As is customary in the days following Eurovision, many of the artists that we have come to know and love from their participation on the ESC stage realize that there is, in fact, life after the world's largest musical competition. (Granted, the same can't necessarily be said about the bloggers you have come to know and love, who still cling to every fiber of their time in the Press Center!). Whether an artist is a newcomer on the scene or a professional with an established career, it's only natural that new singles follow on the heels of the Grand Final.
Italy's representative Raphael Gualazzi released his album "Reality and Fantasy", and since its release in February it has reached #1 on the iTunes Jazz charts all over Europe. (It's also available on iTunes in the US, and I give it my personal ESCInsider seal of approval!) Raphael's keeping the momentum up releasing the follow-up single to "Follia d'Amore/Madness of Love", "A Three Second Breath".
We also have a pair of releases from Greece's artists. Rapper Stereo Mike is currently working on a radio edit for his song "Μπορώ/Mporo (I)". Taken from his new album "Ανέλιξη (Evolution)", Mike actually decided to release "Μπορώ" after asking his Facebook and Twitter followers what his next single should be. He's currently in the studio remixing the track, but here's the full album edit:
Not to be outdone, Loukas Yiorkas also has a new single out. Teaming up again with composer Giannis Christodoulopoulos and lyricist Eleana Vrachali (the pair behind "Watch My Dance"), Loukas has unveiled his next track, "Για Πρώτη Φορά/Gia Proti Fora (For the First Time)".
Sweden's bronze-medalist Eric Saade has released the follow up to "Popular", the highest-scoring Swedish Eurovision song since their 1999 victory. Eric will be releasing his new album, "Saade Vol. 1" at the end of June, but "Hearts in the Air" will actually be the album's third single, after "Still Loving It" and, of course, "Popular".
Romania's Hotel FM (led by British-born David Bryan) has released their next track, following "Change". I had the chance to hear a brief acapella version of "The Gathering" while I interviewed the guys back in Düsseldorf, so hearing the full arrangement was pretty cool. Judge for yourself:
Finally, Estonia's Getter Jaani has released a new duet with Koit Toome (a fellow ESC-alum, from 1998). "Valged Ööd (White Nights)" is a poppy summer song that seems to be a seamless continuation from "Rockefeller Street". Getter's only eighteen years old, and when she was appearing on Eesti otsib superstaari, she performed a pair of songs by Miley Cyrus, so this sort of upbeat pop seems to be just her thing.
Friday, June 3, 2011
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Its good to hear from you again! We haven't heard from you for nearly a month. How was the cruise? I am actually planning on going one in the Caribbean. Do you recomend? ^_^
ReplyDeleteI just love getter <3 I like her new song. You should post your thoughts on the jury/public split voting. The UK got seriously screwed by the juries... lol
Hey, Jack!
ReplyDeleteI needed a bit of time to decompress after the ESC, and the cruise I took was just what I needed! (I actually was getting sick from exhaustion by the end of it, so being able to disconnect from everything was more than appreciated.) The trip went from Israel to Paphos (Cyprus), Kusadasi (Turkey), and a few islands in Greece (Rhodes, Santorini, Mykonos, and Kos) before stopping in Athens. Absolutely fabulous time, but especially loved Rhodes (beautiful old walled city), Santorini (exactly what I pictured Greece to be like), and Kusadasi (where I got to practice my Turkish, much to the surprise of the locals!). Great to be back home in Minnesota, though. I missed my friends and my bamboo was in desperate need of watering. ;-) I've cruised through the Caribbean a few times (and my Mom's a travel agent, so I'm sure she's got her input, as well). I particularly like Celebrity and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, although Celebrity can be a bit more formal. If you have any more detailed questions, I can send you an email...or are you on Facebook? If you are a fan of the ESC Insider page, I can find you that way...
Anyway, I'm probably going to digest my thoughts on the jury/audience split soon and give my personal thoughts on the matter in a little while (although I'm sure it will open up a bit of a debate and discussion!). ;-)
I read - although I didn't trouble myself to confirm it - that Blue performed poorly in the dress rehearsal, which is what the juries voted on. If true, then the discrepancy in their score was not surprising.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed your cruise (I'm seething with jealousy AGAIN, just so you know) and I can just imagine the reaction to an American that speaks Turkish.
A sad but all too true joke I heard once - certainly true of me, though not for lack of trying:
If you speak two languages, you're bilingual.
If you speak three languages, you're trilingual.
If you only speak one language, you're an American.
For the last month I've been warring with various software to convert all three BBC broadcasts to American-format DVDs, so I can make everybody I know watch them. They're almost there. I'll be glad to send you a set if you email me at dslextreme.com, screen name narkspud.
By the way, did you get to talk to anybody from Cold Steel, the drumline from North Carolina A&T that performed at the first semifinal? (And that the dummies at the BBC didn't show?) I'm not sure they knew what they were performing for, since their website only had a small blurb saying "Cold Steel Drumline performs for a large audience in Germany."
Hey, Narkspud!
ReplyDeleteI was planning on touching on Blue's Jury Final performance in my piece, but you're pretty much spot-on, sad to say.
I actually didn't have the chance to get to know any of the Interval acts...they were kept pretty much under wraps, and they didn't stop by the Press Center. But yeah, like most Americans, it seems like the band didn't realize just how huge the event was.
I know about the drama with Semi 1's commentary, but how was Graham Norton this year? (I'll be sending you an email in a little while...)
Sure Sam, that would be great! You can email me at xAngel0Jackx@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you had a fab time. How did you learn turkish? Did you get a phrase book? ^_^
Well, to make a long story short, Jack, I started learning Turkish after hearing Mor ve Ötesi at ESC 2008! I loved "Deli", and was determined to learn more. So I got as much of their music as I could and started translating it. A few words of vocabulary started seeping in, and so I picked up a few phrasebooks...and eventually a textbook! I still have a long way to go to get to fluency, but I think that by the time I get to Azerbaijan, I should be able to be at least a bit conversational. (Azeri and Turkish are very closely related.)
ReplyDelete:-)