I met Pastora Soler!

(maybe I should reveal myself someday... maybe not. for now, here's the "proof" of the meeting. but then again I might have gotten these via mail... but no. we actually met)

As a decent eurofan with the favourite ESC country being Spain, I watch every year the spanish selection. Well ok, not every year. 2011 was the first time. 2011 was also the first time I saw Pastora (not in person of course). 11/2/2011 when she performed "La Mala Costumbre" in the semi-final of the spanish preselection. That's when I became a fan, a few months later I wrote this post (I have linked you back to this too many times) then in December 2011 TVE announces that Pastora will represent them in ESC 2012 and here we are, 24th May 2013 (yeah 25th at this moment). I met Pastora! One thing left now (even though meeting her was the biggest dream), watch her performing live. Someday...

So, how it all happened? I can't go into details but somewhere around last September or October I saw a post by Tony Sanchez Ohlsson that they'll be recording new songs with Pastora in Madrid, Milan and Stockholm. Stockholm! They came to Stockholm on Wednesday and I made a flash trip today and I met them. We talked for about 15 minutes and then they left for the studio. She's exactly as I thought she'd be. Extremely friendly and nice! I asked her if she'll ever come back to Eurovision. She said no. She loved the experience but she wouldn't do it again. Of course she said "you never know" (I mean she was also saying no before but she did it!) but for now she doesn't want to do it again. I don't blame her... 18th in the televoting, 5th in the juries, 10th place overall. The juries saved her. Only the juries...

Anyway, these recordings here in Stockholm are the last ones and then the album is complete. Release date, September 17th according to them. The date might change but that's what they told me today.

Strange, I'm reading the text again and I seem too calm. Well I am right now. But for about 3 hours before I met them I was so freakin' nervous! Couldn't eat, couldn't do anything. But as I said Pastora, Tony and Chelu (her brother) were (are!) so friendly so I forgot about everything when I saw them. Took photos, she signed the promo and the album and I asked her to record a message for a friend in Greece who wants to meet her. Stupid me. I gave the green light to Pastora before the camera started recording and I missed the "Hola Lina" -.- meh. I couldn't ask her to do it again so...

Yeah, I met Pastora Soler! :D Really really really happy but also tired (that's why there are no crazy and extatic lines).

A HUGE THANKS to Tony!! He knows... :)

Spain 2013 - With "Contigo Hasta El Final" to Malmö!

Photo: TVE

Yeah I know it's old news by now but I was too busy with the uni. I watched the final though. How could I miss it? Pastora Soler performed! Twice! Spain picked my favourite song. "Contigo Hasta El Final". However I don't think they will do well in Malmö! I even predict a bottom 7! :/ I wasn't so optimistic from the beginning about ESDM... I liked CHEF from the snippet and I was expecting it to be really good but no. It has no climax. It's quite forgettable and finally, it's Spain!

Lo siento mis amigos... Best of luck in May!

Pablo Alborán to ESC!

Yeah I know that Spain sends El Sueño de Morfeo to Malmö but the title worked for Pastora Soler so let's hope it will work for Pablo as well! In 2014... Let's say he's my new Pastora! I'm having a Pastora déjà vu with Pablo! The same obsession I had (well still have!) with Pastora I have now with Pablo! Yeah you got it (I hope!)! 

Pablo Alborán (the album) is on repeat since last Sunday! Ever since we got the news that Spain will choose their artist internally Pablo's name kept popping up in almost every eurosite! So I got interested in him. All I needed was one song. "Solamente Tú". To help you get the picture, I was listening to the song and it was around 12:20am (I remember that coz I also posted it on facebook) and I went to bed at 2:30am because I kept saying "ok one more time and then I'm going to bed". And then I listened to his first album "Pablo Alborán" (released in 2011). That was it! 

Listen to the album and see for yourselves! I don't think I ever suggested and album before. I usually don't do that coz taste differs but seriously, give this a shot! After all this album reached 6x platinum in Spain! In 2011! During the economic crisis! 'Nuff said! 

