Wikipedia:WikiProject Eurovision/Archive/Featured Eurovision Article Archive/2023/July

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27 July
Voltaj (, meaning voltage in Romanian) is a Romanian pop rock group. They are widely regarded as one of the most successful bands in Romanian History, with songs such as “20”, “De la Capăt” and “De Maine” being household hits. Their songs “MSD2” and “Din toata inima” are viewed by some as unofficial national anthems for Romania.

History: Voltaj was formed in 1982, in Bucharest, by Horațiu Rad on bass, Nikki Dinescu (Krypton) on drums, Gabi Nacu (Krypton) on guitar, Cristi Minculescu (Iris) on vocals and Adrian Ilie (Iris) on guitar. Their sound at the time was on the heavier side of hard rock, being one of the earliest examples of traditional heavy metal in the Romanian scene.

During this period there were numerous changes in the line-up, all the disputes even spawning a second Voltaj, known as Voltaj 88', which also managed to release a couple of albums during the '90s.

By the time of their 1996 debut,"Pericol de Moarte", only drummer Nikki Dinescu was left from the original line-up. The album, which also features Tavi Colen Talisman on vocals, is their only record in the heavy metal style.

Starting with 1998 the two remaining members, bass player Vali Ionescu, and guitar player Gabi Constantin recruit a new line-up, with Bobby Stoica on keyboards, which brought Călin Goia on vocals on board. With Goia's vocals and creative mind, the group rapidly grew in success and fame. With the release of the album, "Risc Maxim 2", the group switches its style to electronic-influenced pop-rock music. In 2002 they were joined by Oliver Sterian (son of Valeriu Sterian) on drums. Releasing numerous hit singles like "20 ani", "Albinuța", "De mâine", "De la capăt" and "Doar pentru ea", they have become one of the most widely-known groups in Romania.

They won the Best Romanian Act award at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2005. After winning Selecția Națională 2015, they represented Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "De la capăt", where they progressed out of their semi-final group to place 15th in the Final with 35 points.

Band members
 * Călin Goia (vocals)
 * Gabi "Porcus" Constantin (electric guitar)
 * Adrian Cristescu (keyboards)
 * Valeriu "Prunus" Ionescu (bass guitar)
 * Oliver Sterian (drums)

28 July
Miodio is a band that consists of three Italian and two Sammarinese members. They represented San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, performing the song Complice. This was the first time San Marino had entered the competition. They performed in the 5th position after Moldova and before Belgium. They however failed to get past the first semi-final on 20 May, only receiving 5 points and placing last of 19.

Miodio was founded in the winter of 2002, and they have published a mini-album with 5 tracks. This album was produced by the label "Acanto" owned by the producer and composer Andrea Felli. In 2007 they entered into an exclusive contract with Opera Prima, a record label, releasing their first single "It's Ok", which is still played by more than a hundred national radio stations. The song has been also included in the soundtrack of the movie "Il Soffio dell'Anima" and is listed in the iTunes Store.

The group was selected by an internal jury, after applying through an open invitation for entrants to represent San Marino.

Miodio are the winners of the 17th edition of San Marino Festival as well as the winners of the prize 'Viva Music' and 'Best Original Song' at the 2006 Arts Festival in Bologna. They also represented San Marino at the 12th Biennial of Young Artists of Europe held in Naples, where the band presented a 30-minute filmshot, edited and produced by themselves and praised by an international jury.

The band was slated to record their first proper album containing eleven tracks, which was to be released in the summer of 2008, however nothing has materialised as yet.

In 2009 Miodio released the single "Evoluzione Genetica", which they performed at Wind Music Awards 2009.

Late in 2009 they entered the revamped Newcomers' section of 2010 Festival della canzone italiana, with the new single called "Perdo contatto". (in English: "I lose contact").

In 2020, they formed a supergroup named San Marino United Artists with Valentina Monetta, Anita Simoncini, MC Irol, and more.

Eurovision Song Contest 2008 In 2008, Miodio was announced as San Marino's first participants at the Eurovision Song Contest for the 2008 contest. They were selected internally by Sammarinese broadcaster San Marino RTV with their song Complice, written by band members Francesco Sancisi and Nicola Della Valle. They participated in Belgrade, Serbia, at the first semi-final against 18 other countries. They, however, only received 5 points and finished last (19th) in the first semi-final. Following Eurovision Miodio went on to compete in the Golden Stag Festival in Romania, as well as the Pjesma Mediterana contest in Montenegro. They also went on tour in Italy, San Marino and Moldova during the summer.

