ETSC 12: Get to know the songs!

/ Sekhmet Morgan

ETSC – Every year, the summer is the calm after the storm so it’s the perfect time to resume the highly anticipated the Eurovision Times Song Contest! Each one of you can represent an European country and get to send a song and then vote in a fake Eurovision! Discover the songs this Wednesday night, 8PM CET!

Each summer, a good number of regular readers stay around for different reasons (they don’t get breaks from work or don’t go on holidays…) but there aren’t much news to keep us going. So the last few years we introduced all sorts of games. The Eurovision Times Awards (Fridas) and the Douze Points Trivia Quiz kept us going in 2013 and Fridas have made come-backs the past five years. Four years ago, a lot of you asked for a fake Eurovision where each one of us would send songs and get to vote. And that was it: the Eurovision Times Song Contest, from then on known as ETSC.

We’ve therefore had 11 editions of ETSC, two in 2014: July 2014 and August 2014, both won by France; the third edition was held in July 2015 and won by the United-Kingdom; the fourth edition was held in Augusut 2015 and was won by Austria; the fifth edition was held in July 2016 and was won by Israel; the sixth edition was held in August 2016 and won by Denmark; the 7th edition was held in July 2017 and was won again by France; the 8th edition was held in August 2017, and it was the first one that went “blind”, meaning people did not know who sent what. It crowned Greece. Last year, German-speaking countries got their revenge as Switzerland won ETSC 9 and Germany won ETSC 10! This July, Sweden just won for the first time with Junior Brielle‘s “Love“. For more information, you can discover our new page dedicated to the contest, with its history, all songs participating and the rankings here. A specific article for Top 10 stats was also open here. You can also find it by clicking on the “Specials” section of the site, in the top menu in the red box, just under the site’s name. “ETSC 12 – August 2019” will be officially held in Stockholm.

After a first round open for people to sign up with a country and send a song, we got 42 people in. In the meantime, to keep us busy, I made a random draw. I also made personal postcards for each entry which will be revealed along with the songs. Everyone can request to see their own postcards for now.

There’s at least one ETSC returnee… Songs are (or at least partially) in English, Arabic, Russian, Albanian, Armenian, Croatian, Estonian, French, Georgian, Greek, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Serbian, Spanish, Turkish and Ukrainian… Also 20 acts are groups, duets or “featuring” with 22 solo artists!

Before the show starts, we get the live reprise of the winning song:

 

Rules: the voting will open tomorrow at midnight (time of Paris)! You can vote until Sunday 25th at midnight! Results will be revealed in the last week of August! In order to do promotion, you need to email me all materials you want to post (including lyrics translation). Once you’ve voted, you can not change your votes, so wait until you’re sure. Also, you have to send me your 11th and 12th in case something goes wrong and we sadly have a DQ. Moreover, you need to send me a city, a hall venue and a host for the next edition if you win!

Good luck everyone!

2,688 thoughts on “ETSC 12: Get to know the songs!”

    • I’m very snooty when it comes to 80’s influenced music. The 1975 gives a benchmark how to do it right way: be influenced, be influenced by different even surprising sources and add something totally unique into mix. Tadaa! You got a perfect cake. That’s how I feel about Junior Brielle too.
      Lana is just so exceptional with her cinemascope melancholy, so fresh and at the same time in the distant past. Makes me even hope that it was already autumn just to stay in and listen!

      • Some of the 1975’s upbeat 80s-inspired songs (namely “She’s American,” “The Sound,” and “It’s Not Living if It’s Not with You”) have ended up being some of my favorite upbeat tracks from any artist of all-time. The new track “People” is basically punk rock, which is not my thing at all, but I still have high hopes for the new album. I still hate “Love Me” and that was the first single released from I Like It When You Sleep, which still produced the great songs “Somebody Else,” “The Sound,” “She’s American,” etc. I feel like I probably won’t like the new album as much as A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships though, where I fell in love with pretty much every track.

        My family raised me listening to Cyndi Lauper religiously (Cyndi grew up with my grandpa), and I just know already that when I have my own kids Lana Del Rey will be their Cyndi. Lana’s such an amazing artist and I’ve never even come close to finding someone else as talented and diverse as she is.

