Eurovision 2009: Through the Eyes of a Participant

The annual Eurovision Song Contest consists of forty-three participating nations, including most of NATO, the Eastern European block and Israel. It is one of the most anticipated television events in all of Europe, attracting anywhere from 100 to 200 million viewers worldwide on a yearly basis.

Originally conceived in 1956, as a means for peaceful reunification of European countries following the Second World War, the premier international song festival has also served as a career launching platform for some bright musical careers. Celine Dion, ABBA, Julio Iglesias and many other household names have established themselves in this massive kaleidoscope of contemporary music.

The ESC winner is determined by an hour-long (and a rather nerve-wrecking) telephone and jury voting system. There is one strict rule that no one is allowed to break - the callers cannot choose their own nation's entry. Fair enough! But the Scandinavian countries will always vote for each other no matter what, and so will the Eastern European block – over the years, the geopolitical aspect of the contest has unfortunately proved insurmountable!

Ironically, Eurovision 2009 will be taking place in the Russian capital for the first time in the 54 year history of the event, from May 12-16. And I say "ironically" because the idea of applying as either a songwriter or an artist in the national pre-selection process has never really entered my mind, until just recently.

In 1999-2000, when I was just starting out as an aspiring musician, there were casual talks in Moscow about sending me to ESC to represent Russia as its Georgian-born Russkiy citizen. However, the chances of beating famous Russian pop stars in the internal polls were minimal as a completely unknown 15-year-old girl. So I decided to wait, and take my chances at a later stage in my career...

Almost a decade - and many songs - later, I got a call from Reykjavik in October, from my long-time collaborator (and very well-known Icelandic songwriter/producer) Oskar Pall Sveinsson (known for his UK & US hits as Oskar Paul). He asked if I had any objections to his idea of pitching a song we had co-written together with the legendary producer Christopher Neil, as a possible contender to represent Iceland at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in May of 2009.

"We'll have to find an Icelandic artist to sing the song in order to qualify, but a multi-national songwriting team should go down well in the pre-selection process," Oskar promised. "And besides, the contest will be held in Moscow next year - could it be any better for you?"

To make a long story short, 217 songs, 4 weeks of semifinals and a nationally televised grand finale later, the wonderfully gifted Yohanna's performance of "Is It True" granted us a staggering 44% of the national votes across the country. Thanks to overwhelming support, the song immediately qualified as the official Icelandic entry, and it will compete against 41 of the best pop songs from Europe in mid-May... Just a few weeks away!

Since the primary concept of ESC is to find the best pop song, some the most renowned scribes in the world team up to compete. This year's "contestants" include Andrew Lloyd Webber, Ronan Keating, my hero Diane Warren, and many more. Really, why wouldn't they want to write the signature song of the year?

Could I be anymore humbled looking at the list of my colleagues and "competitors"? In fact, I'd be lying if I said that I'm not nervous - but at the same time I am oh so excited!

BTR will bring you exclusive coverage of this event through the eyes of a participant - up close, personal and totally unplugged at the biggest European song festival of the year. It just might be a first for the American media.

You can follow the three-week journey, promo tour, semi-finals and grand finale (we simply must qualify - and you'll be the first to know about the outcome!) right here on my DJ blog. I'll be sharing the latest news and pictures from my all my Eurovision adventures.

So, gear up, hop on my train of ESC madness and let's make it true for Iceland together!

Tinatin's Eurovision Ride with BTR

Official Blog Up & Running!

And the official ESC's Icelandic Delegation blog is up and running....

With great support from the official sources!

ESC Official Icelandic Blog

ESCToday Press Release

ESC TV

Eurovision.tv Press Release

What's next? A Russian lyric - quite literally!

A secret composer of the Icelandic Eurovision song "Is It True?"

Brand new article in today's issue of Frettabladid, the Icelandic newspaper with the largest circulation.

P.S. Special thanks to Magga!


Leynihöfundur að íslenska Eurovisionlaginu Is it True?

Þýðir textann yfir á rússnesku Tinatin vinnur nú hörðum höndum að því að þýða texta íslenska Eurovision-lagsins yfir á rússnesku og telur að það gæti heillað Rússa upp úr skónum.

