ETSC 15: Signing Up!

/ 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! Signing up opens this Thursday!

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 14 editions of ETSC, as we hold two per Summer, one in July and one in August. 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 15 – July 2021” will be officially held in Bruges after Billie won:

This is a blind edition: you’ll have to send everything through me. In this article, I’ll only post numbers of people who will take part. We will discover which countries are played with during the reveal of the draw as well as the HoD who will take part!

Most of the old rules remain. Rules: for this contest, you need to sign up choosing one European country. Once the country will be confirmed as yours for this edition, you’ll be able to send a song officially from the country by email only and it cannot be more than 5 years old (this 2016 at the oldest). However, there are no language rules but it’s up to you to consider if other members will be nice or not to your song based on the language… Since it’s an online contest, there are no time limits and the song can be as long as you want, and performed by as many people you want. But it needs to be recent and definitely related to the country you’re representing one way or another. For each entry, I’ll do a bit of research to make sure your entry is playable, but you can send me some links with your song to help me make sure. Also, you must make sure the song is available online on  a platform so that every one can hear it. A promotion video is only an extra bonus but not mandatory. Last but not least, as seen in the polls the song can not have taken part in Eurovision or a national final but for the artist we get to a different rule. ESC artists are allowed for “small countries” (debatable which, but often I’m open to discussion with you) and NF and FdlC artists are allowed for all. Don’t forget, ETSC is also about discovering new music for us all: returnees are allowed except for ETSC winners and an artist can’t compete twice in the same Summer. In general, everything has to be talked out with me in private. Depending on the number of participants, probably not all countries will be taken again. However, you’ll have a couple of days to pick your song once a country is being attributed to you, so don’t rush! Since I have postcards to do, I’d rather not have change of songs now! So take the time to be sure!

Once everyone has sent its entry, they’ll be revealed on ET and the voting period will be open. You’ll vote by email to me and to make sure my personal votes are fair (and that I don’t change them to the last minute in case it’s a close race), I will email mine to the first voter, whoever that is. Once everyone voted, I will reveal the votes in a dramatic finish and we’ll see which song will be crown our second summer song! Once you’ve voted, you can not change your votes (especially since some people drop hints of their own votes on the posts)!

For those interested, all songs used in ETSC and its sister contests (used during the rest of the year and featuring a lot of similar players) are all packed here to check if your entry has been used before: https://virtualfestivalofsongs.wordpress.com/archive/

This is the signing up article on ET and the official opening time to select your country for July 2020 is officially… Thursday 8th at 20:00 PM CEST! You’ll be able to select by emailing me on artemismorgan@hotmail.com only! You can send up to a Top 10 of your favorite countries so that, if you’ve sent your email early enough but your #1 country is already chosen, you get your second pick and so on and so forth. Afterwards, you have until Sunday 11th at 12:00 CEST to decide on your song! We’ll do the big reveal of songs that night or early next week.

Number of emails to work on: 0

Number of approved Hod/Country: 40

Number of HoD without a country/song: 3

Number of approved songs: 38

1,069 thoughts on “ETSC 15: Signing Up!”

  1. 40. :) More or less the same temperature we had here today. Outside the wind is blowing and the air feels like soft warm velvet.

    P.S. – Morgan, please send me my postcard when it is ready.

  4. Messi wins his first international title with Argentina at Rio’s Maracana, providing balm for the soul of a covid-battered Argentina. Will the Azzurri do the same at Wembley tonight?

    • mmh, Argentina and Brazil were the two hardest hit countries in South America by Covid, just like Italy and UK in Europe, followed by Spain (which would ave been 3rd if a Spain-DK match had happened I reckon). However, Brazil is by far the most wounded of the two and Argentina is the one who won (in Brazil)… so there are some comparisons but not all (BoJo/Bolsonaro being another one). In the end, the countries that lived through the worst of Covid had the teams fighting the hardest for a title, and that’s already the “good news” from this whole thing really

      • Don’t forget Peru, with the highest per capita death rate, surprisingly going to the semi where they barely lost to Brazil so there is likely indeed something to your idea that those teams fought the hardest.
        It’s quite shocking how underreported the impact of corona in Latin America is. They really haven’t had multiple waves; the first one never really ended on a continent with many multi-generational families squeezed into limited-size housing and a huge informal economy.
        If that were what Neymar cried about tonight, I’d respect him a bit more.

  5. I don’t know that I’ve ever taken the time to celebrate my ETSC history, not that it is particularly impressive.

    I’ve participated in every ETSC since the contest’s inception. I’ve represented Albania three times, Ukraine twice, Czech Republic twice, and every other country I’ve represented once (Spain, Hungary, Lithuania, Austria, Poland, Israel, and Jordan).

    My highest placement in the contest (and my only time with triple digit points) was in ETSC 11, when I represented Austria with Bilderbuch’s “Om.” My second highest placement was in ETSC 9, when I represented Israel with Ninet Tayeb’s “Child.” However, my second highest score was actually ETSC 5, when Dora Danics got 12th place for Hungary with 84 points.

    My worst placement is a tie between ETSC 7 Lithuania and ETSC 8 Czech Republic, both placing 37th in their editions, while my worst score was all the way back in ETSC 1, when Albania only received 13 points.

