Who Will Win Eurovision 2015?

The 60th annual Eurovision Song Contest is underway! The weeklong competition is being held at the Wiener Stadhalle in Vienna, Austria. Hosting duties for the Contest are shared by three women, Mirjam Weichselbraun, Alice Tumler, and Arabella Kiesbauer. The pride of Austria, Conchita Wurst, is hosting from the green room, interviewing the performers. She opened the first semi-final on Tuesday with her winning entry, "Rise Like a Phoenix," which marked the 1,000,000th time she had to sing that song.

I have been at the Contest all week, watching the semi-finals and mingling with press and fans. I can tell you that everyone has an OPINION!!! about who will win tonight.

The Pre-Qualified

Two frontrunners in the competition are Italy and Australia. Both are already qualified for the grand final: Italy, because they are a member of the Big Five (the nations that provide the greatest financial contributions to Eurovision), and Australia, because they are a special guest contestant to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Eurovision. Representing Italy is Il Volo, an operatic pop trio. Their song, "Grande Amore," is ultra-dramatic, and they are polished performers.  This is the best entry Italy has sent in recent years.

Guy Sebastian, representing Australia, is beloved among Australians and Europeans alike. Many viewers will vote for Guy as a sign of good will towards the first-timer nation, and it doesn't hurt that he's a very talented singer with a great song. The running order was finalized on Thursday night, and Australia received a prime placement, near the middle of the competition. Italy, however, is scheduled to go last, which isn't a great spot. Typically, most viewers have already made their decision by that time in the night. But it will be an amazing way to close out the show, and they could sway the audience.

The Dark Horses

Belgium, represented by Loïc Nottet, is an interesting entry that has a lot of buzz surrounding it. First of all, there is nothing like it in the Contest. The song is very current, and the performance has a hip, slick vibe. Loïc's voice is reminiscent of a more masculine Lorde (Boy Lorde = Blorde). Belgium might not be able to catch the attention of older audiences, but it stands out in a great way.

We have two very strong male-female duos in the competition this year, both coming from Baltic countries: Estonia and Lithuania. Both are polished pop songs, but they couldn't be more different. Elina Born and Stig Rästa from Estonia are the moody hipster version of this dynamic; their stage is lit dramatically and the performance tells the moving story of a break-up. Lithuania is all sunshine and flowers and celebration of new love. Vaidas Baumila and Monika Linktye are a real life couple, and they share an onstage kiss during their performance. Their back-up singers also share a same-sex kiss, which has been very well received by Eurovision fans looking to "build bridges" (the theme of this year's Contest) to the gay community. Both Estonia and Lithuania have great pop songs with strong narratives. They were placed a little too early in the Contest to win (4th and 7th, respectively), but anything can happen.

Russia vs. Sweden

For most of the fans, it comes down to two countries: Russia and Sweden. Both nations have an excellent track record at Eurovision. Russia has only one victory at present, which was Dima Bilan in 2008. But they have many top five finishes, and have received second place three times in the past 15 years. As for Sweden, in their 54 years competing in Eurovision, they have failed to qualify for the final only a single time, which was in 2010. Sweden has won five times, most recently, in 2012.

Representing Russia is Polina Gagarina with the song "A Million Voices." She is extremely talented as a singer and a huge star in her native country. People are loving her voice and the positive message of the song (disregarding Russia's politics, and the fact that Eurovision favorite Ukraine is unable to compete this year because of financial problems caused by their ongoing conflict with Russia). Polina received the favorable position of 25th in the running order– generally speaking, the most strategic position is in the last quarter of the final. She has a very good chance, and the Eastern nations will no doubt give Russia their votes. Russia knows how to put on a good show, and this is one of their strongest entries in the past few years.

Sweden's Måns Zelmerlöw (who we all know from my rambling Melodifestivalen coverage) is the other entry that really stands out this year. The staging and choreography is all mostly the same from Måns' Melodifestivalen performance. I have a feeling that the typical Eurovision audience member (you know, normal people who don't watch Swedish music competition shows in their spare time) will be wowed by this song and its presentation. Also, let's not forget that at Melodifestivalen, Måns received extremely high marks from the international jury. He is going 10th, so the main obstacle for Sweden is making sure audiences remember "Heroes" by the time the voting lines are open an hour later.

