Female Artists

In the spotlight: Loreen

The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will take place on Saturday 13 May. One of the favorites for the win is Loreen representing Sweden. But who is Loreen ? Let’s give her a spotlight. Loreen (Lorine Zineb Noka Talhaoui), is a Swedish singer of Moroccan descent. She was born on October 16, 1983 in Åkersbergabeter, Sweden, as the eldest of six children in a liberal Muslim family. When Loreen was six years old, her parents divorced and the children moved to Västerås with their mother. Pop Idol, Melodifestivalen and Eurovision Song Contest In 2004, Loreen took part in the Swedish version of Pop Idol where she placed fourth. Together with the band Rob’n’Raz she released the single “The Snake” in 2005. Loreen in 2004 Seven years later, in 2011, Loreen took part in Melodifestivalen, the Swedish preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest. She did this with the song “My Heart is Refusing Me”. She placed fourth in the semi-finals, so she did not advance directly to the final, but was allowed to participate in the second chance round. However, she still failed to do so. A year later, Loreen took another chance. With the song “Euphoria” she made it easily to the final, which she convincingly won. At the Eurovision Song Contest 2012, which was held in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, Loreen was then allowed to represent her home country Sweden. During the second semi-final on May 24, 2012, she managed to qualify for the grand final which she won two days later, on May 26, 2012, with 372 points. It marked the fifth Swedish victory in the history of the Eurovision song contest. In the weeks after her win, “Euphoria” became a big hit in many European countries. Loreen was number 1 in eleven countries. “Euphoria” eventually even became the most successful and longest recorded Eurovision hit in history in the Netherlands. Loreen’s debut album “Heal” was released on October 22, 2012. It contained eight new songs and three already released songs. The single “My Heart is Refusing Me” was also included, in a new international version. Ride, Melodifestivalen and Så mycket bättre In April 2014, Loreen went on a tour called XIV. On this tour she performed some of her new songs, including “Jupiter Drive” and “Dumpster”. The long-awaited second album “Ride” was released in 2017 but it was not very successful. That year Loreen participated again in Melodifestivalen with the song “Statements”. However, she failed to qualify for the final. In 2020, Loreen participated in the Swedish TV show “Så mycket bättre” (Swedish for ‘So much better’). This program is based on the Dutch show “Beste Zangers” (‘Best Singers’). Loreen then sang in Swedish for the first time. The success of her performances led to the announcement of a Swedish-language album that Loreen would be working on. The first single, Sötvattentårar (Swedish for ‘Freshwater Tears’), was released in March 2021. In 2021, Loreen made her acting debut in the movie “Vinterviken”. In this she plays a Moroccan mother with a teenage son. She was inspired by her own mother for this role. Return to Melodifestivalen and the Eurovision Song Contest At the beginning of 2023, Loreen took part in Melodifestivalen for the fourth time. She did this with the song “Tattoo”. Her performance in the preliminary round was disrupted by climate activists, forcing it to be shut down. Immediately afterwards she was allowed to perform her entry again and she managed to qualify for the final. On March 11th, she won the final, making her the Swedish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. Will she manage to win the Eurovision Song Contest, just like in 2012? We’ll know on Saturday.

In the Spotlight: Blanca Paloma

Blanca Eurovision Spain Liverpool

Road to Liverpool: Norway

We can not wait for the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Therefore, we have a closer look at one of the contestants every day. Today: Norway. Alessandra Mele Alessandra Mele will represent Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest. She wrote the song “Queen of kings” together with Henning Olerud, Stanley Ferdinandez and Linda Dale. 20 years old Alessandra was born in Pietra Ligure, Savona, Italy. She has an Italian father and a Norwegian mother. Music has always been important in her life. She first took part in a talent show when she was only 6 years old. She rose to fame last year when she participated in The Voice Norge. Espen Lind was the coach she chose after the blind audition. She reached the live shows. Eurovision came right after The Voice. Her song “Queen of kings” reached the #1 spot in the Norwegian charts. It’s also a hit in Finland, Hungary, Iceland and Sweden. Melodi Grand Prix Alessandra’s “Queen of kings” has won Melodi Grand Prix 2023. Ever since Norway participated for the first time, in 1960, the song has been chosen through Melodi Grand Prix. The name always remained the same. The way of selection, however, was different. This year, there were 3 semifinals and a final. Through Melodi Grand Prix history there were many remarkable participations. In 1961, Per Asplin sang “S’il vous plaît” which was not a success in those days. However, a revamped version by De Lillos became a huge hit in Norway 26 years later! Another man who is part of Melodi Grand Prix history, is Jahn Teigen. He won three times, but took part on numerous occasions. Most remarkable was his 1976 song “Voodoo“, a duet with Inger-Lise Rypdal. Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest Norway started participating in 1960. The first victory came in 1985, after “a long and thorny path”, as 1986 host Åse Kleveland stated. Bobbysocks brought the victory home with “La det swinge”. Ten years later, it was Secret Garden with “Nocturne”. The most recent Norwegian victory was in 2009: Alexander Rybak won the contest with “Fairytale”, a Eurovision classic. In recent years, in 2019 to be precise, KEiiNO won the televote with “Spirit in the sky”. Overall, the song became 7th. The bookmakers The bookmakers predict a 4th place for Norway. That would confirm again that the days of bad scores and zeros are completely over for Norway. The song And of course, this is the song:

