Eric Saade released “Wide Awake” in his native Sweden back in May. But, despite his status as a three-time Melodifestivalen veteran and third place finisher at Eurovision 2011, the track failed to make much impact. It missed out on the Swedish charts completely. However, in a somewhat surprising twist, the single has gone on to become a major breakout hit in Russia and the surrounding region.
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A quick glance at the usual charts shows that the Saade invasion is real. At the time of writing, “Wide Awake” is fifth on the country’s Shazam chart and 20 on iTunes. But the real sign of success is his rise up the TopHit 100 — a consolidated airplay chart for the region, based on data from over 400 radio stations. After debuting at 173 on 17 July, the song has steadily climbed the chart, and currently sits at a high of 23. To put this in perspective, Sergey Lazarev’s Eurovision 2016 entry, “You Are The Only One”, peaked at 18. Polina Gagarina, the Tolmachevys and Dina Garpova all failed to crack the top 100. He’s also reached 49 on the organisation’s Ukraine specific chart.
So where is Russia’s sudden insatiable appetite for Eric Saade coming from? He was virtually unknown before now, although “Popular” did receive 1 point from the country at Eurovision 2011. For the most part, he has the DJ pairing of Filatov & Karas to thank. Because it’s their “Wide Awake” Red Mix, rather than the original, that’s getting all the attention. Riding high on the pan-European success of “Don’t Be So Shy”, the Russian duo have worked their magic once more. We’d already commended Saade for the song’s edgy sound, and that’s not lost in this version. In fact, the added house beats and vocal trickery arguably make it even better.
Eric Saade feat Gustaf Norén “Wide Awake” (Filatov & Karas Red Mix)
Eric Saade feat Gustaf Norén “Wide Awake” (Original Version)
Eric Saade Interview at Melodifestivalen 2015
What do you think of Eric Saade’s Russian success? Can he climb even higher in the charts? And why was “Wide Awake” so underrated in Sweden? Let us know in the comments below.
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The original is actually one of my favorite tracks of 2016 so far. Good for him then.
@robyn Oh gosh, I didn’t know that this was referring to a remix! I listened to the original I’m guessing(it was the only version available to listen to in the states on Spotify). The track I perused was definitely not a party anthem or anything like that, but had this dark, ethnic tone to it. Entrancing, really.
“Wide awake”is a really good song.It is strange that in his country the song wasn`t a commercial sucess.One reason is that he didn`t promoted it a lot.Or people want Eric again with his dance-pop tracks.
I LOVE this song and am loving the new style so I’m glad it’s getting recognition somwhere.
I was wondering how this could happen so thank you for clearing it up: “a voice trickery” indeed! Well, it makes it a lot easier to understand. Cause there was always a reason he didn’t – or will probably never – break the Swedish charts for real.
Filatov & Karas is the best that Russia has 😀 Awesome.
I have cariied out a research. Of the Russian artists that have taken part in Eurovision, Dima Bilan is the most successful in radio rotation. He has got 19 songs which reached top-10 of Tophit Weekly Airplay Chart 9 of them reaching 1st position. Polina Gagarina, for example, has only one song in top10. Sergey Lazarev has been in Tophit for 12 years as a solo artist, yet he has reached top-10 only 5 times, the best result being 5th place. And Phili Kirkorov probably has the greatest amount of songs entering the chart, yet only two of them reaching… Read more »
I get this crazy ethnic vibe when I listen to this, and it’s finding a great spot in my playlist! I feel that Eurovision as a whole may be leaning more towards the ethnic-infused jams after Jamala’s victory. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are many songs with this kind of technical orchestration in the 2017 contest.
Speaking of which, when will we find out where it’s happening? Scandinavia is already announcing its national selection info and we still are waiting for the Ukrainian host city! XD
A shame this “re-invention” isn’t working for him at home, though.
Back to the drawing board, Eric.
The lyrics are nonsense.
Original ftw! I’m wondering why only flop at home?
Top 100 hitmaker and legendary cutie Eric Saade better slé the Russian charts. He ain’t no local artist!