*NOTICE... IF YOU DON'T LIKE WESTLIFE PLEASE READ NO FURTHER*
After raving about Westlife's song - Something Right last week, I am disgusted to find this...
Something Right has officially been chosen as the bands third and most likely final single from their 9th album - Back Home.
The song has been re-mixed for the Uk single release and an official video clip has been released. The bad news is that it looks like they spend about $20 on the video. While the imagry is somewhat pretty... it looks like someone made it on their home computer.
When it comes to the re-mix they have utterly detroyed the years best pop song by adding a generic back beat to try and spice the song up and make it more 'cool.' The problem I have with that is that Westlife aren't cool! That's why I love them! I am really upset over this! I LOVE this song so much and I wanted it to be released so bad and now they've gone and ruined it! You can tell I'm mad because I used a lot of exclamation marks!
If you didn't get this track when PPG first posted about it I'll post it here again so you can hear the song in all it's original glory. Then you can compare it with the cheap remix it has received on the new video.
Westlife - Something Right
In other Westlife news... on June 1st Westlife will celebrate their 10 year anniversary by performing the biggest show of their entire career. The band will perform at Europe's 4th biggest stadium to a sold out crowd of 82'300 fans. The show, dubbed "10 Years of Westlife" has been described as a pop extravaganza! The show will of coarse be filmed and released on DVD. Westlife continue to be the worlds best documented act on DVD of all time with almost every music video and every tour having been released on DVD.
The band also announced that after their final concert they will take the next year off and that the band will not release a new album in 2008 and will concentrate on production of their 10th album for a release in 2009.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Let's Go To Denmark!
Today I'm taking you back in time to re-visit 2 successful Danish acts that just won't quit!
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First I'm going to take you back to the summer of 1994! If you were alive back then chances are you used to sing along to this track. It was that Whigfield had an international number 1 smash hit with - 'Saturday Night.' Despite not having the same success that she had with her debut single. Whigfield remains active in the music industry to this day. She continues to release music as Whigfield. She has also written songs for other acts across Europe and in 2005 recorded a number of songs under the name 'Naan.'
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As is with most acts that have huge initial success but can never re-create it, they tend to rely heavily on the song that made them famous in the first place. Acts are forever re-recording, remixing and re-releasing their original hit singles i.e. Pete Burns, Tiffany, Nikki French. So it's only fitting that Whigfield re-record her original hit and a bunch of other ones that nobody remembers and throw it all together on a new album!
Here is the 2008 version of 'Saturday Night.'
Whigfield - Saturday Night 2008
In other news...
Last year you may remember I posted news that 'Aqua' had re-formed! Although we may not have heard much from the band since their original press conference the band remains together and have announced 9 concerts in Denmark at the 2008 Gron Koncert to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy campaign.
This is the same show where Aqua last performed as a group back in 2001. Which seems like an appropriate place to launch a comeback.
The band are taking their time before making further commitments and plans as a band. At their press conference the band said they want to 'test the waters' to see how much interest there is in the band today.
Although Aqua are back together it hasn't stopped band member Soren from continuing his current project! Soren is currently in a band with his nephew, Nicolaj, called 'Hej Matematik!'
The band has released 3 digital singles to date and is about to release their debut album in Denmark. I wouldn't know how to describe their music... It's a little electro-pop meets funky R & B!? But as you can see in their album cover, they're definitely looking good!
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First I'm going to take you back to the summer of 1994! If you were alive back then chances are you used to sing along to this track. It was that Whigfield had an international number 1 smash hit with - 'Saturday Night.' Despite not having the same success that she had with her debut single. Whigfield remains active in the music industry to this day. She continues to release music as Whigfield. She has also written songs for other acts across Europe and in 2005 recorded a number of songs under the name 'Naan.'
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As is with most acts that have huge initial success but can never re-create it, they tend to rely heavily on the song that made them famous in the first place. Acts are forever re-recording, remixing and re-releasing their original hit singles i.e. Pete Burns, Tiffany, Nikki French. So it's only fitting that Whigfield re-record her original hit and a bunch of other ones that nobody remembers and throw it all together on a new album!
Here is the 2008 version of 'Saturday Night.'
Whigfield - Saturday Night 2008
In other news...
Last year you may remember I posted news that 'Aqua' had re-formed! Although we may not have heard much from the band since their original press conference the band remains together and have announced 9 concerts in Denmark at the 2008 Gron Koncert to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy campaign.
This is the same show where Aqua last performed as a group back in 2001. Which seems like an appropriate place to launch a comeback.
The band are taking their time before making further commitments and plans as a band. At their press conference the band said they want to 'test the waters' to see how much interest there is in the band today.
