World Song Contest

when Music rules the World

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World Song Contest .11

 Number of participants: 34

New participants: Slovenia

Once again, 34 countries joined in this monthly celebration... Well celebration is probably not the word as war was there and from the 34 songs, only 26 went to the final. For the first time, voters could vote for the most original song. Which happened to help Finland to qualify, but failed with Malta though the song got 3 bonus votes. Slovenia joined the contest for the first time, but it wasn't a lucky time for countries from the Balkans as only Bosnia & Herzegovina managed to qualify, while Portugal and Venezuela made their come back with diverse fortunes.

For the first time, there was a song without lyrics in the contest. Finland's video games "song" was probably the only song to bring something special, even if, once again different kind of music where represented. The United States of America, after they failed to reach the final in WSC .10, tried something which was probably far to be a sure winner... R&B was known as a label to loose, this time, it proved to be wrong ! Back in a final, Germany, with a reggae song, didn't reach its best result, but got several votes, which could be seen as a good results for this country, while the Philippines showed they tried everything to be back in the top 10, maybe in WSC .12.

Before winning WSC .10, Iceland only reached the top 10 once. So something had to be proved. Iceland never was a country to bet on but it seemed that it had to be changed. Iceland reached the second position, with two points ahead of Belgium, which reached its fifth top 5 position. Winner this time was Canada. For the fourth time, Celine Dion was chosen to represent the North American country. This is of course a record, shared with Laura Pausini for Italy. But this time, Celine Dion was backed by Il Divo. Though it only got points from 14 countries, Canada managed to win with the highest marks received from 4 countries, and 10 points from 5 countries... I Believe In You (Je Crois En Toi), sung in English and French, is the third non-European song to win the contest.
 
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THE WINNER

Country: Canada
Artist(s): Céline Dion & Il Divo
Song: I Believe In You (Je Crois En Toi)

 

The youngest in Adhemar and Therese Dion's family of 14 children, Céline Dion began singing in her parents' piano bar when she was just five years old. By the age of 12 she had written one of her first songs, "Ce N'etait Qu'un Rêve" (It Was Only a Dream), which she recorded with the help of her mother and brother and shipped off to a manager named René Angélil. After weeks with no response from Angélil, Celine's brother Michel phoned him. Angélil dug up the tape and called the family back the same day to set up a meeting with Celine. When the 12-year-old performed in his office in Montreal, Angélil cried and set in motion the process of making her a québécois, and later international, star. In 1983 she became the first Canadian to have a gold record in France and she won a gold medal at the Yamaha songwriting competition in Japan. Her worldwide reputation was in the making, but success in the United States was not yet forthcoming. Her 1990 breakthrough album, Unison, was released in the U.S. by Epic Records and produced several hit songs, but it was her duet with Peabo Bryson on the theme song of Disney's Beauty and the Beast that was her true breakthrough. The song was also featured on her second English album, 1992's Celine Dion. Dion kept to her French roots and continued to release many Francophone recordings between each English record. D'eux was released in 1995, and it would go on to become the best-selling French album of all time. The album was mostly written and produced by Jean-Jacques Goldman, and amassed huge success with the singles "Pour que tu m'aimes encore" and "Je sais pas". Goldman later worked with Céline Dion on her albums S'il Suffisait d'Aimer (1998) and 1 Filles & 4 Types (2003). One of the hardest-working stars in show business, Dion continued to record and perform on a schedule that would kill most people. She recorded six albums between 1992 and 1996, when her album Falling Into You took her to a new level of stardom. The recording was a runaway hit, winning Grammys for both Album of the Year and Best Pop Album. Dion's longest tenure on the pop charts would come the following year, however, when she recorded "My Heart Will Go On," the theme song for James Cameron's blockbuster movie Titanic. The continuing popularity of her recordings and live performances made her 1999 sabbatical seem like a tragedy to her fans, but Dion needed a break after more than a decade and a half of breakneck pace. She returned to the public eye in a big way in March 2002 with A New Day Has Come. The album debuted at number one in over 17 countries, and was accompanied by a full-scale media blitz. In early 2002, Dion announced a three-year, 600-show contract to appear five nights a week in an entertainment extravaganza at Caesers Palace, Las Vegas, called A New Day. In conjunction with the rollout of A New Day was an endorsement deal with German automaker DaimlerChryslter AG worth additional millions. The performer recorded a brand-new song to accompany the spots. Debuting in early 2003, the campaign dovetailed into the March release of One Heart, Dion's first album since 2001's A New Day Has Come. A new French-language album, D'Elles, arrived in May 2007 and debuted at the top of the Canadian album chart. In November of that same year, Dion released the English-language Taking Chances. The CD/DVD Taking Chances World Tour: The Concert followed, as well as the documentary DVD Celine: Through the Eyes of the World.

Il Divo put a fresh face on popular songs, utilizing their exceptional voices, good looks, and cultural diversity to bring their romantic blend of classical and pop music to audiences around the world. Formed after a two-year search, the quartet is comprised of American tenor David Miller, popular French singer Sébastien Izambard, Swiss tenor Urs Buhler, and Spanish baritone Carlos Marin. Their debut album was released in 2005 and became a massive worldwide hit. The quartet returned with Ancora, a ten-track collection of new music featuring "I Believe in You". The similarly themed Siempre arrived in 2006, followed by Promise in 2008.

The Results

>> Qualifying Round >> Scoreboard

1

CanadaCéline Dion & Il Divo: I Believe In You (Je Crois En Toi)122 pts
2

IcelandSigur Rós: Hoppípolla117 pts
3

BelgiumKaterine: Here Come All The Boys115 pts
4

SwedenSeptember: Looking For Love102 pts
5

DenmarkBryan Rice: No Promises95 pts
6

PolandButton Hackers: To Moj Aniol93 pts
7

United States of AmericaMary J. Blige: Be Without You92 pts
8

AustriaChristian Eigner: Empty Stage91 pts
9

AustraliaKate DeAraugo: Faded86 pts
10

United KingdomFeeder: Feeling A Moment82 pts
11

The PhilippinesKitchie Nadal: Same Ground82 pts
12

ItalyAlexia: Dimmi Come78 pts
13

BulgariaAva: I Love You78 pts
14

IrelandTara Blaise: Paperback Cliché76 pts
15

VenezuelaCarlos Baute: Dame De Eso  65 pts
16

TurkeyKirac: Yolcu63 pts
17

FinlandDesert Planet: Lost Galaxians59 pts
18

GermanyGentleman: Superior48 pts
19

Bosnia & HerzegovinaEmina Jahovic: Uzalud Se Budim48 pts
20

IsraelMiri Mesika: Ba'a Elechem47 pts
21

MonacoJenifer: Ma Révolution46 pts
22

SpainTaxi: Jamás Me Fui44 pts
23

NorwayLeyla Yilbar-Norgren: Fly With Me40 pts
24

EstoniaNexus: Paradiis31 pts
25

CyprusEvridiki: Piase Me18 pts
26

The NetherlandsBirgit: Hardrocking Diva17 pts
27

GreeceChristina Anagnostopoulou: PsemataDNQ

Serbia & MontenegroAna Nikolic: Srecan Mi Ne Dolazi DNQ
29

MaltaLa Barokka: Kiss My DesireDNQ
30

LithuaniaSkamp: Under The SunDNQ

RussiaBi-2 feat. BrainStorm: Skolzkie UlitzyiDNQ
32

RomaniaNicola: Love IsDNQ
33

PortugalRita Guerra: Who Broke Your Heart ?DNQ
34

SloveniaNatalija Verboten: Cry On My ShoulderDNQ