The Grand Final starts in a few hours. For any Americans who want to watch, go to  http://www.eurovision.tv/. You may need to have Octoshape installed on your computer to watch online. The big show will start at 2pm, Central.

What I Learned in Slovakia

• Bratislava is a beautiful and charming city. The people are friendly, and most spoke enough English to allow for a conversation.  
• Things are cheap in Eastern Europe. 
• The Bratislava Castle is situated on a massive hill, looking out over the city. I was quite impressed with the good condition of this ancient castle, until I discovered the current structure is a recreation. The original castle burned down in 1811 and was rebuilt in the 1950s. 
• Gay bars charge a cover if you're a woman. Not sure about the logic with this.
• Slovakians do not care about Eurovision.

What I Learned in the United Kingdom

• No one in London knows who Electro Velvet is. 
• Electro Velvet is representing the UK at Eurovision next week. Brits have a complicated relationship with Eurovision. Most Brits could care less about the Contest. Then, a few days before the final, they suddenly get very interested and throw a surge of energy and support towards whomever is their representative. It's not without good reason that they ignore Eurovision for 99% of the year: Britain isn't very popular at the Contest. In the past fifteen years, they have come last three times; in 2003, Jemini actually received zero points from the voters. So it makes sense that the UK would ignore something it's not very good at.
• After work, every single person in London stands outside of a pub and gets drunk.
• The food is amazing, contrary to popular belief. Obviously, since London is a capital of the world, and attracts people from all over the globe, the cuisine in London is varied, and most of it is very good. We ate Italian, Portuguese, and lots of take-away sandwiches from markets and small cafes. 
• I got a sunburn in London. I'm sorry to all my friends in Chicago who are still stuck with rain and chilly temperatures. 
• There are no water fountains anywhere in Europe.

What I Learned in Sweden

• "La La Love" by Ivi Adamou is still a very popular song. Ivi competed in 2012's Eurovision (which Sweden's very own Loreen ended up winning). She came 16th in the Contest, which isn't very good. But I heard "La La Love" at a club THREE TIMES in the span of five hours. And people went crazy each time. 
• Swedes love the American convenience store chain, 7-Eleven. They are everywhere.
• The sun never fully sets this time of year. I mean, I knew that, but it's really kind of amazing when you're walking around at midnight and it's still light outside. Makes it very hard to go to bed, even if you're suffering from severe jet lag!
• Boat tours are fun and also good for naps if you're suffering from severe jet lag!
• Almost everyone will speak to you in English. Even when I tried to speak in simple Swedish phrases, they just knew I was an imposter and responded to me in English. Although one night, a drunk guy started talking to me, and I replied with the two phrases I know, which are "thank you very much" ("tack så mycket") and "nothing weird at all" ("ignet konstigt alls"). Which I learned from watching Melodifestivalen, of course. And I think it worked for a second because he was drunk.
• Swedes love "fika," which is basically like a little coffee break. Similar to tea time in Great Britain, a fika break is an institution in Sweden, usually accompanied with a pastry or little sandwich. For couples, one or several fika dates will usually precede an actual first date.

Each night we went to a gay bar where they were playing schlager (pop/dance music that is usually accompanied with upbeat, simple lyrics about love– the kind of music that generally dominates Melodifestivalen and Eurovision). There was a wide range of people in the club, from teenagers to men in business suits to an old man dressed as a Trojan solider (yes). They played nothing but Eurovision and Melodifestivalen hits for hours. Do you know what it's like to love these songs forever but never actually get to hear them in a public place? Me going to Sweden is like when a Juggalo finally gets to go the Gathering. Except you probably won't catch hepatitis from a Swedish person.

In addition to the thrice-played Ivi Adamou that I mentioned above, we heard Verka Serduchka, Carola, Alcazar, Eric Saade, and Severina. All the classics (Severina is absolutely a classic), and some that were new to me and are now added to my favorites.

Congrats to Måns Zelmerlöw For Winning Melodifestivalen, Being Hot

We have a winner from Sweden! Congratulations to Måns Zelmerlöw for his crushing victory over the competition. And great job, Sweden, for choosing correctly! This is a song that will do very well at Eurovision in May.

Eurovision Experts Speak Out

I am lucky. I live in Chicago where approximately 0.07% of the population knows what Eurovision is. But I have surrounded myself with a group of friends who not only know what Eurovision is, but care deeply, passionately about it. Every Saturday for the past few weeks, these friends (and a few that live outside of Chicago) gather around a television hooked up to a MacBook to watch a program that is entirely in a language none of us speak.

