The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews - Episodes Tagged with “Iceland”

Episode 297: Icy Reception

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Iceland's television broadcaster RUV turns 60 this year and 2026 is also their 40th anniversary of entering Eurovision. We take a look at why it took 20 years for Iceland to join the party, how the country helped push the Contest into a more modern mode, and why they won't be in Vienna this year.

Icy Reception Summary

History of Iceland Speedrun Any% (4:51)
1986: Iceland Joins Eurovision (19:38)
Iceland's First Decade at Eurovision (27:03)
Pall Oskar / Paul Oscar (29:30)

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Episode 285: Kerflooey

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0600

With the passage of the EBU's new Eurovision rules, Israel will be in Vienna while the Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia, Ireland, and Iceland have withdrawn from the Contest. We’ll be discussing the fallout from the decision and figuring out how we’ll be navigating 2026...

Kerflooey Summary

What happened at the EBU General Assembly Meeting (1:11)
What is happening after the Eurovision vote? (19:16)
What will be happening? (26:59)

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Episode 284: "Joke" Entries

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0600

Over-the-top costumes, silly phrases twisted to make catchy hooks, and a backdrop that is not always taken seriously can cause a lot of Eurovision hopefuls to be lumped (or perhaps dismissed) into the category of “joke entries.” We’ll explore some examples and try to “get it” in terms of what might be happening under the hood of these songs. Chris Molanphy from Slate’s Hit Parade will join us to help with analyzing the novelty of Eurovision entries.

"Joke" Entries Summary

What is a novelty song? (1:19)
Does "Europop" automatically mean "novelty"? (7:04)
Eurovision Joke (or Novelty?) Entries (10:04)
When Eurovision hits the Hot 100 (18:57)

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Special Guest: Chris Molanphy.

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Episode 280: Weird Little Dudes

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Käärijä, Joost, Baby Lasagana, Tommy Cash... we've used the term "Weird Little Dudes" to describe these contestants from the last few editions of Eurovision. Something else they have in common: all were favorites to win and did extremely well in the televote. We attempt to define the term and try to identify what other Eurovision contestants may fall into this category.

Weird Little Dudes Summary

Where did the term "Weird Little Dude" come from? (1:20)
Pop Quiz: Is this act a Weird Little Dude? (3:06)
Dude (5:45)
Little (9:37)
Weird (18:16)
Are "Weird Little Dudes" actually a thing? (33:22)
Which countries are more likely to have WLDs at Eurovision? (38:28)

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Episode 275: Good to Go

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Quite a bit has happened since we last checked in on Eurovision news. Executive Supervisor Martin Österdahl will be stepping down, there's a new head of the Reference Group, and we know which cities have made bids to host next year's competition.

Good to Go Summary

Eurovision Host City: Innsbruck vs Vienna (1:00)
Martin Österdahl Steps Down (4:48)
Have you joined the Eurowhat AV Club? (10:43)
17 Participants so far for Eurovision 2026 (11:59)
Eurovision YouTube: Non, Stop Hits (and Geoblock?) (21:17)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

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Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

What is the Eurovision Podcrawl? It's where the Eurovision podcast community picks a topic ("a year when a country first hosted Eurovision") and we all publish our episodes in our own styles. At the end of an episode, we'll point to the podcast with the next episode, and so on, through the summer! Here's the crawl:

ESC Insight: France 1959
Wind Machine Podcast: Austria 1967
The EuroWhat? Podcast: Yugoslavia 1990
Niall Points: Latvia 2003
12 Points from America: Belgium 1987 (week of August 11)
That Eurovision Site: Denmark 1964 (week of August 25)
Douze Points: Azerbaijan 2012 (week of September 8)

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Episode 274: Yugoslavia 1990

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0500

1990 was the European Year of Tourism. The map of Europe was also changing, as the fall of the Berlin Wall and the movement toward what would become the European Union started to redefine the concept of borders. We’ll be taking a look at how the 1990 Contest in Yugoslavia reflected this new era in Europe, as well as how the 2025 Contest mirrors those reflections 35 years later.

Yugoslavia 1990 Summary

#EurovisionAgain, again (1:55)
A Brief History of Mascots and Postcards (4:14)
The European Year of Tourism (10:20)
How Yugoslavia Handled Tourism (15:21)
Yugoslavia at Eurovision (18:53)
The Year between Lausanne and Zagreb (22:47)
The 1990 Eurovision Song Contest (28:12)
After the Year(s) of Tourism (43:43)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

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Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

ESC Insight: France 1959
Wind Machine Podcast: Austria 1967
The EuroWhat? Podcast: Yugoslavia 1990 (hey, that's this one!)
Niall Points: Latvia 2003 (week of July 28)
12 Points from America: Belgium 1987 (week of August 11)
That Eurovision Site: Denmark 1964 (week of August 25)
Douze Points: Azerbaijan 2012 (week of September 8)

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Episode 270: Bird Noises

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 20 May 2025 00:00:00 -0500

We have a winner! Eurovision Song Contest 2025 held its Grand Final in Basel, Switzerland and named a champion after tense rounds of juries and televoting. We discuss the show, the results, and what's in store for Eurovision 2026…

Bird Noises Summary

Austria wins the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest (1:18)
What did you think of the Grand Final? (5:23)
How were the Interval Acts? (12:20)
What does Eurovision (and the EBU) look like for 2026? (15:43)
Eurowhat Off-Season Mode (18:55)

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Basel 2025

Keep up with Eurovision selection season on our Basel 2025 page! We have a calendar with links to livestreams, details about entries as their selected, plus our Spotify playlists with every song we can find that is trying to get the Eurovision stage.

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Episode 269: Eurovision 2025 Grand Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Fri, 16 May 2025 00:30:00 -0500

Twenty songs have emerged from the Eurovision 2025 Semifinals and will join six auto-qualifiers on Saturday. We recap the shows from Tuesday and Thursday and get ready for the Grand Final.

Eurovision 2025 Grand Final Preview Summary

Turquoise Carpet (0:48)
Semi-Final 1 Results (3:58)
Semi-Final 2 Results (10:33)
Grand Final Preview (19:14)

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Basel 2025

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Episode 268: Eurovision 2025 Semi-Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Mon, 12 May 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Eurovision Week for 2025 is upon us as well as the 37 artists gathered in Basel. We get caught up on the news leading up to this week before discussing the rehearsals and our predictions for who will advance to Saturday's Grand Final.

Eurovision 2025 Semi-Final Preview Summary

Lumo stuns in Basel debut (0:48)
Eurovision Artist Support Measures (2:38)
Ongoing Issues: Flag Policy 2025 and Israel's Participation (6:01)
Semi-Final Format Changes (10:48)
Where to watch Eurovision 2025 (16:13)
Eurovision Semi-Final 1 Predictions (POTENTIAL SPOILERS) (18:27)
Eurovision Semi-Final 2 Predictions (POTENTIAL SPOILERS) (32:24)

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Basel 2025

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Episode 262: Huzzah

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Bradley Dalton-Oates from the Eurovision Song Context podcast joins us to discuss the entries from Norway, Estonia, Azerbaijan, Iceland, and the Netherlands.

Huzzah Summary

Eurovision Song Context (1:11)
Norway - Kyle Alessandro - "Lighter" (5:51)
Estonia - Tommy Cash - "Espresso Macchiato" (13:38)
Azerbaijan - Mamagama - "Run With U" (27:53)
Iceland - VÆB - "RÓÁ" (36:01)
The Netherlands - Claude - "C'est La Vie" (44:16)
Final Thoughts (50:32)

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Basel 2025

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Special Guest: Bradley Dalton-Oates.

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Episode 257: Disco Sauna

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0600

Azerbaijan and Iceland have their Eurovision songs selected, Germany picked their finalists, Sweden and Portugal held heats, and San Marino is doing... something.

Disco Sauna Summary

Azerbaijan's Mamagama wants to "Run With U" (1:27)
VÆB win Iceland's Songvakeppnin with "RÓÁ" (5:33)
Italy: Lucio Corsi will go to Basel with "Volevo essere un duro" (11:08)
Estonia: Tommy Cash and Joost "United by Music" (12:56)
Måns wins heat 4 of Melfest (18:29)
Portugal begins the Festival da Canção (26:20)
Germany chooses 9 Finalists (28:21)
San Marino Song Contest Semi Marathon (31:54)

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Basel 2025

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Episode 256: Ren Faire

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0600

We mark the halfway point of Eurovision Selection Season with the third Super Saturday in a row.

Ren Faire Summary

Poland selects Justyna's "Gaja" (0:57)
"Espresso Macchiato" by Tommy Cash wins Eesti Laul (7:52)
Norway's Kyle Alessandro will bring "Lighter" to Basel (12:06)
Katarsis will represent Lithuania with "Tavo akys" (16:39)
Olly wins Italy's Sanremo (20:53)
Parg is a Depi Evratesil "Survivor" (26:35)
Other national selections: San Marino, Germany, Sweden, Iceland (31:55)
Coming up: Portugal's Festival da Canção (42:24)

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Basel 2025

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I Love Horses best of all the animals🐎 - theme song - YouTube

Episode 255: ('Singing')

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0600

It's the biggest weekend of Eurovision 2025 so far with Ireland, Ukraine, Finland, Latvia, and Malta making picks while several other countries' processes continued. Do-re-mi-fa-serving exhausted, but we shall persevere!

('Singing') Summary

Mid-week drops: Azerbaijan's Mamagama and Czechia's "Kiss Kiss Goodbye" (2:25)
Ireland accepts invitation to Emmy's "Laika Party" (6:15)
Erika Vikman wins Finland's UMK with "Ich Komme" (15:43)
Ziferblat's "Bird of Pray" will represent Ukraine (21:44)
Latvia's Supernova names "Bur man laimi" by Tautumeitas (25:47)
Malta will be serving "KANT" by Miriana Conte (27:58)
Denmark's DMGP and Armenia's Depi Evratesil announce contestants (34:42)
Qualifying starts in Iceland, continues in Sweden and Lithuania (36:36)
Coming up: Italy's Sanremo, Poland, Germany, Estonia, and the biggest weekend of 2025 (47:17)

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Basel 2025

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Episode 254: Super

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0600

Eurovision started to get structure this week thanks to the semi-final allocation draw, the first wave of ticket sales, and selections from Greece, Slovenia, Belgium, and Spain. Sweden kicked off Melfest, Lithuania got competitive, and Latvia picked finalists. This was the easy Super Saturday...

