Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2010

Let me start out by saying that ESC 2010 was quite possibly the best JESC ever and for sure the best JESC since at least 2005. Tons of strong entries and a lot of great performances.  Anywho, here we go....

The Songs -
Number - Nation - Title (Translation) - Artist(s)
01 - Lithuania - Oki Doki - Bartas
02 - Moldova - Ali Baba - Stefan Roscovan
03 - The Netherlands - My Family - Anna And Senna
04 - Serbia - Carobna Noc (Magical Night) - Sonja Skoric
05 - Ukraine - Miy Litak (My Plane) - Yulia Gurska
06 - Sweden - Allt Jag Vill Ha (All I Want) - Josefine Ridell
07 - Russia - Boy And Girl - Sasha Lazin And Liza Drozd
08 - Latvia - Viva La Dance (Dejo Ta) [Long Live Dance (Dance Like That)] - Sarlote Lenmane And Sea Stones
09 - Belgium - Get Up - Jill And Lauren
10 - Armenia - Mama - Vladimir Arzumanyan
11 - Malta - Knock Knock! Boom! Boom! - Nicole Azzoparti
12 - Belarus - Muzyki Svet (Light Of Music) - Daniil Kozlov
13 - Georgia - Mari Dari - Mariam Kakhelishvili
14 - FYR Macedonia - Eooo, Eooo - Anja Veterova

Songs -
01 - Lithuania - Oki Doki - Bartas

02 - Moldova - Ali Baba - Stefan Roscovan

03 - The Netherlands - My Family - Anna And Senna

04 - Serbia - Carobna Noc (Magical Night - Sonja Skoric

05 - Ukraine - Miy Litak (My Plane) - Yulia Gurska

06 - Sweden - Allt Jag Vill Ha (Everything I Want) - Josefine Ridell

07 - Russia - Boy And Girl - Sasha Lazin And Liza Drozd

08 - Latvia - Viva La Dance (Dejo Ta) (Long Live Dance (Dance Like That)) - Sarlote Lenmane And Sea Stones

09 - Belgium - Get Up - Jill And Lauren

10 - Armenia - Mama - Vladimir Arzumanyan

11 - Malta - Knock, Knock! Boom! Boom! - Nicole Azzopardi

12 - Belarus - Muzyki Svet (Light Of Music) - Daniil Kozlov

13 - Georgia - Mari Dari - Mariam Kakhelishvili

14 - FYR Macedonia - Eooo, Eooo - Anja Veterova

Comments -

From the get go, there was a three way race to become my favorite song between Lithuania, Sweden and Georgia. They are each so special and perfect in their own way. Lithuania is an awesome Eastern European Dancey song with a great build and a great melody. Sweden is a perfectly charming and charismatic ballad. Georgia is just well...Georgia. It's totally high energy and crazy and awesome and a little bit of Lady Gaga (In JESC circles, she's known as "Mini Gaga").

In the End, i just had to give Sweden my top spot. I just love it too much. It's so deep and moving and powerful and pretty, i just have no choice but to love it. I gave Georgia my Second place and Lithuania gets my third. FYR Macedonia at 4th and Belgium at 5th complete my top 5.

Anywho, here are my current rankings -

1st - Sweden - Allt Jag Vill Ha - Josefine Ridell
2nd - Georgia - Mari Dari - Mariam Kakhelishvili
3rd - Lithuania -  Oki Doki - Bartas
4th - Belgium - Get Up - Jill And Lauren
5th - FYR Macedonia -  Eooo, Eooo - Anja Veterova
6th  - Malta - Knock Knock! Boom! Boom! - Nicole Azzopardi
7th - Latvia - Viva La Dance (Dejo Ta) - Sarlote Lenmane And Sea Stones
8th - The Netherlands - My Family - Anna And Senna
9th - Armenia - Mama - Vladimir Arzumanyan
10th - Moldova - Ali Baba - Stefan Roscovan
11th - Ukraine - Miy Litak - Yulia Gurska
12th - Serbia - Carobna Noc - Sonja Skoric
13th - Belarus - Muzyki Svet - Daniil Kozlov
14th - Russia - Boy And Girl - Sasha Lazin And Liza Drozd



Comments -

01 - Lithuania -
UGH! So much love! When I first heard all 14 songs, this was my inital favorite. I simply adored it. It has such a cool beat and feel and i can remember this being the first song i created a dance to. So much perfection. It has interesting start, which suggests the awesomeness that is to come. I love the difference between the steady beat of the verses and the hugely musical and melodic chorus. I just love the chorus! Ugh and he just looks so fucking smooth and cool during the whole thing you just can't help but adore him. By leaps and bounds the most professional and polished performance of the whole year. He just has this whole thing down pat...cool, casual costume, awesome dancing, perfect hair, great voice, fantastic song and all the right moves. His background dancers are flawless and the whole thing just screams "Cool". UGH! I just can't get over what a fucking amazing performance he gives. You don't expect this sort of thing from Lithuania...I mean this song is by leaps and bounds my absolute favorite Lithuanian entry in JESC or real ESC ever! I have high hopes that he might represent Lithuania in the actual ESC this year (a.k.a. the first year he's old enough to) and show them how it's done! Awesome, brilliant entry.

02 - Moldova -
Oh Moldova...you just can't ever seem to get it right. This song has it's moments...but in such an awesome year it just can't be anything but average. I like it and can listen to it and dance along a little bit. It has a kinda cool feel. Performance wise, the costumes are just fucking fantastic. And of course, since he's from eastern europe, he brought along a bunch of gymnasts who manage to keep things interesting. The performance is better than the song, but overall, it just can't compete in this year. 

