Wales

Jon Lilygreen

About Quick Facts NameJon Lilygreen Born04 August 1987 Nationality🇬🇧 British National SelectionEurovision 2010: Epilogi tis kypriakis symmetochis In Eurovision2010 Oslo SongLife Looks Better In Spring (& The Islanders) Biography Jon Lilygreen is a Welsh singer and songwriter. Jon Lilygreen originates from Bettws, in the port city of Newport, where he still lives today and completed his education at Coleg Gwent in singing, guitar, and composition. During his training, he wrote his own songs, which were published in 2009 on the school’s own Coleg Gwent Green Album. Subsequently, Lilygreen performed numerous gigs in his hometown, including the Summer Sessions (2009) hosted by the Riverfront Theatre. He is signed to the independent label Long Life Records. In early February 2010, Lilygreen, together with the band The Islanders, won the Cypriot national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo. Their song “Life Looks Better in Spring” was written and composed by Cypriots Nasos Lambrianides and Melis Konstantinou. They reached the final with the song. In 2011, Jon teamed up with Jon Maguire and formed the duo Lilygreen & Maguire. Maguire was involved in music production and had been part of the pop punk band The Story So Far. Additionally, they played together in the band Editions. Their partnership was formed after they met at an open mic night at Kama Lounge in Newport, where Lilygreen was performing cover songs. During the 2012-2014 period, the duo supported Olly Murs and Westlife on their UK tours and embarked on an open-air busking tour across Wales, covering cities like Bangor, Wrexham, and Cardiff. In October 2012, they supported Scouting For Girls on tour. They announced a new single, “Dear Photograph,” for 2013, inspired by the blog of the same name, with plans to collaborate with Taylor Jones of DearPhotograph.com for the music video. Their debut studio album, “Have a Good Time All the Time,” was scheduled for release in November 2013, featuring a mix of new songs, previous singles, and B-Sides. The duo revealed their decision to part ways in January 2014, citing the challenges of the previous year. However, by June 2014, they announced a reunion and soon after released a new single, “Counting Cars.” Meanwhile, Lilygreen frequently teamed up with Scruffman (Pete Morgan, aka Bongo Peet) and Sian King for performances. In 2017, Lilygreen took part in the X-Factor UK, where he sang, among others, “Life looks better in spring”. After the X-Factor he released an album and single, both titled “Pictures of you”. In July 2019, a new EP called “Bottlekids” was released.In September 2019 Lilygreen started performing with a new band, The Brotherhood Wedding & Party Band. In October 2020, Jon teamed up with Bmotion to feature in the song “Alive”. Entries Life Looks Better In Spring (& The Islanders) Country🇨🇾 Cyprus Year2010 LanguageEnglish LyricsNasos Lambrianides MusicNasos LambrianidesMelis Konstantinou Backings– Results Semi Points: 67Position: 10Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: 27Position: 21Running order: 5 https://youtu.be/ZGNtoR2hom4?si=5VylwyPTL_AGqBKL

UEFA 2020: DAY 10

And again, we will have two matches in the European Soccer Championship. The first match will be between Italy and Wales. For this one we are going to look at male duos. In 1987, Umberto Tozzi and Raff, both big stars in Italy and abroad already, represented their country. They sang “Gente di mare”, which became third. It became a Eurovision classic. The United Kingdom was represented by Joe and Jake in the 2016 contest. Joe Woolford, the half of the duo, was a Welshman. With “You’re not alone” they became 24th. For the match between Switzerland and Turkey we add only one song: “Ne partez pas sans moi”. You are right, the singer Celine Dion is neither Swiss nor Turkish: she is a Canadian. But the song is composed by Atilla Şereftuğ, who is Turkish. The lyrics are from Nella Martinetti. And yes, she is Swiss!

