For me, Eurovision is about people like Sofi Marinova, who take their reverb-heavy dance numbers and say, "I'm going to be my own backup singer! And my own backup dancer!" even if it costs them a spot in the final. It's about people like Sanna Nielsen, Donny Montell, Amber, and Monika Linkyté who've spent the better part of a lifetime trying to make it to Eurovision and use the opportunity to have the time of their lives. It's about people like Suzy, Christer Björkman, Daria Kinzer, and Moran Mazor who, despite having flopped out in their respective years, maintain a strong and happy relationship with a contest they still clearly enjoy. Or people like Kaliopi and Nina (2011 Serbia Nina) who brought magnificent work, were told that they had no chance, then through sheer force of will scraped into the final and did rather well once they got there. Or people like Valentina Monetta, Tinkara Kovač, or Anna Rossinelli, who have the same story save for the "did rather well once they got there" part. It's about people like Anouk, Kaliopi (I know I’ve already said her, but she deserves two mentions), and Patricia Kaas who turn around their beleaguered nations to bring them long-awaited success. Or Evelina Sašenko and Maya Sar, who used their live performances to convince everyone that no, their ballads weren’t intolerably boring; in fact, they were kind of good. Most of all, it's about people like Conchita, who was blamed for natural disasters and considered the end of Europe but tentatively-yet-assuredly reminded people that she was going to fly and used a massive set of pipes, a beautiful song, and striking staging to win it all. Or Rona Nishliu and Carl Espen who bare their souls and work up the necessary courage for everyone to see them. Or people like Loreen, Ruslana, ABBA, and Lordi, who send products that blow everyone away so much in a way that leads them to landslide victories. The stories about which I really don't care are the ones of the favorites who send a product, think they’re going to win because that’s all they’ve ever done, and do because they're supposedly entitled to it. Those leave me somewhere on the border between apathy and antipathy, and I think this combination of apathy and antipathy is why I have the thoughts I do not only on "Heroes" but also on "A Million Voices" and "Grande Amore."
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