MY STOCKHOLM SUGGESTION BOX | Darin for Sweden
The fun-filled days of adding artists to our ‘Destination: Vienna’ wishlists may be over – but that just means it’s time to start speculating which European music sensations might grace Stockholm with their presence. Or, more accurately, making it very clear which of our personal favourite acts from the continent simply MUST represent their country in Sweden, OR ELSE.
For me, profiling a potential Eurovision rep is basically an excuse to ramble on about an artist I adore for an exceedingly lengthy amount of screen space…and in case you hadn’t guessed, that’s what I’ll be doing today. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Way back in the lead-up to Eurovision 2015, I was hoping for Finland’s participant to be Robin Packalen, and for the UK to select The Saturdays. Sadly, neither of those wishes came true. But I’ve picked myself up, dusted myself off and decided to angle for another of my favourite artists to aim for Eurovision 2016, via an article full of flattery. And I couldn’t start this season’s so-called suggestion box with any other nation but our host, Sweden!
Given their recent run of results, I don’t think Sweden really need my help in order to choose a great entry, but they’re getting it anyway. My ideal pick for the Land of Loreen is an artist I’ve been fangirling over for years, and someone who has actually attempted to represent Sweden in the past. I think he’d do a damn good job of it if a second attempt became a successful one – so, if he’s willing, can I/we please have…
WHO? WHERE? WHAT?
Darin Zanyar was born in Stockholm, destination of Eurovision 2016 (that’s got be some kind of sign), twenty-eight years ago – and for eleven of those years, he’s been one of Sweden’s biggest, brightest and best-selling artists. He’s also spent a heap of that time doing double duty as a singer and a songwriter, penning tracks for himself and for a myriad of other musos.
You might not have predicted such a future for him if you’d tuned into Sweden’s first series of Idol in 2004, and witnessed the gangly, softly-spoken 17-year-old audition for the judges with an N*SYNC song (which totally gets my tick of approval).
But, after destroying his competition week after week (competition that included future ESC champ Loreen) Darin became the true winner of Idol ’04…by finishing second. Losing to man who nobody remembers (Daniel Lindström, for the record) turned out to be the launching pad for one heck of a career. It began with a signature on a BMG recording contract shortly after Idol ended, then continued with the release of Darin’s first single in early 2005: ‘Money For Nothing’. The song was co-written by Swedish superstar Robyn, as well as Danish Remee (host of Junior Eurovision 2003 and co-writer of multiple ESC entries, including Anti Social Media’s ‘The Way You Are’) and it earned Darin his first-ever #1 single and platinum certification.
His debut album The Anthem followed, also topping the charts in his homeland – and the trend continued with his second, self-titled album, also released in 2005 (he wasn’t a stereotypical lazy teenager, that’s for sure). Darin spawned three top ten hits, including the #1 ‘Step Up’.
Album number three, 2006’s Break The News, followed suit, but fourth album Flashback was Darin’s poorest-performing release, failing to climb higher then tenth on the Swedish charts. It did, however, feature another #1 single in ‘Breathing Your Love’, a duet with American singer Kat DeLuna.
After appearing as a Melodifestivalen interval act in 2009, Darin made the decision that many well-known Swedish acts had made before him, and opted to enter the comp himself in 2010. Performing one of my all-time favourite songs, ‘You’re Out Of My Life’, he progressed direkt til Globen, eventually finishing fourth in a strong final.
After Darin’s Melfest participation, he became known as ‘The Lord of the Wind Machine’.
Despite not making it all the way to Eurovision, he bounced back with another #1 album later that year: Lovekiller, which featured his Melfest entry, a (love)killer title track, and his hugely successful cover of Coldplay’s ‘Viva La Vida’. Darin co-wrote eight of the ten songs on this album, including ‘Can’t Stop Love’, written especially for the wedding of Sweden’s Princess Victoria. In 2011, he also co-wrote the winning single of Idol’s Amanda Fondell (who would go on to participate in Melodifestivalen herself).