Although Aqua are back together it hasn't stopped band member Soren from continuing his current project! Soren is currently in a band with his nephew, Nicolaj, called 'Hej Matematik!'
The band has released 3 digital singles to date and is about to release their debut album in Denmark. I wouldn't know how to describe their music... It's a little electro-pop meets funky R & B!? But as you can see in their album cover, they're definitely looking good!
Hej Matematik - Du & Jag
Here is the clip of their latest video - Du & Jeg
For those of you that are interested the video for their second single features a cameo by all other 3 original Aqua members! As Soren and his Nephew walk through a deserted mall they pass a store window where the 3 other members of Aqua are standing in the window and watch Soren as he walks by. It's neat to see them together again if only for a moment! You can see the clip to that video on youtube.
If you're looking forward to seeing Aqua in concert this summer don't get your hopes too high. They are planning to tour various cities across Europe but it will not be a world tour by any means and the number of shows will depend on how much interest is generated. Personally I would like to see a Greatest Hits album/dvd released with perhaps a new single?! I miss Aqua!
Here is a photo of the band from when they announced their reunion back in the fall!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
How Hard Can It Be To Give Us The Album We Want?!
Linda Bengtzing
Did Linda Bengtzing give us the album we all wanted? Full of Alla Flickors and Hur Svart Kan Det Va's? The answer is no. But I think after listening to her first album no one really thought she would give us the album we all want her to record.
The album is definitely lacking in Schlagerificness but I've given it a chance and I really enjoy it! It's missing some of the raw energy of the first album, but I really feel like she's grown and the songs are more mature. I've officially decided that I like the album! It feels like a natural progression from her debut album. I think you have to respect her for doing the music she wants to do. If you don't mind guitars with your pop music then this is an album you must check out!
Now that being said I think someone ought to hit her upside the head and tell her that she needs to give us a pure Schlager album next time though. I mean, what a tease! She enters Melodifestivalen with what could be one of her best songs so far and then gives us an album of the music she really wants to be doing. Put down the guitars Linda!
Me and Linda before the Melodifestivalen Dress Rehersal.
Linda awlkinig past me as she hits the stage for Melodifestivalen 2008.
Linda awlkinig past me as she hits the stage for Melodifestivalen 2008.In other Linda news PPG gives you an interesteing comparison of an album track from her debut album. Check it out over at PopPosterGirl.
This Is Caracola
Ok so I know I just posted about Caracola, but they deserve another post I think. There are very few artists willing to release the kind of pop album that Caracola have just released. Many acts will put out one or two pop songs and then give us an album full of the music they really want to release.
Caracolas english album is simply called 'This Is Caracola' and there is not a single ballad on the entire album! It does feature english versions of some of their previous swedish songs. Some of my favorites are below.
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Caracola - Love Alive
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Caracola - Summer Night
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You can purchase their album Here.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Tomorrow Babe It's You And Me Time...
Westlife
Ok so I know most of you guys have made it clear that you're not fans of Westlife, but seeing as this is my blog... I'm going to continue to try and change your mind about them.
I used to be the worlds biggest Westlife fan... but after releasing crappy albums of covers over and over again, I really started to dismiss them alltogether.
But the band finally pulled it together for their latest album 'Home' which has been out for sometime now. While there are still some horrid covers on the album as usual... the band also has included some amazing original pop songs. The crowning achievement is of coarse the song 'Something Right' which will forever be one of their best songs of all time. It has been featured over at Poppostergirls site, so I won't bother posting it unless there is someone out there that doesn't have it still? The track was never released as a single in the Uk, but was a single in Sweden!
Their latest single in the Uk is 'Us Against The World' wasn't pushing any boundaries and isn't likely to make any new fans, but it features an unreleased track on the B-side called 'Get Away.' It's nothing groundbreaking but it's an upbeat sound that we rarely hear from the band. I'm not sure if I like the song as much as I like the first 15 seconds with the OooooOohhh!!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
We Can Build This Dream Together
Not since Lisa Scott-Lee said that she would quit pop music if she didn't get top ten with 'Electric' has there been so much at stake on a groups chart position.
If you haven't discovered 'Same Difference' yet here is what you need to know. The group is brother and sister team, Sarah and Sean. They shot to fame on the Uk television show 'The X-Factor' which is basically American Idol except that there are no age restrictions and the contestants are split into solo guys, solo girls and groups.
From the minute they auditioned I knew that they were going to be my new favorite band. Simon Cowell said "You are possibly two of the most annoying people I've ever met."
They made it all the way to the final night of the competition and ended up in third place! Now although they didn't win Simon Cowell offered them a record deal anyways, but there is a catch!
