#39 Ani Lorak, "Shady Lady"

I wanna light you up and leave you alone
I am a brand new star that you’ve never known

This Ukrainian diva won me over from the first time I heard her string-featuring disco anthem "Shady Lady," and the quality of the song alone is what wins it its place on the list, but the imagery she chose to go along with it in the months leading up to and including its performance at Eurovision definitely helped sell me on it. I think we can pick out three key moments in the evolution of "Shady Lady"'s visual accompaniment:

1.) Ani begins her pre-Eurovision promo tour with a performance in Russia. This performance was vital because it 1.) featured an ARMY OF DANCERS (it may start out with four, but don't let that fool you), and 2.) introduced the head flick.



2.) The official music video. All the people looking upwards at the disco ball as if waiting for the most important event in the world to happen during the middle 8 as the disco strings reach their most dramatic point is almost too much for me to bear.



3.) The Eurovision performance. Oh my gosh, the head flick, guys in light up boxes, all the shiny things, Ani voguing in front of the light up boxes...this song and its performance is everything modern Eurovision should be (well, maybe the backing vocal mikes are turned up a bit too loud for my taste, but given that Ani can't be singing multiple parts, it's understandable).



Ani Lorak, you're my Eurovision hero. Now, if only you could have beaten "Believe"...

Find it on: Eurovision 2008

Now the ice is melting

Only six months early, it's Eurovision round-up time!

You know what would be the best news ever? Well, not quite ever, but close: Israel choosing Harel Skaat. And there's a decent chance of it happening, too. It's something I've been wanting to happen for a while now and I promise his voice/music is at least part of that desire. If you're looking for his best songs, the standard recommendation is the ballad "Ve'at," but as a girl more fond of something with a bit more BPM to it, my absolute favorite is "Haruah Teshane At Kivana" (you can't imagine how beyond thrilled I'd be if he sang a song like that and that good for the contest, even as much as I'm expecting a ballad given the general love from everyone besides me for "Ve'at" out there) with "Kamah Od Efshar" running a very respectable second; see below for "Haruah Teshane At Kivana." Like Shiri Maimon, he took second in Israel's Idols-knockoff. He's turned down the chance several times in the past, but it sounds like he's looking favorably on it now.



I'd also like to throw in I think he looks better in videos (not this particular one) than in photos. PRETTY.

(In my defense, this post was written up before the Schlagerboys' one.)

Turkey has chosen Belgian R&B-pop singer Hadise to represent them this year. If you want to get a feel for what she's like, watch her awards show performance of "Bad Boy" (well, sort of of "Bad Boy"), a single from a few years ago.



Granted, that (great) performance is mainly just flames, flashing lights, and strutting, but those aren't forbidden on the Eurovision stage, so let's hope Hadise brings it with her choice of song. For more Hadise, check out one of her more recent singles, this year's "I'm A Slave 4 U"-esque "My Body."

News possibly better than that of Harel Skaat going to Eurovision? The fact that Greece has already announced that its song this year will be written by Dimitris Kontopoulos, whose brilliance I was first made aware of when WTBX introduced me to Elli Kokkinou's still awesome revvy dance-pop masterpiece "Ise oti thelo."



Greece has also chosen their artist, who'll be performing multiple Dimitris songs before one is chosen. The set artist is one who's worked with Dimitris before: Sakis Rouvas. Yes, of "Shake It" fame--he took that song to a third place finish at Eurovision in 2004--of a whole lot of fame in Greece (as well as a couple of write-ups here on this blog), and of some songs much better than the enjoyable but not too long-lasting "Shake It." His latest single, "Kai Se Thelo," is, in fact, written by Dimitris Kontopoulos (another thanks to WTBX for introducing me to this song) and is one of those better songs.



Can you see why I love this songwriter? Hard-hitting revvy danceable pop music...sigh. Please don't let us down, Dimitris! Give Sakis an awesome song like this one and let him go out-Ricky-Martin Ricky Martin across the stage and we're good to go.

Dimitris has made some non-dance great songs, too, though. My favorite song out of Greece's national final this year was Kostas Martakis's "Always And Forever," originally a pop-with-guitars song of the sort that I'm a sucker for--that uptempo-but-gentle, uplifting, pop-with-guitars sound. He did dance it up for the show, though--much more of a typical Kontopoulos sound. Way underrated, this song is.



I also love "Stous 31 Dromous," another song Dimitris gave to Sakis. It's still got those dance/electro elements in it, but this time, they're dreamy, not disco. Lovely.



Moving back to the revvy dance-pop, Dimitris also wrote Anna Vissi's "Welcome To The Party" from Greece's 2006 national final.



