The Netherlands: Waylon leaves The Common Linnets!

It's a sad day. Waylon has revealed that he's going to leave The Common Linnets. Ilse and Waylon formed The Common Linnets to create a beautiful country-sounding album. The Common Linnets came 2nd in Copenhagen and have had lots of success since Eurovision. Following Eurovision, The Common Linnets have charted in a number of countries and even managed to achieve #9 in the UK Single Charts. Waylon released this statement:

Dear Fans,
I would like to take this opportunity to let you know I found again. It’s strange to notice that I’ve become now national property and therefore also a national search to me was started. But there is not so much going on, other than one suggests.
I am the past year with lots of fun has been part of The Common Linnets together with Ilse DeLange. We have, for the occasion, decided to join forces in our love for our country and Americana music.
The Common Linnets, however, is a project of Ilse DeLange. She has figured it out and it’s always been clear that this would be in a varying composition.
We have ever agreed that I would make a plate with her, later our participation in the Eurovision song contest and the concert on 21 June in the Twente Stadium. There are also on our calendars.
The success after the Eurovision song contest has both of us by surprise. It makes that you need to start looking at.
For me there are a lot of layers and obligations the coming period with the release of my new album “Heaven after Midnight” in september. Last year an album that I have recorded and have funded themselves. An important and personal album. I have this album already postponed due to the Eurovision song contest.
To my calendar now to throw for the Linnets full foreign promotion of The Common has for me so more consequences than for Ilse. I have to go for a longer period than freeing me and connecting with The duo The Common Linnets, perhaps for a year or longer, especially if America also in the picture.I hope that you understand that these choices are that I cannot simply take and also not alone.
I had me going for long periods of time can and want to connect to The Common Linnets, as this abroad based on creative equivalence would happen. Ilse and I have long talked about, but have not yet come true. That has nothing to do with money, but with an emotional commitment of two people to a duo in a fixed composition, focusing our solo careers for the time being, would put in the refrigerator.
Ilse is free to with The Common Linnets, as they initially intended, from a varying composition to go touring.
The international success of course tasted delicious and was it work properly with Ilse and her band. Finally, Jake, JB, Rob and Matthew fantastic musicians and lyricists! I look forward to Tuckerville on June 21, the place where we meet, also see, Ilse and I go again.

Sweden: #2YearsOfTheVictoryOfLoreen!

Doesn't time fly? It has been exactly two years since the fabulous Loreen triumphed in Baku with Euphoria! Her song became a hit in several countries, including United Kingdom, Russia and USA. Loreen's entry was one of the biggest hits of 2012 and is without a doubt one of the most successful songs to come from Eurovision in recent years. It's worth remembering she achieved 372 points - which is actually the second highest point total awarded in Eurovision. I hope to hear more from Loreen in the future.. she's simply amazing!

Slovakia: No return in 2015!

RTVS, the Slovakian broadcaster, have announced that they will not send a representative to Austria next year. I'm not shocked but still disappointed. I doubt Czech Republic will return either now? Slovakia was last represented in Baku with this awesome rock tune....

Source - Eurovision News

Monaco: Josh Stanley for 2015?

Unfortunately, Monaco haven't participated in Eurovision since 2006 however it seems a return could be on the horizon. Nothing is confirmed yet but apparently there have been talks between Josh Stanley and TMC, the national broadcaster, for the singer to represent Monaco in Austira. Josh is a young Monégasque signer and he released his first single in 2012. Evolution is Josh's latest song and it has already clocked 250,00 views on YouTube. Stay tuned, y'all! :-)

Source - Eurovoix. 

Hungary: András Kállay-Saunders to compete in A Dal 2015?

Hungary achieved a very respectable 5th place in Copenhagen - but András Kállay-Saunders believes he can do even better. He's already revealed on Facebook that he intends to submit a song to the Hungarian broadcaster and if the juries like it, we could see him compete in A Dal once again. Fantastic. I fully believe, that with the right song, this guy has what it takes to win Eurovision for Hungary! Will we see him in Austira, then?

NuVidz: Zlata Ognevich, Anastacia, Helene Fischer, Shakira ft Carlinhos Brown!

Good morning, y'all! The beautiful Zlata Ognevich released Моя Мелодія - which is Ukrainian for "My Melody". I want to see her represent Ukraine again. She's a fantastic singer and her latest song is lovely. Meanwhile, Anastacia returns to the music scene with Stupid Little Things. Doesn't she a phenomenal voice? Helene Fischer is one of Germany's most successful artists. She revealed the German votes this year and is tipped to represent Germany next year by fans. It would be awesome!  She's released a great dance/pop track. It's entitled Atemlos durch die Nacht.  The 2014 FIFA World Cup starts in a couple of weeks and the unofficial anthem is Dare (La La La). Colombian born Shakira has teamed up with Carlinhos Brown to create this fantastic song. It's received almost 16 million hits in two days.. #wow!

