Efter 5 indledende runder – 4 delfinaler og opsamlingsheatet Andra Chansen – så er det i aften, Sverige endelig finder sin vinder og repræsentant til Lissabon. 12 sange er klar til finalen, heraf 8 direkte kvalificerede og 4 fra Andra Chansen.
I denne artikel har vi kigget på, hvad antal afspilninger på hhv. Spotify og Youtube siger om artisternes chancer, kombineret med bookmakernes odds, som det ser ud i skrivende stund.
Andra Chancen dominerer Spotify
Den største favorit hos brugerne på Spotify er svensk/chilenske Mendez, som med mere end 3 millioner afspilninger ligner en klar vinder i aftenens show – alene bedømt udfra populariteten på Spotify. På 2. pladsen ligger FELIX, mens duoen Samir & Viktor indtager 3. pladsen. I bunden ser det værst ud for Andersson og Almgren.
Med til analysen hører, at de 4 AC-finalister har ligget på Spotify siden deres respektive deltagelser i delfinalerne. Mendez fra 17. februar, Felix fra 24. februar og Margaret (som ligger på 4. pladsen) siden den 10. februar. Finalisternes bidrag er først kommet på Spotify efter 4. delfinale den 24. februar. Derfor siger Samir & Viktor’s 2. plads og mere end 2,6 millioner afpilninger noget om, hvor populært bidraget er. Udover bidragene fra Andra Chansen og Samir & Viktor, så er Ingrosso den første finalist på listen på 6. pladsen.
Om Mendez’ populartet skal det ligeledes med i betragtningerne, at han har en kæmpe fanbase udenfor Sverige, primært i Chile, hvor han er bosat, som ikke kan stemme i finalen.
Margaret dominerer Youtube-listen
På Youtube-listen er det igen en artist fra Andra Chancen, der ligger helt i front, nemlig polske Margaret. Hun har Samir & Viktor på en 2. plads, med Rolandz og Mendez relativt tæt på hinanden på hhv. 3 og 4. pladsen, dog kun med ca. 1/3 af afspilningerne, som Margaret kan præstere.
Det skal igen med i betragtningen, at Margarets bidrag har ligget på Youtube siden 10. februar, mens 2. og 3. pladsen kun har været tilgængelig siden 24. februar. Ligeledes så har Margaret en international fanskare fra sin deltagelse i den polske finale sidste år samt en fanbase i Polen, som ikke kan stemme i finalen.
Samir & Viktor vinder afspilningskapløbet
Ser vi afspilninger på både Spotify og Youtube samtidig med, at vi tager højde for, hvor længe et nummer har været tilgængeligt, så er det nok ikke overraskende, at Samir & Viktor vinder overall. Båret af næsten 100.000 afspilninger på Youtube formår de to energiske drenge lige akkurat at slå FELIX.
Benjamin Ingrosso er storfavoritten hos bookmakerne
Hos bookmakerne er det én af de direkte kvalificerede artister, som dominerer oddsene, nemlig Benjamin Ingrosso, som også er meget populær hos fansene. Mange betragter Benjamin – med sit moderne bidrag og iøjnefaldende sceneshow – som den mest oplagte vinderkandidat i aftenens finale.
Skal man tro bookmakernes odds, så er nærmeste kandidat FELIX, med John Lundvik på 3. pladsen, og endnu engang så ligger duoen Samir & Viktor lunt i svinget som 4’er hos bookmakerne, nærmest side om side med Mariette.
