Hungary - Running - András Kállay-Saunders

2nd digital release image

1st digital release image

5 - 143 pts / 3 - 127 pts in semi
András Kállay-Saunders a.k.a. Kállay-Saunders won the 30 song Hungarian selection (A Dal) with the song Running.

The song is written by Krisztián Szakos, Kállay- Saunders and István Tabár.
Watch the official video here at Mistral Music. The song is released through iTunes.
The newest iTunes release also has the karaoke version and a teddybear added for your entertainment.

promo cds

Versions
Running - Eurovision version
- on the official Copenhagen 2CD, A Dal 2CD
Running - Karaoke version
- on the official karaoke collection, digital release

A 4-track promo is issued, it features 4 different songs

1. Running

2. I love You (A Dal 2012)

3. My Baby (A Dal 2013)

4. Tonight
Tonight is also the follow up (digital single) for Kalláy-Saunders.

Business card promo

There's also a 1 track promo businesscard-cdr.




Charts
Ireland top 100: 92
Germany top 100:  93

Sweden Digilistan top 60 (Digital sales charts): 29, 53

Denmark top 40: 40, -
U.K. top 200: 116, -

Delivery Boy
2015: Kállay Saunders (or rather Kállay Saunders Band) have rleased the album Delivery Boy on march 19. It includes the Eurovision song Running.

3 X A Dal for Kalláy-Saunders
Running is the 3rd attempt for Kalláy-Saunders in the A Dal competition.
In 2012 he entered with I Love You which ended 5th in the first semi final. It was a #2 hit in the Hungarian charts.
In 2013 he entered My Baby. The song made it to the final and got the maximum points from the jury. But the (undisclosed) televotes picked another winner: Kedvesem by ByeAlex. My Baby was a #1 hit in several Hungarian charts.


A Dal 2014 CD
The 30 songs competing for a ticket to Copenhagen are released on a 2CD in Hungary.
Details are here at Bookline, .
Full tracklist below.

More Hungary
The Hungarian preselections are pretty good the past few years, but only one recent entry has made it to the top 10 in Eurovision: 2013's ByeAlex ended 10th with Kedvesem.
Compact Disco made it to the final but only ended 24th with The Sound Of Our Hearts, shame really, it was my favorite of the Baku Collection.
Internally chosen Katy Wolf ended 22nd in the final in 2011.
There was no entry in 2010 and in 2009 the Fashion Police had some major issues with Adok Zoli, who ended 15th is his semi.

Links and sources
András Kállay-Saunders FB
A Dal 2014 at BeaRecords
Bookline.hu
MTVA's A Dál / Eurovision pages
Thanks to Jean-François

Tracklist 2CD A Dál 2014

CD1

1. Honey Beast – A Legnagyobb Hős

2. Király Viktor – Running Out Of Time

3. Muzikfabrik – This Is My Life

4. Oláh Ibolya – 1 Percig Sztár

5. Joni – Waterfall

6. Mystery Gang – Játssz Még Jazzgitár

7. Hien – The Way I Do

8. Gájer Bálint – Elmaradt Pillanatok

9. Extensive – Help Me

10. Szabó Leslie – Hogy Segíthetnék?

11. Bogi – We All

12. Group N Swing – Retikül

13. Kállay-Saunders – Running

14. Vastag Tamás – Állj Meg Világ

15. Szécsi Böbe És Szécsi Saci – Born To Fly

CD2

1. Belmondo – Miért Ne Higgyem?

2. Király Linda – Everything

3. Polyák Lilla – Karcolás

4. New Level Empire – The Last One

5. Lil C – Break Up

6. Bülbüls – Minden Mosoly

7. Radics Gigi – Catch Me

8. 2beat Or Not 2beat – Meg Akarom Mondani

9. Fool Moon – It Can’t Be Over

10. Cserpes Laura – Úgy Szállj

11. Gatti Di Amalfi Feat Pál Dénes – Brave New World

12. Depresszió – Csak A Zene

13. Marge – Morning Light

14. Knoll Gabi – Sweet Memories

15. Dér Heni – Ég Veled

Finland - Something Better - Softengine

11 - 72 pts / 3 - 97 in semi 2
The band Softengine has won the multi week Finnish selection UMK with their song Something Better.
On the Softengine website you can listen to the song via the medium of a lyric-video. (here)
The song is released on the UMK CD (see below) and has also been released on iTunes.
A new version has been recorded and is available through iTunes and other sources.
The new version official video is here.

