The Showcase Blog

Friday 20th November 2020

Today is the day I thought to myself “I badly need to do a website! It’s been over 6 years since I started the Eurovision Showcase. I must create one. But, where do I start?”
I was thinking about this for a few months now, so obviously I would inundated for adds about ‘Squarespace’ and ‘WIX’ because that’s what Facebook does, doesn’t it?

So, I sent a FB message to Kylie Wilson on Wednesday night. Kylie has been a good friend to me in the Eurovision Fan Community since 2014 and listening to her podcast ‘ESC Pulse’ it was a must that I had to listen to her advice. She has built a very popular fan podcast and website, which I have been lucky enough to be a guest host on many occasions. Her advice was invaluable to me as she pointed me to the direction of WordPress.com.

I must admit it’s no frills, no fuss and clear instructions and payment plan was just exactly what I was looking for. Thank you Kylie! x

I think it’s nothing “special” among the greats here on the Internet but, my greatest WWF/WWE professional wrestler Mick Foley said after he won the World Championship “Big Daddio – I DID IT!!!”

Monday 7th December 2020

A few weeks has passed since the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Warsaw and still for the life of me cannot get the French winning song out of my head. Poor Rob has been witnessing me dancing around the house singing “La La La La La La La J’imagine”. Which I can imagine, gives you the absolute creeps. But, Valentina’s win for France this year has given France it’s first ever win at a Eurovision Song Contest since 1977! It’s a darn catchy tune which is the most important part of having a competitive edge at a singing competition. So, congratulations to France and Valentina!

I’ve officially now launched this website now and I am completely overwhelmed with all the kind and sweet words you have been sending my via Twitter & Facebook. It’s very much appreciated from the bottom of my heart. I have put a lot of time into this show since October 2014, and now being able to showcase the very best of the Eurovision Song Contest to you is what makes me so very happy. Each and every week without fail. x

Tuesday 16th February 2021

The Eurovision Song Contest season is right into full swing and this is where things really start heating up! It’s “almost” our first big “Super Saturday” with Norway selecting it’s entrant (I’m particularly praying for Raylee to win), we also have the 3rd Semi Final of Sweden’s Melodifestivalen and also we have the 1st Semi Final of Festival da Canção 2021. I absolutely love this time of year. Yes, maybe the weather is awful and it’s raining almost every day but a lovely warm cosy house sitting on the sofa watching television from across Europe. I adore different types of music and especially in different languages. It’s absolutely fascinating! Still no sign of information from the United Kingdom or Irish delegation which is making things a bit nervous. I just hope that both the UK and Ireland send a up-tempo song this year, as Europe WILL be looking for an escape away from all the negative sad news and stories we’ve been hearing for the last 14 months (by May anyway).

Anyhoo – enjoy the season. Let it wash over you! 🙂

Sunday 25th April 2021

We are now less than a month away from the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest. It’s been two years in the making, and we are finally about to get a pan – European / Australian music contest in front of a few thousand people. It’s going to be really interesting that we are going to have a Eurovision in an arena again, but without the 15,000 scream Eurovision fans chanting for their entry to win. I cannot wait for the Eurovision theme tune to start on Tuesday 18th May 2021 at 8pm and then we can get to the excitement of the semi finals.

It’s been pretty difficult in the last few weeks as I haven’t been able to host the show fully, due to the fact I’m standing in a local election in my town in Hampshire, UK. I could ‘t be more proud and thankful for my husband Rob who is sitting in for me and presenting the show until I can return on Sunday 9th May. I have also bought some extra exciting software to use in my make-shift studio in a spare bedroom. I’ve bought some new microphones, new headphones and a production console too. It’s cost me a pretty penny, but I have to thank to my loving late-grandad David Tuttiett. He left some money for me and all of my cousins and this is going to be a great investment to my production quality of the show.

The official CD of the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest is now and mine came through the letterbox yesterday. I’ve already gone onto my iTunes and uploaded it onto my phone! I know I’m crazy but I couldn’t wait any longer!!!!