On April 21st they will release their debut single. If the song doesn't go top 5 it is very likely that there will be no further releases from the pop duo. Now I'm really dissapointed that the first single isn't going to be 'Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now' which has instant hit written all over it. The first single instead will be High School Musical's - Breaking Free.
So what does this mean? We need to get the single to be top 5 so they can release 'Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now' next!
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You can catch their new website Here.
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Watch Their Audition:
Watch them perform Breaking Free:
In other fantastic news, after taking some time off from the blogging world Paul, from thezapping.com has decided to reclaim his throne and launch his new blog 'My Fizzy Pop'
Ooha Oh Ba Ba Do Wah Yao Yao!!!
If you haven't discovered the band Caracola you've been missing out. Not only are these girls cute, their music is 100% pure unapologetic, in your face pop. Their songs are very summey, the kind of song you want to blast from your car or at the beach.
After an album in Swedish, the girls have finally released their english album off the heels of their appearance in 'Melodifestivalen'.
One of the things I love about Caracola is that they can actually sing live. Usually bands like this prefer to lipsync their way through a single or two and then proceed to get dropped by their record label.
Melodifestivalen has not been kind to it's previous girl bands. Artists like Excellence, Bubbles and Cosmo4 have all but dissapeared. Caracola have been around since 2006 and judging by their intensive promo tour they have scheduled from now until September, these girls aren't going anywhere!
Here is a photo of me meeting the girls last week in Stockholm!
Alright Now Dance People!
Markoolio 
So the first time I ever heard of Markoolio was last year when he did the 'Varsta Schlagern' duet with the brilliant 'Bengtzing.' The song is brilliant in every way and shot straight to number one for weeks.
I remember looking Markoolio up and thinking... who is this guy?! He looks a bit odd, and I got the impression that his album was really more tongue in cheek and really just a bit of a joke.
Well during my trip, I was out dancing when a Swedish track came on. All the Swedes seemed to enjoy it, they were singing along and having fun. All the foreigners sort of scratched their heads and said "What is this crap?!"
Well the song was immediately stuck in my head and I had to ask someone what it was. Her answer: Markoolio!
So here is the song... keep an open mind here... the chorus is extremely catchy and fun to sing along to. "REAGGAE!! INGEN SOMMAR UTAN RAGGA!" It reminds me a lot of DJ Otzi, if anyone remembers him.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Hit Me By Surprise, No Way To Deny...
Sibel
Who will i dedicate my first post to after my return from Sweden?!
Well I've got jet lag and I have to be up early for work... but I couldn't go to bed without posting a little something for you all.
In total I brought back 68 cd's from London and Sweden... that means loads of new songs for you all. (Although I accidently left half of them in Sweden... long and horrible story... but they're being mailed back to me)
Sibel was a force of nature up on stage this year at Melodifestivalen. When I first saw her I thought... who does she think she is up on stage with these other great artists. But give this girl a long flowing dress, a wind machine and a dramatic power ballad and she will work it out! She really did impress me on stage, she was also extremely sweet in person
The album is full of sappy ballads but there are acouple tracks where Sibel turns things up a notch, one of those songs is 'Walking Away' which is very easy listening and has almost a country sound to it; very Carrie Underwood or Leanne Rimes actually. If you would like an album full of dramatic power ballads that aren't quite as good as 'That's Where I'll Go' then you should definitely check out her debut album.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Thank You For The Music... The Songs We're Singing
There isn't much I can say that hasn't been covered on every other pop blog around. I think the Swedes have done us proud this year. 2008 will be remembered as an extremely strong year for Melodifestivalen.
It was a year where anything could have happened. Charlotte was the obvious favorite, but Sanna was only 18 points behind. It truly was an exciting competition this year. Watching the show live at the Globen you really could feel the energy as each artist gave it their all.
When the dust settled Charlotte took home her second Melodifestivalen victory and will represent Sweden in Belgrade.
She will now go on a tour across Europe to promote the song and we will soon find out how the European public responds to the track. While the song is anthemic, catchy and has a lot of passion. There really is nothing groundbreaking or new with her song. It's a formula that has been done before and it will be interesting to see how she does at Eurovision and to see if she can beat Carola's placing from 2006.
My final thoughts are basically this. Whether you're a long time fan, a casual observer or if you have no idea what the hoopla is about. Melodifestivalen is about great music written by the best song writers and performed by the best talent. It is a competition that truly gives everyone a chance, from the first time performers to legendary stars. This is a country that takes this competition extremely serious. The entire city has been living and breathing Melodifestivalen every day of the last week. It has been on the cover of every newspaper since the day I arrived. arrived.
