NuVidz: Serebro, Samanta Tina, Raign, Tamta ft. Xenia Ghali

Serebro has released НЕ НАДО БОЛЬНЕЕ. This electronic number is fabulous!! One of their best songs for sure. The group represented mother Russia back in 2007 and achieved 3rd place. Samanta Tina's latest track is Skatuve. This blogger really hopes to see her represent Latvia in Vienna... Will it happen? Anyone watching The X Factor this year will know Raign. She's easily the most controversial singer in this series, or was until Simon Cowell eliminated her last weekend. Cheryl Fernandez-Versini might find her annoying but Don't Let Me Go entered the alternative singles chart at 38. This proves people like her and her songs. She's tipped to be the wildcard and if so, she'll grace our screens again when the live shows start. I adore Raign - she's unique and has a great voice. ##RaignForWildCard!! Finally, Georgian singer Tamta has teamed up with Xenia Ghali and released Gennithika Gia Sena. She's tipped to be the Georgian representative in Eurovision next year.. A good choice if true!

Italy: Sanremo winner to Eurovision 2015!

The winner of Sanremo 2015 will have the pleasure of flying the Italian flag in Vienna. Sanremo is one of Italy's most popular and loved music competitions - and millions of people watch it every single year. RAI confirmed if the winner of Sanremo doesn't want to represent Italy, another act from the contest will be chosen. It's therefore likely we'll see a big Italian name in Vienna. Awesome - hopefully they will have a fantastic song, too. Rome 2016 would be stupendo!

Sweden: Sanna Nielsen and Robin Paulsson to host Melodifestivalen 2015!

It has been revealed the lovely Sanna Nielsen and Robin Paulsson will host Melodifestivalen 2015. Sanna Nielsen flew the Swedish flag in Copenhagen and achieved 3rd - she's a popular face in Sweden. Meanwhile,  Robin Paulsson is a presenter and a well-known comedian. Sanna said:

I feel safe with Robin on stage and think we will complement each other. It should feel safe, fun and warm.

Malta: Six nuns to Vienna?

48 participants are still in the running to represent the tiny island of Malta in Vienna. Many familiar faces are included on this list; Miriam Christine, Ludwig Galea, Olivia Lewis, Glen Vella and Gianluca Bezzina have all submitted tracks into the selection. Six nuns are also in the running... and they will sing a pop tune composed by Philip Vella. One of the nuns had this to day:

At first we thought it was silly for nuns to enter the Eurovision Song Contest, we thought it wasn’t our place. But then we figured why not? We’re doing it for the church and for the children we help.

PBS, the national broadcaster, will announce the 20 semi-finals in a few days. Will the nuns be included, though?

• 12, Baker Street – Karen DeBattista
• Beautiful to Me – L-Aħwa 
• Break All Borders – Jacqueline Richard
• Breakaway – Glen Vella
• Call It Love – Kurt Cassar
• Chasing a Dream – Trilogy (incl. Ludwig) 
• Close Your Eyes – Danica Muscat
• Closed Doors – Chris Grech
• Could Have Been Me – Iona Dalli
• Dark Dark Waters – Domenique
• Dream of Love – Rebecca Mifsud
• Eclipse – Ana-Maria Grima
• Empty Hearted – Domenique
• Fandago – Jessika
• Flame – Monroe
• For All Those Times – Gloriana Arpa Belli
• Freedom – Simaria Galea
• Hey Yo – Domenique
• Hold My Hand – Estelle Imbroll
• Hold On To Love – Olivia Lewis & Miriam Christine
• Home – Lyndsay Pace
• Hurricane – Marilena Gauci
• Indestructible – Annabelle Vella
• It’s OK – Deborah C
• Look – Neville Refalo
• Love & Let Go – (Sr Michaela, Sr Monica, Sr Rita, Sr Claudia, Sr Denise & Sr Magdalong) aka The Nuns
• Love Call – Danica Muscat
• My Next Tattoo – Domenique
• Never Ask Why – Andreana & Fiona
• Once in a While – Minik
• Ringside – Gabriella Azzopardi
• Rush – Christabelle
• Secretly – Corazon
• See Through Lover – Larissa Borg
• Shine a Light – Malcolm
• Something in the Way – Daniel Testa
• Still Here – Franklin
• Stop Haunting Me – Raquel Galdes
• Stuck Without Me – Kylie Coleiro
• Take Me as I Am – Domenique
• The One That You Love – Lawrence Gray
• The Thief – Dario Mifsud Bonnici
• Warrior – Amber
• What You Wanna Hear – Stefan Galea
• What? When? Where? – Joseph Refalo
• Where Do We Go? – Kurt Cassar
• Who Needs a Heart – Soraya Cardona
• Your Phone – Fiona Cauchi