Eurovision 2021 isn’t long now. Keep up to date with all the latest news on eurovoix.com 🙂 Stay Safe x

Monday 24th May 2021

Congratulations Italy!!!!!
Italy won the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Zitti e buoni (Quiet & Behave)” by the group Måneskin. They won San Remo’s Song Contest back in March, but convincingly won the public televote and came 4th with the juries at this year’s contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands with 524 points. Beating France into 2nd place, Switzerland 3rd, Iceland 4th and Ukraine 5th. There had been a lot of hoo-ha about the lead singer in the green room acting suspiciously, but the EBU released a statement this afternoon with a statement saying the accusations on social media were completely unfounded and it was ‘fake news’. It’s quite scary to think that some internet social media trolls are trying to ruin their win.
Sadly, in the United Kingdom there is a war of words going on across social media and on the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 and 5 about what the United Kingdom needs to do next regarding the Eurovision Song Contest. Personally, I went onto BBC Radio Solent on Sunday and Monday morning to quickly defend the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest, and the fact that we should continue participating. Yes, we got ‘nil points’ but we had a song which was not memorable or competitive. No disrespect to James Newman at all, but he was also let down by the creative designer or the performance. The BBC and BMG need to take a look once again at the UK entry, and we need to eventually send a song which stands out in a competitive competition. We can do it, and Europe will respect our efforts once again if we put the effort in. We have kept on sending songs to the contest for which we think Europe likes. Sod that… We need to send songs that people will vote for! They vote for songs and performances which stand out, memorable and have an identity.
I wish James Newman all the very best and I hope the ‘nil points’ doesn’t get him down and that he enjoyed the experience, representing his country which not many singers have the opportunity to do too.

Tuesday 28th December 2021

Apologies for the late posting and late update on the blog. It’s been a very difficult year for me mentally. As some of you know, I’ve been having mental health issues for about 5 years now, and even though I am very lucky to have such love and support from my nearest and dearest, sadly it has been still very difficult to deal with. Eurovision has been my sanctuary and hosting this radio show on a weekly basis has been a real joy and highlight of my week. Thank you for everyone who has got in contact over the past year. Remember to please stay in contact and send your requests in as many times as you like! This is not only my show – it is yours too!

Congratulations to Armenia for winning the 2021 Junior Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Qami Qami” by Maléna. One of the most modern sounding Junior Eurovision entries. You can check out the performance here: Click Here

I hope you’ve had a fantastic Christmas and a big Happy New Year to you all. See you in 2022! X

Friday 18th March 2022

As of now, we currently have 38 entries announced for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy. Armenia and Azerbaijan are due to release their song in the next few days. Though, these would already summitted to the European Broadcasting Union and the Eurovision Reference Group, they don’t have to be released to the public right away. In theory, they could wait until the day of their respective semi finals before releasing their songs. Could you imagine? Hahaha!! Though – It would be suicide not to do at least some PR.
These are the current entries for the 2022 contest:

There has been a lot of upset within the Eurovision Online Press Websites, Podcasts and Radio Stations not being lucky enough to get Press Accreditation for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Turin. It’s believed that the EBU and RAI Television are being very ‘picky’ with who’s allowed to the press room this year. Though, I could also imagine that after the pandemic and restrictions are being removed. Interesting the contest is probably at a all-time hight. Especially, with Russia and Belarus being excluded from participating and European Unity at the hight of importance, the world’s media would want to be on the ground in Turin.
Sadly, this is at the mercy of many websites that won’t be able to be there in the thick of it. Including, our friends at Eurovoix, Songfestival.be , ESCXtra and ESC Pulse (to name just a few) they have been refused Press Accreditation. Though, I’m sure a collaborated effort by the various websites will insure the best coverage from Europe and the World’s Biggest Singing Competition will be available to us all.
One of the successful media outlets was James & Rob at the EuroTrip Podcast. They have really grown incredibly well in the last few years and we at the Eurovision Showcase wish them all the best in Turin and a big congratulations!