Se detaljerne her >>
1. Méndez med ”Everyday”
Spotify: 3.040.135
Youtube: 666.392
Bookmaker: nr. 9
2. Renaida med ”All the feels”
Spotify: 1.633.399
Youtube: 514.456
Bookmaker: nr. 12
3. Martin Almgren med ”A Bitter Lullaby”
Spotify: 720.601
Youtube: 79.407
Bookmaker: nr. 11
4. John Lundvik med ”My Turn”
Spotify: 1.084.076
Youtube: 150.932
Bookmaker: nr. 3
5. Jessica Andersson med ”Party Voice”
Spotify: 929.523
Youtube: 172.165
Bookmaker: nr. 7
6. LIAMOO med ”Last Breath”
Spotify: 1.497.785
Youtube: 147.571
Bookmaker: nr. 6
7. Samir & Viktor med ”Shuffla”
Spotify: 2.630.633
Youtube: 1.362.800
Bookmaker: nr. 4
8. Mariette med ”For You”
Spotify: 1.195.255
Youtube: 245.586
Bookmaker: nr. 5
9. Felix Sandman med ”Every single Day”
Spotify: 2.826.887
Youtube: 347.513
Bookmaker: nr. 2
10. Margaret med ”In my cabana”
Spotify: 2.398.886
Youtube: 1.995.333 visninger
Bookmaker: nr. 10
11. Benjamin Ingrosso med ”Dance You Off”
Spotify: 1.939.625
Youtube: 471.934
Bookmaker: nr. 1
12. Rolandz med ”Fuldans”
Spotify: 1.290.404
Youtube: 744.075
Bookmaker: nr. 8
Bookmaker Odds
Højeste
odds
Laveste
odds
#
Benjamin Ingrosso
1.66
1.40
1
Felix Sandman
7.50
6.00
2
John Lundvik
8.00
7.00
3
Samir & Viktor
11.00
8.00
4
Mariette Hansson
11.00
8.50
5
Liamoo
15.00
11.00
6
Jessica Andersson
26.00
18.00
7
Rolandz
26.00
20.00
8
Mendez
31.00
15.00
9
Margaret
31.00
26.00
10
Martin Almgren
51.00
35.00
11
Renaida Braun
76.00
40.00
12
Kilde: Nicerodds.com (baseret på odds fra Bethard, Betsson, Betway og Unibet)
For sidste gang i år, så har den svenske fanklub, Melodifestivalklubben OGAE Sweden, lavet deres populære “publikundersökning”. Det skete efter generalprøven fredag aften i Friends Arena.
Hele 778 personer afslørede deres favorit fra aftenens show og 1. pladsen er ikke den store overraskelse. Bookmakernes storfavorit, Benjamin Ingrosso, vinder en klar sejr med tæt på hver 4. af alle afgivne stemmer, mens Samir & Viktor slutter på 2. pladsen foran LIAMOO på 3. pladsen – LIAMOO, som jo synger en “dansk sang” skrevet af Peter Bjørnskov, Lene Dissing og Morten Thorhauge fra Carpark North.
En lidt overraskende 4. plads går til Mendez, der jo kom til finalen via en sejr i Andra Chansen. Skal man tro publikum i Friends Arena, ja så kommer han til at slå 5 af finalisterne, som kvalificerede sig direkte fra deres respektive delfinaler, inklusive Jessica Andersson og Martin Almgren, som jo snuppede de 2 finalepladser i netop Malmø, hvor Mendez deltog.
Værst ser det ud for netop Jessica og Martin, som slutter på hhv. 11. og 12. pladsen i undersøgelsen.
Den tidligere Britain’s Got Talent finalist og Voice of Ireland-deltager Ryan O’Shaughnessy repræsenterer i år Irlands ved Eurovision Song Contest. Han skal synge balladen ‘Together’, som er skrevet af Mark Halpin, Mark Caplice, Laura Elizabeth Hughes og O’Shaughnessy selv. I dag blev sangen spillet på irsk radio for første gang.
“As one of three songwriters on Together, I’m delighted it has been chosen to represent Ireland in Eurovision 2018, and on top of that, to be asked to perform for my country is an absolute honour,” siger Ryan.
Sangen er blevet til i samarbejde med The Nucleus, et nyt irsk sangskriverteam grundlagt af Hamlet Sweeney og ifølge Ryan så kan vi se frem til en sang og optræden, hvis lige vi ikke har set siden The Rock n’ Roll-kids-dagene.
“I plan on doing Ireland proud by bringing a song and performance to Eurovision that we haven’t seen since the days of Rock and Roll Kids.”
“Last year’s winning song from Salvador Sobral was a beautiful, melodic piece, and I think it may have carved the way for the Eurovision to revert back to being a song contest where true songs can flourish. I can’t wait to get onto that stage and perform an honest piece for millions of people”
I dag havde sangen premiere i radioen og du kan lytte til den herunder:
Cesár Sampson er debutant som solist i Eurovision, men alligevel bliver 2018 hans 3. år i Eurovision. I 2016 var Cesár korsanger for Poli Genova og sidste år var han en del af teamet omkring Kristian Kostov’s ‘Beautiful Mess’.
Cesár er 34 år gammel og født i Linz, Østrig. Han er en erfaren sanger, sangskriver og performer og har været en del af musikbranchen i 17 år, siden han startede med at turnere som forsanger for nogle af Østrigs alternative kunstnere Kruder & Dorfmeister, Sofa Surfers og Louie Austen.
