Star Spangled Eurovision

Join Alix, Max, and Bart as they dish on the entries from Portugal, Georgia, Cyprus, and Switzerland. This week, Bart and Alix think Portugal is more MoMA than Eurovision, Max can’t figure out why there are people who like Cyprus but not Switzerland, and all three wonder whether Georgia’s song has some disturbing undertones.

Songs featured:

* Conan Osiris – “Telemóveis” (Portugal)

* Oto Nemsadze – “Sul Tsin Iare” (Georgia)

* Tamta – “Replay” (Cyprus)

* Luca Hänni – “She Got Me” (Switzerland)

 

Welcome to another episode of Star Spangled Eurovision! Join the gang as they react to the entries from Finland, Iceland, Moldova, and Norway! This week, Bart and Max are taken back to their high school days by two very different entries, Alix has some relationship advice for Moldova, and all three are happy that there are finally some bangers in the Eurovision mix.

Songs featured:

* Darude – “Look Away” feat. Sebastian Rejman (Finland)

* Hatari – “Hatrið mun Sigra” (Iceland)

* Anna Odobescu – “Stay” (Moldova)

* KEiiNO – “Spirit in the Sky” (Norway)

Check out the acoustic version of “Spirit in the Sky” here.

Good news! Starting today, we’ll be publishing episodes weekly, so join us on Mondays for more Eurovision shenanigans!

Join Alix, Max, and Bart as they give their hot takes on the entries from Hungary, Lithuania, Denmark, and Belgium. This week, Alix and Bart are not impressed with Max’s literary analysis of Hungary’s lyrics, Alix tries to figure out who might be voting for Denmark, and all three have already forgotten what Lithuania sounds like.

Songs featured:

* Joci Pápai – “Az én apám” (Hungary)

* Jurijus – “Run With the Lions” (Lithuania)

* Leonora – “Love is Forever” (Denmark)

* Eliot – “Wake Up” (Belgium)

Ukraine has withdrawn from Eurovision 2019 after a controversial national selection and the refusal of the winner to sign the Ukrainian broadcaster’s contract. Join Alix, Max, and Bart on this bonus episode of Star Spangled Eurovision as they dive deep into what happened this year at Vidbir and how it reflects wider debates among Ukrainians about identity and their place between Europe and Russia.

Watch MARUV’s winning performance at Vidbir here.

You can read a great summary of what happened after MARUV’s victory here.

Join Alix, Max, and Bart as they cover the entries from Estonia, Croatia, Slovenia, Latvia, Romania, and Germany! This week, the crew tries to figure out the witchcraft behind Estonia’s staging, has some questions about the “sisters” from Germany, and generally agrees that this group of entries are a little low energy.

Songs covered:

* Victor Crone – “Storm” (Estonia) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4bfC0NPl1I

* Roko – “The Dream” (Croatia) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH1XfjICYLc

* Zala Kralj & Gašper Šantl – “Sebi” (Slovenia) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4Ci3nrBdno

* Carousel – “That Night” (Latvia) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j61TWsjcJY

* Ester Peony – “On a Sunday” (Romania) –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvzruGxaAO4

* S!sters – “Sister” (Germany) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuqS6-KJFgA

Join Max, Alix, and Bart as they review the entries from Australia, Italy, Montenegro, and the UK. In this episode, Alix gushes over Italy, Max and Bart discuss the merits of Australia’s weird staging, and all three agree that Montenegro maybe could’ve done better this time.

Songs covered:

* Kate Miller-Heidke – “Zero Gravity” (Australia) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlpBPO9_L4E

* Mahmood – “Soldi” (Italy) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvJUrrMgyGs

* D-Moll – “Heaven” (Montenegro) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KNRvyqVvOw

* Michael Rice – “Bigger than Us” (UK) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_IcrNgV-O4

Note: We ended up not including a clip of Darude’s “Sandstorm” but you can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6120QOlsfU

Welcome to Season 2 of Star Spangled Eurovision! The first four entries for Eurovision 2019 have been revealed, and Max, Alix, and Bart are back to kick off the Eurovision 2019 season with their hot takes on the songs from Albania, the Czech Republic, France, and Spain. Tune in to find out who we like, who we don’t like but wish we did, and what we think some of these songs are really about.

Shownotes:

Songs featured

* Jonida Maliqi (Albania) – “Ktheju Tokës” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vZDCw9Pedw

* Lake Malawi (Czech Republic) – “Friend of a Friend” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duSSVY_YJyY

* Bilal Hassani (France) – “Roi” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCJRigN2DmI

* Miki (Spain) – “La Venda” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpMIb5rabKQ

National Final Schedule – https://eurovision.tv/calendar/

Semi-Final Allocation – https://eurovision.tv/story/semi-final-allocation-draw-results-2019

And finally, if you’ve never seen it, you *must* watch Serhat’s 2016 entry for San Marino, “I Didn’t Know” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYKFKgwVbV4

Just in time for the reveal of Eurovision 2019’s theme “Dare to Dream,” Max and special guest Katy Shea dig deep into the Eurovision brand. Join us as we discuss the Eurovision logo, the yearly themes and slogans, and how host countries use the contest to show the world what they’re all about.

Shownotes:

* 2004 Logo vs 2014 Logo – https://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/new_logo_for_eurovision_song_contest_by_storytegic.php

* Scroll through the Song Contest logos throughout the years – http://logos.wikia.com/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_1956

Join Alix, Max, and special guest Nicole Johnson as we talk about diversity at Eurovision and whether or not the image Eurovision paints of a tolerant, multiethnic and diverse Europe is truly reflective of the reality. We also dish on Mikolas Josef’s new single, “Me Gusta,” and our favorite Moldovans’ guest appearance on Jack Whitehall’s Travels with My Father.

Listen to “Me Gusta” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drnjz_u8_dM

September 1st marks the official start of the Eurovision season, as any songs released after that day are eligible entries for the contest! Join Max, Alix, and special guest Sarah Unbehaun as they discuss the reveal of the host city, what we think might (or want to) happen this year, and what artists we want to see at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019!

Shownotes:

Swiss Broadcaster RSI has revealed 13 songs it’s looking to submit to the internal national selection and is asking for some public input. Listen to the songs and find out more here.