Eurovision Spotlight
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EUROVISION SPOTLIGHT support from various age groups."er of Olexandr Ponomaryov, the artist Festival winners Fame are Magnuswho will sing Hasta La Vista for Backlund and Jessica Andersson, twoUkraine. "Yet they are very intrigued participants in reality TV series Famethat Ukraine will be taking part in a Factor-their Eurovision entry Give Europeanfestival,withallthe Me Your Love has already been num- European countries." Olexandr has ber one in Sweden. won the Ukraine's annual 'Singer of the Year' award seven times, released his SPAIN first album, From Dawn Until Dusk, in Dime 1996, and is now recording his fifth Beth (Vale Music) album for an autumn release on his Writers: Amaya Martinez & Jesus own label, Z Ranku Do Nochi, based in Ma. Perez Kiev. A single of Hasta La Vista has just Like last year, the Spanish entrantbeen issued. "Olexandr doesn't think comes from the TV series Operation there will be a new album titled `Hasta Triunfo. Beth came third in the realityLa Vista' because he sings primarily in show, but viewers were asked toUkranian and this [English -language] choosetheirfavouritesongfor song is one of a kind," says Yablonski. Eurovision from among compositions Hasta La Vista was written by Svicka performed by the final three contes-Pick and his ex-wife, Mirit Shem-Or. tants, and Beth's Dime (Vale Music)Pick won the 1998 Eurovision Song got the nod. Dime debuted at number Contest by composing the Israeli entry, one on the Spanish singles chart, andDiva, sung by Dana International. the album Otra Realidad entered the album chart in pole position, forcing CYPRUS Madonna's American Life to debut at Feeling Alive two. Operation Triunfo contestants Stelios Constantas (V2) have dominated the charts in Spain, Writer: Stelios Constantas resulting in the entire top 10 singles V2Records released a five -track single belonging to one record imprint: inde- of Stelios Constantas' uptempo dance pendent label Vale Music. The samenumber Feeling Alive simultaneously label dominated the Spanish chartsin Cyprus and Greece on March 27. last year with albums by the finalistsSales have reached 2,500 to date. from the first season of Operation "That's a good number for a Eurovision Triunfo, including David Bisbal, Davidsinger," says Marios Skordis, head of Bustamante, and series winner andEnglish radio programmes for Cyprus Eurovision singer Rosa. Broadcasting Corporation, and head of the Cypriot delegation to Eurovision. IRELAND "The video clip is in rotation on MAD We've Got The World TV, the Greek equivalent to MTV, Mickey Joe Harte (Columbia) while the song has been added to the Writers: Martin Brannigan & Keith playlists of all major radio channels in Molloy Greece and Cyprus." V2 is remixing Ireland has won Eurovision seventhe song for release in Italy and times-more than any other country- Sweden, he adds, noting the contest's EUROVISION and racked up an unprecedented three importance to local artists who want to SONG wins in a row (1992-1994). So it was promote their music outside Cyprus. CONTEST LATVIA hard luck, indeed, when the country"They can also become popular in was relegated out of the contest for the Greece, which is a bigger market," he 2003 first time last year. To insure victory,says. "The top sellers in Greece are RTE broadcast an Operation TriunfoCypriot singers who started in the clone called You're A Star (pronounced Eurovision Song Contest, such as Anna Eurostar) that had more in commonVissi, Michael Hatziyiannis, Evridiki, kwise from top left: t.A.T.u., Fame, Olexandr, Jemini, Stelios Constantas, with the Pop Idol format, including on - and Constantinos." :ey Joe Harte, Beth, Urban Trad. air judges, wild cards, and telephone votes to eliminatecontestants. UNITED KINGDOM Second -placed Simon Casey reached Cry Baby number one first on the Irish pop sin- Jemini (Integral Records) gles chart with his Eurovision candi- Writer: Martin Isherwood date, A Better Plan, written by BryanThe UK isstill looking for its first McFadden of Westlife. Casey's single Eurovision win since1997, when was succeeded at the top by 50 Cent'sKatrina & The Waves captured the In Da Club, which in turn wasgrand prize with Love Shine A Light. knocked off by the biggest -selling sin- Carrying the banner in 2003 is the gle in Ireland in 2003, Mickey JoeLiverpudlian duo Jemini, with the Harte's We've Got The World song Cry Baby, written especially as a (Columbia). The Lifford Co., Donegal Eurovision entry by Martin singer's first album, Sometimes RightIsherwood. Geminiis20 -year -old Sometimes Wrong, is released by Sony Gemma Abbey and 21 -year -old Chris Music Ireland on May 23, one dayCrosbey, who are looked after by before Eurovision is broadcast. Integral Management, the same com- pany that guided Atomic Kitten to suc- UKRAINE cess. Cry Baby has already gone to Hasta La Vista radio in the UK, according to Mike Olexandr (Z Ranku Do Nochi) Cockayne of Integral, and the single Writers: Mirit Shem-Or & Svicka Pick will be released commercially on May Ukraine is the only first-time partici- 26 on Integral Records. Cockayne says pant in the 2003 Eurovision Songthat Abbey and Crosbey have already Contest. "People still lack knowledge recorded nine tracks for their first about this song contest since it wasalbum, with contributions from song- only broadcast once in the Ukraine, writers like Chris and Tony Griffiths last year," says Vasyl Yablonski of the (Cher, BBMak) and CiaronBell CFC Consulting Company and manag- (Atomic Kitten). MAY 2 4 , 2 0 0 3.