#swedish pianist

[i12bent]

Robert Thegerström (January 7, 1857 - 1919) was a Swedish painter who trained at the Swedish Royal Academy and then spent over a decade in Paris. During this time he befriended Anders Zorn and August Strindberg, among others.

Back home in Stockholm in the early 1890s, he continued to host salons, and he also helped found Konstnärsförbundet. He is well represented at Swedish museums, including the National Gallery at Grippsholm Slott, which holds this work:

Above: Portrait of Wilhelm Stenhammar, 1900 - oil on canvas

[higherentity]

[djfrancuz]

Roxette - Fading Like A Flover Live Mix #poprock #popular #dancepop @...

[obsessivelollipoplalala]

It's sad that Seth Everman decided to completely leave the internet, but I understand when people get tired of being in the public eye

[talesofamarigold]

Polska efter Gustav Blidström (Swedish polonaise)

Folk music is getting more and more popular. Here’s a classic polska from western Sweden!

Note: I’m not a violinist..

[beyourselfchulanmaria]

SOMEWHERE IN TIME Film Score - Roger Williams

Carl Larsson - At the Piano (1900)

[matsutoyayumi]

💕Yumi Arai Roleplay account💕

Scenario (EN): Yumi was informed about Tumblr by a fan in a grocery store, so she joins due to her interest peaking in the site💕

Scenario (JP): ユミ は、小売店のファンからTumblrについて知られていたので、彼女はサイトへの興味のピークのために彼女に加わります💕

💕 Warnings!💕

Age warning (En): Please be 15+ to interact with this account, due to the mature themes this account will use (Smoking, Drinking, Ect)

Age warning (Jp): このアカウントでコミュニケーションするには15歳以上になることをお勧めします。 (Smoking, Drinking, Ect)

Genuine Warning (En): I am Not Miss Yuming, I am just a fan from the us, I don't know how to speak English I am using a accurate japanese Translator until I learn Japanese myself.

Genuine Warning (Jp): 俺はミス・ユミンじゃない 私はアメリカからのファンで、私は英語を話す方法を知らない私は私が日本語を自分で学ぶまで正確な日本語翻訳機を使用しています。

Harassment/Not Interested (EN): If you aren't a fan of the account just block it, no one really gives a damn harassing is for weaklings anyways so don't harass this account or any other Musician Roleplay because they put lots of work and energy into making their account and don't need some annoying pricks ruining the fun.

Harassment/Not Interested (JP): あなたがアカウントのファンでない場合は、それをブロックするだけで、誰も本当に悪魔の嫌がらせを与えることは、いずれにせよ弱い人々のためにありますので、彼らは彼らの口座を作成するために多くの仕事とエネルギーを投入し、楽しみを台無しにいくつかのイライラするピックを必要としません。

💕Solo Career💕

Yumi Matsutoya (松任谷 由実, Matsutōya Yumi, born January 19, 1954), nicknamed Yuming (ユーミン, Yūmin),is a Japanese singer, composer, lyricist and pianist. Generally the writer of both the lyrics and the music in her songs,she is renowned for her idiosyncratic voice and live performances, and is one of the most prominent figures in the history of Japanese popular music.

Her recording career has been commercially successful with more than 42 million records sold. In 1990, her album The Gates of Heaven became the first album to be certified "2x million" by the RIAJ, and she has had twenty-one No. 1 albums listed on the Oricon charts.

 She is the only artist to have at least one number-one album every year on the Oricon charts for 18 consecutive years.

After gaining several years of experience as a session musician, she debuted as a singer-songwriter in 1972. During her early career, she worked under her birth name Yumi Arai (荒井 由実, Arai Yumi). In 1975, Arai became known as a composer for "Ichigo Hakusho wo Mou Ichido", a commercially successful song recorded by the folk duo BanBan. She also gained popularity as a vocalist in the same year through the success of "Ano Hi ni Kaeritai", which became her first number-one hit on Japan's Oricon Charts. Other famous songs include "Haru-yo, Koi" and "Sweet, Bitter Sweet".

She also uses the name Kureta Karuho (呉田軽穂), which is derived from the Swedish film star Greta Garbo, when offering her work to other musicians. 

In The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Japanese Culture, it is written that "Yuming incorporated influences from progressive rock and European pop to produce a sophisticated, upper-middle-class female Japanese voice and sound in a contemporary musical and journalistic world dominated by discussions of folk music and social critique. This musical idiom is generally thought to have been first realised on [...] Cobalt Hour".

The album The 14th Moon and the three albums that ranked in the top 10 of the Japanese charts in 1976 (Cobalt Hour, Yuming Brand, and Hikōki-gumo) "contained several songs which are considered to be early classics of the J-pop genre."

After marrying her musical collaborator Masataka Matsutoya in 1976, Arai began recording under her married name and has continued to do so. Throughout the 1980s, Matsutoya's music was prominently featured in advertisements for Mitsubishi Motors in her native Japan and her image was used to promote their vehicles. In addition to multiple hit singles, she has obtained enormous commercial success on the Japanese Albums Chart, particularly during the late 1980s and the first half of the 1990s.

The magazine Shūkan Gendai ranked Matsutoya third (behind only Miyuki Nakajima and Masayoshi Son) in a list of the smartest Japanese figures that was determined based on the criteria of "intelligence, determination, sensibility and capability".

💕Information On Yumi Arai💕

Early years

Yumi Arai was born in 1954 in Hachiōji, Tokyo. She had three brothers and one sister, and her family ran a draper shop called Arai Gofukuten, established in 1912. When she was a junior high school student, she used to go to an Italian restaurant called Chianti, which had opened in 1960. In those days, many celebrities went to the restaurant; Akira Kurosawa, Yukio Mishima, Kōbō Abe, Seiji Ozawa, Ryu Murakami, Taro Okamoto, Kishin Shinoyama, and Hiroshi "Monsieur" Kamayatsu, who eventually became her first record producer.

Alfa Music, the publishing company to which she belonged early her in career (later to become a full-fledged record label in 1977), was founded by people who were regular customers at Chianti.