The entire city has been so warm and receptive. Everywhere I go I would meet new people, share opinions on the performers and the songs and make new friends. Sweden has something very special with Melodifestivalen and it is something no other country has been able to truly replicate. If you've ever thought about making the trip here for Melodifestivalen stop thinking and just make it happen in 2009! You won't regret it.
I'm off to London on Wednesday and I'll be back home in Vancouver, Canada on Thursday.
My cd count is now up to 66 cd's!! So you can expect some great new songs once I'm home and the blog returns to normal.
Finally... I've met a lot of people during the trip who actually read this blog. Talk about a small world! So I want to give a huge shout out to all of them and thank you guys for coming back, listening to the songs I post and leaving comments and feedback. You keep me motivated to continue posting the music I love.
It was a year where anything could have happened. Charlotte was the obvious favorite, but Sanna was only 18 points behind. It truly was an exciting competition this year. Watching the show live at the Globen you really could feel the energy as each artist gave it their all.
When the dust settled Charlotte took home her second Melodifestivalen victory and will represent Sweden in Belgrade.
She will now go on a tour across Europe to promote the song and we will soon find out how the European public responds to the track. While the song is anthemic, catchy and has a lot of passion. There really is nothing groundbreaking or new with her song. It's a formula that has been done before and it will be interesting to see how she does at Eurovision and to see if she can beat Carola's placing from 2006.
My final thoughts are basically this. Whether you're a long time fan, a casual observer or if you have no idea what the hoopla is about. Melodifestivalen is about great music written by the best song writers and performed by the best talent. It is a competition that truly gives everyone a chance, from the first time performers to legendary stars. This is a country that takes this competition extremely serious. The entire city has been living and breathing Melodifestivalen every day of the last week. It has been on the cover of every newspaper since the day I arrived. arrived.
The entire city has been so warm and receptive. Everywhere I go I would meet new people, share opinions on the performers and the songs and make new friends. Sweden has something very special with Melodifestivalen and it is something no other country has been able to truly replicate. If you've ever thought about making the trip here for Melodifestivalen stop thinking and just make it happen in 2009! You won't regret it.
I'm off to London on Wednesday and I'll be back home in Vancouver, Canada on Thursday.
My cd count is now up to 66 cd's!! So you can expect some great new songs once I'm home and the blog returns to normal.
Finally... I've met a lot of people during the trip who actually read this blog. Talk about a small world! So I want to give a huge shout out to all of them and thank you guys for coming back, listening to the songs I post and leaving comments and feedback. You keep me motivated to continue posting the music I love.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
I LOVE SWEDEN!
I HAVE SO MUCH TO TELL YOU ALL!
So lets break it down.
1. You wouldn't believe the luck we've had on this trip. Yesterday we were walking back to our hostel when I heard a microphone and an announcement being made on the street. A crowd had formed and when I went to take a closer look... (There was a big stage up on a catwalk between two buildings) LINDA BENGTZING walks out and performs her new single in the middle of the street!
It was AMAZING, if we had been 5 minutes earlier or later we would have missed the whole thing. Afterwards they announce that she is signing autographs in the mall area! So I actually got to meet her and she signed her single for me.
She was SUPER nice in person and surprisingly short and petite. I told her that we were voting for her and I got a fantastic photo of us together.
At this point I thought my life was complete. THEN! We head to the Globen to watch the dress rehersal. We were about 2 hours early so we go into the Globen Mall and guess who is right in front of us... CHARLOTTE PERRELLI! They're playing 'Hero' on a loop and she's signing autographs!
So of coarse we signed up for that. She was a bit of a diva, but still nice enough. She signed my single 'Take Me To Your Heaven.'
2. The dress rehersal: They basically explained to us that the Final tonight is live, but that they were recording the dress rehersal so they could play it if there was a problem during the live broadcast on Saturday.
Charlotte was flawless... but in a way seemed like she wasn't really trying. I think that of coarse they don't want to give it 100% because they have to be ready for Saturday night.
Sibel's vocals were really poor last night. I'm not sure if she is sick or was just holding back... but it was probably her worst performance so far in the competition.
Linda rocked it! She's toned down the performance a bit and her vocals were really strong. I still don't like the choreography too much... but the audience loves the song and her single is sold out at every shop in Stockholm.
Amy Diamond was the most improved vocally. She sounded MUCH better and she added something to her stage props which I love.
Nordman has a really good chance of winning it all tonight. It was pretty clear after watching the audience reaction that people are LOVING Nordman. I think perhaps a lot of fans will split the vote between BWO and Charlotte which will leave an open door for Nordman.
Sanna was perfect as usual and hadn't changed anything in her performance.
