Elliot and Emily review 'Hopscotch' by Emmelie De Forest

Last week Emmelie De Forest released her latest single 'Hopscotch'. Reactions were mixed across social media, so we got The Euro Trip contributors to give us their thoughts...

Elliot

Emmelie won Eurovision in 2013

"Only Teardops is still my favourite Eurovison winner so far but this wouldn't make it out of the semis if sent it to Eurovison. The main backing track and beat is pleasant, very light and doesn't offend but the issues lies with her and her lyrics and vocals.  Firstly the lyrics are bland and repetitive, it feels like it was wrote for a Disney star not a ex Eurovison winner, she says in the song (multiple times) “going for the perfect ten” but this is far from it.  

Overall the lyrics don't hit the mark for me and I got bored half way through but the beat is ok and could get stuck in your head but it feels this is aimed at the 16 and under market for certain."

5.5/10

Emily

"From the first listen I could tell straight away that “Hopscotch” was different from Emmelie’s other singles like Only Teardrops and Rainmaker as it’s more upbeat and easily gets stuck in your head. It’s very catchy from the very start, with the “I live my life like I’m on a hopscotch” becoming a cheesy hook line. I do like this song, but perhaps not as much as the other songs mentioned. Nice and cheerful, with a strong chorus makes it a great song. 

I do think it gets too repetitive towards the end however, making it slightly annoying to listen to unfortunately. I don’t mind the song but I’ve heard better from her. My overall rating will have to be a 7/10."

Eurovision Fact file: Albania

Recently, Albanian broadcaster RTSH announced the submission dates for their annual music event, Festivali i Kenges – which since 2003 has also doubled up as a national selection for Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest – so we saw it fit to look back on Albania and their time in contest in years gone by.

Albania first entered Eurovision back in 2004 in Turkey, Anjeza Shahini was the entrant with the song “The Image Of You” and despite it being their debut year, Albania placed seventh in the grand final, to this day is they second highest finish in the contest. The only time Anjeza’s efforts have been surpassed was in 2012 in Azerbaijan, when Rona Nishliu and her rather unique vocals stormed the voting and finished fifth in the grand final, scoring 146 points.

Elhaida Dani performing in Vienna

In the twelve times Albania have entered they have failed to qualify on five occasions – 2006, 2007, 2011, 2013 and 2014, the lowest placing coming in 2007 where they finished 17^th in the semi final. Last May Elhaida Dani and “I’m Alive” scoring only 34 points in the Final, despite it being one of the public’s top picks leading up to the contest, she was heavily marked down in the jury final, placing 20^th in contrast with the public, who had ranked the song 9^th overall in the final. 
When it comes to the voting with Albania in the grand final, they have one clear ally in where their points go – Greece. In the 12 contests that Albania has participated in, they have awarded Greece a whopping 119 points – that’s 9.9 points on average per contest. 

When it comes to countries voting for Albania however, their most common source of points have come from Macedonia, who have awarded hem 79 points over the years, followed shortly by Greece who have given 63 points.

Although it is currently unconfirmed if Albania will be participating in Stockholm next year, their strong qualification makes this highly likely, with a decision expected in the coming months.  

Elliot Harris - The Euro Trip Contributor

A Eurovision Winner's Special on The Euro Trip

A special episode of The Euro Trip this week with brand new music from both Mans Zelmerlow and Emmelie De Forest - plus a new track from GJan.

There's also our usual trip around Europe in the European Music Chart, and don't forget you can find us on both Instagram and Twitter on @theeuro_trip.

The Euro Trip : Episode 14 by The Euro Trip on Mixcloud

Meet the team: Elliot Harris

Here at The Euro Trip we're delighted to welcome another brand new member, introducing Elliot Harris...

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"Hello everyone, my name is Elliot Harris I am 22 and from the United Kingdom, the nation who seems to bomb every year at Eurovison.

Outside of Eurovison you can find me either dancing for which I have done ten years now, watching football or tennis or sat writing something of some sort. These are my main hobbies and passions in life 

Azerbaijan won the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest

I have always loved music and this is partly why I love Eurovison. I love the diversity and different influences of music, from the pop fun of Scandinavia to the ethnic Arabian style you hear from the likes of Turkey and Azerbaijan, it's a beautiful blend. I also love the element of competition and how that has grown in recent years.

My favourite contest to date is still the 2011 edition in Düsseldorf, Germany. I loved so much about it. The r stage in the round was different and nice, the presenter were amusing, but not forced and the music was brilliant. So many good songs made choosing a winner nigh on impossible for me. All in all a well produced and executed show by Germany. 

My favourite European singer has to be Mr Danny Saucedo. Although there are many other talented singers Danny has always stood out to me with his music and performance abilities. I first heard him in Melfest 2012 and since then Ioved the versatility in his voice and music, being able to perform mainstream pop hits to ballads with the same high level. Plus I love his dancing, he makes it all seem so effortless and fluid. In a nutshell I'm captivated by him when he performs and it’s a shame he has not yet represented Sweden at Eurovison.

Well that's me I look forward to writing here on The Euro Trip and hearing all your thoughts!"

Meet the team: Emily Herbert

Here at The Euro Trip we're delighted to welcome a couple of brand new members of the team. First up welcome @EurovisionEmiy.

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"Hey there!

My name is Emily (full name: Emily Grace Herbert), though many people call me Em.

I’m currently 17 years old and live in Leeds, England where I was born and raised. I’ve been watching the Eurovision Song Contest since I was 8 years old, my first contest being 2006. From then onwards I’ve watched the contest casually, but since 2012 I’ve fully gotten myself into it using social media.

Emily's favourite artist, Alexander Rybak

My favourite contest is a toss-up between 2009 and 2013, mainly because I loved both the standard of songs and the graphic designs such as the stages and logos, but also because they feature two out of many favourite winners of mine. I’d say that Alexander Rybak is the artist I now follow the most outside of the contest, though I love watching the National Finals as it then gives the potential to discover new music/artists that I could further explore if I liked their style (plus, it’s fun to livetweet along with shows like that, giving quite unforgettable experiences!).

I haven’t yet gone to see a show live unfortunately, however I’m planning on going to Amsterdam in 2015 to Eurovision In Concert to meet some of my Eurovision friends I’ve met over Twitter and to finally see a show. I have a few favourite Eurovision countries (aka ones I seem to love the entries for ever year) such as Norway, FYR Macedonia, Serbia and Estonia. 

My favourite genre within the contest is probably Balkan ballads e.g Nije Ljubav Stvar/Oro as I find they’re so soothing and peaceful, plus I prefer non-English entries as I love the sounds of other languages. That being said, I thoroughly enjoy Schlager such as that being shown in Melodifestivalen occasionally, making that NF amongst my favourites.

I hope you enjoy my posts!"

Listen now: Episode 13 of The Euro Trip is LIVE

Listen now to the brand new episode of The Euro Trip!

New music from Robin Schultz ft. Francisco Yates, Danny Saucedo, and DJ Broiler - plus the usual tour around Europe with the European Music Chart.

Later in the podcast you can also enjoy a live performance of Eric Saade's 'Girl from Sweden' from Sommarkrysset 2015.

See ya! x

The Euro Trip : Episode 13 by The Euro Trip on Mixcloud