Super Summary

Eurovision Semi-Final Allocation and Ticket Sales (1:18)
Artist Announcements: Austria's JJ and France's Louane (8:45)
Klavdia's "Asteromata" wins Greece's national final (11:16)
Slovenia: Klemen wins EMA with "How Much Time Do We Have Left?" (15:50)
Red Sebastian and "Strobe Lights" win Belgium's Eurosong (21:57)
"Esa Diva": Melody wins Spain's Benidorm Fest (25:04)
Sweden's Melfest 2025 Begins (30:04)
Latvia's Supernova Semi-Final (35:44)
Lithuania's Eurovizija.LT Heat 4 (40:45)
San Marino Names ALLLL the Semi-Finalists (43:57)
Coming up: Super Saturday 2 (46:03)

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Basel 2025

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Recreating ALL Eurovision Winners (2000-2025) | The Ultimate Eurovision Challenge by Klemen Slakonja - YouTube

Episode 252: Process

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0600

It's another hopping Eurovision 2025 setup week with another wave of potential songs, information about Basel, the ESC hosts, ticket sales, plus auditions and previews from Moldova and Belgium.

Process Summary

📢 Announcements: Mascots, ArenaPlus, and the Eurovision Hosts (1:03)
🎟️ Next in Logistics: Semi-Final Allocation and Eurovision Tickets (3:44)
💿 National Final Songs and Artists: Poland, Norway, Ukraine, Iceland (6:17)
🇲🇩 Moldova Etapa Nationala Auditions (11:30)
🇱🇹 Lithuania's Eurovizija.LT Second Heat (13:24)
🇧🇪 Belgium's Eurosong Preview: LEEZ, Le Manou, Lenn, Grace (14:43)
🗓️ Coming Up: Songs from Portugal, Slovenia, and Serbia plus the Luxembourg Song Contest (20:07)

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Basel 2025

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Episode 251: Wading

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0600

We ease into the waters of the Eurovision TV season, thanks to the first heat of Lithuania's Eurovizija.LT. We also check in on the candidate song drops for the processes happening in Finland, Malta, Croatia, and Greece.

Wading Summary

Finland Announces 7 Acts for UMK (2:05)
Malta, Croatia, and Greece Drop Their National Final Songs (6:46)
Lithuania's Eurovizija.LT Begins (12:56)
This week: Moldova Auditions; Acts from Poland, Norway, Iceland; Belgium TV; Eurovision Hosts (21:27)

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Episode 250: Loaded with Energy

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0600

Before 2025 gets into full swing, we catch up on Eurovision news from the end of 2024. We have designs! We have fonts! We have an entry where we're not not saying Tirana 2026! Plus, we go deep on the results from the ESC 250 Countdown.

Loaded with Energy Summary

💕Unity. Shapes. Love. Branding. (0:55)
🇦🇱 Albania selects "Zjerm" by Shkodra Elektronike (12:36)
🇳🇱 Netherlands selects Claude as their act for Basel (21:41)
📰 Other Process Updates: Ukraine, San Marino, Ireland, Iceland, Moldova (23:23)
🥳 Results from the 2024 ESC 250 (29:11)
📺 This week: 🇪🇪 Eesti Laul Wildcard, 🇫🇮 UMK Artists and Songs, 🇭🇷 Dora Songs, 🇱🇹 Eurovizija.lt (41:43)

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Episode 249: Pew Pew Pew

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0600

As we head into 2025, we jump back 25 years to watch the 2000 Eurovision Song Contest. How has the competition, fashion, and pop music changed in the last quarter-century(!)?

Pew Pew Pew Summary

🗓️ In the Year 2000... (3:17)
⛳️ Part I: Israel, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Estonia, France, Romania (7:07)
🎤 Part II: Malta, Norway, Russia, Belgium, Cyprus, Iceland (17:30)
🪽 Part III: Spain, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Croatia, Sweden, FYR Macedonia (27:49)
🌟 Part IV: Finland, Latvia, Turkey, Ireland, Austria (41:34)
🔢 Part V: The Results (51:12)

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Episode 248: Three-Card Montesong

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0600

As we rush to get out of 2024 we're getting details from just about every country participating in Eurovision 2025. We recap last month's Montesong from Montenegro, learn a bit about Czechia's artist, and start adding all the dates to our calendar.

Three-Card Montesong Summary

😾 Is anyone still mad at the EBU? (1:30)
🇲🇪 Montenegro returns with Montesong... and shenanigans (7:48)
🇨🇿 Czechia selects ANDONXS for Basxl (17:34)
🇪🇺 What's Happening in the EU (Eurowhat Universe) (20:00)
🌊 All the National Selections (22:34)
🎅🏼 Through the holidays: Albania's Festivali i Kenges and the ESC250 (44:25)

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Episode 245: Avalanche

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 00:00:00 -0600

It's been a couple months since we last checked in on Eurovision news… hoo boy there's a lot to get caught up on. We have elections, new heads of delegations, and info about way too many national selections.

Avalanche Summary

💊 Exotic Switzerland: Funding Referendum, Novartis Sponsorship (1:41)
🇳🇱 Is Everyone (Netherlands?) Still Mad at the EBU? (6:31)
🔴 Coming up on the podcast: Iceland Airwaves and Rockin' the Kremlin (12:16)
🎓 New Heads of Delegations for 2025 (14:42)
📆 National Selection Updates (Vague) (21:50)
🏆 National Final Updates (Specific) (25:47)
⏳ Who are we waiting on? (34:36)

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Episode 244: Yugonostalgia

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0500

We welcome back @dudepoints, who recently completed their Master's thesis which included discussion of the intersection of the Yugoslavian Art Practice and recent Eurovision entries from Serbia and Croatia.

More simply: let's talk about performance art at Eurovision!

Yugonostalgia Summary

What is the Yugoslavian Art Practice? (2:39)
How does Eurovision interact with the Yugoslavian Art Practice? (7:59)
Who else has been a Performance Artist at Eurovision? (17:50)
How do you define "performance art"? (21:32)
Eurovision as a mode of culture building (31:29)

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Special Guest: Dude Points.

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Episode 243: Verily

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0500

The Reference Group is one of the governing bodies for the Eurovision Song Contest. Who sits on this board and what experience do they bring to the table? We go through the dossiers in this episode.

Verily Summary

What are the Eurovision Heads of Delegation and Reference Group? (1:29)
Who is currently in the Eurovision Reference Group? (8:05)
Who isn't on the Eurovision Reference Group? (21:52)

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Episode 232: Broke

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 14 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Somehow we made it through the other side of the 2024 Eurovision Grand Final in one piece. Things that didn't: the Netherlands, Nemo's trophy, and possibly the EBU? We examine the immediate aftermath of Saturday's show from Malmö.

Broke Summary

Netherlands Disqualified from Eurovision (0:59)
The Actual Grand Final (6:53)
Eurovision Results Data Dive (10:07)
Looking Toward Eurovision 2025 (17:49)

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Malmö 2024

Stay up to date on everything happening in the leadup to the Eurovision Song Contest on our page dedicated to Malmö 2024. You can keep tabs on the countries, artists, and songs, set your laundry folding schedule with our EuroWhat's On calendar, and futz with your Spotify algorithm with our Selection Season playlist!

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Episode 230: Designated Perceived Nudity Corner

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Mon, 06 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

It's Eurovision Week! After we get caught up on Contest news, we make our predictions on which acts will advance to Saturday's Grand Final. Will there be heartbreak in Malmö?

Designated Perceived Nudity Corner Summary

Eurovision News: Peacock, Producer's Choice, Flags (1:19)
Eurovision Semi-Final 1 Predictions (13:01)
Eurovision Semi-Final 2 Predictions (25:52)

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Malmö 2024

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Episode 225: Optimistic

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Meredith Clark from Light Treason News joins us to chat about our last set of songs for Eurovision Semi Final 1: Serbia, Iceland, Australia, Portugal, and Azerbaijan. Topics include: Memes popular in Bangladesh, Whose Line is It Anyway, didgeridoos, three-minute world building, and arms appreciation.

Optimistic Summary

Welcome back, Meredith Clark! (0:53)
🇷🇸 Serbia - Teya Dora - "Ramonda" 🥀 (4:35)
🇮🇸 Iceland - Hera Bjork - "Scared of Heights" 🎢 (10:31)
🇦🇺 Australia - Electric Fields - "One Milkali (One Blood)" ☕️ (17:11)
🇵🇹 Portugal - iolanda - "Grito" 😧 (23:43)
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan - Fahree feat. Ilkin Dovlatov - "Özünlə Apar" 🤝 (29:54)
Final Thoughts (36:51)

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Malmö 2024

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Episode 221: Maximal

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0600

Several internal selections join the Eurovision 2024 field this week and exactly zero of them are holding back. Serbia's national final goes harder than necessary while Iceland... also made a selection this week. We're in the homestretch!

Maximal Summary

Nemo breaks "The Code" for Switzerland (0:47)
Joost Klein is the Netherlands' "Europapa" (3:51)
Silia Kapsis calls out a "Liar" for Cyprus (9:08)
The United Kingdom's Olly Alexander is "Dizzy" for Eurovision (11:37)
Austria declares "We Will Rave" with Kaleen (16:32)
Teya Dora wins Serbia's Pesma za Euroviziju with "Ramonda" (19:47)
Hera Bjork's "Scared of Heights" wins in Iceland (28:23)
Melfest Heat 5 (33:19)
Portugal's Festival da Cancao Semi 2 (38:56)
This week: Australia, Greece, the End of Selection Season 2024 (40:36)

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Malmö 2024

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Episode 220: Go Tiffany

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0600

In a relatively quiet week in Eurovision land we check out Belgium's selection from Mustii, recap Una Voce per San Marino, and say meow to Baby Lasagna. We also check in with Sweden's Melodifestivalen, Iceland's Songvakeppnin, and the first semi for Portugal's Festival da Canção.

