Belarus, Switzerland and Belgium all revealed their entries for the 2013 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in the past couple of days following the earlier announcement that Anouk will represent The Netherlands but this evening, an announcement was planned by TVE, the Spanish broadcaster responsible for the nations' participation confirming the recent rumours of the past week that the group known as El Sueño de Morfeo will do the honours in Sweden on behalf of the country. Following the successful stint of Pastora Soler with the track Quedate Conmingo which finished in tenth place, an internal selection of the same standard was the way to go and this means that this is a continued collaboration between Warner Music Spain and TVE. There were a number of artists who were considered as reported in the Spanish media in the past couple of weeks but this final agreement was set forth in the past couple of days.

El Sueño de Morfeo is made up of Raquel del Rosario, Juan Suarez and David Feito. Their musical genre is actually a mixture of pop, rock and some Celtic sounds due to the fact that they come from Asturias and the Canary Islands thus representing both the north and the south of the country. The power of a live performance is exceptional when it comes to this group and that was a main reason behind their choice having given successful concerts in Spain and Latin America with their studio albums between 2005 and 2012 selling around half a million copies. TVE is already asking the public on the type of song they would like to see Spain perform at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest but a three song national final is currently being prepared in order to represent the several genres and thus hopefully the tastes of the public. The selection process will be similar to that of Pastora Soler earlier this year with a variety of performers acting as guests and wishing the renowned group luck. We would like you to stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for more of the latest news.

Source: TVE

Following an extremely successful couple of years following the millennium, the results of Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest quickly dwindled to either the lower end or the middle part of the scoreboard and the broadcaster was extremely disappointed with the results bringing about a number of different formulas in hope that the results would improve. Eventually, this time round they decided to pick one of the most popular singers in Spain by the name of Pastora Soler but then again, instead of singing traditional flamenco, she was set to sing one of three ballads as per the requirements of a national final for the respective song. The track chosen entitled Quedatè Conmingo written by Thomas G:son, Tony Sánchez-Ohlsson, Erik Bernholm ended up in tenth place following a masterful performance by the performer and thus the worries that Spain would never reach such a high position was diminished. Fans fell in love with the song and as a present back, Pastora has recorded a new version in English so that it would have worldwide appeal.

Apart from reaching the top ten of the Spanish charts prior to departing for the Eurovision Song Contest, peaking at number #6, the song has also managed to crack the charts in Belgium at number #76 which is quite a surprise noting that songs from the Western country have not managed to break any other European charts in recent years. Speaking through social networking website, Facebook, the renowned performer stated that the English version has been demanded by her fans for quite some time and thus she gave into their request and went through and reocrded. The writers of the song did not find a problem to re-write the lyrics and it seems that the intensity she brought about for the Spanish version is still in existant with the track not losing any of it's general feeling noting that it has managed to remain strong in every respective count. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for more news about artists who went to the Eurovision Song Contest.

The Eurovision Song Contest has been said to be somewhat of a lottery at times in fact, it has to be noted that at the turn of the millenium, Spain was one of the most successful countries noting that they managed to finish in the top ten on four consecutive occasions, starting with 2001 and finished in 2004 and it seems that following a run of disappointing results, they have found their best card game once more noting that Pastora Soler and her track Quedate Conmingo (Come With Me) finished in tenth place. The broadcaster, TVE is looking to keep the formula of selecting the artist internally intact and this could prove quite interesting.

The selection of the artist this time round was considered to be quite surprising considering that Pastora is an extremely well known singer in the Spanish music scene having peaked at the top of the charts for a number of years whilst also being nominated for a Latin Grammy Award not too long ago. The selection procedure which included three songs, two of which were put forward by credible Spanish songwriters who have written many hits for the artist and then the eventual winner but the show itself was divine especially the inclusion of well known artists such as Sergio Dalma for example. Pastora Soler was one of the many guests during the selection procedure held in 2011 which was won by Lucia Perez and her track Que me quiten lo bailao (They Can't Take the Fun Away from Me). Other guests during that evening were none other than singing sensations Merche and Malú, both of which are being rumoured to be the next Spanish representatives in Sweden especially the latter. 

The latter choice of Malú would definitely be accepted by the Spanish public noting that she has thus far released ten albums, all of which have been certified at least Gold of Platinum signifying the popularity of the performer. Her vocals are definitely strong and raspy but what makes her different to other performers is that she does put in a lot of emotion in each and every performance. When speaking about the possibility to represent her country at the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2011, she did seem interested going with any possible genre. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com we will be following all of the latest news from Spain as soon as it becomes available.

Source: Destino Eurovision 2011

'It was a unique, moving and wonderful experience. I would do Eurovision again!' These were Pastora Soler’s words, during a press conference at the RTVE headquarters in Madrid, where she shared her Eurovision experience with the media. The singer, who is fresh  from Baku and who gained an astonishing 10th place, states that the past six months were very intense, and thus, she would refuse to do this experience once again right next year, since it’s a very demanding, yet great experience. 

Pastora Soler feels happy with her performance last Saturday: “I managed to communicate well on stage. I cried, I was moved and got the goosebumps”, and added that “everyone was touched by the song, and they tell me wonderful things. It is also important that people got together again to watch Eurovision”. Regarding the top ten placing achieved in the Eurovision final, Pastora Soler feels like a winner and describes it as an “unforgettable” moment and a “turning point” in her career.Carlos Mochales, head of Entertainment at RTVE, congratulated the broadcaster and Pastora Soler: “You have given it all and you will always be in our hearts and memories”. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news.

Source: RTVE

Five outstanding backing vocalists will be accompanying Pastora Soler on the stage of the Baku Chrystal Hall on the final night. Rebeca Rods (mezzo soprano), Mey Green (soprano), Sheila Bianco (soprano), Antonia Tomás Sepúlveda and Miguel Antelo (tenors) are the chosen five, whilst the choreography will be in the hands of Francis Viñolo, who has been working with Pastora Soler for over 10 years. 

All 5 vocalists are well-known in Spain. Rebeca Rods is no strage to Eurovision since she already joined the Spanish delegation in 2007 as backing vocalist for D'Nash. She also collaborated with Daniel Diges (Spain 2010) in his latest album. She founded her own gospel choir in 2009 and has been involved with several projects with renowned artists from both Spain and South America (Marta Sánchez, Alejandro Sanz, Paulina Rubio, to name a few). Mey Green  aka María López already has experience in television, having participated in the local edition of X-Factor and Madrid Superstar. 

She has also took part in a number of musicals (We will rock you, The diary of a young girl) and Spanish Eurovision selections. Sheila Blanco has been backing singer to Alejandro Sanz, Raphael (Spain 1966, 1967) and Rosa López (Spain 2002). She has her own jazz and blues band, having released six albums so far, and is currently recording her first solo album. Antonio Tomás Sepúlveda is a professional singer and has worked with Marta Sánchez or Daniel Diges. Miguel Antelo is an actor, singer, director, producer and composer, with a wide experience in musicals. Spain debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1962, finishing 9th. Since 1999, Spain is one of the ‘Big’ countries, and therefore allowed to automatically participate in the final.  This year, Spain has a very strong entry, which is starting to be a true-favourite with all the Europeans.