Romania: Romania's National Selection was an hours-long affair that also doubled as a New Year's Celebration, with 2010 representatives Paula Seling and Ovi co-managing hosting duties. Guest stars Chiara and Niamh Kavanagh even stopped by to join in the fun. At the end of the night, Hotel FM won the ticket to Germany with the peppy, optimistic "Change". (British-born lead singer David Bryan provided quite a bit of fun for my friends and I at the Press Center, whether he knew it or not...David, if you're reading this, thanks for being so good-natured about all of it!)
The Romanian National Selection was pretty even-keeled, in the sense that none of the songs really strayed too far from the melodic pop mold. Unfortunately, that means that it's somewhat difficult to point out a unique entry for the purposes of this blog! That being said, I consistently smile whenever I hear "It's So Fine", the 7th-place finisher from the Blaxy Girls:
...and I was more than a little amused by the country tinge I heard from Dalma in "Song for Him", which came in 11th place:
Showing posts with label Slovenia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Slovenia. Show all posts
Monday, October 3, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
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).
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).
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Maja Keuc's "No One" presented for Slovenia
After a nice, long, dramatic pause, Slovenia has finally revealed the English version of Maja Keuc's "Vanilija", entitled "No One". Maja unveiled the translation on the popular Slovenian program "Spet Doma".
Musically, there are few, if any, changes in the arrangement from "Vanilija" to "No One". Lyrically, however, there are some differences. While the original Slovene lyrics seem to have Maja dealing with her feelings of pain and jealousy over a straying lover, the English lyrics have more of an air of "I'm kicking your worthless ass to the curb, and you'll be sorry!" I'm happy to see quite a few songs with this sense of empowerment (similar themes come up in the songs from Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Norway, among others).
Between the Slovene and English versions of the song, I personally preferred the original text. There are a few errors in pronunciation in the new version that could definitely be smoothed out, but it's nothing too insurmountable. As I've mentioned before, I'm a language nut, so whenever a song as beautiful as "Vanilija" switches to English, it tends to lose a bit of luster in my eyes. But in general, "No One" holds up to its predecessor's standard, and as it's not being performed right before or after another ballad in the Second Semifinal, it definitely has a strong chance of bringing Slovenia to the Finals for the first time since 2007.
Musically, there are few, if any, changes in the arrangement from "Vanilija" to "No One". Lyrically, however, there are some differences. While the original Slovene lyrics seem to have Maja dealing with her feelings of pain and jealousy over a straying lover, the English lyrics have more of an air of "I'm kicking your worthless ass to the curb, and you'll be sorry!" I'm happy to see quite a few songs with this sense of empowerment (similar themes come up in the songs from Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Norway, among others).
Between the Slovene and English versions of the song, I personally preferred the original text. There are a few errors in pronunciation in the new version that could definitely be smoothed out, but it's nothing too insurmountable. As I've mentioned before, I'm a language nut, so whenever a song as beautiful as "Vanilija" switches to English, it tends to lose a bit of luster in my eyes. But in general, "No One" holds up to its predecessor's standard, and as it's not being performed right before or after another ballad in the Second Semifinal, it definitely has a strong chance of bringing Slovenia to the Finals for the first time since 2007.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Maja Keuc - "Vanilija" for Slovenia
I had the pleasure of watching Slovenia's preselection show yesterday (again, thank you to www.eurovision.tv for providing live links and on-demand replays to so many of the National Finals!), and, to tell you the truth, my expectations were somewhat low. The Slovenes, while known for their beautiful mountains and the stunning Lake Bled, aren't quite as renowned for their Eurovision selections. They used to make a fair bit of impact on the scoreboard, but they haven't cracked the Top Ten in a decade, and they've only made it to the Finals once since the Semifinals were established. Their song last year, the clumsily-titled "Narodnozabavni Rock", was one of my least favorite songs in Oslo. I grit my teeth and braced myself for a repeat of last year's EMA winner, a glass of wine and a pint of ice cream at my side, ready to console me if needed.
I am thrilled to say that my expectations were not only surpassed, but absolutely shattered! (Granted, I needed the wine and ice cream later that evening to get through the Macedonian selection, but that's a story for another time.) Ljubljana really stepped up its game, and gave a great variety of ballads, pop, rock, and comedy, many of which could have been successful Eurovision entries. In the end, it came down to two superfinalists: the Lady Gaga-inspired April with "Ladadidej" and the eventual winner, Maja Keuc's power ballad "Vanilija (Vanilla)".
This might be not only the best Slovenian submission in recent memory (beating even 2007's epic "Cvet z Juga"), but, in my eyes, it's the best of 2011's ballads so far. Maja's voice brings just enough of an R&B influence to keep the song fresh and modern, and the arrangement is very dramatic, which I personally like. Supposedly, Maja and her team are planning to perform "Vanilija" in English in Düsseldorf, which I'm somewhat wary of. If he translation is good and her English sounds fluent enough, it could work well...otherwise, we might be in for a bit of a letdown. But this song has the potential to make people sit up and take notice, especially after a few listens.
Slovenia, as far as I'm concerned, you've more than redeemed yourself.