03 - The Netherlands -
When i first heard this song, i loved it! It continued the proud Dutch JESC reputation for sending just fantastic songs (2003, 2005,2007!, 2008!) and i spent more than a few hours screaming and dancing along to it. That being said, over time, it's lost some of it's magic on me. Before JESC 2010, It usually ranked between 5th and 6th for me...but that's no longer the case. I mean it's awesome, but it's just a little too...erm...safe i guess? It doesn't have that certain spark that some of the other songs have and i'm realizing that more and more over time. Performance wise, they are spot on! I love the pink fiddle! Their costumes are hip and cool, but not to DTM (Dyed To Match). They do an excellent job of just having fun and making a party atmosphere. The lead girl (i'm not sure if that's Anna or Senna) does an excellent job of interpreting the song with her voice and gestures, but not in a "I'm making over dramatic gestures way". I love the hips and finger snaps and knees. Dancing wise, I think the background dancers do a fantastic job, but i wish the lead girls would like get off the platform...even if it's just a dancey walk. But she has great energy and you can just tell that she's having loads of fun and i like that.

06 - Sweden - (Breathless). Sweden. I love Sweden. I just can't say enough how much i adore Sweden.  After consecutive entries by the (amazing and worshipful) Sandén sisters (Molly in 2006, Frida in 2007, 2008 they didn't compete and Mimi in 2009) Sweden selected a (shocker) non - sandén sister! I. fucking. adore. this. ballad. For sure it's one of my favorite ballads ever. I love each and ever second of it. I love it's slow yet steady beat that stays throughout the entire song. I love...love...love the chorus. Everything about this song makes me want to become a better person whenever i listen to it. It by leaps and bounds has the best lyrics, message and meaning in the entire contest. For refernece, here are the lyrics with an english translation -

Jag har en dröm innom mig

    I have a dream within me

    Och jag vet den kan bli sann

    And I know it can become true

    Jag kan nå fram här och nu

    I can reach forward here and now
   
    Det finns ingenting i världen, ingenting med världen

    There exists nothing in the world, nothing to do with the world

    Det jag känner här idag, allt jag vill ha, inget annat

    What I’m feeling here today, all I want, nothing else

    Ingenting kan stanna det vi startar du och jag

    Nothing can stop what we’re starting you and I

    Allt jag vill ha

    All I want
   
    Här är en ny chans, att den fanns

    Here is a new chance, that it exists

    Jag kan knappt tro det är sant

    I can hardly believe it’s true

    Jag tar, jag ger, här och nu

    I take, I give, here and now
   
    Det finns ingenting i världen, ingenting med världen

    There exists nothing in the world, nothing to do with the world

    Det jag känner här idag, allt jag vill ha

    What I’m feeling here today, all I want
   
    Även om vägen är long, kan inget stoppa mig

    Even though the road is long, nothing can stop me

    För det står skrivet i stjärnorna

    Because it’s written in the stars

    Även om vägen är long, så är det allt jag vill ha

    Even though the road is long, it is everything I want
   
    Det finns ingenting i världen, ingenting med världen

    There exists nothing in the world, nothing to do with the world

    Det jag känner här idag, allt jag vill ha, inget annat

    What I’m feeling here today, all I want, nothing else

    Ingenting kan stanna det vi startar du och jag

    Nothing can stop what we’re starting you and I

    Allt jag vill ha

    All I want

It is impossible for me to ever get enough of this song. It just has such power within it, message and music wise. I've spent literally days of my life listening to this song on repeat while going about my business and sung it in a broom handle at the top of my lungs just way to many times to count. 

And her voice! UGH! What a voice. Goregous and rich and powerful! She's a star! An absolute star! She makes singing perfectly seem effortless and nature. Something about her voice is just so charismatic and expressive. Although I've always had this song in my top 4 songs since the moment I heard it, after about 2 weeks, it became my undisputed and unchallengeable winner...(Here's a testament to how many times i've listened to it, i try very hard to have my play count for songs on Itunes reflect my general favorites and so i have a policy of reseting this songs play counts whenever it reaches over 1500 because it doesn't get the right to go above that for at least another year....i've reset it at least 3 times). Performance wise, she (along with Lithuania, Latvia and Malta) gave one of my favorite performances of the evening. At times, it seems like she struggled a bit with her vocals, but then she would prove it was no such thing by hitting high notes beautifully and expertly holding notes...that's just how her voice is. It's honest and sincere and just so charismatic. It just screams "I'm just a girl with a song and a dream" perfectly. She's also one of the few performers who didn't utilise on stage backing singers or dancers. She just showed up, in a goregous dress and perfect hair and make up and sang her heart and soul out and i simply adore her for doing so. She gave a professional, honest, sincere and mature performance in a contest that is dominated by children much younger than her with songs much sillier than hers dancing around the stage...but she doesn't need that. I could literally go on and on and on for like 7 pages about her performance...so i'll try to be brief. Brilliant arm gestures. Honest and sincere performance. She gave my absolute favorite performance of the evening (which is saying a lot given that she was up against Lithuania, Malta, Latvia and Georgia). I. fucking. love. her.

08 - Latvia - How much Latvia has grown on me. When I first heard it, i thought it was a bit boring and repetitive and well...I just felt that it was trying too hard. However, after a year of listening, i'm just completly in love with it. It's so fun and dancy and awesome! I adore the rhymic start with the "tick - tock - tick - tock" in the background. I love the costumes and the dancing is just above and beyond what should be expected from a 12 year old girl. She manages to do everything perfectly: Vocals, Expressive Arms, Dancing...just everything! I simply adore this song. I love the steady beat that carries throughout the whole song. I love the explosion of noise when she gets to the chorus. I love her side - step dance move and well just everything she does. I also fucking adore that beret!

09 - Belgium -
YAY BELGIUM! Despite being completly and totally robbed in 2009 ("Zo Verliefd" is quite simply one of the best songs ever created), Belgium decided to nix the folksy song idea and just straight out throw a party. "Get Up!" is just an amazing dance song. It screams "Party" and frankly, anyone who doesn't give into it has no soul. I adore....adore...adore this song! I mean the first lines are "Get up! Get up! It's a party!". Frankly, i have to say that Jill and Lauren perform just fantastically well as a duet. They are both talented singers but this is one of those cases where a total is greater than the sum of it's parts. I love how they share the song and throw the verses back and forth between each other and then come together just perfectly for the chorus. Usually in Duets, one singer tends to dominate the other but that's not the case here. I love the speaky verses and i just go wild whenver they do the "A-oh-a-oh-a-oh". I 100% thought this song stood a solid chance of winning, because it's just so much fun. I mean, i figured the whole hall would be clapping and swaying like crazy and the audience at home would be too. Performance - wise, they are great but disappointing.  They start with loads of energy and just super cute costumes...not to mention they are by leaps and bounds the oldest and therefore mose universally attractive of all the contsestants. Most people could find them somewhat cute and not end up being a creeper.  I love their costumes and their vocal performance is just flawless. What's disappointing is that they fail to interact with each other. One of my favorite things about this song is how they "throw" the verses between each other and frankly they don't do that on stage. They barely look at each other until the end and don't even acknowledge their dancers. I really wanted them to perform as a team...but they performed more like 2 soloists sharing the stage.


