Eurovision Winner - How To Win The Eurovision Song Contest

1st Semifinal: Tuesday, 20 May 2008
2nd Semifinal: Thursday, 22 May 2008
Final: Saturday, 24 May 2008
Belgrade (Serbia)

Forget about the political voting Terry! The winner every year is the one that gets some points from all of the participating countries rather than 12 points from only a few. Here is the formula for creating a Eurovision Song Contest winner, i.e. something that appeals to all 43 nations that participate.

Traditionally, contestants had to perform their songs with a live orchestra. The introduction of backing tracks in the recent years has changed the dynamics of the event. Now, it is like competing in music charts with a production rather than everybody using the same instruments / equipment to compete on equal grounds.

The song should be trendy. This is intrinsically about the taste of the composer as well as his influences and past. But a trendy song also requires a trendy producer so the producer is as important as the composer, if not more.

The song needs a strong, modern, dry (little or no reverb) beat with an ethnic touch. The winners in the last couple of years have used national percussion instruments, such as darbuka, to enhance their beat.

The timbre of local instruments get the attention of wider audiences; therefore, national instruments have been used in recent years.

This list will be extended as I complete analysing the last 18 years' winners.

What is production?

A producer is someone, who sits in front of a computer and creates a "sound" by putting together instruments such as drums, bass, guitars, etc. This requires thorough knowledge of sound (spectrums, instrument frequencies, etc), music technology (mixing, mastering, etc), understanding of current trends in music production and above all, talent! Producers, in my opinion, are more important than composers these days as the public's focus has shifted from song quality to production.

Who & Why?