        • I love Love Me! They couldn’t have made a better nod to Notorious era Duran Duran. Old habits die hard :-)
          I played People first thing in the morning, and I love it too, as I’m very much into certain punk rock sub genres and this ticks a very good box.I do understand your concern, are they going to be more rockish this time, more guitars or is it just a hard punching opening for new album? That remains to be seen I have always found it quite hilarious that The 1975 is classified as rock, for me it’s pop perfection a far cry from rock. I Like It When You Sleep is my favorite album from them and it ranks high on my 2010’s list. Also love their graphic design :-)
          Elton John lived with us when I was a kid, these kind of live in friends leads to love of music and in may case to the artist as well :-)

          • I know it may be a controversial opinion that I hate Love Me, but I just can’t stand that kinda funk-ish sound. I’ve never been a fan of music like that and never will be. My grandparents saw Kinky Boots and loved it, but I’ve never gotten around to doing it. Obviously being from New York I’ve seen a lot of Broadway shows, but I’m very picky with my musicals and prefer shows that have music that could easily work outside of musical theatre (Spring Awakening, Hadestown, Once, etc.). I’ve never listened to the Kinky Boots soundtrack so I don’t know if it’s one of those shows or not, but I don’t want to ruin my vision of Cyndi if I end up not liking it.

            • I’m very much into musical theatre, Sondheim fanatic here, and West End I have frequented there since my teens. In Broadway I have seen only Rent, Sunset Boulevard and Chicago. Kinky Boots is interesting. It’s highly entertaining show, a real crowd pleaser. I saw the touring version in L.A. and I really liked it. Still I have only listened to cast recording only once. Same with Book of Mormons, which I have seen twice. I think it’s easily the second best musical of this century, yet I have only listened to recording couple of times. Hamilton is totally different story to me. I started with the recording when it came out, fell totally for it, and still it managed to totally blew my mind away when I finally saw it in stage. Not just best musical of this century easily – score, book, lyrics, staging, casting etc. – but also one of the best musicals ever. Lin-Manuel Miranda, my adoring eyes are on you! Have you warmed up to it? Would really like to hear your thoughts about it!
              Hadestown is on my to Listen and to get aquainted by reading and checking all the available materials list.
              As for Love me, I totally understand it’s not every one’s cup of tea. A whiff of Marmite is defo there 😃

            • Prepare to be disappointed but I am not a Hamilton fan lol. I tried it and the music is just not my style, and the fact that everyone was obsessed with it did not help things. Hadestown blew my mind when I saw it. I had an understudy for Eurydice which was disappointing considering I loved the original’s voice, but it was still an amazing show nonetheless. The “Wait for Me” performance is breathtaking.

            • You’re not the first one who is not into Hamilton! The most remarkable thing for me there is that it’s excellent hip hop album with strong musical flavor in it’s own right. It hasn’t happened since Jesus Christ Superstar made a fusion of progressive rock and musical.
              Understudies are such a drag. In Dreamgirls instead of Amber Riley I got an understudy as Effie. Well, there was other problems too. Have to admit that movie adaption of it is so unbelievably strong that it just made the original work feel a bit limp!

            • Well that’s my issue with Hamilton right there. I do not like rap/hip hop. It’s probably the most popular genre right now amongst people my age in the U.S., but I have never liked it, it’s honestly my least favorite genre and I’d prefer anything over it.

            • I took my first deep to Hadestown. You might be surprised to hear that it has some similarities to Hamilton in the soundscape and score. No hiphop here, but the root is in r’n’b never the less. When this reaches West End, I’ll defo go!

            • I recommend it wholeheartedly. Funny story actually. When I was 12/13 I had a crush on Reeve Carney who played Spiderman in the Spiderman musical on Broadway. I wanted to see him perform so badly, so I saw Spiderman – it was an understudy. I was upset so I went again – another understudy. Then I went a third time – again an understudy. Fast forward 6/7 years, Reeve Carney is the male lead in Hadestown and I finally got to see him lol.

            • I always think what an uphill those poor understudies fight to win the already disappointed audience! Can’t even think how you felt second time around. So glad to hear you finally caught your Reeve Cutie on stage :-)!
              But there is a silver lining in everything. You’ve seen for all the wrong reasons fabled Spider Man twice! There can’t be many of you. Seriously, they should make a film or a musical of making that musical. The story is just so amazing comedy of errors and misfortunes. How was it? Did you feel the 75 million dollars spent in the production and the weekly costs up to 1,4 million dollars to run it?

