Eldrine to wave Georgian flag in Düsseldorf

Posted 19 February, 2011 - 18:15 by Serkan Uluçay

The Georgian national final was held tonight in Tblisi which decided the lucky act to be perform at the Eurovision Song Contest in Düsseldorf in this May. Eldrine won the battle with the song, One More Day, in competition with with 7 other acts.

Georgian final: Get to Know the Participants

Posted 18 February, 2011 - 16:59 by Serkan Uluçay

Georgian National broadcaster 1TV Georgia announced that they will be choosing their representative for the Eurovision Song Contest in Düsseldorf tomorrow. Eight participiants will battle it out against each other for the honour of representing their country. Let's take a closer look at the participants.

2007 Final

Basic information

Date:

12 May 2007

Contest type:

Grand Final

Venue:

Hartwall Arena - Helsinki, Finland

Broadcaster:

YLE

Presenter(s):

Jaana Pelkonen & Mikko Leppilampi

Other shows this year:

2007 Semi-Final

About the contest:

Serbia had only been an independent country for less than a year when it won the contest. Opinion is divided as to whether it is the first Serbian entry or not. One side of the argument says that as it had previously been known as Serbia and Montenegro, it wasn’t Serbia’s first entry. The other side of the debate is that as Montenegro was part of the deal, Serbia was, in effect, a new country and so it did win the contest at the first attempt.

This was to be the last contest to have just one semi-final. Under this format, the top 10 countries from the previous year’s contest and the ‘Big 4’ automatically qualified for the final. From 2008, only the ‘Big 4’ and the host country would automatically qualify for the final.

As usual, controversy played a part in the build up to the contest. The lyrics of the Israeli song were considered by many to be political and an attack on the leaders of Iran. However, the lyrics were allowed to go unchanged. Iceland’s Silvia Night got on everyone’s nerves in the days leading up to the contest at her rehearsals, press conferences and generally when she was going around the facilities. It may have just been an act (or it may not) as part of the Silvia Night persona, but her reward was to be booed at the end of her performance.

As always, there was a variety of songs and performance styles on show. While formal attire was the choice of some, viewers could also enjoy a drag act in the shape of Denmark’s DQ.

It seemed Austria was gone for good. National broadcaster, ORF, cited recent bad results linked to neighbourly voting as the reason for its absence. Various sources within ORF were quoted as saying "The Song Contest is clearly a sign of the complicated nature of a united Europe. We've already seen in 2007 that it's not the quality of the song, but the country of origin that determines the decision," and “As long as the the Song Contest is a political parade ground and not an international entertainment programme, ORF has no desire to send more talent out of Austria to a competition where they have no chances. Should the situation change, we'll be happy to take part again."

While Austria left the scene, it seems with regret, others were keen to join the crowd. The 2007 contest saw debuts from Georgia and the Czech Republic, who participated with differing results.

Trivia:

One of the ‘advances’ in technology in recent years has been High Definition. The BBC and Sweden’s SVT became the first broadcaster to give viewers to watch the contest in that format. Did anyone notice?

About the songs:

