World Song Contest
when Music rules the World
The Story Goes On...
In the previous editions of the World Song Contest, a few points made the difference for the victory. For once, history didn't repeat itself in WSC .29. This edition started in July 2007 with 52 participants, 4 of them directly qualified for the final. All the others had to go through the semi finals to have a chance to win the title. And strategy can help. Sometimes. As we saw it before, choosing a famous singer isn't always a sign of success. Shakira felt to qualify for Colombia with one of her biggest hits while Mexico managed to qualify, but Beyoncé (as part of a duo) didn't reach the top 20 during the final. This time, countries had a better chance if they tried their luck with an Eurovision related artist. Both Slovenia and Andorra qualified with singers who already represented them at the ESC, and other singers, which took part in a national final for ESC, also went through. But this time was the time for not so famous artists. Jalane, who represented France, was the big winner of the semi finals with 233 points (48,54% of the maximum possible score) ahead of Agnes Milewski, for Austria and Stefano Centomo, for Italy. All of them won their respective heat and became hot favorites for the final.
If English is one of the most common languages in the World Song Contest, you can still hear a lot of different languages. Andorra's come back was the occasion to judge a song in Catalan for the first time since March 2005. Languages never seemed to be an obstacle to the victory. Among the winners, you can find songs performed in Greek, Russian, Hebrew, French, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Turkish, Spanish, Arabic, and... even in a imaginary language and a song without language at all. Unfortunately for Andorra, this time, the victory went to an English song, the 13th English winner (including the WSC .11 winner, which was a mix of French and English).
So history didn't repeat itself this time. In WSC .28, Belgium took the victory for one point... this time 49 points separated the winner and the runner-up. If Italy took an early lead during the live coverage, Monaco, Spain, Austria and France were never far behind. Austria took the advantage when the song received four 12 points in a row. This resulted in a decisive lead, that Austria kept until the end of the voting. Steal Away My Autumn, performed by Agnes Milewski, received a total of 178 points. A record ! If Austria was sure of this victory long before the end, things were different for the second place as we had to wait for the last vote to be know the results. Monaco finally took the second position. This was the 4th top 3 position in a row for Monaco (two times runner up and two times third). Spain took the 3rd position, followed by France (4th) and Italy (5th).
If English is one of the most common languages in the World Song Contest, you can still hear a lot of different languages. Andorra's come back was the occasion to judge a song in Catalan for the first time since March 2005. Languages never seemed to be an obstacle to the victory. Among the winners, you can find songs performed in Greek, Russian, Hebrew, French, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Turkish, Spanish, Arabic, and... even in a imaginary language and a song without language at all. Unfortunately for Andorra, this time, the victory went to an English song, the 13th English winner (including the WSC .11 winner, which was a mix of French and English).
So history didn't repeat itself this time. In WSC .28, Belgium took the victory for one point... this time 49 points separated the winner and the runner-up. If Italy took an early lead during the live coverage, Monaco, Spain, Austria and France were never far behind. Austria took the advantage when the song received four 12 points in a row. This resulted in a decisive lead, that Austria kept until the end of the voting. Steal Away My Autumn, performed by Agnes Milewski, received a total of 178 points. A record ! If Austria was sure of this victory long before the end, things were different for the second place as we had to wait for the last vote to be know the results. Monaco finally took the second position. This was the 4th top 3 position in a row for Monaco (two times runner up and two times third). Spain took the 3rd position, followed by France (4th) and Italy (5th).
