Starting with the song. The basis for everything should be a song with a good melody and suiting lyrics. More than three chords or different notes could be an advantage and everything that can be composed within 5 minutes and a computer programme should not be the chosen. On the other hand, this doesn't mean the song has to be complicated and arranged with thousand different instruments. The right mix of complicated and simple will do. Think of a song you would wanna listen to on the radio and which you can't get out of your head after hearing once.
It's the same with lyrics. If they are too complicated - for example about politics or the situation in your country, no one else in Europe has a clue off - or too simple - like singing about blue skies, white clouds, green fields or about tiny rabbits having tiny noses and tiny kittens having soft paws - won't get you further in the competition. If people remember some of the lyrics they will also remember the country or artist.
Of course it costs an effort to sing in your own language because many won't be able to understand them. But by doing that you clearly represent the country you're from and a lot of people have a favour for that.
Pick something different. Something that Europe didn't hear before on ESC. Over the past years we had many ballads, pop, folk and syth-pop songs. Nowadays it seems that Europe is craving for new stuff. Rock, hip-hop or even influences of metal were sent out and shown the last couple of years. Just think of Lordi who won in 2006!!
Entering the ESC with something new like a fancy song, extraordinary costumes or funny hairstyles will make people talking about you even before they heard your song. Being media's favourite is ALWAYS good - whether you get good or bad critiques. I remember well seing reports about Lordi, Lena Meyer-Landrut or Jedward long before the actual show. So if you see journalists with cameras you gotta jump right in front of them for an interview or performance. Promotion is half the battle.
But don't be different at any cost!!! And don't rely on previous trends - just because it was a boy with a violin who won in 2009 doesn't mean we'd love to see artists using violins on stage in the following years.
A lot of good impressions can be gained with a good performance on stage. Every year we have pretty chicks wearing only a tiny glittering piece of cothing, guys in white and partly unbuttoned shirts and females in long, because of a wind-machine, flowing dress. As contrast to these you will also find groups of people in weird, colourful clothing jumping from one end of the stage to the other. And aren't we a bit tired of these? Again it is about to figure out the right mix (and that should also be some kind of clothing/choreography suiting to the song)!! And just because you can only have six people on stage doesn't mean you need them. Sometimes it looks quite stupid if you have a singer on stage, four dancers and one person doing background vocals standing somewhere offside without being included in the choreography, right?!
It is said that Eastern countries tend to vote for Eastern countries of similar language or heritage. This is true to a certain extent. So you might be advantaged if you come, for example, from Norway and you were born in Belarus. ;)
Now if you're lucky, after getting to the final, your country will perform in the last third of the show. While the die-hard ESC-fans will know weeks ahead whom they are voting for the average ESC-viewer will decide in the last couple of minutes. And they might vote for an artist they can recall easily. Recency effect in other words!!
Okay, all these tips might not guarantee you the first place but at least you won't embarrass your country. Try it - see you next year on stage then.
And now - let the show begin!! :)
