EUROVISION 2006 A total of 38 countries have confirmed their participation in the 51st of the Eurovision Song Contest which will take place in Athens on 18 and 20 May 2006. The event, to be hosted by Greek national broadcaster, ERT, will comprise two live televised contests in one week – a Semi Final and a Final – which will be broadcast live from Athens over the Eurovision network.   click to read more... SPONSORED LINKS Add Your Ad Here   EUROVISION 2004 A Magical Rendez-vous can change the destiny of individuals, of nations, of countries... The Eurovision Song Contest 2004 represented A Magical Rendez-vous of songs, performers and viewers in Turkey. One song, one performer, one country experienced this meeting as a fateful occurrence that can change the rest of the performer’s life. Star Radio played all of the Eurovision songs in its broadcast; every 5 to 7 songs, we played one of the Eurovision songs. Check out our last year's Eurovision contest page and remember all about the participants and the winner.   read more...                                       AND THE WINNER IS: GREECE ! A total of 39 countries participated in the 50th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place in Kiev on 19 and 21 May 2005. The event, hosted by Ukrainian national broadcaster, NTU, comprised two live televised contests in one week – a Qualifying Round and a Final – which were broadcast live from Kiev over the Eurovision network. According to the format, 14 countries had secured their place in the Grand Final, including last year's winner (Ukraine), the four largest countries in the contest (France, Germany, Spain and the UK), and the nine top scoring countries from the previous competition. These countries are: Albania (RTVSH); Bosnia & Herzegovina (JSBIH/PVSBIH); Cyprus (Cy/CBC); Greece (ERT); Malta (MT/PBS); Russia (C1R/RTR); Serbia & Montenegro (YRT/RTS/RTCG); Sweden (SVT); Turkey (TRT). 10 countries of the Qualifying Round joined the other finalists for Saturday's Grand Final: Croatia, Denmark, FYR Macedonia, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Romania and Switzerland. It is a pity that Belarus, Netherlands, Belgium and Slovenia couldn't make it to the Grand Final! The running order of the songs was determined by a draw held in Kiev on 21 March, 2005. The Eurovision Song Contest, which has a great tradition and heritage going back to 1956, is one of the very few truly pan-European television programmes and is watched by up to 100 million people every year. The show was great and there were 3 countries who deserved to win this year: Sweden, Denmark and Greece. Happily, Moldavia didn't win with their Grand Mother and her drum ! From mid-April until mid-June 2005, you will be able to LISTEN ONLINE to All these Eurovision 2005 songs right here on Star Radio; we will play one of the Eurovision songs each 25 minutes or so.       Here are the ALL Participants of the Qualifying and Final Rounds (by alphabetical order) :               Country ALBANIA Singer Ledina Celo Song Tomorrow I go (Adrian Hila, Pandi Lacoà) Biography Born on 09 February 1977, Ledina lives in Tirance, Albania. Her first success in music was by winning the second place in the song contest of Albanian Radio Television Festival with the song "We need love", in 1995. In 1996, she won the contest with the song "Saint Valentines". Her fame continued in 1997 by winning the award of Best Performer with the song "Forgive". During the period of 1998-1999, Ledina accomplished a Tour in Europe. Begining of 2000, Ledina modelled in London and released her first album in Albanian language. In 2004, the video of ‘Vagabonds of Love” won the Song Contest of Albanian Radio Television, which won her the right to represent Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005. In 2005, she won the public award in the "Magic Song" song contest. Website Star Radio's Rating 4/5 Country ANDORRA Singer Marie-An Van De Wal Song La mirada interior (Rafah Tanit, Daniel Aragay & Rafa Fernández) Biography Marian is originally from the Netherlands, nevertheless, she will be representing Andorra. Born on 21 January 1970 in Vianen, Netherlands, a little village close to Utrecht, Marie-An is married and has two children. For the last six years, she has lived in Aldosa in the Principality of Andorra, where she runs a small hotel (Residència l'Aldosa). Her experience as a singer includes performances at country festivals in the Netherlands and several venues in Andorra, such as The Blue Angel Club, the local festivals of Aixirivall, Pal, Ordino and Ansalonga, and at various hotels in the Principality. One day she decided to enter for the Andorran Television Euro casting competition and now she is heading to the Eurovision Festival 2005 in Kiev in the Ukraine, to represent Andorran Television and the whole country! Website Star Radio's Rating 2/5 Country AUSTRIA Singer Global.Kryner Song Y así (Christof Spörk, Edi Köhldorfer) Biography This Austrian group from Vienna consists of: Sabine Stieger (vocalist), Karl Rossmann, (trumpet), Christof Spörk (clarinet), Anton Sauprügl (accordion), Edi Köhldorfer (guitar) and Sebastian Fuchsberger (trombone) Out of nowhere, their first CD, released in April 2004, made it into the Top 40 of the Austrian charts. The group made appearances in the German and Austrian media landscape and consisted of live concerts to full houses. After conquering concert halls and both jazz festivals and folk music TV shows, they also won the Austrian contest to perform at one of the biggest pop spectacles in the world today, the Eurovision Song Contest 2005. With their unconventional, catchy Salsa-Polka-Pop tune ‘Y Asi’, the so-called “Underdog Group” will compete as Austrian representatives at the Eurovision Song Contest this May in Kiev. Website http://www.globalkryner.at Star Radio's Rating 2/5 Country BELARUS Singer Angelica Agurbash Song