Lithuania: Vilija wins Barbara Dex Award!

Attention! Vilija Matačiūnaitė has won this years Barbara Dex Award. She achieved a landslide victory with 311 votes. Emma and Cristina Scarlat both came 2nd - they managed to achieve 90 points. Personally, I don't understand why Emma is one that list. I am also shocked to see Casey on that list - I thought she looked absolutely fantastic. Oh well. Here are the full results!

1. Vilija (Lithuania) – 311 votes
2. Emma (Italy) – 90 votes
3. Cristina Scarlat (Moldova) – 90 votes
4. The Shin & Mariko (Georgia) – 76 votes
5. Hersi (Albania) – 64 votes
6. Twin Twin (France) – 56 votes
7. Can-Linn ft. Kasey Smith (Ireland) – 52 votes
8. Tijana (FYR Macedonia) – 52 votes
9. Donatan & Cleo (Poland) – 40 votes
10. Elaiza (Germany) – 30 votes

Andorra: No return in 2015!

It has been reported Andorra will not return to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2015. A shame as I liked the majority of Andorran entries. This year's edition would have marked their 10th anniversary in the contest, as they debuted in 2004...

Austria: Conchita Wurst on The Graham Norton Show!

Conchita Wurst, the most famous bearded lady in the world, appeared on The Graham Norton Show a couple of days ago. She said:

“I love myself and the bearded lady is fun and expresses everything I feel. Being a teenager in a small Austrian village was not fabulous.”  

Sir Elton John and David sent her flowers in recognition of winning the contest last week. She also got a tweet from Cher! Isn't that fabulous? Conchita has expressed that she will not represent Austria next year, however she would love to host the event... Kirsten Dunst, Dawn French and Bear Grylls joined her on the show.



Gogglebox also featured Eurovision. It's a brilliant program! For those of you who aren't familiar with the show it invites families, couples and friends from across the United Kingdom to watch TV from the past week. It aires every Friday on Channel 4, at 9pm. Molly's performance was not shown, however they did indeed show the Polish and Austrian entry. It proved rather popular with some of the men, for obvious reasons. Then it was Conchita's time to shine... she did shock a few people at first, although everyone applauded her by the end of her performance. You can watch the show here.

Poland: British televote ranked Poland first!

It has been revealed that the British (and Irish) public's favourite entry of Eurovision 2014 was Poland! The Polish performance was one of the most memorable this year, to say the least, and it the Brits loved it. However, because of the jury system (who ranked Poland last) the United Kingdom didn't actually award any points to Poland... is it right that five people have this much influence on the final result? It's sparked a lot of debate. Donatan & Cleo were the first Polish representatives to qualify since 2008 - they came 14th, with 62 points. Poland would have come 5th overall if there was no jury vote.  The British commentator, Graham Norton, said this before the Polish performance:

"If granddad has fallen asleep you might want to wake him. I've a feeling he will enjoy this."

AUSTRIA WINS EUROVISION 2014!

CONGRATULATIONS AUSTRIA! Conchita Wurst won the 59th Eurovision Song Contest last night, and rightfully so. It's a song contest and she defiantly had one of the strongest songs. Of-course some people are unhappy about her win, but I'm delighted! I was pleasantly surprised to see countries like Russia, Georgia and Israel award points to Conchita. It's been confirmed officially that Austria will indeed hold next year's contest.

"The Bearded Lady" said this in the winners press conference:

"I felt like tonight Europe showed that we are a community of respect and tolerance," 

I'm proud of Eurovision. She touched the hearts of millions across Europe - and that's why people voted for her! Everyone should believe in who they are.. what a fantastic message! Conchita also said that people can achieve anything they want if they be themselves. I saw loads and loads of Tweets saying "Rise Like A Phoenix" could be the next Bond theme. It's Austria's first win since 1966. Here are the full results:

The Netherlands and Sweden came 2nd and 3rd, respectably! I really thought the Dutch were going to win after their stunning performance - it was so beautiful. Ruth came 10th and I'm pleased about that. Her voice was just amazing! But isn't it disappointing for Molly? 17th isn't terrible but I thought she would have done so much better.. I guess the draw killed her, but I'm proud of our representation. Russia came 7th, which didn't impress fans in the hall. The Tolmachevy Sisters got booed when they were awarded 12 points from some countries.. I felt sorry for those girls. Armenia, the big favourite before the contest, came a very respectable 4th. I think a few countries were underrated.. Emma should have done so much better than 21st and Firelight should have achieved top ten. TWIN TWIN (Oh yeah!) came last. This is the first time France have come last. Slovenia also achieved a low position but I was just happy to see them in the final. Same with Valentina, she only achieved 24th but it's a massive achievement in itself for San Marino to qualify for the grand final! Azerbaijan didn't make the top ten for the first time ever... It was a nice song but not strong enough I guess.

