poptimists | Mar. 29th, 2008

I've read some concerns that this year's quality of Eurovision entrants has taken a dip from the usual, but with more entries this year than ever before, it seems unrealistic that there won't be some gems. This year could be the year that the pop diva returns to her rightful place at the top, as there are already a few great entries of this sort:

Ani Lorak - Shady Lady:

Ani Lorak is already quite well known to Europop fans as she has just missed out on representing Ukraine two times previously, and she's already one of the biggest stars in her home country. I was interested to learn that her stage name is actually a reversal of her real name, Karolina. Ukraine have done very well in recent years, with Ruslana coming first in 2004 and Verka Seduchka 2nd last year. They have an unblemished track record of reaching the final rounds, having never in their 5 years of participation been voted out in the semi-finals.

Gisela - Casanova:

The tiny nation of Andorra is not somewhere we typically look for great pop music, but in Eurovision the size of your country is no excuse not to be brilliant. The opposite of Ukraine, although they've been in the contest 4 years, Andorra have never reached the finals. I do hope this will be their chance, as this song is really poptastic, sounding like Steps on their great first album, with a sprinkling of Swedishness a la A*Teens/Da Buzz. This is the one out of all the entries I've heard so far that is always stuck in my head, and never fails to make me smile. I think it's too outdated to be a winner, but its catchiness may at last get Andorra into the finals.

Charlotte Perelli - Hero:

Melodifestivalen was all about the pop divas this year, with Sanna Nielsen winning the public vote, but Charlotte taking the overall prize due to her strong lead in the jury votes, which are still of high importance in the Swedish selection. Like Carola two years ago, Charlotte is a past winner having another try, although last time she was known by her maiden name of Nilsson. Personally I wanted BWO to win, but I'm content with Hero as well, as it's another great catchy pop song and my joint favourite of the entries I've heard so far, along with Casanova.