his name is didrik

And he’s going to the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest to represent Norway.

Pretty boy Didrik Solli-Tangen, 22, was virtually a nobody before the whole Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix wheel set in motion four weeks ago. In the Norwegian press articles leading to his semi-final win two weeks ago, he was referred to as Alexander Rybak’s (Melodi Grand Prix and Eurovision Song Contest 2009 winner) friend. Now, the young opera singer and current music student has stepped out of the shadow and sang his heart out to win MGP this year with “My Heart is Yours.”

Watching the show live at Oslo Spektrum last night, it was very clear that he’s the big favourite to win the entire thing. After hearing him sing live for the first time last night, I felt there was that magical something that made me go cliche and say, a star is born. And true enough, his brilliance made him stand out from the competition – from world-renowned group A1 (finishing at a respectable second place) to more established Norwegian artists. I, myself, was bewildered and spent a good amount of SMS money to send him through and win.

Now, I can’t be more excited to watch him bedazzle the whole of Europe in May as all eyes are in Oslo and at Telenor Arena, where I’ll be for the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest! Wouldn’t it be cooler if he was to wear this outfit instead? :-p

Didrik Solli-Tangen, “My Heart is Yours”

Melodi Grand Prix 2010 Winner

Photo credits: NRK

eurovision 2010 theme art and slogan revealed

Long time readers of my blog would know that I’m a huge fan of the Eurovision Song Contest – that annual musical extravaganza wrapped in glitter, glamour and grandeur where nations and artists across Europe come together and compete to bring home the victory. Next year, it will be extra exciting as the the contest will be held in Oslo, Norway! In the lead up to the ESC 2010, the organizers revealed yesterday next year’s theme art and slogan – SHARE THE MOMENT, created by the award-winning Norwegian design firms Gosu, Handverk and Snøhetta.

About the concept:

More than a hundred million people are watching the same show at the same time, in millions of living rooms. They rejoice with the winner and weep with the losers, investing a wide specter of emotions in the show. Imagine Europe by night, seen from high above. All you can see is the light from all the cities, towns and villages. This is Europe, as a whole – with no visual borders between nations, cultures or groups of people. Now, imagine these flocks of lights not only representing different groups of people, but they show how big and magical a moment can be when we all participate and come together. We lift those lights, we make them elevate and fly, we gather them and make them come together in giant flocks of light spheres which merge, dance and play. It is a magnificent display of thousands, millions of individual elements coming together and participating and sharing the moment. The overall visual identity of ESC 2010 in Oslo are these light spheres, operating in different manners. They spread out to form our slogan, they come together in huge, colorful flocks, they race through the night, they float together in patterns.

The flocks of light spheres are developed also with other types of media and expressions in mind. They are easy to reproduce for usage outside the print and screen media, they can take different sizes and they can easily be put together as flocks in different shapes, or used individually.

Only a few more months to go! I’m so excited.

Concept text and images taken from Gosu Design.

louis vuitton jazz club cd

Weekend’s here, time for some easy listening courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

01. Herbie Hancock – Watermelon Man. 02. Miles Davis – Dear Old Stockholm. 03. Lee Morgan – The Sidewinder. 04. Nina Simone – Blackbird. 05. Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington – It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing). 06. Sidney Bechet – Summertime. 07. The Three Sounds – Yeh Yeh. 08. Lou Rawls – The Girl from Ipanema. 09. John Coltrane – Blue Train.

Happy weekend everyone!

and i’m feeling good

Louis Vuitton never fails to impress. I just received my invitation to the Louis Vuitton Jazz Club event and it comes complete with a vinyl record of Charlie Parker’s Lover Man. Sadly for me, I don’t have a turntable.

I will just have to wait until October 8th. You know where you’ll find me.

09.11

Eight years after, the attacks remain in our consciousness.

Even Lily Allen says so.

Ever since He can remember

People have died in His good name

Long before that September

Long before hijacking planes

– Him. It’s Not Me, It’s You.

In memoriam.