Her nickname "Yuming" was given to her by Sy Chen (シー・ユー・チェン), a Chinese bassist she had a crush on when she was 13 years old. She began her music career when she was still young. At the age of 14, she worked as a musician for the first time. Having worked as a studio musician, she also wrote many original songs. When she was 17 years old, her first original song titled "Ai wa Totsuzen ni" was released. It was sung by Katsumi Kahashi, the former guitarist of the influential 1960s Japanese band The Tigers.

In April 1972, Arai entered Tama Art University. At the same time, she signed with then-publishing company Alfa as a music artist. At first, she wanted to be a songwriter. However, the founder of the publishing company, Kunihiko Murai, encouraged her to work as a singer-songwriter.

Early career; works as Yumi Arai

On July 5, 1972, Arai released her debut single "Henji wa Iranai". It was produced by Hiroshi "Monsieur" Kamayatsu, the former vocalist of The Spiders. Released by Toshiba EMI, the label to which she would be affiliated and release all her albums throughout her career, under its Liberty sublabel (with Alfa acting as publishing company), her first single sold only 300 copies. (It would later feature in re-recorded form on her debut LP, Hikō-ki Gumo.)

She recorded her first full album, Hikō-ki Gumo, with the band Caramel Mama, better known as Tin Pan Alley, which consisted of Haruomi Hosono, Shigeru Suzuki, Tateo Hayashi and Masataka Matsutoya, and it was released by Toshiba EMI under its Express sublabel in November 1973; the title track (and lead-off track) was later used as the theme song for the movie The Wind Rises (2013). For her next album, MISSLIM, (1974), Masataka Matsutoya, who was the keyboardist of Tin Pan Alley, arranged all of her songs. Her third studio album, Cobalt Hour (1975), features her early famous song "Sotsugyō Shashin". The same year, it was covered by the chorus group Hi-Fi Set (who also performed on the original song) on their first album with the same name. That cover version also succeeded as a single. In later years, it was covered by many Japanese artists and became one of Japan's classic pop songs. The same year, the male folk duo BanBan recorded her song "Ichigo Hakusho o Mou Ichido" and reached number one on the Oricon chart. Because of the commercial success of other artists, she became famous as a songwriter.

Yumi achieved moderate success with her fifth single, Rouge no Dengon ("Rouge Message"), an up-tempo song considered to be a proto J-Pop classic. She gained a television appearance singing this song with the top Japanese girl group of the time, Candies, and the song has been covered by a number of artists over the years.

Her first top hit as a singer-songwriter was her sixth single "Ano Hi ni Kaeritai". In August 1975, it was used as the theme song for the TBS TV drama Katei no Himitsu. Two months later, it was released as a single and reached the top of the Oricon chart. The 14th Moon (1976), her final album as Yumi Arai, featured Leland Sklar on bass and Mike Baird on drums. Since this album, Masataka Matsutoya has produced all her albums himself. She considers her nickname "Yuming" to also mean the name of the union with her husband. Following the success with "Ano Hi ni Kaeritai", it became her first album to reach number one on the Oricon chart. Besides, in the end of the year chart in 1976, three of her albums (Cobalt Hour, Yuming Brand, and Hikō-ki Gumo) ranked in the top 10.

 Four years after her debut, she dominated the Japanese album charts. This astonishing record has never been broken by anyone since.

In 1989, her fifth single, "Rouge no Dengon" (from her third album), and third single, "Yasashisa ni Tsutsumaretanara" (the version used was from her second album), were featured as the theme songs of the film Kiki's Delivery Service. Nowadays, those tunes are known as her early notable songs.

Some of her songs were deeply influenced by many American and European musicians, such as Joni Mitchell and Carole King. As a pioneering singer-songwriter who mixed Western culture and Japanese pop, she left a strong impression on Japanese popular music.

Works as Yumi Matsutoya

After marrying Masataka Matsutoya on November 29, 1976, she had considered retirement. But eventually she decided to continue to work as a musician, performing under her married name. In 1978, her memorable first album as Yumi Matsutoya, entitled Benisuzume was released. In the late 1970s and early 80s, she released two albums every year. However, those albums were less successful than the ones she released when she was single. Nevertheless, she wrote several of her well-known songs during those years, and her albums reached the top 10 on the Oricon chart.

Before the release of Benisuzume, a compilation named Album was released by Toshiba EMI. It mainly contained songs she had released as Yumi Arai, and two songs released as singles only. Matsutoya didn't want to release this compilation; in her autobiography released in 1982, she writes about this album and calls it "The biggest stain on my music career."

 Because of this, she never allowed the release of another compilation album until 1998. However, her ex-record-label-and-publishing-company Alfa Records had, after 1977 (when Alfa finally established itself as an independent record label), released many compilations which consisted of her old tunes without her permission. Hence, in the late 1990s, she bought the copyrights of all her songs that she had written under her maiden name; helping in this decision was the fact that Toshiba EMI had by then regained control, in 1994, of the Alfa catalogue, including the albums released by Toshiba EMI while Alfa was still a publishing company, thus her early catalogue being spared of Alfa's 2001 sale to Sony after Alfa faced financial difficulties.

Her tenth album, Surf and Snow (1980), changed the negative tide for her. When the album was released, it did not sell as well as others had previously. However, in 1986, "Koibito ga Santa Claus" became popular as the theme song for the hit movie ''Take Me out to the Snowland [jp] (私をスキーに連れてって, Watashi wo Ski ni Tsuretette.) （1987）. The album eventually sold over 400,000 copies. In 1981, she returned to the top of Japanese pop music. Her husband wrote the score for the movie Nerawareta Gakuen, which was directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi and distributed by Kadokawa Pictures. She wrote "Mamotte Agetai" as the theme song for the movie. The single of this song reached number two on Oricon and sold nearly 700,000 copies. Following the success of the single, her eleventh album Sakuban Oaishimasho (1981) became her second number one album. From that year through 1997, 17 consecutive studio albums she released reached number one on the Oricon charts.

Ian Martin of The Japan Times wrote in 2016, "At the same time she was contributing to Matsuda's record-breaking run of No. 1 hit singles, Matsutoya’s own work retained an almost militant focus on albums, and the balance she struck between commercial success and artistic integrity is a source of inspiration to many aspiring musicians."

