Tag: Eurovision

  • Lurgan band move to Turkey and become serious Eurovision contenders

    Lurgan band move to Turkey and become serious Eurovision contenders

    IN tonight’s Lurgan Mail we bring you an exclusive report on a Lurgan band who are bidding for Eurovision glory.

    (Their Song : )

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    Inchequin looked to have called it a day when Hugh O’Neill and Sinead Bradley moved to Turkey, but instead the move has rejuvenated the band to the point where they’ve recruited three new members, all of whom are household names in their native Turkey, and become serious contenders for the Eurovision crown.

    Their song ‘Son Kez’ is competing to become Ireland’s Eurovision entry. Read all about it in this week’s Lurgan Mail.

    via Lurgan band move to Turkey and become serious Eurovision contenders – Local – Lurgan Mail.

  • The Fall And Rise Of Turkey At Eurovision

    The Fall And Rise Of Turkey At Eurovision

    Posted by John Kennedy O’Connor on Dec 20th, 2012 in Articles | 1 comment

    The Fall And Rise Of Turkey At Eurovision

    In the last week, TRT have announced they are withdrawing Turkey  from the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. The nation that once struggled at Eurovision until televoting and diaspora kicked in have decided enough is enough, and are criticising some of the core rules of the Song Contest in the 21st century.

    Can their arguments be justified, or is Turkey simply taking their ball away and not letting anyone else play? John Kennedy O’Connor looks at the rise and fall of Turkey at Eurovision.


    So farewell then Turkey.“We’ve had enough”, yes that is your catchphrase. Unless there is a miracle, the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest will not be staged in Istanbul, Ankara, or indeed anywhere on Turkish soil. The Turks have taken their key changes away and have withdrawn from Eurovision 2013, following in the steps of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Portugal and Slovakia.

    The latter three countries have never won the contest, nor indeed made any real impact on the scoreboard at all, so their absence probably lessens the blow to the contest line-up. Indeed, the Slovaks haven’t been seen in the Saturday night show since 1998, when they placed 21st. Over 48 years the Portuguese have always had a very dubious relationship with the Eurovision voters, never having placed in the top five at all, the only country from the pre-expansion of 1993 to suffer that ignominy. And if it wasn’t for Hari Mata Hari’s 3rd place in 2006 there wouldn’t be much for the fans to remember about Bosnia & Herzegovina either.

    Magdalena Tul

    Magdalena Tul, Poland 2011 (Photo: Pieter Van Den Berghe (EBU))

    Many people have added Poland to the list of withdrawing countries as well, even though they are technically continuing their AWOL run from 2012. Their impressive debut in 1994 (scoring a splendid 2nd place) has never been matched and only one further top ten finish ever occurred for them, with seven of their last eight entries failing to qualify.

    If we’re including Poland, then we can’t forget  previous entrants Monaco, Morocco, Andorra, Luxembourg and the Czech Republic, who are all staying away from Malmö in May. Luxembourg and Monaco are sorely missed in some quarters, both having triumphed in the Contest back in the days when it was largely a Western European event. Six wins between them is the same as the ex-Soviet Union and Yugoslav bloc can boast combined. Yet by the time those two departed the competition, neither was enjoying particularly good results. Monaco’s return was short lived when they failed to progress beyond the semi-final stage.

    It may smack of bad sportsmanship, but you can understand really why these countries have given up the ghost.

    But not so Turkey.

    From Zero To Hero, Every Way That They Can

    Like Portugal, the Turks had a very dodgy start to their Eurovision story, finishing last upon their debut in 1975. Certainly, with only Israel and Yugoslavia for company amongst countries outside the traditional Western and Nordic European geography, all three countries entries seemed at odds with the music being submitted by everyone else.

    Turkey had another problem… their mutually antagonistic relationship with the Greeks next door. Greece got a one year start on the Turks in the contest and withdrew when Turkey entered the following year. The Turks did the same in 1976 when Greece opted for a Cypriot singer singing (or some might say wailing) an impassioned plea for her homeland, so recently occupied by the Turkish army. It wasn’t until 1978 that the two countries felt comfortable enough to share the Eurovision stage and despite the odd withdrawal on both sides for varying reasons, the two settled down to be familiar Eurovision nations over the coming decades; despite neither nation finding much appreciation for their efforts.