Cesár er en del af “Symphonix International”, en gruppe sangere og producere som efterhånden har været involveret i en del sange i Eurovision Song Contest. I 2018 stod de både bag det bulgarske, makedonske og serbiske bidrag.
Årets østrigske bidrag “Nobody But You” er også et proodukt af Symphonix International, og er skrevet af Boris Milanov og Sebastian Arman.
Efter generalprøven fredag snakkede vi med de underholdende fyre fra gruppens Rolandz, som gerne ville tage interviewet på dansk og endda gav os en bid af “Fuldans” på dansk.
The rehearsals for the #Melfest Final have kicked off in Friends Arena. Today all 12 acts are going on stage preparing for the big show this saturday. At today’s press conference we had a talk with Liamoo.
Liam Cacatian Thomassen, also known as Liamoo, is a Swedish singer. In 2016, he won the twelfth season of Swedish Idol series and released his winner’s single “Playing with Fire”. Liamoo qualified directly for the Final with his song “Last Breath”, written by the 3 Danish songwriters Peter Bjørnskov, Lene Dissing and Morten Thorhauge.
The rehearsals for the #Melfest Final have kicked off in Friends Arena. Today all 12 acts are going on stage preparing for the big show this saturday. At today’s press conference we met Martin Almgren and had a little Swedish/Danish pronunciation competition: “6 laxar i en laxask” vs. “Rød grød med fløde”.
Martin Almgren is a Swedish singer and winner of Swedish Idol 2015. He released his debut single ‘Can’t Hold Me Down’ after winning the Idol finale.
In Melodifestivalen he qualified directly for the Final in Melodifestivalen 2018 with the song “A Bitter Lullaby” written by Josefin Glenmark og Märta Grauers.
The rehearsals for the #Melfest Final have kicked off. Today all 12 acts are going on stage preparing for the big show this saturday. We met the big bookmaker favorite, Benjamin Ingrosso, singing song number 11 ‘Dance You Off’
Benjamin is son of Melfest-legend Pernilla Wahlgen. He won Lilla Melodifestivalen in 2006 with the song “Hej Sofia” and therefore got to represent Sweden in MGP Nordic 2006 in Stockholm, where he placed fourth. He returned to Melodifestivalen last year with ‘Good Lovin’ which he co-wrote along with Louis Schoorl and Matt Pardon. He placed fifth in the Final.
This year he qualified directly for the Final from semi-final 1 with ‘Dance You Off’, which he co-wrote with MAG, Louis Schoorl and K Nitan.
The rehearsals for the #Melfest Final have kicked off in Friends Arena. Today all 12 acts are going on stage preparing for the big show this saturday. At today’s press conference we had a talk with John Lundvik.
John Lundvik is a Swedish singer, songwriter, and former sprinter. Lundvik began his career as an athlete, and was a member of IFK Växjö. He later began pursuing a music career. I 2010 he composed the song “When You Tell the World You’re Mine” for the wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Daniel Westling.
Lundvik went on to compose music for musicians such as Anton Ewald, Isac Elliot, and Sanna Nielsen, in addition to composing music for the film Easy Money.
He qualified directly to the Final in Melodifestivalen 2018 with the song “My Turn”, which he co-wrote with Anna-Klara Folin and Jonas Thander.
Salen er tidligere blevet brugt til overrækkelse af Nobelprisen og til Eurovision Allocation Draw, og igår aftes dannede Stadshuset, Stockholms smukke rådhus, så rammerne for en eksklusiv velkomstfest med rød løber og middag i smukke omgivelser.
Fra klokken 20.00 kom finalisterne i årets Melodifestivalen ind på den røde løber og kunne herefter sætte sig til bords i den smukke sal i Stadshuset. Udover at nyde en eksklusiv middag med deres familie, så kunne deltagerne desuden lytte til taler fra Stockholms borgmester og fra Melfest-generalen Christer Björkman. Under spisningen var der underholdning fra den svenske jazz- og popsanger Linnea Henriksson, som blev nr. 4 i Idol i 2010.
Galleri
Good Evening Europe’s journalist Morten Kaiser in the Spotlight 😉
Kroatiens internt valgte artist Franka har i dag offentliggjort sit bidrag ‘Crazy’, som er skrevet af Branimir Mihaljević og Franka selv.
Om Franka
Franka Batelić blev født i Rijeka i Kroatien i 1992. Den talentfulde sanger og sangskriver vandt den første udgave af talentshowet ‘Showtime’ og har desuden tidligere deltaget i den kroatiske udvælgelse Dora.
