Stuðlabandið to Malmö!!!

Cha Cha Cha. 

Käärijä’s Finnish stunner didn’t win in Liverpool, some of you may have noticed that.
This video here is a live version (in Finnish!) by the Icelandic Stuðlabandið (google says Stuðla = Factor) and I love how the crowd eats it up.

I’ve been watching the Stuðlaboys for a while as their live performance videos are really impressive. They may be mostly a coverband but I’m amazed by how their crowds go crazy every time.
Their live songs have also been released as audios through your favourite digital sources and there’s a few Eurovision covers among them. 

Cha Cha Cha is their latest digital single.

My absolute favourite is Draumur Um Nínu. The Icelandic entry from 1991 (known as Nina by Stefan & Eyfi). It only ended 15^th in Eurovision but it has become the ultimate "beyond Eurovision classic" in Iceland and the crowd singing along conforms that.
They also did Paper, the 2017 Icelandic entry by Svala Björgvinsdóttir, daughter of Bo. Svala guests on that performance.

Their 2021 Christmas (studio) EP Jóhlahól Stuðlabandsins includes Komdu Om Jólin, a traditional Icelandic Festive staple which is actually a cover of the 1987 Italian Eurovision song Gente Di Mare by Tozzi & Raf.
In 2021 they recorded Euphoria, Loreen’s first Eurovision winner from 2012 and Gleðibankinn, the very first Icelandic Eurovision entry by Icy from 1986.
 

picture from Stuðlabandið facebook

Photo: I have a soft spot for bands in matching outfits :).

Over the past few years they have moved from the dansband style to include more rock’n’glitter. Even covering Rammstein.
Now somebody write them a great original tune and get them to Malmö in 2024.

they have a logo

Links and sources

Stuðlabandið Website, FB, Youtube channel
Cha ChaCha at the Liverpool Collection
Paper at the Kyiv Collection
Euphoria at the Baku Collection
 
Youtube links:
Cha Cha Cha, Paper (with Svala), Draumur Um Nínu, Komdu Om Jólin, Euphoria & Gleðibankinn.

Euphoria - Tyler Ward & Alex G

Tyler Ward and Alex G. do Loreens Euphoria, The Eurovision hit that still populates the top 10s in the European charts after three months (a record for a Eurovision hit)

The Ward/G. track is out through iTunes on Tyler Wards album The Hollywood Sessions EP which also includes other coverversions like thàt other song that just won't go away: Somebody That I Used To Know.
Euphoria was already available as a single at iTunes since May.

I like the way they fooled around with the song in a minimal electronic pop-style but I haven't decided yet if Ward is just gorgeous or a bit slappable.

American singer/songwriter Tyler Ward has been opening for stars like Gavin de Graw and one of the Jonasses, but in autumn he'll be touring the world on his own. 21 dates in Europe in October including Germany, Netherlands, Denmark and of course Loreenland. Check out the dates here at his website.
A full album is expected later this year.
Alex G. has also been recording many coverversions (iTunes) but a release with her own work is expected in September.

If you want to find out more about Loreen's Euphoria, the remixes, constantly updated chart domination and other very important trivia, please check this page at the Baku Collection.
You'll also find the details on some other coverversions, from the amazing to the appalling.

All eyes on Baku: Eurovision 2012

Tonight is the night. The 57th Eurovision final starts at, 24.00 local Baku time. 21.00 CET.
My country didn't make it to the final for the 8th time in a row, which must be some sort of record.
We're used to it, sad, but we'll be having big fun anyway.

Update: It's done, What's Another Year and all that. I'll leave most of the pre-contest text here, with the additions from the day after below

Eurocovers favorites Bulgaria, Finland and the Trackshittaz from Austria were killed of in the semi's, eternal shame on Europe for that.
Eurocovers loves Euphoria, The Sound Of Our Hearts and Love Is Blind very much, but good luck to everyone of course.