Love me tonight (Nektarios Tyrakis, Nikos Terzis) Biography Born on May 17, 1970 in Minsk. Angelica lives in Korolev, near Moscow region. She has two children from her first marriage (daughter Dasha and son Nikita) and in 2004 gave birth to her third Child Anastas. Her career started by winning the first Miss Belarus title, in 1988, when she was a student of the Belarusian Academy of Arts. Between 1990 and 1995 she was in a group called Verasy and founded her art club ‘Lika’. Angelica earned her second title "Miss Photo USSR" in 1991; this made her the best photo model in the country. In 1995, she went on a solo career and released through the following years three albums ‘Paper Moon’ (1995), ‘Night Without a Dream’ (1997) and ‘For You’ (1999). In December 2002, she won the national Mrs Russia 2002 contest. Angelica released her album ‘The Farewell Kiss of Lika Yalinskaya’. She will also be representing Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005. Website http://www.agurbash.ru Star Radio's Rating 3/5 Country BELGIUM Singer Nuno Resende Song Le grand soir (Alec Mansion, Frédéric Zeitoun) Biography Born on 25 June 1973 in Porto, Portugal. Nuno's parents moved to Belgium when he was 12. He graduated in physical education. After his studies, he worked for some time as a salesman but the music has always remained his first love. He started his career in the basement of his house, surrounded by his guitar and a couple of friends. Nuno has unusual vocal qualities that will come to the attention of anyone that hears him. He has already teamed with producer and songwriter Alec Mansion back in the end of the 90's when he was in the Group La teuf. The group didn't last too long but this gave Nuno the opportunity to take part of several musical comedies: ‘La Belle et la Bête’ (Sylvain Meyniac), ‘Roméo et Juliette’ (Gérard Presgurvic) and ‘Les Demoiselles de Rochefort’ (Michel Legrand). Alec Mansion believed in Nuno. He dreamt of giving the singer the opportunities he deserves. With Frédéric Zeitoun (France 2), Nuno wrote the song ‘Le Grand Soir’. "Le Grand Soir": An unknown artist brought into the spotlight... "Ce soir, je l'ai prié, je l'attendais, le Grand Soir..." (tonight, I prayed for it, I was waiting for it, the big night...). Website http://www.nunoresende.net Star Radio's Rating 5/5 Country BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA Singer Feminnem Song Call me (Andrej Babic) Biography Feminnem is a Girls Band founded in 2004. The girls won the competition of the Croatian Idol. The members of the band are Ivana Maric, Neda Parmac, and Pamela Ramljak. Due to their fame of their first single ‘Volim Te, Mrzim Te’ (‘I Love You, I Hate You’), the girls are preparing to release their first album. They were selected to represent Bosnia & Herzegovina at the Eurovision with the song "Call me". Website http://www.feminnem.com Star Radio's Rating 3/5 Country BULGARIA Singer Kaffe Song Lorraine (Vesselin Ivanov, Orlin Pavlov) Biography Kaffe is one of the most popular bands in Bulgaria with hits like “There Again”, “Isn’t It Love”, “No More” and the number 1 bestseller “Instead Of Me”. Kaffe is composed of Orlin Pavlov (vocals), Georgi YAnev (guitar), Milen Kukosharov (keyboard), Valery Tzenkov (trumpet) and Veselin Veselinov-Eko (bass guitar). On August 2003 Kaffe were awarded the third place during the International Music Fest ‘The Golden Stag’ in Romania. The European headquarters of MTV invited the band to make a special video for TV and soon their first album, "Alone", was released and was a big seller. Now the success story continues with Kaffe representing Bulgaria at the Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev. Website Star Radio's Rating 2/5 Country CROATIA Singer Boris Novkovic Song Vukovi umiru sami (Wolves die alone) (Franjo Valentic - Boris Novkovic) Biography Boris Novkovic is born on 25 December 1967 in Sarajevo to a family of musicians. Boris has been a star of the music scene for many years, thanks to his sheer talent. He is a very productive writer and performer, whose songs are among the most played on the Croatian radio waves. His first album ‘Kuda Idu Izgubljene Djevojke’ was published in 1986 and sold 120,000 copies. The second album ‘Jaci Od Sudbine’ (1987), is his biggest-selling album with 160,000 copies sold. During his impressive career, Boris has released 14 albums. His latest is "Ostvaren San" in 2004. Boris participated in the Eurovision song contest in 1989 were he ended second with the song "Dajana". In 1999, he won the most important Croatian music award, Zlatna ptica, and is acknowledged as an important Croatian musical artist. Between 1997 and 2005 he won a number of awards. Will he add on additionnal award this year with the Eurovision song contest? Website http://www.borisnovkovic-official.com Star Radio's Rating 3/5 Country CYPRUS Singer Constandinos Christoforou feat. Elena Patroklou Song Ela Ela Biography Constantinos born in Cyprus started his carrer at the age of 17. In 1996 he represented Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo, Norway with the ballad ‘Mono gia mas’ (Only for us) which reached the 9th place. He then moved to collaborate with Greece’s biggest stars such as Anna Vissi and Sakis Rouvas. In 1999, he was the lead singer of the first boy-band of Greece, ONE. ONE became very popular and commercially successful in Greece and Cyprus and they reached platinum sales. In 2002 Constantinos was again in the Eurovision Song Contest in Tallinn, Estonia, as the leader singer of ONE representing Cyprus with the song ‘Gimme’ and reaching the 6th place. In September 2003, Constantinos went solo and released the album ‘H Agapi Sou Paei’ (‘Love Becomes You’). In September 2004 he released his second solo album ‘Idiotiki Parastasi’ (‘Private Show’). For the 50th Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev, Constantinos