Source - Times of Malta

Ukraine: Anastasiya Prykhodko voices her opinion on Russia!

Back in 2009, Ukrainian singer Anastasiya Prykhodko represented Russia and achieved 10th place. She therefore became very popular in Russia but now that's all changed. She promises never to sing on Russian soil again - saying “I will not sing for occupiers." With the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, Prykhodko has become public enemy #1 with Russian media. Iosif Kobzon, a Russian singer, labelled Anastasiya Prykhodko as a “street girl…who swears like a prostitute" and also called her a disgrace. Last month, a film entitled “17 Friends of the Junta” was on aired on Russian television where the Ukrainian singer was shunned. Anastasia retaliated on Twitter, calling the Russians stupid and narrow-minded. The 27 year old singer has also applauded Ukraine's decision to ban all Russian television in the country Anastasia's been very busy recently - performing across Ukraine for troops and residence alike. Ukraine unfortunately decided to withdraw from Eurovision 2015 while Russia confirmed their participation some months ago. This crisis is still ongoing and some reports say Moldova could be Putin's next target.

Serbia: RTS announce national final plans!

RTS, the Serbian broadcaster, officially announced their return to the contest today and also released some interesting information regarding their upcoming selection. Three acts will participate and Vladimir Graic will select the songs that'll participate. He most notably composed Molitva - Serbia's winning entry in 2007. Could this be another winning formula for Belgrade?

FYR Macedonia: Skopje Fest participants revealed!

The twenty acts that will compete in Skopje Fest 2014 were revealed this evening. One of them will fly the Macedonian flag in Eurovision 2015, but who will it be? These are the participants:

• Risto Samardziev & Vlatko Ilievski – Sever-jug
• Lena Zatkoska – Alo
• Aleksandra Janeva – Vo tvojot svet
• Nade Talevska – Znam
• Sanja Gjosevska – Sakam da letam
• Viktoria Loba – Mi fali nekoj kako tebe
• Goran Naumovski & Sanja Kerkez – Mig bez tebe
• Lidija Kocovska & Marjan Stojanovski – Sonce bez oblaci
• Vera Jankovik – Sakam da letam
• Evgenija Cavcalova – Da ne te sakam
• Danijel Kajmakoski – Sovrsena bura
• Tamara Todevska – Brod sto tone
• Aleksandar Tarabunov – Marija
• Dimitar Andonovski – Se sto vetiv
• Verica Pandilovska – Samo za tebe
• Tanja Carovska – Pekolno mi nedostasuvas
• Mijata – Dlaboko vo sebe
• Joce Panov – Ni lj od ljubovta
• Aleksandra Mihova – Srce cuva uspomeni
• Saso Gigov-Gis – Bluz

Vlatko Ilievski is hoping to return, with Risto Samardziev. Meanwhile, Tamara Todevska is also making a comeback. She previously represented FYR Macedonia in 2008 and was also a backing vocalist for Tijana, in Copenhagen. The show will be held on 12th November! 

Croatia: No return in 2015!

Some sad news here, folks. ESCToday reports the devastating news that Croatia will not return to Eurovision! I'm gutted! Will they make a return in 2016? Hopefully.. Croatia therefore joins Turkey, Ukraine, Monaco, Andorra, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Luxembourg whom have all confirmed they won't be present in Vienna.

Malta: Ira Losco to return?

