LIST: Top 10 Male Voices at Eurovision

When watching Eurovision, we hardcore fans look into every single detail. The lighting, the stage set-up, the backup singers, the dresses/suits/Cezar’s cape and last but not least…the singer! Throughout the years, we have witnessed hundreds of singers (and many more train wrecks).  Some we’d rather forget straightaway, but others have entered the stage and completely blown our minds with their voices! I cooked up a wee list of who I consider to be the best of ESC’s male singers.

Jeronimas Milius – Lithuania 2008:  I didn’t like the song as such..thought it was pretentious, dreary and in fact, boring as hell, but…..Jeronimas’s voice grabbed my attention. I decided to check out more of his performances, and behold! The boy can surely sing!! This song did him no justice whatsoever! Jeronimas is a million times better than “Nomads in the night” gave him justice for and for those who have become curious, I recommend f.ex. His performance of Scorpion’s “Still loving you” gave me goosebumps!

Michael Hajiyanni – Cyprus 1998: That man…that song….that voice!  This guy, apart from being freaking gorgeous, was blessed with an unbelievable macho voice..raspy and gentle at the same time. And when he hits the high notes, with that little smirk on his face..wow….And Europe responded, by giving him…wait for it…..37 lousy points!  Well done, Europe. Honestly, was it so hard to just listen, appreciate and enjoy a fantastic singer? Appearantly so, because Michael hasn’t been seen again on the Eurovision stage since then. But I refuse to lose faith and continue to wait and hope.

Cezar – Romania 2013:  Of course Cezar is on this list!! The man brought the countertenor back to Eurovision and to everyone´s surprise…nailed it!!! There is nothing I can say about this amazing man that hasn’t been said before. He simply rocks!

Petr Elfimov – Belarus 2009: At first I was somewhat sceptical about this entry, but when Petr raised his voice all the way from Moscow to Minsk… Wow! I’ve always wondered what would’ve happened in 2007 if Petr had performed “Work your magic” instead of Koldun. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE that song and I ADORE Koldun, but what if Petr had taken the lead there? I’m fairly certain that Belarus would’ve finished in the top three, without even breaking a sweat. He was, in my opinion, the best male-singer of 2009, and hopefully he will be back..with a bang!

http://youtu.be/Z1xVG4oKPF8

Zeljko Jocsimovic – Serbia 2004/2012: One does not simply make a list like this without including Mr. Serbia himself on it. Zeljko has a voice that penetrates your soul AND the charisma and looks to go with it. A deadly mix! I’m still baffled by the fact that he has never won!  I thought that he would never be able to top his performance of Lane Moje back in 2004, but then he re-entered with Nije ljubav stvar, and completely blew me away! I’ve watched some of his other performances through the years, and every single time he puts his heart and soul in the project and grabs a hold on the audience and doesn’t let go! He owns the stage! Pure and simple.

Vlad Mirita – Romania 2008: Yes, there are two Romanians on this list. I am aware of that, but when Vlad starts, there is no way of ignoring his deep and manly voice.  I’ve never been a fan of the Nico and Vlad duett…it should’ve been just Vlad going solo with that beautiful ballad of 2008. I’m sorry, but the only thing Nico was good at was bugging the crap out of me, when she started yelling and by that, completely ruining a perfectly good song! But those parts of the song where Vlad’s voice is shining send shiver down my spine every single time. Dear people of Romania..send him back to Eurovision, and this time as a solo artist. Pretty please?

http://youtu.be/63HmDDznPCI

Eythor Ingi – Iceland 2013: Eythor is amazing. Whatever he is singing and whatever kind of music style he sings, he rocks it.  But he is by far the strongest when it comes to the old metal classics. Has anybody heard him take on Deep Purple´s “Child in time”? Ian Gillan did, and he curtsied to Eythor afterwards! True story. But Eythor’s performance of “Ég á líf” made all Icelanders proud, regardless of his placing in the contest. He put his everything in the song, and his strong and beautiful voice was heard all over Europe. And left me and many others short of breath.

Klapa s mora group – Croatia 2013: This year’s biggest shock in my opinion, was when Klapa s mora were snubbed, and not given their rightful place in the finals.  Those five unbelievable singers synchronized perfectly, and their voices just kept getting better and better throughout the song.  What has the world come to, when such a beautiful and rare singing style (UNESCO world heritage list!!) like Klapa is completely brushed off, and left in the semi finals?  I dont know, but I dont agree with those results.  The Klapa guys get my vote every time!

Sergei Yalovitsky (Sunstroke Project) – Moldova 2010: Everybody remembers the epic sax-guy from this Moldovian party entry. Why they ranked so low in finals is beyond me, expecially since Sergei has the most powerful and unique voice I have ever heard! And the epic sax-guy..I mean, REALLY??!  The first thought that entered my mind when I heard “Run away” was: “Oh boy, I think I just became pregnant!!..”  But that is exactly what Sergei’s voice does to me. I can’t quite explain it. His voice just has that certain Je ne sais quoi… I just love it to bits, and again…Sergei, please, come solo!!!  I want to hear more!

Tose Proeski – FYR Macedonia 2004: Aaaah, Tose…probably the most missed out artist of 2004…and missed by the entire Balkans and the rest of the Eurovision world.  But how could people not vote for him more often, when he performed “Life”?!  I instantly fell in love with his deep voice, and when I got my first computer and unlimited access to Youtube, I dug up every single thing that Tose had ever recorded..and I wasn´t disappointed. (I highly recommend a song called “The hardest thing”..makes you sob in your pillow)  That man was in my opinion and with my deepest respect for all the others,  the greates and most talented singer, ever to set foot on the Eurovision stage!   Who cares, if his backup singers played a magic trick with red cloths on the stage in Istanbul?  I dont!  I was listening to the unbelievable singer.  Rest in peace, Tose.  You were beyond amazing!!

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Kristin Kristjans contributed this report from Iceland. You can keep up with the latest Eurovision news and gossip by following the team from wiwibloggs.com on Twitter @wiwibloggs and by liking our Facebook page.
Photo: Eurovision.tv (EBU)