was selected to represent his country with the song "Ela Ela" featuring Elena Patroklou. Website Star Radio's Rating 3/5 Country DENMARK Singer Jacob Sveistrup Song Talking to you (Jacob Launbjerg and Andreas Mørck) Biography Jacob Sveistrup lives and works in Odense. He is a school teacher and not a professional singer. He teaches and works in a special school for children with autistic spectrum disorder. Jacob participated in 2003 in the TV show 'Star for a Night' where he was beaten in the final. Jacob is part of a group called copycats (http://www.copycats.dk/). ‘Talking to You’ is composed by Jacob Launbjerg and Andreas Mørck, two experienced songwriters,they didn’t know Jacob Sveistrup when they composed the song, but when they heard him sing, there was no doubt in their minds that Jacob was the one. Jacob will represent Denmark in Kiev, where he will perform in front of the whole of Europe. Website http://www.jakobsveistrup.dk Star Radio's Rating 4/5 Country ESTONIA Singer Suntribe Song Let's get loud (Sven Lohmus) Biography Suntribe are five girls: Mari-Leen Kaselaan, Rebecca Kontus, Daana Ots, Laura Põldvere, and Jaanika Vilipo. The girl band is very popular in Estonia. SVEN LÕHMUS (31 year old) is one of the most prolific writers and producers of pop music in Estonia. Sven has brought together more than ten bands and written over 100 hits. In fact, most of his songs have reached the top of Estonian music charts. Sven has already taken part in seven Estonian national finals for the Eurovision song contest. The closest he came to victory was two years ago when the Estonian audience picked a song called "Club Kung-Fu" that had been produced by him and performed by girl band Vanilla Ninja (surprisingly, Vanilla Ninja will perform at the competition as a Swiss entry). "Let’s Get Loud" performed by Suntribe, is a joyous, uplifting song, which took Sven just two hours to compose. Website Star Radio's Rating 2/5 Country FINLAND Singer Geir Rønning Song Why (Mika Toivanen, Steven Stewart) Biography Geir Rønning was born in Norway 42 years ago but has been living in Finland for almost 10 years. Geir is a singer, songwriter a husband and a father of a baby boy. For over 15 years, Geir has performed with many internationally known artists and musicians and has made music at the studio of world-famous rock band, Toto, in Los Angeles. Geir released his debut album, “Første gang”, in Norway in 1996. Since then, he has performed on about twenty albums. Geir Rønning’s second solo album will be released during the spring of 2005. Geir was selected to represent Finland in the Eurovision song contest 2005 with the song "Why". Website http://www.geirronning.com Star Radio's Rating 3/5 Country FRANCE Singer Ortal Song Chacun pense à soi (Ortal) Biography Born in Israel from Berber and Andalusian origins, Ortal started singing at the age of 16. In 2000, she moved to Spain where she joined the group Gipsy Sound. For the next two years she spent a lot of her time touring Europe with them. Her various experience led her to be invited to sing at the French première of the James Bond movie ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ in Paris and in Monaco for Prince Albert’s birthday party. In addition, Ortal sang backing vocals on the albums of various French artists. In 2002, she decides to settle down in Paris to write her own songs. In 2004, she signs with Up Music. The song "Chacun Pense à Soi" is her first single. 26-year-old Ortal will represent France at the Eurovision song contest. Website Star Radio's Rating 2/5 Country F.Y.R. MACEDONIA Singer Martin Vucic Song Make my day (Dragan Vucic - Ognen Nedelkovski, Branka Kostic) Biography Martin was born on 07 August 1982 in Skopje, FYR Macedonia. He started very early in the music and also went on to enter the Music Academy as an extremely popular percussionist. Martin then started his solo carrier as a vocalist. He received numerous prizes and excellent reviews. Martin is currently a senior at the Music Academy in Skopje, and one of the most popularly rated artists on the Macedonian and Balkan music scene. In 2004, he released his second solo album "Muza". Martin will be representing his country at the Eurovision song contest 2005. Website http://www.agurbash.ru Star Radio's Rating 2/5 Country GERMANY Singer Gracia Song Run & Hide (David Brandes, Jane Tempest, John O'Flynn) Biography 22 years old Gracia Arabella Baur was born in Munich. At the age of 14 Gracia started taking singing lessons in Munich and soon took part in talent contests all over Germany, where she usually made it into the finals. In the talent show ‘Deutschland sucht den Superstar’ (Pop Idol) she became the Queen of Hearts. During that time, workaholic Gracia starting to make progress in her solo career. Her first single ‘I don’t think so’ reached number 3. A follow-up single, ‘I believe in miracles’, climbed to number 15, and finally in November 2003 her debut album ‘Intoxicated’ went to number 10. At the end of January this year the brand new single ‘Run & Hide’ was released along with the accompanying video, which was shot in Miami. Website http://www.gracia-baur.tv Star Radio's Rating 3/5 Country GREECE Singer Helena Paparizou Song My number one (Christos Dantis, Natalia Germanou) Biography Helena Paparizou was born and raised in Sweden from Greek parents. Helena started her real career with the group Antique, a group that she created with her good child hood friend, Niko at the age of seventeen. Their debut single "Opa Opa" became a huge hit, reaching number one on the single charts and gaining a gold status. In 2001, they released their first album and at the same time participated in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "I would die for you" and finished 3rd. Antique came to an end in 2003 and Helena started her solo career. She signed with Sony Music and in December 