    Then the voting system began to shift away from the reliance on national juries. Turkey found they were to be one of the biggest surprise beneficiaries of the embryonic tele-voting instigated in 1997. Prior to this year, the Turks had grazed the top 10 only once, when in 1986 they found themselves at a high of 9th out of the 20 songs. Otherwise, their track record was grim. 17 entries on the bottom half of the scoreboard, including three last places, two with no points at all.

    All that changed in 1997 when to the astonishment of most, including the Turks themselves, they soared up the scoreboard to finish 3rd, with four countries awarding their song ‘Dinle’ douze points! Remarkable, particularly when considering that their previous eighteen entries had amassed just three 12 points between them! Turkey’s new found popularity was something of a blip, but there was clear evidence that a rosier, nay, more golden, Eurovision future lay ahead. Five countries tele-voted in 1997 and all had the Turks on their score sheet; the Germans putting them at the very top for the very first time.

    Despite this excellent result (perhaps made even more remarkable as the Turkish entry was performed in the cursed second place in the running order), it didn’t immediately spark a particularly great new future for the continually failing Eurovision nation. The next couple of years didn’t bring top ten finishes, but they did bring a regular ‘douze points’ from the tele-voters of Germany. A nation with a very high population of Turkish expats, it was clear that a sense of national pride was prevailing and the German votes were being heavily influenced by this loyalty.

    Things began to get better again for the Turks from 2000 when they started experimenting with English songs. Now it wasn’t just the expats in Germany, but those in the Netherlands and France who were willing to show their support year in, year out. Despite a couple of slip backs, it seemed that with heavy diaspora support through tele-voting, Turkey were finally getting the knack of the Contest and this proved the case when at last they took gold in the 2003 contest in Riga, with the belly-dancing Sertab Erener squeaking home in 1st place, bringing the contest to Istanbul and putting a Eurovision Song Contest trophy on the TRT Executive’s shelf.

    From that moment on, there really was no looking back. Although another victory has so far eluded the Turks, generally speaking, they’ve had one of the most consistent records of any country since the turn of the century. Indeed, since winning in 2003, only three of their entries have failed to place in the top seven in the final. Pretty remarkable for a country that had such an arid period of failure for so very long. But all of a sudden, TRT appear to have fallen out of love with the contest they had become to be so apparently good at. Why?

    Failing To Live It Up

    According to the press release issued by the station, the Turkish TV executives are unhappy with both the current voting structure (50% jury/50% tele-voting) and that the Big Five nations (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom) are given automatic places in the Saturday night Grand Final. Both are reasonable arguments that have been raised by many fans. But are they reasonable for the Turks?

    Yuksek Sadakat (Turkey 2011)

    Yuksek Sadakat, Turkey 2011 (Pieter Van Den Berghe (EBU))

    Prior to 1993, every country that wanted to enter could do so, simply by complying with the EBU rulebook. From 1993 until 1999, every country was vulnerable to qualification procedures, based largely on their previous results. Since 2000, this has not applied to any of the Big Five. So what? What impact has this had on Turkey? In this period, the Turks have only once failed to qualify for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. That was in 2011 in Düsseldorf, when they placed 13th in their semi-final.

    But was this failure now due to the imposition of the 50/50 voting split that had served them so well in 2010? Clearly, not. In Oslo, the Turks had done very nicely; their second best finish, ever in fact. Even if there hadn’t been a 50/50 split in the 2011 semi-final, neither the jury nor the tele-voters put the Turks in their top ten, so regardless of which method was used, they wouldn’t have qualified. Both sets of judges simply didn’t rate the song and lest we forget, it is a Song Contest after all.

    Love Me Back?

    Since the Big Five nations don’t participate in the semi-finals, but they do vote, they can hardly be blamed for the failure of Turkey’s 2011 entry either. Do the Turks perhaps think that had they not had to qualify at all, their result in the 2011 Final would have been better? Hard to imagine based on the 13th place out of the 19 entries in their semi that an automatic qualification would have produced something particularly special from Yuksek Sadakat (who were an internal selection). But being in the final directly, even if you ultimately finished last, is a big difference than being knocked out in the semi.

    Does the Big Five rule create an unfair advantage for those who enjoy that status, particularly to the detriment to those that don’t? Apparently not. Since their win in 2003, only when Germany won the contest convincingly in 2010, have Turkey ever been bettered in the final by one of the Big Five, with Italy scoring 2nd the following year when the Turks were relegated.