Chicago winters are cold, long, and bleak. I imagine they are a lot like Swedish winters, except Swedish snow never turns into a black fusion of cigarette butts, PBR cans, and what we hope is dog poop. Melodifestivalen starts up exactly at the time in the season that many of us are contemplating taking a trip to California and never coming back. It gives us hope. It gives us a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Spring is coming.

Last Saturday, which was the Andra Chansen round of Melodifestivalen, it was the first day of the year that temperatures were above freezing. The sun was out, clumps of dirty snow were melting, and every Chicagoan was outside, soaking up the much-needed Vitamin D we have been without for months. Except for five of us. We were inside, eyes glued to the television, watching a program that is entirely in a language none of us speak. That is dedication. Or obsession. I'm not sure which.

So it is with great pleasure that I present the opinions of my friends, a group of Eurovision Superfans, on who should win Melodifestivalen this Saturday, and have the great honor of representing Sweden in Eurovision this year.

So Who Will Win Melodifestivalen?

After five weeks of watching amazing and/or insane Swedish pop music, we now have twelve lucky finalists.

So who will not win? That's easy, so let's get that out of the way. "Groupie" will not win. No, it is just too stupid. Jessica Andersson will not win because she is boring. Linus Svenning will not win because I think voters can see through his "Hey, look at me doing a pop song, you like this, right?" routine. Hasse Andersson will not win because he is old, and though The Olds™ are a strong voting bloc, Hasse is performing last in the show, and they will all be asleep before then. Isa, Dinah Nah, Magnus Carlsson, and JTR are all great, but none of them will win because their songs aren't new and exciting.

So that leaves four performers, and no surprise, they are the four that closed out each week's semi-final: Eric Saade, Mariette Hanson, Jon Henrik Fjällgren, and Måns Zelmerlöw. These four were shown such clear favoritism from the very beginning, getting to close out the night, being allowed extra set dressings, animation sequences, and moving stage pieces.

Eric and Måns have been through this before; each have competed in Melodifestivalen three times, with Eric winning in 2010 and finishing third place overall at Eurovision. The Swedish public love these two. Mariette and Jon Henrik Fjällgren are both newcomers, with a good amount of buzz surrounding them.

Running order, just as in the Eurovision Song Contest, is of utmost importance. Generally, producers save the best for last, and there is a lot of potential voting power in the last quarter of the show. If we leave everything up to the running order, Eric Saade (going 10th) or Mariette (going 11th) are in the strongest position to win. But if there is a movement behind a particular song or a singer's story, such as with Jon Henrik Fjällgren (going 4th), they'll get the votes no matter what. And Måns (going 6th) has been holding the number one position on Swedish iTunes downloads for the past few weeks, which is a good sign for him.

So who will win, and get to represent their country at Eurovision? I don't know. It will be one of those four, and any of them will be a good choice for Vienna.

Since "One By One" and Midnight Boy are no longer in the running (and, I have to face the facts: they never were), I would like to see Måns win because I have been a fan since his 2009 "Hope and Glory" days. "Heroes" is new and different, and it would do well at Eurovision. Plus, he's probably the prettiest man in the world, and that helps.

Melodifestivalen: Andra Chansen

The Andra Chansen (second chance) round of Melodifestivalen took place on Saturday. Eight songs were paired into duels, and four winners advanced to the final.

The line-up:
1. "Bring Out The Fire," Andreas Weise VS. "Forever Starts Today," Linus Svenning
2. "Guld och gröna skogar," Hasse Andersson VS. "I See You," Kristin Amparo
3. "Hello Hi," Dolly Style VS. "Make Me (La La La)," Dinah Nah
4. "Det rår vi inte för," Behrang Miri feat. Victor Krone VS. "Groupie," Samir & Viktor

Melodifestivalen: Heat 4

The last of Melodifestivalen's four heats was broadcast from Örebro on Saturday. We have seen all the contestants at this point, and the line-up for the Andra Chansen (second chance) round is set.

More importantly, there was a sighting of my favorite Swedish back-up dancer, Daniel Koivunen, formerly known as "Anton Ewald's Left Back-Up Dancer." After lots of research (internet stalking), I finally figured out his name, and I have requested to be his friend on Facebook. Fingers crossed he doesn't think it's weird that an American girl with zero connections to Sweden is trying to be his friend!