And to go back to Eurovision, yes, he can bring another great result for Spain! And he has more chances for a better result than Pastora simply because he's a guy. A really handsome guy which means more votes form the televoting. So to sum it up, Pablo is an excellent live performer (just like Pastora), he's an amazing musician, he has the looks and he can definitely get the right song for the ESC (judging by his music). Yeah his music is too spanish but that's what I, personally, like! It's not traditional music but it's spanish music! That's the point of Eurovision. Showing to the rest of Europe your music, your language, your culture! 

I'm all for Pablo Alborán to represent Spain in 2014! I believe in him the same way I believed in Pastora and I was right about the latter one. ;) Yes, I know Pastora scored extremely low on televoting but Pablo can get both the juries' and televoters' points! Spain sent a female artist in 2011, 2012 and now a group with a female vocalist so in 2014 a male artist would be the perfect choice!

Melodifestivalen 2013 - The hosts

Photo: svt.se

Wow that's amazing! Not. So Gina Dirawi and Danny Saucedo will be the Melodifestivalen 2013 hosts. Yes, I find Gina funny (sometimes) but I don't really like her and I don't have the best opinion about her. It's all about politics and some of her views that I'm not going to discuss coz I'm not into politics. But ok, I can live with her being the hostess.

Then we have Danny... Coming second in mello two years in a row [and by the way he also came 2nd in the OGAE Second Chance 2012 with one point short, right behind Pastora Soler (yay! :D)] was enough to make him not compete in 2013 (no more whining, thank God) but now he'll be the host... You know, last March he turned out to be a real douchebag by making all these comments about his song and Loreen so now I don't like him that much. I hope he can keep this professional and I hope he doesn't make any stupid comments to whoever comes second in March.

So, to sum up my opinion about the hosts.......meh!

ESC 2012 - Pastora Soler in the final

Photo: Thomas Hanses (EBU)

Ok, when I wrote the blog entry about the final I said I'd write a new blog post just for Pastora. Well here it is.

First of all, I'd like to say that for the first (and probably the last!) time I was right about one thing regarding the ESC. Well two things. The first one was Loreen. I've been saying that she's the one who can win the whole thing since we found out she'd be in Mello 2012. The second one was of course Pastora Soler! And I know I said this a few times but I'm vindicated and it feels so great! Remember September's post? Well I wrote she's the only one who can bring the contest to Madrid. I still believe that. She didn't win but she did bring Spain the best result since 2004! A place in the top 10! She didn't deserve that! She should have been at least in the top 5! Top 3 if you ask me! She should have been the runner up!!

She gave one of the best performances that night. Amazing performance! What went wrong? Probably the running order... Željko performed 24th. Then we had FYROM as well (yes I hate it but apparently Europe likes it). Then I blame Europe for not voting for Spain. Spain doesn't have friends. Plus the fact that several commentators in many countries tried (and probably succeeded) to "manipulate" the viewers by telling them NOT to vote for Spain coz they don't want to win. Because they won't be able to host the contest. I wonder if the EBU will do something about this. I know the results can't change but this is unacceptable! The commentators are supposed to be impartial. They're supposed to be neutral. Just giving the information about the song and the performer. They're not supposed to try to affect people's choices!

You might think I'm trying to find excuses, put the blame on someone about Spain's result. Well no. I'm just trying to figure out why a performance and a song like this ended up only 10th while other songs which were in the top 10 shouldn't even be in the final! Of course that's my personal opinion. You might agree, you might disagree, but at the end of the day everything is subjective!

About Pastora's appearance... I liked it and I didn't like it. I wasn't a big fan of the dress. I still wish she had worn the one from the spanish NF. But I also wanted to see the second one. I've seen so many videos on YouTube so I know she could have looked better (or worse! xD) with different make-up and hairstyle. The entire look made her look like a Greek goddess. It was ok I guess but I don't think it fitted the song...