2003, Helena Paparizou released her first single "Anapandeetes Klisis" (Missed Calls), which became a major hit and reached gold status. In spring 2004, Helena released her first personal album "Protereotita" (Priorities). On the 21st of May 2005, Helena Paparizou will represent Greece for the second time at the Eurovision song contest in Kiev. Website http://www.helenapaparizou.com Star Radio's Rating 4/5 Country HUNGARY Singer NOX Song Forogj világ (Szabolcs Harmath, Attila Valla) Biography Nox is a group consisted of : Péter Szabó Szilvia (22) who is the singer of the band and Nagy Tamás (29) who is the folk dancer and choreographer of the band, Nox was the name of an ancient goddess who was believed to be the queen of the night. On the first album of Nox, the infinitely rich tunes and lyrics of Hungarian folk music are blended with the electronic music of the third millennium. Nox was probably the biggest surprise on the Hungarian pop scene in 2002. Few people believed that a group that puts traditional Hungarian folk songs into a modern electronic context could achieve such a resounding success. But the record sales convinced any doubters, as the album ‘Heritage’ became a golden disc in only three months. It was a record that contained re-interpretations of the best-known Hungarian folk songs. In 2003, their second album ‘Magic Spell’ came out in Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia at the same time. It was a real step forward without compromising the band’s sound, and it featured the bands own songs rather than cover versions. In April 2005, Nox’s fourth album, ‘Shining’ will be released. Website http://www.nox.hu Star Radio's Rating 3/5 Country ICELAND Singer Selma Song If I had your love (Thorvaldur Bjarni Thorvaldsson, Vignir Snær Vigfússon, Selma, Linda Thompson) Biography Selma Björnsdóttir was born in Reykjavik on 13 June 1974. Selma was just 10 years old when she debuted in the Icelandic children’s opera production of Noah’s Arc, which led to a small role in "Carmen" at the Icelandic Opera and another one in a popular children’s play. After winning a song contest at the Commercial College of Iceland she received an offer to front the dance music group Fantasia, spending two years with the band. In 1995 Selma landed the part of Rosalia in "West Side Story", staged at the National Theatre of Iceland. Ever since that moment she has been closely connected to the theatre, acting and singing in "The Rocky Horror Show", "Grease", "Little Shop of Horrors", "Singing in the Rain", "Romeo and Juliet", "Hair" and most recently the popular Icelandic children’s musical "The Fruitbasket". She has also been busy teaching and training artists for, for instance, the Icelandic version of ‘Idol’ as well as providing choreography for music videos and the main professional theatres. Selma represented Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 in Jerusalem, where she finished second with the song "All Out of Luck". The single was featured on her best-selling solo album "I Am" in 1999, followed up by her second album "Life Won’t Wait" a year later. In 2002 she teamed up with her friend Hansa to make an album of popular musical duets. "If I Had Your Love" is Selmas first solo single in five years. Website Star Radio's Rating 4/5 Country IRELAND Singer Donna & Joseph McCaul Song Love? (Karl Broderick, Fran King) Biography Donna and Joseph McCaul are brother and sister from the town of Athlone in Co. Westmeath, in the centre of Ireland. They participated to the TV show ‘You're A Star’. Their harmonies impressed the judges and the Irish nation so much that they topped the poll almost every week. Donna (20) is a full-time singer with The Doc Carroll Band and her ambition is to duet with Shania Twain. Her younger brother Joe (17) is a full-time school student. Both Donna and Joseph live at home with their mother Helen. Website Star Radio's Rating 1/5 Country ISRAEL Singer Shiri Maymon Song Hasheket shenish'ar Biography Shiri Maimon was born in Haifa, and grew up in the neighbouring town of Kiriyat Haim. In 2000 Shiri was called up for her National Service, and was invited to join the Air Force Entertainment Group traveling the length and breadth of the country to entertain the troops. After the Army, Shiri decided to move to Eilat, which is Israel’s major ‘tourist’ town and, as a result, a source of employment for many singers and dancers in the hotels and clubs. She worked there for a year as a singer and dancer. In 2003 Shiri auditioned for ‘A Star Is Born’, Israel’s version of ‘Pop Idol’. She was voted into 2nd Place, gained tremendous popularity with the public, and was one of the few artists to be signed to a recording contract by Helicon Records. Shiri also had a lead part, singing and acting in the children’s musical ‘Mamamia’. November 2004 saw the release of the first single – ‘Until You Understand Me’. Shiri is currently working on her first album. The second single is ‘The Silence That Remains’, the song that was selected to represent Israel in the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest. The album is scheduled for release in the summer 2005. Website http://shiri-maimon.co.il Star Radio's Rating 3/5 Country LATVIA Singer Valters & Kazha Song The war is not over (Martins Freimanis) Biography Karlis Bumeisters and Valters Fridenbergs met 16 years ago when they joined the children’s pop group Dzeguzite. It was their first success by singing songs such as ‘Piena Celš’ (‘Milky Way’) and ‘Annina Vannina’ (‘Little Ann in the Little Bath’). At the 1996 Latvian Annual Music Award (Latvijas Muzikas Gada Balva), Dzeguzite’s album ‘Piena Celš’ (‘Milky Way’) won the prestigious award for the best selling album. With the band, Karlis and Valters travelled to 22 countries and have also visited the most famous concert hall in the world, Madison Square Garden in New York. At the moment, both