    Can Bonomo, Turkey 2012

    Man-boat, Man-boat, you have made a Man-Boat! (Andres Putting (EBU))

    Maybe that’s the point. Since being given automatic passage, the record of the Big Five isn’t particularly impressive. The point could be argued therefore that since they aren’t generally coming up with songs that are deemed of particularly high quality by those judging them (the viewers or the jury) that putting them straight through to the final is unfair on countries that are only narrowly missing out on a place in the final. That’s a strong argument indeed. If you take certain examples (‘Even If‘ in 2008 and ‘Love Will Set You Free‘ in 2012, both for the United Kingdom), it’s impossible to imagine some of the Big Five entries coming through a semi-final in a million years, based on their low scores achieved in the Grand Final.

    But without the Big Five’s viewing figures on the Saturday night attracting sponsors, without their entry fee offsetting that cost for the smaller countries taking part, and without their presence legitimising the Contest, there would be no Eurovision Song Contest. Indeed there would be no EBU. Twenty songs are still given the chance to compete in the Eurovision final every year, the same number generally speaking that has competed each Saturday night since the late 1970’s. It’s a tricky argument with fair play on one side and economic reality on the other.

    Shake It Up?

    Qualification began in 1993. Twenty Contests have now been held under a number of qualification systems. Thirteen of them have been staged with the ‘big’ nations removed from the procedure. Turkey failed to qualify twice: Once with the Big Five (then the Big Four) also having to navigate qualification, in 1994 under a questionable system that wasn’t revealed until after their 1993 result was deemed insufficient; and once more in 2011 as discussed. It isn’t at all clear that the Big Five rule has impacted Turkey in any way shape or form. If they’re implying that the Big Five songs simply aren’t good enough and should be tested in qualification, then that’s a reasonable argument indeed and one that I am sure many other nations ponder. Certainly the fans and viewers do. If this is the reason Turkey have left, it’s not an argument that’s easily refuted.

    There can be no Ley with no Rimi Rimi, but can there be Eurovision without Turkey? It would seem so. Can there be a Eurovision without the Big Five? I would suggest not. Yes, it survived 1982 when neither France nor Italy turned up, but perhaps the saving grace came from the global mega-hit that won that year. Did anyone really notice that Germany weren’t there in 1996 or that Italy was missing in action over an extended period? I did, but who can say if the wider audience cared?

    Kenan Doğulu Shaking It Up, Turkey 2007

    Kenan Doğulu Shaking It Up, Turkey 2007

    Turkey has benefitted from the introduction of tele-voting more than most. You only have to compare their record prior to 1997 and since to pick up on that. Arguably, you could also point to the expansion of the Contest as having been favourable to the Turkish entries. The arrival of their ex-Soviet neighbours did certainly help their fortunes. Could it be that switching to English made all the difference? Or that their entries just got better? Who knows? Whatever the reason, Turkey has been one of the most consistently high scoring nations over the past decade. It’s a shame they are now leaving, just as it’s a shame when any country leaves the contest.

    Turkey’s Withdrawal Is A Loss To The Contest

    I’m all in favour of a smaller Eurovision final. Writing as a fan, I really dislike that the final has become so huge. When it first increased to 22, then 23, then 25 nations, I was thrilled; but not anymore. It should shrink. Alas, I can’t put forward any meaningful way of doing this; at least not one that would likely gain universal acceptance and besides, nobody has asked me. Nations withdrawing is not the answer; particularly as this diminishes the semi-finals, not the final itself.

    Personally, I won’t miss Turkey at Eurovision. I know I’m generally out-of-step with the masses of fans who seem to adore the Turkish entries, but their entries have always left me cold; or indeed, sometimes quite hot under the collar. I’ve sat with gaping jaw and bulging eyes on many occasions as Turkish entries I’ve truly despised have rocketed up the final scoreboard, punching way above their weight, largely in my mind anyway, thanks to their reliance on their tele-voting diaspora. There, I’ve written it. 2003, 2004, 2008 and 2010 particularly spring to mind as results that left me silenced. However, I fully accept that music (perhaps more so ‘Eurovision’ music) is totally subjective and one man’s Après Toi is another man’s Diggi-Loo, Diggi-Ley. I always bow to the result.

    TRT have taken the decision to withdraw from the Eurovision Song Contest, but the reasons given simply don’t add up. They won’t be in Malmo and that diminishes the Contest as a whole; as indeed does the absence of Luxembourg, Monaco, Poland, Portugal and every other nation not taking part. I hope they come back soon, but for now it’s farewell and the end of this Eurovision chapter for Turkey.

