Episode 16 - Entrepreneurs and Leprechauns

Dearest wonderful listeners, from this episode we're changing things up a bit, not to mess with your minds but simply because we wanted to play more songs from recent Eurovision history. We hope you don't mind too much and we promise we'll still play some golden oldies. In this, our sixteenth episode, we debut our 'Last 5 years' category with the brilliant Mata Hari by Efendi, one of the songs that formed our soundtrack to living in Stockholm in 2021. We follow this with our previous 10 years category (Yep that's 2008 to 2107 - keep up at the back!) and that headphone-obsessed Slovenian duo Maraaya from 2015. There's a lot of excitement about this years' Czechia entry by Vesna, but back in 2002 it was Croatia's Vesna who was causing a fuss as she writhed around to Everything I Want on the stage in Tallinn. Vesna is the first in our new and ridiculously mammoth 1956-2007 slot! Or the Eurovision Archive as we are rather rudely calling it. Next up we have everyone's favourite scouser, the diminutive Sona who represented the UK in 1993 at Millstreet, Ireland, and only missed out on winning thanks to a truly bizarre set of points from Malta. We might forgive them one day, but it's unlikely. The Semi-Final exit slot brings us the joy that is the irrepressible Donna and Joe McCaul, a little-known (and little in size) Irish duo that Andy adores. He has a similar passion for what is the most current Deuce award we've ever included: Ulrikke Brandstorp who came second to Queen of Kings in the recent Melodi Grand Prix final in Norway with the wondrous power ballad Honestly. Finally, the Randomiser lives up to its name and offers up Liora singing Amen for Israel, in Ireland once again, who secured a top 10 finish in 1995. "But what is the theme of the episode?' I hear you cry? Well, Ryan thought he was on to winner when he noted that several of the artists have their own businesses, Efendi owns a sweet shop for instance, and Liora is a yoga teacher. Aside from this we realised after we recorded that there's a lot of performances in Ireland and of course there's pocket-sized Donna and Joe, so, yep, 'Entrepreneurs and, er, Leprechauns' it is. Apologies! Socials: Twitter: @EuroQueensPod Instagram: EurovisionQueens Email: EurovisionQueens@gmail.com Spotify playlist: shorturl.at/egvEP Season 1: Episode 16 Mata Hari by Efendi (Azerbaijan 2021) Here for You by Maraaya (Slovenia 2015) Everything I Want by Vesna Pisarović (Croatia 2002) Better the Devil You Know by Sonia (1993) Love? by Donna and Joe (Ireland 2005) Honestly by Ulrikke Brandstorp (Norway 2023) Amen by Liora (Israel 1995)