Coverage won’t change here at the Eurovision Showcase. This show is hosted by a fan, from the perspective of the fan and for the fans of the Eurovision Song Contest. So, the music and cheeky chat will be here with you all year round.

On another subject – The American Song Contest starts on the 21st March 2022. Only a few days away on NBC!
Find out more about the show here: https://americansongwriter.com/american-song-contest-judges-acts-rules-watch/?msclkid=fb6632e5a6d211ecba0849d4c3b46ade
Over 50 states and overseas American Territories are eligible to take part, and the show will be hosted by non other than Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson!
The first qualifier round will be held on Monday, March 21.

Tuesday 7th June 2022

Wow – What a time to be a Eurovision Fan in the UK? Sam Ryder is flying high in public opinion and this past Saturday, he performed at the Platinum Jubilee Concert for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 2nd outside of Buckingham Palace. It was quite an incredible performance that I don’t think anyone would forget in a hurry.

Sam Ryder came 2nd at the 66th / 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, Italy and as a country and as proud Eurovision Song Contest fans, it’s an honour and a long time coming for our country to take the contest seriously and make an effort. Finding Sam as the main reason for our success, as we had such an enthusiastic singer who passionately knows the power of the Eurovision Song Contest and understands what it can do for singers careers in the long run. They are now part of history and they will continue to build a legacy within the contest for many years to come.

It’s been 24 years since we were last at the 2nd position and 25 years since Katrina & The Waves won in Dublin with “Love Shine a Light”. On the night of the Grand Final, Rob and I were both still in Iceland on our holiday and we were in Reykjavik with friends of ours for a truly Icelandic Eurovision Party with some yummy nibbles, incredible amount of booze and cuddling the two pet dogs on the sofa. It was a lot of fun, but it was more fun that both the UK and Iceland were in the Grand Final. We were sad about Iceland not receiving a better result, but we knew it was probably going to struggle in the running order to stand out. Fun was had by everyone of us, and when we saw the UK receive 12pts from all those countries in the Jury vote, we all went crazy and couldn’t believe what we were witnessing. So, a very positive experience by us all and it’s going to be very interesting what the BBC decide to do for next year’s contest as it’s still very unclear if or can Ukraine host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. A number of countries have already stated that they could host if required by the EBU or Ukrainian Television (UA:PBC). Those countries are…

• United Kingdom
• Switzerland
• Poland
• Spain
• Sweden
• Italy (Turin)

If I had to pick one of the above I would go with either the United Kingdom or in a joint production with Poland. However, this is a pure guess and is pure speculation.

The American Song Contest 2022 took place during April and May and I must admit. I was very disappointed with the standard of music and the lack of live singing. The whole ethos of a Song Contest is that the participants sing live. It’s a competition. Therefore, they need to sing live. I did enjoy the voting, however just having 10 states or territories in the Grand Final was a shame as there wasn’t much drama to be had. Congratulations to Alexa from Oklahoma for winning the first ever contest. You can see her performance “Wonderland” being performed below…

Saturday 28th January 2023

It’s a brand new year and the United Kingdom is hosting the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Due to the unfortunate events taking place in Ukraine, they cannot host this year’s competition. Ukraine won the right to host the 2023 contest after winning in 2022 in Turin, Italy with Kalush Orchestra winning with the song “Stefania”. Sadly, the invasion by Russian forces continues and is close to a whole year anniversary from when the war started. I do hope and pray that this comes to an end real soon. Putin’s popularity in Russia seems to be dropping off a cliff with all sorts of conspiracy theories floating around. However, all that matters is that this war is stopped sooner rather than later.