In 2012, Darin appeared on reality show Så Mycket Bättre (So Much Better), tasked with covering the hits of a bunch of fellow Swedish musicians – and to cut a long story short, he nailed his assignment every week. The following year, he unveiled his sixth studio album and fifth #1 album in total, Exit; and appeared on the Eurovision stage during Malmö’s second semi final, alongside the amazing Agnes. There, he performed ‘Nobody Knows’ – shockingly, another #1 single – and ‘So Yours’. As I cried with happiness.
Fast forward to 2015, and there’s another Darin album on the horizon – but it’s not in the usual English-language, R&B/dance-pop mould. Having made the switch to Swedish and adopted a folksy flavour that fits him pretty well, he’ll release Fjärilar I Magen (Butterflies in the Stomach) in September. At this point, it’s already produced two massive hits in ‘Ta Mig Tillbaka’ and ‘Juliet’. It seems there’s no slowing Darin down, and no pigeonholing him when it comes to the type of artist he is, either. I accept that his music may not be everyone’s plate of IKEA meatballs, but I for one am counting down the days to the drop of album no. 7.
SOUNDS LIKE…
That depends on the time period you’re talking about. Early-days Darin was a record company’s dream – young, inexperienced, and therefore profitable putty in their hands. Seeing as he’d taken on N*SYNC for his Idol audition, he was shaped into a one-man boy band, sound-wise. Poppy melodies with an R&B edge and emotive ballads were once the bulk of his repertoire. As time went on, record company moves were made and experience in the music industry grew, and Darin settled on an arena pop/dance pop feel for his albums. Lovekiller was all about big choruses and layers of instrumentation, whereas Exit‘s focus was slickly-produced club tracks.
These days, as I mentioned before, Darin’s taken a completely new direction with his sound. Now writing songs that are heavily influenced by folk music, he’s stumbled upon an authenticity that works very well for him. As much as I love everything he’s produced in the past, I have to admit that his latest few singles have more substance, and tell more of a tale, than any that came before them.
To make this post more Eurovision-related, allow me to give you an indication of Darin’s past and present style based on some ESC entries. If you liked Russia 2006 and Moldova 2015, teenage Darin is for you. If you liked Norway 2012 and Ukraine 2013, try him circa 2010-2013. If The Netherlands 2012 and 2014 + Malta 2014 and Lithuania 2015 = some of your favourite entries, you’re bound to prefer him now. If that makes ANY sense at all.
DISCOGRAPHY
- The Anthem (2005) feat. ‘Money For Nothing’ and ‘Why Does It Rain’
- Darin (2005) feat. ‘Step Up’, ‘Who’s That Girl’, ‘Want Ya!’
- Break The News (2006) feat. ‘Perfect’, ‘Everything But The Girl’, ‘Desire’, ‘Insanity’
- Flashback (2008) feat. ‘Breathing Your Love’, ‘See U At The Club’, ‘What If’
- Lovekiller (2010) feat. ‘Viva La Vida’, ‘You’re Out Of My Life’, ‘Can’t Stop Love’, ‘Lovekiller’
- Exit (2013) feat. ‘Nobody Knows’, ‘Playing With Fire’, ‘Check You Out’
- Fjärilar I Magen (2015) feat. ‘Ta Mig Tillbaka’, ‘Juliet’
THE HIT LIST
‘Money For Nothing’ It’s not a musical masterpiece, but you’d hardly expect that from a seventeen-year-old’s first single. What is it, then? So 2005, and so much fun.
‘You’re Out Of My Life’ It couldn’t win in a top-notch edition of Melodifestivalen, but this beautifully-crafted ballad did win my heart FOR LYF.
‘Lovekiller’ Neither power nor passion is lacking in this not-so-cheery number. The chorus hits hard.
‘Astrologen’ A Så Mycket Bättre cover of a Magnus Uggla track, this atmospheric reworking is gorgeous. I genuinely prefer it to the original (sorry, Magnus).
‘Nobody Knows’ Well, that’s not true…we all know if we were watching Eurovision 2013’s second semi. Anyway, this is a top-notch dance anthem with a super-energetic tempo.
‘Ta Mig Tillbaka’ Simple and sentimental, this has been a big hit for Darin in 2015, suggesting that many of us can identify with wanting to go back in time every now and then *sniff*.