10 - Armenia -
UGH! Armenia. Year after year, they pretty much just send a high energy, meaningless, crazy song (baring their 2007 entry, which was flawless and awesome) and year after year i go from loving it to liking it to being indifferent to it to hating it to kinda liking it again to being indifferent to it. This year was no exception. When i first heard "Mama", i thought it was pretty good...but after a few listens, it just faded into noise for me. That being said, They are excellent at presenting songs you adore if you only hear once...which is pretty much why this song (unfairly) won JESC 2010. The performance was adequate...but honestly i never thought it was anything special...just kinda a bunch of noise and chaos. His dancers were often out of step and well just seemed amateurish. Ok vocals, ok performance...just OK all around...i really have no idea how this song managed to win!


11 - Malta -
Fucking Malta. For the longest time, all that was available was a poor quality live mp3 of her song, which i thought was nothing but chaotic. When she finally released the studio version, everything started to change for me. I just LOOOVE the studio version. This song starts slow and could be easily dismissed as a boring ballad until about 20 seconds in. Then it transforms into a powerful, awesome and fantastic song. It manages to be up - tempo but still meaningful. And that chorus...."Knock!...Knock! Knock!" well that's just a stroke of pure genius. Most of all, there's something about her voice that i just love. I don't know why, but i just love it. It's unique and it just kinda soothes me...I also just flip out when the song gets kinda quite and they all sing togehter and then she just powerhouses it out with her "Knooooooooooock! We're here at the door!" while her backing singers sing softly behind her. Performance - wise, she gave one of my favorite performances of the night (along with Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden). Everything about her performance was perfect. Her costume (and the matching costumes on her dancers) were flirty and fun and added an element of whimsy to a powerful song. I love her start, with her in line with her dancers and all of them throwing their hands around in a dramatic fashion. She wastes no time getting into awesome arm gestures, including my patented "One arm at head length moving down only to come up again in a sweeping and welcoming gesture". I adore how her whole body language changes with the "And suddenly". She's stepping and kicking and shimming with all the power in her "13 going on 14" self can muster. p.s. I aboslutely worship her hair. She does an awesome job of fading in and out of moving with her background dancers. Once again, AWESOME arm gestures. Ugh she's such a professional it puts like 80% of the other contestants to shame. She knows what camera to look in and when. She's clearly having tons of fun and dancing fantastically but it in no way affects her vocals. Along with Josefine from Sweden, She gives one of the best two vocal performances of the evening. Ugh...i just can't help but adore her. She makes perfection seems efforetless. Although i prefer the songs from Belgium and FYRM, taking into account their performances, She surpasses them both.


13 - Georgia -
Ah Georgia...by leaps and bounds i expected this to be the most memorable song of the evening.  I love this song...always have and always will. It's just so crazy and dancy and fun and well....it's something special. Unlike most songs, which start off with a small verse and then build, This song has an interesting and alluring start and throws a bunch of music and beats and fabulousnes right in your face and then softens for the verses. And even when it does that, it never loses that hard beat and is always 5 second away from rushing into a "Ram Ram Duri".  I love that. I also think the breathy, robotic vocals on the "aaaa - oooo - aaa - oo - oo - a - oo" are just fantastic. I don't understand how you can hear this song and not throw your hands up and dance along. I mean, this song is just like an explosion of awesomeness. It explodes and then softens only to explode again and again. And she doesn't just leave it up to the music to make that happen, she does it with her voice too....how awesome is it when she breaks into screeching "yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah" and then sings above her backing singers? Too awesome is the correct answer. Performance - wise, she does pretty well for this song. I mean, yes she takes an ok amount of talent and wraps it in say - sing verses and throws in a fair amount of high notes, but she knows what she can do and she uses it to her full advantage. She picked perfect backing singers/dancers and dressed them in outlandishly glittery costumes and threw pink wings on them just in case anyone didn't think they looked enough like drag queens. UGH! And the GLOVES! I love the white gloves! She's quite possibly the most gay male 11 year old girl in existence. She also directed her backers perfectly...i imagine she said "just dance the hell out of yourself and sing like robots", which they did perfectly. I love that she starts the performance with her and all her friends basically pretending to have seizures and then moving seemlessly into shoulder/hip shaking....awesome. She does a fantastic job of fading in and out of dancing along with her backers...which is a lot harder than it might look (trust me...i've been ESC for almost a decade and have seen it gone wrong literally hundreds of times). She looks supremly cute and put together as well. She also makes it very clear that she is the star of this show. My favorite part about her performance is how she acts like she has this energy just building up inside her that she just has no choice but to release at about 02:09...and then she just explodes physically and vocally. She does an excellent job of scream singing the long notes. I think the best thing about her is that she is able to appear "high energy" throughout this entire song...which just has to be exhausting...honestly although Sweden is my winner...i have no fucking idea how Georgia didn't win....i mean....who could have watched that and not voted for it?!?!?