Members


 * Nicola Della Valle, lead vocals
 * Paolo Macina, guitars
 * Andrea Marco Pollice, nicknamed "Polly", bass and programming
 * Francesco "Sancho" Sancisi, keyboard and programming
 * Alessandro Gobbi, drums

29 July
Jan Christian Johansen (born 9 January 1966) is a Swedish singer, best known for representing Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995.

Life and career: Jan Johansen represented Sweden at the 1995 Eurovision Song Contest with "Se på mig" and finished third with 100 points. The song stayed at the top of Svensktoppen for fifteen weeks, charting for thirty weeks in total. His father is the Norwegian jazz musician Egil Johansen and his mother is the Norwegian-born 50s jazz singer Ellen Böbak.

Johansen has participated in Melodifestivalen four times since "Se på mig" - fourth place in 2001 with "Ingenmansland", seventh place in 2002 with "Sista andetaget" and second place in Melodifestivalen 2003 with "Let Your Spirit Fly", a duet with Pernilla Wahlgren. After the second place in 2003 with "Let your spirit fly" followed 17 years were Jan Johansen did not participate in the Melodifestivalen. He has continued to release music and toured in Sweden and Scandinavia. In February 2020, Johansen was asked to perform the song "Se på mig" as a mid time act in one of the competitions in the Melodifestivalen in Linköping. While in Linköping Johansen was asked by the production team to perform the song "Miraklernas Tid" (Time for miracles) by Thomas G:son, as a replacement for the artist Thorsten Flinck who had to leave the competition due to legal reasons. After 24 hours to think it over Johansen agreed to perform the song, save the song from being scratched from the competition with less than a week to rehearse until the competition in Gothenburg. During that week Johansen attended interviews, was booked for 4 concerts, of which he had to cancel 2 to have more time to rehearse. Johansen did some minor changes to the staging of the number, to try to make it suit his artistry better. This song was not written for Johansen and the song was only performed once and did not make it to the final. Johansen decided not to record the song.

In Marsh 2013 Johansen published his autobiography entitled Med nya ögon (Through Different Eyes), which he co-authored with journalist Colette van Luik. After being sober from alcohol since 2008 Johansen had gone through therapy and started to process aspects of his life. This resulted in this book in which he tells in a self-evident way his life story as a musician and performer. From childhood to the big breakthrough in 1995. Describes marriage, becoming dad, self-esteem, and the backside of celebrity.

30 July
Giusto Pio (11 January 1926 – 12 February 2017) was an Italian conductor, composer, violinist, music educator and songwriter.

Born at Castelfranco Veneto, he studied music in Venice. Later he was engaged as violinist in the RAI orchestra of Milan.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s he became popular as a long-standing collaborator of singer-songwriter Franco Battiato, by whom he was initially hired as violin teacher. Apart from working as a producer and musician on several successful albums with Battiato (including L'era del cinghiale bianco and La voce del padrone), Pio also collaborated with him as a producer for several singers such as Milva, Alice and Giuni Russo.

In 1984 Pio, Battiato and lyricist Rosario "Saro" Cosentino penned the Eurovision Song Contest entry "I treni di Tozeur", performed by Battiato and Alice, which finished 5th in the contest and became a considerable commercial success in Continental Europe and Scandinavia. Pio also released two instrumental LPs (also in collaboration with Battiato) under his own name, entitled Legione straniera (1982) and Restoration (1983).

31 July
Vukašin Brajić (Вукашин Брајић; ; born 9 February 1984) is a Bosnian Serb pop-rock singer who rose to fame after participating in the first season (2008–09) of Operacija trijumf, the ex-Yugoslav version of Star Academy, in which he came in second place.

He represented Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country of his birth, at Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo, Norway, with the song "Thunder and Lightning".

Early life: Vukašin Brajić is the eldest of three children of Simo and Dušanka Brajić. He has a younger brother and sister, Nenad and Nevena. His interest in music started early, in the third grade, when he asked his parents to let him enroll in a music school, which was not possible in the time of war. In 1994, due to the Bosnian War, his family moved from Bosnia and Hercegovina to Serbia, to Mali Požarevac in Sopot, where they spent one year before moving to Čačak, where the Brajić family lives today. Vukašin finished both elementary and high school in Čačak. His music beginnings are also related to Čačak.

Although his parents could not afford his musical education, Vukašin studied by himself, learning from the books and Internet. That is how he acquired his keyboards and guitar skills. He got his first guitar from his uncle before he turned fifteen and then said to his family: "Someday, this guitar will feed all of you".

He also sang in the choir, danced in the dance studio "Luna" and was a member of a drama club. That is how he gained experience in public performances and contests. When he was 19 years old, he moved from Čačak to Negotin where he enrolled the Teacher Education Academy, which provided him what he liked – scene movement, music and singing.