According to the latest update of the pan-European iTunes songs charts, Loreen has a firm grip on several tallies across the region. Despite topping the UK tally earlier this week, ‘Euphoria’ has slipped. It is currently No.4 after Rudimental, fun. and Rihanna. Loreen has also lost the top position in Ireland to Flo Rida’s ‘Whistle.’ Another strong competitor is the Brazilian singer Gusttavo Lima, whose ‘Balada (Tchê tcherere tchê tchê)’ tops the tallies in the Netherlands and Switzwerland. Following the success of Michel Télo and Luan Santana, ‘Balada’ is a pop country track.
Supporting the pan-European success, Lorreen canceled an appearance in Jönköping earlier this week according to SvD.
It was exciting to experience Loreen winning the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku with ‘Euphoria.’ According to Aftonbladet, our victory beats Lordi’s previous record yet 15 points shy of Alexander Rybak’s ‘Fairytale’. Rybak earned 387 points in 2009, while Loreen got 387 points in Baku. According to DN, Loreen earned no less than 18 12-points and beat Russia with 123 points.
SvD’s Harry Amster says that “she crushed the competitors with one 12-pointer after the other. Loreen did what I was hoping for. She just didn’t go through the TV screen, she blasted it with her energy. A massacre of the competitors. Europe embraces her and I believe that this is the start of an international career.”
On the back of Loreen’s Twitter success in an earlier blog post, Gavagi’s research showed a great interest in ‘Euphoria.’ Add to that, the 12-points verdict from Great Britain last night (ahead of Irelandd’s Jedward). Even my blog experienced a surge in interest from UK visitors following the victory.
Could this be the verge of a UK breakthrough and even an international? Surely, we all remember Céline Dion’s ‘Ne partez pas sans moi’ 1988 win.
Written by Thomas G:son and Peter Boström, ‘Euphoria’ has already topped the Swedish singles chart. The track has already, however, drops 6-8 on the digital downloads chart (Digilistan).
I’m really hoping that we’ll see ‘Euphoria’ on top of the singles chart in the UK anytime soon!
Please find below Loreen’s positions on the international iTunes download charts per 27-05-2012:
Denmark: 10
Finland: 1
Greece: 1
Netherlands: 8
Norway: 2
Sweden: 5
(Loreen actually beats Tooji on the Norwegian iTunes download chart who sits at No.7.)
Exclusive research, provided by social media monitoring company Meltwater, reveals that Loreen is the top favorite. The company has analyzed more than 44,000 posts, claiming that more than ten percent favors ‘Euphoria.’ According to Aftonbladet Nöjesbladet, betting companies across Europe put Loreen first. According to research from the online gambling group Unibet, Loreen’s ‘Euphoria’ equals more than 68 percent of the turnover for the ESC betting as compared to the Russian babushka’s 13 percent. Danes favors their own entry – Soluna Samay’s ‘Should’ve Known Better’- which equals 40 percent of the local turnover. Meanwhile, the pan-European portion is no more than 1.87 percent. Jonas Nilsson, PR Manager at Unibet says:
“Even if many put a bet on its own company, Loreen is the pan-European favorite among our customers. Our research predicts a victory tomorrow.” According to DN, competing betting company Svenska Spel, offers 1.7 times the money if you bet on Loreen. Runner-ups are Buranovskije Babusjki, 5 times the stake, followed by Serbia, Italy and Great Britain.
Must Impress Local Jury Groups Tonight
Although the final does not take place until tomorrow night, Loreen must impress the members of the local jury groups tonight, according to Aftonbladet. 42 jury groups cast their votes tonight. “A mediocre rehearsal may cost her the victory,” Torbjörn Ek, Aftonbladet’s ESC reporter in Baku. Haven seen today’s rehearsals he’s confident that the voice is there and she sang all the time. “Wow, it’s…soon. I wanted to make the final and now I’m in the final. I will just eat a nice meal, take it easy and there’s not much more to do than what I’ve always done. In a few hours, I’m on stage again,” Loreen told TT Spektra via Svenska Dagbladet.
ESC in the Rear View Mirror
A year back, we followed Eric Saade’s adventures in Germany and the feud with Russian singerAlexey Vorobyov. As Svenska Dagbladet reports, little more than a Swedish victory tops Saade’s No.3 ranking with ‘Popular.’ Carola’s ‘Invincible’ ended up at fifth place back in 2006, and was followed by four tough years with one missed final and three lower rankings. Svenska Dagbladet’s ESC expert Harry Amster is convinced that it will either be Loreen or the ‘elderly women’ from Russia. He also points out that Greece, Cyprus and Serbia have strong entries.
Loreen’s ‘Euphoria’ has turned out to be the pan-European favorite as the ESC final in Baku draws to a close. The singer will, however, need to qualify for the final this Thursday. Few question that. In an interview with Aftonbladet’s Torbjörn Ek, the surging interest for the singer is quite taking its toll. “I just felt to be on my own today, I did not anyone around me,” the singer told Aftonbladet. Being a favorite obviously mounts pressure on the singer. Loreen did get 670,551 tele-votes upon winning the Swedish final.
Remember Carola’s Invincible in 2006?
Long-time Swedish ESC general Christer Björkman hasn’t experienced such interest in the Swedish winner since Carola’s performance in Athens. In 2009, Norwegian singer Alexander Rybak was close to collapse and actually canceled all interviews ahead of the final. He finally won the whole competition with ‘Fairytale.’
Christer Björkman, to Aftonbladet:
“I do not feel that Loreen is in the same condition as Rybak. But we will support her a lot as we see how much attention she gets compared to the other artists. We will need to be vigilant. A bit like what we did with Carola in Athens. To support her with air so fans won’t get too close.”
Baku Eurovision Song Contest Party Flops
According to a recent Aftonbladet article, a party in honor of the ESC participants turned out to be a flop. The artists were kept waiting for three hours in buses, food wasn’t complimentary and the highlight was fireworks that only lasted for one minute. The Swedish delegation with Loreen at the front left after 20 minutes.
Today, Sweden’s news daily DN publishes an article with Loreen where the singer reveals that she sets her sight on Svalbard. Alone. There’s not much serenity in the midst of ESC euphoria, she’d like to go there alone and see the glaciers before they melt. She finally share a piece of wisdom on what she absolutely do not want with her life.
“Live a lie. I do not like illusions, to be a piece in a someone else’s puzzle. I’d like to be the boss in my own life. To be my own manager.”
No Compromises
Loreen will compete in Thursday’s heat. Always driven by the mantra to make it on her own. In an interview with Svenska Dagbladet’s Harry Amster, Loreen says that “it’s a deliberate choice not to release an album. I am not somebody else’s product. I follow my own flow and have turned a lot of offers down. It’s about have the courage to be yourself in your own energy. You shouldn’t compromise. It has taken me seven years to realize that.”
A debut album is waiting in the wings, where Loreen has worked with the Swedish producer Kleerup. A superb choice, back in 2007 Kleerup managed to place Robyn atop of the UK singles chart with ‘With Every Heartbeat.’ In 2008, he released the No.7 hit ‘Longing for Lullabies’ with Neneh Cherry’s half-sister Titiyo.