14 - FYR Macedonia -
I simply adore each and every moment of this song. I mean, even taking into account the fact that i have a huge soft spot in my heart for the Macedonians (Especially when it comes to JESC...they've presented some of my favorite entries), i just can't help but think that this is an absolutely amazing song. It starts brilliantly with a soft accapello and just builds from there. I love the soft growing of the beat and music and I can't help but flip out when it culminates with the chorus. There's just something special about this song that makes me heart it. And then we get to her performance....wow. Just wow.  I am well aware that it's not as flashy or dramatic as some of the other performances, but it just fits the song perfectly. Everything from her pig tails to her running in place to her goregous "pink" themed costumes just fills me with joy. It doesn't hurt that she's one of the only singers this year to perform my favorite move (i.e. having all your backing dancers form a line behind you and dramatically throw their arms out). Great arm gestures and a more than fair vocal performance. As much as i love this song, i knew...just knew that it would be forgetten when it came to the voting. It takes more than a couple listens to "get" this song and sadly...she only had three minutes to impress. Love the song....just LOVE! This song and Belgium keep changing places for my 4th and 5th song...but more often than not Belgium comes out just a tiny bit ahead....

Before the Contest, my predictions (not my rankings, but how i thought it might go based on history, song, and such)

I totally thought Georgia had it in the bag, but the other songs i thought might pull off a victory were Lithuania and possibly Armenia and maybe Belgium (It has a certain kinda dark horse feel). I also thought that Sweden and Latvia might due quite well, Sweden having the strongest ballad in a year with very few ballads and Latvia having a high energy song which might appeal to tween voters.

As for the middle of the pack, I thought Russia would be there, despite having a "boring" song...just because they're Russia and they get votes from all the nations they used to Occupy. I thought Serbia would also end middle of the pack. I had high hopes that FYR Macedonia and Malta would triumph with strong songs and performances and despite always seeming to come in the bottom, they might place in the top 10. I also thought the Netherlands would be there.

I expected Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova to be in the bottom. Belarus because it's boring and well just kinda sad and Ukraine and Moldova not because they were necessarily "bad" songs, but just because they would be somewhat forgettable. 


Actual Result -
1st - Armenia - 120 Points
2nd - Russia - 119 Points
3rd - Serbia - 113 Points
4th - Georgia - 109 Points
5th - Belarus - 85 Points
6th - Lithuania - 67 Points
7th - Belgium - 61 Points
8th - Moldova - 54 Points
9th - The Netherlands - 52 Points
10th - Latvia - 51 Points
11th - Sweden - 48 Points
12th - FYR Macedonia - 38 Points
13th - Malta - 35 Points
14th - Ukraine - 28 Points


UGH! Well this just goes to show that Europeans are ridiculous and tasteless, especially their children (traditionally, Children make up the bulk of the votes even though they watch it with adults).
It's not even like a bad song won, that happens all the time and i'm used to it...but i was completly shocked at the results mainly because of the top 5 Songs, i thought 4 of them were completly bland and forgettable. Georgia only got 4th? Lithuania 6th? SWEDEN 11TH?!?! WTF EUROPE? I was shocked that Georgia didn't sweep the contest and i was heartbroken that Malta, Sweden and Latvia ended up in the bottom 5 despite delivering the best performances of the evening.

Songs For Downloading

Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2011

The 9^th edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest is set to take place on December 3^rd 2011 at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex in Yerevan, Armenia. Even though JESC doesn’t follow the rule of the Winning Nation hosting the next years contest, this year is a bit of an anomaly as Armenia did win JESC 2010.

The original participants list was made up of 12 Nations, with San Marino set to make their debut and Latvia, Serbia and Malta withdrawing from the contest. However, San Marino ended up pulling out and Latvia ended up pulling back in. Bulgaria also returned to the contest after being absent since 2008.Therefore, JESC 2011 will have 13 Nations competing.

Songs To Download

The songs are -

01 - Russia - Kak Romeo I Dzhulyetta (Like Romeo And Juliet) - Ekaterina Ryabova

02 - Latvia - Meness Suns (Moondog) - Amanda Basmakova

03 - Moldova - No, No - Lerica

04 - Armenia - Welcome To Armenia - Dalita

05 - Bulgaria - Supergeroy (Superhero) - Ivan Ivanov

06 - Lithuania - Debesys (Clouds) - Paulina Skrabyté

07 - Ukraine - Evropa (Europe) - Kristall

08 - FYR Macedonia - Zhimi Ovoj Frak (I Swear By This Tailcoat) - Dorijan Dlaka

09 - The Netherlands - Ik Ben Een Teenager (I'm A Teenager) - Rachel

10 - Belarus - Angely Dobra (Angels Of Goodness) - Lidiya Zabolotskaya

11 - Sweden - Faller (Falling) - Erik Rapp

12 - Georgia - Candy Music - Candy

13 - Belgium - Een Kusje Meer (One More Kiss) - Femke

Comments -

I'm in the process of filling in the comments on each song so check back...but here's the long and short of it. In my opinion, it's a two way race between the Ukraine and The Netherlands. Right now, I'm liking Ukraine just a bit more than The Netherlands, although they are both just fantastic songs. The Netherlands is a bit more "pop" and a surprisingly mature song for JESC. The Ukraine has that awesome dancey ethnic beat that I just can't get enough of. Belgium is growing on me like whoa and i just love it more and more. The Bulgarian entry is also pretty fantastic.

My Current Rankings (Which i'm sure will change in the coming weeks) -
1st - Ukraine
2nd - The Netherlands
3rd - Belgium
4th - Bulgaria
5th - Moldova
6th - Russia
7th - Sweden
8th - Georgia
9th - Latvia
10th - Armenia
11th - Lithuania
12th - FYR Macedonia
13th - Belarus

I think the songs with best chance at winning are Ukraine, Russia, Armenia, (Possibly) The Netherlands and if Europe is feeling particularly silly that evening, maybe Georgia.

More to come....


Comments -
01 - Russia - A surprisingly strong entry from Russia (who normally is a popular nation among fan but more often than not, i just don't get what all the fuss is about). It has a strong build and I really enjoy the heavy bass, especially during the chorus. This song is sure to have the whole hall clapping and bobbing along with it's catchy beat. Ekaterina previously placed equal 2nd for Russia in JESC 2009, and she's proved that she can deliver a fantastic performance with strong vocals. If this song got a later draw, i'd say it was a contender to win, but as it drew first, i'm just not sure it can do it. It should do quite well though. 07 Points out of 10.

