Viisukuppila

Hi everyone! I arrived in Kyiv last night and spirits are very high.

The country is gorgeous, the weather is warm and sunny, and the Ukrainian people who are organizing this are truly amazing. Finland has a jewel of an assistant from the Ukraine who gets us everywhere and helps us with everything. We are so lucky.

She said that Geir has a good reputation building in the Ukraine for being the aritst with the biggest heart. All of his interviews have been positive and he radiates joy and honesty. There is nothing guarded about him and he just seem to live in the moment. He is soooo happy and is representing Finland with class, respect, and a great sense of humour. A lot of the press conferences are dead boring and Geir just keeps everyone laughing and loving.

There has been a lot of talk about the backing choir being one of the best in the contest. They are all having a ball and singing and dancing and having a great time. I think they will show Nina and Hanna-R doing wild dancing in the underground metro tonight on Haloo Kiova. (I love those segments.)

Its interesting...there are a few websites (doteurovision and oneuoropecom) we arent crazy about our song, but we also have had some amazing surprise support from many countries. There are a lot of people who have commented on how refreshing it is to have a classic ballad that is well sung and well written without all the cirucs tricks.

The staging is also looking fantastic on camera. Some of the acts that have a lot more going on will play better in the hall, but will look odd when it is filmed. Geir and company should look and sound really great.

There are few internet connections in the hotel, so updates are not always easy. But post any questions you have and I'll try to log back on and copy them and take them to Geir and team to answer.

Thanks for all your kind words and support. It means the world to us to know that the true ESC fans from Finland have been so positive about our entry this year. We'll do our best to make you proud.

GO SUOMI!!!!

Steve

PS by the way, I have a short video of Geir and Nina singing and dancing to Britney Spears ONE MORE TIME. Terrifyingly fun.

Hienoa saada raporttia paikan päältä! Terveiset Kiovaan, Steven!!! Aiku nää innostuu täällä kotimaassa...
Sitten kysymyksiä... Olisi kiva tietää miltä Geirin esitys näyttää kamerassa, onko paljon lähikuvaa vai ryhmäkuvaa? Miten tämän paljon puhutun liikkumisen kanssa? Näyttääkö Geir yhtään "iloisemmalta" kuin Tampereen videossa? Onko versiota muutettu jotenkin, esim. kuoron laulua taustalla?
Muut laittaa varmaan lisää kysymyksiä... Tää tässä jo vallan innostuu!!
:loistava:

Hi Steven! Good luck to you and to everyone in finnish team!

Onnea koko iloiselle ja reippaan positiiviselle suomen euroviisu poppoolle sinne Kiovaan.
Suomen erinomaisesta viisusta on helppo olla mielissään täällä kotona.
Geir you are amazing,very good singer ,GOOD LUCK!!!

Kiitos Steven ihanasta raportista. Ensimmäistä kertaa vuosiin uskon, että Suomi on kerrankin ihan oikeasti vahvoilla. Luotan nimenomaan Geiriin esiintyjänä - loistava laulaja, luontevan varma esiintyjä ja tulkitsija, ja ihana huumorintajuinen ihminen.
Lisäksi laulu on kaunis - erityisesti sanoitus. Se tarttuu ensimmäisillä kuunteluilla, eikä sitä kyllästy kuulemaan pidemmälläkään aikavälillä. Sitä on mukava laulaa mukana. Kumpa koko Eurooppa laulaisi lauantainayönä kuorossa: "Can you tell me why". Suunnaton vääryys, jos Suomi ei pääse jatkoon. Mutta kävi niin tai näin, meidän ei tarvitse hävetä. Saamme olla ylpeitä Geiristä ja kumppaneista!
GO GEIR! GO SUOMI!

GiveMeWings kirjoitti:Hienoa saada raporttia paikan päältä! Terveiset Kiovaan, Steven!!! Aiku nää innostuu täällä kotimaassa...
Sitten kysymyksiä... Olisi kiva tietää miltä Geirin esitys näyttää kamerassa, onko paljon lähikuvaa vai ryhmäkuvaa? Miten tämän paljon puhutun liikkumisen kanssa? Näyttääkö Geir yhtään "iloisemmalta" kuin Tampereen videossa? Onko versiota muutettu jotenkin, esim. kuoron laulua taustalla?
Muut laittaa varmaan lisää kysymyksiä... Tää tässä jo vallan innostuu!!
:loistava:

1. Great weather here. The "Welcome" party was unreal. Think of the perfect Finland summer day (with great smelling kielo!!!) in Kaivopuisto. Tons of food and drink...everyone in a wonderful mood and friendly. The Ukraine is truly going all out to make everyone feel welcome and give a good impression of their city. They have won my heart over. Its all gorgeous and wonderful.

2. WHY is a song people either love or are apathetic about. Very few people dislike it. But because there are so many ballads in the semi finals, it can easily get lost.

But I was surprised with how many people say my name badge from Finland and stopped me to tell me how much the song means to them and that they think its one of Finland's strongest entries. They all say they hope Euorpe is "smart enough to recognize true quality over the circus acts". Its nice to get that kind of feedback from peers.