Go Tiffany Summary

Belgium releases Mustii's "Before the Party's Over" (1:23)
Spain's Megara wins Una Voce per San Marino with "11:11" (4:35)
"Rim Tim Dagi Dim" by Baby Lasagna dominates Dora (11:13)
Melfest Heat 4 (18:05)
Songvakeppnin Semi 2 (22:40)
Festival da Canção 60 Begins (26:49)
Coming up: Serbia's Pesma za Euroviziju and internal selections (28:58)

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Malmö 2024

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Episode 219: Conversion

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0600

5 Eurovision national finals took place this past weekend with mixed results. Well, results that were mixed weirdly due to jury/televote score conversions. We discuss Germany, Estonia, Moldova, Lithuania, and Denmark, plus Poland's internal selection.

Conversion Summary

Isaak is "Always on the Run" for Germany (1:00)
Eesti Laul Grand Final (5:44)
Natalia Barbu represents Moldova again with "In the Middle" (10:12)
Saba wins Dansk Melodi Grand Prix with "Sand" (14:11)
"Luktelk" and Silvester Belt win Eurovizija.lt (18:52)
Poland selects Luna and "The Tower" (23:59)
Sweden's Melfest Heat 3 (27:21)
Iceland's Songvakeppnin Begins (31:58)
Una Voce Per San Marino reveals big artists (34:52)
This week: Belgium's entry from Mustii, Croatia's Dora, Portugal's Festival da Canção (40:05)

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Malmö 2024

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Episode 218: Imaginary Beef

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0600

With Ben traveling back from Finland's UMK, guest Trip Payne taps in to discuss that national final, Latvia's Supernova, and Italy's Sanremo Festival. Then we prepare for the biggest Super Saturday of the Eurovision season coming up next weekend.

Imaginary Beef Summary

Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman will host Eurovision 2024 (2:27)
Windows95Man wins UMK with "No Rules" (4:05)
"Hollow" by Dons wins Latvia's Supernova (9:40)
"La Noia" will go to Malmo with Angelina Mango (14:29)
Lithuania's Eurovizijalt Final Field Set (25:51)
Melfest Heat 2 (27:38)
This week: Germany, Moldova, Estonia, Denmark, Iceland, San Marino (30:29)

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Malmö 2024

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Episode 216: Squiggle Line Mouth Face

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0600

Eurovision season clicks into second gear this week with Ireland and Luxembourg making selections, Norway setting its final field, Lithuania's holding its third heat, and Malta, Spain, and Ukraine getting ready to decide. How will The Draw shake up things in Malmö?

Squiggle Line Mouth Face Summary

Romania won't be part of The Draw (1:15)
Ireland chooses Bambie Thug's "Doomsday Blue" (3:17)
Tali will be Luxembourg's "Fighter" in Malmö (10:56)
Iceland announces its intentions (20:44)
Norway sets its final field for NRK MGP (24:47)
Lithuania's Third Heat for Eurovizija.LT (31:45)
This week: Malta, Spain's Benidorm Fest, Ukraine's VidBir (34:57)

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Malmö 2024

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The CA of SRTv did not approve the participation in Eurovision 2024 | TVR.RO

Episode 208: Calendaring

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 00:00:00 -0500

As we continue to wait for the full guest list for Eurovision 2024,: Cyprus announces their artist, a bunch of selection processes release start dates (FRIDAY?!), end dates, and a few name changes (EEK!), plus we start filling out this winter's TV calendar.

Calendaring Summary

Cyprus internally selects Silia Kapsis for Malmo (1:22)
35 Countries Confirmed So Far (3:24)
Malmo Budgets and Planning (5:16)
Eurowhat AV Club (6:50)
National Selections 2023: Malta, Estonia, Albania (7:30)
National Selections 2024: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Iceland, San Marino (10:51)
Changing Methods: Slovenia, Lithuania, Denmark (15:15)

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Episode 203: Iconic

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 00:00:00 -0500

We say farewell to our host nations by discussing one area where Ukraine and the United Kingdom overlap: iconic runner-up entries. But what does "iconic" mean for Eurovision entries?

Using data from the annual ESC Top 250 countdown, we construct a rubric to identify songs from across the decades that could be part of a Eurovision Hall of Fame. In this episode, we highlight the entries that finished in second place and have a perfect ESC Top 250 record.

Iconic Summary

Saying farewell to the United Kingdom and Ukraine (1:15)
What is an "iconic" Eurovision performance? (6:48)
8 Iconic Eurovision Entries (11:09)
Building a Eurovision Hall of Fame (30:23)

Image by Maike und Björn Bröskamp from Pixabay

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Episode 200: PopCon 2023

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 00:00:00 -0500

2020 was a dark time for live music. It also marked the first time in the Eurovision Song Contest’s 65-year history where the competition was canceled. Rather than letting the lights go down in Rotterdam, Eurovision’s fan community and the European Broadcasting Union found new ways to celebrate the contest’s artists with at-home concerts, fan-driven countdowns, AI analysis of song content, and internet watchalongs of remastered editions of previous contests.

When the contest returned in 2021, “Open Up”—the slogan carried over from the 2020 contest—took on new meaning. Participating nations took extra precautions to put on their selection processes safely while Eurovision made sure it could be “back for good.” Fans had more say in who would be representing their nation, the Rotterdam Ahoy crew tested the feasibility of large-scale music events, and improvements in streaming platforms over the last decade meant that even more eyes were on the contest.

What wide-ranging effects could this have as Eurovision breaks out of its European bubble and starts bleeding into other areas of pop culture, including the Billboard Hot 100 and the 2023 Grammy Awards?

PopCon 2023 Summary

What is Eurovision? (8:43)
A Big Tent (12:07)
An Interlude About Digital Streaming Technology (13:10)
It is a Normal Year at Eurovision and Everything is Fine and We're Definitely NOT About to be Rocked By a Global Pandemic That Will Shut Everything Down Nine Months from Now (16:44)
#EurovisionAgain (28:57)
Back for Good (35:02)
Eurovision Song Contest: The Legend of Fire Saga (40:28)
Televising Covid (42:08)
New Engagement Opportunities (50:41)
The Covid Bubble (53:30)
The Grand Final (1:02:46)
Eurovision Around the World (1:08:53)

Thank you again to everyone listening, guests who have appeared on the show, guests who don't yet know they're going to be on the show (get hype!), and the Eurovision community at-large. This podcast is a labor of love and we're super proud to have made it to 200!

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Episode 197: Debut

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 23 May 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Ben has returned from his Eurovision debut in Liverpool, both as an audience member and as part of the in-person press team. He shares stories from his jam-packed trip.

Debut Summary

Eurovision Expectations (1:19)
The Turquoise Carpet and National Lottery Show (4:55)
Eurovision Dress Rehearsals and Semi Finals (8:35)
The Eurovision Grand Final (18:25)
The Sauna Truck (24:00)
The EuroVillage (27:00)
EuroWhat Off-Season Mode (28:55)

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Keep tabs on everything happening with Eurovision 2023 on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

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The EuroWhat? Podcast on Twitter: "While others went to the press conference, my interest was more “what’s going on at the sauna truck?”, so I followed that lead. #EUROVISION #EUROVISION2023 #Käärijä https://t.co/1zVllrlMyK" / Twitter

Episode 194: Internet People

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Mon, 08 May 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Ben and Mike met up in person to make their picks on what they think will qualify from the Eurovision 2023 semi-finals. Then we saw rehearsals. Experience both the before and after as we make our best guesses for Tuesday and Thursday.

Internet People Summary

Making predictions: pre-rehearsals (2:00)
Semi-Final 1 Predictions (4:57)
Semi-Final 2 Predictions (10:57)
SPOILER WARNING: Making Adjustments (20:34)
Semi-Final 1 Prediction Adjustments (20:49)
Semi-Final 2 Prediction Adjustments (28:14)

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Keep tabs on everything happening with Eurovision 2023 on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

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Episode 191: Hotel Art

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Susan Rogers from Berklee College of Music and author of This Is What It Sounds Like joins us for a record pull of the middle section of Eurovision Semi-Final 2. How do Iceland, Greece, Poland, Slovenia, and Georgia interact with our listener profiles?

Hotel Art Summary

This is What it Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You (0:49)
Iceland - Diljá - “Power” (5:53)
Greece - Victor Vernicos - "What They Say" (11:39)
Poland - Blanka - "Solo" (18:31)
Slovenia - Joker Out - "Carpe Diem" (24:52)
Georgia - Iru - "Echo" (31:07)

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Keep tabs on everything happening with Eurovision 2023 on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

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Special Guest: Susan Rogers.

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Episode 185: Raw Boost Energy

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Six more songs enter the Eurovision thunderdome courtesy of the Netherlands, Cyprus, Germany, Moldova, Serbia, and Iceland. We also find out what the finals in Sweden and Portugal will look like. Oh, and tickets are on sale... or at least they were...

Raw Boost Energy Summary

Eurovision Tickets When/Then (1:18)
Mia Nikolai and Dion Cooper will be "Burning Daylight" for the Netherlands (3:42)
Cyprus tasks Andrew Lambrou to "Break a Broken Heart" (6:28)
Lord Of the Lost will shed "Blood & Glitter" for Germany (9:11)
Pasha Parfeni will represent Moldova again with "Soarele si Luna" (15:37)
Luke Black wins in Serbia's Pesma za Evroviziju with "Samo mi se spava" (19:17)
Diljá uses her "Power" to win Iceland's Songvakeppnin (24:10)
Sweden's Melfest and Portugal's Festival da Canção complete their semi-finals (28:25)
Awaiting internals: Greece, Switzerland, Austria, Israel, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, United Kingdom (30:07)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Keep tabs on everything happening with selection season for Eurovision 2023 including a calendar and playlists on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

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Episode 184: Did the Thing

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Have we heard the winner of Eurovision 2023? Finland's selection made a strong case this weekend while Sweden's Loreen debuted her contender at Melfest. San Marino, Poland, and Australia also announced their picks as we get closer to the end of Selection Season.