Franka har modtaget adskillige priser i løbet af karrieren og udgivet talrige hitsingler i Kroatien.
Det belgiske bidrag, sunget af SENNEK, er lækket før tid. Hør det nederst i artiklen >
SENNEK har det borgerlige navn Laura Groeseneken. Udover at synge, så spiller Laura også melodica og klaver. Sammen med Alex Callier skrev hun i 2014 sangen Gravity til den belgiske gruppe Hooverphonic, som efterfølgende fik et internationalt hit med sangen, da Cacharel benyttede den i en parfume-reklame.
Den 27-årige singer-songwriter har siden 2014 optrådt sammen med den belgiske sanger Ozark Henry på en række af Belgiens største festivaler, bl.a. Rock Werchter.
Til dagligt arbejder Laura som visual merchandiser i IKEA, mens hun skriver sange under navnet Sennek og arbejder på sin egen solo karriere. Derudover er Laura vocal coach.
Tilbage i november blev Aisel afsløret som Azerbaijan’s artist til Lissabon og i denne weekend blev også sangens titel afsløret. “X my Heart” er skrevet af et sandt “Dream Team” i form af Sandra Bjurman (Running Scared, Azerbaijan, 2011) og Dimitris Kontopoulous (You Are The Only One, Rusland 2016). Sangen er optaget i London og arrangeret af Tim Bran, som bl.a. stod bag “City Lights” (Belgien, 2017), mens Fokas Evangelinos (This Is Love, Grækenland 2017) vil stå for scenedesignet.
Hør sangen herunder – Hvad synes du om “X my Heart”?
Sidste stop på Melfest-touren før finalen i Friends Arena, var opsamlingsheatet Andra Chansen, som blev sendt fra Kristianstad.
De 8 sange i AC var parret sammen i 4 vind-eller-forsvind dueller og der var ikke de store overraskelser i forhold til at hvad bookmakerne havde forudsagt.
Margaret vs. Moncho
Renaida vs. Olivia
FELIX vs. Mimi
Sigrid vs. Mendez
Det blev Margaret, Renaida, FELIX SANDMAN og Mendez, som avancerede til finalen på lørdag.
Hermed har vi også det fulde finalefelt, som SVT allerede har sorteret og placeret i den endelige startrækkefølge:
Efter et flot UMK 2018 og 3 optrædener med masser af show, så er det nu officielt: Saara Aalto repræsenterer Finland i Lissabon med ‘Monsters’.
Det er 6. gang, at Saara Aalto er med i UMK*. Hun har tidligere deltaget 2 gange som solist (2011, 2016), 1 gang som del af en gruppe (2004) og 2 gange som backingsinger (2008, 2009). Dertil kommer 2010, hvor Saara ikke kvalificerede sig fra online afstemningen med sangen ‘Meant to be’.
Hidtil er det kun blevet til to 2. pladser som bedste resultater, ligesom Saara også sluttede på 2. pladsen i X Factor UK i 2016. I år var 1. pladsen imidlertid sikret på forhånd.
På grund af Saara’s store internationale og nationale succes, anså YLE hende som den perfekte artist til at repræsentere Finland i Eurovision 2018 og offentliggjorde hende således tilbage i november som Finlands internt valgte artist. Det er første gang i historien, at Finland vælger sin artist internt.
En kombination af jury- og seerafstemning valgte ‘Monsters’ foran de 2 øvrige bud ‘Domino’ og ‘Queens’. Se resultatet nederst i artiklen.
‘Monsters’ has everything people have come to expect from a Eurovision song. It is easy to dance to, it has beautiful vocals and it has a good twist, sagde Saara Alto.
‘Monsters’ er resultatet af et internationalt samarbejde, hvor Saara har arbejdet sammen med Joy and Linnea Deb fra den svenske sangskrivergruppe The Family og med den engelske producer og sangskriver Ki Fitzgerald.
*den finske udvælgelse kom først til at hedde UMK i 2012
Foto: Screenshot (Wiwibloggs)
Den internationale jury
Estland — Leena Kuurma (Sanger, en del af Vanilla Ninja i ESC 2005)
Frankrig — Edoardo Grassi (HoD)
Island — Hera Björk (Sanger, ESC 2010)
Italien — Kabir Naidoo (pressechef)
Norge — Stig Karlsen (HoD)
Portugal — Suzy (Sanger, ESC 2014)
Schweiz — Reto Peritz (HoD)
UK — William Lee Adams (grundlægger og journalist på wiwibloggs)
Der er endnu engang lagt op til en lang og underholdende aften med hele 7 shows på programmet. Super Saturday byder på Andra Chansen i Sverige og 2. semifinale i Litauen samt hele 5 nationale finaler i hhv. Finland, Island, Estland, San Marino og Polen.