In 1982, she published an autobiography, Rouge no Dengon. In this book, she wrote about her life in an exaggerated style. She contemplated doing the artwork on her own albums. The artwork of the album Sakuban Oaishimasho (1981) was designed by Hipgnosis, and the video Compartment was produced by Storm Thorgerson, Aubrey Powell and Peter Christopherson. A logo design from the latter film also became the logo of "Yuming", and was used as the cover of the 1984 album No Side. Aubrey Powell and Richard Evans of Hipgnosis also designed the cover of the 1983 album "Voyager". Since the 1970s, she has also been famous as an artist who performs in concerts using gorgeous and novel sets. She used elaborate visual technology on the stage and it is said that they cost over a hundred million yen. She has released two live albums and several videos. In 1986, she released her first live album, Yuming Visualive DA-DI-DA,. It was released on CD and cassette tape only, and it became one of the rarest items among her fans for many years

💕Discography💕

Hikō-ki Gumo (1973) (credited to "Yumi Arai")

Misslim (1974) (credited to "Yumi Arai")

Cobalt Hour (1975) (credited to "Yumi Arai")

14-banme no Tsuki (The 14th Moon) (1976) (credited to "Yumi Arai")

Benisuzume (1978)

Ryūsenkei '80 (1978)

Olive (1979)

Kanashii Hodo Otenki (The Gallery in My Heart) (1979)

Toki no Nai Hotel (1980)

Surf and Snow Volume One (1980)

Mizu no Naka no Asia e (1981)

Sakuban Oaishimashō (1981)

Pearl Pierce (1982)

Reincarnation (1983)

Voyager (1983)

No Side (1984)

Da-Di-Da (1985)

Alarm à la mode (1986)

Diamond Dust ga Kienumani (Before the Diamond Dust Fades...) (1987)

Delight Slight Light Kiss (1988)

Love Wars (1989)

Tengoku no Door (The Gates of Heaven) (1990)

Dawn Purple (1991)

Tears and Reasons (1992)

U-miz (1993)

The Dancing Sun (1994)

Kathmandu (1995)

Cowgirl Dreamin' (1997)

Suyua no Nami (The Wave of Zuvuya) (1997)

Frozen Roses (1999)

Acacia (2001)

Wings of Winter, Shades of Summer (2002)

Yuming Compositions: Faces (2003)

Viva! 6×7 (2004)

A Girl in Summer (2006)

Soshite Mouichido Yumemiru Darou (And I Will Dream Again...) (2009)

Road Show (2011)

Pop Classico (2013)

Uchū Toshokan (Universal Library) (2016)

Shinkai no Machi (2020)

💕Other Roleplay Accounts💕

@gardengrampa

@bikinikillhanna

@theeverglades

@gwenstefoubt

💕Roleplay friends💕 (From other accounts I rp on)

George Account

@john-winston-ono-lennon

@totallypaulmccartney

@ringo-starboy

Kathleen Hana Account

@t0bi-is-cool

Gwen Account

@t8yl0r-8

@sid-0

@joeynumbr1

@mrparadisecity

Graham Coxon

@iampamelaanderson

[valentine-cafe]

˖⁺. we're gonna get sky-high & create a new world .𖹭 ݁

﹙ meet the admins. ﹚ ─── get to know us 𖹭 ” 

  . . . eden rose !! 🍰 :

writer and aspiring artist, editor who pulls her hair out over aesthetics a bit too much. they call me the aesthetic demon and angst monster 🩷 

the pink enthusiast on this blog <3

indian ( a strange mix of north and south bc of families mixing )

I’m a native english speaker who can speak some hindi and tamil, brushing up on my telegu. I'm a bg language learner! learning variations of spanish, italian ( hopefully ) but primarily chinese and arabic ( CRIES )

pansexual aromantic and female

lovvvesss SWEETS, a bit of a cookiemonster 

former fencer and pianist, music composer and dramatic arts student ( STEM MAJOR AND HATED IT IIIII BELONG TO THE LITERATURE )

aspiring to be an english literature or creative writing professor 

I’m a pink fairy<3 ( or so howl says )

really don’t like moths, or the dark or the ocean -

adore flowers! roses especially

love cooking but never ever let me because there’s always a disaster 

snakes are my babies along with fishies 

copper’s defence attorney + talisen’s 781’s wifey<3 ( sighs, just in general a whore for all the talisens/jingyis )

reaperfucker, reapersexual, reaperromantic ( haoyu is my bbg )

you can find my private blog @edensrose

help me steal a plane so I can get to my SPOUSE

 

. . . howl the eldritch !! 🍓 :

hello, I am howl. the eldritch artist, poet and writer, that was cast down to earth with a mission to spread some creativity and a little bit of chaos, but ended up being sold to an eldritch zoo in the 1950s for my crimes of writing too much hardcore angst.

bit of a blue devil if I say so myself — hand me something that is blue and I will steal it.

danish Italian ( with lots of other family in the mixing pot — hence why I speak and learn some specific languages )

as for the languages, I speak a bit of spanish, danish ( first language ), understand swedish, I am fluent in english and I am currently learning italian to reconnect with roots and I am trying to learn chinese.

unlabeled nonbinary ( they/them ) aromantic — one might notice that from time to time my mascot’s appearance changes in the art I make, depending on how I feel during the days I create.

SPICY FOOD LOVER RAAHH, give me all the spicy foods. also, licorice lover if you don’t like the salty licorice, hand it over to me <3

aspiring to be an author, graphics designer and artist that can one day teach art or share my art with the world and inspire other creators and artists.

former theatre student, I did improv and composed songs for the pieces that were made.

I am an eldritch being that follows eden around in all of her lives.

thalassophobic, also have claustrophobia, don’t like narrow stair cases that tilt.

PARENT OF TWO BEAUTIFUL CATS NAMED LUNA AND LUDO. ( yes eden is their mama )

I really like willow trees and lilies. ( all lilies really ! )

love cooking, it is one of my love languages, along with making art of the people I love!