Did the Thing Summary

Eurovision Hosts Announced (1:16)
Australia makes a "Promise" with Voyager (5:31)
Finland's UMK selects Käärijä's "Cha Cha Cha" (8:47)
Piqued Jacks' "Like an Animal" wins Una Voce per San Marino (12:46)
Poland's Blanka is going to "Solo" at Eurovision (18:30)
Remo Forrer will represent Switzerland (24:57)
Loreen did the thing at Melfest (25:43)
Iceland sets the final field for Songvakeppnin (31:47)
Portugal begins the Festival da Canção (34:13)
This week: Netherlands, Serbia, Cyprus, Germany, Moldova (35:45)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Keep tabs on everything happening with selection season for Eurovision 2023 including a calendar and playlists on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email, reach out on Twitter @eurowhat, or give us a toot on Mastodon.

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Episode 183: Halftime

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 00:00:00 -0600

We got to catch our breath this weekend with only two Eurovision selections coming through: Lithuania and France. With this break, we check in to see how Selection Season is going and what the back half may have in store.

Halftime Summary

Monika Linkytė will "Stay" for Lithuania (2:06)
France reveals La Zarra's "Évidemment" (7:24)
Iceland's Songvakeppnin begins (11:30)
Heat 3 for Sweden's Melfest (14:11)
Next weekend: Finland's UMK, Una Voce Per San Marino, Festival da Cançao, Poland (18:53)
Halftime Status Check (23:06)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Keep tabs on everything happening with selection season for Eurovision 2023 including a calendar and playlists on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email, reach out on Twitter @eurowhat, or give us a toot on Mastodon.

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Episode 182: Everything Everywhere All at Once

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 00:00:00 -0600

We are all googly-eyed after a Saturday with more than 50 hours of Eurovision programming. The good news: we now have 8 more songs heading to Liverpool.

Everything Everywhere All at Once Summary

Vesna wins ESCZ with "My Sister's Crown" (1:40)
Alika will represent Estonia with "Bridges" (4:37)
Theodor Andrei's "D.G.T. (Off and On)" wins Romania's Selectia Nationala (7:37)
"Breaking My Heart" by Reiley will represent Denmark (13:32)
Let 3 dominates Croatia's Dora with "Mama ŠČ!" (17:45)
Sudden Lights wins Latvia's Supernova with "Aijā" (22:44)
Malta selects "Dance (Our Own Party)" by The Busker for Liverpool (24:22)
Marco Mangoni will represent Italy again with "Due Vite" (27:27)
Sweden's Melfest Heat 2 (32:52)
Lithuania sets the Pabandom is Nuajo Final Field (36:31)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Keep tabs on everything happening with selection season for Eurovision 2023 including a calendar and playlists on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

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DORA 2023 Opening Performance | YouTube

Episode 180: Click... Click... Click...

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 00:00:00 -0600

After recapping the last (not so) quiet weekend of Eurovision Selection Season, we set our sights on finals, semi-finals, and song reveals all over Europe next weekend. Strap in: It's February, y'all.

Click... Click... Click... Summary

Germany announces acts for Unser Lied für Liverpool (1:22)
Moldova holds auditions for Etapa Nationala (2:42)
Norway finalizes the MGP lineup (5:36)
Lithuania's Pabandom is Naujo wraps its quarter finals (11:34)
Song drops: Portugal and Iceland (14:53)
Tuesday: Semi-final Allocation and Spain's Benidorm Festival (17:22)
Thursday: Serbia Song Drop and the Voice of Georgia (20:20)
Friday: Malta's continued MESC-ness, Ireland Chooses its Eurosong (22:21)
Saturday: Slovenia reveals "Carpe Diem", Sweden's Melfest, Latvia's Supernova (26:30)
Cosa Sta Facendo Maneskin: Grammy Awards Edition (28:39)
We Didn't Forget About the Czech Republic (30:10)

Cover art image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Keep tabs on everything happening with selection season for Eurovision 2023 including a calendar and playlists on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email, reach out on Twitter @eurowhat, or give us a toot on Mastodon.

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Episode 179: We Go Again

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 24 Jan 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Lithuania's selection series Pabandom is Naujo has returned and we couldn't be more excited. Meanwhile, Norway's MGP held its second semi as several countries drop songs all over the place for Eurovision 2023.

We Go Again Summary

Lithuania's Pabandom is Naujo Begins (1:34)
Norway's MGP Holds Its Second Semi-Final (8:39)
Song Drops: Denmark, Portugal, Iceland (13:10)
Coming Up: Germany's Finalists, Moldova's Auditions, Czech Republic's Live Final, Semi-Final Allocation (16:30)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Keep tabs on everything happening with selection season for Eurovision 2023 including a calendar and playlists on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email, reach out on Twitter @eurowhat, or give us a toot on Mastodon.

Over on Patreon, we have a slew of bonus episodes featuring the American Song Contest, the Eurovision AV Club, and deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics. Thank you for your support!

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

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Episode 174: After the Fact

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0600

Suzie Seager from the Euroriffs Podcast joins us to discuss concerts and music releases featuring Eurovision alumni.

After the Fact Summary

Suzie Seager from Euroriffs (0:40)
Slovenia announces Joker Out (5:12)
Junior Eurovision 2022 (6:42)
Song drops from Estonia and Ukraine (9:11)
The Eurovision Aftermarket in 2022 (10:50)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email, reach out on Twitter @eurowhat, or give us a toot on Mastodon.

Over on Patreon, we have a slew of bonus episodes featuring the American Song Contest, the Eurovision AV Club, and deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics. Thank you for your support!

Special Guest: Suzie Seager.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

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Episode 157: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ — Eurovision 2022 Grand Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Fri, 13 May 2022 06:00:00 -0500

We started Eurovision Week with 35 semi-finalists. 20 have moved on to join the Big 5 in Saturday's Grand Final. We take stock of our predictions from last episode and make our picks for who will win Eurovision 2022.

¯_(ツ)/¯ Eurovision 2022 Grand Final Preview Summary

Eurovision Semi-Final 1 (2:27)
Eurovision Semi-Final 2 (12:34)
Eurovision Grand Final Preview (24:37)
Who will win Eurovision 2022? (31:42)

Eurovision 2022 Review Series

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Episode 156: Bubblicious - Eurovision 2022 Semi-Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Sun, 08 May 2022 00:00:00 -0500

We make our picks for who we think will advance from this week's Eurovision Semi-Finals. These predictions were made before rehearsals, but surely they're still accurate?

Bubblicious Summary

Eurovision Week 2022 (1:42)
Our Semi-Final 1 Picks (6:55)
Our Semi-Final 2 Picks (19:56)

Eurovision 2022 Review Series

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

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Episode 151: Lilith Fair (Taylor's Version)

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 00:00:00 -0500

We have a running order! We have tickets when! We have Mike Nothnagel joining us to discuss the rest of the first semi final for Eurovision 2022: Portugal, Croatia, Denmark, Iceland, Greece, and Norway

Lilith Fair (Taylor's Version) Summary

Eurovision News: Running Orders and Tickets (sort of) (1:36)
Cosa Sta Facendo Måneskin: Lollapalooza Edition (3:43)
Welcome, Mike Nothnagel! (8:40)
Portugal - MARO - "saudade, saudade" (9:35)
Croatia - Mia Dimšić - "Guilty Pleasure" (14:34)
Denmark - ReDDI - "The Show" (20:40)
Iceland - Systur - "Með hækkandi sól" (26:28)
Greece - Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord - "Die Together" (31:07)
Norway - Subwoolfer - "Give That Wolf a Banana" (36:40)

Eurovision 2022 Review Series

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Special Guest: Mike Nothnagel.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

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Episode 148: One More Google

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0500

In the last week of Eurovision Selection Season, we have a manageable number of internal selections to process and ease into the sunset with chill vibes from three national finals.

One More Google Summary

Tuesday: Switzerland (2:02)
Wednesday: Georgia and Cyprus (4:52)
Thursday: Belgium, United Kingdom, and Greece (10:44)
Friday: Austria (22:57)
Saturday: Sweden's Melfest, Iceland's Songvakeppnin, and Portugal's Festival da Cancao (27:18)
Coming up this week: Israel, Malta, Azerbaijan, Armenia (40:41)

Spotify Playlists

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Episode 147: Math

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0600

Our brains may have turned into soup, but we survived the last overstuffed Saturday of Eurovision Selection Season. Just barely though... we were told there would be no math...

Math Summary

Internal selections: The Netherlands and Montenegro (1:43)
12 Points Germany goes to "Rockstars" by Malik Harris (5:25)
Denmark's REDDI won "The Show" (11:13)
WRS wins Romania's Selectia Nationala with "Llamame" (14:47)
"Fulenn" wins France's C'est Vous Qui Decidez (19:09)
Konstrakta will represent Serbia with "In Corpore Sano" (24:05)
Cosa Sta Facendo Maneskin: iHeartRadio Edition (29:52)
This week: Internal Selections, Songvakeppnin, Melfest, Festival da Cancao (31:59)

Spotify Playlists

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

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Links:

Episode 146: Україна

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0600

We stand with Ukraine.

Україна Summary

Eurovision Response to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine (1:31)
Eurovision in the Wild: David Byrne Edition (7:02)
Australia Decides on Sheldon Riley's "Not the Same" (9:15)
The Rasmus wins Finland's UMK with "Jezebel" (15:49)
More Super Saturdays: Iceland, Sweden, France, Romania, and more (20:45)

Spotify Playlists

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

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Episode 145: Quante voci? In questa economia?

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0600

In the biggest Saturday for Eurovision 2022 selection season, 6 songs were chosen for Turin. We travel to Norway, Slovenia, Croatia, Poland, San Marino, and Malta and examine a variety of TV formats along the way.

Quante voci? In questa economia? Summary

News: Kelly Clarkson, Snoop Dogg to Host American Song Contest; Ukraine Update (1:25)
Azerbaijan announces Nadir Rüstəmli (4:32)
Norway Gives That Subwoolfer a Ticket to Turin (6:19)
Slovenia hits the "Disko" with LPS (13:07)
Croatia Gives in to Mia Dimšić's "Guilty Pleasure" (15:35)
Poland crosses the "River" with Ochman (18:25)
Malta Thinks Emma Muscat is "Out of Sight" (21:48)
Achille Lauro's "Stripper" is Una Voce per San Marino (27:24)
Cosa Sta Facendo Maneskin: Vibe Rate Edition (32:53)
This week: Australia Decides, Finland's UMK, Iceland's Songvakeppnin, Melfest Heat 4 (34:08)

Spotify Playlists

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

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Episode 142: Convoluted

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 07:15:00 -0600

Moldova made a surprise internal selection and Spain made its Eurovision selection at last week's Benidorm Festival. We discuss these songs and look ahead to the first Super Saturday of 2022!

