Eurovision 2011: The Best of the Rest (Part 1)

Like many Eurovision fans and fanatics (myself included), the period between the end of May and the beginning of December is often a melancholy bit of time while we wait for news on the next year's edition and constantly re-hash the events of the past.  For me, this is the perfect time to look back on the songs that didn't quite make it to Düsseldorf this year; some of these also-rans are just as entertaining or endearing as the tunes that made the journey to the main event.  Out of the forty-three nations that sent songs to Germany this year, thirty-four of them had national selections (and the rest, like France, Belarus, Turkey, et cetera, were internal selections made behind closed doors).  Needless to say, there's a lot of ground to cover!  So, starting alphabetically...

Albania: For me, the Albanian Preselection (or Festivali i Këngës) is one of the more underrated events of the Eurovision year.  It occurs early in the ESC cycle (generally falling around Boxing Day), and it tends to involve both young, fresh faces as well as veteran performers.  This year's FiK winner was Aurela Gaçe's "Kënga Ime", which eventually became the epic, aquiline "Feel the Passion".  However, in second place this year was the lovely duet "Ende ka shpresë (There is Still Hope)", written and performed by Alban Skenderaj and Miriam Cani.  

I don't know if this song would have been translated into English (as so many other Albanian entries have been over the past few years), but if it had, it could have possibly given Azerbaijan's Ell and Nikki a run for their money.  
 
(And, for the record, another personal favorite of mine was Kamela Islamaj's "Jetova per te dy (I Lived for Us)", which came in 10th place in the FiK.  While it might not have gone over as well in the ESC as "Ende ka shpresë", I absolutely love Kamela's soulful, bluesy, voice.)

Chatting with Poli Genova and crew

I met Poli and her posse back at the Euroclub a few nights back, so I already knew how awesome they are, but I'm loving the backup performers' costumes! 

New Videos/Versions for Bulgaria, Russia, Slovenia, Poland, and Belarus

Over the past few days, a number of official videos have been released for some of this year's entries (and we're still expecting ones from Israel, the UK, Armenia, Sweden, and Azerbaijan).  Plus, we've got new translations for a few entries!  Let's get right to it:

Starting off, Bulgaria's Poli Genova released the official clip for "Na Inat (For Spite)", and I must say that I'm really impressed!

This new video blends the anthemic pop-rock vibe of Poli's National Final performance with the universal message of "we can change the world together" that is all-so-prevalent in Eurovision.  Those who don't understand Bulgarian (like me, for example) will be able to hone into Poli's meaning pretty easily (if Miss Genova releasing a dove at the end doesn't hammer it home, you might need your head checked). 

It's Poli Genova for Bulgaria!

The next song and artist to enter the official 2011 Eurovision line-up comes from Bulgaria.  After a 19-song marathon of a National Final in Sofia, young Poli Genova took the title with her song "Na Inat (Stubborn)".



Poli is no stranger to competition; she was the runner-up for the Bulgarian National Selection back in 2009 with the song "One Lifetime is Not Enough", and she was also part of the group that represented Bulgaria in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest back in 2007.  They grow up so quickly, don't they?

Last year, Bulgaria failed to reach the Finals with local star Miro and his song "Angel Si Ti".  In fact, Bulgaria has only managed to reach the Finals once in their entire Eurovision history (2007's "Voda", which reached an impressive 5th place).  Do you think Poli will take "Na Inat" back to the heights that Elitsa and Stoyan took Bulgaria four contests ago?

ESC 2010 Reviews: Bulgaria

Who would have guessed that the hardest entry to write so far (and, therefore, my delay in putting this post out) would be Bulgaria, of all places?  It's not because I've got a massive wealth of information to choose from, like with my entries on Belgium or Bosnia & Herzegovina, that's for sure.  Bulgaria made its Eurovision debut in 2005, making this only the sixth entry for the country.  It's not that they've had a massive impact on the contest, for better or for worse.  They've only had one real positive "standout" entry, their 2007 percussion-heavy and techno-inspired song "Voda/Water", which took Bulgaria to their highest placing ever, a very impressive 5th place.  This was also the first time that the Bulgarian language was used on the ESC stage (which, as an unabashed language geek, makes me happy to see).

With the exception of "Voda", Bulgaria's entries over the past few years have left me somewhat cold, frankly.  Even this year's song, "Ангел си ти" ("Angel Si Ti"/"You're An Angel", performed by Bulgarian heartthrob Miro), which is a pleasant, yet generally standard uptempo Europop song, hangs around the middle of the pack.  It's not bad, by any stretch, but it's not earth-shattering, either.  I'll let you be the judge, of course!


Miro Angel si ti from Bulgoc on Vimeo.

It will be sung near the end of the particularly strong Second Semifinal, where it will have to fight with heavy hitters like Israel, Armenia, Turkey, Sweden, and Denmark for the right to make it to the finals.  It is slated to be performed immediately after Ireland and right before Cyprus, who will both be offering slower, more emotionally charged songs.  Will this help Miro stand out, or will he be like the little cup of sorbet served between two heavy courses in a banquet, doomed to be an afterthought compared to the rest the meal?  In this case, I really think that it will come down to the staging and presentation.  Miro's an established performer and well-known name in parts of Eastern Europe (not to mention easy on the eyes), so if he can make Oslo love him as much as Sofia does, he might be able to take Bulgaria into the finals for the first time since "Voda".  Or he might just be like audio cotton candy, with the sugary floss dissolving into nothingness.