3. WHY looks great on video. Some in "the hall" complain about it not being exciting to watch on stage...but Finland seems to be learning from the past and is playing to the cameras for the international audience. I think this is smart, as a lot of performers are going to impress the crowd in Kyiv, but it will look messy or "lost" on TV.

Yes, the backup singers do movements, but it is very beautiful and well choreographed. The "wandering" goes along with the searching theme of the song and does give a lot more excitement than just one vocalist singing with a choir that is hidden or stands still in the back (like Laura did in Estonia. She rocked the live audience, but looked lost on stage on TV in my opinion) So I think that WHY should come across as a classy and respectable entry on TV. I hope that Geir's passion shines through to encourage people to vote.

4. Someone mentioned to both the choir and Geir that when singing they dont want to see worry lines on the forehead...they want to see the hope in their eyes. The song is about believing that we can find the answers.

5. Yes, people have mentioned Wääää vs. wai to Geir. He has sung the song so much that I am not sure it will change much, but I think it will not be a problem.

6. Arrangment of music is same as final, but choir arrangment is a little different. The girls have some subtle harmony at the beginning of the song which is haunting and beautiful.

7. Geir is HILARIOUS and doing a great job with promo. He has never complained although he is seriously working 18 hour days having to "perform" and entertain non-stop. No one really can understand how much pressure the vocalists are under. Everyone wants something from you and you have absolutely no time for yourself to take a breath, eat, or hardly go to the toilet! Finland should be exceptionally proud that we have a representative who is so dedicated to Eurovision and promoting Finland in an honest and fun way. He is great.

Steven

Great news, I am happy and proud for you all!

Voimia Geirille, Mikalle, Stevenille ja muille että jaksatte edustaa loppuun asti!!! Hymy huuleen ja ei luovuteta!!!

Thank you Steven and good luck to you all ! Kiitokset mukavista raporteista. Kävi miten kävi, olette edustaneet Suomea mallikkaasti.

sampo kirjoitti:They all say they hope Europe is "smart enough to recognize true quality over the circus acts".

:whynot:

sampo kirjoitti:3. WHY looks great on video. Some in "the hall" complain about it not being exciting to watch on stage...but Finland seems to be learning from the past and is playing to the cameras for the international audience. I think this is smart, as a lot of performers are going to impress the crowd in Kyiv, but it will look messy or "lost" on TV.

Olette aivan oikeilla jäljillä! Tärkeintä on nimenomaan se, että esitys näyttää hyvältä tv:ssä. Kotikatsojat antavat äänet, eivät paikalla olijat.

Tsemppiä koko poppoolle!

Musta on aivan mahtavaa että syntyperäinen norjalainen ja amerikkalainen jotka kummatkin asuvat Suomessa (ja vieläpä mielellään) edustavat maatamme ja ovat ylpeitä päästessään edustamaan juuri Suomea!!!!

Fantastic work for your team and thanks for thorough updates. Please extend our greetings of good luck to everyone, especially Geir, for all of us here at the Kuppila forum . Keep up the good spirit and do your very best (Hyvä Suomi!) to proceed to the big final!!

You have our support!!!

Finland for the big final !!! -

IMHO !!!

Proudly watching and reading about your promoting in Kiev. Great job! Go, boys, go! With a big Eurovision heart

Last night was the VIKING PARTY where we had ireland, denmark, sweden, iceland, finland, and norway. Full party and it seemed that everyone had a good time. The biggest surprises were acoustic sets from ICELAND and SWEDEN which were completely different versions of the original songs. Selma was gorgeous and in full voice for an acoutsic guitar version of this years song as well as her other ESC song which was brilliant.

Martin did a Nightclub slow jazz version of LAS VEGAS which was beyond cool. I loved all the entries and hate that only 10 of the semi finals can continue. there are so many great people, singers and songs this year.

Geir and co did a great version of WHY with a super passionate ending. They also rocked the house with an accapella version of I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE.

The first dress rehearsals start soon... It will be the first time I see Geir and team on stage. I am hoping the outfits will look great on tv. lets see how it goes.

Geir had a press conference for finnish tv with Ruslana (winner last year.

She was charming and really wants to return to Finland to perform at Hercules club again.

Other viisukuppilat were at both the viking party and the British party and seemed to be having a great time.

best wishes to all. Thanks for the kind words which I will pass on to Geir. He truly LOVES his fans and appreciates all the support you guys give him.

Steven

Steven RULAA!!!!
Aiku se jammas eilen ihan kyballa!!! LOISTAVAA!!!!!

Good luck team FINLAND! Make us proud!

Great news from Kyiv!! No matter what happens tomorrow, I've never been prouder of our song. Lots of love and let's keep our fingers crossed

I nearly cry with happiness when I'm reading your flahings from Kiev! Huraa to all of you there! WE ALL LOVE YOU ALL ! You can touch the europeans heart

OH. MY. GOSH!!!!!

I had to RUUUUUN to the press tent to write this. Geir just finished the MOST BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE OF THE SONG EVER!

