{"id":1637,"date":"2018-05-09T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-05-09T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/?p=1637"},"modified":"2018-05-09T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-05-09T16:00:00","slug":"esc2018-right-back-with-rybak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2018\/05\/09\/esc2018-right-back-with-rybak\/","title":{"rendered":"ESC2018: right back with Rybak&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The first semi-final was a bounty of riches. This time around, it feels like slim pickings in terms of certainties to qualify for the final.\u00a0That said, it starts with a bit of Eurovision royalty\u2026<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Eurovision 2018 - Second Semifinal\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/playlist\/0hHaGsHw71fmtnIwIZNCjx?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong> Norway<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>A familiar face returns to the Eurovision stage this year. Alexander Rybak romped to Victory back in 2009 with <em>Fairytale<\/em>. At the time, it got the most points ever for a Eurovision winner. I often wonder what makes a champ come back into the contest \u2013 especially if your song was as huge as Rybak\u2019s was. Well, he\u2019s back and you\u2019ll see Alex on familiar ground with an up-tempo pop song showcasing his fiddle, as he did back in 2009. The song is a bit dated and a bit contrived, but it\u2019s another song with an ear worm in it. You have heard this song before, drawing as it does from a range of hooks and riffs that will be very familiar to you. It will deffo get to the final, and will challenge for the top five. And, as a popular returning Eurovision winner, the producers have rewarded Alex with the first performance for the second semi-final, with what will be the 1500<sup>th<\/sup> song performed at Eurovision since it launched in 1956\u2026<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Alexander Rybak - That&#039;s How You Write A Song - Exclusive Rehearsal Clip - Norway - Eurovision 2018\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6bqjUjrP4Oc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: That&amp;apos;s How You Write A Song\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/4RgfBil6aN3o26M8t3KjGH?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><strong> Romania<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>With the exception of a disqualification denouement prior to the ESC in 2016, Romania have a great qualification record. This will continue in 2018 with a solid soft-rock ballad. Shades of Snow Patrol\u2019s <em>Chasing Cars<\/em>, with a female vocal with shades of Celine Dion, I like it very much. It\u2019s position in the running order raised my eyebrows, but hopefully coming off the back on Alexander Rybak will help it rather than hinder it\u2026<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Humans - Goodbye - Exclusive Rehearsal Clip - Romania - Eurovision 2018\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VUZmyZCNnDY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Goodbye\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/6uUkAk16Tf2AV681mvzTjR?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><strong> Serbia<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Dripping with shades of the Balkan, this song. Serbia sing in their native language for the first time since 2013. The ethnic twist is refreshing, but the song takes too long to get going with two nymphs warbling for the best part of a minute before the first verse. It\u2019s another song where it\u2019s a bit mismatched in terms of structure. And to be honest, the female warbling get a tad annoying. I don\u2019t think this will make the final\u2026<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Sanja Ili\u0107 &amp; Balkanika - Nova Deca - Exclusive Rehearsal Clip - Serbia - Eurovision 2018\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SmuAIZsASxI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Nova deca\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/2YIuaby3djG7zVY39DTVNy?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li><strong> San Marino <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Bless \u2018em, San Marino have only qualified for the final once. They tend to send rather bonkers songs \u2013 blissfully doing their own thang that never quite connects with mainstream music tastes. Same thing this year! And unfortunately it will be taxi for San Marino once again\u2026<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jessika feat. Jenifer Brening - Who We Are - Exclusive Rehearsal Clip - San Marino - Eurovision 2018\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RTx855AFovA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Who We Are (feat. Jenifer Brening)\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/0dew6JXEmJOo8nRbPp9M6Y?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li><strong> Denmark <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Denmark have gone all <em>Pirates of the Caribbean<\/em> on us! The visual and the performance fits well with the \u201cAll Aboard\u201d theme. Should make the final, but not my bag\u2026<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Rasmussen - Higher Ground - Exclusive Rehearsal Clip - Denmark - Eurovision 2018\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QBzdjyZLTn0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Higher Ground\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/6SCl3S0IAbPX7cLE6LjEOt?