There was also speculation that Dimitris wrote Ani Lorak's "Shady Lady," but I don't believe that was ever confirmed; I do think, though, that we know he did some production work on it. In other words, let's all get very excited about Greece's song now. I may be setting myself up for disappointment, but so be it--he's delivered in the past, he can deliver again.

A brand new star

Once again, like last year, I'm left feeling there's little left for me to say about the results of the Eurovision final; my thoughts have already been expressed elsewhere in ways much more eloquent and concise way than I would have used. I'm not thrilled about the winner for several reasons and second place finisher Ukraine would have been a much more exciting winner for me (as well as my favorite winner of the '00's, I think), but life goes on. Well, how life is going to go on for the next few months without Eurovision to distract me, I've got no idea, but apparently it does.

Let's look at Ani Lorak performing "Shady Lady" one more time, though. Love those light-up boxes.



Those disco strings in the middle 8 get me every time. And the little head bobs that accompany the beeps. When will I learn, though? I should never rewatch performances from Eurovision or national finals--they never seem to come off as great as I remember them being.

I'm sad about Sweden's result, of course, but the song is still fantastic (in my eyes); I'm not sure whether it was a matter of staging, competing with similar songs for the same votes, the song being in a style most of Europe isn't interested in, or what, but it just failed to connect with Europe. A shame, since "Hero" deserves to be remembered fondly and Charlotte thought of well--I hope that can still happen anyway, at least in Sweden. It'll be interesting to see what Sweden votes for next year--there's been kind of a "vote for something beyond what people associate Sweden with"/that fails/"vote for 'typical Swedish music'" pattern going on for the past few years--what happens next?



I would've liked to see the lovely Eurobandið higher up on the scoreboard at the end of the night, too, but I'm still happy for Iceland that they made it to the finals.



Still, ALL of these artists--three of my four favorites, the three that made it to the final--did better than my favorite last year...so I think I'm just used to my taste not lining up with Europe's in Eurovision. Plus, only four of my preferred ten may have qualified from the second semifinal and an entry I adored may not have won out in the end, but really, the final itself was really enjoyable for me.

On a slightly different but still Eurovision-related note, the UK jury's vote for the final looked roughly (though not necessarily exactly; Latvia and Norway could be reversed and Finland and Portugal, though in the right order, could possibly have one more point each) like this (thank you again!):

12 - Sweden

10 - Latvia

8 - Norway

7 - Iceland

6 - Ukraine

5 - Denmark

4 - Finland

3 - Portugal

2 - Israel

1 - Armenia

All the pain, all the joy it brings

Just a quick, getting-things-out-of-my system post:

4/10 of my favorites through this time, but I'm really not going to complain. I mean, sure, I would've loved to see Paolo go through (though as Len said, his voice wasn't all I was hoping for), and yes, I think Bulgaria was great (and though I've not really got an attachment to "Vodka," it would have been nice to see poor Malta do well), but really...

SWEDEN AND ICELAND ARE THROUGH!

When the male announcer started to hum "Hero" and announced Sweden's name (just after Iceland had been pronounced safe), it was as if my spine disappeared and I collapsed onto the couch I was sitting on--I was already pretty sure about poor Paolo's fate, so I really couldn't have asked for more.

It's fantastic Ukraine's through as well, though that wasn't really in doubt--they'll have more of my mental and emotional support on Saturday, when it'll matter more.

Plus, the countries through generally gave solid performances.

Speaking of solid performances: tricky, tricky Denmark, trying to win my nonexistent vote with your good-looking singer. It will not work, I tell you!

Also, I'm already plotting about how on Earth I'm going to get myself to wherever Eurovision 2009 is--I mean, it's not like school or money is that important, right?

Here, in remembrance of Paolo, is the promo video for "Era Stupendo," which I love--I know it could seem incongruous to some, but for me it captures the song's energy so well.

Oh my days, like fairytales

...and we're off again: my favorites in the second semifinal.

Eurobandið, "This Is My Life" (Iceland)
Ah, Eurobandið--I've been in love since the first taste of this song last fall, when it was called "Fullkomið lif" and was more schlager than the energetic dance it is now. I think I've continually complained about the change in style (not that I disliked its new version, just that I thought it lost something)...until now. I went back and listened to "Fullkomið lif" again and, whether it's just me becoming accustomed to the new version or something else, I can now officially say that I'm fine with it in its new version. In fact, I prefer it. Eep. Backtrack much? Anyway, speaking without regards to the odds, I think I can fairly say that few results this year would make me more ecstatic than an Icelandic win--I love this song and poor Iceland has sent so many great songs in fairly recent years, often without proper reward. I'll be desperately hoping they make it out the semifinals.