WHY EUROVISION?
If they stopped partying for a second in the wake of their Eurovision 2015 win, Sweden may have offered their condolences to host country Austria on their worst-possible result – all the while expecting a different outcome for themselves when they take over hosting duties next year. There’s no way SVT’s main man Christer Björkman will want to see Sweden on the bottom of the scoreboard, either on home ground or anywhere else. If Darin were to enter and win Melfest 2016, I have no doubt he’d put a smile on Christer’s dial by finishing in a galaxy far, far away from Nul Pointsville. Here’s why.
- He’s a seasoned performer with countless live performances and tour dates under his H&M-brand belt. He’d have no trouble dealing with the media, intense rehearsals or the pressure to not faceplant on stage in front of thousands of people.
- He’s got great live vocal chops, having been the runner-up in a TV talent contest. And, since he made it to the final of Idol when he was a teenager, there’s no doubt he could handle competition as an adult.
- He’s tried to represent Sweden before, so he’s obviously not averse to adding ‘Eurovision participant’ to the Employment History section of his resume. His appearance as an interval act in 2013 is also proof of this.
- He’s already known to Eurovision fans as a result of that interval act, which could give him some support to start off with (á la Conchita).
- What with his current folk-flavoured fixation, he could serve up a host entry that stands out – particularly if it’s in Swedish, which we haven’t heard on the ESC stage since 1998.
PS…Darin’s new album drops on September 25th. That’s conveniently after September 1st, after which any song publicly aired or published can theoretically enter the following year’s ESC. So do the right thing, Darin – take the best track from Fjärilar I Magen that hasn’t been released as a single pre-September, and enter Melfest with it!
Update…What I meant to say (having forgotten about the ‘no publishing/airing before Melfest itself’ rule SVT are fond of, until I was reminded in the comments) is do the right thing, Darin – bask in the success of your new album, and then write a brand new non-album single to enter Melfest with. Is that really too much too ask?
BUT WAIT…THERE’S MORE!
If you’re keen for further info on Mr. Zanyar (which is unlikely, since I’ve forced so much of it on you today that you probably never want to see or hear his name again for as long as you live); or if you just want to see photos of him gazing thoughtfully into the distance with the Swedish sun shining on his stubble, then there’s no shortage of places you can visit to get your fix.
Official Site | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Well, I’ve had my say. Return the favour?
Who do you want to see competing in Melodifestivalen next year? In the hope, of course, that they’ll go on to become Sweden’s 2016 host entrant?
eurovisionbyjaz.com 
15 Responses to “MY STOCKHOLM SUGGESTION BOX | Darin for Sweden”
[…] far this season, I’ve suggested that Darin (my favourite popstar on the planet) should put his name down for Melodifestivalen 2016, and in the past I’ve singled out Robin Packalen and The Saturdays as artists I’d choose to […]
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Well, Amy, if you smuggle the FM song, then it’s only fair that you select the song! You can take your favourite one, if you like! I’ll be absolutely fine with it because I like almost everything they did from circa 1977 until today. I can never be very critical with them, cause they are THE greatest band on this planet, IMO! What I find so special about them is that they form a band of 5 individual solo artists and three different front singers with a totally different sound of their voices. That gives us their wide range and variety of songs.
For my taste it would be a song from the album “Tango in the night”, my favourite one of them (I already gave my No. 1 song of them away, but I also love “Seven wonders”, “Every where” and “Isn’t it midnight”).
To me, it’s just important that we have one of their songs on the trip, which one, I’ll leave that up to your decision! You can’t go wrong here, at least not for my taste 😀. But be careful with the smuggling, it mustn’t be noticed 😊!
I like Christine’s solo album, too, although it was absolutely unrecognized in 2004, totally undeserved, if you ask me! That is ‘quality music’!
Flo’s 3rd album is a grower album, while the other two were ‘love at first listen’, I’d say!
Of course, 3 out of 3 in my ranking, too!
Agree, “Birds” surely is not Anouk’s strongest song, but it brought the Netherlands back into the final game. I always have to think of the Hitchcock movie, when I hear that song, although it sounds more like a dark “Mary Poppins” fairytale. My favourite from Anouk is her Dutch No. 1 called “Lost”; maybe you like that one a bit more?!
