| Eurovision Song Contest News - Germany 2011 

Igor T.

Hi, Igor from Serbia here
34yo, living in Belgrade - after the ESC 2008, most of you probably have heard of it , but I grew up in northern town of Novi Sad, most famous for EXIT festival - one of the biggest "real" music festivals in Europe. I watch ESC since early 80's - even when we've been bombed, i listened to radio broadcast of 1999. contest on the attic - my mother was freaked out
Don't like typical eurofans' taste - I'm not into schlager or eurotrash. Other than ESC, I like different music - electronic, house, british pop, indie, etc, and don't like rap, r'n'b or Celine Dion's or similar pathetic ballads.
Don't like most of the ESC songs, but there are jewels that keep me addicted to it at least few months a year - and when my country wins, thats even more often

My 2010 rank:

01 Germany (adorable girl, quirky in a good way, modern and catchy)
02 Spain (timeless, classy, melancholic - very nice)
03 Estonia (dark, minimalistic, serious - song that has to be respected)
04 Belgium (nice little unpretentious tune - i have a thing for this kind of songs)
05 Turkey (very interesting and professional - good arrangement too)
06 Lithuania (way too cool - serious message in funny package)
07 Switzerland (French retro dance - must be loved)
08 Serbia (I've expected something much worse - at least outstanding entry from us)
09 Russia (touch of Slavic melancholy)
10 Israel (ballad of the year)

From this point on are songs that I like more than I dislike them
11 Latvia
12 Cyprus
13 Greece (guilty pleasure, but the last version is too trashy - still, enough for 13th place)
14 Macedonia
15 Finland
16 Azerbaijan

Average ones - in previous years would have been placed lower (order is almost random)
17 Moldova
18 Bulgaria
19 Slovakia
20 Albania
21 Sweden
22 Bosnia & Herzegovina
23 Belarus
24 Romania
25 Croatia
26 Ukraine
27 Denmark
28 Georgia
29 Poland

Don't like'em:
30 Norway
31 Iceland
32 France
33 The Netherlands
34 Armenia
35 UK
36 Malta
37 Ireland
38 Portugal
39 Slovenia


My ESC Top 60 of the 21st century:

1. Athena - For real (Turkey 2004)
2. Laka - Pokusaj (Bosnia & Herzegovina 2008)
3. Magdi Rusza - Unsubstantial blues (Hungary 2007)
4. Patricfia Kaas - Et s'il fallait le faire (France 2009)
5. Geta Burlacu - A century of love (Moldova 2008)
6. Flor-de-Lis - Todas as ruas do amor (Portugal 2009)
7. Zeljko Joksimovic - Lane moje (Serbia & Montenegro 2004)
8. Taxi - The Moon (Romania 2000)
9. Roger Cicero - Frauen regier'n die Welt (Germany 2007)
10. t.A.T.u. - Ne ver', ne boysia (Russia 2003)
11. Mor ve Otesi - Deli (Turkey 2008)
12. Anonymous - Salvem el mon (Andorra 2007)
13. Brainstorm - My Star (Latvia 2000)
14. Sebastian Tellier - Divine (France 2008)
15. Elitsa Todorova and Stoyan Yankoulov - Water (Bulgaria 2007)
16. Lovebugs - The Highest Heights (Switzerland 2009)
17. Serebro - "Song #1" (Russia 2007)
18. Marija Serifovic - Molitva (Serbia 2007)
19. Nino Prses - Hano (Bosnia & Herzegovina 2001)
20. Adok Zoli - Dance with me (Hungary 2009)
21. Zdob si Zdub - Boonika bate doba (Moldova 2005)
22. Vanilla Ninja - Cool Vibes (Switzerland 2005)
23. Karolina Goceva - Od nas zavisi (Macedonia 2002)
24. Hari Mata Hari - Lejla (Bosnia & Herzegovina 2006)
25. Cosmos - I hear your heart (Latvia 2006)
26. Gracia Baur - Run and Hide (Germany 2005)
27. Anna Vissi - Everything (Greece 2006)
28. Lena Philipsson - It Hurts (Sweden 2004)
29. NOX - Forogj, vilag (Hungary 2005)
30. Nelly Ciobanu - Hora din Moldova (Moldova 2009)
31. Gulseren - Rimi Rimi Ley (Turkey 2005)
32. Anjeza Shahini - The Image of You (Albania 2004)
33. Laura Voutilainen - Addicted To You (Finland 2002)
34. Deep zone & Balthazar - DJ take me away (Bulgaria 2008)
35. The KMG's - Love Power (Belgium 2007)
36. Nicola - Don't Break My Heart (Romania 2003)
37. Sopho - Visionary Dream (Georgia 2007)
38. Kaffe - Lorraine (Bulgaria 2005)
39. 4Fun - Love or Leave (Lithuania 2007)
40. Elena Risteska - Ninanajna (Macedonia 2006)
41. Andy Abraham - Even If (UK 2008)
41. Olsen Brothers - Fly on the Wings of Love (Denmark 2000)
42. Vanna - Strings of My Heart (Croatia 2001)
43. Manuel Ortega - Say A Word (Austria 2002)
44. Alexander Rybak - Fairytale (Norway 2009)
45. Blue Cafe - Love Song (Poland 2004)
45. XXL - 100\\% te ljubam (Macedonia 2000)
46. Ruffus - Eighties Coming Back (Estonia 2003)
47. Mumiy Troll - Lady Alpine Blue (Russia 2001)
48. Ortal - Chacun pense a  soi (France 2005)
49. Sofia Vitoria - Foi magia (Portugal 2004)
50. Sertab Erener - Everyway that I can (Turkey 2003)
51. Mando - Never Let You Go (Greece 2003)
52. Tose Proeski - Life (Macedonia 2004)
53. Simon Matthew - All night long (Denmark 2008)
54. Ines - Once in a Lifetime (Estonia 2000)
55. Walters and Kazha - The War Is Not Over (Latvia 2005)
56. Alsou - Solo (Russia 2000)
57. Stefan Raab - Wadde hadde dudde da? (Germany 2000)
58. Michelle - Out On My Own (The Netherlands 2001)
59. Max - Can't Wait Until Tonight (Germany 2004)
60. The Rounder girls - All to you (Austria 2000)

