Eurovision 2022: The Sound Of Beauty… Turin, Italy

I know that I'm a little late to the 'Eurovision' party but that's my issue, not yours! With another year of this 'new normal', we have been lucky enough to get our second in-person contest with 2022 coming through! Would the UK finally be successful this time with 'Sam Ryder?' With singing sensation 'Mika' as one of the three presenters, we'd 'love' his interval performance! Go! 

Back in 2021 'Måneskin' snatched the 'Eurovision' trophy for Italy in Rotterdam, Netherlands with their 'rock' number, 'Zitti E Buoni'. With the world forging a path out of the 'Coronavirus Pandemic' it was a blessing to see the two semi-final stages go without any hitches! Bring on the final, I had a few things planned so my usual final night watching didn't happen! Even before those preliminary heats, the heat had been turned up a few notes with the expulsion of 'Belarus' for their 'nationalistic sounding' entry with their neighbour, 'Russia' also finding themselves in hot water! In all seriousness, Russia had just invaded Ukraine with the intention to reign terror over the borderline. Another uprising had been ignited with fans threatening to boycott the event if Russia had the floor to perform. Rightly so, the necessary channels expelled Russia from the contest. The Eurovision Song Contest doesn't represent evil, there's too much light and love for us to be sad! A lot had happened since Rotterdam rescued the contest during the Pandemic! 

Cue the final, I really don't pay attention to the semi's because I am more about seeing the 'best of the best!' I was quite disappointed that 'Albania' didn't get through to the final but I'll always love Ronela Hajati's performance, 'Sekret' will always be a Eurovision bop for me! Mika along with Italian personalities, 'Alessandro Cattelan' and 'Laura Pausini' all presented the final ceremonies, something told me during the final that some timing issues were present but being live television it was fine! 'Romania' came through with 'WRS' serving up pure sass, 'Llàmame' definitely spoke out to me! CAMP!  'Alvan & Ahez' of 'France' presented their song using the 'Breton' strand of the French language, definitely different to listen to! A lot of the ballads didn't have me bopping along but 'The Sound Of Beauty' theme had me wondering whether those slower numbers were plentiful to make us pay attention? Maybe? 'Norway!' Someone give that wolf a 'Banana!' A familiar duo from the 00's? Yes, 'Subwoolfer' were two parts of band, 'A1!' 

'Armenia' had me listening closely, the stage production for 'Snap' by 'Rose Linn' had me quietly impressed. 'Spain' brought a certain level of 'feugo' to their performance, 'SloMo' had originally be composed for 'Jennifer Lopez' but she had turned that pop track down! Cuban born 'Chanel' chose to accept that Spanish track to represent 'Spain' at the final in Turn, Italy! 'Ukraine' had me on the verge of tears with their moving performance, their entry 'Stefania' had Europe and the rest of the world watching Ukraine for a very different reason! 'Kalush Orchestra' represented their nation valiantly, the blend of sounds and styles worked perfectly! 'Moldova' served the 'Eurovision Gimmick' like a treat, reminding me the of the light! 'Australia' belted out a powerful performance, that 'Down Under' presence will last for how long? The 'United Kingdom' had Europe running scared with their 'Spaceman' showdown during the Turin final, 'Sam Ryder' would be the man to take us close to victory! Indeed, I felt very proud to be British! 

As the interval neared, it would be soon time for the jury votes to be announced, I love that 'Hello Europe' conversation! Before going to each nation within the 'EBU', 'Mika' took to the stage to present us with pure 'joy' with a medley of his hits with one new upcoming release of his! Dancing on a 'love heart' shaped stage, everybody's going to 'Love Today' with a fast forward to 'Yo-Yo' to hear a new electronica sound! Stepping back in time with a 'Happy Ending' to leave me feeling the true meaning of the Eurovision Song Contest! Mika's presence during that 'halftime show' had me rubbishing the last few interval acts, it was amazing to witness! Each country gave their 12 points to the respective singers, to be honest the 'UK' were scooping up those '12 pts' with much surprise because it signified the juries finally believed we had a credible song! Getting those scores validated that 2021 didn't happen, that with actual work put into promoting our entry had allowed Europe to even know us before the contest took place! Go, UK! 

The UK jury vote was presented by 'AJ Odudu' for the first time from Salford in Greater Manchester, with projections of BBC's 'MediaCityUK' studios in the background! There was some apparent communication breakdown, but with a swift resolution secured by the man in charge! Each country came through with their points, it was definitely nice to see another year of votes coming through. Something told me that the jury's weren't going with politics, they were looking at which songs had been best presented on the Eurovision stage in Turin, Italy! 2022 was ready to let the children know what time it was, coming through with a winning score, the UK had forged a path from the usual nonstarter to the top two result! The tele vote had us feeling blessed with those votes but Ukraine had those points snatched back for their plight pulled at the heartstrings the most! With the Pandemic lurking in the shadows, I don't want my Eurovision snatched away ever again! 2020 seems like ancient history but we won't forget it! No!

We stood at the top of the leaderboard, to be even on the left side of the board was a triumphant in itself! From a shambolic '0' to '466' after the jury and tele votes were combined for us! Ukraine won with their wartime war-cry anthem 'Stefania', we understand why they won and we as the UK won't be bitter. We triumphed by staying on the left side of the board as mentioned before, we held our heads high with the score of a lifetime and the validation given to us by our presence and performance. 'Kalush Orchestra' returned to the Eurovision stage with a victorious final performance in mind, the rightful winners being Ukraine have pledged Mariupol will be ready to receive the ESC in 2023 with peace in mind. I felt that there's been no crime committed this year by taking my time, I had other plans before the Eurovision Song Contest but I made time for that grand final performance. Let's hope that the conflict in Ukraine ends soon because Mariupol must be ready for May 2023! Will Russia and Belarus return? Turkey, come back now! 

A Ru-Girl In 2023? 

Desperately Seeking Adventure