So, Liverpool won the right to host the contest after the EBU and the BBC came together and had a very interesting and competitive competition between cities that wanted to host the contest. The final two was Liverpool and Glasgow. Liverpool won with Graham Norton announcing the winner on the BBC’s “The One Show”. It was quite a surprise to many as Glasgow seemed like a natural fit to host. The SSE Hydro Arena is a stunning building with a possible large capacity. However, Liverpool’s Arena (Currently called the M&S Bank Arena) would only be able to have a capacity of around 11,000 fans. I personally don’t think that’s enough, and after Sam Ryder’s incredible result and performance last year in Turin, Eurovision has been getting a LOT and I mean A LOT of mainstream press which has been wonderful to see. Especially, how his career has got to new heights. As a passionate Eurovision Song Contest fan, I am so proud of Sam and how his career has just blasted off into the sky like a “Spaceman” now! Haha 😛

As I am writing this, we have only 3 entries for Eurovision confirmed. Ukraine, Albania and Belgium. We will be getting Czech Republic, Ireland, Norway and Spain next week too. The most interesting national final that I am looking forward too is the Irish National Final called “EuroSong 2023”, which will be once again on RTE’s Late Late Show with Ryan Tubridy. I must say that RTE seems to have stepped up it’s game from recent years. The quality has grown leaps and bounds. They have also created quite a bit of media frenzy, which I think has been done almost on purpose. The edition of the former Sex Pistol, John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) into the EuroSong event caused quite a ‘stir’ both sides of the Irish Sea. However, the interview that John had with RTE Radio 1 was incredibly disrespectful and quite insulting to every Eurovision Song Contest fan. Take a listen to the interview here on the DriveTime show.

So, I believe John Lydon and RTE had this interview to make a reaction and create publicity of the EuroSong competition. It worked and it got people talking, and clearly it worked for me writing this. I just hope and pray that the Irish public end up voting for the right song. Whatever it may be! All the other entries can be found here…

Thursday 25th May 2023

It’s been just over two weeks since the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest had finished, and Sweden are currently celebrating their 7th win in the world’s biggest singing competition. This is a huge achievement for the Scandinavian country which has the third largest music industry in the world, just behind the United States and the United Kingdom.

Loreen walked away with the title for the second time after winning in 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan with the hit “Euphoria”. “Tattoo” had an incredible performance which was engaging, fascinating and breathtaking. The long finger nails have come back into fashion because of it too! There has been a lot of talk online and social media about a fix or some type of secret deal made between SVT and the EBU, to insure Sweden won on the same year that ABBA will be celebrating their 50th anniversary of winning the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton. I must strongly add, that these allegations come with no evidence either. On a lighter note, Loreen has found chart success all over Europe including Number 1 status in Austria, Belgium, Greece (where it’s gone GOLD with over a million streams alone), Iceland, Israel, Latvia, Luxembourg, Sweden and Switzerland. Number 2 also in Lithuania, Norway and the United Kingdom. Number 3 in Ireland and Finland.

Finland narrowly missed out by 57 points and ended up being the biggest result for Finland since their last win in 2006 with Lordi, however it was the most successful Finnish language entry ever into the Eurovision Song Contest. So, the lovely Käärijä with his “Cha Cha Cha” can be thrilled with this result and be proud he has many millions of new fans around Europe and the world.

Another disappointing contest for Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Ireland failed to qualify out of the first semi final with Wild Youth’s anthemic “We Are One”. The song was incredibly strong, emotional and bought the audience together. However, the live performance was seen to be messy and awkward. Especially, witnessing the lead singer of Wild Youth Conor O’Donohoe wearing a ‘All-In-One Sparkling Gold Catsuit’ which took many people by surprise. For various reasons…!

The United Kingdom came second last in the Grand Final in 25th place with Mae Muller’s “I Wrote A Song”. It was clear throughout rehearsals and the live performances that Mae was missing a few notes and her stage presence wasn’t quite working for her. Her confidence looked like it took a blow, and may of contributed to her nerves. The song has had an incredible amount of airplay in the UK on various radio stations, including the commercial stations too. That is a huge improvement here in the UK, and it continues still without Radio Presenters mentioning about it’s position at the Eurovision. I would like to thank Mae Muller for making the UK proud and being a real ambassador of modern music for the country at the Eurovision Song Contest.

I do hope that RTÉ change up their methods to select the Irish entrant for the contest, and that the BBC continue their good work with TAP and make sure we have a strong live singer at next year’s contest. Fingers crossed!