#composer: Thomas G:son

[eurovision-facts]

Eurovision Fact #88:

It's uncommon for the winners of the Marcel Benzençon Awards to also win the Eurovision Song Contest.

Winners of the Press Award that also won the contest include:

Sertab Erener (Türkiye, 2003), Lordi (Finland, 2006), Alexander Rybak (Norway, 2009), Conchita Wurst (Austria, 2014), and Duncan Laurence (Netherlands, 2019).

Winners of the Artistic Award who ended up winning Eurovision are:

Ruslana (Ukraine, 2004), Helena Paparizou (Greece, 2005), Marija Šerifović (Serbia, 2007), Loreen (Sweden, 2012), Måns Zelmerlöw (Sweden, 2015), Jamala (Ukraine, 2016), and Salvador Sobral (Portugal, 2017).

Finally, winners of both the Composer Award and the Song Contest include:

Thomas G:son & Peter Boström (Sweden, 2012), and Luísa Sobral (Portugal, 2017).

No winners of the Fan Award (replaced by the Composer Award in 2004) ever won the contest.

That amounts to 25% of the Press Award winners, 35% of the Artistic Award winners, and ~12% of the Composer Award winners going on to win the Grand Final.

[Sources]:

Marcel Benzençon Awards, Wikipedia.com.

Eurovision Fact #43

Eurovision Archives, Eurovision.tv.

[queenraiden]

Eurovision 2020 Song Review: “All Of My Love” by Destiny (Malta)

Feel the love :)

She won JESC in 2015 and was looking for the chance to take the big title. To be honest, this song slaps and could have been a contender for the title.

I’m probably gonna mention this in future posts that there are a number of composers whether solo or group that appear a lot in Eurovision. Thomas G:son has composed 15 entries for the main contest (though he has done more for national finals, especially Sweden) with Loreen’s “Euphoria” winning 2012 and listed as writer for France’s entry. Dimitris Kontopoulos has produced 12 entries (though there’s more than that for national finals mainly or Greece), some along with Philipp Kirkorov, with top entries including Ani Lorak’s “Shady Lady”, Farid Mammadov’s “Hold Me”, and both of Sergey Lazarev’s entries.  And then there’s Symphonix team which seems to be up and coming. They were behind Bulgaria’s highest scoring entry to day (”Beautiful Mess” by Kristian Kostov in 2017) and this year have submitted 3 entries, including Destiny’s “All Of My Love” (going by Boris Milanov’s Wikipedia page) Symphonix’s entries have been hit or miss for me, and “All Of My Love” has been a hit for me.

Looking at the lyrics, it does carry a bit of a religious vibe similar to the Swedish entry, 

Cus your great love is healing me Renewing me through and through I am free to live so I give you 

Now I know your words are true My heart is filled with gratitude It's only you, I'm living for 

You're amazing love so sweet Has raised me to my feet I ain’t going back anymore

but songs with love as a theme tend to be vague enough that it could be love for that special someone in your life (partner, family member, close friend) or love for humanity in general.

All my love Like a river runnin' wild Every brother mother child Now we found each other don't let me down All my love

And it isn’t the only gospel inspired song by Symphonix if you want to compare it to César Sampson’s “Nobody But You” from 2018 though the beat for “All Of My Love” is more of a dancing tune.

Don’t have more to say other than it’s a fun, feelgood tune to dance along.

[imperiumtenebrarum]

My Eurovision Top 30 - No. 03

Loreen - “Euphoria” - Sweden - 2012 - 1st Place

We are here, we're all alone in our own universe We are free, where everything's allowed and love comes first Forever and ever together, we sail into infinity We're higher and higher and higher, we're reaching for divinity

Although I had been watching Eurovision since 2003, I finally became a die-hard ESC fan in 2012, when I started watching the national finals of each participating country – and “Euphoria” blew me away right from the get-go. As far as the song itself is concerned, I gotta admit that this kind of 90s eurodance music is right up my street, and I’ve already mentioned that I really appreciate songs with punchy “hands-in-the-air” choruses, which definitely applies to Sweden’s 2012 entry: It’s a real anthem with a wonderfully climatic song structure. Strangely enough, both ESC viewers and juries actually agreed with me for once, since Sweden not only managed to win the 2012 contest with a total of 372 points (just 15 points shy of the then all-time record of 387) but also broke the record for having received the most 12 points under the current voting rules.