I am thrilled to say that my expectations were not only surpassed, but absolutely shattered! (Granted, I needed the wine and ice cream later that evening to get through the Macedonian selection, but that's a story for another time.) Ljubljana really stepped up its game, and gave a great variety of ballads, pop, rock, and comedy, many of which could have been successful Eurovision entries. In the end, it came down to two superfinalists: the Lady Gaga-inspired April with "Ladadidej" and the eventual winner, Maja Keuc's power ballad "Vanilija (Vanilla)".
This might be not only the best Slovenian submission in recent memory (beating even 2007's epic "Cvet z Juga"), but, in my eyes, it's the best of 2011's ballads so far. Maja's voice brings just enough of an R&B influence to keep the song fresh and modern, and the arrangement is very dramatic, which I personally like. Supposedly, Maja and her team are planning to perform "Vanilija" in English in Düsseldorf, which I'm somewhat wary of. If he translation is good and her English sounds fluent enough, it could work well...otherwise, we might be in for a bit of a letdown. But this song has the potential to make people sit up and take notice, especially after a few listens.
Slovenia, as far as I'm concerned, you've more than redeemed yourself.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
ESC 2010 Reviews: Slovenia
Slovenia is one of those ESC participants who, despite a decently long history in the contest, have only had a small handful of great entries. Their highest rankings were a pair of 7th place finishes in 1995 and 2001, but out of their fifteen entries, they've only cracked the Top Ten three times. (Although, if you look at entries from Yugoslavia that were performed in Slovene, there were two additional high placements, but those were back in the 1960s.)
I'll show you all my three favorite Slovenian performances:
1) 1966: Berta Ambrož, "Brez Besed (Without Words)", 7th place. Technically performed under the flag of Yugoslavia, Berta brought the Slovene language to Eurovision for the first time with this classic number, who many people feel was later ripped off by the classic Spanish entry from 1973, "Eres Tú". But more on that later when we get to Spain. In the meantime, Berta's performance was another great snapshot of the mid-1960s.
2) 2002: Sestre (Sisters), "Samo Ljubezen (Only Love)", 13th place. This entry actually sparked a pretty big controversy among Slovenians, as Sestre were the first act to perform at Eurovision in drag. If all of the flight attendants in the skies were like Miss Marlena, Daphne, and Emperatrizz, I think that flying would be a much less stressful experience, don't you? Best in-flight entertainment ever...
3) 2007: Alenka Gotar, "Cvet z Juga (Flower of the South)", 15th place. Since the semifinal system was put in place, this has been the only Slovenian entry to make it through to the Finals. Opera rarely finds a home on the Eurovision stage, especially with a pop-rock influence, so Alenka's relative success was very cool to see, and it fit in well on the stage in Helsinki, where bands like Apocalyptica and Nightwish often reign supreme.
This year, however...we get this:
Ansambel Zindra & Kalamari with "Narodnozabavni Rock (Popular Folk Rock)"...doesn't really roll off the tongue very well, does it? Some nations have mastered the balance between local musical traditions and pop/rock sensibilities. It feels like Slovenia is still searching for that happy middle ground. You can't just take a rock song and add an oompah-band, and you can't just take a folk song and add a dude in a leather jacket. I didn't follow this year's Slovenian Preselection as closely as I did for Estonia, but if this was the best they could come up with, I worry. As much as I hate to sound negative, I think we may have found the last-place finisher in the Second Semifinal.
I'll show you all my three favorite Slovenian performances:
1) 1966: Berta Ambrož, "Brez Besed (Without Words)", 7th place. Technically performed under the flag of Yugoslavia, Berta brought the Slovene language to Eurovision for the first time with this classic number, who many people feel was later ripped off by the classic Spanish entry from 1973, "Eres Tú". But more on that later when we get to Spain. In the meantime, Berta's performance was another great snapshot of the mid-1960s.
2) 2002: Sestre (Sisters), "Samo Ljubezen (Only Love)", 13th place. This entry actually sparked a pretty big controversy among Slovenians, as Sestre were the first act to perform at Eurovision in drag. If all of the flight attendants in the skies were like Miss Marlena, Daphne, and Emperatrizz, I think that flying would be a much less stressful experience, don't you? Best in-flight entertainment ever...
3) 2007: Alenka Gotar, "Cvet z Juga (Flower of the South)", 15th place. Since the semifinal system was put in place, this has been the only Slovenian entry to make it through to the Finals. Opera rarely finds a home on the Eurovision stage, especially with a pop-rock influence, so Alenka's relative success was very cool to see, and it fit in well on the stage in Helsinki, where bands like Apocalyptica and Nightwish often reign supreme.
This year, however...we get this:
Ansambel Zindra & Kalamari with "Narodnozabavni Rock (Popular Folk Rock)"...doesn't really roll off the tongue very well, does it? Some nations have mastered the balance between local musical traditions and pop/rock sensibilities. It feels like Slovenia is still searching for that happy middle ground. You can't just take a rock song and add an oompah-band, and you can't just take a folk song and add a dude in a leather jacket. I didn't follow this year's Slovenian Preselection as closely as I did for Estonia, but if this was the best they could come up with, I worry. As much as I hate to sound negative, I think we may have found the last-place finisher in the Second Semifinal.
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