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ol start=\"6\">\n<li><strong> Russia<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Oh the drama last year when Russia\u2019s singer Julia Samoylova wasn\u2019t allowed entry to the Ukraine to perform at ESC2017. It really was politics playing out in the contest. Well, Julia\u2019s back this year with <em>I Won\u2019t Break<\/em>. It\u2019s not a terrible song \u2013 but the rehearsal footage and previous performance footage is a bit painful to watch. A rather out of tune vocal, and with staging at Eurovision which really does raise questions about how best to present a disabled performer. It makes me feel slightly uncomfortable\u2026<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Julia Samoylova - I Won&#039;t Break - Exclusive Rehearsal Clip - Russia - Eurovision 2018\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HiZzgCiCuG8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: I Won&amp;apos;t Break\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/7K2nHcg1TvgLGW6NTupf3U?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ol start=\"7\">\n<li><strong> Moldova <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Hooray \u2013 I\u2019m bowled over by Moldova! \ud83d\ude42 Love this. An up-tempo feel-good song. The music video and staging are a bit bonkers, but it adds to the fun. Should make it to the final\u2026<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"DoReDoS - My Lucky Day - Exclusive Rehearsal Clip - Moldova - Eurovision 2018\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/89b4x1_XT6c?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: My Lucky Day\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/0ThWw4Mty8Sb0mzaXyFvt8?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ol start=\"8\">\n<li><strong> The Netherlands <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Back in 2014 Conchita won for Austria with the fab <em>Rise Like A Phoenix.<\/em> In what was a very good competition that year, and The Netherlands finished in second place with The Common Linnets and their song <em>Calm Before The Storm<\/em>. This year the male vocalist, Waylon, returns to the Eurovision to rock-out a lot more than he did last time around! Set apart from anything else in the draw, and the fact he will be known for his previous attempt, I think this will make the final\u2026<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Waylon - Outlaw In &#039;Em - Exclusive Rehearsal Clip - The Netherlands - Eurovision 2018\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kO5PecEt14Q?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Outlaw In &amp;apos;Em - Single Edit\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/1Ryw2NPudgM1SRGZx91RbL?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ol start=\"9\">\n<li><strong> Australia <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>I find this song a bit beige if I\u2019m honest. It\u2019s a rather generic song. Jessica is a great vocalist and she has performed at a previous contest (although not competing), so she will probably sell the song through the performance. Should make it through\u2026<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jessica Mauboy - We Got Love - Exclusive Rehearsal Clip - Australia - Eurovision 2018\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hgxwcJRQ1nM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: We Got Love\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/7kqujRWNEBhrpYt0eV0uw5?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ol start=\"10\">\n<li><strong> Georgia <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Fact fans, this is the first entry from Georgia to be fully sung in Georgian. There are nice harmonies from Ethno-Jazz Band Iriao, and it\u2019s all suitably, erm, ethnic! There aren\u2019t many songs with that ethnic flourish in this semi-final, which could work in its favour\u2026<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ethno-Jazz Band Iriao - For You - Exclusive Rehearsal Clip - Georgia - Eurovision 2018\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GLIXRnQF2_Y?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: For You\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/6qE0K1nD4YlXup3KCcP9Qw?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ol start=\"11\">\n<li><strong> Poland <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>This is a radio-friendly song you could easily imagine on the airwaves. I could see this in the final\u2026<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Gromee feat. Lukas Meijer - Light Me Up - Exclusive Rehearsal Clip - Poland - Eurovision 2018\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CLexvCtY2Vo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Light Me Up (feat. Lukas Meijer)\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/5GXNpvgo6UtLhe2wYBYWy1?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ol start=\"12\">\n<li><strong> Malta<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Another generic song, just not very interesting for me&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Christabelle - Taboo - Exclusive Rehearsal Clip - Malta - Eurovision 2018\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yVajsRxgFrE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Taboo\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/3mlWbiS1EuTMnZJfuHNVvB?