Alexander Rybak – WelcheMusic.com

Will Loreen’s Sweet Victory Pave Way for UK Singles Chart Success?

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.)

Loreen’s Euphoria Smells Baku Victory in the Eurovision 2012

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.

Stella Mwangi’s Norwegian Fiasco Makes Saade Nervous

CHART REFLECTION. There was little doubt about what would dominate headlines in Norway today. Stella Mwangi’s elimination from yesterday’s Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals was nothing but a fiasco. Her “Haba Haba” was one of the favourites and only two years ago, Alexander Rybak won a sensational victory with “Fairytale.”

Eric Saade on the Edge

Stella Mwangi was not only one of Nöjesbladet’s readers’ favourites, it was also Eric Saade’s. Now, he’s at loss as there’s no sure thing that his “Popular” will pass the test tomorrow evening. Earlier this week, Norwegian media claimed that Swedish entry was rubbish! Little did they know… Fædrelandsvennen says that this is not the end of the world, while many newspapers reports that the singer got some comfort from British boy-band Blue.

Stella Mwangi in Shock

In one of the biggest news dailies – Aftenbladet – Stella Mwangi admits that she’s in shock, but finds it hard to believe that she could have done much different. On a final note, the Kenya Stockholm blog notes that Stella Mwangi came to Norway at five, immigrating from Kenya. “Haba Haba” is about being inspired by a Kenyan grandmother.

Last evening’s contest also saw Turkey and Armenia leaving the contest, while Alexey Vorobyov easily made the final with his “Get You.”

Etikett: Alexander Rybak