Marija Sestic	Bosnia and Herzigovina - Marija Sestic - Rijeka Bez Imena (Bosnian) Music/Lyrics: Aleksandra Milutinovic, Goran Kovačic/Aleksandra Milutinovic, Goran Kovačic The Bosnian song is a gentle ballad of the type that the former Yugoslav republics seem to pull off with ease. Sensibly, the presentation was kept simple.
NASH	Spain - NASH - I Love You Mi Vida (Spanish) Music/Lyrics: Antonio Sanchez-Ohlsson, Rebeca Pous del Toro, Thomas G:Son/Antonio Sanchez-Ohlsson, Rebeca Pous del Toro, Thomas G:Son This is typical boy-band throwaway pop lifted only slightly by small touches of Flamenco guitar and the decision to sing in Spanish.
Dmitry Koldun	Belarus - Dmitry Koldun - Work Your Magic (English) Music/Lyrics: Phillip Kirkorov/Karen Kavaleryan Images of James Bond abound as the intro starts. The rock ballad carries punch and is memorable, but the magicians set used in the staging was unnecessary.
Dervish	Ireland - Dervish - They Can't Stop The Spring (English) Music/Lyrics: John Waters, Tommy Moran/John Waters, Tommy Moran Popular and experienced folk band, Dervish, was chosen by RTE in an attempt to reverse the recent bad luck of the Irish. The title was borrowed from the Hungarian Revolution. The lilting flute gives the song its atmosphere, but a bit more tempo was needed to make the song appeal more widely.
Hanna Pakarinen	Finland - Hanna Pakarinen - Leave Me Alone (English) Music/Lyrics: Martii Vuorinen, Miika Pakarinen/Martii Vuorinen, Hanna Pakarinen Sticking with the genre which brought them success the previous year, Finland entered another rock song. That said, this is a more tuned down version of the style, and Hanna didn’t need to wear a mask.
Karolina	Macedonia - Karolina - Mojot Svet (Macedonian) Music/Lyrics: Grigor Koprov/Ognen Nedelkovski Karolina put her heart and soul into her performance. In doing so, she added more weight to a song already heavy in quality. Her second Eurovision song, it’s full of power and drama.
Alenka Gotar	Slovenia - Alenka Gotar - Cvet Z Juga (Slovenia) Music/Lyrics: Andrej Babic/Andrej Babic Pop meets opera in a joyous mix that lifts the heart. It is a meeting that, on some levels at least, shouldn’t work, but somehow rarely goes wrong.
Magdi Rúzsa	Hungary - Magdi Rúzsa - Unsubstantial Blues (English) Music/Lyrics: Magdi Rúzsa/Imre Mozsik Not many expected Magdi to reach the final, never mind qualify with such ease. It’s definitely Blues and it is good to see traditional styles of music can still mix it with the hip young things!
4Fun	Lithuania - 4Fun - Love Or Leave (English) Music/Lyrics: Julija Ritcik/Julija Ritcik The staging was absolutely right. Lead singer, Julija, sat in front of a screen, behind which the rest of the band were seen in large silhouette. The song needs a few listens to be fully appreciated, but stay with it and you will be handsomely rewarded. Love Or Leave is a gentle, sensitive and atmospheric ballad given its feel by the acoustic guitar. Sublime!
Sarbel	Greece - Sarbel - Yassou Maria (Greek) Music/Lyrics: Marcus Englöf, Alex Papakonstantinou/Mack There was much pouting and posing from Sarbel. His song is a straightforward twist, but as always, there is a Greek element to it. All in all, it is a bit within the ordinary.
Sopho	Georgia - Sopho - My Story (English) Music/Lyrics: Beqa Japaridzé/Bibi Kvachadze Georgia’s debut sounds like an offering to the Gods set to a jolly beat. The pace ebbs and flows as the vocal flits between the peaceful and making sure the Gods heard the message.
The Ark	Sweden - The Ark - The Worrying Kind (English) Music/Lyrics: The Ark/The Ark Glam rock comes to Eurovision! The Worrying Kind could very easily have been a hit for Mark Bolan and was highly enjoyable.
Les Fatals Picards	France - Les Fatals Picards - L'amour à La Française (French/English) Music/Lyrics: Ivan Callot, Laurent Honel, Jean-Marc Sauvagnargues, Yves Giraud, Paul Léger/Ivan Callot, Laurent Honel, Jean-Marc Sauvagnargues It is hard to decide whether this is a serious or novelty song. The verse is quiet and reflective, but the chorus is manic.