Viele Grüsse in die Staaten und bis bald,
😉
Wolf
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Glad you made it back on your feet all by yourself Jaz. I agree 100% that Eurovision has a funny way of altering one’s mindset. As a child I was exposed to more “classic” country like Dolly, but then honky tonk stuff came on and it is not music to my ears. I’ll give a quality song its due no matter what genre.
Oh Wolfgang, I feel better that I’m not the only one with mixed feelings about Flo’s latest. “What Kind of Man” is my favorite from HBHBHB (especially when the volume is at full blast) and the rest feels like a wet towel was dropped on my hopes. The album still deserves more listening time before a final pass/fail decision is made. Early thoughts are it will still be 3 out of 3 in her album ranking.
Florence and Fleetwood Mac on are on the all-time wish list to see in person. I was working in a library when Christine McVie’s “In the Meantime” album (2004) was released and figured I should check it out since I was already a FM fan. And with that voice I was hooked!
Anouk’s smokey vocals are compelling even if I find ‘Birds’ drab most of the time. I would definitely listen to more of her and Ilse.
The final question is: which Fleetwood Mac song would be smuggled on to the playlist?
😉
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Now Amy, I must tell you we’re really syncy concerning our non-Eurovision musical taste:
Firstly, I LOVE Fleetwood Mac and the voices of Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie, but I adore Lindsay Buckingham as much as one can adore an artist for his brilliant guitar play. He’s the best one on this planet, IMO, especially when he does his ‘Big love’ all alone on stage during their concerts. I visited their only German concert in Cologne last June and it was absolutely amazing. Maybe you could smuggle just one song from them onto your playlist for the ‘Nullarbor’ trip? That would make my day 😀!
Then, one of my favourite ‘guilty pleasure’ songs of all-time is called “Islands in the stream” from Dolly and Kenny. I love that song maybe because it’s a composition from the Bee Gees who did some of the best songs in music history, IMO! And I always enjoy to hear this song on karaoke nights when it’s sung in a good way 😃!
Same as you, I liked “Lungs” and “Ceremonials” by F & TM VERY much, but I’m not so convinced about her latest album. It’s not a bad album, but still not as good as it could possibly be!? Still I love “Queen of peace” a lot; that should be released as a single some time soon, I hope!
And finally, Ilse DeLange and Anouk are my favourite Dutch Eurovision artists by now, and CATS (not Cats 😊) is a perfect and beautiful song, like a warm summer breeze on a road to nowhere (Hey, that one should go on the Nullarbor trip playlist, it would fit perfectly, wouldn’t it). So I’m on your #teamdonotdisturbwhenlistening when this one’s on the radio.
Thank you so much for sharing your awesome list of artists here. Such a big surprise (that I am not the only one loving Fleetwood Mac) and a great choice of yours!
Have a good day and until next time!
Wolfgang 😉
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Outside of the shock of me liking TMT, I’ll also add the Common Linnets to the list. As ESC Grand Final 2014 voting wound down and I realized the Netherlands would/might win I was surprisingly at peace with whichever result came to pass. “Calm After the Storm” is on the “do not disturb when listening” list of ESC songs.
Do you need help up off the floor?
Just for kicks, I enjoy Fleetwood Mac, Dolly Parton, and llllooooooooovvvvve Florence + the Machine (that was her wailing the ‘love’ part). Though I am having trouble getting into a groove with “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful’ at the moment. C’mon Flo.
I’ve seen plenty things worse than hives. You can’t scare me. 😉
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Indeed, I’ve just come to after discovering that you’re NOT immune to 110% of countrified muzak. But I’m back on my feet, so no help required!
I think Eurovision has a funny way of opening one’s musical mind to genres that one had always been convinced one detested (shall stop talking like the Queen now). E.g. I’m not a rock music fan per se, but that doesn’t include ‘Eurovision rock’ (when I admit that I get a kick out of the Czech Republic’s debut, people are shocked). Then again, there are the schlager devotees who wish every entry every year could be popped straight out of the Carola ‘Invincible’ mould…
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[…] ← MY STOCKHOLM SUGGESTION BOX | Darin for Sweden […]
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Greets Jaz, and, my (actually your) words!