            • As a 12/13 year old I honestly really enjoyed it. U2 did the entire soundtrack and my dad is a huge U2 fan so I was kinda brought up listening to them and ended up really liking the music a lot. Also that brings into play my “I need my musicals to have a soundtrack that can exist outside of musical theatre” criteria, and since the music was all U2-esque rock it didn’t feel like showtunes obviously.

              Thinking back on it as a now 19 year old, I definitely can understand how the show was a complete mess and I would probably not like it now lol. I agree though, I’d love to see some behind-the-scenes documentary of putting that show together. I remember seeing new incidents about it in the news nearly everyday back when I was in middle school.

            • It still holds and probably will for many years to come for most previews, 182 all together. Critics of major media outlets were so pissed off when they delayed the opening once again for 3 and half weeks for rewrites, they started to publish critics of the previews. With those mean boys they just couldn’t win. Not a big U2 fan here, actually quite the opposite. Bono has been doing his job quite well on that front. That’s also one of the reasons why I followed the whole catastrophic rehearsal phase keenly. It must also be the time when Bono was busy lobbying Nobel Peace Prize with Pope. I still think that’s the point when tables turned in U2’s fortunes. Force feeding their latest album for all the iPhone users was just couple of years away. I think hybris got eventually better of them. Anyways, they did made a Broadway legend and these kind of stories are big part go Broadway’s mythology. Don’t think Spider Man will ever get second chance, still. I will listen to it now, thanks to your story:-)

            • Haha no worries. I’m not a huge U2 fan either, they’re just a band I’m very familiar with and it was a breath of fresh air genre-wise for a Broadway show. That’s what I loved so much about Spring Awakening (my favorite musical of all time). Good luck on your listening.

            • This was always my favorite song in the show, although I think this is one of the YouTube channels that’s always blocked internationally. I tried looking and it seems the original cast recording has disappeared from the Internet. Weird.

            • Luckily not blocked here, this is a good one! Of course Bono and Edge has written many classics. They know how to write a song. And hey, the original cast recording is in Spotify :-)

            • Ah okay, I don’t have Spotify and it wasn’t on Apple Music or iTunes for some reason. Weird. If you ever want another musical to look into I highly recommend Spring Awakening btw :P

            • I’ll keep that in mind! It has been on my list for quite long time. I just keep forgetting about it. Maybe it needed just this extra push. I have been watching Fosse Vedon, and now Damn Yankees, Sweet Charity and Pajama Game tops my list. Chicago, Pippin and of course movie version of Cabaret inside out. Fosse is god. Period. A broken one, but still a god. I basically have been searching and finding new musicals for years with wide range, that means anything made from 50’s on can get the treatment. Maybe I should start to call myself musical theatre enthusiast? Oh, how I hate that word! :-)

            • I love the enthusiasm! As I said I’m not a huge musical theatre fan, but Broadway is so embedded in the culture of NYC that every New Yorker appreciates musical theatre at least a little bit – my grandparents are both very into it, which is where a lot of my appreciation comes from. I especially love the direction that musical theatre is going in where it’s beginning to incorporate non-traditional genres into shows (Hamilton, Hadestown, etc.). The old fashioned shows aren’t really my thing.

            • Yes, Broadway is so very New York. I’m very glad to hear you already have found the style you like, seen exceptional shows, so you are part of that scene and at least you can always choose from the best. And with awarded hit musicals like Hamilton and Hadestown, musical theatre will keep turning your way. I think Spring Awakening is part of that same trend. There is only two places for musical theatre in the world – Broadway and West End. When it comes to new musicals, the crown is now very steadily in New York, have been for quite some time after a very long London period. You really have the best seats!

            • Yes Spring Awakening is definitely part of that trend too – one of the first musicals I’ve seen that’s exclusively alternative rock. Broadway’s just one of the many reasons that I truly believe NYC (specifically Manhattan – I’m a snob) is the best place in the world to live.