Nafnið Tinatin Japaridze kemur sennilega flestum Íslendingum spánskt fyrir sjónir. En það tengist landi og þjóð með nokkrum sérstökum hætti. Því þessi georgíska poppstjarna sem alin er upp í Moskvu en býr nú í New York er einn þriggja höfunda að framlagi Íslands til Eurovision, Is it True? sem Jóhanna Guðrún flytur. Og Íslendingar hafa þarna náð töluverðu forskoti á önnur lönd með ögn skárri rússneskri tengingu en Rússalánið víðfræga. „Við reyndum að halda þessu leyndu enda vildum við að fólkið kynni að meta lagið en væri ekki að spá í einhverja pólitík. Það gekk eftir og ég get ekki beðið eftir að hitta Jóhönnu, Óskar og Chris í Moskvu,“ segir Tinatin í samtali við Fréttablaðið í gær.
Is it True? var upphaflega hugsað á plötu Tinatin sem hún vann með Óskari Páli og lagahöfundinum Christopher Neil í London fyrir nokkrum árum. Lagasmíðarnar gengu hins vegar það vel að lagið rataði ofan í skúffu þar sem það hálfpartinn gleymdist. „Síðan hafði Óskar samband við mig fyrir hálfu ári og spurði hvort það væri mér að sársaukalausu að senda lagið inn í Eurovision,“ útskýrir Tinatin sem fór í kjölfarið að fylgjast grannt með keppninni hérna heima í gegnum fartölvu sína í New York. „Óskar var alveg handviss um að það kæmist í gegnum sextán laga úrslitin en svo gæti brugðið til beggja vona á úrslitakvöldinu.“ Tinatin hélt því niðri í sér andanum þegar hún horfði á úrslitakvöldið og reyndi að skilja hvað var í gangi. „Ég skil auðvitað ekki stakt orð í íslensku og vissi því ekkert hvernig þetta fór fram. Fyrst hélt ég að við hefðum lent í öðru sæti og fannst það alveg frábært. Ég meira að segja vakti mömmu mína í Moskvu og sagði henni frá því. En svo varð náttúrulega allt brjálað þegar ég komst að því að við hefðum unnið og hvorki ég, Christopher né Óskar Páll vorum viðstödd,“ segir Tinatin.
Söngkonan er nú að vinna að því að þýða texta lagsins yfir á rússnesku ásamt landa sínum sem búsettur er í New York. Og hún hlakkar mikið til að koma til Moskvu og fá tækifæri til að taka þátt í Eurovision-ævintýri Íslendinga og hitta fjölskyldu sína sem þar er búsett. Tinatin hefur jafnframt mikla trú á Jóhönnu Guðrúnu. „Þegar maður er listamaður er maður mjög vandfýsinn á aðra listamenn. En að svona falleg stúlka geti sungið jafnvel er náttúrulega bara draumur.“ Og Tinatin telur að Íslendingar hafi alla burði til að heilla að minnsta kosti Rússa upp úr skónum ef ekki aðrar þjóðir. „Samband Íslands og Rússlands er mjög sérstakt og ég held að þetta eigi eftir að ganga mjög vel.“

freyrgigja@frettabladid.is


A secret composer of the Icelandic Eurovision song "Is it true?"

The name Tinatin Japaridze is most likely unknown to Icelanders but it connects to the nation and the country in a special way. This Georgian pop star who was raised in Moscow but now resides in New York is one of three composers of Iceland's entry in Eurovision, performed by Jóhanna Guðrún. And this way by, the Icelanders have made a better and stronger connection to Russia instead of the famous Russian financial loan.

"We tried to keep it secret and not make it a big deal so people would appreciate the song for what it is rather than start thinking about the politics. It worked and now I cannot wait to meet Jóhanna, Óskar and Chris in Moscow - in many ways my home where I spent most of my childhood," says Tinatin in an interview with Fréttablaðið yesterday.

"Is it true?" was originally written and recording for Tinatin's album which she made with Óskar Páll and songwriter/producer Christopher Neil in London several years ago. The song turned out really well but as it happens quite often in the music industry, the track was put away for a while and it practically forgotten. "Óskar contacted me 6 months ago and asked if he could submit it for the Eurovision pre-selection," explains Tinatin, who soon began to follow the Icelandic national final on her laptop in New York. "Óskar was positive the song would make it through the first round but I wasn't as sure about the finals." Tinatin kept her fingers crossed when she watched the final night and tried to understand what was happening on the screen. "Of course I didn't understand a word of Icelandic and had no idea how things were unfolding. At first I thought we came second and I was very happy about that. I even woke my mother up in Moscow to tell her. But of course when I realized we had actually won, it was quite amazing and insane too since none of us - neither Óskar, Chris nor I were at the finals," says Tinatin.

The singer/songwriter is now preparing on the Russian translation after contacting a Russian writer who also lives in New York to collaborate on the special version . She very much looks forward to going to Moscow and taking part in the Icelandic Eurovision-fairytale - and of course meet her family. Tinatin has a lot of faith in Jóhanna Guðrún. "When you're an artist, even more so than a writer, you become incredibly picky about other artists. But seeing such a beautiful girl who can really sing that well is of course rare and fantastic!" Tinatin believes that the Icelanders can charm the Russians as well as other nations."The connection between Iceland and Russia has become special over the years and somehow I think everything will go well."

freyrgigja@frettabladid.is