Charlotte Perrelli, "Hero" (Sweden)
...but boy, am I worried that the one-two-four punch of danceable pop songs is going to end up really hurting someone. Do I need to say much more about this song? I adore it--disco-pop performed by a true professional; I can only pray Europe takes it to its heart. Please let everything transfer well to the Eurovision stage! The song that I would most love to win the whole thing.

Ani Lorak, "Shady Lady" (Ukraine)
I LOVE this song. Love Ani as a performer (from what I've seen). Out of the names people are tossing around as likely winners, it's the one I'd most like to take it. "Shady Lady" is dramatic revvy disco pop, the sort of song I thought we'd be getting from Dimitris Kontopoulos in the Greek national final. My heart of hearts, though, still belongs to Sweden, though I know Ani will take to the stage like a sexy dervish with an eye towards filling up the arena and demolishing all competition and may very well have a bigger performance that leaves a bigger impression on viewers.

Paolo Meneguzzi, "Era Stupendo" (Switzerland)
Aww, Paolo. Well, I love him--that's well documented; have ever since PinkieDust introduced me to him last spring or so. "Ti Amo Ti Odio" even ranked as my eighteenth favorite single of 2007. In other words, I like his musical style, I like what he does--and I love this too. "Era Stupendo" starts off as lovely ballad before morphing into a more up-tempo song, but one that still has a bit of a ballad feel. It's a lovely feel good song with a lovely feel good promotional video and I would be so thrilled to see it do well. I'm very worried, though.

Now, those four songs I've just listed are my true favorites (out of those four, I'd be most excited about Sweden, Iceland, or Switzerland winning, but Ukraine has the best chance of it), the four that mean the most to me--not just in the second semifinal, but overall. The next song is in a kind of second tier.

Tereza Kerndlová, "Have Some Fun" (Czech Republic)
You know how I didn't complain about changes to the Icelandic song? This is where I start complaining. I always knew that this was a song that never really stood much of a chance of leaving an impression on the Eurovision audience (and apparently its rehearsals have been a mess), but in that early national finals season, this was one of my favorites, a sweet Europop song with a Timbaland-type beat underneath and some lovely string-like sound effects that are somewhere between fluttering and frantic. I know they had to shorten it down to meet the three minute requirements, but did we really have to get those added Greek-style instrumental flourishes? Sigh. Those really detract from the song for me.

...and after that, a third tier of songs:

Ruslan, "Hasta La Vista" (Belarus)
I've avoided re-listening to the original pop version of this song in hopes that I could adjust to this new rock version, so I can't go into too much detail about my complaints except to say that I remember being very disappointed when the change was revealed--who knows, maybe if I went back and relistened to the original I'd realize it was actually a change for the better. I can't say I'm too invested in this doing well, but it's OK. It does give us the line that gives this post its title (it's actually "all my days like fairytales," but that's how I first heard it and now I can't hear anything else).

Pirates Of The Sea, "Wolves Of The Sea" (Latvia)
I feel like I'm going to be attacked by Eurofans every time I admit this, but if Schlagerprick and Chig can admit it, so I can I: I like this. Yes, it's kind of cheap and tacky (catchy Europop/dance that sounds like it could have been made for young kids, by the way), but there's something about its bouncy fun that reels me in.

The countries I want to make it to the final (based just on the songs, not on how well they'll come across when performed, and what I'd like to happen, not what I think will happen), then:

Sweden
Iceland
Ukraine
Switzerland
Czech Republic
Latvia
Belarus

...oh, and I don't know after that...maybe Bulgaria. That's odd--I didn't realize it until now, but, although I've been looking forward to the second semifinal more than the first, I don't think there are ten songs I'm really cheering for here, whereas I was able to choose ten for the first. Let's throw in FYR Macedonia and...I don't know, Malta or Albania or something. Let's go with Malta. (Edit: a few more spins and I'm more enthusiastic--Bulgaria especially deserves to at least be in my third tier of songs--but I'm open to performances swaying me to shift my support.)

Random thoughts on other songs: it was while watching the promo for Inför ESC (Sweden's preview show for this year's Eurovision songs) that I realized what Denmark's song ("All Night Long" by Simon Matthews) reminds me of: it's a commercial song. As in, a song made to play in the background of a commercial--about twenty seconds of sound, mildly catchy mid-tempo chorus but in a completely non-distracting way, completely generic. Apparently he's a solid performer, but "All Night Long" is just so completely uninspiring.