Rongedal was another big surprise... everyone loved them. Of coarse the people around us were impressed that we knew the entire routine and gave our own performance as well.
Christer is the song you love to hate.
BWO was a big hit as well and nothing much had changed for their performance either.
So Im really stuck... I don't know what is going to happen tonight! The media here seems to have Charlotte pegged as the winner but I think BWO and Nordman could easily steal it.
Don't forget half of the vote is decided by a Jury and half from the public and quite often the juries and the public don't match.
3. So today we did some research and found out that there was a massive autograph singing taking place downtown. So at 11:30 I was waiting outside to see performances from Daniel, Alexander Schuld, Caracola, The Poodles and Ola!
Daniel was really really nice. It was actually pretty good to see him sing 'Pame' without all the glitter and campy costume and dance routine. I really really like this song. I talked to him for acouple minutes and he was really happy to sign autographs and pose for photos. Daniel said he wants either Charlotte or Sanna to win tonight.
Caracola were by far the nicest of all the stars I've met here (actually they're tied with Linda who was really great as well.) They signed 3 singles for me and asked me about Canada. They want Sanna to win tonight.
Alexander Schuld did a SUPERB acoustic version of his Melodifestivalen entry, but he wasn't very receptive when signing autographs.
The Poodles also did an acoustic set of a bunch of their hits but I couldn't be bothered to wait in line to meet them. They were also giving their single away for free to everyone walking on the streets. It came across as a little desperate actually.
It was great to see Ola live since I'm not seeing him in the final tonight, but he only sand Love in Stereo which was dissapointing. Caracola sang two tracks and I hoped that Ola would at least sing SOS as well. When we met him he was shocked to hear we were from Canada and he was really nice as well and talked to us for acouple minutes before posing for pictures.
I think I've told every artist that I've met that we've come all the way from Canada just to see them.
4. We went clubbing last night and they played Mans, Linda, Chatlotte, BWO, Amy, Christer, Shirley Clamp, Carola and Andreas, Rongedal, Sanna Nielsen and so much more... it was madness!
Im just getting ready to head to the Globen now to watch the Finalen. Don't forget you can watch it live online at svt.se/melodifestivalen tonight!!
So lets break it down.
1. You wouldn't believe the luck we've had on this trip. Yesterday we were walking back to our hostel when I heard a microphone and an announcement being made on the street. A crowd had formed and when I went to take a closer look... (There was a big stage up on a catwalk between two buildings) LINDA BENGTZING walks out and performs her new single in the middle of the street!
It was AMAZING, if we had been 5 minutes earlier or later we would have missed the whole thing. Afterwards they announce that she is signing autographs in the mall area! So I actually got to meet her and she signed her single for me.
She was SUPER nice in person and surprisingly short and petite. I told her that we were voting for her and I got a fantastic photo of us together.
At this point I thought my life was complete. THEN! We head to the Globen to watch the dress rehersal. We were about 2 hours early so we go into the Globen Mall and guess who is right in front of us... CHARLOTTE PERRELLI! They're playing 'Hero' on a loop and she's signing autographs!
So of coarse we signed up for that. She was a bit of a diva, but still nice enough. She signed my single 'Take Me To Your Heaven.'
2. The dress rehersal: They basically explained to us that the Final tonight is live, but that they were recording the dress rehersal so they could play it if there was a problem during the live broadcast on Saturday.
Charlotte was flawless... but in a way seemed like she wasn't really trying. I think that of coarse they don't want to give it 100% because they have to be ready for Saturday night.
Sibel's vocals were really poor last night. I'm not sure if she is sick or was just holding back... but it was probably her worst performance so far in the competition.
Linda rocked it! She's toned down the performance a bit and her vocals were really strong. I still don't like the choreography too much... but the audience loves the song and her single is sold out at every shop in Stockholm.
Amy Diamond was the most improved vocally. She sounded MUCH better and she added something to her stage props which I love.
Nordman has a really good chance of winning it all tonight. It was pretty clear after watching the audience reaction that people are LOVING Nordman. I think perhaps a lot of fans will split the vote between BWO and Charlotte which will leave an open door for Nordman.
Sanna was perfect as usual and hadn't changed anything in her performance.
Rongedal was another big surprise... everyone loved them. Of coarse the people around us were impressed that we knew the entire routine and gave our own performance as well.
Christer is the song you love to hate.
BWO was a big hit as well and nothing much had changed for their performance either.
So Im really stuck... I don't know what is going to happen tonight! The media here seems to have Charlotte pegged as the winner but I think BWO and Nordman could easily steal it.
Don't forget half of the vote is decided by a Jury and half from the public and quite often the juries and the public don't match.
