Laura Rizzotto
Quite a few of my moments have been linked to this lady in 2018, an incredibly passionate and impressive performance artist who personally grabbed my attention whilst her song grabbed my heart, which was impressive given how many high points I experienced during the 2018 season. This is the fifth 'Moments Of' post in this blog (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 being the previous ones) - normally 8 to 12 most years but I found loads in 2018. I restricted it to these, my top 20...
I fell in love with a song and was charmed by its singer on first listen...
At the risk of sounding like a total 'stan', 2018 was the first year where an artist provided a totally new dimension to my Eurovision enjoyment. I had decided that I would try to follow someone from the very earliest stages of their nation's selection process through all the way to them singing at the Contest itself and possibly beyond. When Latvia revealed their 63 list with no names attached to the songs themselves, "Funny Girl" was the track that stood out a mile and I wanted to see and listen to it more. When the above black and white lyric video appeared online to view, I was brought under this lady's spell and the amazing interaction of prose and music just made me fall in love with the whole premise of the pain of unrequited love. You've read enough of what I think of this song and this artist's performances to date - Laura is one of the few Eurovision singers that I will continue to closely follow their career after the Contest. As promotional pictures and videos go, black and white is always so stylish and it showed her off perfectly in the role that she had within her song. As has happened for the last two Contests (Greta and Norma John), my number one out of the 43 did not make the Final - I have decided that I am no longer a jinx but in fact a visionary, someone that appreciates beautiful songs that the rest of the world just don't get...
An outlandish name, an incredible singer...
It is not often that the first NF of the season really grabs my attention with quite a few of the entries but FiK 56 was a truly amazing show! There were at least three artists that I rated 9/10 or better - Inis Neziri, Orgesa Zaimi and the guy above, he of the name that SuRie couldn't get enough of saying on Instagram and the voice that blew so many fans away in Tirana, Amsterdam and Lisbon. Much in the same way as when I heard 'Funny Girl' for the first time, "Mall" absolutely entranced me during the saga that was 270 seconds of pure bliss. You know the more amazing thing? Eugent took 90 seconds off this and it STILL sounded wonderful, with no noticeable breaks or awkward pauses. An incredible journey that was repeated time and again, that incredible voice pitch perfect, his passionate delivery providing an focal point for the eye and having what many would would consider a basic gig staging was perfection on the Altice stage. One of my performance highlights this year, I was delighted that Eugent made it into the Final and onto the left hand side of the leaderboard, Albania's best finish since "Suus"...
Popera filled every nook and cranny of the Saku Suurhall and the Altice Arena...
This really has been a year of instant impact songs and Elina Nechayeva singing this piece of Popera was no exception. The real officinados of opera weren't impressed with "La Forza" - the best I got was that Elina had a good voice. I understand that she is relatively young for an opera singer and will mature further but to me, the quintessential Eurovision generalist, this sounded sublime. To hear it online at the Saku Suurhall and then live at the Altice Arena FOUR times in anger was one of those experiences that is unlikely to be repeated anytime soon. Not being one of your usual opera buffs, the way that this lady powered out those tones and operatic phrases sounded superlative to me and there was only ever going to be one winner of 'highest note held of Eurovision 2018'! It might well have been a demonstration of vocal excellence without much feeling and the 'light dress' was probably all unnecessary in the big scheme of things, as Elina's voice was the real star, but Estonia came good again, back in the Final after two seasons out of it...
If 'live' had been as good as 'studio', it might well have been Yerevan 2019...
My predictive skills surpassed themselves when I said that Tamar and Asmik should sing at Depi Evratesil and that they did, but for established artists their live vocals really didn't really match their experience. It was especially galling for this lady as I think that "You & I" could have been up there in Lisbon with "Fuego" and "Toy" - admittedly taking votes off both of them and possibly letting Austria in by the back door but a top five placing for Armenia was definitely on the cards, depending on the staging. This would have been the first 'banger' out there, the one that would have got into every fan's head, possibly even the one that radio stations around Europe would have started to play before the eventual top two finishers were even released. Possibly a radio friendly song from ten years ago but as Petra said, positively contemporary for Eurovision...
Spain wanted the 'Golden Couple' in Lisbon - this lady was far better...