            • Your a New Yorker, of course you shoud have that attitude, the attitude! I haven’t been there for over ten years now. I used to visit regularly, then I fell totally into LA and ended up spending there round three months a year for couple of years in a row before Trump got elected. Now I just want America the way I know it and love it back. Haven’t been there since Trump got elected. Was in Malibu with my friends the election night. We got very high during the results. In the morning I watched the American flag on the next apartment’s deck, felt the sun and watched the ocean. It was just like day before and yet everything had changed. I almost started to cry and I really didn’t know back then how bad it really was going to get. No one probably did. Luckily one young aspiring screen writer picked me up on the beach, on classy cruising style. That of course is another story :-)

      • I’ll admit that this era for her is shaping up to probably be my least favorite. She’s my favorite singer of all-time so I’ll always appreciate her music and everything will resonate with me at least a little, but most of the singles she’s released from NFR haven’t been my favorites from her. I like “Fuck It I Love You” a lot more than “The Greatest” though.

  3. Hm, ok. Considering the turmoils brought by ETSC again (going by the number of emails I get alone…), it’s definitely sad that what was supposed to bring us together is starting to drive us apart. I am almost certain there will be only one ETSC from now on because the July edition goes very nicely, and we’ve been waiting all year long, but with the results come poor behaviors and make for a very poor August edition, taking us a full year to recover. I do wonder, why do these don’t come up in VFoS? I’m starting to think it’s because of me, there’s something I must do wrong else it wouldn’t happen to a smaller contest featuring all the guys causing the heat on ETSC in the first place (whereas I’d get it if it’s just newcomers or people only showing up for ETSC, but those people are rather quiet and often extremely nice). Indeed, I’ve received in the past insulting homophobe emails from someone people tend to appreciate and who participates in VFoS I reckon (and who openly states I’m the reason she won’t be in ETSC)… so it has to be about me. So I’m ok with people telling me what I do wrong, I used to believe that doing nothing and letting people who disagree, even strongly, would be the best response, and only take actions when things go to homophobic remarks (see the story above), racism, etc. I generally don’t reply, at all, to the people I don’t think I can have a conversation with. Most of them respect that and don’t reply to me either and I’m cool with that, just like I’m cool with the idea people avoiding ETSC because of me even if it saddens me I can cause that much hatred… Anyway, I also tend to think that, when someone opens up first, he or she should be ok to get answers back and take them and not come whine at me afterwards. I’m ok with people coming complaining to me when they think they were attacked first for no reasons… So while I kept quiet the past few days, it can’t go on DAILY. Now people are in ETSC 12 so they need to take responsibilities as well, just as I’m willing to take mine, and shut the f… up, no? We ALL get the two sides of the stories by now, and we ALL get who’s on which side and who’s definitely on neither. ETSC is supposedly the busiest articles on ET, and besides the two sides arguing constantly, almost all comments are gone. So who’s making ET a bad place if not those who can’t stay quiet for a day about it all? Stop pretending you’re gonna ignore them and actually do, a lot of us would be thankful.

    • What happened?? I know I only just started taking part in ETSC recently, but everything I’ve witnessed from you is nothing but top-notch. You’re a great host for all of us and I cannot imagine how you could possibly be causing any problems. If any problems are arising specifically from ETSC, I can only assume that it is because ETSC is what people care about most, and your great work is what has gotten ETSC all the dedicated supporters that it has. That’s something to be proud of, not ashamed of. Again, I’m still technically a newbie here I guess, but that’s just my two cents. If you truly think canceling the August 2020 edition is the best plan, then I guess it’s your decision to make, but I’ve seen nothing but the upmost dedication from you and I don’t think limiting something that we love taking part in and (what I assume) you love putting together is the best plan.

      • I can try to make a “longer” edition “Summer 2020” but I’ll see what I can do to expand (I did not like the idea of semifinals because I feel like, whoever does not qualify, wouldnt enjoy the final at all and would feel left out)

    • There’s nothing wrong with the contest or you Morgan. People just need to grow up and respect other HoDs and their musical preferences even when they don’t agree with the results. And no, there’s bitching in VFoS as well and even toxic interference via e mail too as far as I’m concerned…

    • This has been and will always be a constant in contest communities. You’ve done nothing wrong. I think the format of ETSC is labor-intensive, but that’s fine because it is a two edition a year ordeal, and I still enjoy it despite the maybe cumbersome nature of your inclusiveness and determination to only have a final. That’s a formatting decision, not a problem.

