#esc 1995

After winning the Polish national final Wielki Finał Polskich Kwalifikacji, Justyna Steczkowska will be representing Poland at the 69th Eurovision Song Contest. Steczkowska's song "GAJA" won by earning 39.32% of the votes. The contest was decided 100% by public vote.

Steczkowska's win comes 30 years after she represented Poland for the first time in 1995 with the song "Sama."

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Alex Panayi. One of the contenders for the title of Mr. Eurovision. He's never won it (well he kind of has...), but since 1989 he's been trying. In 1995 he won the Cypriot selection for the first time. Not his first time there, he came third both in 1990 and 1993. He's also already appeared on a Eurovision stage twice, sing backing vocals for Cyprus's 1989 and 1991 entries. So at the fifth time of asking he's there with his five female backing singers doing it for Cyprus.

And what a song it is. More epic history. Στη φωτιά (Sti Fotia/In the Fire) is effectively a grand stage musical production number with a Greek flavour, about a man on a quest. A man who faces his challenges. A man who changes history. And he does it emerging from underneath a big sheet, accompanied by timpani and a gong, while wearing leather trousers. It was written by him with an emphasis on the drama which he delivers while commanding the Dublin stage.

How he only managed to come ninth I don't know - this is fantastic.

Hello everybody!

I shared this in another Eurovision fan-group, but I have it hear for you too! A few months ago, I drew an art-piece featuring Poland's first four entries (1994-97), each with their own individual background in colored pencil. It's a follow-up to one with my favorite 1990s Greek entries, which I may post in the future.

Poland is still not one of my favorite countries in the contest--I never been enamored with their entries when I started watching the contest in 2017. However, they had a great run of entries to start, which makes their lack of form a bit saddening.

To nie ja (1994): Despite getting their best placing ever (2nd) in their debut, I'm not as enamored on this one. Edyta has amazing vocals and the lyrics tell a compelling Bildungsroman, but it just leaves me really cold. Also those who think she should've won that year (a definite pet peeve of mine) turn me off. (artist note: I found a pretty good picture of her rehearsal footage on RTE, albeit one with a different dress. It was actually easy to draw it thanks to a couple more references. The silver refers to her second-place finish, and I liked how it turned out on paper!)

Sama (1995): The complete opposite to their debut, Sama is pessimistic, out there, and intriguing. The combination of alternative music and orchestral arrangement conveys a dark atmosphere, added by the depressing lyrics. Justyna's vocals are an acquired taste, along with her performance, but they combine so fantastically in my opinion. (artist note: Getting Justyna's face tone right was quite difficult. I had to erase and re-do it with cream pencil over and over again. It kind of looks strange...)

Chcę znać swój grzech (1996): This one is pretty brooding and melancholic, and would've easily passed by if it weren't for Kasia's passionate delivery. One could feel her pain as she pleads to know what she did wrong, to save her failing relationship. Also, the title translates to "I want to know my sin...", and I have a soft-spot with religious references in music, haha. (artist's note: I wanted to mix the blue filter from the actual performance with the church atmosphere of the MV, but I'm afraid that the window wasn't drawn well. I also struggled to get a good source image.)