Aside from the song (which, by the way, was an instant commercial success all across the world), Sweden’s first ESC win since 1999 may also to be attributed to the brilliant staging concept of “Euphoria”. Instead of staging it like a typical dance-pop song (cf. Cyprus’ entry in the same year) Sweden went for an artsy, almost highbrow concept that came across as mysterious and fascinating, and completely caught the viewers’ attention. Besides, Loreen’s expressionist style of dancing and her amazing stage presence even prompted comparisons with Kate Bush. 

By the way – "Euphoria" was composed by Thomas Gustafsson (aka Thomas G:son), one of the most successful and prolific Swedish ESC songwriters, who not only composes pop and schlager music, but also plays the guitar in a hard rock band. Therefore, it is not very surprising that Loreen's entry can be easily reimagined as a Power Metal hymn, proving that there’s a eurodance song at the heart of every cheesy Power Metal anthem...

[americanateurovision]

Eurovision 2017: The Rest

The 62nd annual Eurovision Song Contest starts tomorrow with the first semi-final. There are 42 contestants this year, and I’ve briefly analyzed each one. Here are the best of the rest: 

Ireland: “Dying to Try,” Brendan Murray

Ireland currently holds the record for most wins at Eurovision, with seven. But they’ve had some bad luck for the last few decades and usually don’t make the final. This year, they hired a Swede (Jörgen Elofsson, who composed songs for Britney Spears and Kelly Clarkson) to write their entry, and “Dying to Try” is a good song. But I don’t know if young Brendan Murray has the stage presence to win over the viewers at home. Watch “Dying to Try” here. 

Israel: “I Feel Alive,’ IMRI

You gotta give it to Israel, they really know how to make a party song. Imri sang back-up vocals for the past two Israeli entries, Nadev Guedj and Hovi Star. Now it’s his turn with the fun and clubby, “I Feel Alive.”

Australia: “Don’t Come Easy,” Isaiah

Australia joined the competition a few years ago, and they’ve been heavy hitters ever since. Last year, Dami Im came second. I’m not sure Isaiah will be quite as successful, because “Don’t Come Easy” is a bit mundane. But I’m sure we’ll see him in the final. 

Cyprus: “Gravity,” Hovig

Cyprus was another country that recruited a Swede for songwriting help. The illustrious Thomas G:son wrote “Gravity” for Hovig Demirjian. Watch him perform it here. 

Portugal: "Amar Pelos Dois," Salvador Sobral

This entry has a lot of buzz surrounding it. “Amar Pelos Dois” has a really unique sound, and Salvador is a truly interesting performer. Many think this could upset Italy and win the Contest. But poor Salvador has been dealing with some major health issues, and his sister, Luísa, has been filling in for him at rehearsals and events. Will Salvador be able to perform at the first semi-final? We’ll all have to wait and see.

Malta: “Breathlessly,” Claudia Faniello

Claudia Faniello comes from a performing family (her brother, Fabrizio, represented Malta in 2006), and she has tried over ten times to get to Eurovision herself. Claudia is a lovely singer, but I don’t think 2017 is her year. You can watch “Breathlessly” here. 

Belgium: “City Lights,” Blanche

This was one of the most-talked about songs of the year before Eurovision rehearsals started. It’s modern and cool, something you might actually hear on the radio. But poor Blanche lacks stage presence and isn’t very good live. Too bad, because “City Lights” is a great song.  

The Netherlands: “Lights and Shadows,” O’G3NE

O’G3NE (pronounced “ogene”) is made up of the three Vol sisters, Shelly, Amy, and Lisa. “Lights and Shadows” was written for them by their dad, and they all perform it beautifully. Watch O’G3NE here. 

San Marino: “Spirit of the Night,” Valentina Monetta and Jimmie Wilson

Valentina Monetta, the pride of San Marino, returns to the Contest for a record-shattering FOURTH time. This year, she’s joined by an American singer, Jimmie Wilson. These two really have zero chemistry, and the song missed the mark on nearly every level. Which is why I LOVE it. 