      • In truth, and as you know, I originally left ET except for the ETSC articles because I felt left out of the community that had formed in the past few years due to a work schedule that kept me away from the forum during its busiest times. And coming back this July, I felt forgotten by all but a few (which is normal when someone leaves, but it still stung a bit). However, I am thinking of maybe coming back this nf season to see how it goes. I would hate for you to think any problems that are community problems are due to you.

        These problems existed in FdlC, and they are stating above that they exist in VfoS. As admin, I usually pointed out that the problem they were having was outside of the reach and scope of the contest and that I was the wrong person to contact. Other issues, I basically said “fuck it” to because I either disagreed with the statements being made or had no better solution than the current set up for the contest.

        • Thanks for your input! It’s hard not to take it personally, especially since it happens every year! And I’m sure people would welcome your come back in NF season: a few seasons ago people kept asking for Marc P, Sedapsi, Lars, Matt D, Blackbirdbraille, Tecku… We’ve had many come and go, and everyone’s always welcomed. We do get that we all have other things to do sometimes. Only Hulluna and I are more or less stuck with the blog if we want it to go on though I know she’s often considered leaving and of course so have I (especially since she does most articles through the entire year and I only step up during the heat of esc season really).

    • Cutting down on editions would be the wrong signal imo. It is exactly what certain people would like you to do, which is why they try to create friction with some different excuse every year and then try to drag you into it with mails etc. In fact they would like nothing better if you stopped doing it altogether (success bugs people sometimes) so don’t give them that satisfaction. You are definitely not the problem here :) Don’t let people try to sabotage what you enjoy to do, that will not solve the problem but the opposite actually.

      Besides you said it yourself that ETSC is a valuable lesson in dealing with all kinds of people that also helped you professionally :) I can understand that because I have to deal with a lot of friction and handle difficult people every day at work, so one simply learns to take these things in stride.

    • Wow, I think it is very sad that you feel this way. I feel a lot like Lina described it above.
      I’m still quite new and don’t know that much about the roots of all this, but I recognise only the deepest dedication of you and would think that people are nothing but grateful for all the work you’re putting in.
      As for the argument, of course, I have no background to judge, but as I followed it there was one person showing up from outside your inner circle who didn’t have the best behaviour. That’s okay, it’s the internet and even in your protected little niche you can’t really keep them out. I’m no lover of scr*ewwords, so I rolled my eyes on it.
      Somebody else put on a defence which was understandable IMO. Maybe a bit long and extensive, but if I’m insulted, I can’t really let it go that quick, too, so I thought it alright.
      The discussion now arose a bit out of the blue and seems to have very little to do with ETSC and nothing with you. This seems to go back to older resentfulness.
      You are quite a sworn community here and thus, you have your issues. I wouldn’t have the time to post that much, but I enjoy catching up and reading what you guys shared. I’m very glad that after the extremely annoying wiwi-b******s I found a place which is much more up to my taste. The “exclusivity” of your group brings with it that I as an outsider rate a certain amount of the comments here as – really no offense to anyone – somehow elitist. It reflects itself in the way a part of you talk about music and the “right” taste. But as I said, I guess that after some years together, certain group dynamics and patterns are formed which may seem particular to people from outside. Again, perfectly normal.
      Okay, long post, probably my longest here, and I really don’t want to overstep my role here or overvalue my interpretation – bc what do I know? -, but it really makes me sad that you feel the way you feel – and like Lina and a few others said, I don’t think it has anything to do with you and there’s no point for consequences.
      And in addition, I don’t think that people here are to be blamed but acted all quite understandably. It was a bit unnecessary IMO to re-visit the argument of the weekend a few days after and connect it with a general offense, but if the person who did it had the feeling that that would be a necessary thing to do, you can’t really put the blame on him, too…
      Anyway, ending my post now, going to work, wishing you all a good Friday and tomorrow I’ll make up my mind about my final top10…

    • You should not take things personally, Morgan. That’s a wrong move. Those things will always happen even if you had to cut ETSC to only half an edition… You can’t control it. It’s up to the people to control themselves. 😁

    • I am sure the troll writing to you is getting a huge satisfaction now knowing that he bugged you and caused you to think skipping August edition.He is also the center of attention now which he has desperetely been longing for.
      Simply ignore…. You have to..That is the only way to let them get lost in their pathetic life… do not spend your seconds on trolls who would never be able to say “a word
      ” to your face in real life. You have us, your supporters.. Do not let the rest suffer because of a single pathetic abuser!
      Keep up the good work 💞
      You are loved!

