CITY PAPER's final prediction: RUSSIA IS NUMBER ONE (BalticSWW.Com)

Time of publication: 22.05.2003

'Russia’s Best,
Sweden Worst'
Magazine that predicted the 2002 Eurovision winner says Russia No. 1, Estonia No. 2 in 2003.

The new edition of CITY PAPER magazine, one of the only European publications to predict that Latvia would win the Eurovision Song Contest last year, has pegged Russia as having the No. 1 song this year—and put Estonia in the second place slot. The Baltic-based magazine said Sweden is bringing by far the worst song to this year's Song Contest next week in Riga, and it also singled out the British entry for criticism.

In a rating system from 1 to 10, CITY PAPER gave the Russian duo Tatu (above photo) its highest score, a 9. Estonia's Ruffus was next with 8+, followed closely by Turkey, Norway, Iceland and Holland. At the bottom of the heap were Cyprus and Sweden, with a 2 and 2- rating, respectively.

CITY PAPER penalized songs that lacked originality or that so blatantly resorted to formula," explained an editorial in the magazine's Song Contest special, released this week. "It favored ones that found some way to stand out from the all-too-pervasive Eurovision grayness."

The magazine said Tatu, which has already achieved commercial success across Europe, stood out in sheer professionalism.
"Even if this style of music is not your cup up of tea, you have to give the Russians their due," CITY PAPER wrote. "While it's unmistakably pop, it does not stoop to the level of everyday Euro dance techno music."

But it added that the pressure was on Tatu—comprised of 18-year-olds Julia Volkova and Lena Katina, who, CITY PAPER said "blend obvious talent, schoolgirl good looks and lesbian chic."
"Losing to relative no names in Riga would be an embarrassment for the already well-established Tatu—all the more so since they've gone on record declaring they will clobber the competition," the magazine said.

Thanks to staringelf.

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