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ol start=\"13\">\n<li><strong> Hungary <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>This is probably the most niche sounding song in the contest. Different from anything else, and will get votes a bit like Lordi did back in 2006, because it\u2019s going to attract the metal fans \u2013 if they\u2019re watching! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"AWS - Viszl\u00e1t Ny\u00e1r - Exclusive Rehearsal Clip - Hungary - Eurovision 2018\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vGXgp67qyHI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Viszl\u00e1t ny\u00e1r (Eurovision Song Contest 2018)\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/5hC0zQNulh7R4R8pM6gCJ9?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ol start=\"14\">\n<li><strong> Latvia<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Answers on a postcard\/email\/pigeon please: what song does this sound like? Yeah, there\u2019s a bit of a Bond theme formula to it. And a bit of <em>Cry Me A River<\/em>? Seriously, put me out of my misery! Depending on the performance, this might make it to the final\u2026<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Laura Rizzotto - Funny Girl - Exclusive Rehearsal Clip - Latvia - Eurovision 2018\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jF18aRD6p90?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Funny Girl\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/04H79umZ9AxBj5MeTw6gAK?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ol start=\"15\">\n<li><strong> Sweden<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Ok, so my usual preference towards Sweden continues this year! I didn\u2019t go to Melodifestivalen this year, but from first listen this was clearly going to win the Swedish selection process. Once again Sweden combine a cracking song with an awesome visual. It looks amazing on the telly. A certainty to get through and give Sweden another top ten\/top five finish in the final. I would love Sweden to host again, and they are certainly in the mix with Benjamin Ingrosso\u2026<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Benjamin Ingrosso - Dance You Off - Exclusive Rehearsal Clip - Sweden - Eurovision 2018\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HcBcy7dW6_w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Dance You Off\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/0s3P5PImfDZYWIseR3b39D?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ol start=\"16\">\n<li><strong> Montenegro <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>A song sung in Montenegrin for the first time since 2015. Another anthemic and ethnic sounding song. For me, this song and Georgia overlap for this reason&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Vanja Radovanovi\u0107 - Inje - Exclusive Rehearsal Clip - Montenegro - Eurovision 2018\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/USazUgSIdVQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Inje\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/4AQX7Nbg0ZuiA763Y6N8Uk?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ol start=\"17\">\n<li><strong> Slovenia <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>In an attempt to curry local favour this song is sung in Slovene and Portuguese. Not that it will help\u2026<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lea Sirk - Hvala, ne! - Exclusive Rehearsal Clip - Slovenia - Eurovision 2018\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hCbpNavsANE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Hvala Ne\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/28J9JZ6boWgzviW7Ut3TMN?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ol start=\"18\">\n<li><strong> Ukraine <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>We finish the second semi-final with a country with a 100 percent track record of making it to the final. Will they be jinxed this year? It\u2019s not the most interesting song, but the staging and performance might do enough to elevate it. With that track record you wouldn\u2019t bet against it, but then again Azerbaijan got knocked out of the first semi-final and ruined their perfect run&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"MELOVIN - Under The Ladder - Exclusive Rehearsal Clip - Ukraine - Eurovision 2018\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rmaC-nUbvX8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Under the Ladder\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/0a4eEfoZEYCXte9Zk1r7YG?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>So, that&#8217;s the second semi-final. I find it a duller affair than the first &#8211; as you have just read! Let&#8217;s see how the songs translate on the Eurovision stage on Thursday night. UK readers, that&#8217;s BBC Four at 8.00pm, or watch via the live stream at eurovision.tv. I will post my &#8216;napkin of death&#8217; as I did on Tuesday night. See if we agree with each other &#8211; I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;m going to do very well on this one!