    • I literally haven’t noticed anyone, and you’re doing a great job all accross both editions. Cutting to one would be a mistake, as anything that can happen would happen.

      Just keep as is, you’re doing great, and we having fun. What’s not to love about ETSC?

    • I don’t think cutting down the numbers of editions would help or is the way forward, neither you is the problem.

      And now, I would rather sit outside curious to see whether those responsible for the mess have anything to say.

    • Hey Morgan,
      don’t ever think this has something to do with you. You created something for our community that we all enjoy and some people here show little to zero respect for that.
      I don’t know all the details about these ongoing feuds since they apparently started before I showed up here, so this should be none of my concern.
      Reading through the comments has been very tiring lately. I don’t find none of this highly entertaining, it’s just sad. As you know I really enjoy this edition songwise, but the drama is nothing but irritating and unnecessary. If people crave for it they should continue with it somewhere else. Not only does this behaviour damage the communication between people, it reflects badly on ET. If I were new to this site I suppose I wouldn’t want to be part of it. And as I said it’s respectless towards the ET team.
      I am also disappointed in people claiming their taste to be superior to others. This is highly intolerable and has nothing to do with freedom of speech, it’s just a blatant slap in the face of other members. Neither am I ok with people using language like “go f*ck yourself”. Is it too much to ask that people are treating each other respectfully?

      People should take responsibilities for their behaviour, you’re right. You’ve included a page on how to respect the rules and I assume people here are capable of reading. Anyone who breaks them knows the consequences. You know what to do. Just don’t let it bother you. ETSC is your project. No drama, no dispute is worth cutting it down.

    • Morgan, keep doing what you have been doing. We will regulate ourselves. Personally, I enjoy ETSC very much. Things have changed since ETSC 1, but that is inevitable. You will never be able to please everyone. :) I think I never missed an edition and I am sort of proud of that fact. LOL

    • My input on the issue has been elaborately explained in my answers to togravus and oasis and is not related solely to ETSC. From my side I am done with this issue for now I promise and of course it has nothing to do with you – fro my side the fact you host this contest is one of the major reasons I decided to participate again. I am shocked to hear you received homophobic emails from a user known by people here.

      P.S. VFoS is a contest and site administered by certain people under their rules thus why some of us here do not visit that place.

    • I noticed there were some negative debates lately, but I didn’t pay much attention to them, I rarely do. I tried to catch up a bit now with some of the comments. Ofc these things don’t happen because of you and from what I could read they don’t have much to do with the contest either. Some of these discussions took place in VFoS too before, but since people that are starting / provoking them don’t take part anymore they didn’t arise lately.

      As others stated I don’t think cutting ETSC down to one edition is the solution either. I think ETSC has worked very well in this format with 2 editions each summer and being such a highly anticipated event by most people it would be sad to see it cut in half. The 2 editions don’t only mean double the fun, but it’s also nice to know that in case you don’t do well or you don’t get one of your top choices the first time, there’s immediately another chance in August.

      Probably there will always be someone complaining about something (and when it comes to results maybe that’s ok from time to time as there are always some underrated and overrated songs according to each one’s views, but at least do it in a respectful manner without insulting someone else’s taste) and provoking (even if not always on purpose) other members of this community in different ways and there’s not much we can do about that, but what WE CAN DO is stop arguing endlessly at which point it becomes the whole focus of the forum. I really hope that from now on people will try to stop replying to provocations or at least if you can’t help it or you have to set the record straight do it concisely and don’t go on forever until the pages are full with an endless discussion that rarely solves anything and only accomplishes to ruin the atmosphere on the forum. Sometimes I wonder when do you even have the time to argue so much for hours and even days ? :o

    • Morgan, I just wanted to echo what others have said that I really appreciate you running this monster of a beast called ETSC. It’s really made my summer better, and I’m sorry that you’ve had to endure such negative experiences in conjunction with the contest.

      Because I don’t have much to add to what others have said, I’m keeping this concise. Know that the contest brings much joy to many of us and we would love to see it keep it going on its current twice a year schedule. Thank you for your hard work and dedication! :)

  5. It’s been a crammed time to listen, but the cutting is being done and hopefully the top 12 can happen soon.

    This has been a pretty unique ETSC edition! Plenty of pop sounds, and enjoyable listening, both editions have had strong showing, this year’s good! :)

  8. Dear everyone.

    This time the fuss, alt least in parts, started over a remark I made during the results reveal of ETSC 11. There have been other people involved, but I am only speaking on behalf of myself here.

