Is it always so predictable?
OGAE Second Chance Contest win NINETEEN for Sweden...
Marcus & Martinus deliver the goods with "Air"!
It is the first time since 1991 that the winner of Eurovision and the OGAE Second Chance Contest are the same nation and that was Sweden back then! It was my tenth year as a UK juror for this contest and I have seen them win this five times - hopefully we will get another nation or two providing us with a different winner in 2024. Hour one of this week's show focussed on this Contest, more to tie up 2023's loose ends rather than create any tension - the actual top 5 and five others that were in my personal top ten this year can be heard on the show:
And the playlist?
Marcus & Martinus - "Air"
Ulrikke - "Honestly"
KUUMAA - "Ylivoimainen"
Lazza - "CENERE"
Vicco - "Nochentera"
Elsa Lila - "Evita"
Jerry Heil - "When God Shut The Door"
Rūta MUR - "So Low"
Filip Baloš - "Novi plan drugi san"
OLLIE - "Venom"
Mia Nicholai & Dion Cooper - "Burning Daylight" (Karaoke)
Charlotte Nilsson - "Take Me To Your Heaven"
Charlotte Pirelli - "Hero"
Käärijä - "Cha Cha Cha"
S10 - "De diepte"
Kristian Kostov - "Beautiful Mess"
VICTORIA - "imaginary friend"
Natasha St-Pier - "All I Have Is My Soul"
Sandrine François - "After The Rain"
Conchita Wurst - "Rise Like A Phoenix"
Johnny Logan - "Heaven's closed"
Sirusho - "Donik"
The Shadows - "Let Me Be The One"
The final result?
The UK Jury score was as follows and is wholly predictable, given the Swedophile nature of the club. I have to admit that KEiiNO apart in 2021, I cannot remember the UK jury giving 12 to anyone else!
12 points Sweden, 10 points Norway, 8 points, 7 points Belgium, 6 points Spain, 5 points Serbia, 4 points Poland, 3 points Ukraine, 2 points Ireland, 1 point Italy.
If you missed the show by OGAE Sweden, with added Paul Rey at the end, here you go...
We are in the quiet part of the season still and having a new member of the LET ME BE THE ONE Eurovision Facebook Group gives us all a new favourite Contest entry (and for Ben Jeffrey, a National Final entry) to listen too:
Kristian Kostov with "Beautiful Mess"...
And VICTORIA's "imaginary friend". Great choices and they show how much a gap Bulgaria not being at Eurovision creates. Fingers crossed that they will be back soon.
Teya & Salena were praying during what might well be one of their last performances as a duo at Eurofest this weekend. "Oh, mio padre" indeed when singing about Edgar Allan Poe and I was fortunate to be able to chat with them before the night started...
Show 271 - you'll hear one of the most relaxed interviews ever
with Teya & Salena on LET ME BE THE ONE!