1 ᴀʟᴇꜱꜱɪᴏ Qᴜᴇʀɪᴅᴏ ᴅᴇꜰᴇɴᴅᴇʀ  + alessio and rishen 781's SPOUTH ( I want all of dee alessios and rishens )

you can find my personal account here @bluezenzennie

the proudest whoreluthoe <3.

if you see me running down the streets at 3AM with a bunch of plane tickets, no you don’t.

 

. . . and so it begins !! 🍒 :

just two sillies who created a world together and are joined at the hip<3

we’re both 19+ 

we met via tumblr, may the fourth ( please don’t starwars jokes, we will not get them ), when howl sent some art to cheer up eden from the exam stress she was undergoing. the same day we began interacting about hobbies and ocs and our mutual interests in the fandoms we were in prior. we started chatting on discord and have been inseparable ever since 

we created this whimsical world on accident, by simply allowing our ocs to interact via tupperbots and silly headcanons. it soon turned serious when we discovered we were both fully invested in the lore of our accidentally created world and one day decided to make a blog to share it.

ever since we concluded we should make a blog, we eventually began getting bigger ideas and aspirations in our heads and we thought: “what if we made this world into a bookseries?” it was a joke at first. . . and then we spiralled down.

the world you see on this blog is only some of the new world and story to be featured in the books we are currently working on.

we are very connected to our ocs as they are the reason that we have grown as close as we have, along other personal factors. that said, it was these ocs that brought a lot of this friendship into blossom.

we are SPOUSES married with candied rings 

we keep one another out of trouble ( especially howl with eden SIGHS ) and fly around like two chaotic birdies just wishing to create and make our dreams come true. one day we hope to meet one another ( since we live on opposite sides of the entire fucking ocean )

. . . but we’ll make a plan and have fun while doing so <3

[everythingeurovision]

Iconic & Notable Eurovision Performances

In 1956 the European Broadcasting Union launched “Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne” or in English, the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Prix, as a way to test and launch international live broadcasting.  It also became a way to unite the countries together after the chaos of World War II ended in 1945. 

The initial format for the contest based on the Italian music festival “Sanremo”. Active members of the EBU and various other associates are invited to participate in the show. The most notable ones are France, Germany, the UK, Spain and Italy. These countries are known as the Eurovision's “Big 5” and make the most notable financial contributions to the EBU.  Over the years Eurovision has evolved and is now the longest running international contest that is televised. 

Despite its huge success, Eurovision has had its fair share of backlash and hatred thrown its way, some people think the music broadcasted on the show isn't good, and that the show is only using art as a way to profit from it. Others say that it’s  too long and cringeworthy. In recent years politics has become the main reason for peoples disdain towards the contest, with Russia invading Ukraine in 2022 being a huge part of the contest to as recently 2024 where many performers spoke out in support of Palestine. 

But regardless of all this, the impact the show has is undeniable, I’ll be taking a look into a few of the most impactful and noticeable performances from the competition. Some of these are winners of the contest, and some are not. To be clear, these are just what I personally feel are important Eurovision performances.

You might disagree, and that's okay

Refrain - Lys Assia (Switzerland 1956)

1956 was the first year of the competition and the only year where countries could have two entries, and Lys Assia sang both songs that were chosen to represent Switzerland; “Refrain” which was originally sung in French & “Das alte Karussell” (The Old Carousel). Originally sung in German. Since the voting was kept secret, it's unclear where Switzerland's second entry placed in the competition. 

Refrain is a chansen style song that is about lamenting the loss of adolescents and youth. It was composed by jazz pianist and composer Géo Voumard and written by Émile Gardaz, a swiss author. 

Lys Assia was still involved in the Eurovision even after her iconic win. She performed at the 50 year anniversary show in 2005, and also presented the winning trophy in 2009. She even attempted to enter the competition again in 2013, but didn't qualify.

She passed away in 2018 but is still remembered for her bittersweet performance of “Refrain”. 

Waterloo - Refrain (Sweden, 1974)

Abba could arguably be the most successful participants of the contest to date, you can say you don't listen to them, but you certainly know who they are whether you remember them from their work on the soundtrack of “Mama Mia!” or for this iconic entry that marks the first of Sweden's seven victories. 

The group was formed in 1972 when 2 married couples combined their talents together,Despite not being very well received by Swedish audiences,  the group had some moderate success before the competition, releasing songs and playing at festivals around sweden. 

They entered the Melodifestivalen (Sweden's way of picking their Eurovision entry) in 1973 with their song “Ring Ring” but didn't qualify, afterwards the band began working on their entry for the following year as they saw the potential the contest had to launch the group into the industry, and to open themselves up to an international crowd. since then the band have skyrocketed, having received many Grammy nominations and even winning various awards such as a Brit award and the AGVA's Vocal Entertainer of the Year award in 1981.

Dana International-Diva (Israel, 1998)

The 1998 Eurovision was a huge moment for LGBTQ+ representation, as it was the first time in the competition an only transgender person would compete and also win the competition. 

Yaron Cohen, known also as “Dana international” began her career in 1987 as a drag queen and had her first notable success when she launched a satirical version of Whitney Houstens “My Name Is Not Susan”. She legally changed her name and underwent gender affirming surgery in 1993 and took on the stage name “Dana international”

She first entered the Eurovision Qualifying Contest for Israel in 1995, as it had been a childhood dream to compete, but her entry for the year came second in the preselection. She would go on to release an EP and album in the following years before being chosen in 1998 to represent Israel in the 43rd year of the contest's runtime. 

Despite huge backlash from conservative communities in Europe, Dana overcame all of the pushback and took home the trophy with her song “Diva”. A song praising many strong powerful women throughout history. 

Many orthodox jews were opposed to her presence in the contest and she received a lot of death threats. This entry was the first time a Trangender person had not only been seen on the contest stage but had also won the show, making it a huge celebration for the LGBTQ community. 

Conchita Wurst - Rise Like The Phoenix (Austria,2014)

2014 was another memorable/controversial time for the contest, Austria's chose to send a drag artist as their entry for the 58th Eurovision. This made her the first drag artist to take the stage, as well as being the first artist to perform on the stage without backing vocals or dancers. 

