Bosnia-Herzegovina - Dino Merline - Love in Rewind

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

Dino Merlin - Love in Rewind

Dino Merlin fly the flag for Bosnia - Herzegovina at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Dusseldorf and brings to the contest his vast experience. A hugely popular singer across much of the former Yugoslav nations, Merlin will be a familiar face to many. Indeed he has previously written the 1993 Bosnian entry and represented the nation in 1999 finishing a respectable seventh. He has had major hit albums across the continent both as a solo artist and as part of his band and even wrote the first national anthem for the nation. Merlin. Add to the mix a life time of live gigs to massive audiences and what you have here is a successful, known and experienced singer representing his home nation.

So how well will Merlin perform in Dusseldorf and can he succeed to land Bosnia-Herzegovina their first Eurovision crown?

The song itself is a medium paced pop track that is, in actual fact, very catching and memorable with a ton of hooks thrown in there from the actual chorus, to the melody down to the lyrics. What Merlin has constructed here then is a song which will be remembered in the mix, particular given the charisma of the performer and the staging as you can see in the above video will get a reaction. Merlin sings it well, he sings with a smile on his face and seems all around that he is thrilled to be back at Eurovision. Each a combination of factors that should stand this in good stead to make the final.

After all, since first entering the contest back in 1993 Bosnia-Herzegovina have never failed to make the final and have placed in respectable position in and around the top 10 for 4 out of the last 5 years. Better songs than this, that had better backing and more hype in the lead up to the contest have failed to break the top 5 though and I have a feeling Dino will do the same. 

There is no doubt that he will make the final and Dino will be sitting down come Eurovision Final night awaiting the points to come rolling in. I forsee this hanging about the top 10 for much of the voting procedure and ending up around 8th-12th. 

Armenia - Emmy - Boom Boom

ARMENIA

Emmy - Boom Boom

Armenia, as I have mentioned on this blog before, is one of the countries I feel is due a Eurovision win. In previous years they have never failed to reach a final and never finished outside of the top ten. After years of strong songs, strong performances and successful results I felt that with the right song that maybe this could be their year. However, the song that has been selected, Emmy - Boom Boom, is without doubt the weakest entry they have sent in years and unfortunately Armenians will have to wait for their first victory in Eurovision.

Emmy is a popular singer in her homeland and narrowly missed out in the 2010 selection coming second in the national final. But this year Emmy secured her place in the contest and will compete for a place in the grand final, which she may find more difficult than previous years. This is the first year I feel the Armenian entry is at risk for breaking the streak of qualifying for the final.

The song does not open to badly and on first impressions regular viewers of the contest will be waiting for the usual catchy Armenian pop choruses to kick in but this never happens. What we get here from Emmy is a very childlike, simple almost old fashioned chorus. Something you may here in a kids club on a holiday camp. I cannot see how, in its current form, this song will work on the big Eurovision stage surrounded by much better tracks. For me, very little about this works and I cannot imagine it growing on me either.

Sadly, Armenia may find that for the first time in its ESC history that the final will be taking place without them present.

Sweden - Eric Saade - Popular

SWEDEN

Eric Saade - Popular

Eric Saade took victory this year in the Swedisn Melodifestivalen and will head on to Dusseldorf in May with the song "Popular". Sweden have had a tough time in Eurovision in recent years and will be looking to restore their reputation as one of the dominant forces in the contest.Sadly though, Eric Saade has little chance of doing that.

What you get with Saade is a slightly-more-modern-than-usual piece of Schlager that fills the Melodifestavlen each year. This was by no means the strongest song in this years selection but given Saade's popularity, pardon the pun, and the competent staging this won an easy victory, but the 21 year old singer will not have it so easy in Dusseldorf.

After a background in the mildly successful boyband "Whats up?" Saade went solo in 2009 scoring a number two album to which he is currently working on the follow up. He has also performed some brief tv work and is a known face in his home land.

But Eric Saade will find it very tough in his semi-final, perhaps the stronger of the two. Working in his favour may be the draw going third from last with two of the weaker songs in the contest following his. This should be enough to grab the votes he needs to make it to the final but once there I see the Swede perfoming simialr to Charlotte Perrelli on her return to the contest.

The song itself has an obvious hook, is well sung to give Saade credit, and the staging and performance will be as always with Sweden, second to none. But at the end of the day I see the song failing at the final hurdle. This is not a genuine contender for Eurovision despite what you may read on other fan sites and will not feature in the shake up. If it doesnt make the final, it would not be a huge suprise but I am predicting it to make the final and place around 21st.

Germany - Lena - Taken By a Stranger

GERMANY

Lena - Taken By a Stranger

After storming to triumph, in a somewhat predictable victory, last year Lena has been given the honour of defending her title in her home nation at the Eurovision Song contest 2011. The ever popular singer was given her own prime time TV selection show in which she sang various songs from her repertoire and at the end of the process the song “Taken by a Stranger” was given the go ahead and will be flying the German flag in Dusseldorf this may.

In the midst of the crisis of confidence that was at the heart of debate  prior to the new voting system being introduced, it was said one of the big four countries would never win the Eurovision Crown again. Lena proved the doubters wrong last year with a track that was a genuine European pop classic that charted highly across the continent . This year she comes back with a track which is not even in the same league as “Satellite” and where it will place is unpredictable.

The host nation in recent years has tended to under perform and Lena will most likely suffer from this. Returning winners to the contest in recent years, such as Nimah Kavangh and Charlotte Perrelli, have also failed to land as highly as hoped. So Lena will have to break tradition and overcome the barriers of being the defending champion and the darling in the eye of the host nation if she is to give a performance to match her landslide win in Oslo.

