It's now been confirmed that the BBC will mark the 60th Eurovision Song Contest by hosting a "Eurovision Greatest Hits" show at the Hammersmith Apollo in London on 31 March (it was reported that it would be in the Albert Hall - remember that Wikipedia isn't to be trusted!) Whilst some fans have expressed disappointment at it not being live show, and about the size of the venue, I think this is great news. The BBC might not have always got it right when it comes to Eurovision, but they're a world-class broadcaster. In terms of production values, the 1998 contest, the most recent Eurovision that the BBC hosted, was ground-breaking and I'm certain that we are going to have a spectacular show on the night.
The European Broadcasting Union is also arranging a 60th anniversary conference which will take place in London in April. I'm delighted to be speaking at this event and will present an overview of some of my research. More details here. About ten years ago I was practically laughed out the room when I asked a question about Eurovision at an academic conference, how times have changed...
This Saturday sees the Melodifestivalen kick off in Sweden, the firm fan favourite and most popular of all national final formats. Of course this also means that various rumours have begun to circulate about the UK entry for Vienna. Last month I filmed a documentary on Eurovision for BBC Four, and whilst the team did not disclose any specific information about the UK entry for 2015, they did say that the deal with the act was nearly complete. Good things come to those who wait...
Today sees the signing an EU association agreement between three former Soviet republics; Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. This is a milestone in the development of the European Union and is likely to cause tensions with Russia. Viktor Yanukovych famously backed out of signing this very agreement last year, sparking waves of protest. It was essentially the flashpoint which led to the latest Ukrainian revolution. I was in Ukraine in October and never in a million years did I think that things would escalate so quickly and with such tragic consequences.
These EU accession agreements are something to celebrate and provide an opportunity for closer economic cooperation and should in theory, foster stronger, more positive international relations. In Ukraine the story is unfolding on a daily basis. Georgia, an EU-aspirant country, has undergone rapid social and economic transformation over the past decade and the signing of this agreement is an important step on the long road to European integration. (They also make rather nice wine too!) Moldova, apparently the poorest country in Europe, stands to gain a foothold in valuable economic markets. For existing EU members this agreement also provides new opportunities for business, investment and dialogue. To celebrate, here are some of my favourite Eurovision tunes from Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. Happy Friday!
Ukraine
Gaitana was a fantastic ambassador for Ukraine in 2012, this anthem of Euro 2012 stood in stark contrast to the allegations of racism which plagued the organisers of the football championship. Gaitana herself faced racist attacks from Ukrainian politicians. She took it all in her stride and belted out her song for Europe.
Georgia
The Georgians are famous for their hospitality and at Eurovision they are by far, the nicest, most welcoming delegation of all. Relative late-comers to the Eurovision party, debuting in 2007, they've entered something different every year. It's this rich diversity which keeps the contest alive. This song from 2010 is one of my absolutely favourites, Sofia was probably the best singer in the contest that year and I was ready to pack my bags for Tbilisi in 2011. Sadly it wasn't to be, what's another year?
Moldova
Moldova have a been a bit hit and miss with me. Of their recent offerings I've loved their songs from 2012 and even 2010. Who could resist a bit of 2009's 'hora in Moldova' too? For me though, the classic and still best Moldovan entry was their debut in 2005. The song was catchy, well-performed and of course, the appearance of the drumming granny sealed it's fate as one of the best, most memorable gimmicks of recent times. The group, Zdob şi Zdub, went on to represent the country again in 2011. Rumour has it that the original granny was lined up for the job of riding the unicycle but an unfortunate accident during rehearsals meant that she was replaced by a younger model...
Good luck to my colleagues Göran and Per who are attending a celebratory event this afternoon at the Ukrainian embassy in Stockholm. Europe's living a celebration!
Last week I had the great pleasure of recording a podcast with Eurovision Canada alongside my colleague Dr Karen Fricker. We spoke about the politics of Eurovision, how I got into it and what we can expect from Eurovision this year.
The Eurovision season is about to fully kick off. This weekend Finland and Switzerland choose their songs for Copenhagen. The big news is of course the first heat in the Swedish Eurovision selection process, Melodifestivalen!
For those of you who have been living in a cave, Melodifestivalen is the mother of all Eurovision selection programmes. In total there are six live shows featuring some of the biggest names in the Swedish music industry. Melodifestival is a truly remarkable television format, creating dozens of hits every year and is a huge money-spinner for the Swedish national broadcaster SVT.