UEFA 2020: Day 6

Again, three matches in UEFA 2020. To start with Finland against Russia. Where have we seen this battle before? Well, remember the 2006 contest. Lordi from Finland won with a landslide. Their song “Hard rock hallelujah” broke all the records. It was hard for Dima Bilan from Russia to get there with his song “I never ever let you go”. But you don’t have to feel sorry for him: two years later Dima got the prize! Turkey and Wales meet today as well. In 2004, the contest was held in Turkey. For the host country the group Athena participated with the song “For real”. One of the other contestants that year was Welshman James Fox. He represented the United Kingdom with the song “Hold onto our love”. Italy will meet Switzerland in the arena today. In both countries, Italian is one of the main languages. So that might be an easy connection. But in fact, we found another one. Both countries once sent a song in a minority language. In 1991, host country Italy sent Peppino di Capri who sang “Comme e’ ddoce o’ mare”, sung in the Neapolitan language. Switzerland, also host country but in 1989, decided to sing a song in Romansh: “Viver senza tei”, song by the group Furbaz.

UEFA Euro 2020 started!

With a year of delay, Euro 2020, the European soccer chiampionship, has started. The fun thing for a Eurovision fan is that a lot of matches remind us of Eurovision Songs, because it’s with (partly) the same countries. Yesterday, Italy won the match from Turkey. Many people on the internet mentioned Måneskin (of course) and Sertab (of course). But the match reminded us of another performance. You see Italian host Toto Cutugno (1991) learning Turkish. The Turkish contestants are Can Uğurluer, İzel Çeliköz & Reyhan Karaca singing “Iki dakika”. That is a hard one to pronounce for Toto. Today, Wales meets Switzerland. Wales is a part of the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest. But did you know that a Welsh woman almost won Eurovision? She became 2nd in 1970 and her name was Mary Hopkin. Also for Switzerland we chose someone who became 2nd: Daniela Simons in 1986. Both ladies have in common that in their years, one contestant could impossibly be defeated. In 1970 it was Dana and in 1986 Sandra Kim. Denmark meets Finland this year. Opposites attract, that’s what people say. We have a Eurovision winner from both countries. A ballad, sung by two man in their 40s from Denmark: “Fly on the wings of love” by the Olson Brothers. And a rock song from Finland, sung by Lordi, dressed as monsters: “Hard rock hallelujah”. And last but not least, Belgium meets Russia. They did so too in 2003. Turkey (as mentioned), Belgium and Russia struggled for the first place. Belgium became 2nd with Urban Trad, with a song in a non-existing language. Russia became third with the famous duo t.A.T.u. and their “Ne ver’ ne boysia”. Who is going to win? We put our money on Måneskin. Or were you talking about soccer?