Tidsplan
Kl. 18.00 – Finland / UMK 2018
Kl. 18.30 – Estland / Eesti Laul finale
Kl. 20.00 – Litauen / Eurovizija Semifinale 2
Kl. 20.00 – Sverige / Melodifestivalen Andra Chansen
Kl. 20.45 – Island / Söngvakeppnin
Kl. 21.00 – San Marino / 1in360 finale
Kl. 21.25 – Polen / Krajowe Eliminacje
I aften kl. 18 skal Finland finde den sang, som skal repræsentere landet i Lissabon. Finaleshowet finder sted i Espoo Metro Areena og værtsrollerne ligger i hænderne på Krista Siegfrids og Mikko Silvennoinen. Der vil være gæsteoptræden ved Mel C.
Saara Aalto er internt valgt og skal synge 3 sange, hvorefter seerne i samarbejde med en international jury vil finde vinderen. De sange blev offentliggjort med en uges mellemrum i februar.
Monsters (Saara Aalto, Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Ki Fitzgerald)
Domino (Thomas G:son, Bobby Ljunggren, Johnny Sanchez, Will Taylor, Saara Aalto)
Queens (Farley Arvidsson, Charlie Walshe, Tom Aspaul, Saara Aalto)
Estland skal prøve at rette op på den lettere skuffende udgang på sidste år, hvor powerduetten Koit Toome og Laura Põldvere noget overraskende ikke kvalificerede sig til finalen. Dette års Esti Laul be
I aften løber Litauen’s anden semifinale af stablen. Som i sidste uge vil der være tre bidrag, der går videre til finalen på næste lørdag.
Kunstnerne i aften er:
Marija – This love
Twosome – Hello
Ieva Zasimauskaitė – When we’re old
Paula – 1 2 3
Saulės Kliošas – Įkvėpk ir nepaleisk (Man gaila)
Ruta Loop – Positive thoughts
Monika Marija – The truth
SVERIGE – Melodifestivalen: Andra Chansen
Kl. 20.00 – Se med her: Live webcast via SVT play.
OBS: Indtil klokken 20.00 vil du få en besked om at du ikke kan se programmet, der kører PT. Ingen panik, det er normalt! Streamen åbnes globalt når showet går i gang.
Så er det i aften, at Sverige finder de sidste fire deltagere i deres legendariske Melodifestivalen. Som det nok er de fleste bekendt er det Andra Chansen der afholdes i aften, hvor de 2 deltagere, der akkurat ikke fik nok stemmer i deres respektive semifinaler, får endnu en chance. Andra Chansen er bygget op som en serie af dueller hvor artisterne dyster en mod en, og vinderen sikrer sig en billet til finalen på næste lørdag.
Du kan læse mere om duellerne i vores optakt, hvor du stadig kan nå at stemme i vores afstemninger.
Lige som Estland skal Island prøve at rette op på et noget skuffende Eurovision 2017 med Svala Björgvinsdóttir, som sang Paper og missede finalen. I år består Söngvakeppnin af seks bidrag.
San Marino kom med i Eurovision Song Contest for 10 år siden. Efter en række år med intern udvælgelse, så er Valentina Monetta-æraen slut og det lille land prøver i år en national finale. Efter 2 semifinaler er 11 finalister, både nationale og internationale, klar til aftenens 1in360 finale arrangeret af SMRTV. Se de deltagende artister og sange herunder:
Jenifer Brening (Tyskland) – Until the morning light
Giovanni Montalbano (Italien) – Per quello che mi dai
Franklin (Malta) – Stay
Camilla (Norge) – Yo no soy tu chica
Sebastian Schmidt (Tyskland) – Stay
Tinashe (Zimbabwe) – Free yourself
Judah (Israel) – Stay
Jessika feat. Jenifer Brening (Malta) – Who we are
Before tonight’s #UMK18 show, the press was invited to attend the dress rehearsal and the premiere of tonight’s show.
The opening number is performed by the host of the evening, Krista Siegfrids singing a Finnish version of Suzy‘s “Quero ser tua” (ESC Portugal 2014) together with lots of dancers dressed in orange and holding blue balloons. It has almost become a tradition for Krista to perform a cool opening number in UMK. Not surprisingly she is also making several costume changes throughout the show.
