The emotions were running high after the broadcast of the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest. Eurovision.tv checked the temperature backstage right after the close of the show. Find out who that was happy and who that was disappointed here!
Arash, lead vocalist, Azerbaijan (finished as number 3)
"We were number two to the very last vote, but finished third. We wanted to stay top three. We are so happy. After a few countries voting, we understood that Norway was going to win. We are extremely happy with our stage performance."
Sakis Rouvas, Greece (7)
"Sitting in the greenroom didn’t turn out to be what I expected, but it was still a great experience. I’ve had the time of my life these months, working so hard, and we had a great show, so I’m very satisfied. The whole experience is amazing."
Patricia Kaas, France (8)
"This was a was great experience. Of course, the result is a little bit disappointing, but that’s normal. The result is both important and not, what’s important is to be here and to be part of it – but still it’s a little bit disappointing. I had a nice week, and it was great to represent France. My performance was a bit early in the show, but I was satisfied."
Brinck, Denmark (13)
"My experience of the Final was ... interesting. I’m surprised that I was number thirteen. And Ukraine and Spain were low in the list. And Malta got almost no points! But Iceland was well rewarded – I like them. I think that my kind of musicianship is something that takes a little more than three minutes. I could probably have given a little bit more on the night, this playback thing is not really me. I’ll do better next time."
Daniela Vares, lead vocalist, Portugal (15)
"It was great with the voting, if it’s Europe’s decision, that’s fabulous. We finished fifteenth, and we’ve only been playing together for eight months. If we can achieve all this in that time, it’s fantastic. But I don’t care about the places, the important thing is the friends that I’ve met. I will remember this contest as something very intense – it made me grow so much. You can’t ever imagine how much it made me grow. I was afraid of coming here, and afraid of going into television in Portugal. I’m very satisfied, I feel that I’ve resolved a problem for me."
Kejsi Tola, Albania (17)
"I’m fine, I’m so happy. But in fact, I expected a little bit more from the result. I’ve worked so much for this, but I don’t know what happened this time. I think that I represented my country in the a very good way – I’ve done my best."
Igor Cukrov, Croatia (18)
"It was great. I like Alexander and I’m glad that he won. It was a great show and a great night, I don’t have any regrets. I hope that I may win it one day in my life. I think that my performance was wonderful. Everyone in Croatia are proud of me, and that’s the point. You can’t control the results – they happen, and that’s the beauty of life."
Malena Ernman, Sweden (21)
"I feel great, I’m going home to my children now. I’m an opera singer and came to the Final, so to be number twenty one is about what I expected. I haven’t been that nervous. I was quite cool, this is fun for me rather than life and death. I’m absolutely content with my performance. And Norway was fantastic, really historic. The guy started crying in the end. That entry was really my favourite."
Waldo, male lead vocalist, Finland (25)
"The stage show went perfect, we couldn’t have done it any better. We really enjoyed the whole performance. I will never ever forget this, it was such a huge experience. When I’m a granddad, I will tell about this to the children. Of course, this is the summit of my career. There were like one hundred and fifty million viewers, so I’m pretty sure there is a couple of hundred thousands who wants to buy our album. I’ve had the flu all the time during the contest, but it didn’t affect me. I’ve done so much brain work with that – pure will power. I’m also much better now, but Karolina [female lead vocalist] had to take some cortisone shots. Since I’m rapping, I can do this even if I’m losing my voice, but her performance was magnificent. She went to the doctor yesterday, in the last rehearsal on Friday she totally lost her voice."
Image gallery: The Grand Final: backstage!
Photos from backstage and from the Green Room taken during the Grand Final of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest.