02 - Latvia - There's some debate on whether or not this song is the actual Latvian entry, but i'm treating it as if it were. This song takes some getting used it...but once you get it, you can't help but love it.  A slow jazzy start gives way to a strong jazz beat. This song has grown on me a lot. If it can manage to keep the audiences attention for the first, slower half, they are in for quite a treat. A dancey, jazzy beat with a catchy enough chorus. Not only that, she has amazing arm movements and a fun and unique costume. That being said, i have major concerns about her vocals...she sounds weak on the high notes and i feel like she's relying a lot on being expressive with her gestures rather than her voice. If she can work on her vocals and keeps everything else the same performance wise (i.e. costume, dancing and awesome gestures) she might be a dark horse...there's a very "Lithuania 2008" kinda feel about it (Lithuania placed a surprising 3rd at JESC 2008 despite having a universally thought of un - noteworthy song). However, i don't have high hopes. I predict it'll land in the bottom 5...but who knows? All in all - 06 Points out of 10.

03 - Moldova - This song just keeps falling in and out of favor with me. I can never really pinpoint how I feel about it. At first listen, I placed it in the top half...but then after a few listens, I decided it belonged in the second half...but then I heard it a few more time I started to love it again. It falls in that group of mid - tempo, jazzy song which I can never seem to figure out. The more I hear it, the more I love it. In a word, it's "smooth". It's a bit repetitive, but that's part of it's charm. It manages to create a mood, an ambiance, and even though it's steady, it never manages to be boring. The more I hear this song, the more I absolutely adore it.

04 - Armenia - A typically and predictably Armenian song. Strong ethnic beat, super dancey and fun and without much of a message whatsoever...but hey, that's how they won JESC 2010 and placed 2nd in JESC 2009. When i first heard this song, i was head over heels in love with it and promptly placed it in my top 5 Songs. It's so fun and dancey, you just can't help but dance and smile along! However, after a dozen or so listens and listening to the other songs, this song is losing a lot of it's luster. Yes it's fun and dancey, but it's also silly and well, kinda just sounds like a bunch of choatic noise. Still, Armenia always does well with songs like this and being the host nation, i'm sure this song will rack up a fair amount of points...but if it wins, it just shows that Europeans have little to no taste in music. 06 Points out of 10.

05 - Bulgaria -
Excellent. When i first listened to the songs, i placed this in my top 3. A nice steady start gives way to a fantastically dancey song.  I adore how the beat stays steady through the verses and then explodes at the chorus. I also love how his voice carries the verses in place of music...he just sings along with the steady beat. The chorus is catchy and fun but maintains the steady beat of the whole song. 
06 - Lithuania - A pretty enough song and a fair enough ballad, but I just can't help but feel a bit bored after about a minute. It kinda has no choice but to fail at JESC...not because it's bad but just because it's so forgettable. I'm sure it'll end in the Bottom 03. She's got solid enough vocals, but all she does is sway back and forth and frankly, all the swaying in the world can't make this song memorable. 04 Points out of 10.

07 - Ukraine -

08 - FYR Macedonia - Eh, it's boring and jazzy. I am well and truely disappointed in FYRM...they normally kick ass at JESC (despite what the populace of Europe tends to think). This song is just boring and lame and goes absolutely nowhere. Ugh i hate it. 02 Points out of 10.

09 - The Netherlands -
10 - Belarus -
A pretty enough song. It's not bad...it's just rather boring. Her voice is nice and smooth and the song has it's moments, but frankly it gets boring pretty quickly. Even the key change can't make it memorable. It just can't compete with almost all of the other songs. Still, it could surprise me and do well, like Belarus last year (which i placed 2nd to last but managed to top 5 at JESC). Still...it's boring and forgettable. 02 Points Out of 10. 
11 - Sweden -
12 - Georgia -
13 - Belgium -


As of right now, it's pretty much a two way race between The Netherlands and Ukraine, with Bulgaria and Belgium (which is growing on me more and more) coming right after them.

My Contest -

01 - Quarter Final -
First, I had the songs compete in a Quarter Final. In the QF, I awarded points a total of 7 Times. The First vote was based on my inital thoughts. The Second vote was given after i'd listened to the song 10 times. The Third vote was given after I watched the performances of the songs. The Fourth and Fifth votes were given after various listens. The 6th vote was worth Double and was given after re - watching all 14 songs. Finally, the 7th vote was worth 4x and i gave it based on my current rankings. The top 10 Scoring songs advanced to the Semi Final.


QF -
Number - Nation - 01 - 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 - 07 - Total - Place

01 - Russia - 08 - 06 - 07 - 04 - 08 - 12 - 21 = 66 Points - 6th

02 - Latvia - 03 - 07 - 05 - 05 - 10 - 10 - 15 = 55 Points - 9th

03 - Moldova - 07 - 04 - 12 - 07 - 05 - 14 - 24 = 73 Points - 5th

04 - Armenia - 10 - 02 - 03 - 06 - 04 - 06 - 09 = 40 Points - 10th

05 - Bulgaria - 12 - 10 - 06 - 16 - 14 - 20 - 30 = 108 Points - 3rd = 

06 - Lithuania - 01 - 03 - 02 - 01 - 02 - 04 - 06 = 19 Points - 11th

07 - Ukraine - 14 - 14 - 16 - 14 - 12 - 24 - 48 = 142 Points - 1st

08 - FYR Macedonia - 02 - 01 - X - 02 - X - 03 - 04 = 12 Points - 12th

09 - The Netherlands - 16 - 12 - 14 - 08 - 16 - 32 - 42 = 140 Points - 2nd

10 - Belarus - X - X - 01 - X - 01 - 02 - 03 = 07 Points - 13th

11 - Sweden - 06 - 08 - 04 - 12 - 06 - 08 - 12 = 56 Points - 8th

12 - Georgia - 04 - 05 - 08 - 03 - 07 - 16 - 18 = 61 Points - 7th

13 - Belgium - 05 - 16 - 10 - 10 - 03 - 28 - 36 = 108 Points - 3rd = 

Melodifestivalen 2009 - Semi Final 05 -

The 3rd and 4th place songs from each of the 4 Semi Finals competed for 2 Spots in the final. The 2 advancing songs were chosen in 2 Rounds of "Televoting". In the First Round, the 8 Songs were divided into 4 Matches. In each Match, a Televote chose the Advancing Song.