Aitana was the best singer at OT 2017 in my considered opinion and she gave by far and away the best solo performance with 'Arde'. Much in the same vein as the better Spanish entries of the past 58 years, this nation always excels when they send a solo female vocalist with an amazing voice, who is singing a powerful ballad with audible texture and interest within it. Aitana provided a degree of visual innocence and yet she was so convincing with her delivery of this song to the audience, being perfectly dressed for this song on first time of asking (reread my OT Eurovision selection review if you want to know what I mean by that). To me, this would have stood out a mile in Lisbon - there were very few female soloists providing this sort of emotional journey there (only Ieva from Lithuania in the Final itself) - and I am sure that Aitana would have finished higher than Alfred and Amaia. In fact, Aitana was involved in both of the other songs in the OT SuperFinal and each of them would have done a better job - the next highlight of mine possibly giving Spain the chance of a dark horse outside chance of the win...
And by the time that Spain went mad for this one, it was far, far too late...
Almost 6 MILLION YouTube views on this one as against 2.5 million for "Tu canción" from the same show - Spain and many Eurovision fans went absolutely mad for this song but as destiny had already decided that the two OT lovebirds were going to the Contest with their sickly sweet entry, "Lo Malo" is now one of those 'what if' entries. It could be that I have just heard it so many times and watched this video so often that personally I think that Ana and Aitana could have brought Spain one of their few top ten finishes and possibly better. It shows off the best vocalist at OT plus the best performer to their best and the chorus is so blooming infectious that I could imagine that the whole venue would have been singing and waving their arms as much as for "Toy" and "Fuego". Another tale of strong women who are basically telling their current beau to 'go and do one' because they are off out to enjoy their time without them - sound familiar? Maybe Netta might have had some competition here - I think that there would have been a strong chance of Madrid 2019 and I suspect that this will still be a massive Mediterranean summer hit. Get used to the tune, chorus and those moves because by August you'll all be humming it and performing them - there is always one big uptempo number that misses out and I think that this would definitely have been in the mix...
A Viking had to go to Eurovision but it wasn't my favourite at DMGP...
You can't argue with a 10th at Eurovision and Rasmussen did give one of the most memorable performances in Lisbon, what with the 'stomp with me' call to the audience, the GOT/Pirates of the Caribbean/Viking look, the billowing sails and snow all linking perfectly with that musical theatre vocal. It wasn't my favourite at DMGP though - "Signals" totally blew me away. KARUI's voice was the equivalent of amber nectar, so soulful, superb RnB vibes throughout, such a playful tone that moved up and down the scales in a controlled and yet dynamic way. The music grooved from the lovely piano intro past the bass guitar and factory percussion to that incredible ending - totally perfect, especially when you consider that she was moving a lot of the time, her intonation and sound never wavering. Some of the best lyrics this year too - not sure how it didn't even make the Danish SuperFinal but this was almost my number one song this year...
Belarus got roses and lounge music when it could have had this...
When Alekseev won Eurofest 2018 in Belarus with a wonderful technical lightshow but hideous live vocals, I couldn't believe it! There was his popularity that was a major factor there and to be fair to him, with vocal coaching and change in musical pace he did sound okay at Lisbon but the staging and the strength of his SF did it for his nation's chances of qualifying. With hindsight, Belarus should have sent the runner-up and my favourite for the line-up. Shuma gave us "Hmarki", a superb piece of electronica that I absolutely loved - the singer's vocals integrating seamlessly with the pulsating beat and her voice just fits, you know what I mean? It is definitely not a 'Eurovision track' but it is a very contemporary one, very niche and extremely interesting to listen to. I am sure that most fans would have liked this as much as AWS in Lisbon but it would have brought another layer of interest to the Contest and would definitely have finished no lower than Alekseev...
The biggest screw-up this year? San Marino NOT choosing this for Lisbon...