Some criticise Melodifestivalen music, "it's the same old Swedish schlager", and I used to be one of them. However this is a show for Swedish audiences, it's what works over there and the viewing figures confirm this. Melodifestivalen is the biggest show of the year in Sweden, even bigger than Eurovision itself! Of course some fans like anything Swedish, that'll probably never change. However as a person that falls in love with anything Estonian, I'm not one to judge.
There are some big names lined up for 2014 - Yohio, Shirley Clamp, Linda Bengtzing, Sanna Nielsen are competing against Martin Stenmarck who won MF in 2005 and represented Sweden in Kyiv. The one to watch and the news story of the year is the return of Helena Paparizou, who won Eurovision for Greece in 2005. Helena is a Swedish Greek and it seems only fitting that in these times, where immigration is such an abrasive subject, that there are positive representations of immigrants. Helena sees no issue in representing Sweden after having won for Greece. Good for her.
Something like MF is unlikely to work in the UK, although it shows that it's possible to produce hits on the back of a song contest which takes place once a year... Broadcasters in other countries might do well to sit up and take note. Regardless of the musical merit of Melodifestivalen, it's an impressive television format, long may it continue!
Greece is set to participate in Eurovision 2014 against the odds. The country has been hit hard by the global financial crisis and has continued along a painful path of austerity. One of the victims of the budget cuts in 2013 was the state broadcaster ERT. Immediately after the suspension of transmissions, speculation was rife that Greece would be out of Eurovision in 2014. Could it be that despite their best efforts, the Greeks were finally out of the competition that they love so much?
Well no, actually.
Last week it was confirmed that Greece would participate in Eurovision 2014 after the replacement state broadcaster, DT/NERIT, became a full member of the EBU. In previous years the Greeks have funded their Eurovision participation through sponsorship and this trend is likely to continue in 2014. Although, with the Greek record companies feeling the pinch, it looks like they're going to have to be more creative in raising the funds.
With numbers dwindling in the contest it appears as if the EBU have had some hand in helping Greece take part in 2014. After careful negotiations, Poland and Portugal are set to return yet other Eurovision regulars such as Turkey, Serbia, Croatia and Cyprus to name just a few, will stay at home. Slovenia has been given until 17 January to decide whether or not it will participate in Copenhagen. To date, a total of 36 countries are confirmed for 2014, the lowest number since the semi finals were introduced in 2004.
Greece's continued participation in Eurovision, against all odds, demonstrates the significance that the event has. We laugh at the contest in the UK but it continues to attract high viewing figures for the BBC and in Greece, it's one of the most popular shows of the year. If Greece were to pull out then it would consolidate the image of Greece as bankrupt and on it's knees. They're fighting on and good for them. Participation in Eurovision is taken for granted by some countries yet here are the Greeks, fighting to be heard. National broadcasters that make little effort when it comes to Eurovision would do well to remember this.
Today the Scottish Government
launched its blueprint for independence. The document, titled "Scotland's
Future: Your guide to an independent Scotland" outlines the justification
for independence and sets out a series of policy pledges which the Scottish
National Party would pursue in the event of a yes vote. The white paper is
substantial and covers diverse topics including defence, environmental issues,
economics and indeed culture. On page 532 of the report, under
the section titled “Culture, Communications and Digital” the document
categorically states that Scotland would seek to enter the Eurovision Song
Contest.
“The Scottish Broadcasting
Service (SBS) would seek membership of the EBU. We would envisage the SBS
engaging with some of the EBU competitions, including Scottish entries in the
Eurovision Song Contest” – Scottish Government 2013.
To critics of the independence
movement this might seem unimportant, even stupid. However there’s a serious
point here, regardless of one’s views on whether or not Scotland should be
independent. Countries use Eurovision as platform for promoting their very
existence which is exemplified in the rush of post-communist states which
joined the ESC in the 1990s and it seems in the Scottish case, the same is true.
Whilst the context is very different, Bosnia Herzegovina’s participation in the
contest during the war demonstrated the significance that popular culture
events have for newly sovereign nations. In 1992 Estonia participated in the
Barcelona Olympics as an independent country, something which was hugely important
for the state as it sought global recognition and increasing visibility on the
world stage. The Eurovision Song Contest is and remains an important discursive
tool in defining nation states and indeed notions of “Europeanness”.
Both my parents are Scottish and
most of my family still live there and it’ll be interesting to see how the developments
in the country unfold. Regardless of the outcome, the fact that the Scottish
Government has listed the Eurovision Song Contest in their white paper
demonstrates the symbolic value that the contest continues to have nearly 60
years from its inception.