The TV people finally got the shots all right, and it looks absolutely gorgeous. Nina and Hanna-R are NOT wearing the outfits from the press conference. They look like Athena and Dianna *GREEK GODDESSES. Their hair is up and very curly, their outfits are subtle and beautiful with great jewerly of white and blue diamonds and stones. Geir has a blue shirt, white jacket, and dark pants with a really cool necklace. The boys are in white. They look so classic on stage.

But the main thing is that their whole spirt has been energized. No more sad or searching faces. By the time the last chorus kicks in, the hope and joy is SHINING in their faces. Oh, you guys will be so proud. I am still almost shaking with how great they did. Now...I was watching from the audience and my reaction was from the TV screens shown in the hall and the sound in the hall... so I pray it translates to the live tv audience.

I sooooooooooooo want Finland to do well. As a country, we have worked so hard for so long and its time for the rest of the world to hopefully see the many many great musicians and all our country has to offer.

Good luck FINLAND!!!!

Steve

Yes! Kiitos Steve! Upeeta, mahtavaa. Turhaan hikoiltiin, kun ei kerran kaikkea oltu edes nähty. Tosi on aina tosi, olisipa jo huominen!

Kiitos raporteista kaiken kiireen keskellä!!

Ihanaa! Mahtavaa! Tsemppiä koko poppoolle ja uskon että se tekemisen ilo näkyy huomenna kotisohvalle asti! Kauniita sanoja voin ladella vaikka kuinka, mutta tärkein tieto on se, että täällä on paljon faneja hengessä mukana ja olemme ylpeitä teistä Aiku jännittää... Viisuhuumaa!

Kiitos raportista Steven, upeaa kuulla että tunnelma on nousussa! Jännittää huominen hullun lailla, mutta eiköhän me olla ylpeitä jo nyt!

Good luck and BREAK A LEG!

Good luck to everyone!

Hyvältä kuulostaa!

Muistakaa vielä yksi asia: pitäkää fiilis myös tämän illan varsinaisessa esityksessä rentona! Vaikka kyseessä on kilpailu, se näkyy, jos kilpailee liian tosissaan. No, tuskin iloisen Suomen tiimin kohdalla on siitä huolta!

Tunnelma senkun nousee täälläkin kun näitä raportteja lukee. Tsemppiä koko porukalle!!! Täällä olemme hengessä mukana!!!

Kuulostaa erin-erin-erinomaiselta!!!!!

Onnea Suomen tiimi!

Tapahtui mitä tahansa tänä iltana, olemme ylpeitä teistä! Suomi ehdottomasti finaaliin!!!!!!!!!!

GO FINLAND GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well...a few days later. No tears. Of course we are so disappointed Finland didnt go through (when other...er...circus acts did go through), but when there were so many other incredible songs that got dropped out, we dont feel so alone.

I dont think that any changes we could have made would have changed the final results... so I dont worry about different clothes, different choreography, different arrangement... We did as great as we were able to do and it just wasnt the song the rest of Europe found the passion to pick up the phones and vote for.

But we have had some amazing feedback. Both DJ Pasha and the other presenter loved the song. DJ Pasha said to me "this song is an absolute radio HIT. A big radio hit!" and the woman said her daughters were voting for our song.

So we have gotten such great feedback from music lovers who have said over and over how impressed they were with the song. Many also say its a little bit of a shame because WHY is a song that doesnt necessarily hit you on the first listen, but grows more powerful the more you hear it.

But the best thing in my opinion was how incredible Finland has done with the stuff you dont see from the TV. Promotion, PR, networking, bonding with other delegates...things that might not make a difference this year, but as slowly but surely establishing Finland as a player.

I have also been incredibly impressed with the support and love from YLE who have done so so so much to reach out to younger viewers and make Eurovision and EVENT rather than just a nostalgic "camp" show.

So much good has happened. And I am looking forward to tonight.

My favourites are Vanilla Ninja (Switzerland)(they are hilarious, fun, and yes, they understand finnish), Israel (truly a talented and beautiful team. Pure class), Malta (what a voice!), and Martin from Sweden (I dig the James Bond drama and he oooozes charisma.)

I loved Iceland and Selma. Her team was so cool and she was down to earth, gorgeous, and talented. It killed me that they didnt make it.

More later...but have fun and vote tonight.

Please dont vote for the Grandma drums, guys! Dont encourage the circus acts or next year we will end up sending Santa Claus and his flying reindeer to the competition.

Steven

sampo kirjoitti:Please dont vote for the Grandma drums, guys! Dont encourage the circus acts or next year we will end up sending Santa Claus and his flying reindeer to the competition.

Mä esitän saman vetoomuksen!

Ja kiitti Steven raportoinneista! Älä hylkää meitin Kuppilaa, vaikka tämän vuoden urakka onkin saatu päätökseen!

sampo kirjoitti:Please dont vote for the Grandma drums, guys! Dont encourage the circus acts or next year we will end up sending Santa Claus and his flying reindeer to the competition.
Steven

Hmm siinäpä olisikin ideaa...