Road to Liverpool: United Kingdom

We can not wait for the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Therefore, we have a closer look at one of the contestants every day. Today: the United Kingdom. Mae Muller Mae Muller was internally chosen to represent the United Kingdom. Her song is called “I wrote a song”. She will thus be the representative of the host country. Do you remember the video of Mika’s song “Grace Kelly“? And do you remember the little girl in the green dress? Well, that was Mae Muller. Mae Muller was working as a waitress in a drag bar. That is how her career started when she was a teenager. In 2017 she started uploading her songs to soundcloud. A year later she released two EP’s. She opened for Little Mix on their 2019 tour. That was also the year she released her debut album “Chapter 1”. Her real breakthrough came in 2021, when she had an international hit with “Better days“. A Song For Europe Mae was chosen internally by British broadcaster BBC, as was Sam Ryder last year. But the United Kingdom has a history of having national finals under the name “A Song For Europe”. In the late sixties and early seventies, a huge star was chosen to sing all the songs. Later, a national final with 8 or 12 songs was held. An international hit was “Have you ever been in love?” for Leo Sayer. The song was sung in A Song For Europe 1981 by a group called Gem. United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest The first time the United Kingdom took part in Eurovision was in 1957. Patricia Bredin sang one of the shortest songs ever, “All”. Five times, the victory was for the UK. Sandie Shaw won with a landslide in 1967 with “Puppet on a String”. Two years later, Lulu got the shared victory with “Boom Bang A Bang”. In 1976, Brotherhood of Man won with “Save your kisses for me”. Another group won in 1981: Bucks Fizz with “Making your mind up”. The last British winner was Katrina & The Waves with “Love shine a light”. Very remarkable: the UK reached the 2nd place on no less than 16 occassions. Bookmakers The United Kingdom currently has the 8th place at the bookmakers. Another top-10 score for the UK would be wonderful. It would also be proof that the UK found their way back to the top. The song And of course, here is the song:

Georgia: Iru sings “Echo”

Iru Khechanovi will represent Georgia with the song “Echo”. The song has been presented by Georgian broadcaster GPB today. Iru won the national selection for Georgia, The Voice Georgia 2023. Georgia took part in the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 2007. Twice, with Sofia Nizharadze in 2010 and with the band Eldrine in 2011, Georgia reached the 9th place. Unfortunately, Georgia didn’t reach the final since 2016. Hopefully, Iru will change that. Georgia will perform in the 2nd half of the 2nd semifinal. This is their song:

Armenia: Brunette sings “Future lover”

photo: EBU/AMPTV Armenia has published their entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. Brunette will represent the country in the upcoming contest in Liverpool. That was already announced on 1 February. However, the song was not published until now. The song is called “Future lover”. A few days ago, Brunette announced the title on her instagram. More details about the song were not revealed back then. Armenia participates in the Eurovision Song Contest since 2006. Both in 2008 and 2014 the country reached the 4th place. Last year’s song “Snap” by Rosa Linn reached the 20th place, but became the 2nd most streamed Eurovision song ever. Armenia will perform in the 1st half of the 2nd semifinal. Listen to the new song here. What do you think: will it be a 2nd “Snap”?

