Eurovision - Day Seven

It was day seven in Belgrade and the night of the Final of the 53rd Eurovision Song Contest, my sadness at the contest being over for a year was equally matched with excitement to see who would be the outright winner.

The atmosphere at the arena was amazing when I arrived - there was such a hive of activity. There were seas of flags being waved, and people from all nations talking to eachother about their favourites from the contest. I couldn't help but think how wonderful it was to be part of this unifying experience. I made sure I was armed with my Iceland and Norway flags as I headed into the arena ready to support my two favourites.

The show itself was fantastic in the arena - it was one big party. Andy Abraham for the UK did well despite being the second act but it was clear he wasn't going to do well in the votes as his performance was not memorable enough to standout. No Angels gave a better vocal performance but it still wasn't up to the standard of some of the other acts. By the time Euroband came on stage my phone went crazy with all my friends back home that were watching on T.V to say how great they were. One of my friends even said that Fridrik looked like me on stage!! (I wish!!). I didn't think it would be possible for Euroband to raise their game in their performance as they were already so good but they did - giving without doubt the strongest vocal performance in the contest. Their efforts were rewarded in the arena with one of the best reactions of the night. Charlotte Perrelli's performance underwhelmed me slightly in the final and she was totally upstaged by Ani Lorak. It was obvious that out of the two divas in silver, that Ani would come out on top as her performance was much more memorable than Charlotte's. Booing in the arena was directed at Spain with people that obviously didn't think that the "song" was good for Eurovision. Dima Bilan also received a fair amount of boos when he took to the stage. My other favourite, Maria from Norway closed the show with a beautiful performance of "Hold On, Be Strong".

With all the 25 countries performed, it was now the moment of truth - the scores. My personal top 5 were Iceland, Norway, Ukraine, Sweden and Greece, so I was hoping for any of those countries to do well. As the scores started coming in I noticed that suprisingly Sweden were not getting any points. Norway and Greece in particular, were doing well, Iceland had a few points and Ukraine wasn't doing as well as I expected. At the top of the leader board was Greece and Russia and I secretly hoped it would be Greece that would take the prize over Russia. As more countries voted, my dreams for Eurovision in Iceland started to fade and I resigned myself to the fact that I would be going to Russia next year. With only one country left to vote, Demark, the game was over and it was to be Dima Bilans night. The moment that I was most annoyed about was Iceland's Euroband not having their moment of glory on the screen from the green room when they got their 12 points from Denmark - trust Dima Bilan to steal their thunder!! With the voting over, my top 5 finished like this: Iceland (14th), Norway (5th), Ukraine (2nd), Sweden (18th) and Greece (3rd). I was most disappointed for Euroband as I so desperately wanted them to do well.

In my opinion, I think the top 5 (though not all my favourites) were deserving though I would have prefered Ani Lorak's Shady Lady as the overall winner as opposed to Dima "I think I am God" Bilan. I was particularly pleased with Maria's 5th place with "Hold On, Be Strong" for Norway. I'm not sure where it went wrong for Sweden and my favourites Iceland - I guess the whole East v's West is still very much a part of the final despite it balancing out the qualifiers from the Semi Finals. The UK found themselves at the bottom of the table again which wasn't deserved (neither was Poland to be fair). With talk of Terry Wogan resigning and countries pulling out, I wonder if rules for the final will be changed for next year??

The aftershow party was a little sad as it was time to say goodbye to all the friends I had made over the week. I was able to catch up with a few of the artists at the party but the one act that I wanted to see Euroband, wasn't there. I really wanted to tell them how well they did and that it was a great triumph that they qualified to the final. As quick as the week had begun, it had ended and until next year, Eurovision was over.

Eurovision - Day One

I arrived in Belgrade on the Sunday before the final. By the time I had arrived, the artists and delegations had already been in Belgrade for a week or so. At the Sava Centre (the Press Centre which was to be my home for the week) the buzz of Eurovision was well underway. Press conferences were taking place - Sweden’s Charlotte Perrelli, a former Eurovision winner, described the event as a “circus” at her press conference, and I knew what she meant as there is so much going on. Early favourites at the press centre in Belgrade were Ukraine, Russia, Iceland and Sweden – but it was still very much anyone’s game.

The first night saw me invited to the official opening party at the Royal Palace. Naturally I attended, as I knew it was the perfect opportunity to mingle with the delegations and the artists and hopefully catch up with a few people I had met at the Eurovision Preview Party in London.


My first meeting was with Joanna, the sassy vocalist from Bulgaria’s Deep Zone. When I asked her what she thought the key to Eurovision success was, she replied: “To be yourself”. Joanna was definitely being herself dressed in a very eye catching outfit.


My old friend from Malta, Morena, told me that she was going to “have fun on stage and have a party” and with an infectious song like "Vodka" I was sure she would. Morena also talked about her Euro competition. When I asked her if she had any tips for me, she said: “The competition is always really tough and there are often many good songs”.


Simon Matthew from Denmark told me that a good Eurovision song needed to be an “anthem”, much like his entry this year, "All Night Long". He added that a good Eurovision song needed to be “memorable and sing-a-long”.

Kalomira, the entry for Greece, told me that she couldn’t give away her Secret Combination but that she felt that each Eurovision entry needed its own "gimmick to make it unique".

Later on I was reunited with the lovely Maria, with whom I danced on stage with at the Eurovision Party. Maria was one of the people I was most looking forward to see as along with Iceland's Euroband, as I was supporting both her and them as my two favourites in the competition. I asked Maria if she felt there was any other standout entries in her opinion, she told me that she didn’t feel that there was an “outright winner” this year. I was then introduced to the writer of "Hold On, Be Strong", Mira Craig.

The other artists I was most looking forward to see were my Eurovision favourites, Euroband. Whenever I see Fridrik and Regina they make me smile as there is just something about them that is just so likeable. They are without doubt two of the nicest, friendliest people I have met. In my opinion, Euroband are everything that Eurovision is about - two amazing singers and performers that are doing something that they really enjoy. I know it sounds a bit corny, but whenever Euroband are around they light up the room.

I was lucky enough to steal a moment with last years Eurovision winner, Marija Šerifović who agreed to pose for a photo which I was very happy about as I knew it would be the envy of my friends!!

The biggest acts at the party were Verka and Charlotte Perrelli, who were very much in demand. Unfortunately I was unable to seize my chance to ask them what they thought it takes to win Eurovision and pose for a photo!! I didn't notice Russia’s Dima Bilan, Ukraine’s Ani Lorak and the UK’s Andy Abraham at the party - maybe I was too busy at the bar??

Just as I was leaving the party I caught up with another of the entrants I had met at the Eurovision Preview Party, Isis Gee. The first thing I noticed was how much tanning she had been doing!! With the end of the party at the Palace, I headed off to the Eurocafe with my friends to continue the party elsewhere!! What a fantastic first day it was!!

Squeezy x