I keep reading good things from the people actually in Belgrade about Croatia, but it's not won me over yet. I've got a similar reaction to the very positive feelings behind Portugal, too; apparently it comes across amazingly when performed and I know there were positive feelings about it even before that, but I'm not sold yet.

У твоих глаз навсегда в плену...

I've been listening to Ukrainian singer (though she sometimes sings in Russian, and even for one album in English) Ani Lorak's albums recently and, though unsurprisingly I've yet to hear anything like "Shady Lady" (unsurprising given that I don't think she's ever done a Philip Kirkorov--or, if you believe the rumors, Dimitris Kontopoulos [I have no idea what to think on that, though I've always thought that "Shady Lady" reminded me of some of his songs, which if nothing else is a very good thing]--song before), there are some gems. That's one of the great things about Eurovision: in addition to getting some great songs for the contest itself, you're introduced to artists with whole back catalogues to investigate.

Ani's had a long-running pop career in Ukraine and is a real star there, a big name; she nearly made it to Eurovision in 2005, but (apparently because of her political affiliation and the political drama going on in Ukraine at the time) didn't. This year, she was internally selected (i.e., the people running Ukraine's national final chose her without public input) to be Ukraine's representative; she performed several songs, and the audience--thankfully--voted for her to perform "Shady Lady" in Belgrade.

Укради--an album track from her most recent album, 2007's 15 (named after her number of years in the music business). As I warned earlier, this is not something in the style of "Shady Lady," but, should you prefer your music uptempo, you'll still be in luck here; neither is it a pop-rock song like many of her songs are. "Укради" (or "Ukradi"), which apparently (according to her official site) means "Steal," is a pop song with spacey background effects (well done to the producer or writer who decided to put those in!) and a chorus that relies primarily on fast-paced high notes from Ani, which gives it an unusual but interesting sound; those two effects together combine to make it feel like you're racing across outer space as you listen to the chorus.

To buy Ani Lorak's album 15, go here (physical).

Random fact: while listening to Ani's (while we're going off on a random fact tangent, Wikipedia says that Ani Lorak is a stage name derived from spelling her real name, "Karolina," backwards) English album, I heard the second unexpected K-otic cover I've heard in the past few months--Ani covered "I Really Don't Think So" and Swedish singer Caroline Larsson covered "Hold On My Heart" (which seems especially odd for when you get a feel for what the rest of her music sounds like and what her image is like).

Next up: a Belgian singer I've written about before.

Baby, don't call me babyyyyy

I keep going back and forth on Ukraine's Eurovision entry this year. On the one hand, I love it; on the other hand, I'm very worried about it being a threat to Charlotte--they're both in the same semi (see Nina's post for more; Iceland, Sweden, and Ukraine are all in the first four entries in the second semi). However, on seeing the video for this dance-friendly pop stomper (the video doesn't really get going until the second half)...



...I am finding it VERY hard to prevent my "OMG! Shiny outfits! Giant hair! Big hoop earrings! Wind machines! Major dancing! Dramatic looks accompanied by dramatic strings! Disco balls! Exploding disco balls!" side from bursting out and just declaring the whole thing FABULOUS. And sure, maybe there's a surplus of winks (usually equally fabulous), but can't we overlook that--I mean, if you were Ani Lorak and you had this song behind you, wouldn't you go around winking all the time too?

I realized that all my heartaches were a blessing in disguise

While Sweden was having its third semifinal last night, a lot of countries were having their finals. Some great songs were knocked out (Poland [though once I get a chance to properly listen I may end up thinking Isis Gee's entry is fine--not something I'll love, but fine], Romania, Ireland--though I still haven't caught up on the live performances there), but luckily we did get some real gems out of the night.

Iceland chose Eurobandið's "This Is My Life" as their entry to Eurovision--yay! I'm so happy for them, and really hope they do well on the night; the song is great (even if you think the original arrangement was better, I'd argue this version is still easily one of the better songs chosen so far), the singers can sing, and Iceland is well overdue for some good results, considering the great songs they've generally given us recently. Not only that, but the styling was finally approaching something reasonable--thank goodness they had three tries to get it right. Fridrik's outfit kind of reminds me of someone, though I can't place who...



Ukraine chose a stomping pop song that had a great performance. Ani Lorak is apparently a major popstar over there, which I love to see, and she was preselected as the singer for Ukraine--last night was dedicated to choosing which song she would sing. "Shady Lady" won--ignore the sketchy title, it's a great hard-hitting pop song with a performance that makes up for anything that might be pedestrian about the song.



I've still not made up my mind about Bulgaria yet. Deep Zone and Balthazar's ravey (in parts) "DJ, Take Me Away" won there. It's definitely a different sort of sound for Eurovision.