Looking back at Basel as I was chatting this morning, and a few things unravelled in my head. Whilst only one country can win, and well done to Austria for doing so (And the team behind it), many winners have come out this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
Raising Your Profile
Tommy Cash finished third for Estonia, the country’s best performance for years,, and I’m pretty sure Cash has raised his international profile along the way. The United Kingdom’s Remember Monday has boosted their social media to over 100,000 followers. There will be more gigs for sure, new tour dates were announced just before the Grand Final, and the theatrical bookers will note the larger fan base when auditioning new theatrical productions.
That wouldn’t have happened without appearing in the big show.
Finding Commercial Success
Then there’s DWB Music (where I’m head of publishing). We had more airtime than ever at a Song Contest with three full songs on show (‘Laika Party’,’ Poison Cake’ in competition, and ‘She Got Me’ and ‘Cleopatra’ popping up during the intervals.
I’m pretty sure the Swedish team are happy with the massive online success of ‘Bara Bada Bastu’, and over the next weeks and months, everyone will be watching the streaming charts to find which songs have staying power and establish the artist.
So many of these songs have reached a wider audience, an audience impossible to find outside the Contest. That’s how careers grow.
Enjoying The Journey
Then there’s the journey along the way. So many artists, writers, producers, TV people, everyone behind the scenes, journalists, have had an amazing journey from start to finish. There will be collaborations that come out of those two weeks in Basel that will last for decades.
The Eurovision Song Contest is a fantastic show from start to finish, even if it feels like it’s simply there for our entertainment. I’ve spent many years supporting and entering songs into the Contest, and of course, I want to win. I salute all those who have, but it’s the journey it takes us on that we have to remember.
It’s the winners, the losers, those in between, and the friends we make that make Eurovision what it is.
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