boys are members of Putnu Balle and are working with Martinš Freimanis. Putnu Balle’s most popular song at the moment is ‘Sapnu Pardevejs’ (‘Seller of Dreams’) which was written by Martinš for the music show of LNT (Latvian Independent Television). This gave Putnu Balle the opportunity to shoot a video. Their first album is expected to be launched in the spring and will contain several songs by Martinš Freimanis. Website http://www.putnuballe.lv Star Radio's Rating 4/5 Country LEBANON (withdrawn from competition) Singer Aline Lahoud Song Quand tout s'enfuit (Jad Rahbani and Romeo Lahoud) Biography Born in 1981, Aline grew up in an artistic family: her mother Salwa Katrib is a famous singer; her father Nahi Lahoud, a well-known producer; and her uncle Romeo Lahoud, one of the most famous musical directors and composers in the Arab world. In the late 90s, Aline Lahoud started her professional career as a singer and actress. Under the supervision of Mrs. Helou and Mrs. Haddad, Aline studied singing and dramatic art. After graduating from school, she enrolled in St. Joseph University IESAV (Institut des Etudes Sceniques et Audio Visuelles). In 2002, she obtained a BA degree in Communication Arts with a major in Screenplay and Directing Studies. Meanwhile, Aline had participated in several plays: ‘Ombres Classique’ (1999), ‘Chassées Croisés’“ (2000, by Gerard Bejjani), ‘La Plus Forte’ (2003, by Strindberg), ‘Paroles et ou Textes de Prevert’ (2004, directed by Betty Tawtel) and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ (2005). In 2003, Aline performed in the ‘International Festival of Zouk’ and in 2004 she featured in both the ‘Estivales of Deir el Kamar’ and the Lebanese Karaoke Contest. Aline Lahoud was awarded the Special Award Trophy of the FIDOF (Federation Internationale de l’Organisation des Festivals) during the Megahit Festival in Turkey in September 2004 as well as the ‘Murex d’Or’ trophy. Apart from singing, Aline Lahoud has directed several short films – "Oum el Henn"’ in 2001 and "Toi c’est moi" in 2003 – and studied modern ballet and jazz dance. Website Star Radio's Rating - Country LITHUANIA Singer Laura and The Lovers Song Little by little (Bobby Ljunggren, Billy Butt) Biography Laura and The Lovers are Lithuania’s sensational new pop group. The sole reason the band was brought together was to win the Lithuanian National Finals of the Eurovision Song Contest. Laura, a rising star in Lithuanian pop music, performed various different genres of music, including classical and jazz. She also sang with several local rock groups. In 2001, she was the backing singer in the Scorpions 'concert in Vilnius. Laura’s backing group are The Lovers, nice guys who are experienced musicians. In the autumn of 2004, Laura‘s musical career took a sudden and sensational turn, she signed with the most successful record companies in Lithuania; Koja Records, signed her to his label. Laura will represent her country with the song ‘Little by Little’ in Kiev. Website http://www.lauraandthelovers.com Star Radio's Rating 3/5 Country MALTA Singer Chiara Song Angel Biography Back in 1998, the artist ‘Chiara’ was born simply by the fact that she almost won the Eurovision song contest. She finished in a credible third place (that was the year "Dana International" had won the contest). Chiara had become a star and was in demand. However, due to some bad management and a lack of preparation, she missed the international boat and was held back from pursuing the music career that she had dreamt of. Chiara won the ‘Best Female Artist’ at the 1998 Malta Music Awards and released three albums on the local market. Chiara is soon to release an album consisting of a number of great songs written by internationally acclaimed songwriters hailing from Sweden, Belgium and the United States, including none other than "Diane Warren" who is undoubtedly one of the most successful songwriters ever. In the process, she developed her song-writing skills to write the beautiful ballad ‘Angel’ which she entered for the Song for Europe Festival 2005. Seven years after that memorable night in Birmingham, she will once again step out onto the international stage, to represent Malta at the 50th Eurovision Song Contest, this time, in Kiev. Website http://www.chiara-music.com Star Radio's Rating 4/5 Country MOLDOVA Singer Zdob si Zdub Song Bunica bate toba Biography "Zdob si Zdub" ("Hit the Drum") musical band was put together in 1994 in Moldova. In November 1994, the first demo was recorded in a professional studio, and one song, "The Lost World" passed the selection of the "Learn To Swim I" Festival in Moscow, where the band appeared for the first time as "Zdob si Zdub". In July 1996, "Zdob si Zdub" participated at the "Learn to Swim II" Festival, where they played before the world famous alternative band "Rage Against the Machine". Two songs were recorded for the "Learn To Swim II" compilation: "V dome moiom" ("In My House") in Russian, and "Hardcore Moldovenesc" in Romanian. The second song has become an absolute hit, and it still is the "visit card" of the band. At the end of 1996, as a result of the deal with the Russian label "FeeLee", "Zdob si Zdub" recorded their debut album "Hardcore Moldovenesc". The entire album is in Russian, with the exception of the title track. In October 1997, the band recorded 10 songs of the album "Hardcore Moldovenesc" in Romanian, for distribution in Romania. In 1999, they released their 2nd album "Tabara Noastra" and in 2001 released their 3rd album "Agroromantica". The group toured and played in several countries and festivals. In 2003, Zdob si Zdub released their album "450 Sheep" on Warner music Austria that entered World Music Chart Europe in June 2004. Zdob si Zdub are: Roman Yagupov (vocals, flute, ocarina, iorgafon, and other ethnic instruments), Mihai Gincu (bass-guitar), Pugaci Anatol (drums), Victor