2nd cdsingle promo

Two1-track promo have been issued including the Eurovision version of Something Better. The first one is a white disc in plastic sleeve with insert. Distributed by Sony before the contest.
The second one, used in Copenhagen is a black disc (Rokka / Sony 888430778221). Pictures on the sleeves are identical.
There's also a video folder, a booklet that actually plays the Something Better video and can be recharched through a usb connection.

We Created The World
Softengine released their debut album We Created The World on October 17. It includes the Eurovision version of Something Better.
more later........

Video folder

Versions:
Something Better - Eurovision version
- digital release, promo
Something Better - original
- on UMK CD, digital release
Something Better - karaoke
- on official karaoke collection, digital release

Charts
Ireland top 100: 72, -
U.K. top 100: 93, -
Germany top 100: 80, -
Austria top 75: 62, -
Sweden Digilistan top 60 (Digital sales charts): 47, -

UMK 2014
The first Eurovision release of the 2014 season is out now. The 12 songs participating in the Finnish preselection Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu have been released on the album simply titled UMK 2014.
The CD is out through Warner Brothers Finland and available in several webshops. Of course there's also a digital version. (Warner 5054196063023)

Tracklist CD

1 Lauri Mikkola – Going Down

2 Mikko Pohjola – Sängyn Reunalla

3 Hukka Ja Mama – Selja

4 Miau – God/Drug

5 Lil Lambert – Let Me Take You There

6 Clarissa Feat Josh Standing – Top Of The World

7 Madcraft – Shining Bright

8 Softengine – Something Better

9 Makea – Painovoima

10 Hanna Sky – Hope

11 Dennis Fagerström – My Little Honey Bee

12 Jasmin Michaela – Kertakäyttösydän

More Finland

Krista Siegfrieds' marriage proposal got an I Do in the semi but only ended 24th in the final. A better result than Pernilla's Swedish language song När Jag Blundar which only made it to #12 in the semi.

Axel Ehnström, the artist known back then as Paradise Oskar made it to the final and ended 21st with Da Da Dam..

Värttinä singers Kuinkuiskaajat stranded in the semi in 2010, preceded by another not very high place in the final by Waldo's People in 2009. Their dance stomper Lose Control ended 25th in Moscow. It didn't stop them from having a #1 hit at home and even a very successful coverversion in Afrikaans by Snotkop and MoniQue.

Links and sources:
Softengine FB and Website

The UMK CD is available at BeaRecords

YLE UMK and Eurovision pages (in Finnish)
UMK Facebook

Israel - Same Heart - Mei Finegold

14 - 9 pts in semi 2

1 track promo

Israel's national broadcasters IBA have announced Mei Finegold (also: Feingold, מיי פיינגולד) to be the country's representative in the Copenhagen Eurovision Song Contest.
On March 5 the song Same Heart was chosen to represent Israel in Copenhagen.
Same Heart is sung in a mix of English and Hebrew.
Mei Finegold had three songs lined up in a small NF.
- Same Heart
- Nesheret Iti
- Be proud

A 1 track promo of Same Heart is issued (see top pic).

Pic from Mei Finegolds Facebook

Finegold participated in the 7th series of Kokhav Nolad (Israels version of Idol/Idols). She ended third in the competition, even though she was the juries favorite in the final.

More Israel
In Malmö Moran Mazor stranded in the semi's with Rak Bishvilo. Izabo and returning champion Dana International didn't do very well either. In Oslo Harel Skaat reached the 14th place in the final.
World music superstar Noa teamed up with Mira Awad and their multi language There Must Be Another Way ended 16th in the Moscow final.