    Here is a reminder of all my entries:
    ETSC 1 – Albania – Rozana Radi – Ti s’ke zemer – 26th – 13 pts.
    ETSC 2 – Albania – Era Istrefi – E dehun – 17th – 52 pts.
    ETSC 3 – Ukraine – DakhaBrakha – Karpatsky Rap – 17th – 68 pts.
    ETSC 4 – Spain – Najwa Nimri – Donde rugen los volcanes – 21st – 62 pts.
    ETSC 5 – Hungary – Dora Danics – Bujocska – 12th – 84 pts.
    ETSC 6 – Ukraine – Vivienne Mort – Ti Zabuv Pro Mene – 20th – 58 pts.
    ETSC 7 – Lithuania – Jurga Seduikyte – Sapnas – 37th – 27 pts.
    ETSC 8 – Czech Republic – Agu – Reka – 37th – 23 pts.
    ETSC 9 – Israel – Ninet Tayeb – Child – 10th – 71 pts.
    ETSC 10 – Czech Republic – Sundays on Clarendon Road – Getting Older – 29th – 38 pts.
    ETSC 11 – Austria – Bilderbuch – Om – 7th – 102 pts.
    ETSC 12 – Poland – The Dumplings – Bez Slow – 33rd – 32 pts.
    ETSC 13 – Albania – Anso ft. 6entiana – Me Ty – 25th – 52 pts.
    ETSC 14 – Jordan – Hana Malhas – Alb Maskoon – 12th – 78 pts.

    • Artist Updates:
      After competing in the inaugural ETSC in 2014, Rozana Radi went on to win Albania’s Kenga Magjike in 2016 with the song “Ma Thuaj Ti”

      The year after competing in ETSC 2, Era Istrefi recorded the huge hit “Bonbon,” which helped to launch an international career for the artist. Her videos still regularly get tens of millions of views. Her most recent releases have been collaborations with other artists, including this one with Russian hiphop artist Allj.

    • After competing in ETSC 3 in 2015, DakhaBrakha would go on to collaborate with Eurovision 2016 winner Jamala, releasing “Zamanyly,” which would famously be used as Jamala’s 1st semi-final interval act during the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest. Since then, DakhaBrakha have continued to make music inspired by Ukrainian folklore and culture.

      Spanish-Basque singer and actress Najwa Nimri may not have found success in ETSC 4, but at around the same time as the contest, she found fame for her role on the Spanish serial drama Vis a Vis, for which she won an award in the 69th Fotogramas de Plata in 2019. Najwa also continues to release new music. Her most recent release is “Muñequita Linda,” released just last month.

    • Dóra Danics almost managed to crack the top ten of the highly competitive ETSC 5, giving HoD Patrick his highest placement at the time. Since her appearance in 2016, Danics has continued to release new music. Over the past year, Danics has frequently collaborated with the Hungarian rap duo Horace x Marcus.

      After competing in ETSC 6, Vivienne Mort attempted to represent Ukraine at Eurovision 2017 after Jamala’s victory. They failed to reach the final, but ended their semi final in third place with both the jury and the public. They have also continued to release new music. Their most recent release was a collaboration with Kyiv-based band OMANA.

    • For HoD Patrick, 2017 was the dark ages as both acts failed to impact the scoreboard and both managed to only achieve 37th place. Jurga Šeduikytė had already represented Lithuania in ETSC 6 under a different delegation, achieving a respectable 18th place. Her ETSC 7 participation was much less successful. However, Jurga was undeterred after her result and continues to release music.

      After ETSC 8, Agu relocated to Galway, Ireland, where she occasionally posts new music.

    • ETSC was just another gig for ETSC 9’s Ninet Tayeb. Already a famous name in Israel, she has continued with her varied and prolific career in entertainment: acting, singing, disc jockeying, and modeling. She continues to release music, including a song earlier this week!

      After ETSC 10, Sundays on Clarendon Road returned to the Czech Republic, releasing the occasional single and album. Their most recent album was released in 2019.

    • ETSC 11’s Bilderbuch were a long established Austrian band, and after the contest, they continued to release their particular brand of artpop. Earlier this week, they announced their first North American tour, set for November and December 2021.

      If you were to ask HoD Patrick which of his acts was most robbed, he would instantly point to ETSC 12’s The Dumplings. After their electric performance in 2019, they returned to Poland, where they continue to release music. They released their most recent single, “Przykro Mi,” shortly after their participation, but they continue to work together.

    • After ETSC 13, Anso and 6entiana both continued to work on new music. They have since collaborated on one more song, called “Pa Ty,” an Albanian-language cover of “Küçük Bir Yol” by Hadise.

      ETSC 14’s Hana Malhas hasn’t even had a year since her participation. However, in her short time, she released a new song called “How We Love.”

  8. While all songs I got so far have had a postcard done, I’m not a happy with a handful and I’ll rework on them later today. If you didnt get yours (coz I emailed most people once I was done, but the ones I don’t like I didnt send yet, except for one to get the HoD commentary and to make a decision for the overall look)! Ask me if you didnt get yours and you want it (either here or by email) :p

    And in four hours, the draw! or later if Selena’s asleep lol

  12. Off topic – the much awaited movie about Doce has finally been released last Thursday. These four ladies are still well known in all corners of Portugal and their songs seem to be very much alive.

  14. 4porcelli asked for it, so here it is:

    🇷🇺 Russia 🇷🇺

    Top 5 entries from Russia in ETSC:

    5th: ETSC 6 – 17th/44 Dvar – R’Iah (Anders)
    4th: ETSC 9 – 11th/41 Otto Dix – Orpheus (Tehoe)

    3rd: ETSC 10 – 9th/39 Malbek ft. Siuzanna – Ravnodushiye (Dimitris)
    2nd: ETSC 13 – 6th/45 Uraan ft. Kyunney – Noir (Ren Robles)
    1st: ETSC 11 – 2nd/41 Shortparis – Strašno (Bay)

  17. Tonight’s final appears to be open but I would rather predict 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 as a winner. They appear to be slightly more consistent, fit and motivated. Since I normally support the teams that have never won before England has my full support tonight.

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