    I know that there are people who felt insulted by things I have written about the music in ETSC, and I can understand that. After all music is a very personal thing, and I am sorry about the controversy that followed. But I want you to know that I never mean it in a personal way. My focus is on the songs, not the persons who send it (but then again, music is a personal thing – like most other things its a double edged sword).

    What saddens me is the fact that even though I have tried to explain what I meant, thinking that I had set this thing to peace, I continue to see sarcastic remarks about it aferwards, and it makes me feel like all my explanation is totally in vain.

    This is not to say that I don’t understand how people must feel about things I have said, but I think it would have made things a lot easier if we (and this includes myself as well) just stuck to arguing why we think each other are getting things wrong. Some have done that towards me, and that’s OK. If we just hold on to that, things don’t have to get that personal. I may have very strong values about music and artistery, these are based not just on taste, but also on my educational knowledge on music, and some may call them elitist I guess. But my views are never absolute, they are always open for debate.

    With this whole background, I want to say, that I am most likely not going to participate again. Neither in ET, ETSC nor in VFoS. It is no secret that I have always felt a bit like an outsider in this environment. My interests are not shared by many, neither is my taste in music and in many other things, and there is nothing wrong with that. It’s just the way it is. And in recent years I think I have moved away from the dominating tastes and views, or they have moved away from me. You just have to look at my results record.

    That being said, I am very glad to have met a lot of people here, but the way things have evolved, I don’t really feel like being here anymore. And sadly I am not feeling well at the moment. This whole story has taken very hard on me, combined with other aspects happening in my personal life. I have trouble sleeping for instance. My personal state may have coloured some of my outbursts lately, not that this is a good excuse.

    But I sincerely wish ET and ETSC all the best for the future <3

    Kind regards
    The Anders

    • Αnders…I am surprised to find out that you think you have been the problem. Those remarks weren’t about you.

      Regardless of your results and the fact you didn’t feel close to the music most of us submit your input and presence meant a lot. I hope you reconsider.

    • Anders you are the very last person that is to blame for the situation of the forum, please do reconsider. Whatever is happening in your personal life, I hope it gets resolved soon in the best way possible but (talking about myself here) you are most welcome here and your contributions your musical knowledge and insights are valuable. Even if you said something (which I haven’t noticed that you did) we all know what kind of person you are and you would not be judged on any single remark.

      I hope all gets better soon for you.

    • You are a sensitive soul and we all know you will not hurt anyone intentionally…
      Just do not make permanent decisions based on temporary feelings…. Reconsider🤗

    • Like the rest, I’m really surprised that you blame yourself. I’m not following all the comments biblically, but I didn’t realize that you were even part of this situation at all.
      We haven’t texted directly before and I don’t know you, but just by reading your comments I would have estimated you as a respectful and thoughtful.
      All the best for your private situation, I have a lot of empathy atm if I hear s.th. like this…

    • Anders,
      You are considerate and wise conversationalist. Remarks that have been made during past couple of weeks have nothing to do with you. You were part of the initial discussion, but anyone here understand the difference in your stance regarding these issues and knows what you have said and what you haven’t.
      You are invaluable part of this community, because of what you are and what you provide – unique views, unique music. Your entries have so many times hit the mark here, and when they haven’t at least they have been very interesting. Besides that who else could have lead me to dig the Danish avant garde music and art scene? Also you found two master pieces from the latest edition. That’s actually a lot, especially when these competions keep changing maybe to the directions you don’t feel your own.
      I sincerely wish you reconsider.

    • Anders, I wish you the best as far as yor personal life is concerned. Your choice of songs is always very unique and interesting even when I do not enjoy them very much. Don’t care about the results and keep saying what you think. I will do the same. :)

    • Nothing definitive is decided. However I will most likely keep a low profile during the rest of this edition. I sent my votes long ago, so my entry is still there in any case. But it is very likely that I will skip at least the next VFoS. What happens afterwards, I don’t know, but I think I need a break and some time to think. Besides, my working schedule will be a little tough in September, combined with two family birthdays, a couple of classical concerts and some meetings.

