In just three weeks from now, we’ll be recovering from the kitsch, the camp and the glamour of the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final broadcast on SBS. The contestants are locked in, SBS’ local broadcasts are indeed ‘go’ and we’re continuing our countdown of this year’s competitors.
Entrants from 39 countries across the continent will take to the stage throughout the competition in the hope of taking out the most coveted yearly prize in music – the Eurovision Song Contest trophy.
As always, the competition is split into three finals; the two semi finals (to be held on May 14 and 16) and the grand final (on May 18), in which the victorious countries from the two semi-finals will line up alongside the host nation Sweden and the “big five” of the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Sweden, of course, won last year’s Eurovision Song Contest and as the host nation, they’re straight through to the Grand Final – no dilly-dallying with the semis for them! So let’s take a look at the entry they hope will give them back to back victories.
ROBIN STJERNBERG : You
No stranger to the world of pop in his homeland, 22 year old Robin Stjernberg will hope his love for country shines bright enough that he can take Sweden to back to back Eurovision victories. Originally part of a boyband called ‘What’s Up!’, alongside Swedish pop favourite Eric Saade, Robin hit the stage in Sweden’s ‘Idol’ competition in 2011, placing second. His ‘Journey’ album hit the No.1 spot on its release there early last year, but it’s not until this co-penned single ‘You’ that he’s hit the high notes on the singles chart. ‘You’ is an extraordinarily complex vocal number – and despite a couple of dud notes early on in this Melodifestivalen performance, Robin handles it rather spectacularly. The unfeasibly high ‘money note’ almost at the end gave us goosebumps. We like.
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