Links and sources
Mei Finegold  FB
Eurovision.tv
Thanks to Jean-François

Belarus - Teo - Cheesecake

Digital release image

16 - 43 pts / 5 - 87 pts in semi 2
Teo (Yuri  /Yura Vashchuk, Юрий Ващук) has won the Belarus national final with the song Cheesecake.
The song is written by Vashchuk himself with lyrics by Dmitry Novik.
Watch and listen here
A new version was recorded for Eurovision and several remixes will be released.

A promo cd /dvd set has five versions of Cheesecake.
1. Cheesecake
2. Cheesecake - Karaoke
3. Cheesecake - Acapella ft Five Men
4. Cheesecake - DJ Nejtrino & DJ Baur remix
5. Cheesecake - DJ Famous remix
and on the dvd
1. Cheesecake - Karaoke video
2. Cheesecake - Video

Belarus TV has hardly ever stuck to the original winner chosen, so chances are, this is probably not the entry for Copenhagen yet.
Teo is an expert on being replaced in Belarus. He co-wrote the winning songs of the 2010, 2012 and 2013 Belarus National Finals, but they all got replaced.

Versions
Cheesecake - Eurovision version
- on official Copenhagen CD
Cheesecake - Karaoke
- on the official karaoke album, digital release
Cheesecake - ft. Five Men (Acapella version)
Cheesecake - DJ Nejtrino & DJ Baur remix - free Download at Luxury Music Soundcloud
Cheesecake - DJ Famous remix
- all above on promo set.
Cheesecake - Original version
- first digital release*
* iTunes original digital release has been replaced with the new version, even though the old januari release date is still mentioned.

Charts
Ireland top 100: 68, -
Austria top 75: 75, -
Sweden Digilistan top 60 (Digital sales charts): 49, -
U.K. top 200: 140,-

More Belarus
Alyona Lanskaya finished 16th in Malmö with the country's 10th entry Solayoh, but Litesound (2012) and Belarus Loving Anastasia Vinnikova (2011) didn't make it to the final.
3 + 2 and their Butterfly wings made it to #24 in the final in 2010. Eyes That Never Lie by Peter Elfimov stranded in the semi.
Belarus made it to the final three times out of ten.

Links and sources
Yuri / Teo's FB
BT (TVR) Eurovision pages
Thanks to Jean-François

Armenia - Not Alone - Aram Mp3

4 - 174 pts / 4 - 121 pts in semi 1
Armenian TV have selected Aram Mp3 (Aram Sargsyan, Արամ Սարգսյան) to represent Armenia at the Copenhagen contest.

promo cds

The song, premiered on March 14 is titled Not Alone.
The song is written by Aram MP3 with lyrics by Garik Papoyan.
Listen and watch here

Digital release image

On May 5 the song and a remix by Serjo have been released as digital single through Universal.
Listen to the remix at Arams Youtube
A promo cdsingle includes the same two tracks.

Versions
Not Alone - Eurovision version
- official Copenhagen 2CD
Not Alone - Remix by Serjo
- digital release
Not Alone - Karaoke
- official karaoke album, digital release.

I guess Aram uses the Aram Mp3 moniker not to be confused with the former Prime Minister of Armenia.

Charts:
Denmark top 40: 21, 40, -
Ireland top 100: 60, -
Netherlands sales top 100: 94, -
Sweden top 60: 45, -
Sweden Digilistan top 60 (Digital sales charts): 12, 26
U.K. top 100: 88, -
Germany top 100: 44, -
Switzerland top 75: 53, -
Austria top 75: 31, -

R.R.I remix

More Armenia
In Malmö Dorians made it to the final with their Lonely Planet co-written by Black Sabbath's Tony Iommy and ended 18th. The 2012 Baku contest didn't see an Armenian representative.
Emmy's Boom Boom was the first Armenian entry that didn't make it to the final.
Eva Rivas (7th place in 2010) and the Aryakshans (10th in 2009) fared better. Armenia particpates since 2006 and have reached the top 10 with their first five entries.

Links and sources
Aram MP3 FB
Thanks to Jean-François