3. So today we did some research and found out that there was a massive autograph singing taking place downtown. So at 11:30 I was waiting outside to see performances from Daniel, Alexander Schuld, Caracola, The Poodles and Ola!
Daniel was really really nice. It was actually pretty good to see him sing 'Pame' without all the glitter and campy costume and dance routine. I really really like this song. I talked to him for acouple minutes and he was really happy to sign autographs and pose for photos. Daniel said he wants either Charlotte or Sanna to win tonight.
Caracola were by far the nicest of all the stars I've met here (actually they're tied with Linda who was really great as well.) They signed 3 singles for me and asked me about Canada. They want Sanna to win tonight.
Alexander Schuld did a SUPERB acoustic version of his Melodifestivalen entry, but he wasn't very receptive when signing autographs.
The Poodles also did an acoustic set of a bunch of their hits but I couldn't be bothered to wait in line to meet them. They were also giving their single away for free to everyone walking on the streets. It came across as a little desperate actually.
It was great to see Ola live since I'm not seeing him in the final tonight, but he only sand Love in Stereo which was dissapointing. Caracola sang two tracks and I hoped that Ola would at least sing SOS as well. When we met him he was shocked to hear we were from Canada and he was really nice as well and talked to us for acouple minutes before posing for pictures.
I think I've told every artist that I've met that we've come all the way from Canada just to see them.
4. We went clubbing last night and they played Mans, Linda, Chatlotte, BWO, Amy, Christer, Shirley Clamp, Carola and Andreas, Rongedal, Sanna Nielsen and so much more... it was madness!
Im just getting ready to head to the Globen now to watch the Finalen. Don't forget you can watch it live online at svt.se/melodifestivalen tonight!!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Thank You Sweden!
WOW!
So Im here in Stockholm and here is an update for you all!
First off we went shopping yesterday and I spent approx $6000 Kronor on Cds and clothes! Thats about $1000 USD in one day.
When I was buying some cds the guy at the register told me that Amy Diamond would be signing autographs there that night! *I was buying her Gold edition of Music In Motion*
So at 4pm I waited in a line of 10 year old girls to meet Amy Diamond. When I finally got there I told her that I was a little embarassed because I was the oldest fan there and that I had flown all the way from Canada to see her in Melodifestivalen. *Only a slight lie* She was sort of embarassed and slightly scared! She signed my album and then I asked her what her favorite song was besides hers of coarse and she said she couldnt decide.
I posed for a picture and that was it! My brush with Swedish popstar fame!
BUT HERE IS THE BIG NEWS!
Tonight we went to a little bar in Gamla Stan and I met the stage director for Charlotte Perrellis performance in Melodifestivalen! He gave me some inside info on her performance!
First off... when her performance begins and she is in black and white... he said that the organizers were originally not very happy with the idea and they had to work hard to convince them. In the end the organizers gave in and said they would see how it worked in the semi-final. He said they were happy with the way it worked out.
ALSO! We can exclusively tell you that the catwalk has been extended for Charlottes performance! He seemed to make a big deal about this.
THe night was amazing they played Mans Zelmerlow, Charlotte twice! BWO, Britney, Nsync, Worlds Apart!! 5ive, Westlife... it is obvious that the Swedes take their pop music very seriously.
Its now 2am and Im off to bed!
Expect a massive update after the dress rehersals on Friday night!!
So Im here in Stockholm and here is an update for you all!
First off we went shopping yesterday and I spent approx $6000 Kronor on Cds and clothes! Thats about $1000 USD in one day.
When I was buying some cds the guy at the register told me that Amy Diamond would be signing autographs there that night! *I was buying her Gold edition of Music In Motion*
So at 4pm I waited in a line of 10 year old girls to meet Amy Diamond. When I finally got there I told her that I was a little embarassed because I was the oldest fan there and that I had flown all the way from Canada to see her in Melodifestivalen. *Only a slight lie* She was sort of embarassed and slightly scared! She signed my album and then I asked her what her favorite song was besides hers of coarse and she said she couldnt decide.
I posed for a picture and that was it! My brush with Swedish popstar fame!
BUT HERE IS THE BIG NEWS!
Tonight we went to a little bar in Gamla Stan and I met the stage director for Charlotte Perrellis performance in Melodifestivalen! He gave me some inside info on her performance!
First off... when her performance begins and she is in black and white... he said that the organizers were originally not very happy with the idea and they had to work hard to convince them. In the end the organizers gave in and said they would see how it worked in the semi-final. He said they were happy with the way it worked out.
ALSO! We can exclusively tell you that the catwalk has been extended for Charlottes performance! He seemed to make a big deal about this.