Convoluted Summary

Zdob si Zdub will represent Moldova again (1:15)
Spain choose Chanel's "SloMo" at Benidorm Fest (4:14)
Pabandom and MGP (8:48)
Cosa sta facendo Måneskin? Sanremo Edition (16:49)
Midweek Selections: Eesti Laul, North Macedonia, Ireland (17:48)
Super Saturday: Iceland, Melfest, Israel, EMA, Supernova (20:45)

Spotify Playlists

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Episode 140: Pivot

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0600

Dave Steeves returns to the program to discuss Norway's Melodi Grand Prix, a casual approach to Eurovision Selection Season, and the pivoting that is happening in response to the pandemic.

Pivot Summary

Last week in Eurovision (2:51)
- Malta snippets drop
- Finland UMK announces acts and songs
- Poland switches to a national final
- Omicron disrupts Melfest and Songvakeppnin
Cosa sta facendo Måneskin? Coachella edition (8:27)
Norway's Melodi Grand Prix begins (10:57)
Coming up this week (18:43)

Spotify Playlists

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Special Guest: Dave Steeves.

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Episode 135: Nul Points

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 00:00:00 -0600

The dreaded Nul Points visited Rotterdam at Eurovision this year. We take a look at the sordid history of the dubious distinction.

Nul Points Summary

News: Georgia's Circus Mircus, American Song Contest Launch Date, Estonia's Eesti Laul, Albania's Festivali i Këngës, Czech Republic's Online Selection (2:23)
Eurovision Again: 2004 (11:01)
Nul Points: A Taxonomy (13:58)
A Pointless History of Eurovision (21:44)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Want to support the show? Join our Patreon! Listener support has helped with getting episode transcriptions and refreshing our website.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

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Episode 133: Metaverse

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 00:00:00 -0500

Does breaking the fourth wall work at Eurovision? Ben takes us through a collection of songs that try to go meta.

Metaverse Summary

News (1:16)
Eurovision Again: 2012 (10:23)
When Eurovision Goes Meta (15:16)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

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Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

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Episode 131: Viña del Mar

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0500

We continue our series of music competitions with Eurovision connections by visiting Chile's Viña del Mar International Song Festival.

Viña del Mar Summary

Eurovision Again: 1968 (1:07)
Belgium Selects (3:29)
What is the Viña del Mar Festival? (6:41)
El Monstruo (16:16)
Xuxa vs El Monstruo (19:56)
Enrique Iglesias and Paolo Meneguzzi vs El Monstruo (31:20)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

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Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

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Episode 128: Bordspel

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 23:00:00 -0500

Dave Steeves facilitates a play through of the Eurovision Song Contest Board Game. Mike en Ben verstaan de Nederlandse taal niet.

Bordspel Summary

Introduction to the Best/Worst Idea (1:30)
Eurovision Song Contest: The Board Game (4:08)
The Grand Final (28:19)
Review: did we like the Eurovision Board Game? (33:12)

Links / Credits

Cover art: Mike McComb
#31: Eurovision Gifts for 2018
Episode Transcript (Descript)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Want to support the show? Join our Patreon! Listener support has helped with getting episode transcriptions and refreshing our website.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Special Guest: Dave Steeves.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Episode 126: A Song Called Hate

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 23:00:00 -0500

Film buff and Eurofan Evan Stewart joins us to discuss the Hatari documentary A Song Called Hate.

A Song Called Hate Summary

Eurovision Again: 1980 (0:57)
News Desk: Belarus, Italy, Måneskin
A Song Called Hate intro
Welcome, Evan Stewart!
Let's Talk About the Documentary
Who is the audience for A Song Called Hate?
Would you recommend this movie?

Links / Credits

Cover art: Andres Putting | Eurovision.tv
#62: Morocco 1980
A Song Called Hate Homepage
Episode Transcript

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Want to support the show? Join our Patreon! Listener support has helped with getting episode transcriptions and refreshing our website.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Special Guest: Evan Stewart.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Episode 125: The Discourse 2021

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 23:00:00 -0500

Meredith Clark joins us to discuss some of the societal issues that Eurovision struggles to address in the fandom discourse.

The Discourse 2021 Summary

Welcome, Meredith Clark! Twitter | Instagram (1:17)
Eurovision Politics 2021 (5:02)
The Online Fandom (13:49)
How do we break down the discourse? (24:28)

Episode 124: It was the Elves

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 11:00:00 -0500

Author Seanan McGuire joins us to explain how the elves helped Eurovision Song Contest: the Story of Fire Saga earn a Hugo nomination.

It was the Elves Summary

#EurovisionAgain: 1969 (0:56)
Happy Birthday, Fire Saga! (5:17)
Welcome, Seanan McGuire! (11:14)
How does Fire Saga fit into the sci-fi/fantasy genre? (13:47)
What is the Hugo Awards nomination process? (16:18)
How can Eurofans help? (21:11)

Episode 123: Live on Tape

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 11:00:00 -0500

Bre Booker joins us to discuss the pre-recorded Live on Tape performances from the 2021 Eurovision Song Celebration YouTube specials.

Live on Tape Summary

News Desk (2:48)
Welcome, Bre Booker! (8:14)
American Song Contest Submissions Open (11:10)
Eurovision Song Celebration Live on Tape Performances (14:11)
Would Eurovision Plan D have worked? (34:07)

Episode 122: Revised Head Canon

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 25 May 2021 11:00:00 -0500

Ryan's back! We help to provide a revised head canon to fill the gap between 2018 and 2021 and review this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

Revised Head Canon Summary

Welcome back, Ryan!
Grand Final Thoughts and Stats (8:12)
Semi-Final 1 Stats (16:42)
Semi-Final 2 Stats (23:58)
Final Thoughts (35:37)

Episode 121: Eurovision 2021 Grand Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Fri, 21 May 2021 09:00:00 -0500

33 songs competed on the Eurovision stage Tuesday and Thursday but only 20 advanced to the 2021 Grand Final. Who will win the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam?

Eurovision 2021 Grand Final Preview Summary

Discovering Peacock will be carrying Eurovision
Where Can I Watch the Eurovision Song Contest in the US?
First Semi-Final (3:22)
Second Semi-Final (7:23)
Grand Final Thoughts (13:38)

Episode 120: Eurovision 2021 Semi-Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Sun, 16 May 2021 23:00:00 -0500

The Eurovision 2021 Semi-Final Spectacular is here! We make our picks for the 20 songs we think will qualify for the Grand Final in Rotterdam.

Eurovision 2021 Semi-Final Preview Summary

News
- The American Song Contest
- Where Can I Watch the Eurovision Song Contest in the US?
- Rehearsals: Covid Incidents (No Spoilers)
Semi-Final 1 Predictions (6:36)
Semi-Final 2 Predictions (15:25)

Episode 117: Cake or Death

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 11:00:00 -0500

Taber Bain helps us navigate cake body horror, Jenna Maroney energy, and existential despair in the Eurovision experience.

Cake or Death Summary

Welcome, Taber Bain!
- @cakesandcourage

Eurovision 2021 Semi-Final 2 Part 2:
- Moldova - Natalia Gordienko - "Sugar" (3:53)
  - Chișinău Academy of Music, Theatre, and Fine Arts
- Iceland - Daði & Gagnamagnið - "10 Years" (10:01)
  - Think About Aliens (iOS | Android)
- Serbia - Hurricane - "Loco Loco" (15:41)
  - Comrade Detective (Amazon Prime)
- Georgia - Tornike Kipiani - "You" (23:25)
  - "Can't Get You Out of My Head" <<< BEN CLICK THIS
- Albania - Anxhela Peristeri - "Karma" (27:38)
  - "E cmendur" (Kenga Magjike 2017)

Episode 111: The Homestretch

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 11:00:00 -0500

We're in the homestretch of an unusual Eurovision Selection Season. Melfest is the main event, new songs, scandals... ok, maybe not so unusual...

The Homestretch Summary

"Husavik" Awards Watch: The Grammy Awards and the Oscars (1:12)
The Last Week of Eurovision 2021 Selection Season
- Tuesday: Belarus potentially disqualified (5:43)
- Wednesday song drops: (11:20)
  - Austria's Vincent Bueno "Amen"
  - Greece's Stefania "Last Dance"
  - Switzerland's Gjon's Tears "Tout L'Univers"
  - Bulgaria's VICTORIA's "Growing Up is Getting Old"
- Thursday song drops: (23:54)
  - United Kingdom's James Newman "Embers"
  - North Macedonia's Vasil Garvanliev "Here I Stand"
- Friday song drops: (32:25)
  - Poland's Rafal "The Ride"
  - Latvia's Samanta Tina "The Moon is Rising"
- Saturday's Songs: (39:00)
  - Sweden's Melfest Final chooses Tusse's "Voices"
  - Iceland's Daði & Gagnamagnið "10 Years"

Coming Up: Heads of Delegations, Georgia, Malta, and Azerbaijan (50:52)

Episode 109: Eye of the Hurricane

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 11:00:00 -0600

It's the calm before a hurricane of Eurovision entries washes ashore for 2021. We give Cyprus, Germany, Ireland, and Slovenia a first listen.

Eye of the Hurricane Summary

Song Drops
- Cyprus summons "El Diablo" (1:54)
- Germany says "I Don't Feel Hate" (8:31)
- Ireland opens up its "Maps" (14:49)
- Slovenia: can I get an "Amen"? (17:53)

Weekend Recaps
- Sweden's Melodifestivalen Heat 4 (21:00)
- Portugal's Festival da Canção Semi-Final 2 (24:49)

Coming Up This Week (28:16)
- Tuesday: Italy's 71st Sanremo Music Festival starts
- Thursday: Moldova, Netherlands, and (maybe?) Belarus Drop Songs
- Saturday: Estonia's Eesti Laul Final, Denmark's Melodi Grand Prix, Daði Freyr documentary on Iceland's RUV
- Monday: Russia's surprise national final; Senhit's Freaky Trip to Rotterdam concludes with San Marino's song

Episode 101: Disco Toilet

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 11:00:00 -0600

From Albania's FiK selection to Senhit's latest disco cover to the results of ESC 250, we discuss a lot of Eurovision news from over the holidays.