Saara’s songs will be presented in the same order as their official release (Monsters, Domino, Queens).
1. Monsters
“Monsters” is soooo good, I was so impressed!
The song starts with Saara standing inside of a black cage with black clothes. Quite soon though everything turns into a colourful celebration. The dancers and singers are wearing black, even with black wings. There is a part where the lights turn off and reveal the neon stripes in clothing and stage elements. Seeing the show, the song seems even stronger.
2. Domino
“Domino” is almost better than “Monsters”. Sooooo brilliant… gosh!
This might be the surprise of the evening. The show is very emotional and Saara was really using her voice, especially during some long notes at the end of the song. The domino blocks look fantastic on stage and create a nice contrast to Saara’s sophisticated costume. In the middle of the show, Saara is attached into one domino block, which then started rotating – so she spent part of the time upside down.
3. Queens
Wow, so much happening in one show!
There is definitely a lot of effort put into this show. The stage element is a “locomotive” which is turned around to reveal glamorous stairs. The dancers appear in shiny costumes and Saara looked like a queen when she climbed up the stairs.
After seeing the shows, it’s still quite hard to predict the winning song. “Domino” turned out to be stronger than expected, but “Monsters” would be the safe bet – both the song and show support each other. “Queens” has an eye-catching, almost ladygaga-like show, but is it a bit too much for the average viewer? In any case, we can be sure to get a great entry and show for Finland this year.
The jury of UMK18
The international jury consists of France, Estonia, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Portugal, UK and Iceland. William Lee Adams from Wiwibloggs represents UK and Eurovision artist Hera Björk represents Iceland as jury members in the international jury.
The international guest of the show is Melanie C. She performed her hit “I turn to you” as an interval act. The show featured some male dancers moving in two big triangle structures.
Mikko Leppilampi (host of Eurovision Song Contest 2007) is interviewed during the show.
The surprise act is Cat Cat (ESC Finland 1994) with Krista. They perform the song “Bye bye baby” together.
In the press conference, Krista interviewed both Saara and Melanie C. Watch the press conference:
We are live at the dress rehearsals at this year’s UMK in Espoo Metro Arena. Due to restrictions from YLE, the press is not allowed to share pictures or video from this rehearsal, except still pictures from one performance, “Queens”.
See our galleries below:
Foto: Riikka Jääskä
Foto: Riikka Jääskä
#exclusive✨ pictures from @saaraaalto’s ‘Queens’ performance in #UMK18 #umk #euroviisut #finland #escpress #eurovision2018 #AllAboard #saaraaalto Part 1
Et opslag delt af Good Evening Europe (@good.evening.europe) den
#exclusive✨ pictures from @saaraaalto’s ‘Queens’ performance in #UMK18 #umk #euroviisut #finland #escpress #eurovision2018 #AllAboard #saaraaalto Part 2
Et opslag delt af Good Evening Europe (@good.evening.europe) den
The seventh edition of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK18) will take place on 3rd of March at Espoo Metro Arena. All three entries will be performed by Saara Aalto who was internally selected by the Finnish broadcaster Yle. Watch all 3 official music videos below and STAY TUNED for our live coverage of UMK 2018.
The UMK show will be hosted by Krista Siegfrids and Mikko Silvennoinen, and among others Saara’s childhood idol Melanie C from the Spice Girls will perform during the show.
Each of Saara’s three shows has been choreographed by Brian Friedman, who has worked as a choreographer for Britney Spears, Beyoncé and Mariah Carey and for X Factor both in Britain and in the US. The stage shows for UMK18 will be the same as they would be on the Eurovision stage in Lisbon.
The producer of UMK18, Anssi Autio says that there has never really been shows like this in Finnish television. With a team of talented people from Sweden, Britain, USA and Norway, the shows are really exceptional.
Friedman is accompanied by the choreographer Lukas Farlane and Reija Wäre. The two professionals are in charge of the practical side of every second in the shows, taking care of the details.
Song 1 – Monsters
A strong, perfectly crafted pop song with Swedish influences
“Monsters” is a strong, perfectly crafted pop song with a catchy chorus, melodic hooks, modern arrangement and Saara’s voice which can reach both high and low parts of the song. It’s a streamlined dancepop tune with a flamboyant chorus.
