Ben Smith, Author at The EuroWhat? Podcast

We're still stanning for Ida Maria from Norway, who won't be going to the Eurovision Song Contest this year. (Photo: NRK)

The EuroWhat? #10: The Ones That Got Away

March 28, 2018

This week we have a mini episode where we remember some of the Eurovision national final entries that won't be making the trip to Lisbon. We also take a moment to remember Lys Assia, the original ESC chanteuse.

Alexander Rybak will offer a Eurovision tutorial for Norway with "That's How You Write a Song" in Lisbon. (Photo: NRK)

The EuroWhat? #8: Melfest Fest

March 13, 2018

Eurovision's 2018 selection season is approaching the end, which means one thing: Sweden's Melodifestivalen! Well, two things: lots of internal selections coming through the pipeline. No matter how you count it, we're in the homestretch!

Finland's Saara Aalto performs "Monsters" during the UMK selection show. (Photo: Miikka Varila)

The EuroWhat? #7: Remember the Diaspora?

March 7, 2018

It's another whirlwind trip around Europe as we hopscotch through another set of Eurovision selections. We have outlaws, humans, monsters, and wannabe heroes in the mix, but will it be opera that takes the top prize in Lisbon?

Laura Rizzotto will be Latvia's "Funny Girl" at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest (Photo: LTV / Eurovision)

The EuroWhat? #6: Stupor Saturday

February 28, 2018

The second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest started filling up this past week as nine countries made their selections. There are elevated pianos, Moldovan wedding hijinks, and baffled rockers—it must be the height of selection season!

ZiBBZ performs at Switzerland's national final. They will perform "Stones" at the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo: SRF / Micro Rederlechner)

The EuroWhat? #4: The Who? and the What? Now!

February 14, 2018

Lindsey Weber from the Who Weekly podcast stops by to chat about how the Olympics are the perfect world event to prep for Eurovision before getting into the songs selected for Malta, Switzerland, the UK, Denmark, and Italy.

The EuroWhat? Week of February 5, 2018

February 6, 2018

This week, Ben and Mike do a deep dive into the United Kingdom’s Eurovision selection process and take a look at why the country has struggled for so long at the Contest. Plus, a roundup of headlines from the last week.