Bonnie Tyler

© Albin Olsson About Quick Facts NameGaynor Hopkins Born08 June 1951 Nationality🇬🇧 British National SelectionInternal selection 2013 In Eurovision2013 Malmö SongBelieve In Me (2013) Biography Born Gaynor Hopkins on June 8, 1951, in Skewen, Wales, Bonnie Tyler would grow up to become one of the most recognizable voices in rock and pop music. With a distinct raspy vocal quality, likened to a “female Rod Stewart,” and powerful anthems, she forged a music career that spanned decades and earned her worldwide acclaim. Growing up as the daughter of a coal miner and sharing the house with three sisters and two brothers, Bonnie’s musical journey began in the church choir. Her early musical taste was influenced by the soulful sounds of Motown and artists like Janis Joplin. In the late 1960s, she started performing in local pubs and clubs in South Wales. By her late teens, Bonnie knew that she wanted to take her passion for singing to a professional level. In 1976, after several rejections and minor breakthroughs, Bonnie Tyler was thrust into the limelight with her hit “Lost in France.” But it was her 1977 song “It’s a Heartache” that made her an international sensation, reaching the top 10 in both the U.S. and UK. However, the late 1970s and early 1980s marked a challenging period for Bonnie. After undergoing surgery to remove nodules from her vocal cords, her voice deepened, intensifying its gritty texture. Rather than seeing it as a setback, Bonnie embraced her new sound, making it her signature. In 1983, she collaborated with Jim Steinman, who wrote and produced her seminal album, “Faster Than the Speed of Night.” The album featured the unforgettable track “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” which skyrocketed to No. 1 in multiple countries, solidifying Bonnie Tyler’s position as a rock icon. In 1984 she had another massive hit with “A Rockin’ Good Way”, a duet with Shakin’ Stevens, followed by a new solo single “Holding out a hero”. Both songs were #1 hits in Ireland. Despite the massive success of “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” the late 1980s saw a waning in Tyler’s chart performance. However, her song “Bitter blue” became a hit in several countries in 1991. A year later she had a massive hit in Norway with “Fools lullaby”. In 2003, Bonnie Tyler made a comeback with a French version of “Total Eclyps”, “Si Demain (Turn Around)”. The song reached the #1 spot in the French charts and became a hit in Switzerland as well. In 2013, Bonnie Tyler made headlines again when she represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest with “Believe in Me.” She reached a 19th place with the song in the Grand Final. In Marc 2019, her album “Between The Earth And The Stars” had already claimed the 34th spot on the UK Albums Chart. The album boasted collaborations with music icons: Rod Stewart, Francis Rossi, and Cliff Richard. She immediately kicked off a 23-show European tour in April. December of the same year saw Tyler revamp her 2005 track, “Streets of Stone,” aligning with The World’s Big Sleep Out’s charitable cause. The year 2020 wasn’t without its surprises. Collaborating with Lorraine Crosby, Tyler launched “Through Thick and Thin (I’ll Stand by You)” to aid the Teenage Cancer Trust. The track found its place at number 64 on the UK Downloads Chart. By February 2021, she graced her fans with another masterpiece: “The Best Is Yet to Come.” Fast forward to September 2022, Tyler, alongside Mike Batt, reintroduced “Into the Sunset”—a track once featured in the 1990’s “The Dreamstone” soundtrack. In October, she joined forces with the cast of Tanz der Vampire in Stuttgart, celebrating the musical’s silver anniversary with a live rendition of her iconic “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” For the first time, she embarked on a South American tour, including eight shows in Brazil and a notable performance in Uruguay. Entries Song Title Country🇸🇲 Country Yearyear Language🇬🇧 English LyricsNames MusicNames Backings– Results Semi Points:Position:Running order: Results Finals Points:Position:Running order: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRAN7AzEKak © About Quick Facts NameName Born01 month 1900 Nationality🇮🇹 Nationality National SelectionSelection Method In EurovisionYear City SongSong (Year) Biography Born Gaynor Hopkins on June 8, 1951, in Skewen, Wales, Bonnie Tyler would grow up to become one of the most recognizable voices in rock and pop music. With a distinct raspy vocal quality, likened to a “female Rod Stewart,” and powerful anthems, she forged a music career that spanned decades and earned her worldwide acclaim. Growing up as the daughter of a coal miner and sharing the house with three sisters and two brothers, Bonnie’s musical journey began in the church choir. Her early musical taste was influenced by the soulful sounds of Motown and artists like Janis Joplin. In the late 1960s, she started performing in local pubs and clubs in South Wales. By her late teens, Bonnie knew that she wanted to take her passion for singing to a professional level. In 1976, after several rejections and minor breakthroughs, Bonnie Tyler was thrust into the limelight with her hit “Lost in France.” But it was her 1977 song “It’s a Heartache” that made her an international sensation, reaching the top 10 in both the U.S. and UK. However, the late 1970s and early 1980s marked a challenging period for Bonnie. After undergoing surgery to remove nodules from her vocal cords, her voice deepened, intensifying its gritty texture. Rather than seeing it as a setback, Bonnie embraced her new sound, making it her signature. In 1983, she collaborated with Jim Steinman, who wrote and produced her seminal album, “Faster Than the Speed of Night.” The album featured the unforgettable track “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” which skyrocketed to No. 1 in multiple countries, solidifying Bonnie Tyler’s position as a rock icon. In 1984 she had another massive hit with “A Rockin’ Good Way”, a duet with Shakin’ Stevens, followed by a new solo single “Holding out a hero”. Both songs were #1 hits in Ireland. Despite the massive success of “Total