Conchita Wurst, real name Thomas Neuwirth, is a drag artist and performer originally from Styria, Austria. Before taking on the persona of “Conchita Wurst” Neuwirth competed in an austrian talent/scouting show in 2006 and finished third, later he would go on to form a boy group known as “Jetzt Anders!”, the group would disband later the same year

It was after this he developed the persona of “Conchita Wurst” and would go on to place second place in the Austrian Eurovisons selections for 2012. Two years later she would be selected to represent Austria in the 2014 Eurovision contest with the song “Rise Like A Phoenix”, a powerful ballad about overcoming difficulties. 

Her presence and success sparked a lot of controversy among viewers, with a lot of more conservative groups taking great offence to the performer's presence. Some countries even went as far as to create and sign petitions to have the performance excluded from the broadcast. This controversy highlighted the ongoing disagreement between Eastern and Western Europe on homosexuality, but her win once again shone a positive light onto the LGBTQ+ community.

Sandra Kim - J'aime La Vie (Belgium,1986)

Belgium's Sandra Kim (real name; Sandra Caldarone) became the youngest person to compete and win the competition in 1986 at only 13 years of age. 

Born in Montegnee in Belgium, Kim started singing when she was only seven years old.  In March of 1986, she won the national selections and performed at the 30th Eurovision Contest held in Norway and took first place for Belgium making it their first and only win so far. 

The song “J’aime La Vie” is an upbeat bubblegum pop song about the joys of life and living, though at the time the song made Kim appear to be 15 years of age. Once her real age had been revealed the Switzerland began a petition to have the song disqualified from the contest. After this all a rule was brought in that all contestants had to be over 16 to compete (at least on the day of the Finals)

Dave Benton, Tanel Padar & 2XL - Everybody (Estonia, 2001)

Dave Benton made history by being not only the oldest person to claim victory at the contest, he was also the first person of colour to win the show.  The performance is Estonia's first and only win to date in the competition, which also makes it the first of the Baltic states to take home the title.

Born in 1951 on the Caribbean island Aruba, He moved to the US and performed as a backing vocalist and drummer for many artists. Afterwards, Benton would move to Estonia after marrying his wife in 1997. He has had a broad musical career partially due to his ability to speak 8 different languages. He has also had career in acting appearing in films "The Dissidents" and "Infinite Summer".

The win was a shock as Estonia didn't place in the top 10 of oddsmakers and betters. 

Despite the song's victory, it was not immediately available as a single and could only be found  as part of a compilation album released by BGM Germany. Dave Benton initially declined to perform on the song, but changed his mind a few days later when asked again.

Paul Oscar - Min Hinsti Dans (Iceland, 1997)

In 1997, Pall Oskar Hjalmtysson (more commonly known as Paul Oscar) joined the international spotlight as the first openly gay man to perform in Eurovision. Having already had national success, he was chosen to represent his home country of Iceland at the 42nd iteration of Eurovision hosted in Dublin Ireland.

Born in 1970, Oskar was a very musical child, singing and performing a lot, but was deeply affected by bullying in school. This only worsened when at the age of 16, he came out to his family as gay. In 1993 he released his album “Stu “ he soon after joined the band Milljónamæringarnir and released 2 albums with them, in 1995 he began his solo debut with the album “Palli” released under his own recording company. It went on to be the best selling Icelandic album of that year. 

He co-wrote and performed the song “Minn Hinsti Dans” representing Iceland, the performance featured four women performing with him latex acting suggestive on a sofa, while the performance only placed 20th in the semi finals, it captured the attention of viewers for its boldness, particularly among the LGBTQ audience. 

Lordi - Hard Rock Hallelujah (Finland, 2006)

The audience of the 51st iteration of Eurovision got quite the shock when Finnish metal band Lordi took to the stage with their song “Hard Rock Hallelujah”. The band are known for their extravagant monster outfits and are even known as “the Finish monsters”. The band would be crowned winners and take home Finland's first and only victory in the contest.

The band originally formed in 1996 after meeting at a KISS concert the year before. They knew early on they wanted to perform with crazy pyrotechnics and be dressed as different monsters. The costumes are heavily inspired by KISS and Horror elements. The band are never seen without the masks on, no matter what. 

Up until this time, the songs in the contest were more predominantly europop, pop or ballads. heavier and alternative genres were not seen in the contest until Lordis performance. Many called the group devil worshipers. In fact, a group of Greek priests were certain the band were satanic and told Kerrang magazine the group wasn't welcomed in the country. 

Despite this Lordi’s performance opened the doors of Eurovision for more non mainstream artists, their win and performance have had a huge impact on the way people would perceive the contest. And undoubtedly paved the way for other non mainstream artists to succeed in later shows. 

Joost Klein - Europapa (Netherlands, 2024)

This years eurovisions had a lot of really notable performances, some for good reasons, some for more controversial, I found it hard to pick one to talk about, but felt i needed to mention this years contest due to everything surrounding it, and I think the story of Joost Klein makes the most sense to mention. 

Despite many viewers choosing to boycott the show this year due to Israel's presence amidst the political climate, “Europapa” took the world by storm and spread like wildfire over social media. It was exactly the type of song you’d expect at Eurovision, an upbeat techno song about loving Europe and needing to come together during tough times. with wild and quirky stage production. 

The sentiment of needing to unite against hate was incredibly strong this year, with many performers voicing the same message in their shows. but Joost’s stage charisma and established popularity as a dutch performer made him stand out amongst the rest. Making his sudden disqualification from the contest a huge shock.

After qualifying for the grand final, a female camera woman claimed Klein allegedly made threatening remarks towards her, and after an investigation into these claims, the EBU released a statement disqualifying Joost from the final. Many fans were shocked by the news as it's the first time an act has been disqualified from the contest. 

Since then, speculation around the EBU’s decision has mainly centered around a prior incident during a press conference between Klein and Eden Golan, the Israeli representative. During this event Klein would not make eye contact with the Israeli singer, and when she was questioned on if her presence at the contest was a safety issue. Golan refused to answer but Klein pushed back, adding he felt she should. 

Joost's disqualification added even more tension to the contest this year, especially with ongoing outcry for the EBU to take a firmer stand on Israel. With the 2025 Eurovision already scheduled to take place in Basel, Switzerland, many fans will be waiting to see whether Israel will be cut loose from the competition or if History will be repeating itself.  

