Showing posts with label Hera Björk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hera Björk. Show all posts

Sunday, February 07, 2010

Till Hamingju Hera!

I haven't done any Road To Oslo style features this year as all Eurocovering favorites who had their discographies featured at Eurocovers seemed to fail miserably (see Eurocovers, A Jinx?)

But now I'm very happy to congratulate Hera Björk with her victory in Iceland. Her song Je Ne Sais Quoi is the Icelandic entry for Oslo 2010.
Hera Björk was featured in this Eurocovers post in 2007 and a bit in this one in 2009.

Je Ne Sais Quoi is not dissimilar to the mighty Eurobandiđ's This Is My Life but it's probably because both songs share songwriter Örlygur Smári (Öggi).

Hera Björk Þórhallsdóttir entered the Icelandic preselection in 2007 (with Mig Dreymdi) and in 2009 she ended 2nd (behind Believe Again) in the Danish final with Someday.
She also was a backing singer for the Icelandic entries of 2008 (Eurobandið) and 2009 (Yohanna).

Composer Öggi previously co-wrote the Icelandic entries of 2000 (Tell me - Einar & Telma) and 2008.

Hera Björk released two albums: Christmas album Ilmur Af Jólum in 2000 and Hera Björk in 2006. The 2006 album features an Icelandic coverversion of Alvedansen, the Norwegian 2006 entry.
In 2008 and 2009 Hera Björk was a part of Frostrósir.
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Hera Björk MySpace
Hera Björk Website
Örlygur Smári MySpace
Hera Björk at 2010 The Oslo Collection
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For all your Eurovision 2010 needs like release info, details on recorded versions and charts you can check out The Oslo Collection.

Friday, January 09, 2009

The Road To Moscow - Eurovision 2009

Eurovision 2009 is well on its way. Several countries are preparing already for Moscow with several multi round preselections.
Here's a short round up of the pre-semi-semi stars that have recorded their Eurocovers. -

Tapani Kansa
Heat 1 in Finland sees popcrooner Tapani Kansa trying for the 8th time in over 30 years.
He tackled a few memorable Eurovision belters in his career, all are sung in Finnish
U.K. 1972 - Beg, steal or borrow (New Seekers, 2nd)
- Varkain vien taikka lainaan, on 7" and VA LP Huipulla 2
U.K. 1975 - Let me be the one (The Shadows, 2nd)
- Saanhan olla hän, on LP Kuinka paljon rakkautta
U.K. 1976 - Save your kisses for me (Brotherhood of man, winner)
- Säästä suukkosi vain, on LP Kesän lapsi
Ireland 1976 - When (Red Vincent Hurley 10th)
- Pois, on 7" ABM 444 and VA LP Huipulla 10: Euroviisu special
France 1985 - Femmes dans ses rêves aussi (Roger Bens, 8th)
- Hän, on VA LP Kesähitid (Finnlevy)
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Hera Björk
And then Danish TV announced their shortlist today. The final sees the return of Icelandic Hera Björk to the pre-Eurovision stage. Hera Björk lives in Denmark and choosing for the Danish selection saves some gazmoney.
She was in the Söngvakeppni 2007 selection for Iceland and covered the 2006 Norwegian entry Alvedansen (Christine Guldbrandsen). The old post about Hera Björk is still up (here).
And here is her Myspace
And at the Schlagerblog you can read an interview with the composers of Someday, Hera's bid for a Danish ticket to Moscow.
Hera Björk at The Oslo Collection

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ADDED 21-01-09
And for the Die Hards, there's a collection of all Danish pre-selection songs since 1978 at the DR website : Grand Prix Bonanza. Well done Danish TV, it doen't make up for destroying all the 1964 contest footage, but it's a great example that should be followed by more TV stations.

Hera's Danish entry Someday is really good, an Abba-esque Nordic Schlager starting out as a ballad, think The Winner Takes It All. Somehow her voice reminds me of Donna Summer. We mentioned Alvedansen, but there's another slightly Hera related Eurocover.
A christmas CD by Fróstrosir released last year features an Icelandic version of Den Vilda (Sweden 1996, by Abba offspring One More Time). Fróstrosir is a various artists project celebrating Christmas music the Icelandic way. Fróstrosir 2008 are Eivør Pállsdóttir, Margrét Eir, Hera Björk & Dísella
In Icelandic Christmas language the ethereal ballad becomes Dansaðu Vindur (CD Heyr himnasmiður, Skifan) and the lead vocal is by Eivør Pállsdottir.

Title track Heyr Himnasmiður (Hear Lord Creator) is an 800 year old hymn by Icelandic Chieftan Kolbein Tumasson (although the music is only 100 years old). So now you know.
At the Icelandic Fróstrosir page you can hear excerpts of Dansaðu Vindur and other songs.
The English language site only has info up to 2007.
The first Fróstrosir project from 2002 featured a Christmas version of Swedens 1995 entry Se På Mig (Jan Johansen) titled Stjarnan Mín.

Nucha
Portugal also announced the finalists for the Festival da canção 2009. 1990 entrant Nucha is among them. She didn't fare too well back then with Ha Sempre Alguem only ending on place 20.
A year or so ago Nucha released a new album Regresso (see this post) covering Sense Tu & La Mirada Interior from Andorra.
Here's Nucha's homepage


Tuesday, January 16, 2007

VII: Icelandic Söngvakeppni Stars UPDATED

You can find everything about this years Icelandic selection at the usual sites, but only here you can find out who deserves to go to the final because they know a Eurovision song.
The album with all songs from this years Icelandic Preselection Söngvakeppni 2007 is available from BeaRecords


UPDATE - To accomodate Eurocovers The RUV has made some changes in the line up of the pre-selections so I can offer you another Eurovision song by a Söngvakeppni Star.
Friðrik Ómar Hjörleifsson was is the selection last year with the bouncy scandi pop tune Það sem verður and now he's back in the 2nd heat with Þú ert sem eldur.
His 2006 CD Annan dag includes 'Ef pú piggur pad' which you will recognize as Rock 'n' Roll kids, the Irish winner from 1994.

at http://www.fridrik.is/ you can hear excerpts of the album and read all about him in Icelandic.


Hera Björk, named after a Greek and an Icelandic goddess, watched the 2006 contest to look for some album material and came up with Álfadans (Alvedansen) to include on her latest and quite good album Hera Björk. She's in the second round on Januari 27 with Mig dreymdi.
Hera Björk at The Oslo Collection (2010)

Bríet Sunna Valdemarsdóttir is from Icelandic Idols 2006 : Idol Stjörnuleit 3 and there she gave the Icelandic people My Number One, The Paparizou winner from Greece. The song is from CD Idol Stjörnuleit 3 - 12 manna úrslit
She's in the first round with Blomaborn. (Januari 20)


http://www.ruv.is/songvakeppnin/ has all info on Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2007
http://www.herabjork.com/ another site that doesn't update
http://www.fridrik.is/
http://idol.visir.is/ Idols Iceland site, in Icelandic