After reading the unauthorized fan account of Darin I’m 100% convinced Sweden should skip Melfest 2016 entirely. Darin you may pass go and collect the entry to ESC 2016. Side note: I understand one in every three US citizens is running for president in 2016. Surely one of them could use your convincing verve on the campaign trail. If you dare. 😉
As for my take on Darin, once the dust settled, I’m definitely in favor of tracks similar to ‘Ta Mig Tillbaka’ . Most of the songs I found generic, for my tastes, but vocally I wouldn’t be adverse to hearing him in a format similar to TMT.
My list of Melodifestivalen hopefuls is null due to be hopelessly out of date at the moment. Thankfully, Wolfgang has provided another list to chew and review! Otherwise I agree with one of the Twitter comments about Molly Sanden as a possibility or I’d love to see Nanne back in the fold for my own outlandish entertainment. And Magnus Carlsson of course! He could be there every year and it would be delightful.
Since my time has been more like a whimper lately, I’ll jump tracks here to briefly dwell on the Throwback Hungary review and Doppelganger posts. Was there any doubt Hungary would have beautiful taste from the beginning of their Eurovision saga? I love these type of posts (and someone else digging up all the info); it makes me almost yearn for the good ol’ “quieter” days of the contest. Frederika has the better of Boggie in any matchup. #captainobvious
In the doppelganger category, the most concrete observation I made was Nina Sublatti could be the granddaughter/DG of Lynda Carter, aka Wonder Woman. The fierce bird-of-prey look and neutral colors offer a modern, more intimidating version of heroism. Or at the very least the ability to easily take out an over enthusiastic dry ice technician.
Until next time, or three posts from now (I hope not!),
Amy
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I’m both proud and sorry of this Swedish sales pitch I inflicted on you guys, but thanks for reading it of your own free will. I must frown upon your suggestion that Melfest 2016 should be skipped entirely, however. The horror of the mere notion has me breaking out in hives, if that’s not too much info for you. Not that I have a problem with routinely giving out too much information, as you well know by now 😉
‘Ta Mig Tillbaka’ tickled your fancy? Really? After your callous rejection of my Russian country covers album (feat. Dima Bilan and the Buranovskiye Babushki, if I remember correctly) recently? *Insert shocked face here*.
I’d be happy with Molly Sandèn as an alternative too, and I figure she’s more likely to take on Melfest again at this point, assuming she has more music up her sleeve than her new EP includes. And I’d accept Mr. Carlsson too, so long as he brings Tommy the Viral Interpreter with him!
PS – I hope you don’t mind me filing that Sublatti/Carter likeness away for a future doppelganger post. I need all the help I can get.
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Hej Jaz,
what an epically long tribute to ‚Darin‘, now we know about everything (and more) about his musical biography. I took my time to read it all (which unfortunately took some time ;-(!) and liked it really much. You actually should become a music journalist and roll out your own magazine, maybe THE Eurovision magazine?! Be sure that I would be your first subscriber ;). I guess Darin will be very proud of you to get such an honorable blog of himself!?
And maybe to your surprise, I do agree to your suggestion of Darin! I think he would be a pretty good choice and a secure number for the Eurovision Top 10, maybe another win for Sweden on home soil (He could take the tram to the ‘Globen’, which would increase the budget of SVT, not?)! But I must admit that I doubt that a) Sweden would want to win again so close after their current victory because the ESC is so expensive, and b) that Darin will participate in next year’s Melfest because of his much too early release of his new album in September. Although I would like to see him again on Eurovision stage – and this time with a Swedish song. 😉
I wasn’t the biggest fan of his Melfest entry 2010, but I really loved his interval act performance (together with Agnes) in Malmö 2013! In my opinion that was the best interval act performance in a Eurovision semi final up to now (Normally the interval acts are always a bit meh!). And he is a very good singer and live performer who knows how to get the crowd going!