The super-talented Ira Losco represented Malta back in 2002 with 7th Wonder. She managed to achieve 2nd place - only losing out to Latvia. Since this, she has become one of Malta's biggest stars and has had a string of domestic hits. I personally believe she would be an amazing choice if Malta sent her to Vienna, with the right song of course.. So is she going to make a comeback to the Maltese national final? Ira posted the following message on her Facebook page earlier today:

The Maltese selection is shaping up to be pretty fabulous already. Alexander Rybak will compose a song for Franklin and Gianluca will return with his siblings. Such fun!!

UPDATE 27/09 - Ira announced that she won't participate in Malta's selection although she's still leaving the door open for 2016....

Missed Opportunities 2014: Norway!

Melodi Grand Prix was one of the strongest selections this year. The final took place on 15th March with eight participants, but it was always going to be a two horse race between Carl Espen and Linnea Dale.

Linnea Dale - High Hopes
Linnea managed to achieve a very respectable 2nd place. High Hopes was a favourite with many. Carl was probably the deserving winner though but this blogger prefers Linnea's song. Did you prefer Carl or Linnea? Or do you think someone else deserved to win? I'd defiantly love to see her try again next year! The acoustic version of High Hopes is simply stunning..... #wow!

Lithuania: Eurovizija returns - a topless singer to compete?

Vilija Matačiūnaitė didn't manage to get enough attention in Copenhagen and you'd think this would make LRT, the national broadcaster, review their selection. However this isn't the case, because the Lithuanian national selection will be exactly the same next year. There will be several shows; including a separate show to select the song for Vienna and then another show to determine the Lithuanian representative. Laurita, a topless singer, promises to compete according to Balsas.lt. She often performs with very little clothing on and wants to "seize the agonizing Lithuanian pop scene". But isn't Eurovision supposed to be a family show? ;-)

Sweden: Melodifestivalen 2015 final on 14th March!

Some changes will be made to Melodifestivalen next year - a total of 28 participants will compete (as apposed to 32) and the grand final will consist of 12 entries. The fun will all start on 7th February, in Gothenburg, while the final is scheduled for 14th March. These are the dates:

• 07/02: Semi-final 1 – Gothenburg
• 14/02: Semi-final 2 – Malmö
• 21/02: Semi-final 3 – Östersund
• 28/02: Semi-final 4 – Örebro
• 07/03: Andra Chasen – Helsingborg
• 14/03: Final – Stockholm

Kalle Johansson won Svensktoppen Nästa (a competition organised by Swedish radio 4) and will therefore defiantly compete in the Swedish selection. The full list of participants will probably be released at the end of the year! 

FYR Macedonia: 180 songs submitted for Skopje Fest!

Vlatko Ilievski

Skopje Fest will now be held on 12th November, a day earlier than initially planned. The Day of Liberation of Skopje will take place on the 13th and hence this is why the Macedonian national final will take place a day earlier. 180 songs have been submitted into the selection - but who will participate? Names such as Vlatko Ilievski (FYR Macedonia 2011), Vera Jankovik and Lambe Alabakovski are all heavily rumoured to compete. This blogger reckons it's time for Karolina Gočeva to return though!

Malta: Gianluca set to return with his siblings!

There's a singing doctor in the house, y'all! Gianluca, Malta's 2013 representative, has decided to submit a song into MESC. He will joined by his 5 siblings this time and they are going to perform under the name L-Aħwa. The song has been composed by an international team. In other news, Ira Losco is also hoping to return... Malta's national final just got exciting!!

Ukraine: Producer wiling to fund and organise participation!

The world of Eurovision was shocked and deeply saddened to learn about Ukraine's withdrawal yesterday, however maybe there is another way for the troubled country. Timofey Nagorny is a well-known and very successful Ukrainian prouder - and guess what, he is willing to fund and organise the Ukrainian act for Eurovision 2015! Speaking to “Komsomolskaya Pravda”, he said:

If NTU cannot organise the selection, I am willing to do it for them. I am ready to pay all the expenses for the preparation of the act, who will be able to represent Ukraine at the international competition. I do not even have to like the candidates. I can’t guarantee Ukraine first place, but the top ten I can guarantee.