Well nothing can change now but you know I'm trying to stay away from the PESD/PEB which will soon kick in no matter what. But I still have things to say about this year's ESC so the PESD/PEB can wait a bit longer... ;)

ESC 2012 - Pastora Soler wants to return to Eurovision!

Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!

I'm not 100% calm yet but I have to blog! Pastora wants to return! Amazing news right? Well not next year! Dear God what have I done? I've been saying that I want her in ESC since last September, finally in December we find out she's the spanish representative in ESC 2012, she goes to Baku, I'm not there. Today she says she wants to come back but not next year! Next year the ESC will be in Sweden, I'll go to my first ESC and she won't be there!! AH COME ON!! :'( Here's the full article from esctoday.com.

Anybody knows how to make an online petition? Do something people!!! Make her come back next year!!! I want to meet her!! God damn that thing called luck! -.-

ESC 2012 - Reviewing the countries beginning with "S"

San Marino sends Valentina Monetta with the song "The Social Network Song (Oh Oh - Uh - Oh Oh)" written by Ralph Siegel, Timothy Touchton and José Juan Santana Rodriguez.
What is this San Marino? Seriously? It's just horrible and meaningless! I absolutely have nothing to say here. Just that they won't make it to the final. For sure.
San Marino competes in the 1st semi-final with running order #11.

0pts from me and good luck to San Marino!

Serbia sends Željko Joksimović with the song "Nije Ljubav Stvar" written by Željko Joksimović, Marina Tucaković and Miloš Roganović.

Such a beautiful song by Željko once again. To be honest I wasn't so excited the first time I listened to this but now I really like it! And I think it's a great opening for the second semi!

Serbia competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #1.

8pts from me and good luck to Serbia!

Slovakia sends Max Jason Mai with the song "Don't Close Your Eyes" written by Miroslav Šmajda.

Oh God! So not my cup of tea. I don't like this at all! Metal/rock fans probably will love it but not me. It's good to see different genres in ESC but those will be three minutes I won't enjoy.

Slovakia competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #15.

0pts from me and good luck to Slovakia!

Slovenia sends Eva Boto with the song "Verjamen" written by Vladimir Graić and Igor Pirković.

Lovely sLOVEnia! Great and beautiful song! Even though it was my second favourite! I wanted "A Si Sanjal Me" for Slovenia! It's soooo slovenian and I adore it! But as I said I also love Verjamen. Eva is a good live performer so I expect Slovenia to make it to the final once again!

Slovenia competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #9.

8pts from me and good luck to Slovenia!

Spain sends Pastora Soler with the song "Quédate Conmigo" written by Thomas G:son, Erik Bernholm and Tony Sánchez-Ohlsson.

Hahahaha! What do you want me to say here? THIS IS MY WINNER!!! Yeah it was (and sometimes still is) between Sweden and Spain this year but aah no! It's Spain! It is SPAIN! I won't say the Pastora story again. Just read all the posts about her and you'll understand... Just make sure you vote for Spain this year! This deserves at least a top 5 if not a top 3!

Spain competes in the final with running order #19.

12pts from me and good luck to Spain!

Sweden sends Loreen with the song "Euphoria" written by Peter Boström and Thomas G:son.

And here I present you the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012! Again, what do you want me to say here? The regular readers I'm sure remember that 99% of all posts regarding Melodifestivalen 2012 ended with the phrase "LOREEN TO BAKU!!"! So that's it! Loreen is going to Baku and will return with the 1st prize! Oh yes, and she will break Rybak's record! Word. ;)

Sweden competes in the 2nd semi-final with running order #11.

12pts from me and good luck to Sweden!

Switzerland sends Sinplus with the song "Unbreakable" written by Gabriel Broggini and Ivan Broggini.

When Switzerland chose this back in December I never thought it would become one of my favourites! A bit bad accent in english but I think that "adds" to the song for some strange reason. I really like Switzerland this year!!

Switzerland competes in the 1st semi-final with running order #9.