Small nations like San Marino don't often have a wealth of talent to choose from most years, but with the 1 in 360 process used in 2018 it seemed as though they might actually get another artist other than Valentina into a Eurovision Final. Sara de Blue was the standout vocalist in the NF and almost the entire fandom felt that she was a shoe-in for the nomination - there really wasn't anyone else on a par with her vocally or emotionally. So how did San Marino end up with Jessika, who never ever nailed a live performance at MESC and still didn't at 1 in 360 or Eurovision, and Jenifer Brening, who was asked to rap despite she only ever having sung one song in that genre before, as their artists? The fact that the televote was a mess with five acts ending up with 12s due to them all reaching their Global Rockstar targets meant that it was effectively a jury vote, with inane comments about Sara's dress being distracting unlike the toy robots that J & J had with them really showing where their decision was going. I could be brutal and snide by saying that San Marino got what they deserved in the end - another DNQ in the weaker SF, with a hideously performed act that was tacky beyond belief. I am glad for Jessika that she eventually got to sing at the Contest and I am sure that Jenifer can recover from the mess - as for "Out Of The Twilight", this wonderful track, amazingly sung by Sara, was a beautiful listen and so moving that I could have seen this easily qualifying for only this nation's second Final and getting a possible top ten. San Marino might not get a second chance with Sara - I know from chatting to the lady herself and industry people that there are others interested in her talents for Eurovision 2019...
Occasionally my blog gets noticed by the artist...
It is always gratifying for a writer when the subject of the article really likes what you have written and flags it up for all their followers to read too! Unsurprisingly, this was my most read post during the 2018 season and looking at that sentence, I was impressed as well. As you can tell, "Crazy" was another entry, much like "Funny Girl", that I loved with a passion and yet I was in the minority when it came to voting time in its SF, as Franka ended up with a DNQ, totally undeserved in my opinion. She gave a solo performance masterclass in Lisbon and sung this smooth jazz/soul fusion so beautifully but it is now just destined to be an entry that I will always play and listen to ahead of 90% of the 'class of 2018'...
Sometimes a song that you don't get in the studio totally clicks on stage...
If I ever needed a song to pick up my mood, to make me instantly smile and to really, REALLY enjoy watching a performance from this year, it would have to be "You Got Me" from Norway's NF, MGP 2018. Stella and Alexandra's studio version didn't click with me at all and going into the NF, I was backing Ida Maria with "Scandilove" as that sounded much more fun and contemporary than what appeared to me to be a weird hip-hop/country mix of styles. Once we got to the live show however, that odd fusion came to life with those wonderfully bright outfits, the multitude of suited guys dancing, Stella's sassy delivery and Alexandra providing the backbone of the action with her spot on vocals. This came together so well, everybody was watchable, the music sucked you in straight away and everything that both ladies did, from their looks and smiles to the camera to the moving about the stage that just about seemed to put them in the right place at the right time, worked and brought together what was the 'ultimate show opener'. In a year where only one artist was going to win in Norway, it's good to be remembered for opening the show so superbly and coming third too - as for Ida, the total opposite happened, hot mess on stage, poorly sung and she even fell over. Her song is already fading from my memory - the above routine is likely to be still in there in the years to come as an amazing show to compare more recent choreography to...
And sometimes that live performance will make your jaw drop...
Well it did mine anyway! Equinox performing "Bones" was what I wanted to see the most at The London Eurovision Party because I really needed to find out how good these singers were, how well they interacted with each other and whether this whole project could work in Lisbon. I was stood on the upper level, looking down over Trey's shoulder and as I watched and listened to these three minutes, I became absolutely gobsmacked and awestruck with the harmonies and the connection that five random singers could bring to this performance. The intensity was outstanding and the fact that all five of them were so close together on the stage and also so near to us fans made this a once in a lifetime experience for me. It was with this that "Bones" became my number two song for this year - unfortunately the intensity and close harmonisation was never matched anywhere else due to the size of the venues I saw this song at afterwards (Amsterdam and Lisbon). As far as the history books show, 14th in the Final is Bulgaria's 4th best result but after the hype of early season and the expectation after finishing fourth and second, the Equinox project ended up as a damp squib but the LEP performance will stay with me for a very long time...
Not sure how many other artists could have done this...
The fact that she sung all of this from memory and in one take was spellbinding - fortuitous too that she did this version of "Monsters" just before the Eurovision in Concert press event and I happened to be one of the first people to ask her about it! Saara Aalto is an incredible singer who will have a long and successful career in front of her because she can turn her hand, her voice and her personality to anything. Coming second from last in the Final will not be the death knell on this performer's career - merely another chapter in her musical book, one that includes pop music, musical theatre, film voice overs and much more. If you want to keep watching the future work of any artist from this year's Eurovision, you couldn't go far wrong by keeping tabs on Miss Aalto...
Getting a Google Pixel 2 XL really went down well with two Eurovision stars...