Round 01 -
Match 01 -
01 - Med Hjärtat Fyllt Av Ljus - 47 593 Votes - 2nd - NQ

02 - La Voix - 88 739 Votes - 1st - Q

Match 02 -

01 - What If - 65 406 Votes - 1st - Q

02 - Baby, Goodbye - 54 283 Votes - 2nd - NQ

Match 03 -

01 - Never Been Here Before - 84 671 Votes - Qst - Q

02 - Moving On - 65 493 Votes - 2nd - NQ

Match 04 -

01 - Här För Mig Själv - 100 860 Votes - 1st - Q

02 - Disconnect Me - 49 543 Votes - 2nd - NQ

In the Second Round, The 4 Songs were divided into 2 Matches. In each Match, a Televote chose the Advancing Song.

Match 05 -

01 - La Voix - 98 984 Votes - 1sst - Q

02 - What If - 65 217 Votes - 2nd - NQ

Match 06 -
01 - Never Been Here Before - 107 425 Votes - 2nd - NQ

02 - Här För Mig Själv - 111 009 Votes - 1st - Q

International Jury Selection -
01 - Disconnect Me - NQ

02 - What If - Q

03 - Här För Mig Själv - N/A
04 - La Voix - N/A

Melodifestivalen 2009 - Semi Final 04 -

The Fourth Semi Final of Melodifestivalen 2009 was a pretty amazing Semi Final. Long Awaited and Hoped For Agnes (Who won the 2005 Swedish Idol) made her MF debut, after her 2006 Song was disqualified due to the fact that she talked about it before the contest, thereby breaking the rules. Former Schlager Susanne Alfvengren also made her MF debut. MF 2007 Fan Favorite Sarah Dawn Finer returned with another breathtaking Ballad. Maria Haukaas Støreng, fresh off her 5th place for Norway in ESC 2008, teamed up with "Always a Favorite, Always a Disappointment when she tries for Sweden" Anna Sahlene in a heavily favorited to win duet. Despite having a mulititude of "Stars" and pretty much the best songs, the 4th Semi Final received the least amount of votes of the 4 Semi Finals. Despite this, Malena's "La Voix", composed by eternal Swedish genius Fredrick Kemp, managed to win the ticket to Moscow.

Songs -
01 - Love, Love, Love - Agnes

02 - Higher - Star Pilots

03 - Du Är Älskad Där Du Går (You Are Loved Wherever You Go) - Susanne Alfvengren

04 - Killing Me Tenderly - Anna Sahlene And Maria Haukaas Støreng

05 - Sweet Kissin' In The Moonlight - Thorleifs

06 - Moving On - Sarah Dawn Finer

07 - Esta Noche (This Night) - Next 3

08 - La Voix (The Voice) - Malena Ernman

My Selection -
01 - Love, Love, Love - 48 415 - 102 708 - 1st
02 - Higher - 27 495 - 48 525 - 5th
03 - Du Är Älskad Där Du Går - 21 737 - X - 6th
04 - Killing Me Tenderly - 28 311 - 61 082 - 2nd
05 - Sweet Kissin' In The Moonlight - 17 240 - X - 7th
06 - Moving On - 23 830 - 57 776 - 4th
07 - Esta Noche - 7 530 - X - 8th

08 - La Voix - 27 501 - 58 751 - 3rd

Round 03 -
Match 01 -
01 - Killing Me Tenderly - 66 740 Votes - 1st

02 - La Voix - 54 785 Votes - 2nd

Match 02 -

01 - Love, Love, Love - 88 870 Votes - 1st

02 - Moving On - 48 526 Votes - 2nd

Comments -
"Love, Love, Love" has been my hands down, no holds bared favorite since the moment i heard it. Clearly it's a winner...I mean just listen to it! It's got everything! Gold full body jumpsuit - check. Motown beat - check.
"Killing Me Tenderly" is an oh - so - close second. Such a great duet and just the perfect performance.
As much as I wish "La Voix" could get a pass to the final, in this SF, it's just not happening...and part of me is thankful for that. I mean, "La Voix" is awesome and all, but the more i hear it, the more i think it's a lot of Flash and doesn't really have the substance to back it up. Oh well, let's see how it fares in the Second Chance Round.
The choice between "Moving On" and "Higher" was a tough one. In the end, it all came down to the Sarahs flawless performance and wind machine and the fact that "Higher" was just a bit too cheesey for me. They're both great songs though. "Du är älskad dår du går" is nice, but it's just a little too boring for my tastes. "Sweet Kissin'" is way too corny and "Esta Noche" is just way too blah to ever have a chance of getting farther.

as my "International Jury" selection, I chose "La Voix" by Malena Ernman

Melodifestivalen 2009 - Semi Final 03

The Third Semi Final of Melodifestivalen 2009 saw the return of 3 Former MF Participants, as well as the Melodifestivalen debut of Molly Sandén, who had previously represented Sweden at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2006 and received their best placing (3rd) with the amazing ballad "Det Finaste Någon Kan Få". Velvet (MF 2006 "Mi Amore" and MF 2008 "Deja Vu"), Sofia (MF 2007 "Hypnotized") and BWO (MF 2005 "Gone", MF 2006 "Temple Of Love" and MF 2008 "Lay Your Love On Me") all returned to MF. However, the biggest news of this SF was the debut of the boy band E.M.D., which was comprised of popular "Idol" participants Erik Segerstedt, Mattias Andréasson and Danny Saucedo. Other Talent Contest Entrant Maja Gullstrand also made her debut in this SF. The favorites to win this SF were E.M.D., with Molly Sandén and BWO also tipped to do quite well. Many fans thought that this could finally be the year that Velvets song was fully appreciated by the Swedes and would at least get a Second Chance.

Songs -
01 - The Queen - Velvet

02 - I Got U - Rigo And The Topaz Sound Feat. Red Fox

03 - Så Vill Stjärnorna (It's What The Stars Want) - Molly Sandén

04 - Baby, Goodbye - E.M.D.