Saara has written “Monsters” together with Joy and Linnea Deb from the Swedish songwriting team The Family, and the British producer-songwriter Ki Fitzgerald. The Family is known for Eurovision success: they have written the winning song “Heroes” for Måns Zelmerlöv in 2015. Fitzgerald has collaborated with artists like Jonas Brothers and Pitbull. It only took about four hours for the team to write the song in December. They all agreed that the song should be one of the Eurovision candidates.
The Swedish influences in the music can certainly be heard. The song sounds very international, and in the ears of a Eurovision fan, it sounds like something you could expect from artists like Lady Gaga, Loreen or some of the very best Melodifestivalen entries.
The lyrics continue the theme of Saara’s previous UMK tune “No fear” (2016) about winning your fears and getting rid of monsters inside of your head. “I ain’t scared no more”, she shouts. According to Saara, the song is about traumas and fears and competing them, and feeling accepted as a person. And we can’t escape the thought that Finland has already once won with ‘monsters’ – the country took the victory with the monster band Lordi in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006.
In the music video, we can see Saara as a stylish warrior woman – and in the indoor scenes she looks really sultry surrounded by a group of drag queens. The video definitely shouts “Eurovision!” all over it.
Stage show: “Monsters” – movement on the stage
Saara herself described the stage show of “Monsters” the most challenging to be held together. The show is like a journey where Saara transforms from a closed and isolated figure into a character which praises the diversity of life. There will be a lot of movement on the stage as well as co-operation between the dancers and backing singers.
The biggest challenge for the “Monsters” show will be its mobility – how to make the pieces of the puzzle to work together. There will be many different stage elements and costumes. “When we get the show ready, it’s going to look epic”, says McFarlane.
Song 2 – Domino
Super songwriters – and big emotions – behind “Domino”
“Domino” is written by Saara together with Thomas G:son, the Eurovision veteran and the man behind Loreen‘s Eurovision winning song “Euphoria”. G:son has created a huge number of songs to the contest and different countries’ national finals. “I was so excited to go to the studio with G:son. I thought he is a really huge person, but he turned out to be a really relaxed guy wearing sweat pants”, Saara laughs. She spent two days modifying the song with him. It has always been important to Saara that she can fully stand behind the message of her songs.
“Domino” also has contributions from Bobby Ljunggren (songwriter of e.g. Carola’s “Invincible”, Charlotte Perrelli’s “Hero”), Johnny Sanchez and Will Taylor. The music video for the song is sophisticated and very glittery!
Stage show: “Domino” – Saara in the air?
As there won’t be any backing screens on the Eurovision stage in Lisbon, they won’t be seen in the UMK18 shows either. Instead, a lot of effort is put into physical stage elements. The “Domino” show will feature a unique, four meters tall structure consisting of domino blocks.
McFarlane is sure that “Domino” will surprise the viewers. Ballads are usually not expected to have such high production values. “Saara might float in the air – or then not”, he says mysteriously.
Song 3 – Queens
A sequel to Saara’s “No fear” – a song of love, light and positivity
“Queens” is a song which was written in January 2017 while Saara stayed in London. She went to the studio with three men she did not know at all – they were Tom Aspaul, Farley Arvidsson and Charlie Walshe. Aspaul has written songs to Kylie Minogue and Matt Terry. The song has been arranged and produced by Arto Ruotsala, who is also familiar to the UMK audience as a producer of Alva‘s “Arrows” in 2017.
“I suddenly remembered the melody, I had written two years ago for my UMK16 song “No fear”. The outline was kind of Egyptian and I thought that the melody is strange”, Saara remembers. It turned out the songwriting team liked her strange melody and was ready to make it into a cool song.
Before the release of the song, Saara has listed women who are her queens and who have made a huge impression on her and inspired her to write the song, such as Oprah Winfrey, Dana International (winner of ESC 1998), Tove Jansson (Finnish artist and author, creator of the Moomins), Princess Diana, Melanie C and Saara’s girlfriend Meri.
Saara sees that the song describes people, who want to get rid of old, non-functioning structures, create new rules and build a world where love, light and positivity are in the center of everything. It seems that the new world has been realized in Saara’s life as well. And what else could better suit to Eurovision than thoughts like this!
In the music video, Saara sports as a kind of modern and sexier version of Marie Antoinette. The different styles and costumes suit well to the very theatrical song.
Stage show: “Queens” – the most difficult show ever
It will be worth waiting for the stage show of “Queens” – it’s something unique that we have never seen on stage in Finland before. Saara thinks the show is more massive that her shows for the British X Factor. There are huge stage structures and a lot happening. The dancers and backing singers will need to work with extreme precision and watch out for the special effects. The choreographers are sure it’s a show that will be remembered for a very long time.