The song is a mid-paced, almost dance esque pop track with a progressive beat and obvious vocal hooks. Lena does her best to add her unique vocal talent to make the song her own. The video is excellent and if given a good staging this could prove one of the most visually stylish and overall package performances of the night.  In essence though what you have is an average “album filler” track.

Lena will not be celebrating back to back victories with “Taken by a Stranger”.  There is too much counting against her as well as the fact that the song basically is not strong enough to win the contest. I forsee position in the 13^th-17^th mark for the reigning champion but regardless it is always satisfying seeing a winner return and equally one who is defending her title!

Norway - Stella Mwangi - Habba Habba

NORWAY

Stella Mwangi - Habba Habba

It was carnival time at the Norwegian National final this year as Stella Mwangi brought a little  bit of the African beat to Scandinavia and powered her way into victory. The Kenyan-Norwegian singer, who has had her work featured in a variety of major films and tv series as well as being an active writer on the condition of her Kenyan homeland, defeated her rivals easily and will fly the flag for Norway in Dusseldorf.

From the very first listen this song has a upbeat, carnival esque vibe that make you want to dance and sing along. Mwangi delivers it with, perhaps not the best voice in the contest, but with passions and an alluring, relaxed yet vibrant stage presence. She will certainly figure to be one of the characters of this years contest, whether she will use it as a platform to raise further issues regarding her homeland only time will tell.

Noway has had a relatively successful run in the contest as of late, winning of course in 2009 with Alexander Rybak and gaining top ten finishes with Wig Wam and Marie Strong and since its debut in the contest in 1960 has missed only one final (in 2007 when Guri Schanke failed to progress). 

This year though the bookmakers will be making Haba, Haba one of the favorites to fight its way into the top 5. It has everything that is needed to do well at the contest, an up-tempo number, a charismatic singer and if the staging at the Norwegian final is anything to go by, then the visuals will look good on the night.

So when Stella Mwangi brings a little bit of Africa to Dusseldorf will the voters and juries feel inclined to issue points? Surely the African population around Europe will support their own, particularly those of a Kenyan background and her mixed-nationality story will surely impress judges. The song will stand out, is memorable and has enough to impress at first listen so yet again Norway finds itself as a strong contender for the Eurovision crown. 

Azerbaijan - Ell and Nikkie - Running Scared

AZERBAIJAN

Ell and Nikkie - Running Scared

It has been rumoured for some time but the Azerbaijan entry for this years Eurovision Song Contest will be Ell and Nikkie with the song Running Scared. I have been saying ever since their initial debut that Azerbaijan will win the contest in the not so distant future and have shown promise this far. This year Ell and Nikki present a real threat to the contest and it would be about time!

An intense selection process saw the duo listed as artists and a panel of "experts" then selected Running Scared as the song. The song is the brain child of the writers of last years Drip Drop by Safura which performed well.

Nikki has lived in London with her two children and husband for much of her recent life and with a long term dream to represent the nation in the contest is finally achieving her ambition. With no real music background apart from educationally and a little success in competitions when she was younger this is her first really shot at the big time and she has the chance of a lifetime.

Likewise, Ell has yet to taste success outside of this campaign. He has studied in Germany and is a talented pianist but otherwise he will be banking on Running Scared lifting him into the limelight.

The song itself is a mid-tempo, modern ballad with vocal hooks throughout. It does not sound something dissimilar to what English girl group the Saturdays release and is very current. Whether it has that first-listen impact or not is hard to tell though.

Both have the looks but whether or not they can carry this through on the night is the big question. with no experience could the massive audience prove a hurdle too far? Only time will tell. Azerbaijan are due a win in this contest, as are Armenia, and if this song gains momentum, is given good staging and is delivered well it could be a challenger in the top 5 come Dusseldorf.

Finland - Paradise Oskar - "Da Da Dam"

FINLAND

Paradise Oskar - "Da Da Dam"

In recent years Finland has brought a diverse array of music to the ESC from the metal of 2006 winners Lordi, to high tempo modern dance numbers all the way through to last years folksy number which just missed out on a place in the final. Despite Lordi's win however, and being present in all but 3 finals since coming into the contest in 1961, Finland have failed to make a mark in recent years. Places outside the top 15 are common with more often than not the nation ending up in the lower reaches of the final table. However, ESC Addict certainly feels that Paradise Oskars entry this year will change this streak!

There is always one song at least that sticks in the mind through its selection from the national final all the way through to the Eurovision Song contest finale its self. This is the one this year! Never has the tune been far away from my mind and the urge to sing aloud the chorus has been persistent to the extent that my girlfriend is threatening violent action if "Da Da Dam" is heard from my lips again!

Paradise Oskar has came largely from no where and stormed to a win in the Finnish National Final with over 46% of the vote.

Its a very simple track and the style of music that is becoming ever more popular in this day and age, a singer and a guitar and not much else! And good grief, how this works. Oskar delivers the song perfectly with his fragile, youthful voice which is perfect for this sort of track. A simple stage presentation akin to Tom Dice last year is all that is required for this to sail through. The verses themselves are even catchy but the main hook is the chorus which has simple vocal and lyrical hooks that stick in the mind.

Looking how this years contest is shaping up with a lot of up tempo, over the top and rock based numbers this may just be subtle even to stand out. I feel this will breeze into the final and secure a top 10 for Finland with no hesitation and Paradise Oskar could well be taking the Eurovision Song Contest back with him to Helsinki!