Eurovision Song Contest 2021

[Faulkner]

The American version of Eurovision is open for submissions.

 

 

[I Am A Swede]

I wonder how it will succeed in the US.

A big part of the charm of the ESC was the multitude of languages and musical styles that were represented. That's changed somewhat in recent years, especially since the language rule was abolished and you no longer have to sing in the official language (or one of them) of your country.

And even though it's often been a very middle-of-the-road kind of music you could still hear influences from the different cultural backgrounds. Songs from Greece and Portugal sounded different than songs from the Netherlands or Norway for instance.

[Faulkner]

I wonder if we’ll see regional styles come to the fore. Like Tennessee or Texas leaning on country or different regional versions of hip hop represented. And with Hawaii, American Samoa, etc. eligible, we could hear a lot of little-known indigenous styles. Spanish-language music with Puerto Rico, etc.

[OzFrog]

Something I’ve been meant to write about for ages… Måneskin’s subsequent worldwide chart success post-Eurovision!

While “Zitti e Buoni” had an initial impact when the song won the contest back in May, it’s been not one but TWO of their other songs that have been charting like mad around the world. The first one is “I Wanna Be Your Slave”, which has been hitting the top Top 10 all around Europe, and is currently Top 5 in the UK of all places.

The second is a song they performed while competing on X Factor Italy back in 2017, “Beggin”. This one broke into the Billboard Hot 100 this week, currently also Top 10 in the UK (yes, Måneskin have *two* songs in the UK Top 10 simultaneously), and has just gone Top 3 in Australia (?!). 

This is surely the first time since, like, forever that a Eurovision winner has broken out into the world charts so soon and so spectacularly after winning the contest.

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[I Am A Swede]

I'm not sure something like this has ever happened. Sure, the odd ESC-winner had great chart success with their winning song (Loreen, Dana International, Brotherhood of Man, Vicky Leandros, Sandie Shaw), but I don't think any of them had any real follow-up success. Céline Dion had to wait several years after her win, and even ABBA had to wait more than a year before they could successfully replicate what they did with "Waterloo".

[Huntress]

4 months after winning the contest, Måneskin still have two songs on the German Top 100, with "Beggin'" sitting at #9 and "I Wanna Be Your Slave" at #14 this week.

Except Lena – which is no surprise –, no other recent ESC winner has managed to have another hit single on the German Top 100.
Loreen had a minor hit with "My Heart Is Refusing Me", which, however, didn't crack the Top 40. Emmelie de Forest, Conchita Wurst and Måns Zelmerlöw each had one song that reached the lower regions of the Top 100, but that's about it.

Here are some more "How to Eurovision" videos from the official channel:

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And one of the most iconic performances from the noughties, finally in HD 

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I think it was the first entry where you could hear the audience booing loudly.

 

[Faulkner]

 

[OzFrog]

Wondering if it’s worth starting a Eurovision 2022 thread yet, seeing as we are now in a ESC new year and the host city has been announced…

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[Huntress]

41 countries will take part in the 2022 contest. All the countries that participated in 2021 will return – in addition, Armenia and Montenegro are back in the game. Both countries last participated in 2019, with both failing to qualify for the Grand Final.

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[OzFrog]

Alright I’ve decided - new thread time!