The Results
click here to see the scoreboard
| 1 |  | Austria | Agnes Milewski: Steal Away My Autumn | 178 pts |
| 2 |  | Monaco | Emilie Simon: Fleur De Saison | 129 pts |
| 3 |  | Spain | Chenoa: Soy Lo Que Me Das | 122 pts |
| 4 |  | France | Jalane: Si J'Avais Su | 120 pts |
| 5 |  | Italy | Stefano Centomo: Bivio | 117 pts |
| 6 |  | The Philippines | Mutya: Real Girl | 94 pts |
| 7 |  | Iceland | Bang Gang feat. Esther Talia Casey: Inside | 92 pts |
| 8 |  | United States of America | Aly & Aj: Potential Breakup Song | 89 pts |
| 9 |  | Luxembourg | AaRON: U-Turn (Lili) | 89 pts |
| 10 |  | South Africa | Shomon: Dead Tree Singing | 88 pts |
| 11 |  | China | Penny Tai: Ai Feng Le | 85 pts |
| 12 |  | The Netherlands | Marco Borsato & Do: Voorbij | 83 pts |
| 13 |  | United Kingdom | James Morrison: This Boy | 82 pts |
| 14 |  | Germany | Monrose: Hot Summer | 80 pts |
| 15 |  | Lebanon | Assy El Hellani: Ghaly | 79 pts |
| 16 |  | Serbia | Bilja Krstic & Bistrik Orchestra: Nanina Uspavanka | 76 pts |
| 17 |  | Russia | Serebro: Song N°2 (Dishi So Mnoy) | 76 pts |
| 18 |  | Australia | Brielle Davis: Take It Off | 74 pts |
| 19 |  | Israel | Mosh Ben Ari: Enatzel | 73 pts |
| 20 |  | Turkey | Serdar Ortaç: Dansöz | 73 pts |
| 21 |  | Mexico | Alejandro Fernández & Beyoncé: Amor Gitano | 69 pts |
| 22 |  | Albania | Genta Ismajli: Nuk Dua Tjeter | 69 pts |
| 23 |  | Belgium | Superlux: Wildness And Trees | 65 pts |
| 24 |  | Finland | Eternal Tears Of Sorrow: The River Flows Frozen | 60 pts |
| 25 |  | South Korea | Clazziquai: Dance | 59 pts |
| 26 |  | Poland | Nosowska: My Faith Is Larger Than The Hills | 48 pts |
| 27 |  | Puerto Rico | David Bisbal feat. Wisin & Yandel: Torre De Babel | 47 pts |
| 28 |  | Slovenia | Omar Naber: Ves Tvoj Svet | 45 pts |
| 29 |  | Taiwan | Jolin Tsai: Zheng Yi Zhi Yan Bi Yi Zhi Yan | 40 pts |
| 30 |  | Andorra | Marta Roure: Sentir Girar El Món | 35 pts |
| 31 |  | Sweden | Sophie Zelmani: Lost In Love | DNQ |
| 32 |  | Lithuania | Andrius Mamontovas: Marso Kanjonai | DNQ |
| 33 |  | Portugal | Patrícia Candoso: Volta As Vezes Que Quiseres | DNQ |
| 34 |  | Canada | Cory Lee: Ovaload | DNQ |
| 35 |  | Japan | Mika Nakashima: Fake | DNQ |
| 36 |  | Venezuela | Simón Díaz vs GM120 & KP9000: Arbolito Sabanero | DNQ |
| 37 |  | Liechtenstein | Juli: Regen Und Meer | DNQ |
| 38 |  | Malta | Winter Moods: Marigold | DNQ |
| 39 |  | Colombia | Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean: Hips Don't Lie | DSQ |
| 40 |  | Brazil | Alexandre Pires: Necessidade | DNQ |
| 41 |  | Cyprus | Lisa Andreas: Hypnotized | DNQ |
| 42 |  | Ireland | Hazel Kaneswaran: My World Has Changed | DNQ |
| 43 |  | Ukraine | Anna Sedokova: Veryu | DNQ |
| 44 |  | Georgia | Katie Melua: I Cried For You | DNQ |
| 45 |  | Estonia | Cloudspeak: That One Day | DNQ |
| 46 |  | Iran | Omid: Yasamin | DNQ |
| 47 |  | Vatican City | Lacuna Coil: Heaven's A Lie | DNQ |
| 48 |  | Bosnia & Herzegovina | Zdravko Čolić: Sacuvaj Me, Boze, Njene Ljubavi | DNQ |
| 49 |  | San Marino | Francesco Renga: Angelo | DNQ |
| 50 |  | Argentina | Puente Celeste: Milonga Del Bicho Feo | DNQ |
| 51 |  | Denmark | Sara Indrio: Shout It Out | DNQ |
| 52 |  | FYR Of Macedonia | Mizar: (The Battle Of) Armakedon | DNQ |
Semi Final A
click here to see the scoreboard
| 1 | |
Italy |
Stefano Centomo: Bivio |
184 pts |
| 2 | |
Australia |
Brielle Davis: Take It Off |
175 pts |
| 3 | |
Finland |
Eternal Tears Of Sorrow: The River Flows Frozen |
155 pts |
| 4 | |
Turkey | Serdar Ortaç: Dansöz | 143 pts |
| 5 | |
Luxembourg |
AaRON: U-Turn (Lili) |
138 pts |
| 6 | |
Andorra |
Marta Roure: Sentir Girar El Món |
131 pts |
| 7 | |
Slovenia | Omar Naber: Ves Tvoj Svet | 129 pts |
| 8 | |
Taiwan | Jolin Tsai: Zheng Yi Zhi Yan Bi Yi Zhi Yan |
126 pts |
| 9 | | Sweden | Sophie Zelmani: Lost In Love | 120 pts |
| 10 | | Lithuania | Andrius Mamontovas: Marso Kanjonai | 120 pts |
| 11 | | Portugal | Patrícia Candoso: Volta As Vezes Que Quiseres | 120 pts |
| 12 | | Japan | Mika Nakashima: Fake | 113 pts |
| 13 | | Colombia | Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean: Hips Don't Lie | 112 pts |