I can only call his albums “Break the news” and “Exit” my own, that’s why my favorite songs from Darin, not surprisingly, are “Insanity” and “Nobody knows”, while the latter I like most. I also find his Swedish songs on the “Tolkningarna” CD (“Exit” deluxe edition) very nice. I would also prefer his new sound of Swedish songs to the “one-man-boyband” style before. I would say he reached a new level here as an artist.
So I would look forward to have Darin back at the Eurovision, but apart from him I have got some other suggestions for Stockholm 2016:
1. May I reach for the stars – just for a moment? My favorite Swedish artist of all-time is Marie Fredriksson (from ‘Roxette’) and I would love to see her on Eurovision stage only once (please!). Just as an example, my favorite song by Roxette:
Or could we at least have her as THE Eurovision interval act next year, maybe with one of her Swedish songs; I’d love to see that:
2. My favorite Swedish female artist at the moment is, of course, Tove Lo, who gave me one of my favorite songs last year, that would be a very good choice for Melfest 2016 and the ESC stage:
3. I think Sweden can also risk something next year, as they are already set for the final as hosts. They could come with something strikingly different than the usual pop stuff, they normally are up to. To make that difference and show at the same time what variety of artists Sweden can offer, they could send “Xov”, who is awesome, IMO:
4. From those artists who already had their chance at Melfest in the past, I’d want Danny Saucedo to come back and rock the stage. I actually wanted him to succeed in 2011 and come to Düsseldorf, and not Eric Saade! I think his vocal AND dance performance stood out the most. This is still one of my favorite dancefloor fillers from Melfest over all:
5. And finally: this young lady already had her chance at Melfest in 2012 where she performed a song called “Why start a fire”. She would be the right artist for THE silent moment on stage with a beautiful ballad in her baggage, IMO! Maybe Lisa could sing something like this one, which is just one of my favorite songs of all-time in its original version:
That completes my suggestions for Stockholm as next year’s Eurovision capital. I’m sorry that I got sooo long again. But since Sweden has soo much to offer, I could have gone on for ages ….
I hope you will enjoy Melodifestivalen 2016 even if Darin does not participate next year. I am sure the Swedish people will choose the right song and artist ;-)!
BTW, can I wish some more countries for the SSB? What about Italy, France, the UK, Norway or Turkey? I’d love to see your choices for these countries!
Have a good [Eurovisionary] week and until next time …
Wolfgang 😉
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I think I should be congratulating you on actually reading this whole post (something I never thought would happen)…so, congratulations! If I ever do start a Eurovision magazine (which would be more like a monthly Eurovision encyclopedia) you’ll have to be part of my staff, not just a subscriber. So keep an eye/ear out for a job offer 😉
I know my Darin 2016 dreams aren’t going to come true, but it’s fun to speculate, right? And on that note, danke for your alternative suggestions – all good ones! Something weird/different from Sweden next year would be great. I do feel like they give us something a little more authentic when they’re hosting since they’re not trying so hard to succeed.
Of all your picks, I’ve got to say I’d want Danny Saucedo the most, and that I probably would have preferred him to win Melfest in 2011 too! Hopefully he looks at Sanna and Måns winning after a billion attempts, and thinks to himself ‘Well, I may as well try one more time.’ And then hopefully he’ll be the bride and not the bridesmaid yet again.
Although, I loved Lisa Miskovsky’s Melfest entry so much (and still do) that I wouldn’t mind her trying again successfully either.
AND now I’ve sampled XOV, that kind of sound wouldn’t go astray for the host entry either (I’m reminded of Aminata a bit…love it). You’re not wrong when you say Sweden has so much to offer, musically-speaking!
I will add your Suggestion Box requests to the pile, and let you know that a UK one is already in the works for late August/early September (is it really this late in 2015 already?).
Auf wiedersehen (for now) 😀
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Hmm. Vielleicht liegt es doch ‘was Darin …
(Sorry, Jäzchen – A little lame play on words for the benefit of Wolfi and your bazillions of other German-speaking followers.)
Gosh, you really know how to spruik someone. If I ever decide to run for the position of treasurer of the local Trugo club, can I hire you as my campaign manager? I’d be a shoo in!