05 - Du Vinner Över Mig (You Win Over Me) - Mikael Rickfors

06 - Här För Mig Själv (Here On My Own) - Maja Gullstrand

07 - Alla (All) - Sofia

08 - You're Not Alone - BWO

My Selection -

01 - The Queen - 41 082 - 80 414 - 2nd

02 - I Got U - 14 782 - X - 7th

03 - Så Vill Stjärnorna - 65 234 - 127 990 - 1st

04 - Baby, Goodbye - 29 523 - 38 078 - 4th

05 - Du Vinner - 15 985 - X - 6th

06 - Här För Mig - 18 515 - 55 713 - 3rd

07 - Alla - 17 785 - 36 284 - 5th
08 - You're Not - 10 568 - X - 8th

Round 03 -
Match 01 -

01 - Så Vill Stjärnorna - 116 034 - 1st

02 - Baby, Goodbye - 38 124 - 2nd

Match 02 -

01 - The Queen - 85 886 - 1st

02 - Här För Mig Själv - 66 108 - 2nd

Comments -
Well of course Molly completely won this Semi Final. She was my absolute favorite from the very moment i heard her song. No one on Gods green earth can sing a Ballad like her. "Så Vill Stjärnorna" is just so completely and utterly amazing, i really had no choice but to give it First. It's a real contender to be my overall favorite in one of the best Melodifestivalens ever. Velvets "The Queen" is also pretty amazing, although i will concede that her performance is slightly better than her song. But, her performance consisted of people flying out from her gigantic skirt...so clearly, no matter how awesome the song is, people flying out of your gigantic skirt will always be better than it. "Här För Mig Själv" has enormously and wonderfully grown on me and i just can't help but love it. Every time i hear it, i just can't stop myself from swaying along to it's wonderful loungey beat. "Baby Goodbye" completes my top 4 because of it's catchy beat, but i don't love it. BWO totally ruined their MF reputation with their boring rendition of "You're Not Alone". Sofia gave an honest try, but "Alla" just can't help but be nothing special. "I Got U" has its moments, but it's simply a silly song. "Du Vinner Över Mig" is just filler.

As my "International Jury Selection", I chose "Här För Mig Själv" by Maja Gullstrand

Melodifestivalen 2009 - Semi Final 02

The Second Semi Final of Melodifestivalen 2009 was full of returning favorites, much celebrated newcomers more than a few surprises. The Second Semi Final saw the return of 4 MF veterans. The biggest ones were (of course), the heavy favorite, Måns Zelmerlöw. Other much vaulted returning artists were Lili and Susie, who was last seen at MF 1989, and Amy Diamond, who placed 8th in MF 2008 despite being a favorite to win. Also, Lasse Lindh was in there somewhere. He had previously competed in whatever MF (i honestly can't be bothered to look it up) with some sort of non descript  song. Swedish comedian/rapper/singer/jack of all trades Markooilo finally gave MF a shot, given the spot as the SVT "Joker". Other newcomers were Jennifer Brown, who i guess is somewhat famous in Sweden for a few hits in the late 90's and *Allegedly* (according to her wikipedia, which i'm sure she writes and lies on) has had a few "European" Hits and H.E.A.T., a Swedish rock band who had some lukewarm hits in 2007.

The HUGE (just overwhelming) Favorite to win this SF was Måns....and he didn't disappoint. Pretty much everyone thought that it was basically the other 7 songs competing for the other Finalist spot and 2 Second Chance Spots....cause Måns had the whole SF locked up. Lili and Susie, Amy Diamond and Jennifer Brown were also tipped to do quite well. When all was said and done, Måns won the Semi Final, winning each round of the voting and surprisingly H.E.A.T. got the other Finalist Spot. Amy Diamond managed to get 3rd and Lili and Susie CREAKED into 4th place (just barely), after getting 5th in the first round. Cookies 'N Beans surprised quite a few people getting all the way to the Second Round. Markooilo got 6th, Jennifer Brown failed to meet expecations and only managed a 7th place and Lasse shocked absolutely no one by getting dead last.

Songs -
01 - Show Me Heaven - Lili And Susie 

02 - Jag Ska Slåss I Dina Kvarter (I Will Fight In Your Neighborhood) - Lasse Lindh And Bandet

03 - Never Been Here Before - Jennifer Brown

04 - 1000 Miles - H.E.A.T.

05 - Kärlekssång Från Mig (Lovesong From Me) - Markoolio

06 - It's My Life - Amy Diamond

07 - What If - Cookies 'N Beans

08 - Hope And Glory - Måns Zelmerlöw

My Selection -

01 - Show Me Heaven - 50 735 - 96 985 - 2nd

02 - Jag Ska Slåss - 9 645 - X - 7th

03 - Never Been Here Before - 43 452 - 77 571 - 3rd

04 - 1000 Miles - 9 084 - X - 8th
05 - Kärlekssång - 14 704 - X - 6th
06 - It's My Life - 33 490 - 64 613 - 5th

07 - What If - 30 813 - 70 081 - 4th

08 - Hope And Glory - 74 821 - 129 621 - 1st


Round 03 -
Match 01 -

01 - Show Me Heaven - 89 631 - 1st

02 - Never Been Here Before - 69 204 - 2nd

Match 02 -

01 - What If - 67 849 - 2nd

02 - Hope And Glory - 107 523 - 1st

Comments -

This SF was WAAAAAAAAAY easier to do than the first SF. I mean, clearly "Hope And Glory" is the for sure winner here and has been since I first heard the songs. It's a simply brilliant dance song and has just the best build and spirit. Not to mention....it's Måns. He performs the whole song with an amazing amount of energy and despite all his dancing, his vocals NEVER suffer. Plus, he looks hella cute in his tuxedo. And those slides across the stage? PERFECT! Plus the "Dont! Stop!"! Ugh! inspired. My Second Place has ALWAYS been "Show Me Heaven". Lili and Susie are just AMAZING! Great start...perfect build...amazing beat. I mean the chorus alone "Gimme, gimme, gimme/Moments forever/Gimme, gimme, gimme/Minutes of love/Gimme, gimme, gimme/All that i'm dreaming of/Show me heaven" is just orgasmic perfection. And when they break it down right before the key change, i just lose it! Way back in 2009, "It's My Life" was my 3rd place song and i grudginly gave my 4th place to "Never Been Here Before". "What If" wasn't even on my radar. But it's all different now. I. Fucking. Love. "Never Been Here Before". It's just such an amazing and goregous ballad and has such a fantastic build. Jennifer performs it perfectly. I mean, who on earth can resist throwing their arms out and shouting "Don't go and break my heart/Don't tear this dream apart/ I need you now/More than you know/I've never been here before"? I just can't get enough of it! The newest addition to my top 4 is "What If"...i can't believe i was blind to this song for so long! It's a phenomenal ballad with just the right mix of country spirit. The lyrics are profound and fantastic and i just LOOOOVE the clapping. It for sure get's a Second Chance and one day may even get to the Final. 