The semi-final results have also been revealed and The Netherlands and Austria won their semis. No surprises. Georgia and Moldova came last in the respective semis and Portugal was only one point away from qualifier!!! How annoying... And Israel came 14th (out of 15). I'm shocked and surprised. Mei should have been top five in the final. I wonder why the result of Europe didn't like it? Still, Israel will remain one of my favourites of ESC 2014! Thank you Copenhagen, for an amazing show. It's been another great year. Probably my favourite ever.. I'm mostly satisfied with the results. So, that's it for another year... The road to Austria has begun!

Copenhagen 2014: Grand final tonight!

The grand final of the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest will be held tonight! 26 acts are all in the running to be crowned the winner, and it's going to be a spectacular show. The running order was decided yesterday by DR and the EBU. Ukraine will open the show, and the United Kingdom will close it! Does this mean Molly can win? I really hope so! Azerbaijan will perform #03 in the finale - maybe this be the first year they don't make the top ten? And who will be last? I have a horrible feeling it could be Germany.. I hope I'm wrong. There are so many unanswered questions - and that's why this is the strongest and most exciting final in years! Remember, we see Montenegro and San Marino in the final for the first time ever! I predict the winner will be between Sweden, Hungary, Spain, The Netherlands, Denmark, Russia, Greece and maybe Austria? It's so hard to call. These are tonight's participants:

1. Ukraine
2. Belarus
3. Azerbaijan
4. Iceland
5. Norway
6. Romania
7. Armenia
8. Montenegro
9. Poland
10. Greece
11. Austria
12. Germany
13. Sweden
14. France
15. Russia
16. Italy
17. Slovenia
18. Finland
19. Spain
20. Switzerland
21. Hungary
22. Malta
23. Denmark
24. The Netherlands
25. San Marino
26. United Kingdom

Good luck to everyone! Especially Ruth Lorenzo, Emma, Molly and Valentina Monetta! <3

Copenhagen 2014: Semi final TWO review!

Last night's semi final was really tough to call! I was mostly satisfied with the results,though. Israel should have qualified instead of Belarus - but apart from that, I'm pleased with last night's results ! I'm delighted Poland made it, and it's also great Austria's bearded lady got through! It was no surprise Norway and Malta qualified, both were great on stage and I think Malta are ones to watch tomorrow evening. The rapper guy from Greece messed up his words, but that didn't matter as it was a very strong and solid performance. Switzerland also made it, for the first time since 2011 - and so did Tinkara from Slovenia! Which is marvelous. Here are last night's qualifiers:

• Malta
• Norway
• Poland
• Austria
• Finland
• Belarus
• Switzerland
• Greece
• Slovenia
• Romania

The biggest shock was Israel not qualifying. Mei was flawless and I really hope Israel won't withdraw.. Ireland wasn't great on stage. Kasey she looked beautiful - but the performance itself wasn't strong enough. Lithuania and Georgia were both a bit too weird, and I won't miss them in the final. FYR Macedonia was good but the stupid dancer ruined it. I'm looking forward to tomorrow - it's a very open contest this year.

Copenhagen 2014: Semi final TWO tonight!

Another awesome show awaits us tonight. The 2nd semi-final will take place, with 15 countries battling for those 10 precious spaces in the final. I cannot wait. I'm so excited! Tuesday's show was fantastic. Isn't it a brilliant year? The final for the running order will be decided after tonight's semi.. Jessica Mauboy will perform two songs as the interval act!

1. Malta - Firelight with Coming Home
2. Israel - Mei Finegold with Same Heart
3. Norway - Carl Espen with Silent Storm
4. Georgia - The Shin and Mariko with Three Minutes to Earth
5. Poland - Donatan & Cleo with My Slowianie - We Are Slavic
6. Austria - Conchita Wurst with Rise Like a Phoenix
7. Lithuania - Vilija Mataaianaita with Attention
8. Finland - Softengine with Something Better
9. Ireland - Can-Linn (featuring Kasey Smith) Heartbeat
10. Belarus - Teo with Cheesecake
11. F.Y.R. Macedonia - Tijana with To the Sky
12. Switzerland - Sebalter with Hunter of Stars
13. Greece - Freaky Fortune feat. RiskyKidd with Rise Up
14. Slovenia - Tinkara Kovac with Round and round
15. Romania - Paula Seling & OVI with Miracle

Who do I *think* will qualify? Romania, Greece, Norway, Georgia, Malta, Ireland, Lithuania, Austria, Belarus and Israel.