[beyourselfchulanmaria]

Photo /Dog said : IIRC that landscape was taken in Ireland. 👌 woof woof 🐶

🎶🎧 To listen this known violin work and look at this view of the photo … I feel It's pleasant and not cold by the sea in the winter …

Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, MWV O 14, is his last concerto. Well received at its premiere, it has remained among the most prominent and highly-regarded violin concertos. It holds a central place in the violin repertoire and has developed a reputation as an essential concerto for all aspiring concert violinists to master, and usually one of the first Romantic era concertos they learn.

and I love what Felix Mendelssohn he worked the history during the time for it about this classical work. ◠‿◠ Thanks. ˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗ Lan~*

Violin Concerto in E Minor, Mendelssohn – Daniel Lozakovich & Malta Philharmonic Orchestra

[nonspeakers-r-us]

About Me

Hello! My name is Biehtár, and I am a fully Nonspeaking Autistic person from birth. My Instagram is @nonspeakers.r.us and that's where I mainly post! I am new to Tumblr, I'm still learning my way around. About me (Autism Related): -Nonspeaking, full time AAC user -Level 3, High Support Needs -Borderline Intellectual Disability -Diagnosed at age 3 -Visibly Autistic

About me (non-Autism related): -I am Indigenous (mixed Sámi and Inupiaq) and grew up with both of my cultures -I am Visually Impaired -I love Star Wars, exotic pet care (animals that aren't dogs and cats), and jazz theory!! -I love love reptiles and birds -I am a jazz and sometimes classical contrabassist and pianist -I speak Swedish, Finnish, Northern Sámi, Inupiaq, and English! Things to Know: -I use support needs terms, and occasionally the term "low functioning" to describe myself ONLY and nobody else. -I prefer "Nonspeaking" rather than "Nonverbal" when referring to me -I do NOT reclaim the r-slur, but I do not take place in slur discourse either. -I am very new to Tumblr. I am still figuring my way around.

Happy to meet everyone!

[caviarsonoro]

Shida Shahabi: Cloud No. 26 (Piano Sonata No 26, Les Adieux, Andante) - Beethoven Recomposed

The Swedish-Iranian composer and pianist Shida Shahabi offers a contemporary reinterpretation of the "Andante" from Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat Major, Op. 81a, known as "Les Adieux." This piece, titled "Cloud No. 26," is part of Deezer's "Beethoven Recomposed" project, which celebrates the 250th anniversary of the German composer by inviting modern artists to bring their unique vision to his classical works.

In "Cloud No. 26," Shahabi preserves the melodic essence of Beethoven's original "Andante" but introduces elements of her distinctive style. She uses loops of phrases and expanded chords to create an introspective and minimalist atmosphere, reflecting her focus on simplicity and emotional depth.

The recording of the piece highlights the warmth and character of Shahabi's piano, captured intimately to allow appreciation of acoustic details and subtle nuances. This sonic closeness invites the listener to an intimate and personal auditory experience, characteristic of Shahabi's style.

Shahabi's participation in the "Beethoven Recomposed" project demonstrates her ability to merge the classical with the contemporary, bringing a fresh perspective to a historic composition. Her interpretation of "Cloud No. 26" not only pays tribute to Beethoven but also showcases her skill in reimagining classical works through her unique artistic sensitivity.

[higherentity]

[dustedmagazine]

Vilhelm Bromander — In This Forever Unfolding Moment (Thanatosis)

The descriptor “spiritual jazz” gets thrown around a lot these days. Not much of the stuff currently being made holds up to the large-band work of Don Cherry and Pharoah Sanders. The horns are too slick, the forms too prosaic and the efforts at incorporating contemporary elements just depressing. In This Forever Unfolding Moment, which has just been re-pressed by the Swedish label Thanatosis after the original 2023 edition went quickly out of print, is a study in how to do it right. Not only does it accurately trace the style’s requisite broad outlines, it has a rich relational and sonic depth patiently awaits discovery.

Bassist Vilhelm Bromander has been active on Sweden’s improvised and alternate tuning music scenes for about a decade. He’s played in lots of other folks’ bands, which will prove relevant in a bit, and he has led a few as well, but nothing like the Unfolding Orchestra. The 12-instrument ensemble’s complement is a veritable who’s who, encompassing current-generation free players such as tenor saxophonist Elin Forkelid and trombonist Mats Älekint, as well as veterans old enough to remember how a rotary dial phone feels under your fingertips, most notably bass clarinetist Christer Bothén, whom Don Cherry once sought out when he wanted to learn how to play the donso ngoni.  Saxophonist Martin Küchen is on hand to play a coarse, ecstatic alto solo, and violinist Katt Hernandez and pianist Alex Zethson offer provide idiomatically necessary textural plushness. This music covers a lot of ground, and all of its elements are in balance.

The Unfolding Orchestra is not just a band full of great players; it’s a band full of people who have histories with each other and Bromander, so that his prior explorations of South African and European post-bop jazz and free improvisation resonate throughout the stately, six-part horn charts and the roiling rhythmic undertow achieve by twinned drummers Anton Jonsson and Dennis Egberth. Druhpad singer Marianne Svašek, who has been Bromander’s tutor in the Indian vocal tradition, introduces the side-long title piece with an exquisitely centering passage for voice and tampura, which passes the torch to Emily Strandberg’s trumpet, which in turn ushers in the complete ensemble.

Bromander doesn’t step to the fore until the beginning of side two, when his solemnly plucked opening statement unlocks the album’s most turbulent moments on “Låt Våra Tårar Bli Våra Vapen” (“Let Our Tears Be Our Weapons”). The music’s intensity does not express energy for energy’s sake, but expresses the stormy point of an ultimately transcendental narrative. “Blommor Och Bröd” (“Flowers And Bread”) closes the album with an expression of serenity glimpsed, but not grasped. In This Forever Unfolding Moment doesn’t just get the sounds right; it projects the necessary spirit.

Bill Meyer

[blood-darkened-moon]

Some Alfred and Alexia Ashford headcanons, but not related to twincest.

Sure! And you know what? I wanted to do some general headcanons for a while anyway.

