Hello folks! I’m Michelle, but everyone knows me as Kittens! I’m a new member of That Eurovision Site. I live in South West UK and have been a Eurovision fan for many years. Outside of Eurovision you can find me gaming, going on walks, going to the theatre, crafting something impractical, and probably making a spreadsheet for something.
Name: Michelle/Kittens
Age : 41 (Yes, I am aware)
Pronouns: She/Her
Socials:
- Twitter: @kittenseses
- Instagram: @kittenseseses
How did I get into the Eurovision Song Contest?:
When I was a kid, I was allowed to stay up late for two events in the year: the Last Night of the Proms and Eurovision. I definitely remember at one point making a results spreadsheet and entering in scores as they came in, which is very on brand for me as a data nerd. I got back into Eurovision during university and thanks to friends, started throwing and going to Eurovision parties, but the first contest I remember really watching heavily was probably early 2010’s sometime.
At what point did I consider myself a Eurofan?:
I started really getting into the fandom around 2018, which was my first London Eurovision Party. Even though I was watching national finals by then, I only joined the online fandom on Twitter in 2020-2021. I’ve gone to every LEP ever since that first one and wouldn’t miss it for the world, and have also frequented other Eurovision events and gigs in the UK since joining the fandom.
This year was my first on the ground experience at Eurovision. I was lucky enough to be able to get tickets for all the live shows and it was a fantastic experience. I loved every minute of it and it was great to be able to catch up with so many people in Liverpool.
How has my life changed since becoming a Eurofan?:
The big difference is the community – the people you meet and the impact they make on your life. I’ve made so many friends through this competition and I’m happily at the point where I can walk into most Eurovision events in the UK and find someone there I know and can chat to!
I’m not the best traveller but this year I also made my first trip out of the country for Eurovision reasons by making an impromptu trip to Stockholm for Melodifestivalen and Melfest wknd – and I hope to use Eurovision as an excuse to travel more in the future (don’t tell my wallet).
The other major thing has been the amount of music I listen to, and the ways the national final process introduces me to such a wide variety of new artists and genres – it’s a great way to get a supply of fresh music regularly.
What are my favourite Eurovision songs and countries?:
I have a particular preference for the higher end of the BPM scale – not to say I don’t like a good ballad but it has to be particularly interesting to work for me! It’s hard to pick only a few tracks to show my taste but I had to pick these ones in particular – “Popular” was definitely a breakthrough (pun intended) moment for me personally!
- 🇸🇪 Sweden (2011) Eric Saade with “Popular”
- 🇷🇸 Serbia (2015) Bojana Stamenov with “Beauty Never Lies”
- 🇺🇦 Ukraine (2021) Go_A with “Shum”
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom (2022) Sam Ryder with “Space Man”
- 🇮🇸 Iceland (2010) Hera Björk with “Je Ne Sais Quoi”
I don’t generally have a particular country I have a preference for at Eurovision, it really depends on what they bring, but I do always look forward to seeing what Sweden and Finland do, along with Moldova.
What are my favourite national final songs?:
My exposure to national finals is a bit more recent than the contest as a whole, but I can’t ignore that I could have picked about 20 bangers from the Melodifestivalen back catalogue to go here! “Vem e som oss” is just such a fun tune that never fails to make me smile when I hear it.
I normally am left a bit cold by Sanremo despite watching it as much as possible but couldn’t resist popping “Dove Si Balla” into this list – such a great song and such great memories of grabbing sunglasses every time it was performed!
- 🇸🇪 Anis Don Demina with “Vem e som oss” (Melodifestivalen 2020 – Sweden)
- 🇮🇹 Dargen D’Amico with “Dove Si Balla” (Sanremo 2022 – Italy)
- 🇸🇪 Emil Henrohn with “Mera mera mera” (Melodifestivalen 2023 – Sweden)
- 🇫🇮 Bess with “Ram pam pam” (UMK 2022 – Finland)
- 🇸🇪 Ola with “Unstoppable” (Melodifestivalen 2010 – Sweden)
What am I looking forward to in the new national final season?:
I always look forward to the new season as it always brings me new artists to listen to, but also because of the excitement of the selection process and seeing what gets chosen.
Most importantly though I can’t wait to be surprised – I’m hoping that the success of both Loreen and Käärijä last year means that people won’t be afraid to try out something a bit different. In particular, I’d love to see a change in fortunes for Germany and Denmark – I’ll be waiting to see how that goes.
I’m also very excited to be part of the team at That Eurovision Site for the new season!
What do you think of Michelle’s favourites? Want to learn more about our team? Let us know in the comments below or on social media. Don’t forget to follow ‘THAT Eurovision Site’ over at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok as we gear up for the next Eurovision!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: Michelle C