THe night was amazing they played Mans Zelmerlow, Charlotte twice! BWO, Britney, Nsync, Worlds Apart!! 5ive, Westlife... it is obvious that the Swedes take their pop music very seriously.
Its now 2am and Im off to bed!
Expect a massive update after the dress rehersals on Friday night!!
Monday, March 10, 2008
No Ola, No Carola and No Caracola.
Hey Guys!
After 4 days in London I've officially arrived in Stockholm. This is after a 4 hour delay at Heathrow. Then when we finally got on the plane they announced that we would be stuck there for an extra 30 minutes because some idiot accidently used the de-icing chemicals on the planes brakes and now they had to wash the breaks.
So first off London was amazing. Bought lots of new clothes and cd's of coarse. Did plenty of dancing at the clubs. You should have seen me do my dance routine to Steps - Last THing On My Mind... it was classic ;)
On Saturday night I went to a Swedish pub in London where they actually showed Melodifestivalen - Andra Chansen live via sattelite! You can't imagine how cool it was to watch the show live in a room with a bunch of other fans.
It was clear that Ola was the crowd favorite and everyone was extremely relieved when he won his first round against Caracola who put up a great fight and looked amazing might I add!
THe biggest shock of the night of coarse was Carola and Andreas failing ot make it through to the finalen. Carola had changed her performance from the loud dramatic show to a sweet and innocent performance with a lot of interaction between her and Andreas. It wasn't enough and Nordman beat tthem in the first heat. You shoul dhave seen her face! It is all over the Swedish newspapers still. I don't really understand what happened? I think the song is amazing and Carola and Andreas are huge stars in Sweden.
I think this will be the end of Carola ever doing anything with Melodifestivalen again. Actually Id love to see Carola on stage with Nordman during their performance on Saturday! She could be the witch and they could burn her live on stage! No?! Just a thought.
When they showed clips of all the songs that were in the final everyone cheered or booed and it was clear which songs were the faves.
Everyone loves Amy Diamond, Charlotte, Linda and BWO!
After the show they played a bunch of classic schlager songs and everyone sang and danced along. It was amazing. My friend who I brought with me and who has never been exposed to anything really schlager before was amazed!
I also have to give a huge shout out to Leyton! We were talking at the pub and when I told him I was from Canada he asked if I had a blog... sure enough he reads the blog! When I get home and I can post music again I have something special for ya so keep an eye out !
My final thought on Melodifestivalen is that Charllotte needs to win. I LOVE BWO and I won't complain if they win... but I think Charllotte will be able to get high marks at Eurovision.
In other Pop news, last night we went to The X-Factor live tour in London last night at the O2 arena. The show was really really good but the night truly belonged to 'Same Difference' who stole the show. Their debut single is released on April 21st and I'll have a post dedicated to them when I get home!
Ok enough rambling from me... I'm really really tired and this post probably doesn't make a lot of sense.
I can't wait to post new songs for you guys and get home to listen to all my new cd's. I'll update you again soon. I'm going to the dress rehersals on Friday and then of coarse the finalen is Saturday night. Be sure to watch it live online at svt.se/melodifestivalen
After 4 days in London I've officially arrived in Stockholm. This is after a 4 hour delay at Heathrow. Then when we finally got on the plane they announced that we would be stuck there for an extra 30 minutes because some idiot accidently used the de-icing chemicals on the planes brakes and now they had to wash the breaks.
So first off London was amazing. Bought lots of new clothes and cd's of coarse. Did plenty of dancing at the clubs. You should have seen me do my dance routine to Steps - Last THing On My Mind... it was classic ;)
On Saturday night I went to a Swedish pub in London where they actually showed Melodifestivalen - Andra Chansen live via sattelite! You can't imagine how cool it was to watch the show live in a room with a bunch of other fans.
It was clear that Ola was the crowd favorite and everyone was extremely relieved when he won his first round against Caracola who put up a great fight and looked amazing might I add!
THe biggest shock of the night of coarse was Carola and Andreas failing ot make it through to the finalen. Carola had changed her performance from the loud dramatic show to a sweet and innocent performance with a lot of interaction between her and Andreas. It wasn't enough and Nordman beat tthem in the first heat. You shoul dhave seen her face! It is all over the Swedish newspapers still. I don't really understand what happened? I think the song is amazing and Carola and Andreas are huge stars in Sweden.
I think this will be the end of Carola ever doing anything with Melodifestivalen again. Actually Id love to see Carola on stage with Nordman during their performance on Saturday! She could be the witch and they could burn her live on stage! No?! Just a thought.
When they showed clips of all the songs that were in the final everyone cheered or booed and it was clear which songs were the faves.