Alfred

His full name is Alfred Edward Arthur Hamish Ashford.

Alfred’s IQ as an adult is high enough to be considered a genius.

Alfred likes his coffee black with a bit of sugar. He prefers tea to coffee, though.

He’s an early bird, he likes to get up early and go to bed early. However, in reality, Alfred usually gets up early, goes to bed late, and is often somewhat sleep deprived. Sometimes, he takes a nap in his office when he is too tired.

He tried to grow a beard once, which ended after a couple of weeks with some stubbles here and there. Nothing you could consider a beard. He has very little body hair in general.

He studied business administration and graduated as the best student of the year.

He’s a walking war and military history book.

Alfred owns a massive WWI and WWII-themed collection, which includes various models and original pieces from all parties. He has collectibles from other eras too. The models are from tanks, planes, armored vehicles, ships, larger weapons, and so on. Good amounts of them are self-made scale models. Alfred is very skilled in this regard. One of his maids kind of gained a friendship status by asking him frequently about the history of his collectibles.

Alfred is a decent pianist. He never had any lessons, everything is self-taught. There is still a lot of room for improvement, though.

Alfred speaks 12 languages besides English (Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian, Arabic, Indian, Polish, Swedish) more or less well, some even on the level of a native speaker and almost accent-free. He can’t write and read all of them, but at least he understands them and has a rather broad vocabulary and some basic grammar skills. His favorite language is Italian. Learning them resulted partially from his own interest, partially it was work-related, and partially he picked them up from the mercenaries. Learning new languages was always easy for him.

Harman cared for Alfred like his own son after Alexia went to her cryogenic sleep. Alfred appreciated his kindness even though he never saw him as a father figure. Still, he treated Harman a lot better than he treated his other employees. Harman was even allowed to criticize Alfred openly without fearing for his life.

Harman hated what kind of monster Alfred had become over the years, even though he never saw the worst of Alfred. He partially blamed himself for it.

Alfred did not immediately develop his split personality after Alexia was gone. It started when he was around 20. At first, it was less frequent and less intense, but later it happened more often. The intensity increased too. Most of the time, he was still there, more or less, even when he wasn’t in control. Later he sometimes had total blackouts for minutes to hours when he switched completely to “Alexia”. After Alexia returned and he started visiting a therapist, his condition improved significantly. He still has it occasionally, especially when he is stressed, and it will probably stay forever to some extent, but at least the blackouts are gone.

He has problems distinguishing between the real Alexia and his alter ego.

Alfred is quite popular among the UBCS soldiers. Despite the intense training, they have a rather good life on Rockfort Island because he invests a lot of money to fulfill their basic desires. (Actually, it’s not his money, it’s Umbrella’s money, Alfred is just good at bargaining.) The only requirement is that the soldiers follow his rules. And since Alfred loves collective punishments, that’s not too hard to enforce. The soldiers keep each other in check.

Alfred rarely interacts with the lower-ranking soldier unless he has to. It is below him. Some have never even seen him the entire time they were on Rockfort Island. However, he is less aloof with the higher-ranking soldiers. When he’s in a good mood, he even has a few drinks with them.

The giant worm is his pet. Umbrella had little interest in this BOW, too impractical for broader use. They said Alfred could have it if he wanted it. No one knows how Alfred tamed it, but it is friendly toward him and even follows simple orders.

And because Alfred is a sick fuck, have some darker headcanons too.

Most prisoners on Rockfort Island are there for interrogation. Once this is over, Umbrella doesn’t need them anymore. Obviously, they can’t let them go, so they often become test subjects, or the UBCS can use them for training. As long as they die, Umbrella doesn’t care too much about how it happens. This means Alfred can do whatever he wants with most of the prisoners.

Watching Alexander suffer after Alexia infected him filled Alfred with joy. He could have watched this for hours while smiling from ear to ear. At first, he thought it was because he finally got his revenge, but the warm feeling returned when a worker had a fatal accident in front of him.

He tortured and killed a couple of prisoners himself. It was messy, and he realized that he preferred watching rather than doing it. Then he started using other prisoners for it. He promised to let them go if they would do what he said. A lie, obviously, but they often fell for it. Or he paid the mercenaries. Most have little to no morals anyway, and it is easy work for good money. This went on until he found Enoch Stoker (the anatomist). The guy clearly wasn’t right in his head, but he was intelligent, well-educated, and most importantly, he did everything Alfred wanted. Not only that he enjoyed it. The two even became something like friends.

Alfred sometimes recorded everything, but these snuff movies never gave him the same satisfaction as live performances.

War isn’t the only topic he has a lot of knowledge about. He’s also an expert in historic torture methods and outdated medical procedures from all around the world. Alfred is aware that he probably can’t replicate all of them, but he can try.

He tried to get into big-game and trophy hunting. The animals in his mansion are his kills. Soon Alfred realized that animals don’t do it for him. He preferred prey that was more intelligent. Alfred has a private hunting ground on Rockfort Island. Stronger prisoners have a good chance of visiting it instead of his torture chamber. (His aim is a lot better when he has slept well.) He owns a mare, which he often rides while hunting.

Alexia

Her full name is Alexia Veronica Elisabeth Nora Ashford.

The cryogenic sleep made her age slower. Physically she’s about 20 years old, not 27. Mentally she obviously didn’t age during that time.

Due to the mutations from the virus, Alexia can lift 40 times her body weight like an ant.

The twins have a cook, but when Alexia has time for it, she likes doing it herself. It reminds her a bit of working in a lab. She always wears safety glasses while cooking, possible helpers must wear them too. Her cooking is pretty good.

She doesn’t like sweets particularly. Sometimes it’s ok, but most of the time, she requests fruits as dessert.

Caffeine junkie. She likes her coffee with milk and without sugar.

Alexia loves opera, musicals, ballet, and concerts. She’s a good singer herself.

She is a night owl. Her sleeping schedule is slightly better than her brother’s, but not by much. She often stays up way too long and regrets it in the morning.

Alexia loves invertebrates. Ants are her favorites, but she loves other ones too. She has a large room where she keeps various species of invertebrates as pets in hundreds of enclosures. Alexia also has some beehives and started making her own honey.