Mimicat

About Quick Facts NameMarisa Isabel Lopes Mena Born25 Oktober 1985 Nationality🇵🇹 Portuguese National SelectionFestival da Canção 2023Festival da Canção 2001 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongAi coração (2023) Biography Marisa Isabel Lopes Mena, born in Coimbra in 1985, better known as Mimicat, is a Portuguese pop and soul singer and songwriter. Marisa Mena recorded her first album at the age of 9. A self-taught singer-songwriter from a very young age, she spent her teens between school and recording studios. She participated, aged just 15 and with the stage name Izamena, in one of the semifinals semifinal of Festival da Canção 2001, the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. She presented the song “Mundo Colorido”, but did not make it to the final. In 2004, she auditioned for Idolos Portugal and entered the last 50. Marisa was the lead singer and author of most of the lyrics for a band from Coimbra called The Casino Royal. In 2009 she graduated in Sound and Image from the Escola Superior de Artes e Design das Caldas in Rainha. In 2014 she presented her debut album under the name Mimicat: “For you”. The first single “Tell me Why”, was included in the soundtrack of the soap opera Jardins Proibidos. In 2015, she performed on some of the biggest Portuguese stages (Festa do Avante, Sol da Caparica, Edp Cool Jazz, Meo Marés Vivas, Culturgest, among others). She debuted on stages in Brazil, at one of the biggest events in São Paulo, Virada Cultural. In 2016 she released two singles: “Stay Strong” and “Gave Me Love”. They were included in her second album, “Back in town”. The album was released in September 2017. Two more singles from the album, “Fire” and “Going down” were released in the same year. In 2018, the single “Nobody knows” from the same album was released. Also in 2018 Mimicat got the opportunity to open for Selah Sue during her tour in Portugal. In July of that year, she teamed up with Camelier. She featured on his single “It feels so good”. On 11 april 2019, Mimicat released her first single in Portuguese, “Ate ao fim”, dedicated to her parents who celebrated their 50 years of marriage. The song was followed by “Mal maior” in November. Due to COVID19, it remained a little silent around Mimicat. However, she sang a lot online. On 11 February 2021, a new single came out: “Tudo ao ar”. A year later, she teamed up with Filipe Gonçalves, who featured in her single and video “Mundo ao Contrário”. In 2023 she won the 57th edition of the RTP da Canção Festival, with the theme “Ai Coração”. She represented Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest. The song reached the final and became 23rd there. Entries Ai Coração Country🇵🇹 Portugal Year2023 LanguagePortuguese LyricsMarisa Mena MusicMarisa MenaLuís Pereira DancersDaniel CourinhaDaniel Gamito SoaresInês GameiroVanda Gameiro Results Semi Points: 74Position: 9Running order: 5 Results Finals Points: 59Position: 23Running order: 2 https://youtu.be/HYfkxX4PFyw

Mimicat is the artist for Portugal

National final season is over. Mimicat won the Portuguese final Festival Da Canção 2023. She will sing the song “Ai, coração”, which is written by Marisa Mena and composed by Marisa Mena and Luís Perreira. Mimicat won the national final after an exciting voting. The jury voting resulted in a tie between Mimicat and Edmundo Inácio, but the televoter chose Mimicat. This is the full result: Mimicat, “Ai, coração”, 24 pt. Edmundo Inácio, “A festa”, 22 pt. Cláudia Pascoal, “Nasci Maria”, 12 pt. Bárbara Tinoco, “Goodnight”, 9 pt. Ivandro, “Povo”, 9 pt. Dapunksportif, “World needs therapy”, 8 pt. Voodoo Marmalade, “Tormento”, 7 pt. You Can’t Win Charlie Brown, “Contraste mudou”, 7 pt. Churky, “Encruzilhada”, 5 pt. Neon Soho, “Endless world”, 5 pt. Esse Povo, “Sapatos de cimento”, 4 pt. Sal, “Viver”, 3 pt. Inês Apenas, “Fim do mundo”, 3 pt.

Israel: this is how “Unicorn” sounds

Tonight, Israel’s Noa Kirel presented her Eurovision Song “Unicorn”. Already in August last year, we knew that Noa is going to represent her country in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. The title of the song, “Unicorn”, has been announced already in January. Finally, we can also listen to the song. The song is written and composed by by Doron Medalie, Yinon Yahel and May Sfadia. Israel will perform in the 2nd half of the 1st semifinal. What do you think? Do you like the song? You can listen to it here:

Diljá

© EBU/Chloe Hashemi About Quick Facts NameDiljá Pétursdóttir Born15 December 2001 Nationality🇮🇸 Icelandic National SelectionSöngvakeppnin 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongPower (2023) Biography Diljá Pétursdóttir is an Icelandic singer. Diljá has been singing for many years. In 2015 she took part in Ísland’s Got Talent when she was only twelve years old. Diljá attended the Iceland School of Commerce and sang many songs in the Rjóminn video group. She participated in the singing competition Vælið. In 2020, she moved to Copenhagen, where she combined her studies psychologie with singing lessons. In 2023, she took part in Söngvakeppnin, the Icelandic final for the Eurovision Song Contest, with the song “Lifandi inni i mer” (live inside me). Diljá won the competition with the English version of the song, “Power”, and competed in Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool. Unfortunately she didn’t manage to reach the final in the contest. Entries Power Country🇮🇸 Iceland Year2023 LanguageEnglish LyricsDiljá PétursdóttirPálmi Ragnar Ásgeirsson MusicDiljá PétursdóttirPálmi Ragnar Ásgeirsson Backings– Results Semi Points: 44Position: 11Running order: 7 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/lzlTcA0OC5s