Nagorny has been involved with Eurovision before. Back in 2011, he was partly responsible for Mika Newton's Angel. The Ukrainian music producer wants to show Ukraine in a positive light:

I believe that Ukraine should participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. Our country should give the world some positive news beyond the battlefield. And if you make a good show, choose a serious song, it will not look vulgar and out of place. Before disclosing such a decision, NTU should have thought things over, weighed them, and most importantly, consulted with the people.

Will NTU, the Ukrainian national broadcaster, accept his offer? I certainly hope so!

Ukraine: NTU announce withdrawal from Eurovision!

How sad!! The Ukrainian broadcaster, NTU, confirmed through their official website they won't participate in Eurovision 2015. I guess this was always going to happen due to the current political situation and also because of financial reasons. I guess Russia will be booed again for sure.. Let's hope Ukraine will be back in 2016!! This is what they had to say:

The unstable financial and political situation, military aggression from the east, the annexation of Ukrainian territories — all these events have forced the broadcaster to focus on the main priorities of NTU: the construction of public broadcasting in Ukraine. This is necessary to carefully optimize any cost. Therefore, the National Television Company of Ukraine…has decided not to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. 

I'm gutted! However, it appears Poland will confirm their participation very soon...

UK: La Voix wants to sing in Vienna!

La Voix, a British drag queen, wants to represent the United Kingdom in Vienna! Following Conchita Wurst's win for Austria - could the BBC go down a similar route? She tweeted this a few days ago...

She competed in Britain's Got Talent 2014 with the London Gay Big Band. Unfortunately, they didn't make the grand finale. The performance can be enjoyed below:

Would you like to see her fly the British flag next year? If you do, get behind her and use the hashtag #LaVoix4Eurovision on Twitter!

Croatia: Participation to be decided next week!

Will Croatia send a representative to Vienna? This decision will be announced next week. ESCStarz contacted HRT, the Croatian national broadcaster, and they said:

The decision whether or not Croatia will participate on ESC 2015. will be announced within a week. Best regards, HRT

I really hope they confirm!!

Estonia: Eesti Laul to be held on 21st February!

There will be some changes to Eesti Laul next year. Firstly, it's been revealed the grand final will take place on 21st February with semi finals being held on 7th and 14th February. Normally, the selection is held in March! The top three acts will advance to a super-final. previously only two acts have made the super-final. Submissions are now open and artists have until 1st December to submit their offerings. But following Tanja's disappointing result in Copenhagen, who should fly the Estonian flag? I would like to see Grete Paia in Vienna!!

San Marino: Participation to be decided on 11th October!

A final decision regarding San Marino's participation in the sixtieth Eurovision Song Contest will be announced on 11th October. Will they compete? Oh, I really hope so! Meanwhile, Slovenia has apparently applied to participate next year however they can still withdraw until 11th October. Albania, Croatia, Poland, Ukraine and Moldova are still to reveal anything....

Bulgaria: Comeback in Vienna confirmed?

Welcome back, Bulgaria! 

Hallelujah! Bulgaria will defiantly return to Eurovision 2015! The country was forced to withdraw last year, thanks to financial difficulties so it'll be great to see them back.This means four countries (so far) will return to next years Eurovision, these countries are - Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Cyprus and Bulgaria! Hopefully we'll see Croatia in Vienna too, although their national broadcaster has been very quiet regarding participation... Hmmm! The EBU should release a list of countries whom have applied to compete very soon! Stay tuned!!

Serbia: Return in 2015 very likely!

Awesome! Serbia has applied to take part in Eurovision 2015. The national broadcaster, RTS, released a press statement earlier this afternoon and it says they really want to compete. Are you happy Serbia will send an entry to Austria? There are still some financial issues - thus Serbia can withdraw until 10th October, without a penalty. Hopefully this won't happen!

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Return officially confirmed!

A good friend of mine contacted the Bosnian broadcaster, BHRT, and they confirmed to her that Bosnia and Herzegovina will defiantly send an entry to Vienna! This blogger is delighted to hear Bosnia will return! No news regarding their selection process but an internal selection is likely. They said:

I'm now in the position to bring you good news. The general director of BHRT, Muhamed Bakarwevic, has signed our application, which means that Bosnia and Herzeognvnia will participate in Eurovision 2015

Are you happy to see the Balkan country return? Who should fly the Bosnian flag in Vienna? I would love to see Maya Sar again!