    Source :

    magdalanatul

  • APA – Turkey withdraws from Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Sweden

    APA – Turkey withdraws from Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Sweden

    Baku. Ulker Rashidgizi-APA. Turkey will not be represented at the «Eurovision song contest 2013″ to be held next year in Sweden.

    fa8b6f21a8f03f378e9ffb0758c76f25Eurovision fans were confused after TRT had stated that they may consider withdrawal in 2013. Then, everyone calmed down when TRT started to put lots of effort trying to decide which artist should represent Turkey in Malmö. However, today it’s been officially announced that, Turkey will not take part in the 2013 edition of Eurovision Song Contest.

    After Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Bosnia & Herzegovina withdrew (and Cyprus first announced to do so, but later changed its mind), TRT also announced that Turkey will not participate in next year’s contest.

    In August 2012, Director General at TRT said that Turkey was considering withdrawal in 2013. However, this was not taken much seriously among the public, as TRT started to organize meetings with an “Advisory Board” which gathered music proffessionals in order to discuss, who would be the right participant for Turkey. Last week, some rumours spred out that the meetings with the 2013 representative were close to an end, and the name would be announced very soon. Today, both the media and the fans were shocked by the withdrawal of Turkey.

    Unlike the other withdrawn countries, Turkey’s reason is not financial. TRT stated that, this is a reaction to the injustice of the competition, like a “boycott”. In the explanation they made, TRT claimed that the contest was unfair due to the latest rule in the voting system; the 50-50 combination of jury voting and televoting. It is thought that the involvement of jury had a downstream effect on Turkey’s points. The broadcaster also finds the “big 5 direct qualifiers” unfair.

    Turkey will most likely participate in the 2014 contest, as TRT told that they’ll take the opinions of Advisory Board into consideration to develop a strategy for the next years, and hopefully end up with better and more effective conclusions.

    Many Turkish Eurovision fans are however thinking the withdrawel has mostly to do with the latest rule change making the producer decide the running order of the participating songs. Something that can have a big influence on the winner.

    Turkey has been in the contest since 1975, and they were active except for the years 1976, 1977,1979, and 1994. They won for the first time in 2003, with the song Everyway That I Can by Sertab Erener, their only victory until now.

    In 2012, Turkey was represented with the song Love Me Back by Can Bonomo, which finished the contest at a respectable 7th place.

    via APA – Turkey withdraws from Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Sweden.

  • Eurovision choice divides Turkey

    Eurovision choice divides Turkey

    ISTANBUL // Turkey has chosen a young Jewish singer to represent the country at the Eurovision Song Contest this year, triggering criticism from both fellow musicians and Islamist circles and fanning a broader debate: Do you have to be a Muslim to be a “real” Turk?

    fo22ja Turkey Eurovision

    Can Bonomo, 24, a singer from the city of Izmir, was little-known when TRT, Turkey’s state television, picked him this month as the country’s entry for the contest.

    The yearly event is watched by tens of millions of people around Europe and beyond. The 57th edition will take place in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, in May.

    Bonomo, who released his first album of alternative pop music less than year ago, said he did not expect TRT to select him.

    “Eurovision is really a big deal in Turkey,” he said earlier this week. “Usually TRT picks much more experienced musicians,” he added. “So that was the surprise.”

    Since TRT announced its decision on January 11, the discussion about Bonomo’s selection has been overshadowed by a debate about his religion. “A Jew will represent Turkey,” the Islamist news website Habervaktim reported. The website also said some video clips of the artist were alleged to have shown symbols of Free Masons. Bonomo has been confronted with questions about his religion in television interviews. In one interview on the Haberturk channel, for example, he was asked to respond to allegations that he was nominated to curry favoured with the “Israeli lobby”.

    The Eurovision Song Contest is hugely popular in Turkey and the country’s representative always attracts widespread interest.

    Turkey, which has participated in the Eurovision contest since 1975, has won the competition once, in 2003. That victory, by the singer Sertab Erener, was a source of national pride, and the show has been followed very closely in the country ever since. Recent Turkish entries, which included rock bands and both male and female solo singers, reached the top ten of the competition four times in five years. More than 40 countries, including Israel, are expected to take part this year.

    Reaction from fellow artists to Bonomo’s nomination has been mixed, with some critics pointing to his lack of experience. Kirac, a popular rock musician who uses only one name, called Bonomo an “amateur”.

    Bonomo admits his blend of pop and alternative rock with folk and jazz influences is not the standard fare in Turkish popular music, but insists he can bring a new flavour to the Eurovision contest.