Bonaparti.lv	Latvia - Bonaparti.lv - Questa Notte (Italian) Music/Lyrics: Kjells Jenstigs/Kjells Jenstigs Looking very dapper (at least, their top halves did) the multi-national vocal group brought a bit of class to proceedings. Their semi operatic ballad built to a powerful crescendo to leave a lasting and clear impression.
Serebro	Russia - Serebro - Song #1 (English) Music/Lyrics: Maxim Fadeev/Daniil Babitchev The lyrics are rather risqué in places but the tone is defintaely pop in attitude. It takes girl power to a different level.
Roger Cicero	Germany - Roger Cicero - Frauen Regieren Die Welt (German) Music/Lyrics: Matthias Hass/Frank Ramond When they aren’t big-ballading or inane Euro-popping, the Germans are capable of providing something unusual. It happened here with Roger’s swing number of 1950’s America.
Marija Šerifović	Serbia - Marija Šerifović - Molitva (Serbian) Music/Lyrics: Vladimir Graic, Sasa Milosevic Mare/Vladimir Graic, Sasa Milosevic Mare Looking like she was on her way to a business meeting, Marija won both the semi-final and the final easily. Molitva is the type of Balkan ballad that has been heard before but is never a chore to hear again and again and again………..
Verka Serduchka	Ukraine - Verka Serduchka - Dancing Lasha Tumbai (Russian/German/English) Music/Lyrics: Andrei Danilko/Andrei Danilko Verka looked like the 1970’s incarnation of Elton John, but on a bad day. It is a song that divides opinion, being seen as a harmless bit of fun and nonsense, or simply nonsense and nothing more than irritating. Just listened to, it’s probably the latter, but if heard while also watching the performance too, it edges towards the former.
Scooch	United Kingdom - Scooch - Flying The Flag (For You) (English) Music/Lyrics: Russ Spencer, Morten Schjolin, Andrew Hill, Paul Tarry/Russ Spencer, Morten Schjolin, Andrew Hill, Paul Tarry What were the British public thinking when they choose this? It would be good for nothing more than a children’s party, the problem is that there is more innuendo than The Benny Hill Show, with none of the subtlety or amusement.
Todomondo	Romania - Todomondo - Liubi, Liubi, I Love You (French/English/Italian/Romania/Russian/Spanish) Music/Lyrics: Marian Bogdan Tascău/Marian Bogdan Tascău, Vlad Cretu, Ghedi Kamara The Romanian song is odd but memorable, for all the wrong reasons. It is quite Romanian, having more than a bit of Romany about the music and melodic style. These traditions were evident in the presentation.
Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankulov	Bulgaria - Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankulov - Water (Bulgarian) Music/Lyrics: Elitsa Todorova, Stoyan Yankulov/Elitsa Todorova After a disappointing first two years competing in the contest, the Bulgarians came back very strongly to make it third time lucky reaching the final. Elitsa and Stoyans’s chant has a very strong, yet not intrusive production which holds the song together.
Kenan Dogulu	Turkey - Kenan Dogulu - Shake It Up Shekerim (English) Music/Lyrics: Kenan Dogulu/Kenan Dogulu How did this qualify for the final at all, never mind so easily? It may be contemporary and trendy, but it just sounds silly.
Haykpo	Armenia - Hayko - Anytime You Need (English) Music/Lyrics: Hayko, Karen Kavaleryan/Hayko, Karen Kavaleryan For their second entry, the Armenians went down the ballad route. It’s a very good one that Hayko did full justice to. The ‘tree’ prop could have been left out, but fortunately, it didn’t serve as a distraction.
Natalia Barbu	Moldova - Natalia Barbu - Fight (English) Music/Lyrics: Alexandru Brasoveanu/Elena Buga Natalia squeezed into the final by a very small margin. Her rock song was aggressive in nature and performance.

