Our international fan of the week is Pete from the UK aka @petejlewis on Twitter! Read our Q&A with him below.
What is your name and where are you from?
I'm Pete. I'm from the UK, Cheltenham to be specific. It's best know for the Gold Cup horse racing festival, which sees our population treble for a week thanks to Irish tourists!
Tell us something interesting about yourself? About 12 years ago my home was struck by lightning with all my family inside (We all survived, no injuries)
When did you first get into Eurovision?
This is pretty embarrassing but I remember Jemini performing on Top Of The Pops before the 2003 contest and I thought their song was so cool, the guy wore jeans with a chain hanging out of the pocket, which was super stylish back then so I was sold on watching the contest. So then I sat & watched the final, loved it (especially the voting for some reason) and yeah, been crazy about Eurovision ever since.
What a year to get into Eurovision, the year your country comes dead last with nil points! LOL. That is real dedication Eurovision. ~ Aussievision
What is your favourite Eurovision year and why?
1993 is a wonderful year - so much quality in the top ten including France & Norway's entries, both of which are amongst my all time favourites. 2012 was a stellar year too.
Totally agree 1993 was an amazing year, so many cracking songs.
Do you think UK are starting to get their Eurovision mojo back?
Not particularly. I think a NF is the wrong tact for us given ESC's poor image in the country. In the three years of You Decide we've not had any massive quality, anything that's really daring or entries that aren't pop or a ballad. We won't attract quality until we get the results to prove that Europe doesn't 'hate us'.
Tend to agree, you need great artists chosen internally with some strong results before a good national final. Though think last few years have been better than early 2010s.
Which Eurovision song:
Is your favourite?
Zeljko Joksimovic - Lane Moje. I'm a sucker for a Balkan ballad and Zeljko is the king of the genre.
Is overrated? Mei Finegold - Same Heart. There are fans who are crazy for this song and I don't get it at all. It's dreadful and a very deserving NQer. The only thing this one was robbed of was last place in the semi.
Was robbed?
Verona. Sixth in the public vote but still didn't qualify, need I say more?
You need not. Robbed. 999. 911. 000. Whatever country you are in.. we need to report a robbery!
Had the best live performance?
Suus. Rona Nishliu's vocal is spectacular & the song gets me every time. People who don't get it are missing out big time.
Preach.
Did you last play?
Verona again. Been packing for a trip to the Baltics so I've had some Eesti classics on in the background.
Is your guilty pleasure?
Omar Naber's On My Way I guess? I know it's an awful song but it's a great sing-a-long track. Generally I have zero shame when it comes to music though.
And there we were agreeing.... that song is atrocious.
Any other interesting honourable mentions?
I guess I'd like to say how thankful I am that we're seeing a return of proper ethnic sounding songs and national languages. The ethno-pop era of the mid 00s is my favourite period in the contest's history & for me, countries sharing their culture through music is what ESC is all about
Do you follow the national finals? If so have any songs caught your attention so far this year?
I do! I've been following them since 2013. Scandilove in Norway MUST win. It's got top five written all over it. I thought Shuma's song in Belarus was brilliant too.
What do you think of Australia being in Eurovision?
I'm pro-Australia. Having watched the contest for so many years & having close cultural links to Europe I'm cool with it. I'd say they have more right to be in Eurovision than a country like San Marino, who offer their slot to the singer/songwriter with the biggest cheque book.
Noting that one down!
What do you think of our artist this year – Jessica Mauboy?
I'm a fan of Jess but not sure she's great for Eurovision. Pop A Bottle is a tune though.
Sea of Flags, Tonight Again, Sound of Silence or Don’t Come Easy?
Tonight Again, 100%. To be honest it's the only one of your entries so far that I've liked. Seeing Guy perform it live in Vienna was ace even though those exploding street lights almost gave me a heart attack.
Absolute tune, when we first heard it we thought we were in with a chance.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Thank you for letting me be a part of this and also for your wonderful weekly Podcasts - they're always a good listen
Absolute pleasure, thank you so much!