10pts from me and good luck to Switzerland!

ESC 2012 - Reviewing the countries beginning with "A"

Ok back to work! Sooo busy with uni stuff but I have to do this. I want to do this! And finally I need to make my official top 10! I know my top 4 so far haha. 'Kay! Let's do this!

Albania sends Rona Nishliu with the song "Suus" written by Florent Boshnjaku and Rona Nishliu.
I couldn't listen to the entire song (I'm talking about the NF version). Now the final version sounds better. She has a nice voice, quite screamy for my taste (please no comparisons to Pastora Soler!). As far as I can remember she didn't quite perform it in the NF. I remember several forum members saying she was out of tune. As I said I didn't watch the entire performance. Anyway the song has a nice melody but I'm not a big fan. Nice video by the way.
Albania competes in the 1st semi-final with running order #5.

3pts from me and good luck to Albania!

Austria sends Trackshittaz with the song "Woki Mit Deim Popo" written by Lukas Plöchl and Manuel Hoffelner.

I've listened to this 3 times in a row. Still forgettable and totally not my cup of tea! For some reason I don't think this is the worst song of this year's edition. But I don't like it. About their NF performance, ehm rappers with suits? Really? Aah. No.

Austria competes in the 1st semi-final with running order #16.

1pt from me and good luck to Austria!

Azerbaijan sends Sabina Babayeva with the song "When The Music Dies" written by Anders Bagge, Stefan Örn, Johan Kronlund and Sandra Bjurman.

Another swedish entry for Azerbaijan hehe. Hm...average song for me. Don't like it, don't dislike it. It's not something I will hear over and over again. It will be a nice moment in the final and that's all. I also don't see it as a grower (for me!) coz you know I'm not a ballad lover. Ballads don't grow on me. If I don't like it from then first listening then that's it! Another nice video though.

Azerbaijan competes in the final with running order #13.

5pts from me and good luck to Azerbaijan!

Ok that didn't take a lot of time which means I will try to blog about the "B" countries in the afternoon. Don't worry I'm not taking them one letter at a time. 3 to 5 countries per post. But the "S" countries are 7 so I will review them all in one post. Anyway, that's it for now. :)

ESC 2012 - Spain: Music video and final version of "Quédate Conmigo" released

And we have the final version and the video clip of "Quédate Conmigo"! Watch it here. The video is really nice but I won't focus on that.

So in the final version there's instrumentation added to the verses. Especially to the second one. I was excited at the beginning about these changes but I listened to the new version a few times and I think I miss the first one. Or at least the one she performed in the final. Yes, I think I prefer the one in the spanish final. But that won't stop me from giving 12 points to Spain.

Moreover I noticed a more dramatic performance by Pastora in this version. The only thing I don't like on this version is the part at 2:23. That "ooooh". But ok. It's nothing big. And because I know Pastora, her live performance will be much better. I always watch her live performances on youtube. They are epic!

So that's all about Spain! Now we wait until May. Unless of course something else comes up.

ESC 2012 - Spain: With Quédate Conmigo to Baku

Photo: RTVE

And here is my winner of the ESC 2012!!! Thank you Spain!!! Thank you!!! I am so gonna vote for it! And it was too obvious that "Quédate Conmigo" would be the winning song! All these weeks, in every single poll, "Quédate Conmigo" was first!

That was the best final so far! It lasted for quite a long time but I didn't mind! It's Pastora Soler we're talking about! All her performances were amazing! I'm so glad she sang live! In most of these cases they sing playback. You know when there's only one artist and they have to pick a song...

Anyway, Pastora was amazing tonight! She looked fantastic, vocally was perfect (as always) and I loved the duets with Sergio Dalma, David Bustamante, Malú and Vanesa Martin. (some of the vids are already on youtube) Oh and I love the dress she wears during the performance of  "Quédate Conmigo"!

Well, only one thing left to say.

MADRID 2013!