[mirai-desu]

Honoring the Eurovision Song Contest Songs 2020

France 🇫🇷

“Mon Alliée (The Best In Me)” by Tom Leeb

Written & Composed by Peter Boström, Thomas G:son, John Lundvik, Tom Leeb, Amir Haddad, Lea Ivanne

So I wrote this up before they swapped out the original for the revamp so the Eiffel Tower isn’t in the video anymore ;___;

Tom Leeb was internally selected by the French broadcaster, ditching the Destination Eurovision national final for 2020. This is one of the cheesiest things I have ever laid witness to, but Tom makes up for it because he is very easy on the eyes ;) That stud, singing about how I am the best of him, on the Eiffel Tower? Yes, sir! If anything, it’s a nice song for a cheesy song fanmix for your ship ;)

I then went on to explain that there was going to have a revamp with more French. Well they have released it lol. I assume this will be the version on the official album. This version is a little more acoustic and laid back and maybe less cheese but hey lol.

Favorite Part: The bridge where things get a bit more dramatic, although it was more dramatic in the original (1:53).

[oikotimes-blog]

Cyprus 2018: internal selection for the composer

Cyprus 2018: internal selection for the composer

CYPRUS – Cypriot national broadcaster seems to have confirmed that the composer of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest for Cyprus will be selected internally as INFE Greece reported earlier today.

The composer will not be (surprise, surprise) Thomas G:son but a well known and successful composer (yes, some of us speculate Alex Papakonstantinou).

In the meantime there are no changes in the plans for…

[jaeame-blog]

Eurovision 2017 odds: UK entry Lucie Jones higher than expected as bookies favourites revealed | Eurovision

The running list for Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest final has been released - and the UK is in the prime position. We're down to the final 26 countries , there'll be guaranteed yodelling and belly dancing in the final, and Lucie Jones is carrying the hopes of the nation. Macedonia's Eurovision entrant squealed with delight as her fiance proposed to her in front of an audience of millions during the second semi-final in Kiev. The ongoing dispute saw Russian entry Julia Samoilova banned from taking part in Eurovision 2017 but, despite Ukraine's troubles, many consider Kiev to be one of the best kept secrets in city break travel.

As the German entry, Levina automatically qualified for the Eurovision final. Recently the Eurovision has seen its fair share of runaway favourites clinch the title and this year Italy is definitely heading in that direction. With the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 taking place this weekend, there has been plenty of focus on past winners in recent days.Welsh singer Lucie Jones will perform 18th out of 26 acts at Saturday's grand final in Kiev, Ukraine. Hovig's track is called Gravity and it was composed respected Swedish songwriter Thomas G:son.

The French singer/songwriter was born in 1988 and comes from Lyon, in the south of France. Winning the Eurovision song contest provides a short-term boost to the winning artists' career, but very rarely results in lasting success.ITALY has chosen Francesco Gabbani to represent them at this year's Eurovision Song Contest - and he's got a free pass to Saturday's final. Alma Maquet has, as with many Eurovision singers this year, dropped her last name and is now just known as Alma. While smart observers of sequins, mid-song pitch changes and pyrotechnic feats will already have been placing their bets on who is going to win, the Contest really is all to play for until the final hours.

[eurovisionsongaday]

Fun fact: the smoke machine had a dramatic breakdown during the song, hence her disappearance in a huge smoke cloud in the first half. I like it. It looks cool and different.

[eurovisionsongaday]

And that’s it for 2010! Still got lots of upbeat tunes but people finally started letting the ballads coming back to play, and honestly the contrast it so nice.

[eurovisionsongaday]

Listen, I know that Latin pop had had some major success recently in the global pop charts. It’s still weird when Norway sends songs with Spanish.

[eurovisionsongaday]

Great song, stunning visuals, incredibly singer, this is a terrific winner!

[eurovisionsongaday]

It feels surprising to say it, but Malta 110% wins the Most and Best Use of Technology award. The LED box, the lasers, the lights, the overlays; Malta used every tool available to make the show exciting.