After the rumours of alleged vote-rigging which emerged after the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest, the EBU launched an investigation. Today it was reported that changes to the voting procedure would take place in 2014. In a bid to make the contest more transparent, the names of each juror will be revealed as well as specific details of which countries they voted for. It appears that the EBU are taking the allegations concerning fraudulent voting seriously. Does this mean that they've uncovered something in their investigations?
Maybe, maybe not.
This isn't the first time that rumours have circulated that Eurovision has been rigged. It was alleged that the contest was fixed for Spain to win in 1968 and in the 1990s Malta faced accusations of corruption after a member of the delegation was said to have been overheard apparently offering votes in 1993. It's certainly interesting to look back at the Maltese votes in that year and indeed in 1994 and 1995; they appeared to award countries that were at the bottom of the scoreboard. Hoping that those countries might return the favour the following year, perhaps?
I welcome these changes to the voting procedure for 2014 and hope that it leads to a fairer contest in the spirit which it was intended. I do however, think that much of the hype concerning Eurovision voting is pedaled by people with an axe to grind. Take the lovely Bonnie Tyler for example, who claimed after the show that she heard Russians talking about buying votes (does she even understand Russian??) and that corruption means that artists like her have no chance. Such rumours suited Bonnie though, it's much easier to blame others than to admit that you simply weren't good enough.
One thing worth thinking about it the fact that the voting has become dull and monotonous, to the point where the semi final results are more exciting. We've not had a close contest since 2003. With nearly 40 countries voting, I think it's unlikely that we'll see a tense voting procedure in the near future.
As Stalin was rumoured to have said, it's not the voting that counts, it's who counts the votes...
Thoroughly depressing scenes have emerged from Turkey over the weekend. Anti-government protests were forcibly broken up in both Istanbul and the capital Ankara. Many are concerned that the Erdogan government is increasingly authoritarian and have made their voices heard. Interestingly there is also a fear amongst secular Turks that their country is heading in the same direction as Iran. Turkey has always been a rather unique country, between East and West. It seems that this division is much more than a geograhical one.
In 2013 Turkey withdrew from the Eurovision Song Contest. TRT, the national broadcaster, cited that they were unhappy with the changes to the voting proceedure amongst other things. This is curious given that under the current voting system Turkey have fared very well, including finishing 4th in 2009 and second in 2010. Turkish friends of mine suggested that there were deeper issues at play here and that Turkey is moving away from Europe. Could it be that the withdrawal from the ESC was a reflection of developments on the domestic political scene? Certainly the furore concerning the Finnish same-sex kiss and the last-minute decision by TRT not to broadcast the final suggests that the political elite in the country appear to have fallen out of love with Eurovision. And Europe.
In Sweden this year, just days before the contest took place, the Greek group, Koza Mostra, performed at the Euro Cafe for the fans. They opened their set by performing Turkey's entry from 2004, "Up". Given the history between the two countries this in itself was pretty symbolic, however, the accompanying statement went further. "Turkey we love you, Turkey should be in Eurovision". Given the developments going on in the country at the minute, as well as the continuing debates concerning Turkey's place in Europe more generally, I wouldn't be surprised if Turkey don't return to the contest in the near future. Yet another example of Eurovision reflecting the wider political discourses of the day.
Russia is one of the most successful countries in modern Eurovision. Arguably they've been helped along the way by the sizaeable Russian diaspora in the former Soviet states too. However credit must be given to the Russians, they just know what works. The Russian grannies were the big story last year and whilst this year isn't particularly newsworthy, it's a very strong ballad from Mother Russia. The singer, Dina, is an excellent vocalist and indeed she won The Voice in Russia last year. "What If" is a pretty standard Eurovision ballad, with a couple of cliches thrown in for good measure. It's catchy, she can sing and they know how to stage a song. Having said that, perhaps the best thing about this entry is the video. I don't think it was meant to be intended as a parody, it's hilarious. Thanks to my good friend Ben, I can't help but thinking that someone is doing something to the young blonde lad at 0:58. As the song climaxes (so does the boy!) the crowd all hold hands in unity. That said, I think St Petersburg or Sochi 2014 are distinct possibilities. Discount this at your peril.
After that dirge they entered last year, this is a pleasant, catchy song. It's the current favourite to win. I just don't get it. What's it even about? The tin whistle thing is so over, very 1995. That greasy hair could do with a wash too. I imagine with several thousand Danes coming over to support this, the roar in the hall will be immense. I just find it a little old fashioned and bland. Not a bad song but surely there are more deserving, contemporary winners? Special congratulations do go to Danish TV though who, yet again, organised a superb national final. Will there be only tear drops left at the end of the voting?