Melodifestivalen 2012 - Andra chansen - Results

Photo: Olle Kirchmeier/SVT

The worst andra chansen EVER! And I'm talking about all the songs! With the exception of Timoteij who didn't even make it to Globen! -.- Thorsten Flinck and Revolutionsorkestern and Top Cats are the two finalists. I really don't know what to say about the whole evening. Horrible!

Whatever! The spanish NF begins in 30 minutes! Time for some QUALITY! Go Pastora!

ESC 2012 - Spain: Final

FINALLY!! March 3rd!! Tonight Spain will choose a song that's gonna be one of my all time favourite spanish -and at the same time ESC- entries! That's "Quédate Conmigo"! It's the winner in every single poll out there and the Spaniards love it so I'm sure they're gonna vote for it. I'm 99,9% sure that this will be the spanish entry of 2012! But even if they vote for "Tu Vida Es Tu Vida" or "Ahora O Nunca" I'll be fine coz it's Pastora!

During the show, to be hosted by Anne Igartiburu, Pastora will sing duets with Sergio Dalma (Spain 1991), David Bustamante (Spanish national final 2002) and Malú before the performances of the three competing entries.

Source: esctoday.com

3 duets and the 3 competing songs? The best NF so far!! :D Full of Pastora Soler! :D

Watch here at 22:30 CET. Fingers crossed (well no need to actually do that ;) ) for "Quédate Conmigo"!! 

ESC 2012 - Spain: These are the 3 songs of the spanish final

The voting ended today at 12:00 CET and the 3rd song of the spanish final is "Ahora O Nunca" which means "Me Despido De Ti" is out.

So the 3 songs of the spanish final that will be held on March 3rd are:

"Quédate Conmigo"
"Tu Vida Es Tu Vida"
and "Ahora O Nunca"

And as all polls show, "Quédate Conmigo" will be the one that will travel to Baku! And I'm extremely happy about this! It's gonna be one of my all time favourite ESC entries! I love all of them and I think you know that if you've read my previous posts about Pastora. ;)

Good luck Spain! It's time you came back to the top 5!

ESC 2012 - Spain: 4 songs released to the public

The songs are out! Maybe old news to you by now but I got home a couple of hours ago. Anyway! Here are all the songs.

Quédate Conmigo
Pastora's favourite! And apparently most of the eurofans like this one! Especially the Spanish ones! Which is good. I like it. I had to listen to this a couple of times to like it. A lot! Although I don't know how positive this is. I'm a fan and I needed to hear it a couple of times. In ESC you have to convince millions of people that you have the best song and you have only 3 minutes. And in Spain's case you only have 3 minutes since they compete only in the final! But I trust Pastora. Listening to the studio version is not enough. Personally I prefer to watch her live performances on youtube and not just listen to the studio versions. She's one of the best performers I've ever seen! That said, the 3 minutes seem to be enough after all. ;)
4.5/5

Tu Vida Es Tu Vida
Now I hope you listened to this song from the link I provided above because if you "youtubed" it there's a chance you listened to the album version. The ESC version is slightly different. They added a beat which is missing form the album version. I love this song! I loved it since the first time I heard it! I don't have to say a lot here...
4.5/5

Me Despido De Ti
I really like this one. "Una Mujer Como Yo" is a fantastic album! I love all the songs in it. But I don't want this one to ESC.
4/5

Ahora O Nunca
I like this one too. But another one that I don't want to see in ESC...
4/5

So the voting is between Me Despido De Ti and Ahora O Nunca. It will end on February 20th. I don't really mind seeing any of these two in the spanish final but definitely Tu Vida Es Tu Vida or Quedate Conmigo to ESC! All I know is that Pastora will bring a great result to Spain and it was about time! 

ESC 2012 - Details for the spanish selection

Ok so today we got (finally!!) some info! Pastora has already chosen two songs and the third one will be picked via an online poll. The voting will begin on Frebruary 15th at 12:00 CET and will end on February 20th at 12:00 CET. People will go to rtve.es where the two songs will be uploaded and they will vote for their favourite. I wonder if we will be able to vote as well. I hope they don't do anything with the IPs...