Dandes (trombone, accordion, ethnic instruments), Valeriu Mazilu (trumpet) and Igor Buzurniuc (guitar) Website http://www.zdob-si-zdub.com Star Radio's Rating 1/5 Country MONACO Singer Lise Darly Song Tout de moi (Phil Bosco) Biography Lise Darly (Elise Granier) will perform "Tout de moi" ("All of me") at the Eurovision 2005. Lise was runner-up in the 2003 edition of the National preselection. She was born in Nice on 27 December 1981. Her first success on musical scene came in 1999, when she won "Graine de Star Tour". Later she has performed in a band with Dave and Jane Manson and with Grand Orchestre Baie des Anges. Phil Bosco, author of the song - is the head of the Monegasque delegation (he was also co writer of 2004 entry) and he describes, “Tout de moi” as an up-tempo love song. There are plans to record it with the Monaco Philarmonic Orchestra conducted by Didier Favre at the Congress Palace of Monaco. Website http://membres.lycos.fr/lisedarly Star Radio's Rating 1/5 Country NETHERLANDS Singer Glennis Grace (Robert D. Fisher, Bruce Smith) Song My impossible dream Biography Ever since Glennis was six years old, singing has been her life – she just loves the stage. Coming from a musical family and raised in a well-known musical area of Amsterdam, she entered many talent contests and won most of them. When she was 12 she performed with Audrey Hepburn at a Unicef gala and, at the age of 13, the Spanish singer Julio Iglesias invited her, to join him in a duet, during his concert tour in Holland. When she was 15 she won a prestigious talent show on national Dutch television and she made her first records. For years to come, she was considered one of the best singers in Holland. She appeared in an endless stream of radio and TV shows and was often chosen to be a 'special guest' in big arena shows of leading Dutch superstars like Frans Bauer and Rene Froger. Everybody expected her to really break through with her album 'Secrets Of My Soul' in late 2003. But, in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and the UK, the album didn’t sell enough to break even and the Dutch record company EMI Records, in a period of decline, had to let her go. Glennis was without a recording contract and says there was "nothing much happening". Times were hard and money was low (only her manager stayed by her side) and the Glennis Grace story almost came to an end. Then suddenly, she realised that her dream was not impossible... She was asked to sing a song for the Dutch National Song Contest and felt that she had "nothing left to lose". She decided to do it, which brings us (and her) back to the beginning of this story. Website http://www.glennisgrace.com Star Radio's Rating 3/5 Country NORWAY Singer Wig Wam Song In my dreams (Trond 'Teeny' Holter) Biography Wig Wam were formed in February 2001, and from then on Norway’s hardest working live band has slowly worked their way to the top of the charts, touring every corner of the land. In 2004 the band secured third place in MGP with the song ‘Crazy Things’. This year they were hungry for revenge and they gladly accepted an invitation to participate in MGP 2005. Blasting out the high-adrenaline rock anthem ‘In My Dreams’ and wearing their signature Wig Wam outfits, the band rocked the nation once and for all. ‘In My Dreams’, written by guitarist Teeny, went straight to the top of the Norwegian charts, and the European version of Wig Wam’s album is now to be released with ‘In My Dreams’ included as the opening track. The album is titled ‘Hard to be a Rock’n Roller...in Kiev’, and marks a new era for the glam-rockers. Wig Wam have already started their Rock Schla"ger Tour which will take the band all the way to the Ukraine. Website http://www.wigwam.no Star Radio's Rating 3/5 Country POLAND Singer Ivan and Delfin Song Czarna dziewczyna (Lukasz Lazer, Ivan Komarenko, Pawel Radziszewski) Biography The group was formed in mid 2002 where Ivan, Lukasz and Wojciech were playing cover tracks in Warsaw clubs. Then they decided to start working on a repertoire of their own and named the group Ivan & Delfin. In September 2003, the band entered the Spaart studio in Boguchwala near Rzeszow and recorded the entire album. The album was released in March 2004. Earlier, in October 2003, the song ‘Jej Czarne Oczy’ (‘Her Black Eyes’) had been released and played on all the radio stations in Poland. It became a hit among all the stations that had decided to promote a song from such an unknown and independent band. The band had found fame despite the flimsy distribution of the album and the boycott performed by large commercial radio stations. Since June 2004, Ivan & Delfin have performed several dozen shows around the country. ‘Jej Czarne Oczy’ has also had overseas success and became a big hit in Polish radio stations in the USA, and so the band visited the United States twice, performing in New York, New Jersey, Chicago and Detroit. In May 2005, they will defend their country at the Eurovision song contest in Kiev. Website http://www.ivanidelfin.pl Star Radio's Rating 2/5 Country PORTUGAL Singer 2B (Rui & Luciana) Song Amar (Jose da Ponte, Alexandre Honrado, Ernesto Leite) Biography Rui Drumond was born on december 18, 1980. In 2000 and 2001, he won the first and second series of the contest ‘Novos Talentos’ organised by Rádio Oeste. In 2003, he took part in the TV series ‘Operação Triunfo’, broadcast by RTP. In 2004, he appeared in the musical comedy In Love. And in 2005, the producers Fábrica do Inglês renewed his contract, which meant that he appeared in another stage production seen by over 150,000 people: the musical comedy "Kiss Kiss". Luciana Abreu born on May 25 1985, won the song contest ‘Cantigas da Rua’ in 1999 and won every single karaoke contest in which she competed from 2000 to 2004. She took part as actress and singer in the play ‘O Casamento’ by the Seiva Trupe (a theatre