Worst songs IMO would be:
1. Julie & Ludwig - On again, off again (Malta 2004)
2. Ich Troje - Keine Grenzen-zadnych granic (Poland 2003)
3. Fabrizio Faniello Another Summer Night (Malta 2001)
4. DJ Bobo - Vampires are alive (Switzerland 2007)
5. Scooch - Flying the flag (UK 2007)
6. Dustin the Turkey - Irelande Douze Pointe (Ireland 2008)
7. Alf Poier - Weil der Mensch zahlt (Austria 2003)
8. six4one - If We All Give A Little (Switzerland 2005)
9. PingPong - Sameyakh (Israel 2000)
10. Donna and Joe - Love? (Ireland 2004)
11. Michalis Rakintzis - S.A.G.A.P.O (Greece 2002)
12. Kreisiraadio - Leto svet (Estonia 2008)
13. Andrea Demirovic - Get out of my life (Montenegro 2009)
14. Lou - Let's Get Happy (Germany 2003)
15. Fabrizio Faniello - I Do (Malta 2005)
16. DQ - Drama Queen (Denmark 2007)
17. Malena Ernman - La voix (Sweden 2009)
18. Gisela - Casanova (Andorra 2008)
19. Rodolfo Chikilicuatre - Baila el Chiki-chiki (Spain 2008)
20. Jemini - Cry Baby (UK 2003)
21. Stevan Faddy - Ajde kroci (Montenegro 2007)
22. Pirates of the Sea - Wolves of the Sea (Latvia 2008)
23. Guri Schanke - Ven a bailar conmigo (Norway 2007)
24. Sarbel - Yassou Maria (Greece 2007)
25. Kalomira - Secret Combination (Greece 2008)
26. Sirusho - Qele, qele (Armenia 2008)
27. Rosa - Europe's Living A Celebration (Spain 2002)
28. Soraya Arnelas - La noche es para mi (Spain 2009)
29. Hadise - Dum Tek Tek (Turkey 2009)
30. Waldo's People - Lose Control (Finland 2009)

Ok, I have got bored with this - if you want to ask me something, drop me a line to igoricat@hotmail.com





- Regional artists and compilations I'd recommend (sadly, there's not much chance that most of them would take part in ESC - some of them even don't exist now): Darkwood Dub, Intruder, Aleksandra Kovac, J.U.S.T., SevdahBaby, Del Arno Band, Eva Braun, Belgrade coffee shop compilations (Serbia); TBF, Natalie Dizdar, Massimo Savic, Flyer, Urban & 4, Putokazi, Meritas, Hladno Pivo (Croatia); Bei the Fish, Kiril Dzajkovski, PMG Collective; Nov Bran compilations (Macedonia); Letu stuke (Bosnia&Herzegovina)
- discoveries of 2009: Portecho from Turkey, and The Presets from Australia
favourite songs from 2009 (or ones I have heard of for the first time in 2009): Portecho - Sympathy; The Presets - A new sky/My people; The XX - Heart skipped a beat; The ting tings - That's not my name; Hercules and Love affair - Blind; La Roux - In for the kill; Gossip - Heavy cross; Hot chip - Ready for the floor; etc.

The most overrated artists at this moment IMO - Lady Gaga and Susan Boyle