The spanish final will be held on March 3rd.

Now about the songs... Apparently "No Me Da Miedo" (just watch at 3:32-4:02!!!) is out of the question... Song's composer said they didn't pick that. He said that people voted for it (on a previous online poll with all the songs of "Una Mujer Como Yo") because they wanted a ballad for Pastora. Plus, David De María, Pablo Alborán and David Ascanio sent songs to her so I guess she picked two songs by these composers and the 3rd will be a song from her album. Let's hope it's gonna be "A Tí" (watch at 4:16-4:30!!!).

Whatever they do I really really hope they go for a ballad. Pastora said the two songs she already picked are different. She wants to sing different styles in order to show us her abilities (no need to do that!).

We are totally going for a top 10! ;)

ESC 2012 - Spain: Pastora Soler to ESC! Confirmed!

Oh my God!!! I don't know where to start!! Seriously! EXTATIC!!! :D Pastora Soler will represent Spain to ESC next May in Baku!!!! Remember my previous posts about her? My perfect choice! I had hopes since she performed last February in the spanish NF but then in some interviews she said "no". But yesterday she wrote in one of her tweets that today would be a special day. She also deleted some old tweets saying she doesn't want to represent Spain! But she's here now! :D :D :D So freakin' glad that she changed her mind!!!

It was an internal selection by RTVE. The BEST move they did in YEARS! Finally! And I'm almost sure that's why Pastora said "yes". Internal selection! Oh God! I am still smiling!

Needless to say that Spain is my winner right? No matter what Pastora will sing! And that's because I love ALL of her songs! I'm sure she won't let me down. And for the first time since 2008 I am glad we have the juries. Pastora will get a great boost! But let's kick the juries out next year ok? xD

Right now I have totally forgotten about Melodifestivalen! Andreas Lundstedt and Afro-Dite! Sorry my loves but it's Soler we're talking about! :P If either of them makes it to Baku (unfortunately too good to happen) I will root for them. But now PASTORA SOLER people!! :D

Madrid 2013! ;D

Pastora Soler: "I don't want to go to Eurovision" II

I couldn't find a better title. I told you about the interview she was going to give today, in my last post. I checked the website today and they uploaded the interview (read it here in spanish). My question is not there but another girl asked her about the ESC and this time Pastora said something more than a simple "no".

Isabel (Sevilla)  
Hola Pastora!! Si TVE te propusiera representar a España en el Festival de Eurovisión, ¿qué dirías? Muestra tu arte al resto de Europa!! Un beso.

Pastora Soler  
La verdad es que no estaría dentro de mis planes representar a España en Eurovisión. Es un arma de doble filo y no creo que lo necesite en mi carrera. Un beso, paisana!

Translation (with the help of google translator - I made it as clear as possible coz GT sucks)

Isabel (Sevilla)
Hello Pastora! If TVE proposed you to represent Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest, what would you say? Show your art to the rest of Europe! A kiss.
 
Pastora Soler
The truth is that is not in my plans to represent Spain in Eurovision. It's a double edged sword and I do not need it in my career. A kiss, countryman!


I don't know what to say... She has a point! She's absolutely right about the double edged sword. Johnny Logan said exactly the same. But there's no way I compare "now" to "then". Things have changed. I am so against juries and I want them out but if Pastora would enter the ESC the juries could save her and give her a boost. And I admit that it would be too dangerous for Pastora to compete but not dangerous for her career. I don't believe that a bad placing in ESC could destroy someone's career (give me an example if you have one). And to go back to the double edged sword, the way I interpret it is you either win (or finish in top 10) or lose (below top 15). I guess Pastora's interpretation is: "I lose in ESC, then I will have successful albums, concerts etc and a dark spot with the name i.e. "20th place in ESC"". It's like people would think "oh she was so successful and she ruined everything with Eurovision". Is it really that bad? But anyway I don't believe Pastora would flop. I believe in what she can do but if she's "afraid" to enter the contest then there's nothing I can do... :/ Shame... :(

Pastora Soler: "I don't want to go to Eurovision"

She killed me! :( She was my only hope for Spain and she's not interested in Eurovision! And I thought her appearance in the spanish NF last February was a positive sign... 

