The best of Eurovision 2013

On the 18th May all eyes will be on Malmö, Sweden, to host the continent's yearly music competition.  As usual, we can expect plenty of camp, glitzy entertainment and, although betting men have a clear favourite, the decent collection of entries will ensure a tight competition.  Here's the Gizzle's choice for the best of the bunch...


5. Germany: Cascada "Glorious"

UK audiences will of course be familiar with eurodance act Cascada, so it comes as no surprise the blonde bombshell will be providing an anthemic chorus - as well as plenty of controversy after the accusations it was too similar to last year's winning entry from Loreen.  Even if this song doesn't win, it should be an entertaining performance.

4. Ireland: Ryan Dolan "Only Love Survives"

After over five decades, Ireland remain the most successful nation in Eurovision history so can never be overlooked.  This year's entrant is a fairly predictable EDM-pop affair, on a par with Bieber or Chris Brown, but its catchy chorus and dubstep breakdown could see it towards the top of the pack.  In fact, expect a lot of dubstep in general...

3. Denmark: Emmelie De Forest "Only Teardrops"

This year's bookies favourite manages the magical feat of credibly pairing traditional indigenous folk with pop.  The pounding drums; the catchy whistle hook; the epic chorus; the soaring vocals - Only Teardrops has everything you could want in a winning Eurovision song and could easily mark Denmark's third win.

2. Norway: Margaret Berger "I Feed You My Love"

Not just an attractive Scandinavian beauty, Berger brings something a little different to the competition.  Eschewing the typical ballads, folk tunes and cheesy pop, I Feed You My Love is filled with industrial beats and dramatic strings.  This is a brave entry that deserves plenty of "douze points!".

1. Sweden: Robin Stjernberg "You"

With the amount of excellent pop emerging from the Nordic countries, it's no wonder our top three entries are all Scandinavian.  The winner of Sweden's yearly Melodifestivalen competition (narrowly beating Anton Ewald's Begging), Stjernberg delivers a pop song that soars like no other.  As long as he can hit the money note in the final chorus, expect to see this sitting pretty towards the top of the pack.

And finally, one to miss...

United Kingdom: Bonnie Tyler "Believe In Me"

This will be the moment that Europe collectively turns on the kettle for a quick fika.  When will the UK start taking the competition a little more seriously and make an effort, instead of settling for being the nil points laughing stock?  Then again, if Tyler herself doesn't care, then why should we?