Everyone loves Amy Diamond, Charlotte, Linda and BWO!
After the show they played a bunch of classic schlager songs and everyone sang and danced along. It was amazing. My friend who I brought with me and who has never been exposed to anything really schlager before was amazed!
I also have to give a huge shout out to Leyton! We were talking at the pub and when I told him I was from Canada he asked if I had a blog... sure enough he reads the blog! When I get home and I can post music again I have something special for ya so keep an eye out !
My final thought on Melodifestivalen is that Charllotte needs to win. I LOVE BWO and I won't complain if they win... but I think Charllotte will be able to get high marks at Eurovision.
In other Pop news, last night we went to The X-Factor live tour in London last night at the O2 arena. The show was really really good but the night truly belonged to 'Same Difference' who stole the show. Their debut single is released on April 21st and I'll have a post dedicated to them when I get home!
Ok enough rambling from me... I'm really really tired and this post probably doesn't make a lot of sense.
I can't wait to post new songs for you guys and get home to listen to all my new cd's. I'll update you again soon. I'm going to the dress rehersals on Friday and then of coarse the finalen is Saturday night. Be sure to watch it live online at svt.se/melodifestivalen
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Thank You For The Music
At 3:55pm I'm boarding a plane to London, England and after a few days there I will head to the center of Melodifestivalen Fever... Stockholm.
It's only fitting to dedicate this post to the greatest band ever to come from Sweden - Abba.
There is simply no denying that Abba is simply the greatest pop band ever. To this day they continue to sell millions of albums a year.
Their music is simply timless and is being rediscovered by new legions of fans every day.
If the only songs you know from Abba are Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen and Take A Chance On Me... then it's time you educate yourself. The best way to do that is with Abba - The Definitive Collection. It includes some great songs that aren't on the shorter Abba - Gold album.
As pop fans each of us has in debt to Abba for the fantastic music that we listen to every day.
Although ABBA may no longer be with us as a group, their songs are constantly being covered by modern artists and being given a new twist like the classic ABBA Medley performed at the '99 Brit awards...
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Sweden Does Us Proud!
On Saturday Night Sweden showed that 'it wasn't hard at all' to put through the two biggest schlager anthems through direct to the finals!
Every year Sweden outdoes itself with the calibre and quality of the songs in Melodifestivalen. The SVT does a spectacular job of choosing a wide variety of songs to enter the competition.
I never thought the public would put through Linda and Charlotte in the top 2 but they did and I am so happy!
Everyone has already posted about this on every pop blog around so I'll keep my thoughts brief...
First, after seeing the performances I changed my mind about two of the songs.
1. Daniel... talk about ruining a perfectly good song. After hearing the one minute clip of Pame, I was on cloud nine, sure that the song would be one of my favorites of the year. I believe I said it may even be better than Cara Mia! Well my apologies to Mans... because Daniel was horrific on stage.
I'm sorry but everything about that performance was just wrong. His outfit... the dancing... his whole attitude on stage. He was too "showey" but maybe that's not the word I'm looking for.
The song is sooo good, I just felt like the performance didn't match the song, it made it too 'hokey.' I'm actually glad he didn't make it to the final now.
2. Sibel. WHAT A VOICE! Does anyone else think she looks a little strange though? But wow that girl can sing! It's a very different ballad than Empty Room... but with vocals like that she definitely earned her spot in the Andra Chansen.
But the night belonged to two women last night:
Linda and Charlotte! I LOVE Linda on stage... she has such fantastic energy and she is so genuinely happy after every performance... i dont care what anyone says about any of her past performances... i've loved every single one. She isn't the worlds best singer, but she gives 110% and I adore her!
Charlotte gave us the final 'new' melodifestivalen performance of 2008 and they saved one of the best for last. The heels, the dress, the glitter microphone, the hair, the lasers, the wind machines and of coarse... the key change. With all the drama on stage it really wasn't much of a contest at all.
Congratulations Sweden... you've done us all proud this year.
Next Saturday one of the most amazing second chance rounds will take place. There is only one thing Sweden has to correct in order to put everything right this year... and that is send Carola and Andreas to the Finals on March 15th!
I am sooooo excited!
Heads Up: I leave for London, England on Wednesday. I'll be there for 5 days where I will be doing a lot of shopping, dancing and seeing Same Difference live on tour!
On March 10th I'll be heading to Stockholm! I'll be seeing the dress rehersals on Friday and then I've got floor seats to see the Final at 8pm on Saturday March 15th!
I will have time for one more music post before I leave... I will have mini updates while I'm away!
So while I may not update very often for the next 20 days... stay tuned because when I get back there will be a tonne of new music to share!
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