I saw a link at her official page on Facebook with an interview. An interview made by her fans. You know that kind of online interviews where the fans ask questions and the artist answers... Anyway I took a quick look at the interview and question #24 caught my eye. I don't speak spanish (well I know around 100 words maybe) but you don't need to speak spanish in order to understand the question. Here it is:

24. ¿Te gustaría ir a Eurovisión, Pastora?

No.

I don't think I need to translate this. Right? She said "no"! "No"! :( Whoever asked this question should also add the phrase "and if not, why not?" to his/her question. Well he or she didn't ask why not but I did! A while ago I saw this at her facebook page. Apparently there will be another online interview but I think this one will be on the radio. I submitted my question and I really hope they post the interview somewhere because if it's on the radio I won't be able to hear it. I have a class at 13:00! Damn it! Let's hope I get an answer and most importantly an answer where she leaves an open window for a possible participation in the future...

If you guys want to read the entire interview click here. The interview is in spanish but you can use google translator or something like that.

Pastora Soler to ESC!

Don't get your hopes high. It's just my wish. A wish that I seriously doubt if it will ever come true. But I had to blog about this! It's insane! Ok not that insane but for my standards, it's quite crazy. So here it is.
I have never done this before! I recently added 3 of Pastora's albums in my mp3 player and I SWEAR to God I have them on repeat for several hours a day! When I go to the university in the morning (I need about an hour) and when I get home (sometimes 2 hours if I finish after 17:00). And when I'm sitting in front of my pc (right now!) I have the album that I've listened for the first time a few days ago, on repeat! I haven't done this with Alcazar! People who know me, know that no one else is above Alcazar! They're my absolute favourite group and yet another artist is on repeat for over a week now! "Toda Mi Verdad" (2007), "Bendita Locura" (2009) and the one I heard recently, "Deseo" (2002) are the 3 albums I have on repeat and I have 5 more to go! (I'm missing her first album and her new one is on its way! "Una Mujer Como Yo" will be released on October 18th)

I saw Pastora for the first time on February 11th at the semi-final of the spanish NF. She sang "La Mala Costumbre". And that's when I became a fan! From the moment she started singing I was trying to figure out whether or not she's singing live! Well she does sing live but honestly, it's like listening to the studio version! 

I will just give you some links to some of her songs and draw your own conclusions! "Herida" is my favourite song from her album "Deseo". "Bendita Locura" and here's the live version as well, "Por Si Volvieras", "Hoy Te Ries" and my favourite "Tontas Canciones De Amor". There's no studio version of the last one on youtube but honestly there's no big difference! 

So take your pick people! Live, studio, ballad, up-tempo? She can sing anything and she's an EXCELLENT live performer. I can easily see a victory with her!

A few months ago I had a conversation about ESC (what else? :P) with a friend from Spain and he told me that Spain doesn't want to win. Or put it this way, RTVE doesn't want to win. RTVE is afraid of the cost of the ESC. But don't they get that they will earn money from the sponsors? And don't forget the eurofans that will travel to Spain just for the contest! Plus, every country contributes to the contest. And I never got why they don't want to host ESC! Spain is one of the Big 5! They always give more money than the rest of the countries! And if they do want to win, why do they choose those average songs? (2009 was an exception but what happened that year is another story!) Weak up RTVE! Send Soler to ESC!

Well I don't know about you but from now on I'm living for the day that Pastora Soler will represent Spain to ESC! And the problem here is RTVE because Pastora performed in the semi and that means at least that she's not against ESC. Soler should be selected internally by RTVE and let her team write a few songs and then make a final where people will vote for their favourite song!

Bring the contest to Madrid!!!