And special congrats to Malta's Kurt Calleja for being so lovely and fun and making it to the final and to Albania's Rona for being such a stunning singer.
And final break a leg to wonderful legend Engelbert Humperdinck who has the ghastly task to open the contest, but can take a nap during the other performances.
Oh and Jedward are probably the nicest blokes in the world.

If you're not in Eurovision TV world you can follow the show here:
Eurovision TV (Update: now the adress for re-watching!)
Songfestival NL - also have a second screen


If you want to have a quick info-check of all entries from the final  check them out at The Baku Collection:
Some Eurocovers posts feature: Anggun (France), Engelbert Humperdinck, Soluna Samay (Denmark), Trackshittaz and Jedward (Ireland).
And already some of the 2012 entries have been covered. Find out more here at Eurocovers.


Update:
And this is what happened:

Latest updated:
Sweden - Wins Eurovision 2012: Euphoria! for Loreen International hit, cds out now, remixes,  Acoustic and Dansband Schlager coverversions
Russia - Runner Up: Baku Babushka's win second semi, 10! Party versions of  For Everybody released
Serbia - 3rd place for Željko Joksimović  Nije Ljubav Stvar, Download Spanish, Symphonic and new Trubači version 
Azerbaijan - 4th: Sabina Babayeva, remixes, New ethnic version, Remix competition winner, new Jazz version
Albania -  Best ever result for Albania: Rona Nishliu, New Suus, English version
Estonia - 6th: Ott Lepland sings Kuula. English, Spanish and Russian versions, cdsingle
Turkey - 7th: Can Bonomo Loves Us Back, promo update
Germany - 8th: Roman Lob cds, new website, album out now
Italy - 9th Nina Zilli, L'Amore È Femmina (Out Of Love)
Spain - 10th Pastora Soler, digital EP, Quedate Conmigo. stunning coverversion, best result since 2004.
11 to 26:
Moldova - Pasha Parfeny, Trumpet out for the girls
Romania - Mandinga cds, pick up Club De Mandinga CD with Libertatea mag, tracklist CD
Macedonia - Kaliopi Crno i Belo, download Russian version
Lithuania - Well Donny!  Love Is Blind, Another version (French) and debut album tracklist, updates.
Ukraine - Gaitana Be her guest to download, Special edition album details
Cyprus -  La La Love for Ivi Adamou, Euro Edition CD, remix, Kids: books are important
Greece - Eleftheria Eleftheriou  Aphrodisiac promo and cdsingle info.
Bosnia Hercegovina - Maya Sar Korake Ti Znam. Italian, English versions, promo update
Ireland - Jedward II cdsingle, Watershedline, Young Love in June.
Iceland - Greta and Jónsi  digital EP release
Malta - What A (semi) Night for Kurt Calleja, cdsingle and new mixes
France - Anggun updates, cds, duet versions
Denmark - Soluna Samay, Around the world, Best Of the old stuff release
Hungary - Compact Disco, 10 versions of SOOH, cdsingle
United Kingdom - Engelbert Humperdinck, cdsingle Out Now!, Autobiography: What's in a name?
Norway - Tooji wins battle with Sofi but tails at ESC final , Acoustic version released, coverversion, updates

Stranded in the 2nd semi:
Bulgaria - Sofi Marinova just misses the final, download song, promo updates
Croatia - Nina Badric Nebo remixes, cdsingle, Remix competition
Portugal - Festival da Canção, CD! digital single for Filipa Sousa, promo
Georgia - Anri Joxadze, no final for The Joker
The Netherlands - Joan packs her feather, Dreamcatcher! #1 hit, promo updates
Belarus - Litesound Heroes go home empty handed. Listen to new version and remixes.
Slovenia - Eva Boto. EMA CD, versions update, cdsingle
Slovakia - Miro Šmajda a.k.a. Max Jason Mai to Baku, Don't Close Your Eyes