2007 Semi-Final

Basic information

Date:

12 April 2007

Venue:

Hartwall Arena, Helsinki, Finland

Broadcaster:

YLE

Presenter(s):

Jaana Pelkonen & Mikko Leppilampi

Other shows this year:

2007 Final

About the contest:

As always, there was a variety of songs and performance styles on show. While formal attire was the choice of some, viewers could also enjoy a drag act in the shape of Denmark’s DQ.

While Austria left the scene, it seems with regret, others were keen to join the crowd. The 2007 contest saw debuts from Georgia and the Czech Republic, who participated with differing results.

Trivia:

About the songs:

Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankulov	Bulgaria - Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankulov - Water (Bulgarian) Music/Lyrics: Elitsa Todorova, Stoyan Yankulov/Elitsa Todorova After a disappointing first two years competing in the contest, the Bulgarians came back very strongly to make it third time lucky reaching the final. Elitsa and Stoyans’s chant has a very strong, yet not intrusive production which holds the song together
Teapacks	Israel - Teapacks - Push The Button (Hebrew/English/French) Music/Lyrics: Kobi Oz/Kobi Oz When one of the band members struts around the stage with a mock serious face and a pipe (the type used for smoking, not playing or connecting the plumbing!), you know life isn’t going to be taken too seriously. Teapacks faced criticism for the political nature of their lyrics, but the fun and comedy element of the song helped them get away with it.
Evridiki	Cyprus - Evridiki - Comme Ci, Comme Ça (French) Music/Lyrics: Dimitris Korgialas/Posidona Yiannopoulos Taking advantage of the free language rule, the lyrics are entirely in French. Evridiki’s two previous efforts in the contest had been dramatic ethnic Greek songs. This is a Euro disco stomper!
Dmitry Koldun	Belarus - Dmitry Koldun - Work Your Magic (English) Music/Lyrics: Phillip Kirkorov/Karen Kavaleryan Images of James Bond abound as the intro starts. The rock ballad carries punch and is memorable, but the magicians set used in the staging was unnecessary.
Eiríkur Hauksson	Iceland - Eiríkur Hauksson - Valentine Lost (English) Music/Lyrics: Eiríkur Hauksson/Peter Fenner What went wrong? Did the over enthusiastic antics of his band put people off? Valentine Lost is a fantastic and powerful rock ballad. There are some good individual lines in the lyrics, but the phrases don’t fit together to form a coherent theme.
Sopho	Georgia - Sopho - My Story (English) Music/Lyrics: Beqa Japaridzé/Bibi Kvachadze Georgia’s debut sounds like an offering to the Gods set to a jolly beat. The pace ebbs and flows as the vocal flits between the peaceful and making sure the Gods heard the message.
Stevan Faddy	Montenegro - Stevan Faddy - Ajde Kroci (Montenegrin) Music/Lyrics: Slaven Knezovic/Milan-Minjo Peric Montenegro’s first solo effort as an independent state is quite lame. It’s rock in style but lacks anything to lift it above the other songs of that type in the contest.
DJ BoBo	Switzerland - DJ BoBo - Vampires Are Alive (English) Music/Lyrics: Rene Baumann/Axel Breitung This was an opportunity lost for Switzerland! Those in the know and the bookmakers were picking this to win but it didn’t even reach the final. The basics were in place; the music set the scene and the lyrics told the story. All that was needed was the right staging, and this is where it went wrong. The required flamboyance and costumes were missing, leaving a feeling similar to being stood up on a date.
Natalia Barbu	Moldova - Natalia Barbu - Fight (English) Music/Lyrics: Alexandru Brasoveanu/Elena Buga Natalia squeezed into the final by a very small margin. Her rock song was aggressive in nature and performance.
Edsilia Rombley	The Netherlands - Edsilia Rombley - On Top Of The World (English) Music/Lyrics: Tjeerd Oosterhuis, Martin Gijzemijter/Tjeerd Oosterhuis, Martin Gijzemijter, Maarten Ten Hove One of the fan favourites to qualify for the final, Edsilia followed up her fourth place in Birmingham in 1998 with another well performed, well written pop tune, which was given a soul feel by Edsilia’s voice. A place in the final should have been hers.
Frederik Ndoci	Albania - Aida & Frederik Ndoci - Hear My Plea (Albanian) Music/Lyrics: Ardian Hila/Pandi Laco Frederik’s plea was nothing if not heartfelt. Albanian rhythms mixed with his emotional voice to serve up a passionate, although slightly overblown song.
DQ	Denmark - DQ - Drama Queen (English) Music/Lyrics: Peter Andersen, Simon Munk/Peter Andersen, Claus Christensen DQ was a surprise winner of the Danish selection given that he only qualified for the Danish final after a ‘contest of the losers’ second chance round. Drama Queen is uplifting and very foot-tappable, but is of the style that no longer scores stacks of points.
Dado Topic	Croatia - Dragonfly feat. Dado Topic - Vjerujem U Ljubav (Croatian) Music/Lyrics: Dado Topic/Dado Topic Go into a smoke-filled cabaret club in Zagreb and chances are you will hear this type of jazz/blues song.