There she was, in amongst all the standing throng, singing her heart out to Alfred and Amaia's "Tu canción", showing how much support she gave to every other artist at the venue and also how much she loves singing anything! She liked this video too - I was glad to have been of assistance to both singers...
Amsterdam saw me at my busiest ever for interviews...
I finally made it - all six evening shows at my first Contest...
How incredibly mind blowing is this from front AND back?
Moldova have become the kings of Eurovision staging over the past two Contests. We had brides throwing their bouquets to the crowd over the heads of the grooms of Sunstroke Project last year and then an intricate and extremely well rehearsed mirror dance that helped win DoReDosthe Moldovan NF was what I thought would be coming to Lisbon. After just having the singing and some dancing during the pre-Parties, the assumption that we'd see those mirrors again was totally blown out of the water with what we did get - an amazingly choreographed show involving doors of the ilk of Rowan and Martin's Laugh In / Hear'Say It's Saturday! (delete depending on age). The video above shows the live and synchronised rehearsal footage which demonstrates how slick and on point this all was, down to one of the guys behind the scenes 'playing Marina' and also proving to me that it was indeed his 'Lucky Day' when the guy in red saw his lap nestle against her bottom! This was THE star turn of Eurovision 2018 as far as staging was concerned and all of the rehearsing paid off to give such a memorable show - this will be the 'gold standard' for 2019...
May 12th turned SuRie into a Eurovision Goddess...
Well done BBC for doing something smart this year, posting SuRie's actual Final performance for time immemorial at the same time as the EBU and RTP are desperately trying to obliterate THAT STAGE INVASION from the Eurovision history books. I've said enough on that matter already so I won't rant and rave yet again - what it did do was make this lady into a Contest legend. Susanna Marie Cork will never be forgotten as a Eurovision artist now due to that incident - how she recovered the situation so magnificently well and how every single fan of whatever nationality backed her to the max. Everyone stood up and cheered her after her song and irrespective of whether or not she should have gone again, the UK entry will now always be one of the main talking points about 2018, for good or for bad. Based just on the song 'Storm', SuRie would have faded into the background as far as UK songs are concerned but what with her handling of the Final occurrence plus her amazing charisma and social media usage, I will predict that this lady will be as visible as Suzy is at Eurovision fan events for years to come...
Two days after Netta's win and an amazing cover of "Toy" appeared...
I didn't have a problem with Nettawinning in Lisbon - it has been 20 years since Israel's last victory so that was long overdue and the entry itself is contemporary, well sung, excellently staged and she really turned it on for the Final shows. To be honest though, "Toy" won't live on long in my memory and won't be anywhere near my 'Greatest Eurovision Hits' anytime soon but ironically the above song might. Two whole days after Israel had won, Estonia's 2013 artist Birgit and her band provided us with this version of the winning song in her native tongue. You know something? I love this! Superb vocal complexity and interaction between the two female vocals and the folk music really gave this a new sound and for me a far more interesting one. Much more fun, less in your face and I hope that someone next year remembers this and brings Birgit and her band (assuming she hasn't gone and won Eesti Laul 2019) to do something with Netta. Now that would be something to see and hear...
2018 ended up being about one artist for me...
To tidy things up for Eurovision 2018 in Lisbon (bar the OGAE SCC 2018) now means mentioning my favourite lady of the whole season just one more time. Her vlog was always an intriguing insight into what Eurovision means and entails for a performer there but the last episode of it did highlight her Meet & Greet on the night of the Jury Final. It did also flag up her appreciation of my support of her and "Funny Girl" from before the time that she was confirmed as being on Supernova. It shows that I'm still quite the fan when such an unexpected statement really made me feel good. Hopefully Eurovillage on 11th May won't be the last time that I ever see Laura Rizzotto again in real life but it was a great way to end our Eurovision journey...
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There you go, my TWENTY moments this year and they really are all highpoints for me, as even when my favourite in Spain and San Marino didn't make it, I had the awareness that I loved the acts and their songs, and it therefore didn't matter. The blow of Laura not making the Final this year wasn't as hard to take as Greta and Norma John not making it the two years before - perhaps being there made a difference and meeting her immediately after, where she was so philosophical about it all, helped too.
I'm not hazarding a guess as to what is going to happen
- best give it a couple of months!