Earlier this week the Heads of Delegation for the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest met in Malmö. All 39 songs have been selected and across Europe the stage performances are being conceived and rehearsed. The UK’s Bonnie Tyler rehearsed this week with her backing singers and according to the BBC it’s sounding great already! Eurovision is changing; the Swedes have taken the contest back to basics. The venue is smaller, the bling seems to have been toned down and SVT appear to be concentrating on producing a slick television show rather than a brash circus. From the fixing of the running order to the standing room only tickets, many fans have been upset by the changes which have taken place this year. I think we should wait and see how 2013 works out since the changes in the running order might just make the contest more varied and interesting to watch.
Here are the Heads of Delegation touring the venue and enjoying some Swedish hospitality. Looks like the Swedes have a big booze budget!
I’ve been a little quiet on here lately as I’ve been concentrating on my book which is due to be submitted to the publisher in September and I’ve also been writing blogs for the BBC. Please do pop along to www.bbc.co.uk/eurovision to check them out!
The UK waited 16 years for a victory in Eurovision after Bucks Fizz won in Dublin in 1981. In Dublin in 1997 history really did repeat itself and Katrina and the Waves stormed to a landslide victory which meant that the honour of hosting the 43rd Eurovision Song Contest was bestowed to the BBC. There are many reasons why 1998 was a landmark contest so let’s take a look back to the last time the BBC hosted the Eurovision Song Contest.
In the mid-1990s the BBC invested heavily into the Eurovision project which in turn, for a time, reversed the fortunes of the popularity of the contest and led to the UK entries becoming credible chart hits. Love City Groove’s eponymous entry from 1995 reached number seven in the UK singles charts and of course Gina G had massive number one with “Ooh Aah… Just a little bit”, which was even nominated for a Grammy. The new approach at the Beeb also spawned some further hits from the Song for Europe show itself; Deuce’s “I Need You” became a top ten hit in 1995. The BBC wanted to win Eurovision in the 1990s, not because of the musical merit but because they wanted to host the event. Eurovision is of course, first and foremost a television format and allows the host broadcaster the opportunity to pioneer new broadcasting techniques. The 1998 contest did exactly that.
1998 is memorable to many fans since it is the last year that the orchestra was present at the event. Many lament the demise of this tradition arguing that the show has lost some of its unique ambience whilst others have barely noticed that the musicians have left the building. In the past many Eurovision fans have criticised the BBC for their apparent aloofness towards them and yet it was the BBC’s Terry Wogan who specifically welcomed the “thousands of fans and supporters” who had gathered in the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. Whilst fans with flags had increasingly become part of the show, only two or three years before the event felt like almost like a black tie affair. The acknowledgement of the fans in 1998 was a watershed moment in Eurovision history, since this point the show has incorporated fans as very much as part of the show, so much so that they formed the interval act in 2010!
The 43rd Eurovision Song Contest is also notable because it remains the last year that there was a restriction on the language of performance. 1999 saw free language introduced which saw many countries opting to sing in English, dip in and out of English and other languages or in the case of Belgium making up a language of their own (2003, 2008). Finally, the 1998 contest stands out because it was the first year that televoting was introduced en-masse. This one rule change injected new interest in the contest and new controversies and continues to have a lasting impact on the way in which the contest is analysed by fans, critics and academics alike.
The voting in 1998 was perhaps one of the most thrilling sequences since Celine Dion’s narrow one point victory over the UK in 1988. With the leader changing almost with every country voting, it was a race to the finish. By the time the final country voted, the debuting Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the contest could have been won by three countries. The voting patterns from 1998 appear to be contradictory since it could be argued that they marked a turn towards more explicit “neighbourly voting” which has recently dogged the contest. On the other hand, Malta, with no neighbours scored consistently whilst the UK notched up its 15th second placing, receiving votes from every single participating country. Certainly the outstanding moment in the voting that year was Ulrika Jonsson’s “a long time ago, was it?” gaffe. Personally I think it would have been a whole lot better if Conny, the Dutch spokesperson, had taken offence. Of course Ulrika was merely repeating what had previously been said, the audience in the arena, however, heard differently. It remains one of the highlights of 1998 for me and is a testament to the enduring appeal of live television.
Of course the contest really was Dana International’s. Not only did she win the event, she won the publicity game. Months before the competition the Israeli singer was causing a stir in the European press, Eurovision’s first transgender singer. The selection of Ms International as Israel’s Eurovision entry caused outrage amongst orthodox Jews who viewed her as peripheral to their understanding of national identity. Death threats ensued and the headlines grew. From an academic perspective the controversy concerning Dana International is interesting. According to one esteemed colleague of mine, Professor Brian Singleton, this was the moment that Eurovision itself “came out”, from that point onwards it could be read as an openly queer event. For many fans Dana International’s victory represented a struggle over adversity, in essence a reflection of the very personal journey many people make when they come out as gay.