| 14 | | Georgia | Katie Melua: I Cried For You | 100 pts |
| 15 | | Estonia | Cloudspeak: That One Day | 99 pts |
| 16 | | FYR Of Macedonia | Mizar: (The Battle Of) Armakedon | 65 pts |
Semi Final B
click here to see the scoreboard
| 1 | |
France | Jalane: Si J'Avais Su | 233 pts |
| 2 | |
The Philippines |
Mutya: Real Girl |
202 pts |
| 3 | |
United States of America | Aly & Aj: Potential Breakup Song | 187 pts |
| 4 | |
The Netherlands | Marco Borsato & Do: Voorbij | 181 pts |
| 5 | |
China |
Penny Tai: Ai Feng Le |
171 pts |
| 6 | |
Mexico | Alejandro Fernández & Beyoncé: Amor Gitano | 166 pts |
| 7 | |
Germany | Monrose: Hot Summer | 157 pts |
| 8 | |
Albania | Genta Ismajli: Nuk Dua Tjeter | 148 pts |
| 9 | |
South Korea | Clazziquai: Dance |
144 pts |
| 10 | | Brazil | Alexandre Pires: Necessidade | 127 pts |
| 11 | | Cyprus | Lisa Andreas: Hypnotized | 127 pts |
| 12 | | Ireland | Hazel Kaneswaran: My World Has Changed | 127 pts |
| 13 | | Ukraine | Anna Sedokova: Veryu | 122 pts |
| 14 | | San Marino | Francesco Renga: Angelo | 96 pts |
| 15 | | Argentina | Puente Celeste: Milonga Del Bicho Feo | 96 pts |
| 16 | | Denmark | Sara Indrio: Shout It Out | 94 pts |
Semi Final C
click here to see the scoreboard
| 1 | | Austria | Agnes Milewski: Steal Away My Autumn | 215 pts |
| 2 | | Spain | Chenoa: Soy Lo Que Me Das | 187 pts |
| 3 | | United Kingdom | James Morrison: This Boy | 186 pts |
| 4 | | Serbia | Krstic & Bistrik Orchestra: Nanina Uspavanka | 153 pts |
| 5 | | Israel | Mosh Ben Ari: Enatzel | 151 pts |
| 6 | | South Africa | Shomon: Dead Tree Singing | 145 pts |
| 7 | | Lebanon | Assy El Hellani: Ghaly Bilja | 144 pts |
| 8 | | Iceland | Bang Gang feat. Esther Talia Casey: Inside | 142 pts |
| 9 | | Puerto Rico | David Bisbal feat. Wisin & Yandel: Torre De Babel | 137 pts |
| 10 | | Canada | Cory Lee: Ovaload | 129 pts |
| 11 | | Venezuela | Simón Díaz vs GM120 & KP9000: Arbolito Sabanero | 126 pts |
| 12 | | Liechtenstein | Juli: Regen Und Meer | 126 pts |
| 13 | | Malta | Winter Moods: Marigold | 124 pts |
| 14 | | Iran | Omid: Yasamin | 106 pts |
| 15 | | Vatican City | Lacuna Coil: Heaven's A Lie | 96 pts |
| 16 | | Bosnia & Herzegovina | Zdravko Čolić: Sacuvaj Me, Boze, Njene Ljubavi | 95 pts |
The Winner
AUSTRIA
Agnes Milewski: Steal Away My Autumn
Agnes Milewski was born on July 30th 1983 in Knurw, Poland. When she was 4 years old, her family decided to move to Austria. They didnt know any German, they had no work there nor any friends, but they decided to stay after their application for asylum in Australia was rejected. After 10 years being there they obtained the Austrian citizenship and she changed her name from Agnieszka Milewska into Agnes Milewski. During that time she was dreaming of being a pianist. Her parents had not enough money for a real piano, so they bought her a keyboard and she had her first keyboard lessons at age 7. Without knowing any musical theory she wrote her first little songs. Later at age 14 she discovered the guitar. It was a scouts camp somewhere in the Alps. Back at home a friend showed her how to play some chords. She borrowed an old guitar from a friend, took her scouts song book, learned how to tune it and wrote about a dozen of songs based only on these 3 chords... thats why her parents sent her to music school to learn classical guitar. Later she learned to play almost all songs that were in the scouts song book, starting with the Austrian National Anthem, ending with the Beatles "Let it be". After a few months she had her first band where they did some awful covers like "Brown girl in the ring" by Bonnie M. ... They played at some school events, a band contest and things like that. They had also started to play their own songs and this was the moment she started to sing in a band for the first time. A few years later, she was about 18 years old, a music school teacher asked her to join his band "pale envy" and she joined. One of their songs was released on a sampler in the UK ("after rain comes the sun", Cream of the Crop, matchbox recordings 2002). But the band split up after 2 years. She began to