Which of the three songs will win the battle?
Throughout the three weeks, “Monsters” has clearly dominated the charts and polls. The song got a lot of visibility because of it being the first to be released. It’s a strong dancepop tune, so we would not be surprised to see it winning. We also do not believe in conspiracy theories depicted in the media, but think it has been thought as a fair game between the three songs by Yle and Saara’s record company.
“Queens” seems slightly more popular than “Domino”, but haven’t manage to catch up with Domino on either Spotify streams or Youtube views.
According to the bookmaker odds “Monsters” also has a very big lead. Now it will be up to the live performances – and those are definitely one of Saara’s biggest strengths. Finland is currently one of the top countries in betting odds, so the question is, could the country ever lose with monsters?
Saara’s new album coming out before Eurovision
Saara has also made an announcement about her further plans for this year. Her new album (yet untitled) will be released before the ESC in May. The three UMK candidate song will all be featured on the album. Saara promises the album will be a strong and versatile pop record.In the autumn, Saara starts a concert tour in Finland, covering 16 cities. The tour will start on 17th October and ends on 10th November. Saara is naturally very excited to be able to perform her new songs with dashing shows.
More Eurovision fun in Helsinki – UMK afterparties
After the UMK show, Helsinki’s biggest gay night club Hercules will have a guest from Iceland as Hera Björk will take the stage. She represented her country in 2010 with “Je ne sais quoi”.
The night club DTM will hold the official UMK afterparty on Saturday right after the tv broadcast.
Youtube views
Spotify
Monsters 1.186.165
Monsters 884.844
Domino 614.013
Domino 289.737
Queens 508.425
Queens 104.409
More videos: Follow Saara Aalto on her road to UMK18 and Eurovision – watch more videos behind the scenes on Yle Areena.
8 sange er klar til finalen i Melodifestivalen 2018. I morgen finder Sverige de sidste 4 bidrag. Det sker i opsamlingsheatet Andra Chansen, som har deltagelse af 8 sange.
Programmet består af 4 runder, hvor sangene kæmper mod hinanden i vind-eller-forsvind-dueller, sammensat af SVT. De 4 vindere deltager i årets MF-finale, som finder sted lørdag den 10. marts 2018 i Friends Arena i Stockholm.
Læs også: Melodifestivalens delfinale 4: Mariette og Rolandz direkte til finalen
De 4 dueller i Andra Chancen:
Margaret vs. Moncho
Renaida vs. Olivia
FELIX vs. Mimi
Sigrid vs. Mendez
Hvad siger bookmakerne?
Kigger man lidt på, hvad bookmakernes odds siger, så har vi 3 relativt klare favoritter og så en duel, som ser ud til at kunne gå til begge sider. Margaret er umiddelbart den største favorit i hendes duel mod Moncho, mens også både Renaida og FELIX SANDMAN ser ud til at være ret sikre mod hhv. Olivia Eliasson og Mimi Werner. Derimod så er Mendez den favorit i morgendagens felt med mindst margin til sin modstander, Sigrid Bernson.
Men hvem håber du går videre? Stem i vores polls herunder.
Traditionen tro giver brødrene Norberg dig masser af motion til lattermusklerne i deres “snabbgenomgång” af årets bidrag. De er nu klar med deres kærlige behandling af de sange, som i morgen dyster i Andra Chansen.
Husk at følge med på SVT i morgen aften kl. 20.00.
Opdateret 02.03.2018 – Waylon har valgt at synge “Outlaw in em” i Lissabon.
Sidste fredag præsenterede Waylon sin første potentielle Eurovision-sang og efter en uge i den hollandske, tidligere Common Linnets-sangers tegn, så kom igår den sidste af i alt 5 sange, alle præsenteret i programmet De wereld draait door. I aften mellem kl. 19 og 20.00 afslører Waylon, hvilket bidrag han har valgt og som altså kommer til at repræsentere Holland I Eurovision Song Contest 2018. Det sker på NPO 1.
Seerne har ugen igennem kunnet kommentere, gætte eller blot nyde sangene, da Waylon allerede havde valgt sit bidrag til Eurovision Song Contest 2018 forud for præsentationen af sangene.
Alle 5 sange bliver en del af hans nye albim The world can wait.
Hvilken sang mener du, ville være det bedste Eurovision-bidrag? Deltag i debatten på Facebook.
