ASFE is back in business!

Posted: June 5, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Sweden | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Over the past few weeks, I was so caught up in the (pardon the pun) euphoria of the Eurovision Song Contest that the blog took a backseat. Add to that Sweden’s convincing victory and ‘A Song For Europe’ was, unfortunately, completely overlooked.

BUT, I’m back in business and positively bursting at the seams with excitement at Sweden’s fifth victory as well as the prospect of them hosting the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. Check back for my upcoming editorials on the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest and all the latest happenings in European pop.

Remember, it’s only 348 days left till the next Song Contest!

The world comes together for Spain & ‘Quédate Conmigo’.

Posted: May 8, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Spain | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Music is truly the universal language of the world and this is something the Eurovision Song Contest and its fans joyously celebrate. I just came across this absolutely stunning video of singers from all corners of the world covering Spain’s 2012 entry Quédate Conmigo as a show of support for Spain and Pastora Soler. And its just… wow.

Watching this just reminds you of what a truly incredible thing music is, to be able to bring people from all around the world together in song and in one voice.

This right here is why we love the Eurovision Song Contest.

Tooji unplugs the fireworks off of ‘Stay’.

Posted: April 28, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Norway | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

I’ve always believed that the mark of a good song is its ability to translate and crossover into different languages and genres. You know a song is good when it still works in hard rock, country or even acoustic. Norweigan pop star Tooji has done just that, performing an acoustic version of his fiery hit Stay. What was initially just a one-off TV performance has lead to the possibility of actually recording and releasing this version. Check it out below:

Even has an unplugged ballad, Stay still works and for me, this proves how much of a great song it really is. Everything from the melody to the lyrics is now hauntinginly beautiful. And Tooji sounds better than I’ve ever heard him! I really hope they record this version for real.

And check out the original version of Stay for comparison, in all its blazing glory: 

Hard to pick, isn’t it? Which version do you prefer?

The Trackshittaz shine a light!

Posted: April 2, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Austria | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Check out this really cool video of Lukas Plöchl, member of Austrian pop/hip-hop group Trackshittaz, performing the song Love Shine A Light, the winning song of the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest originally performed by Katrina & The Waves. It’s a great, updated rap version complete with a gospel choir and synchronized elevated hand movements!

Also, check out this performance of One Night In Bangkok, one of my favourite songs composed by Eurovision Song Contest-winners Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, under the guidance of one of my favourite singers, Kate Ryan who herself is a former Eurovision particpant for Belgium. I sense a pattern here…

So now it should come as no surprise that Lukas, together with Manuel Hoffelner as Trackshittaz, have finally made it to the Eurovision stage. They will be representing Austria at the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest with the über catchy, utter zany song Woki Mit Deim Popo, loosely translated as ‘Shake your booty’. This is going to be a breath of fresh, fun air to the proceedings I reckon.

Melodifestivalen 2012: The stage has been set.

Posted: March 25, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Melodifestivalen, Sweden | Tags: , , | 1 Comment

With Melodifestivalen over for another year, its nice to still get updates and ‘backtrack’ through the past edition so that we don’t make like Peter Jöback and life doesn’t feel so Hollow. I recently found this time lapse video by Gustav Nyberg depicting how the stage of the Melodifestivalen 2012 was constructed. Check it out, its pretty awesome!

Watch: Engelbert Humperdinck picks up his microphone and the Union Jack.

Posted: March 22, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: United Kingdom | Tags: , , , , | 3 Comments

The United Kingdom was the last country to unveil their entry for the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest and it is a warm, graceful ballad with a great sense of nostalgia and melancholy.

United Kingdom 2012: Love Will Set You Free performed by Engelbert Humperdinck

It reminds me of old Western movies from the 1950s, due in no small part to the Spanish guitar.

Personally, I think that Love Will Set You Free, performed by timeless crooner Engelbert Humperdinck, is a lot better than I had hoped for and the British public ought to be proud of their entry. Yes, there are quite a few ballads this year but none that sound quite like this. Drawn to open the Grand Final, ‘The Hump’ will no doubt deliver a noteworthy performance. And a little bit of Eurovision-geekery, the last time the United Kingdom was drawn to perform first, it was in 1976 with Brotherhood Of Man performing Save Your Kisses For Me, and we all know how that turned out.

Watch: Switzerland hopes to be ‘Unbreakable’.

Posted: March 18, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Switzerland | Tags: , , | 1 Comment

The music videos for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest entries are flying in thick and fast and the latest one comes from Switzerland. Check out the band Sinplus looking better than ever:

Switzerland 2012: Unbreakable performed by Sinplus

Unbreakable is, in my opinion, amongst the best contending songs in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest and this music video only serves to highlight that. Set in a futuristic world where everyone lives in a Matrix-like state, Sinplus attempts to free everyone by harnessing the power of music and the message of their song. It is a bold, clean-cut video with a striking attention to detail and very vivid cinematography. One of the best videos this season.

All in all, the alpine nation has a really strong, tight package. I can’t wait to see Sinplus “rock, rock the place” in May. Good luck lads!

Watch: Cyprus makes a wish for ‘La La Love’.

Posted: March 17, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Cyprus | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Following France’s lead, a number of countries have started premiering proper, well-thought out official music videos for their Eurovision Song Contest entries. One of them is Cyprus, who can really give Anggun a run for her money with their artistic, fantasy tale-inspired affair. Check it out:

Cyprus 2012: La La Love performed by Ivi Adamou

This has to be one of my favourite videos so far. From its gorgeous cinematography to the high-end, abstract depiction of the tale of Snow White, we discover that the song’s message of the yearning for an all-encompassing love is a tale that is as old as time. That juxtaposition between sound and visual is really creative! Cyprus has really surprised us at every turn this year, starting from Ivi’s nomination through to the selection of La La Love and now with this really cool music video. Well done! Now I’m really looking forward to seeing the stage show.

Belgium to select their song in record time.

Posted: March 17, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Belgium | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

What will Iris sing for Belgium?

In what is hands down the worst preview of the season, Belgium presents a ‘teaser’ of its contending songs Safety Net and Would You, each consisting of exactly one second. Because discordant bursts of noise are meant to give an adequate impression of what a song sounds like. Well done Belgium. Check it out here.

On top of that, the national final ‘Eurosong 2012: Een Song Voor Iris’ is scheduled to be a whopping 15 minutes long. Again, well done. Now let’s just hope they haven’t taken leaf out of San Marino’s book and that Safety Net isn’t about Norton AntiVirus.

‘Eurosong 2012: Een Song Voor Iris’ will take place today at 20:00CET and you can catch it live (all 15 minutes of it) on eurovision.tv here.

Dance like maniacs! Greece gets high on Eleftheria’s ‘Aphrodisiac’.

Posted: March 15, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Greece | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Oh, Greece. After the glamorous spectacles we were treated to from all over Europe over the past few months, a show in a shopping mall under an escalator was not how I envisioned capping off the national finals season. And then the live stream broke down five minutes in. That is a cry for help.

Despite it all, the Greeks found a really strong entry for the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest in Aphrodisiac, performed by Eleftheria Eleftheriou. Check it out below:

The good: it’s very catchy and ought to take Greece into the Top 10. The not-so-good: its the stereotypical female-led ethno pop number that typified the past decade in Eurovision. Another factor working against Aphrodisiac is that there are about three other similar, stronger songs travelling to Baku. It will all come down to stage performance, draw and the vibe on the night.

Nevertheless, Aphrodisiac is still a strong entry and a worthy addition to the 2012 line-up. And hopefully, this catchy, feel-good slice of summer fun will lighten the mood in Greece come May.

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