Who do I *want* to see qualify? Israel, F.Y.R Macedonia, Norway, Switzerland, Poland, Slovenia, Ireland, Austria, Malta and Greece!

Copenhagen 2014: Semi final ONE review!

The first semi final was held last night and it was truly amazing. The stage looked great on TV and all the performances were very strong. I also loved the hosts! Ten countries qualified from last night's semi and I was mostly pleased with the results. Montenegro and San Marino made the grand final for the first time ever... YAY! I'm delighted for Valentina! She has finally achieved her dream! It's marvellous - maybe this will entice other microstates to come back? It's also great to see Montenegro in the final. The Netherlands were amazing - and they are now among the favourites to win on Saturday! Amsterdam 2015? Sweden seems to be the front runner now though.. Armenia was good but not good enough to win me thinks. The Russian twins were booed when it was announced they had made the final - it was always going to happen I guess... Ukraine looked great on TV and I think a top five position is very likely for them.

Here are the lucky qualifiers:

• Armenia
• Sweden
• Iceland
• Russia
• Azerbaijan
• Ukraine
• San Marino
• The Netherlands
• Montenegro
• Hungary

Latvia, Albania, Estonia, Portugal, Belgium and Moldova were eliminated. I thought that Portugal and Moldova would have made the final easily... Portugal really was amazing! Why didn't the lovely Suzy make it? Gutted - I would have loved her in the final. Latvia's song is sweet although the performance wasn't up to much. Axel's performance was very disappointing and Estonia underwhelmed me too, I'm afraid... It was a great show and I cannot wait for tomorrow now! 

Copenhagen 2014: Semi-final ONE tonight!

The first semi-final of the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest takes place tonight! 16 acts are battling for those 10 important spaces in the grand final... The show will kick off at 21:00 CET and will last two hours. Three big favourites are competing tonight - Armenia, Sweden and Hungary.

These are tonight's participants:

1. Armenia - Aram MP3 with Not Alone
2. Latvia - Aarzemniekl with Cake to Bake
3. Estonia - Tanja with Amazing
4. Sweden - Sanna Nielsen with Undo
5. Iceland - Pollapönk with No Prejudice
6. Albania - Hersi with One Night's Anger
7. Russia - Tolmachevy Sisters with Shine
8. Azerbaijan - Dilara Kazimova with Start a Fire
9. Ukraine - Mariya Yaremchuk with Tik-Tock
10. Belgium - Axel Hirsoux with Mother
11. Moldova - Cristina Scarlat with Wild Soul
12. San Marino - Valentina Monetta with Maybe (Forse)
13. Portugal - Suzy with Quero Ser Tua
14. The Netherlands - The Common Linnets with Calm After the Storm
15. Montenegro - Sergej Cetkovic with Moj Svijet
16. Hungary - András Kállay-Saunders with Running

Who do I *think* will qualify? Armenia, Sweden, Russia, Hungary, Moldova, The Netherlands, Ukraine, Belgium, Estonia and Azerbaijan.

Who do I *want* to see qualify? Latvia, Montenegro, Azerbaijan, Hungary, San Marino, The Netherlands, Armenia, Sweden, Moldova and Portugal!

San Marino: Valentina Monetta for 2015?

There are strong rumours that Valentina Monetta will represent San Marino for the forth year in a row. These rumours are heard in the press center, in Copenhagen. Someone asked the question and she said "maybe...". Of-course nothing is confirmed - but wouldn't it be awesome if Valentina did it again? Hopefully she will make the final tomorrow night. Here is my interview with the lovely Valentina!

Copenhagen 2014: EUROVISION IS HERE!

The opening ceremony is currently taking place in Copenhagen and therefore Eurovision week has officialy kicked off! This is the best week of the year. I'm going to write a little about my hopes and expectations for the coming week...

Firstly, I want to say that Italy and Spain are my joint favourites! I love Emma and Ruth - and I cannot wait for their performances on Saturday. Other favourites of mine include Israel, Germany, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Norway, San Marino, Sweden and Poland! It's a very strong year. The stage looks absolutely amazing and I seriously think this is going to be a year to remember. All the Big 5 countries + Denmark rehearsed today and Ruth was amazing. Molly's also getting a good reception - I hope she will achieve top ten, at-least! Maybe a winner?

The first semi-final takes place on Tuesday at 21:00 CET, and then the second semi final takes place at the same time on Thursday. It's going to be a busy but awesome week. I'll update this blog most days with my opinions on qualifiers, rehearsals, predictions... Good luck, everyone!

Photograph - EBU