    • Anders, in the mosaic of people and characters in here your piece is essential. You have submitted songs i loved and songs that i didn’t get at all even though, they were unique and had your stamp on them. For a while now, i sense your growing frustration and disappointment with your results and i had feared you would decide to withdraw from the contests but leaving the community altogether is heart breaking. We all know, the current debacle has nothing to do with you. As you say, your other problems may make your more sensitive with what’s happening here which is nothing new and not that serious, imo. We have all weathered worse storms here. :)
      Take your time, seek help if you feel you need it and remember things do get better. We’re all here to support you and not make things worse for you. Take care.

      • But still, if I hadn’t made that silly comment in first place, the debacle wouldn’t have happened. I’m not blaming myself for everything because it takes at least two to a tango.

        • I don’t think your comment would trigger anything. It’s ok to disagree respectfully. We should moderate our behavior but still be able to express our views clearly. We’re not bots and this is not a Miss Congeniality contest

    • Another thing is, having at least one non-blind edition might be a good idea after all. I understand the argument about voting fairness, but I have to admit I don’t find blind editions that enjoyable. From my perspective it doesn’t really make sense when people immediately guess my entry anyway. I often feel I would have to send something that really isn’t my taste to avoid that, and that wouldn’t be good for diversity. So I’d rather have people know my entry anyway, but then it’s not particularily “blind” anymore.

      Plus having to send all info through Morgan is giving him a lot more work. Being open about what entry I have also feels much more relaxing, and it makes it easier to sort of personalize it. Moreover I think the who-sent-what topic tends to take so much focus that we almost forget about the songs.

    • Don’t even think about that! With whom, besides Hjallis, am I going to discuss Beatles here if you leave? 😁
      Now more seriously: I love your presence here and in VFoS, and I’m sure it’s obvious to state that you’re loved by everyone… I really hope, dear Anders, you can work out the problems you’re facing at the moment, and I’m sure that you can count on most of the people here if there’s anything any of us could do to help. If you need to take some time off, do it,but don’t overreact on this. You’ll see it’s not important at all. Start planning your trip to Lisbon! 😁

  9. One idea about what may be the problem here is the blind editions. I personally don’t mind
    them in terms of fairness of results. However they do remove the incentive of people to be more considerate towards others. It seems to me certain “casual” comments before the coming-out period would have been avoided if people knew who was behind which song. Also it is rather difficult to cultivate frictions when you ask other people to vote for you instead of being an anonymous HoD.

    Anders you are decidedly NOT the problem here. I hope you reconsider because personally I believe you can do well here regardless of what you may think :)

    • Nothing to do with blind imo. The triggering comments were after it was revealed Hjallis won it. Let’s not make a scapegoat of the most fair way of running this contest

    • In all honesty, your comment makes no sense at all. How are blind editions to blame for this? We have had even worse fall outs in regular non blind editions before. And how can 1 blind, 1 non blind edition be the answer to this?

      • I agree that people don’t need blind to create a ruckus. In fact they don’t need to participate at all as we have seen in past editions. However knowing that songs are judged anonymously does not help keeping a more collegial spirit during the voting period at least.

        • The 2 triggers of the current “troubles” in this edition have nothing to do with it being blind. They began after results had been revealed as has happened oftentimes before. I wish we can move on now to the pre-results excitement and people learn to moderate their behavior and be adults

  10. This is how I would have voted had I was participating in the first edition of ETSC:

    Portugal 1pt
    UK 2pts
    Denmark 3pts
    Ireland 4pts
    France 5pts
    Norway 6pts
    Israel 7pts
    Iceland 8pts
    Greece 10pts
    Germany 12pts

    Turkey is 11th and the Netherlands 12th.

  13. Wow I know 9 artists!!! :D

    I have no other problem, than lack of time for literally everything xD

    It’s a slower edition than I prefer, but nonetheless, all of the work you guys do to make these contests alive is only for praise! Thank you for keeping Eurovision spirit throughout whole year!

  22. 🇸🇪 Quiz time in Stockholm! Let’s take a good look at hot boys, hot girls, ice cold beer and Swedish summer as it’s very best!
    Can you guess or maybe you know what is the connection to ESC and Melodifestivalen in these 90’s style celebrations of life worth living?

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