Disco Toilet Summary

Anxhela Peristeri wins Albania's Festivali i Këngës with "Karma" (1:41)
Selection season updates (10:10)
- Lithuania, Croatia, and Italy announce contestants
- Belarus is open for submissions
- Serbia's Hurricane and Ireland's Lesley Roy are coming back
- Spain will use a national final for Blas Cantó's song
- Israel announces three songs for Eden Alene
- Slovenia will use EMA to select Ana Soklic's song
- San Marino's Senhit covers Abba's "Waterloo"
- Iceland's Daði needs a choir (Google Drive)

ESC 250 Results and Analysis (25:07)

Episode 97: Eurovision AV Club

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 11:00:00 -0600

We could all use a distraction during *gestures at universe*. Here are some picks for Eurovision-adjacent media from our AV club.

Eurovision AV Club Summary

News: 41 Countries to Participate at Eurovision 2021, Daði & Gagnamagnið for Iceland, Senhit covers "Rise Like a Phoenix" (2:38)
Selection Season process details: Lithuania's Pabandom is Naujo, Finland's UMK, Croatia's Dora, Denmark's Melodi Grand Prix (7:56)
ESC 250 voting opens November 9 (13:19)
Eurovision Book Club! (16:11)
- Three Minutes of Eternity (Amazon)
- Being Conchita: We Are Unstoppable (Amazon)
Eurovision Movie Club! (29:16)
- Monsterman (Amazon Prime)
- Souvenir (Trailer)
- Cupcakes (Trailer)

Episode 96: Take! It! Off!

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 11:00:00 -0500

The Masked Singer has proven to be an international hit and a potential aftermarket for Eurovision alumni. Mike from Aussievision joins us to discuss the insanity.

Take! It! Off! Summary

News: 38 countries so far, Norway dates, Italy process (2:00)
Iceland Airwaves presents Live from Reykjavik (5:54)
Netflix offers Fire Saga For Your Consideration (8:07)
Main Topic: The Masked Singer as Eurovision Aftermarket (15:56)
Special Guest: Mike from Aussievision discusses the Australian version of the Masked Singer (26:51)

Episode 93: Rotterdam, Ahoy! Take 2

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 11:00:00 -0500

Rotterdam gets to take a mulligan on 2020 as we look ahead to how preparations for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest begin to take shape.

Rotterdam, Ahoy! Take 2 Episode Summary

Mailbag and Eurovision in the Wild (2:13)
- Eurovision at the DNC
- The Crossword: Friday, August 21 in the New Yorker
- Animal Crossing Fashion by Nitro Gnome
- "Zenit" by ONUKA in Just Dance 2021

Where are we with countries and artists for next year? (18:35)
- Senhit's Freaky Trip to Rotterdam: "Ding a Dong"
- Ben's NRKMGP Presentation

How is Rotterdam planning for Eurovision 2021? (27:43)
- With COVID, how is the 2021 edition of Eurovision Organized? (RTS)

Episode 92: Americandom is Naujo!

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 14:00:00 -0500

We welcome Helen Groothuis back to the show to workshop how on earth the American Song Contest is supposed to work?

Americandom is Naujo! Episode Summary

This episode's conversation is a bit more freestyle than usual, so timestamps don't make a whole lotta sense. However, here are a number of topics that we touch on, more or less in order:

Variety publishes the first story about the American Song Contest announcement
Who is Ben Silverman and why is Mike jealous?
Are there any reality competitions we haven't watched? (Ed Note: No.)
What network(s) could broadcast this?
What are our hopes/dreams/fears/lingering questions on how this is supposed to work?
Can we come up with a better title than American Song Contest?

Episode 90: Wine Aunt Energy

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 11:00:00 -0500

We open up our mailbag and a chilled bottle of pinot grigio as we get caught up on Eurovision news from the last month.

Wine Aunt Energy Episode Summary

Mailbag (1:27):
- How to pronounce "Niamh"
- Bucks Fizz boiled sweets
- The worst Halloween candy
- Bruno Toniolli

No, really, are "Husavik" and "Jaja Ding Dong" eligible for Oscars? (6:30)

#EurovisionAgain (13:10)
- Copenhagen 2014
- Jerusalem 1999

Eurovision Back for Good (20:43)

Returning artist updates (24:09)
- Moldova
- Greece
- Israel
- Slovenia
- San Marino

Artists not returning (41:58)
- Croatia
- France
- Italy
- Albania
- Germany

Episode 89: 12 Points to Fire Saga?

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 11:00:00 -0500

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga arrived on Netflix last week and 12 Points from America joins us to discuss the music in Will Ferrell's new comedy.

12 Points to Fire Saga? Episode Summary

Welcome, 12 Points from America! Erik, Danny, Sam, and Derek! (2:20)
What were your overall impressions of the music in the movie? (7:23)
Will non-Eurovision fans "get" the Song Along? (20:30)
Was there anything missing from the Eurovision music experience? (39:33)
Outro: We discuss The Story of Fire Saga as a movie on 12 Points from America! (46:30)

Episode 85: Eurovision Again

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 05 May 2020 11:00:00 -0500

#EurovisionAgain impresario Rob Holley speaks with us about the Eurovision Twitter time machine extravaganza.

#EurovisionAgain Summary

News Desk (1:58)
- Eurostream 2020 Voting | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube
- Alternate Programming for Eurovision Week ESCXtra Guide
- Netflix Updates

#EurovisionAgain with Rob Holley (11:30)

Episode 83: Fanopticon

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 11:00:00 -0500

Despite Eurovision's cancellation this year, the fandom is still fully engaged in the Contest. Eurovision Obsession's André Durham joins us to chat about how we're coping.

Fanopticon Summary

Special Guest: Welcome back, André Durham!
Eurovision News (1:48)
- 2021 Participation, Fast Passes, and Returning Artists
- Songwriters have opinions about the 2020 cancellation
- The Soul of Eurovision Saga
- France re-releases Tom Leeb's "Mon Alliée (The Best in Me)"

Voting! (12:43)

Concerts! (25:27)
- Eurovision Home Concerts (Episode 1)
- Surie Lockdown Eurovision Party
- Victoria at Home

Rewatch! (32:17)
- Eurovision 2019 is still on Netflix
- #EurovisionAgain Saturdays at 9pm CET / 3pm Eastern
- Broadcasters planning out special May programming

Who do you think would have won Eurovision this year?

Special Guest: André Durham.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Episode 79: Songageddon 2020

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 17:00:00 -0600

Somehow we managed to be verbal after mainlining hours upon hours of Eurovision content this past weekend. It's Songageddon 2020!

Songageddon 2020 Summary

Thursday (1:35)
- United Kingdom drops James Newman's "My Last Breath" (with special guest Helen Groothuis)
- Germany has a "Violent Thing" with Ben Dolic
- Azerbaijan announces Samira Efendi
Friday (13:09)
- Belarus chooses VAL's "Da Vidna / Да вiдна" instead of "La-Ley-La"
Saturday (16:48)
- Estonia's televoters show Uku Suviste "What Love Is"
- Moldova goes to "Prison" with Natalia Gordienko
- Damir Kedžo wins Croatia's Dora 2020 with "Divlji vjetre"
- Iceland's Daði Freyr wins Songvakeppnin with "Think About Things"
- Melfest Andra Chansen
Sunday (46:36)
- Greece debuts Stefania's "Superg!rl"
- Roxen's "Alcohol You" will represent Romania
- Hurricane blows away Serbia's Beovizija with "Hasta la Vista"
Monday (55:46)
- Russia announces Little Big
- Georgia debuts "Take Me As I Am"
Coming up this week: everything else! (58:42)

Episode 78: Remedial Dance Party

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 17:00:00 -0600

We're in the eye of the Eurovision Selection Season storm thanks to a light TV schedule this weekend. Time to practice the "I'm a Little Tempest in a Teapot" dance!

Remedial Dance Party Summary

Ukraine's Go_A wins VidBir with "Solovey" (1:54)
Slovenia's Ana Soklič wins EMA with "Voda" (7:05)
Sweden's Melfest Heat 4 in Malmö (12:52)
Portugal's Festival da Cançao Semi-Final 1 (23:13)
Poland's Alicja Protects the "Empires" from the Lake Malawi Trojan Horse (23:13)
This week: Germany, United Kingdom, Belarus, Serbia, Croatia, Estonia, Iceland, Moldova, Romania (27:53)

Episode 77: Anarchy in the NRK

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 17:00:00 -0600

The Eurovision 2020 songlist has hit double digits after this past weekend as we encounter internal selections and national final results.

Anarchy in the NRK Summary

Armenia's Depi Evratesil (2:09)
Lithuania's Pabandom is Naujo Final (6:32)
Norway's NRK Melodi Grand Prix Final (11:27)
Sweden's Melodifestivalen Heat 3 (21:01)
Iceland's Songvakeppnin Semi-Final 2 (24:49)
France releases Tom Leeb's "The Best in Me" (31:07)
Belgium releases Hooverphonic's "Release Me" (35:35)
This Weekend Romania Songs, Portugal's Festival da Cancao, Slovenia's EMA, Ukraine's VidBir, and Poland's Szansa na Sukces (42:20)

Episode 76: Sanremo LXX (Long, Xtra Xtra)

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 17:00:00 -0600

Saturday proved to be a marathon as Australia, Latvia, and Italy chose their Eurovision entries and a whole bunch of other countries made progress.

Sanremo LXX (Long, Xtra Xtra) Summary

Eurovision in the Wild: Oscars 2020 Edition (1:43)
Israel selects Eden Alene (7:00)
Australia Decides on Montaigne (8:36)
Latvia chooses Samanta Tina (13:47)
Malta's X Factor belongs to Destiny (21:06)
Italy's Sanremo 70 ends with Diodato win (23:00)
Other checkins: Lithuania, Sweden, Iceland, Ukraine, Norway (30:46)

Episode 75: Austvia Superdecides

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 17:00:00 -0600

It's time to update your Eurovision Top 2 videos as Czech Republic makes their choice and Australia, Italy, and Latvia get ready to make theirs.