The Jet Set	Poland - The Jet Set - Time To Party (English) Music/Lyrics: Mateusz Krezan/Kamil Varen, David Junior Serame Time To Party is an odd mix of r’n’b and soul, slipping between the two styles very suddenly and unexpectedly. The r’n b vocal has the full of attitude delivery which turns off all but the teenagers.
Marija Šerifović	Serbia - Marija Šerifović - Molitva (Serbian) Music/Lyrics: Vladimir Graic, Sasa Milosevic Mare/Vladimir Graic, Sasa Milosevic Mare Looking like she was on her way to a business meeting, Marija won both the semi-final and the final easily. Molitva is the type of Balkan ballad that has been heard before but is never a chore to hear again and again and again………..
Kabát	Czech Republic - Kabát - Malá Dáma (Czech) Music/Lyrics: Kabát/Kabát The Czech Republic got off to a rather inauspicious start result wise, but results can be deceiving. Malá Dáma is a quality rock song which the lead singer growls through.
Sabrina	Portugal - Sabrina - Dança Comigo (vem Ser Feliz) (Portuguese) Music/Lyrics: Emanuel, Tó Maria Vinhas/Emanuel, Tó Maria Vinhas Relax, lie back in the sun with a cocktail, put on the headphones and listen to the calming Dança Comigo, and all in the world will be all right.
Karolina	Macedonia - Karolina - Mojot Svet (Macedonian) Music/Lyrics: Grigor Koprov/Ognen Nedelkovski Karolina put her heart and soul into her performance. In doing so, she added more weight to a song already heavy in quality. Her second Eurovision song, it’s full of power and drama.
Guri Schanke	Norway - Guri Schanke - Ven A Bailar Conmigo (Norwegian) Music/Lyrics: Thomas G:Son/Thomas G:Son Norway went for a cheeky ditty with a carnival atmosphere. It’s light and easy on the ear and did deserve a place in the final. However, it is similar in style to the Portuguese song, which had been heard just a few minutes previously, and this was possibly a factor
Olivia Lewis	Malta - Olivia Lewis - Vertigo (English) Music/Lyrics: Philip Vella, Gerald James Borg/Philip Vella, Gerald James Borg The lively beginning is maintained to create three minutes of continuous, flowing music which is a joy to listen to. Many expected Olivia to be in the final and she deserved to be, but she ended up a long way from it.
Anonymous	Andorra - Anonymous - Salvem El Món (Catalan) Music/Lyrics: Anonymous/Anonymous If Busted were Andorran, they would have been this band. Salvem El Món is schoolboy rock in that mould, but not as good.
Magdi Rúzsa	Hungary - Magdi Rúzsa - Unsubstantial Blues (English) Music/Lyrics: Magdi Rúzsa/Imre Mozsik Not many expected Magdi to reach the final, never mind qualify with such ease. It’s definitely Blues and it is good to see traditional styles of music can still mix it with the hip young things!
Gerli Padar	Estonia - Gerli Padar - Partners In Crime (English) Music/Lyrics: Hendrik Sal-Saller, Berit Veiber/Hendrik Sal-Saller, Berit Veiber The sister of 2001 winner, Tanal Padar, Gerli went for the family double with an, at times, intense pop song with a strong beat. She didn’t come close to achieving the highs of her brother, failing to escape the semi-final.
The KMG's	Belgium - The KMG's - Love Power (English) Music/Lyrics: Paul Curtiz/Paul Curtiz, Wakas Ashiq While Love Power is a credible effort musically with its soul/funk influences, what counts in a contest is how broad the appeal is. In this case, it would never have been broad enough. That said, it will age better than most.
Alenka Gotar	Slovenia - Alenka Gotar - Cvet Z Juga (Slovenia) Music/Lyrics: Andrej Babic/Andrej Babic Pop meets opera in a joyous mix that lifts the heart. It is a meeting that, on some levels at least, shouldn’t work, but somehow rarely goes wrong.
Kenan Dogulu	Turkey - Kenan Dogulu - Shake It Up Shekerim (English) Music/Lyrics: Kenan Dogulu/Kenan Dogulu How did this qualify for the final at all, never mind so easily? It may be contemporary and trendy, but it just sounds silly.
Eric Papilaya	Austria - Eric Papilaya - Get A Life - Get Alive (English) Music/Lyrics: Greg Usek/Austin Howard Many thought this would be Austria’s last entry, as national broadcaster, ORF, showed no interest to enter again. Something changed within the company, and Austria returned four years later in 2011. It has a positive message to a rock soundtrack.
Bonaparti.lv	Latvia - Bonaparti.lv - Questa Notte (Italian) Music/Lyrics: Kjells Jenstigs/Kjells Jenstigs Looking very dapper (at least, their top halves did) the multi-national vocal group brought a bit of class to proceedings. Their semi operatic ballad built to a powerful crescendo to leave a lasting and clear impression.

Interview: Mariam Kakhelishvili (Georgia Junior Eurovision 2010)

Posted 18 October, 2010 - 20:14 by Ian Fowell

Mariam Kakhelishvili will represent Georgia at the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest in Minsk, Belarus on 20 November with the song, Mari-Dari. Mariam speaks to EuroVisionary here.