Anyway, Daniel Koivunen performed this week in two numbers! First, the opening, which featured host, Sanna Nielsen, singing "Free Your Mind" by En Vogue, for a reason I do not understand because I do not speak Swedish. And secondly, in Dinah Nah's entry, "Make Me (La La La)." But back to the competition.

The line-up this week:
1. "Don't Say No," Midnight Boy
2. "Black Swan," Caroline Wennergren
3. "Building It Up," JTR
4. "Guld och gröna skogar," Hasse Andersson
5. "Make Me (La La La)," Dinah Nah
6. "Ett andetag," Annika Herlitz
7. "Heroes," Måns Zelmerlöw

Melodifestivalen: Heat 3

Melodifestivalen continued in Östersund yesterday, which marks the half-way point through the competition.

The line-up:
1. "Insomnia," Ellen Benediktson
2. "För din skull," Kalle Johansson
3. "Bring Out the Fire," Andreas Weise
4. "Living To Die," Andreas Johnson
5. "Don't Stop," Isa
6. "I See You," Kristin Amparo
7. "Jag är fri (Manne Liem Frije)," Jon Henrik Fjällgren

Melodifestivalen: Heat 2

Melodifestivalen was broadcast from the city of Malmö yesterday, from the same arena Eurovision 2013 was held. Seven acts were up for consideration.

The line-up:
1. "Forever Starts Today," Linus Svenning
2. "Där och då med dig," Emelie Irewald
3. "Groupie," Samir & Viktor
4. "If I Was God For One Day," Neverstore
5. "Nonetheless," Marie Bergman & Sanne Salomonsen
6. "Möt mig i Gamla stan," Magnus Carlsson
7. "Don't Stop Believing," Mariette

Australia Will Compete in Eurovision 2015

The EBU (Eurovision Broadcasting Union) announced today that for the first time ever, Australia will be allowed to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest, taking place this May in Vienna. Australians have been watching the Contest for years, but because they are not members of the EBU, they have never been able to participate.

This is huge news for Australian fans, but it should be understood that this is intended as a one-time opportunity, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Eurovision. If Australia does indeed win the Contest, they will be allowed to send an additional entry next year. And a European city will host, with the help of Australian broadcaster, SBS.

Australia will advance directly to the grand final, held on May 23. This was decided so as not to take votes away from other countries who are participating in the semi-finals. Australian viewers will also be able to vote for the first time, in both the semi-finals and the final.

At last year's Eurovision in Copenhagen, Australia had the honor of performing the interval act during the second semi-final. SBS sent Jessica Mauboy and her song, "Sea of Flags."

This brings the total number of participants to 40, which is the largest Eurovision in its history. Australia joins the Big 5 countries: Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and the UK; host country, Austria; and Armenia, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Macedonia, Moldova, the Netherlands, Albania, Belarus, Denmark, Georgia, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Czech Republic, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Iceland, Israel, Latvia, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, and Switzerland.  

Results From Melodifestivalen: Heat 1

Melodifestivalen, Sweden's Eurovision selection show, began on Saturday with the first round. It was held in Gothenburg and hosted by Robin Paulsson, a comedian, and last year's Melodifestivalen winner, Sanna Nielsen.

The line-up:
1. "I'll Be Fine," Molly Pettersson Hammar
2. "Pappa," Daniel Gildenlöw
3. "One by One," Rickard Söderberg & Elize Ryd
4. "Hello Hi," Dolly Style
5. "Det rår vi inte för," Behrang Miri feat. Victor Crone
6. "Can't Hurt Me Now," Jessica Andersson
7. "Sting," Eric Saade

Switzerland Makes Its Selection

Swiss audiences chose their representative today on the show, Die Entscheidungsshow, which was broadcast live from Kreuzlingen. With only six contestants, Switzerland has a relatively small national selection process, compared to many other countries that spend weeks watching and voting, and whittle down several dozen competitors.

The line-up:
1. "Take Me Back to 23," Deborah Bough
2. "Singing About Love," Timebelle
3. "Fly," Licia Chery
4. "Hey Now," Andy McSean
5. "Time To Shine," Mélanie René
6. "Only Human," Tiziana