Austvia Superdecides Summary

Semi-Final Allocation for Realsies This Time (1:40)
Eurovision Ticket Sales (5:15)
Spain releases Blas Cantó's "Universo" (8:28)
Czech Republic chooses Benny Cristo's "Kemama" (10:12)
Greece selects Stefania (14:16)
Weekend Recaps: Lithuania, Norway, Sweden (15:58)
Italy's Sanremo Festival Begins (33:27)
Our picks: Australia Decides (35:35)
Our picks: Latvia's Supernova (44:49)
Coming up this weekend: Malta, Ukraine, Iceland, Poland,

Episode 73: Boys!

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 17:00:00 -0600

We have an avalanche of Eurovision news this week, including two new artist selections, a bunch of songs, and Billie Eilish?

Boys! Summary

Martin Österdahl named Eurovision Executive Supervisor (1:25)
Jon Ola Sand discusses the US at Eurovision (3:24)
Artist announcements: Tom Leeb for France, Vasil Garvanliev for North Macedonia (6:35)
Song drops: Portugal, Iceland, Czech Republic, Denmark, Moldova, Finland (9:08)
Norway Melodi Grand Prix Week 2 (19:00)
Lithuania Pabandom iš naujo! Week 2 (26:25)

Episode 72: DRIP in a Box

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 17:00:00 -0600

Eurovision Selection Season 2020 begins in earnest with Norway's revamped Melodi Grand Prix and Lithuania's fashion makeover.

DRIP in a Box Summary

Jeangu Macrooy will represent the Netherlands (1:10)
Norway's Melodi Grand Prix Heat 1 (3:40)
Lithuania's Pabandom iš naujo! Heat 1 (9:23)
Serbia announces its contestants (14:33)
Czech Republic announces their artists (16:25)
This week: Portugal, Latvia, Iceland, Slovenia (20:45)

Episode 68: Eurovisie Songfestivus

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 18:00:00 -0600

Tickets! Hosts! More selections! Eurovision 2020 is in full swing, but we look back at 2019 pop culture and make a 2020 wish list in this episode.

Episode Summary

Eurovision tickets on sale... for 20 minutes (1:32)
Eurovision Hosts: Chantal Janzen, Edsilia Rombley, Jan Smit (6:26)
Austria selects Vincent Bueno (9:38)
Albania's Festivali i Këngës takes place this week (12:18)
Czech Republic invents some genres (14:55)
Festivus Grievances and Holiday Wishes (17:43)
What did your Spotify Wrapped look like? (29:50)
What other podcasts caught your ear this year? (36:52)
The Most Important Piece of Pop Culture of 2019 (42:12)

Podcasts We Recommend

Episode 66: Iceland Airwaves

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 18:00:00 -0600

Our Senior Hatari Correspondent Ben traveled to Reykjavik to check in with the Iceland Airwaves festival and what's going on in the Icelandic music scene.

Episode Summary

How Many Countries are in Europe? We have an answer! (1:21)
National Selection Hopscotch (2:44)
- Featuring Czech Republic, Estonia, Australia, and more!
ESC 250 Voting is open! (7:16)
Eurovision in Chicago: Onuka, Il Volo, Flying Steps (9:31)
Iceland Airwaves (15:53)

Episode 64: Win Win Win Win

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 18:00:00 -0500

We jump back 50 years to that time Eurovision had a four-way tie for first place... and no way to break it.

Win Win Win Win Summary

How many countries are in Europe? (1:44)
Are you the next Jon Ola Sand? (9:05)
Update: What WAS that Germany postcard? (12:17)
Eurovision 1969: The Big Tie (14:16)
Netherlands - Lenny Kuhr - "De Troubadour" (19:35)
Spain - Salomé - "Vivo Contando" (22:00)
United Kingdom - Lulu - "Boom Bang A Bang" (24:04)
France - Frida Boccara - "Un Jour, Un Enfant" (27:40)

Episode 63: Flags on the Play

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 18:00:00 -0500

Who knew that flags—symbols of national identity—could have political implications at the Eurovision Song Contest? Drink!

Flags on the Play Summary

News (1:48)
Flags at the Eurovision Song Contest (12:05)
Controversy 1: Israel 2000 (15:21)
Controversy 2: United Kingdom 2007 (23:49)
Controversy 3: Russia 2015 (33:17)
Controversy 4: Armenia 2016 (40:10)
Controversy 5: Iceland 2019 (43:49)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

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Episode 62: Morocco 1980

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 18:00:00 -0500

Remember that time Morocco competed at the Eurovision Song Contest? We don't since neither of us existed at the time. Let's learn about it together!

Morocco 1980 Summary

RUV fined for Hatari's antics (1:36)
Country count (3:37)
UK and Spain go internal (4:37)
Morocco at the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest (8:53)

Episode 59: 12 Angry Points

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 18:00:00 -0500

Nothing courts Eurovision controversy quite like the juries. We journey back to 1997 when the introduction of the televote made the juries A Thing.

12 Angry Points Summary

Mailbag: Big 5 Rehab Redux with Germany and the UK (2:07)
Eurovision in the Wild: German chocolate edition (5:00)
How Many Cities in the Netherlands? (7:36)
Netflix Eurovision update (9:03)
A Brief History of Eurovision Juries (11:32)

Episode 54: Madame X is Eurovision

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 18:00:00 -0500

Maura Johnston joins us to discuss Madonna's Eurovision performance, Madame X, and how the Queen of Pop can navigate 2019.

Madame X is Eurovision Summary

Welcome, Maura Johnston!
Grand Final scoreboard updates (3:32)
Hatari wins Iceland Kids' Choice Awards (8:01)
Eurovision in the Wild: Billboard Edition (9:06)
Barbara Dex update (10:10)
Madonna: Eurovision, Madame X, and 2019 Pop (14:47)
What other superstars should Eurovision seek out? (40:50)

Episode 52: Eurovision 2019 Grand Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Fri, 17 May 2019 10:00:00 -0500

This is it. The Eurovision 2019 Semi-Finals are done and we know what 26 countries will compete in Saturday's Grand Final. We add our own wild speculation to the mix.

We break down the results from the semi-finals and how accurate our predictions were (Hint: hoo boy...) and what we think of Israel's presentation of the Contest so far. After checking in with the auto-qualifiers rehearsals, we make our picks for who will win the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. Will Iceland's "Hatrid mun sigra" sigra? Could Australia's "Zero Gravity" rise to the top? Is Netherlands' "Arcade" playing a winning game? Or will France's "Roi" reign supreme?

Eurovision 2019 Grand Final Preview Summary

SPOILER WARNING: We know not everyone watches the semi-finals and some folks may still be avoiding any information about the auto-qualifiers’ rehearsals. If you want to remain unspoiled, you may want to save this episode until after Saturday’s Grand Final. Who knows, we could be hilariously wrong in everything, so you may have that to look forward to.

How was the first semi-final? (4:15)
How was the second semi-final? (18:08)
Eurovision Grand Final preview (36:26)
Our predictions (44:42)

Episode 46: Eurovision 2019 Semi-Final 1 Part 3: Extremely Online

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 09 Apr 2019 17:00:00 -0500

With running order in hand, we finish covering Eurovision Semi Final 1, talking about Georgia, Iceland, Estonia, Portugal, Greece, and San Marino.

Eurovision 2019 Semi-Final 1 Part 3: Extremely Online Summary

Followups! My Heritage Gets a B; Italy's Feeling the Music (1:25)
News: Eurovision in Concert; Madonna; Running Order (2:52)
Georgia - Oto Nemsadze - Keep on Going (8:16)
Iceland - Hatari - Hatrið mun sigra (14:59)
Estonia - Victor Crone - Storm (21:52)
Portugal - Conan Osíris - Telemóveis (27:03)
Greece - Katerine Duska - Better Love (31:43)
San Marino - Serhat - Say Na Na Na (36:27)
Semi Final 1 Wrapup (45:33)

Episode 41: Loose Ends

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 05 Mar 2019 17:00:00 -0600

The loose ends of Eurovision national final season started wrapping up this past weekend, with seven songs selected, one country confirming withdrawal, and tickets... well...

Loose Ends Summary

Ukraine confirms withdrawal (1:54)
Tickets are on sale... until they're not. Surprise! (3:27)
Belgium asks Eliot to "Wake Up" (4:28)
Looking at Finland's "Look Away" (6:33)
HATARI (9:54)
Can Moldova "Stay" on track? (15:04)
Norway ~~Greenbaum's~~ "Spirit in the Sky" (17:47)
Portugal's "Telemóveis" splits the room (20:54)
Georgia Idol or Georgia Idle? (24:13)
Serbia's "Kruna" (26:49)
Coming up: The Last Week of Selection Season! (29:22)

Episode 40: YIKES

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 26 Feb 2019 18:00:00 -0600

Eurovision ticket prices? Yikes. Lithuania Marathon finale shenanigans? Yikes. Ukraine's Vidbir Inquisition? YIKES. It's been a week, y'all.

YIKES Summary

Eurovision ticket prices announced (1:25)
France not a fan of Duz Pua (3:42)
Ben and Mike are 23rd cousins twice removed (5:55)
Germany chooses S!sters' "Sister" (7:14)
Hungary's Joci Pápai returns to Eurovision with “Az Én Apám” (11:04)
Ukraine was A THING (13:08)
Denmark's Leonora changes the tone with "Love is Forever" (22:07)
How Many People in Lithuania? Jurijus "Run with the Lions" (28:31)
Melfest Checkin (33:19)
This week: Finland, Georgia, Iceland, Moldova, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Belgium, North Macedonia (34:54)

Episode 39: Eurovision is a Whole Mood

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 19 Feb 2019 17:00:00 -0600

All the things happened this past weekend in Eurovision-land and the trend that's emerging: Eurovision is in a mood.