As my "International Jury Selection" I chose "What If" by Cookies 'N Beans

Meldofestivalen 2009 - Semi Final 01

The First Semi Final has a tendency to be the least spectacular and least watched Semi Final, however this year set a record of having a total of 721, 334 votes cast, the most for any First Semi Final in MF history.

Anywho, the First Semi Final saw the return of no less than 3 Melodifestivalen Veterns, Alcastar threw their hat into the contest, yet again, with their super up - beat dance song "Stay The Night". Melodifestivalen Diva Shirley Clamp, (Of  the runner up of MF 2004 with "Min Kärlek" and heavy favorite to win MF 2005 "Att Älska Dig" fame) presented a beautiful ballad, which she performed alone on stage. Caroline af Ugglas (a.k.a. the Swedish Janis Joplin) tried MF again after failing to pass the first round of voting in her SF in 2007 with her song "Tror På Dig". The big favorite to win this SF was clearly Alcastar...i mean...they're Alcastar. Hot male singer? Check. Over - dramatica and beautiful female memebers? Check. High energy dance song? Check. Flawless performance? Check, Super gay friendly? Check and Check. Another favorite to do well was Shirley Clamp...i mean it's Shirley. FUCKING SHIRLEY! Another exciting new commer was Marie Serneholt, who came to fame as a memeber of the teeny bopperABBA cover band the A*Teens. YES! I fucking was super jazzed when i heard the A*Teens were finally making their way into Melodifestivalen...i mean talk about a perfect Storm! There was a bit of a scandal, as everyone was under the impression that the glorious Linda Bengtzing would make her triumphant return to MF and sing the song "Jag Tror På Oss", however, everyone was wrong. In my opinion, she heard it and decided she'd rather kill herself than ruin her flawless MF reputation with that piece of shite.

Anywho, the night was just way toooooo full of shocks and surprises. First off, Shirley got dead last. LAST! I mean how is that even possible? Another huge upset, which wasn't revealed until after the Final when all the Semi Final votes were announced, is the fact that "Snälla, Snälla"  was the clear winner after the Second Round of voting, with more than 7 000 votes more than 2nd place song "Stay The Night", but was regulated to the SECOND CHANCE ROUND by 4th placing song "You're My World". I mean WTF Sweden? How could a song go from clear winner to losing to a song that got more than 24 000 votes less than it in the Second Round?! No matter, Caroline ended up getting her chance at the final and ended up coming SECOND, with less than 4 000 Televotes seperating it from the Ticket to Moscow.

Songs -
01 - Tick Tock - Nina Söderquist -

02 - Welcome To My Life - Jonathan Fagerlund -

03 - Med Hjärtat Fyllt Av Ljus (With A Heart Full Of Light) - Shirley Clamp -

04 - Jag Tror På Oss (I Believe In Us) - Scotts

05 - You're My World - Emilia

06 - Stay The Night - Alcazar

07 - Snälla, Snälla (Please, Please) - Caroline Af Ugglas

08 - Disconnect Me - Marie Serneholt

Anywho, in my Selection, i used the same way as the actual NF.

Number - Title (Translation) - Round 01 - Round 02 - Place
01 - Tick Tock - 11 542 - X - 8th
02 - Welcome To My Life - 20 847 - X - 7th

03 - Med Hjärtat Fyllt Av Ljus (With A Heart Full Of Light) - 28 404 -  60 471 - 4th

04 - Jag Tror På Oss (I Believe In Us) - 23 599 - X - 6th

05 - You're My World - 28 960  -  59 122 - 5th

06 - Stay The Night - 40 913 - 84 451 - 1st

07 - Snälla, Snälla (Please, Please) - 32 839 - 72 455 - 3rd

08 - Disconnect Me - 39 831 - 77 368 - 2nd

Match 01 -
01 - Snälla, Snälla - 92 630 Votes - 1st

02 - Disconnect Me - 63 208 Votes - 2nd

Match 02 -

01 - Med Hjärtat Fyllt Av Ljus - 66 520 - 2nd

01 - Stay The Night - 79 496 - 1st

Comments -
This was absolutely the perfect start to one of the best Melodifestivalens ever. Every single song was at the very least "Good" and at the very most "Amazing". Alcazar is clearly my favorite and has been since I first heard the songs. "Disconnect Me" is a simply brilliant song and just a flawless performance, however over time it's fallen from 2nd to 3rd and will have to take it's chances in the Second Chance Round. For sure, the hardest decision was between "Med Hjärtat Fyllt Av Ljus" and "You're My World" for the 4th spot and chance at the Second Chance Round. I mean, "Med Hjärtat" is a simply gorgeous ballad and of course, Shirley performs it perfectly, and in the end, it managed to beat out "You're My World". I am completely surprised at how much "Snälla, Snälla" has grown on me. At first, i was completely indifferent to it. When it got 2nd overall in the final and was less than 4 000 votes from being the Swedish Entry, i just didn't get it...but now i do. It's just so...well...it's so pretty. It's completely unique and sincere and well...it's just so not typical MF. And Caroline completely rocks the performance. Even though she's all by herself onstage, her presence fills the whole arena. She's so sincere and expressive, you just can't help but fall in love with her. 

As my "International Jury Selection", i chose "Disconnect Me"...how could i not?