    “I’m not doing conventional pop music which is clearly more popular in Turkey,” he said, adding that the song he will present in Baku “will have the orient and ethnic tunes of Turkish music with a healthy dose of pop and world music in it”.

    While working on his song for Baku, Bonomo has had to deal with the issue of his religion. Turkey is a predominantly Muslim country of more than 70 million people, but also a secular republic in which a citizen’s religion should play no role. Some Muslim conservatives and nationalists, however, maintain that Islam is crucial for national unity.

    In comments on the Habervaktim website, one reader asked “how much money this Bonobo person will cost Turkey?”.

    On Twitter, one commentator accused TRT of having chosen Bonomo “to get the support of the Jewish lobby”. Another tweet read: “The Jew Can Bonomo will represent the Muslim country of Turkey – where are the Turkish singers?”

    Other commentators in social media and newspapers defended TRT’s decision and said Bonomo’s religious beliefs were his own affair. “Some have started a black propaganda against this young man because he is Jewish,” wrote Ali Topuz, a columnist for the Radikal daily. He reminded his readers that the Turkish constitution banned every kind of discrimination based on religion, politics or beliefs.

    Bonomo showed irritation about the fact that his religious beliefs had become a public issue.

    “I’m a Turkish Jew. I can believe what I want to believe,” he said.

    “I don’t believe art has a religion or ethnicity,” Bonomo said. His ancestors had been “living in this land for over 500 hundred years. We’ve been raised in Turkish culture so the only culture I can bring into an art form would be Turkish. Nothing else.”

    [email protected]

    via Eurovision choice divides Turkey – The National.

  • Turkey: New rumours point to Atiye being internally selected

    Turkey: New rumours point to Atiye being internally selected

    Source: Milliyet & Eurovision Dream

    Image Source: atiyemusic.com

    atiyeAfter last weeks revelations, new rumours have surfaced that Turkish broadcaster TRT will in fact make an internal decision for the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest and that Atiye Deniz is the front-runner to be their choice.

    TRT is yet to publically announce anything surrounding their Eurovision plans but Turkish media outlet Milliyet now suggests that Atiye Deniz will be the one heading to Baku next May or is at least the favourite at the present time to be selected. After a string of successful bids in the contest, Turkey failed to make the Eurovision Song Contest Final for the first time in 2011. Rumours later surfaced that TRT would change their procedure which would see more acts have the chance to represent Turkey in the contest. Milliyet now claims it untrue and that Atiye is the favourite to represent Turkey in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest.

    TRT is expected to announce the selected artist’s name, as they have done during the past two years, on New Years Eve.

    Read more here (in Turkish).

    Eurovision’da Türkiye’yi kim temsil edecek?

    In the meantime, check out one of Atiye’s newer videos “Budur” below;

    via Turkey: New rumours point to Atiye being internally selected | ESCDaily.com || The latest Eurovision 2011 news from across Europe.

  • Turkey: TRT not to internally select a representative

    Turkey: TRT not to internally select a representative

    Source: Habervitrini.com & ESCDaily.com

    Image Source: TRT

    trtTRT will start its plans for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in November. However, the artist that will represent the country won’t be picked internally this time.

    Habervitrini.com reports that TRT, the Turkish national broadcaster, will be changing the method of chosing the representative of the country for Eurovision. In November, a commision will invite musicians and composers to submit entries. Later, their entries will be rated but the full process of what exactly will be done is still unknown. This year it is much more open for artists and singers who will all have a chance to represent Turkey on the big Eurovision Stage.

    Traditionally, TRT decides on one artist and several songs are presented to the broadcaster. In terms of the planned process in 2011, it’s reported that TRT will choose a number entries to present to the public and later will cut entries one by one until eventually a winner will be selected. It’s still believed however there will be no public say in the decision and still technically it will be an internal decision just more open for artists.

    Additionally, popular Turkish pop artist Hande Yener, has said on several occasions that she wants to represent Turkey in Eurovision and this year she feels no different. Recently she stated ‘I want to represent my country at Eurovision’ on a local radio station. Hande has sold close to 17 million albums worldwide and she was approched by TRT to represent Turkey in the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest.

    Other popular names rumoured to be interested include Atiye and Sebnem Ferah.

    Stay tuned!

    via Turkey: TRT not to internally select a representative | ESCDaily.com || The latest Eurovision 2011 news from across Europe.