Eurovision is a Whole Mood Summary

Australia locked in until 2023! (1:39)
Israel chooses Kobi Marimi (2:36)
Poland announces Tulia (5:01)
Greece announces Katerine Duska (7:11)
Dora: Croatia chooses Roko Blazevic's "The Dream" (8:46)
Eesti Laul: Estonia chooses Victor Crone's "Storm" (11:27)
Supernova: Latvia chooses Carousel's "That Night" (14:39)
EMA: Slovenia chooses Zala Kralj & Gašper Šantl's "Sebi" (18:24)
Selectia Nationala: ~~Wiwiblogs~~ Romania chooses Ester Peony's "On a Sunday" (21:21)
Semi-final checkins: Iceland, Sweden, Hungary (drama!), Lithuania, Ukraine, Portugal (30:47)

Episode 38: Euro Vortex

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 17:00:00 -0600

Eurovision 2019 Selection Season is in full swing! We dive into the Euro Vortex with the United Kingdom, Montenegro, Italy, and Hatari among many others.

First up, Ben and Mike recover from last week's polar vortex by checking in with some Eurovision in the Wild on US TV. Kseniya Simonova—the sand artist from Ukraine's 2011 entry "Angel"—blew away Terry Crews on America's Got Talent and might win the final? Meanwhile, CBS has enlisted some Eurovision help with The World's Best while the Tennis Channel is causing folks to ask "Is this a Eurovision?"

This past week has brought about a handful of selections. Russia reminds us that Sergey Lazarev will be their only one for 2019. The United Kingdom will try to make Michael Rice's "Bigger Than Us"... something. Australia finally decided. Montenegro introduces this year's first group. And Italy has opinions about "Soldi" by Mahmood. Like... A LOT of opinions.

There was also a vortex of semi-finals throughout the weekend, with Iceland, Lithuania, Sweden, and Romania getting closer to making their final choices. Could we be on the cusp of a Hatari / Laura Bretan collaboration in 2020? We'll need to get through the chaos of next weekend's dozen or so selections and broadcasts.

Euro Vortex Summary

Eurovision in the Wild (1:49)
Russia selects Sergey Lazarev (7:21)
United Kingdom chooses "It's Bigger Than Us" (8:43)
Australia Decides (12:34)
Montenegro: "Heaven" sent (18:08)
Italy has opinions about Sanremo (21:22)
Checking in with the Semi-Finals (27:42)

Episode 37: Australia Decides Gets AUSome

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 05 Feb 2019 16:00:00 -0600

We discuss Australia Decides with Mike and Dale from the Aussievision Podcast! Which entries are we most excited about in this year's field?

Eurovision selection season is starting to get into full swing. We have artist announcements from three countries kicking off this episode, with Austria's choice reminding us of Netta. Speaking of last year's winner, we take a listen to her follow-up single "Bassa Sababa"—does it capture our imagination the way "Toy" did last year?

Coming up this week will be Australia's first-ever national selection Australia Decides. We could have done our own deep dive into the ten songs competing for the ticket to Tel Aviv, but why not bring in some actual Australians to help us out? Mike and Dale from the Aussievision Podcast conquered all the timezones to discuss the Australian music scene, which reality shows actually work as launch pads, and reminisce on the awesomeness of the looks from RuPaul's Drag Race season 6. Oh, and we chat about the 10 songs that will be competing this Saturday.

We close the show talking about the three other selection finals happening this week. A handful of semi-finals are happening as well. Will any of them bring about the downfall of capitalism? Yes, that question is on-topic.

Australia Decides Gets AUSome Summary

Artist Selections: North Macedonia, Finland, Austria (1:52)
Netta's "Bassa Sababa" (7:02)
Australia Decides with Aussievision (9:30)
Upcoming Selections: Italy, United Kingdom, Montenegro (48:59)
How Many People are in Lithuania? (52:13)
Preliminary Rounds: Iceland, Ukraine, Sweden, Romania (53:50)

Episode 26: Tel Aviv and Other Headlines

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 26 Sep 2018 06:00:00 -0500

Tel Aviv will be hosting Eurovision in 2019! I mean, we pretty much knew that, but now it's official!

On this episode of the Eurowhat Podcast, we check in with the venues around Tel Aviv that will be hosting the big events in May. Will the Tel Aviv Convention Center be big enough to hold the Eurovision fandom? How is the green room supposed to work? And are hotels already busting budgets for fans?

In case Tel Aviv doesn't work out as an option, details about Eurovision in Concert in Amsterdam have been revealed. Speaking of the Netherlands, we have the final recap of Glennis Grace's journey on America's Got Talent. Did she triumph through adversity, despite having to perform with Bebe Rexha?

Finland's UMK, Sweden's Melfest, and Iceland's Söngvakeppnin have been added to the calendar, while Ireland's songwriters have been murmuring about a possible boycott. We don't talk about Junior Eurovision—there's too much to discuss with the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships instead. Oh! And Ralph Siegel's birthday is coming up! Happy birthday, buddy!

So much to celebrate in this episode—download and join the fun!

Tel Aviv and Other Headlines Summary

Tel Aviv is the host city! (1:15)
Eurovision in Concert (5:46)
This is not an America's Got Talent podcast (7:12)((h/t to Who Weekly's This is not a Westworld Podcast))
Participants Update (10:22)
Ireland Boycott? (14:52)
This is definitely not a Junior Eurovision podcast (15:56)
Eurovision in the Wild: Rhythm Gymnastics edition (16:37)
Happy birthday, Ralph Siegel! (21:49)

Episode 22: World Cup Song Contest

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 18 Jul 2018 05:00:00 -0500

Is there anything more EuroWhat? than the World Cup? How about World Cup songs performed by Eurovision Song Contest alumni? Yeah, that oughta do it...

This week, Ben and Mike take a listen to a handful of songs from 2018 that were created for the sole purpose of ~~cashing in~~ celebrating the quadrennial ~~soccer~~ futbol extravaganza that is the FIFA World Cup. Did you know that there is an official World Cup anthem as well as an official song? AND an official Coca-Cola song?

The music doesn't stop there. Countries that weren't even in the tournament added tracks to the playlist, with Eurovision alumni from Malta and Azerbaijan leading the charge. Host country Russia brought back their famous Grannies as well as the stellar voice of Polina Gagarina. Iceland's last act to qualify for a Eurovision final—2014's Pollapönk—rocks out to celebrate their homeland qualifying for the tournament for the first time. And a remix from one of 1979's most famous acts also promotes Moscow.

There's controversy, international intrigue, and a whole lotta flopping in this installment of the EuroWhat? podcast!((Oh, and congrats, France. We recorded this well before the Final.))

World Cup Song Contest Summary

Jason Derulo featuring(?) Ira Losco - "Colors" (4:46)
Arash, Pitbull, Blanco, Nyusha - "Goalie Goalie" (9:21)
Russia's Gonna Russia (13:07)
Pollapönk - "Boltann í punginn" (17:21)
Dschinghis Khan - "Moskau Moskau Moskau Moskau" (19:54)

World Cup Playlist

Episode 11: First!

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 05:00:00 -0500

This week we begin our analysis of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in earnest. First up: the first half of the first semi-final! Which entries are locks for advancing to the Grand Final? Who might get help from the running order? Why is Staples playing Eurovision songs from 2016?

First! Summary

Eurovision Viewing Parties (3:50)
Why is Staples playing "Sunlight"? (5:20)
Analyzing the semi-final (9:36)

First Semi-Final Running Order

Azerbaijan - Aisel - X My Heart (9:36)
Iceland - Ari Olafsson - Our Choice (14:48)
Albania - Eugent Bushpepa - Mall (19:52)
Belgium - SENNEK - A Matter of Time (27:16)
Czech Republic - Mikolas Josef - Lie to Me (31:27)
Lithuania - Ieva Zasimauskaitė - When We're Old (37:44)
Israel - Netta - Toy (43:29)
Belarus - Alekseev - Forever (47:44)
Estonia - Elina Netšajeva - La Forza (52:22)
Bulgaria - Equinox - Bones (58:09)

Episode 10: The Ones That Got Away (2018 Edition)

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 05:00:00 -0500

This week we have a mini episode where we remember some of the Eurovision national final entries that won't be making the trip to Lisbon. We also take a moment to remember Lys Assia, the original ESC chanteuse.

Episode Summary

Remembering Lys Assia (2:56)
Scandilove (Norway) (7:05)
Í Stormi (Iceland) (11:31)
Sunset (Latvia) (14:52)
Леля (Lelya) (Ukraine) (19:35)
Puerto Rico (Armenia) (22:07)

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Episode 7: Remember the Diaspora?

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 05:00:00 -0600

It's another whirlwind trip around Europe as we hopscotch through another set of Eurovision selections. We have outlaws, humans, monsters, and wannabe heroes in the mix, but will it be opera that takes the top prize in Lisbon?

Remember the Diaspora? Summary

Listener question: Who famous? (1:40)
Armenia - Sevak Khanagyan - "Qami" (5:55)
Romania - The Humans - "Goodbye" (12:30)
Cyprus - Eleni Foureira - "Fuego" (18:41)
Netherlands - Waylon - "Outlaw in 'Em" (23:51)
San Marino - Jessika (f/ Jenifer Brening) - "Who We Are" (30:58)
Finland - Saara Aalto - "Monsters" (35:25)
Estonia - Elina Netšajeva - La Forza (42:31)
Poland - Gromee feat. Lukas Meijer - Light Me Up (47:12)
Iceland - Ari Olaffson - “Our Choice” (52:03)

The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews - Episodes Tagged with “Iceland”

Episode 297: Icy Reception

Icy Reception Summary

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Episode 285: Kerflooey

Kerflooey Summary

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Episode 284: "Joke" Entries

"Joke" Entries Summary

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Episode 280: Weird Little Dudes

Weird Little Dudes Summary

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Episode 275: Good to Go

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Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

Episode 274: Yugoslavia 1990

Yugoslavia 1990 Summary

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Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

Episode 270: Bird Noises

Bird Noises Summary

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Episode 269: Eurovision 2025 Grand Final Preview

Eurovision 2025 Grand Final Preview Summary

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Episode 268: Eurovision 2025 Semi-Final Preview

Eurovision 2025 Semi-Final Preview Summary

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Episode 262: Huzzah

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Episode 257: Disco Sauna

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Episode 256: Ren Faire

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Episode 255: ('Singing')

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Episode 254: Super

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Episode 252: Process

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Episode 251: Wading

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Episode 250: Loaded with Energy

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