company) in 2002. She was an actress, singer and dancer in the play ‘Cabaret Carioca’, 2003 and competed in the TV song contest ÍDOLOS (Pop Idols), shown on SIC, and was one of the finalists. Her performance led to invitations to take part in several TV shows. Rui and Luciana will represent Portugal in Eurovision 2005. They will be united under the name 2B and perform song titled "Amar". Website http://www.ruidrumond.com Star Radio's Rating 1/5 Country ROMANIA Singer Luminita Anghel & Sistem Song Let me try (Cristian Faur) Biography Luminita was born on 7 October 1968, in Bucharest. She is a graduate of the Popular Art School, where she attended the vocal-light music section. She is currently studying at the university of ‘Spiru Haret’ in the Faculty of Sociology and Psychology. Luminita is very popular and has been awarded with numerous prizes, both in domestic and international song contests. For example in 1993, she won first prize at the ‘Mamaia’ song festival in Romania and in 1995, and 1996 she won the third prize. In 2002, she won the first prize and the trophy for the best international voice, at ‘Song for Europe Festival Malta’; the first prize and the trophy for the best international voice at the International festival ‘Discovery’, in Bulgaria. Luminita has a career on TV where she presented in 2000 a talk show "the price of success" and as of 2003 she presents a weekly live show "Start in life" which is broadcasted on TV Romania International. The SISTEM is an unconventional percussion group. The group is composed of: Toth Zoltan, Robert Magheti, Claudiu Purcarin, Mihai Ciprian Rogojan and Florin Catalin Romascu. All the five percussionists of the band have thorough studies of classical music and, in time, have acquired a wide experience in this domain. At the moment, they have a wide and highly original repertory, consisting of music parts for metal and plastic barrels, casks as well as for different parts of the human body. They also make use of bags, coffee-cups and lanterns to produce their music, all this building up a performance full of special effects that combine water effects with those based on fire or dust. Various composers have written most of their songs, but the percussion parts have always been composed by SISTEM. Website Star Radio's Rating 4/5 Country RUSSIA Singer Natalia Podolskaya Song Nobody hurt no one Biography Natalia Podolskaya was born in 1982 in Belarusian city Mogilev. She finished music school with a diploma of piano player. When she was 9 years old, she started to sing in "Studio "W" of Mogilev College of music and choreography. In 1991-1997 as a member of this group she became prize-winner of such contests as "Zorna Rostan", "Magutni bozha" (Belarus), "Goldenfest" (Poland), she participated in Belgium, Germany, Poland. In 1999-2004 Natalia was a student of Belarusian Institute of the Jurisprudence where she graduated. Podolskaya took part in various projects of Belarussian TV & Radio, she became a finalist of Belarusian music festival "Na perekrestkakh Evropi 2002, 2003". In 2002 she entered also Moscow Institute of Modern art to study vocal professionally. Another reason for moving to Moscow was to work on her solo songs and future album. On 17th of December 2004 Russian record company "Iceberg Music" releases debut album by Natalia Podolskaya, which was titled "Pozdno" ("Too late"). Website http://www.podolskaya.info Star Radio's Rating 3/5 Country SERBIA & MONTENEGRO Singer No Name Song Zauvijek moja (Slaven Knezovic, Milan Peric) Biography Band "No Name" was formed at November 19, 2003 in Podgorica. Next year with hard work and enthusiasm young band from Podgorica brought attention upon themselves. Their first major performance was at festival "Suncane skale" in Herceg Novi, 2004, where they won second prize (Silver mermaid) in category "New stars", with song "For you and me". No Name is: Danijel Alibabic, 17 - (singer), Marko Prentic, 18 - (guitarist and singer), Marko Peric, 19 - (bass guitar, leader of the group), Bojan Jovovic, 20 - (keyboard), Branko Nedovic, 20 - (solo keyboard) and Dragoljub Purlija, 19 - (drummer). At beginning of 2005, the band "No Name" applied for music festival "Montevizija", so they spend most of the time in preparations for this festival. In spite of numerous duties, these young musicians took part at annual Montenegrin music awards, "Montefon", ceremony where they got award in category "discovery of the year". This year, No Name won at finals (festival "Evropjesma Evropesma 2005"), which gave them the ticket for Kiev. Website http://www.rtcg.cg.yu/no_name Star Radio's Rating 4/5 Country SLOVENIA Singer Omar Naber Song Stop (Omar Naber, Ursa Vlasic) Biography Omar Naber was born on 7 July 1981 as Omar Kareem. Omar is a dental technician but is far more interested in music than in drilling teeth. He plays piano (his mother is a music teacher), guitar and bass piano. And apart from singing, composing, writing lyrics and musical arrangements, he is interested in the music industry as a whole. At the moment he has ambitions to be a solo artist, but also loves to perform with his group ‘Kareem’. Omar entered ‘The Battle of the Talents’ competition that was part of the Sunday evening TV show ‘Home Again’. And Omar decided that the show would be a good opportunity for him to promote his group. Compared to the majority of the other contestants, Omar is an experienced performer, but he never thought he would win at least not at first. This fame gave him the opportunity to represent his country at the Eurovision song contest in Kiev. Website Star Radio's Rating 4/5 Country SPAIN Singer Son de Sol Song Brujería (Alfredo Panebianco) Biography Son De Sol (SOUND OF THE SUN) is a trio formed by sisters `LOLA´, `ESPE´ and `SOLE´ from Seville. These Andalusian `witches´ were trained to an extremely high level at the conservatoire of music and dance