She has collected porcelain dolls since childhood but has never played with them. Some are very old and rare. Her first doll was a gift from her surrogate mother. Alexia only knows this because Alexander told her so.

Alexia thought about getting into wine growing. Alfred loves wine, she loves wine, and she is generally interested in the process. So why not buy a suitable piece of land and hire some people to grow her own wine?

Alexia completed her studies mainly by distance learning. She attended the university only for exams and other events where she had to be present in person. The practical work was done in a lab in Antarctica that Alexander had built specifically for this purpose. She was still too small to work in a regular lab. After some inspections, the university allowed it. Alexia finished her Ph.D. with an A+. Her examiner didn’t go easy on her, but the defense was a breeze for Alexia regardless.

She secretly admired William Birkin. His achievements impressed her and gave her more motivation to work harder and outdo him. Alexia only met him once in person at an Umbrella intern conference shortly after she started working for them. He wasn’t very friendly, but they still debated until 4 a.m. (Alexander wasn’t with her). Both enjoyed it. Birkin would never admit it, though.

Alexia hoped Birkin would get along better with her, but she would never ingratiate herself. If he hates her, then so be it. Apparently, it doesn’t stop him from having elaborate conversations with her.

The last time she cried was when she was a baby.

She lacks a bit sense of shame. She is also uncomfortably direct in conversations, no sugarcoating, no lies to not hurt someone’s feelings.

She likes to try out new things. Even if she doesn’t like them in the end, the experience is still worth it.

Alexia has started to act more and more childish at times around people she is familiar with. As a child, she was dead serious. That’s how she was brought up, that’s what people expected of her. But now, she’s an adult, rich, and can do whatever she wants. And if necessary, Alexia can switch back to serious in a matter of seconds.

Alexia is fascinated by mundane things, like supermarkets. She never had these in Antarctica, and during the rare occasions Alexander took her somewhere else, they stayed far away from such places.

Both

Alfred was born first, Alexia 7 min later. Their birthday is the 27th of January, 1971.

Alexander took the DNA from Edward and Veronica to create the twins. That’s also where their second names are coming from.

They have platinum blonde hair and pale blue eyes. The twins resemble Edward more than Veronica.

They can read the other one so well that they can’t lie to each other. Sometimes it works for minor things, usually, it doesn’t.

Harman started his own investigations after Alexander’s disappearance. He found out what the twins did to him but never said anything. Harman thought it was unnecessarily cruel, and still, he could somewhat understand them. Despite his good intentions and all that he provided for them, Alexander was a terrible father. Harman felt sorry for the twins most of the time.

They tend to talk about other people who are right in front of them as if they are not there. They don’t mind if these people find it unpleased.

In any kind of competition, the twins never let the other win. They consider it disrespectful not to give 100%.

The twins often play chess together. When they were children, Alexia used to win all the time. Alfred improved a lot over the years, but he could never defeat her. As adults, it’s the opposite. Alexia tried many strategies, but she wasn’t able to beat Alfred once.

Alfred and Alexia started fencing as a hobby. Both are equally good. Often, they use the floret. Sometimes, they also try rapiers or sabers.

They like to travel and do sightseeing. Alexander rarely took them anywhere, and there wasn’t much to see in Antarctica.

Both work a lot. Alexia thought they could need more time to relax, so she introduced a spa day for them once a month. She also hoped that it would have a positive effect on Alfred’s mental health.

Alexia drags Alfred into everything that sparks her interest, like museums or theaters, and, to his dismay, into amusement parks, shopping malls, or supermarkets as well. Sometimes he can convince her not to go there, but not very often. If she really wants it, he gives in and accompanies her. Alfred’s worst experience so far was when Alexia dragged him into a strip club.

[honoringthor]

Decided to look up places my ancestors come from for some reason. 💀.

I ran into some problems like places don’t really exist anymore which didn’t help. A DNA test I took It said I’m 30% Swedish and Danish which I was confused until I remembered England and Scotland were colonized by them at some point. None of the records on Ancestry mention anyone from either country so I’m assuming they were descended from settlers.

This is what the records do say.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇩🇰 🇸🇪 🇩🇪 🇵🇱 🇺🇸

🇵🇱 Turns out Some of my ancestors were Pomeranian. Particularly Köslin, Krazkowo, Pechowo, and (Neu Quitzen In Kolberd Korlin.

🇩🇪 I also have German Ancestry. Some of my family came from Baden-Württemburg, probably came from Endingen and Freiburg. Others came from Tellow(?) Rostock in Meklenberg Vorpomment, Traunstein in Bavaria.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 In the UK I have people from Ewell in Surrey, Walton on Trent, Maulden in Bedfordshire, Baldersby and Skelton in Cleveland, Rillington, Settrington, Thrilby, Cryke, North Yorkshire, Liverpool in Lancashire, Bromham in Wiltshire. So most of my English ancestors are from North Yorkshire.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 There’s some Scottish from Ross and Cromarty

🇮🇪 The Kanes are apparently from Northern Ireland but the records weren’t specific.

🇫🇷 And some French from Alsace-Lorraine and Bordeaux but I’m not sure where.

Some of the surnames are a challenge too. Not just because a lot of them were changed. (Know they don’t indicate I’m related to a person). I like to learn about first names too. It’s kind of interesting how many anti Semitic people have tweaked versions of Hebrew names.

Burgun for example was changed from Burgung and Burgoyne. Apparently it means from Burgundy.

🇨🇭 Huntsinger was changed from the Swiss Hunziker. Many of them were refugees that settled in Bavaria and Alsace-Lorraine. (I’m pretty sure I’m not related to the gospel Pianist). The origin of the surname is disputed, some say it’s related to breeding dogs others say it means “from Huzikon,”formerly Hunzingun. The weird thing is, that dna test indicates Switzerland is practically to only Scandinavian country I don’t have Genes from.

I can’t find anything about Nuenfeldt, I can’t even pronounce Czajkowski yet.

Despite my curiosity, I don’t really feel urge to go to these places and bother the people there. It would be cool to check out the museums if they have one. Thrilby only has less than 200 people in it as of 2011 so they might not.