hate my guitar and didnt touch it ever since. But she found her old keyboard again which was the best thing that could happen to her. She wrote "Chasing the Wind" recorded it at home, uploaded it to an Austrian music platform and got some good feedback. About two years ago, after writing another dozen of songs, she posted on an online forum that she was looking for a violin player and other musicians. And then Jonas Petersen came into her life. They played some shows together, then decided to make a 4-track record which is the "Chasing the Wind" EP. Jonas recorded it in his own little home studio. He wrote all the string arragements and played all the strings himself. Some weeks later cello player Agnes Dinhobl joined the gang and during 2005 they played almost 40 shows together. After that Agnes Dinhobl decided to leave and the new Cello player, Georg Schwarz joined. Up to now the "Chasing the Wind" EP has been sold over 300 times (at concerts, to friends, ect.) still counting! From December 2004 up to now over 50 shows were played (in Austria and Germany), more will follow...
Official website: http://www.agnesmilewski.com
Agnes Milewski: Steal Away My Autumn
Agnes Milewski was born on July 30th 1983 in Knurw, Poland. When she was 4 years old, her family decided to move to Austria. They didnt know any German, they had no work there nor any friends, but they decided to stay after their application for asylum in Australia was rejected. After 10 years being there they obtained the Austrian citizenship and she changed her name from Agnieszka Milewska into Agnes Milewski. During that time she was dreaming of being a pianist. Her parents had not enough money for a real piano, so they bought her a keyboard and she had her first keyboard lessons at age 7. Without knowing any musical theory she wrote her first little songs. Later at age 14 she discovered the guitar. It was a scouts camp somewhere in the Alps. Back at home a friend showed her how to play some chords. She borrowed an old guitar from a friend, took her scouts song book, learned how to tune it and wrote about a dozen of songs based only on these 3 chords... thats why her parents sent her to music school to learn classical guitar. Later she learned to play almost all songs that were in the scouts song book, starting with the Austrian National Anthem, ending with the Beatles "Let it be". After a few months she had her first band where they did some awful covers like "Brown girl in the ring" by Bonnie M. ... They played at some school events, a band contest and things like that. They had also started to play their own songs and this was the moment she started to sing in a band for the first time. A few years later, she was about 18 years old, a music school teacher asked her to join his band "pale envy" and she joined. One of their songs was released on a sampler in the UK ("after rain comes the sun", Cream of the Crop, matchbox recordings 2002). But the band split up after 2 years. She began to hate my guitar and didnt touch it ever since. But she found her old keyboard again which was the best thing that could happen to her. She wrote "Chasing the Wind" recorded it at home, uploaded it to an Austrian music platform and got some good feedback. About two years ago, after writing another dozen of songs, she posted on an online forum that she was looking for a violin player and other musicians. And then Jonas Petersen came into her life. They played some shows together, then decided to make a 4-track record which is the "Chasing the Wind" EP. Jonas recorded it in his own little home studio. He wrote all the string arragements and played all the strings himself. Some weeks later cello player Agnes Dinhobl joined the gang and during 2005 they played almost 40 shows together. After that Agnes Dinhobl decided to leave and the new Cello player, Georg Schwarz joined. Up to now the "Chasing the Wind" EP has been sold over 300 times (at concerts, to friends, ect.) still counting! From December 2004 up to now over 50 shows were played (in Austria and Germany), more will follow...
Official website: http://www.agnesmilewski.com