in Sevilla. They also manage their own dance school which has seen them win numerous prizes at national level. The sisters could be triplets, so similar are their tastes and hobbies. They performed fabulously on the TV show that chose Spain’s representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2005. Their biggest dream, besides winning the Eurovision Song Contest this year, is to one day win a Grammy. Website http://www.sondesol.info Star Radio's Rating 4/5 Country SWEDEN Singer Martin Stenmarck Song Las Vegas (Niklas Edberger, Johan Fransson, Tim Larsson, Tobias Lundgren) Biography Martin Stenmarck knew exactly where he was going forming his own rock band at the early age of 14. At 18, he received the grand prize in a National Talent Hunt contest and in the years to come Martin earned several prominent scholarships, including the renowned "Alice Babs Scholarship for Singing". A wide talent such as Martin's has provided him with unlimited singing options, covering grounds from Hard Rock to Jazz. When performing with Swedish jazz icons such as Ulf Wakenius and Rune Gustavsson, Martin early proved his confident voice capabilities. In 2000, Martin Stenmarck became a true household name joining the "Rhapsody in Rock" international tour, all venues sold out. In November 2002, Martin released an album of his own "One". The year 2004 has this far been a busy one for Martin; recording his album titled "Upp och Ner Sånger", all songs exclusively written by Martin himself in favour of SOS Children's Villages, and going on a nation-wide tour with "Rhapsody in Rock". Meanwhile Martin considers accepting the leading part of "Aragorn" in "The Lord of the Rings"; it is the most comprehensive upcoming West End theatrical new production in 30 years, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's epic trilogy. Martin Stenmarck is an artist whose next step is eagerly anticipated by fans all around the world. Website http://www.martinstenmarck.com Star Radio's Rating 4/5 Country SWITZERLAND Singer Vanilla Ninja Song Cool vibes (David Brandes) Biography Vanilla Ninja are 4 girls originally from Estonia who already particpated at The Eurovision song contest. The band is already known in Europe with hits such as "Don't go too fast" and "When Indians cry". The song Cool Vibes was chosen to represent Switzerland this year. Will their success influence the voters (remember the "Tatu" example couple of years ago)? Website http://www.vanillaninja.de Star Radio's Rating 3/5 Country TURKEY Singer Gülseren Song Rim rimi ley (Erdinç Tunç, Göksan Arman) Biography Gülseren was born in Istanbul, Turkey. Her parents moved to France when she was only seven. Music is Gülseren's vocation and passion therefore she studied classical music in Paris. She also studied at the INALCO (French university about oriental art, litterature and culture) to complete her knowledge about the country she comes from and not to forget her roots. Multi-talented artist, Gülseren is a wonderful singer, musician, dancer, author. She wrote most of the lyrics in her latest album. For more than two years (1997-1999), every night, she used to sing at "Les Trois Mailletz", the very famous french jazz and world music cabaret located in the heart of Paris. Gülseren took part in several albums but she has a dream : recording her own album. This dream will come true in 2001. Another milestone in Gülseren's life and carrier is the film "Roos and Rana" , the story of two young girls, one Turkish and the other Dutch, in which Gülseren plays her own character. Sezen Aksu, the greatest turkish singer of the past two decades, was also called for this part. Website http://www.gulseren.net Star Radio's Rating 3/5 Country UKRAINE Singer Greenjolly Song Razom nas bahato (Roman Kostiuk, Roman Kalik) Biography Before becoming members of the Greenjolly band, two Romans met in 1992. Roman Kostyuk, serving a military training in Ivano-Frankivsk, met Roman Kalyn at the Officers House. They had some common musical interests. Roman Kostyuk was fond of playing guitar and Roman Kalyn, who had graduated from music school on the accordion, already played in the band called Zakhid (West). They played upbeat reggae with touches of Ukrainian music. Later, the musicians changed their music ideology and began to play more serious or ‘heavy’ music: rock ballads. In 1997 they created a band of their own – Greenjolly (by the way, this word means wooden sledge in Hutsul dialect). Greenjolly frequently played in Ivano-Frankivsk and other Ukrainian cities and took part in various festivals. In 1998, they came second at ‘The Future of Ukraine’ festival. The same year they won a second prize at ‘The Melody’ festival and the next year they won another one at ‘The Pearls of a Season’ festival. Today, these two Romans have their own recording studio Roma Record. Roman Kostyuk works as a sound producer on Zakhidnyi Polyus radio station and Roman Kalyn is an announcer at the local television channel Tretya Studia, where he hosts two shows. The third band member, Andriy Pisetskyi (keyboards and saxophone) is an old mutual friend and recently has joined the band. The first performance of the band in full strength took place in February 2005. Website http://www.ukrainianrecords.com/ru/artists/bio/4/ Star Radio's Rating 1/5 Country UNITED KINGDOM Singer Javine Song Touch my fire (Javine Hilton & John Themis) Biography Talented and successful Javine, was chosen by the viewers of the BBC to represent the UK at the Eurovision song contest. Javine is already known in Europe and we can wonder what is she looking for in the Eurovison contest. She took part in the hit show ‘Popstars: The Rivals’ in December 2002, Javine has established herself as a leading UK R&B pop star with four hit singles under her belt. Javine Hylton is 23 years old and grew up with her mother and sister in West London’s Ladbroke Grove.