<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The first semi-final was a bounty of riches. This time around, it feels like slim pickings in terms of certainties to qualify for the final.\u00a0That said, it starts with a bit of Eurovision royalty\u2026 Norway A familiar face returns to the Eurovision stage this year. Alexander Rybak romped to Victory back in 2009 with Fairytale. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":367,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>ESC2018: right back with Rybak... - Phil Jackson&#039;s Eurovision Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2018\/05\/09\/esc2018-right-back-with-rybak\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ESC2018: right back with Rybak... - Phil Jackson&#039;s Eurovision Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The first semi-final was a bounty of riches. This time around, it feels like slim pickings in terms of certainties to qualify for the final.\u00a0That said, it starts with a bit of Eurovision royalty\u2026 Norway A familiar face returns to the Eurovision stage this year. Alexander Rybak romped to Victory back in 2009 with Fairytale. [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2018\/05\/09\/esc2018-right-back-with-rybak\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Phil Jackson&#039;s Eurovision Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-05-09T16:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Phil\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Phil\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2018\/05\/09\/esc2018-right-back-with-rybak\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2018\/05\/09\/esc2018-right-back-with-rybak\/\",\"name\":\"ESC2018: right back with Rybak... - Phil Jackson&#039;s Eurovision Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-09T16:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-05-09T16:00:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/#\/schema\/person\/b8d31dd0ab70e18f4d5b5ca5b8fce228\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2018\/05\/09\/esc2018-right-back-with-rybak\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2018\/05\/09\/esc2018-right-back-with-rybak\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2018\/05\/09\/esc2018-right-back-with-rybak\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"ESC2018: right back with Rybak&#8230;\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/\",\"name\":\"Phil Jackson&#039;s Eurovision Blog\",\"description\":\"Once again bringing you Phil&#039;s thoughts and feelings on all things Eurovision for 2025...\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/#\/schema\/person\/b8d31dd0ab70e18f4d5b5ca5b8fce228\",\"name\":\"Phil\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/author\/jacksonp\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"ESC2018: right back with Rybak... - Phil Jackson&#039;s Eurovision Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2018\/05\/09\/esc2018-right-back-with-rybak\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"ESC2018: right back with Rybak... - Phil Jackson&#039;s Eurovision Blog","og_description":"The first semi-final was a bounty of riches. This time around, it feels like slim pickings in terms of certainties to qualify for the final.\u00a0That said, it starts with a bit of Eurovision royalty\u2026 Norway A familiar face returns to the Eurovision stage this year. Alexander Rybak romped to Victory back in 2009 with Fairytale. [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2018\/05\/09\/esc2018-right-back-with-rybak\/","og_site_name":"Phil Jackson&#039;s Eurovision Blog","article_published_time":"2018-05-09T16:00:00+00:00","author":"Phil","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Phil","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2018\/05\/09\/esc2018-right-back-with-rybak\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2018\/05\/09\/esc2018-right-back-with-rybak\/","name":"ESC2018: right back with Rybak... - Phil Jackson&#039;s Eurovision Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/#website"},"datePublished":"2018-05-09T16:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2018-05-09T16:00:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/#\/schema\/person\/b8d31dd0ab70e18f4d5b5ca5b8fce228"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2018\/05\/09\/esc2018-right-back-with-rybak\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2018\/05\/09\/esc2018-right-back-with-rybak\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2018\/05\/09\/esc2018-right-back-with-rybak\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"ESC2018: right back with Rybak&#8230;"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/","name":"Phil Jackson&#039;s Eurovision Blog","description":"Once again bringing you Phil&#039;s thoughts and feelings on all things Eurovision for 2025...","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/#\/schema\/person\/b8d31dd0ab70e18f4d5b5ca5b8fce228","name":"Phil","sameAs":["http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision"],"url":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/author\/jacksonp\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/367"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1637"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1637\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}