Israel: Participation very likely in 2015!

IBA, the Israel national broadcaster, has submitted a preliminary application to compete in next years contest. Fantastic news! Although the broadcaster is yet to make an official announcement - Israel's participation in Vienna is very likely, thankfully, however NOT OFFICIAL. The whole situation is rather confusing at the moment. Radio 88FM has announced they will select the Israeli representative internally to save money - which certainly wouldn't be a bad decision. Israel's participation has been in jeopardy because IBA is closing down next year, due to financial difficulties. Nothing is official yet regarding their representation in Vienna and more details will be released very soon. Let's enjoy the Israeli 2014 entry:

Missed Opportunities 2014: Denmark!

Basim represented Denmark on home-soil, and achieved 9th place - however he wasn't my first choice. So, who should have represented Denmark instead?

Michael Rune feat Natascha Bessez - Wanna Be Loved
OMG! Wanna Be Loved was fabulous! I still listen to this song regularly - it's a terrible shame the Danes never selected it. The performance in DMGP was awesome and Natasha's vocals were fantastic. Plus, that saxophone is so epic. This would have been one of my favourites, if chosen for Copenhagen.

NuVidz: The Common Linnets, Neil Diamond, Sunstroke Project feat Deepcentral, Anouk!

The official video-clip of Give Me A Reason was premiered this morning and it's fantastic! The video-clip was filmed in an old barn, surrounded by farm animals and it suits the song perfectly. They will tour The Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Austria later this year. The Art Of Love is Neil Diamond's latest tune. This blogger has always been a fan of the American singer-songwriter. Another beautiful song from this legend! Splendid voice. Stunning lyrics. He will release an album will be released on 21st October. Can't wait for that!!! SunStroke Project, the group who represented Moldova in 2010 with Olia Tira, joined forces with Deepcentral and released Sunshine. A great summer tune - shame it wasn't released a few months earlier... Since giving birth to her fifth child, Anouk released Places To Go. It's a very personal video for Anouk as it includes her new son. She'll release an album in a couple of months.

Vienna 2015: Slogan revealed - "Building Bridges"

(Eurovision.tv)

Moments ago, Eurovision.tv officially announced the slogan of the 60th Eurovision Song Contest! "Building Bridges" is the slogan and I think it's brilliant! The Director General of ORF, Dr. Alexander Wrabetz, said:

After the decision for Vienna as the host city and the nomination of the complete core team, we have set another important milestone on the way of organising the world’s largest TV entertainment event by choosing the slogan. With "Building Bridges" we have chosen a theme, the idea of ​​Europe with the uniting character of music and that in Vienna, the traditional capital of world music in the heart of Europe.

Stay tuned for more news regarding Eurovision 2015! :)

Malta: Hopefuls to be revealed on 3rd October!

The Maltese semifinalists will be announced on 3rd October. They will be revealed on a special TV show, which will air at 20:40 CET. Malta's national final takes on 22nd November and therefore this makes them one of the first countries to select their entry for Vienna. But Malta isn't the first country to hold their selection, because the Macedonian national final will be held a couple weeks earlier. Who should represent Malta net year? Ira Losco has apparently submitted a song into the selection and we all know Alexander Rybak has composed a song for Franklin. Jessika is also likely to return. It's going to be one heck of a selection!!

France: Internal selection in 2015!

Following TWIN TWIN's (Oh yeah!) disappointing last place in Copenhagen and also thanks to low viewing figures, France 2 will now have the responsibility of selecting the French representative for Eurovision. The channel wants to change France's approach to the contest because of recent poor results. It has now been confirmed the French entry for Vienna will be selected internally - is this a good idea? Who will fly the French flag? It won't be Indila....

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Return in 2015 confirmed?

Marvelous! It's been confirmed today that Bosnia & Herzegovina will return to Eurovision next year, following a two year break from the contest. A preliminary application for participation has been submitted by the Bosnian national broadcaster, BHRT. However, we must remember Bosnia were due to compete in Copenhagen although they sadly decided to withdraw last minute - blaming money troubles. Hopefully that won't happen again this year.... Welcome back, Bosnia! You have been missed! :)

Missed Opportunities 2014: Slovenia!