As you know, I’m more interested in the song than the artist (yes, la di da, that hoary old chestnut), and I can’t say I’ve got any particular alternative artist to suggest, but I suspect I’d warm more to something that is in keeping with Darin’s more recent folksy style (though I’m always open to persuasion).
Yes, Christer Björkman seems pretty keen for Sweden to try to go back-to-back, apparently so they can draw level with (and eventually surpass) Ireland’s tally. But is that really what the contest’s about?? (Poor Ireland. Perhaps John and Edward could do a Threepeat?)
But BTW, speaking of alternative artists, did you happen to catch Eurovision Times’s ETSC winner?
******* SPOILER ALERT ********
Bat for Lashes from the UK with ‘Laura’. If so, what’d you think?
(Here it is on a platter, so no excuses now.)
Sia-esque, in a good way, I thought. And looking like a divinely depressed Minouche Barelli (Monaco ’67). I’d love to see more of that style in the contest.
Anyway, congrats and well done for getting such a mammoth post out in the current circumstances — I actually thought you’d still be in a period of deep and inconsolable grief, mourning the recently announced break-up of Trackshittaz. In the circumstances, you’re probably doing the right thing, though: keeping yourself active, getting on with life. The pain will eventually subside, I’m told. If not, well, perhaps just try getting totally … WOKI MIT DEIM POPO, WOKO MIT DEIM (WHOO!!-WHOO!!) (etc.).
Bis bald!
(;0P
Ali
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Mass wins may be what the contest’s about to Christer (at least in part) but you’d have to ask him! Who knows, I may be able to spot him and tackle him to the ground in Stockholm in order to ask myself. I think Sweden is so dangerous at the moment, they could focus on something entirely other than winning, and still accidentally overtake Ireland’s record. I wouldn’t mind this at all, mainly because Ireland would have no shred of smugness to cling on to when their lack of televoting-era success is questioned. ‘Whatever! We’ve still won seven times, more than ANY other country’ *blows raspberry* would turn into ‘Yeah…we should probably do something about that.’
RE: ETSC, oui oui – caught the champ, and it’s one of those songs that I know is good, but it just doesn’t do that much for me. Evidently, that was not the case for the voters, which doesn’t bode well for my chances in ETSC 4 – particularly as I’m representing poor, downtrodden San Marino. Wish me enough luck to ensure I don’t come last.
OH GOD! Just when I’d managed to block out the pain of that Trackshittaz break-up, you go and mention it, and now I’m right back in the midst of Wracking Sobsville. Thank heavens we have their poignant and thought-provoking Eurovision performance to look back on whenever we wish. Woki, woki, *sniff* woki!
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I would absolutely love it if Darin were to represent Sweden at ESC since he has been my fusband (future husband) since his first Idol-audition back in 2004. However, I want him to have a killer song. Sadly I was a bit disappointed by YOUML, and I want a better song for him. But he is among our finest artists, performance and vocal-wise so he would be a superb contestant on home soil!
P.S I believe that Melodifestivalen has strict rules about songs not being published in any way or form before the competition. You could get disqualified if you so much as reveal the title of your song beforehand (I believe Agnes learned that lesson the hard way) so I don’t think Darin could enter any songs from his new album if it comes out in september. This is why so many Melfest-artists wait to drop their new albums until after the competition 🙂
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Firstly, I’m so happy I’m not the only one who would be ridiculously happy if Darin made it to Eurovision. You guys have so much musical talent to offer, but he is the cream of the crop in my eyes (and ears).
Secondly, OH MY GOSH – I totally forgot about that Melfest rule!! #embarrassing. In light of that, the fantasy becomes even less likely than before, since Darin’s FiM does drop in September. Sadface. But hey, maybe we’ll get him in 2017? Even if he never makes an ESC attempt again, at least he did sing on the contest stage in Malmö, and we can watch that over and over (and over) again.
I think I need to let you have him as your fusband (love it) even though I did think he was mine. I didn’t even know he existed ’til about four/five years after the Idol audition, so you literally saw him first! I’ll settle for Måns instead. He can be my fansfusband (fantasy future husband).
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