Stranded in the 1st semi
Switzerland - Unbreakable, CD info, Sinplus, 7th Heaven remix, 11th in semi
Finland - UMK CD out now, Pernilla back to the handball competition
Israel - Izabo to Baku, versions update, Album details, Time to go
San Marino - Valentina Monetta Stock Exchange, 17 versions and counting, Social Network Song and the F-word song.
Montenegro Rambo Amadeus Not Last!' Brain Awareness, download
Latvia - New Beautiful Song for Anmary, cdsingle promo updates
Belgium - Iris' Would You cdsingle and album Seventeen
Austria - Trackshittaz backside closes rear, cds out now, listen to the remixes
And some other bits and pieces

Handbook For Baku, Recommended reading
The other 'Collections' 1956 - 2008
Shopping tips - Who has their CD out in the shops
Who is in and who is out: The Pots! The Pots! The Draw!

Azerbaijan History - Check out all details on Azerbaijan's first 4 Eurovision entries, versions and releases.

Baku Collection Frontpage

Armenia - Withdraws from Eurovision 2012
Poland skips a year

Quédate Conmigo, Euphoria and When The Music Dies covers

Here is a coverversion of this years Spanish Eurovision Song Quédate Conmigo which will be performed in the Eurovision final on May 26 by Pastora Soler.
I don't know who is behind this (please tell me), but it is wonderful. Singers from all over the world (well, mostly Eurovision world) cover the classic Eurovision ballad and it is very well put together.
I've spotted a few pre-selection singers (ooh, Rui Andrade) and Eurocovers favourite Lianie May from South Africa.

Update: I just read at Eurovicio, who already posted it a week ago, that the idea from this clip is from Antonio (Tony) Sanchez, one of the composers of the song. It's a tribute to Pastora in support of her Eurovision adventure. You can also find the full list of participating singers at the Eurovicio link.
So: Thank you Eurovicio!

You can find out everything about Pastora Solers own version and releases here at The Baku Collection, the place for all info on the releases of the Baku 2012 Eurovision Song Contest.

Euphoria!
And while we're in the business of 2012 covers, an acoustic coverversion of Swedish entry Euphoria well worth checking out is released by Gavin Mikhail.
Gavin Mikhail recorded his acoustic version of Euphoria for a digital release with five acoustic versions of current hits (+ five instrumental versions).
Mikhail's coverversions are a bit of an internet phenomenon and his version of the Swedish entry shows us why. I think MF 2013 may have their intervalact sorted with our Gav'.
Listen to Gavins Euphoria here or buy here at itunes or amazon.


Euphoria will be performed in the second semi-final on May 24 by Loreen. (and hopefully also in the final). Find out everything about Loreen, Euphoria, chart success, remixes and Melodifestivalen 2012 here at the Baku Collection.




Wənneer Die Musiek Verdwijn

A third coverversion worth checking out is Wanneer Die Musiek Verdwyn (When the music disappears) by Colé Van Dais. 
It's an Afrikaans version of When The Music Dies, Azerbaijans home entry by Sabina Babayeva (Səbinə Babayeva).
You can listen to Colé version through her Reverbnation and it's also for sale at RhythmMusic store (South Africa).

Colé Van Dais has recorded several Eurovision coverversions recently for her album Dink Aan My (Think of me). For example titletrack is a cover of Haegt Og Hljott, the 1987 Icelandic entry by Halla Margret.
She also recorded a duet version of Georgia's Peace Will Come (Diana Gurtskaya 2008) with Marc Rantseli. This one is sung in Afrikaans, Spanish, English and Zulu.
Afrikaanse Meissies (African girls or probably Afrikaans girls) is The Balkan Girls (Romania's Elena Gheorge, 2008) and Die Eiland (The island) is 1987 Cyprus entry Aspro Mavro by Alexia.
Listen to some of the tracks here at Reverbnation

Of course you can find out everything about the original entry by Sabina Babayeva at the Baku Collection. There are details about the remixes, the Azerbaijani version Gəl and more at this page.