From a technical perspective the 1998 contest was a triumph for the BBC. The corporation has endured criticism from Eurovision fans for as long as I can remember however their moves toward modernising the contest are a legacy which continues to be felt today. In 2012 the BBC and the UK proved that when they host large international events, they host them well. I personally think it’s about time that the Beeb were responsible for organising Eurovision in the very near future. The challenge is of course finding a winning song for Europe. It seems that when it comes to the UK, hosting the contest is the easy part, winning the damn thing is the real challenge.
The Eurovision Song Contest has hit the headlines again.
This time it’s serious. Austerity in Europe is apparently forcing countries to
withdraw. Could this be the end of Eurovision as we know it?
Last weekend it was reported that Poland and Portugal have withdrawn from the 2013 Contest due to the ongoing economic crisis. True,
the recession has had an impact on national broadcasters across Europe, however,
is it really all down to economics? Money
is an obvious issue since participation itself in the competition is an
expensive business let alone winning and hosting the event. Poland withdrew in 2012 since the national broadcaster TVP were concentrating on Euro 2012. However the
economic crisis has not deterred all of Europe’s most cash-strapped countries, Greece
being one example. There are other issues at play here.
Crippled financially by spiralling debts, Greece have
continued to appear at Eurovision (and qualify to the final) every year. Greek
participation in the event is paid for through private sponsorship – the record
company picked up the bill in 2012 and not the public. Eurovision is one of the
biggest shows of the year in Greece – participation in the event is almost a
matter of national pride. This is also true of Estonia which faced with
possible withdrawal in 2010. Enterprise Estonia, a government agency
responsible for promoting Estonian interests abroad, stepped in and paid for
the country to appear on the Eurovision stage. To some countries Eurovision is
more than a song contest; it is an opportunity to promote themselves
internationally, an opportunity that we take for granted in the UK.
Why didn’t Poland and Portugal follow the same
blueprint then and get private enterprise to pay the bill? Could it be that
their ratings were down which perhaps prompted this action? Poland’s best
placing was 2nd in 1994 and Portugal has never made the top 5
despite entering since 1964! Poland and Portugal aren’t the only countries to
have withdrawn recently though. The Czech Republic, Andorra and Monaco have all
walked away from the Eurovision stage in recent years. Again, given the
financial climate in Europe this is perhaps unsurprising. However these are
also countries that consistently failed to qualify from the semi finals. When
there isn’t much of a new story, the viewers tend not to follow.
In the summer of 2012 it was reported that the BBC
spent £350,000 on entering Eurovision. This might seem like a lot but in the
context of primetime television broadcasting this is not a gigantic sum, it is
all relative. One hour of Dr Who or Strictly easily runs into the millions. For
its £350,000 the BBC got over seven and a half hours of live, primetime
television and some of its largest audience shares of the year.
In terms of staging Eurovision, of course it is an
expensive programme (costing in excess of £25 million). In 2010 Norwegian
broadcaster NRK forfeited their rights to the World Cup in order for them to
host Eurovision. In 2001 the Estonian government stepped in to guarantee
funding for the 2002 contest in Tallinn after it was reported that the country
was “too poor to host Eurovision”. Ireland’s RTE were rumoured to have faced
difficulties in the 1990s after winning and staging four out of five contests
and yet they did it, and they did it well. Why? Good old fashioned national
pride. This is not something that will just totally diminish in a recession. In
fact that resolve might even be strengthened as Greek tenacity exemplifies.
Eurovision is undoubtedly changing. Gone are the days
of lavish parties and massive LED stages ala Moscow 2009. The Swedes are
working on a more streamlined format, back to basics. It is first and foremost
a television show. The contest in 2013 is unlikely to rival Azerbaijan’s show
in 2012 or Moscow’s in 2009. In the past countries have tried to beat the
previous host and produce ever more lavish contests. In the current economic
climate this is simply not sustainable. Eurovision will however, ride out this
storm, as it has every storm since 1956. It continues to draw in viewers and
capture the public imagination like no other format. People love it or they
hate it. There is no apathy when it comes to Eurovision and that is what is
really powerful. It is unlikely that formats such as X Factor will still be
around in 50 years. Surely we need Eurovision just now as much as we did in 1956? It unites us like nothing else and given the scale and the severity of the economic crisis in Europe, the contest provides us with some much needed light relief. Recession or no recession Eurovision will endure.