Slovenia opted for Tinkara Kovač to represent them this year, but was she the best choice? Tinkara came 25th in the final with only 9 points. I thought she deserved more but there was another song in EMA, the Slovenian national final, which this blogger loved...

Muff - Let Me Be (Myself)
Muff came 2nd with Let Me Be (Myself). This song is rather unusual but it has charm. The lead singers voice is awesome! Me likes. It would have made a great entry indeed - but what do you think? Did you prefer Muff?

Belgium: Stromae has no plans to compete in Eurovision!

Who will Belgium send to Vienna? Unfortunately, it won't be the super talented Stromae. He has decided to take a break from touring and making albums and will therefore not fly the Belgian flag in Eurovision. Stromae, real name Paul Van Haver, was interviewed by Complex, an American magazine and said:

For the next album, well, I think the success of the second one was so huge that it would take lot of time to just have a normal life and actually be normal, so maybe I will leave two or three or even four years out before making another—​I’m not sure. I want to be making music, but also have a normal life. Of course, traveling will always be something I want to do, too. I’m more worried about my sanity, and being with my family. I understand how one can become completely crazy because of this success. It’s not extraordinary at all to react that way. But I don’t think it’s natural to have this kind of attention... I think I’ll need a few years to heal myself.

Ta fête was the official song for the Belgian football selection at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil! Enjoy:

Missed Opportunities 2014: Sweden!

Melodifestivalen was once again used to select the Swedish entry for Eurovision. Sanna Nielson won and came 3rd in Copenhagen. But was she the best choice? Probably. Although this blogger preferred a couple of other acts.

Ace Wilder - Busy Doin' Nothin'
The grand final of Melodifestivalen 2014 was held on 8th March and Ace Wilder was the last participant to perform. I thought she was going to win. Busy Doin' Nothin' reached number one in the Swedish charts and Wilder was only two points away from being the winner! The international jury favoured her, too. Should Sweden have sent Ace instead? I'm going to say no. Both songs were great but I don't think Ace would have reached the heights Sanna did... But I guess we will never know for sure, will we?

Helena Paparizou - Survivor
Survivor was my favouirte song in Melodifestivalen 2014. Loved it! Helena Paparizou was the favourite before the selection even started, and she did manage to achieve a very respectable 4th place in the final. The Greek-Swedish singer won Eurovision in 2005 and also represented Greece in 2001, where she came 3rd as part of Antique. The acoustic version is beautiful!

Malta: Alexander Rybak will enter Maltese national selection!

Following some speculation, it's finally official - Alexander Rybak will take part in MESC, the Maltese national selection. However the Norwegian winner from 2009 won't be performing. He will compose a song for Franklin. Rybak has been busy recently and his latest song is Into A Fantasy, which is official soundtrack for How To Train Your Dragon 2.. Franklin entered the Maltese national final in 2014 with Love Will Take Me Home. Are you looking forward to hearing their song? Is this a winning combination? Malta will select their entry on 22nd November - a week after Junior Eurovision takes place.

Sweden: First act for Melodifestivalen 2015 revealed!

Yesterday, Kalle Johansson won the final of Svensktoppen Nästa (a competition organised by Swedish radio 4) and he therefore has the opportunity to perform in the Swedish selection. He's only 17. Den där dan was the song Kalle won with although he'll have to perform another song in Melodifestivalen. I wish him the best of luck!

Vienna 2015: Eurovision season has started!

It's 1st September and this can only mean one thing - the 2015 Eurovision season has officially started today. Therefore, we could possibly hear Eurovision entries today because they can be published online or on radios and still be eligible to participate in Vienna. Here's on example - Poland's entry was actually released in November 2013 although Cleo and Donatan were still allowed to participate in Eurovision 2014. And wasn't that a memorable performance ;-) anyway, we already have a few national final dates confirmed and Georgia will be revealing their participant this month. 26 countries have so far confirmed participation - Serbia and Bulgaria are looking very likely to return... but what about Croatia? They haven't said much. This blogger can't wait for this next national final season to begin!