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UK: Meet the participants
Below are extracts of the artist biographies from the BBC website. Click here to visit the site now to read the full biographies and listen to extracts of the six songs battling for the United Kingdom's ticket to Eurovision.
BIG BROVAS
Big Brovaz first broke through into the UK charts in October 2002 with their debut single ‘Nu Flow’. It was an instant hit all over Europe and particularly in the UK where it made it to the top three. The group’s success has continued with a further four singles making it into the UK top ten and their debut album also entitled ‘Nu Flow’ was certified platinum in the UK. Their success led the band to win two Mobo’s (Best Newcomer and Best UK Act of the year), Smash Hits (Best Urban Act) alongside Capital Radio and Disney awards.
After being locked up in a studio for two years, Big Brovaz are back as a four piece with members Nadia, Cherise, J-Rock and Randy. Big Brovaz are confident they can take Eurovision to a new level with their not-so-traditional-Eurovision style.
BRIAN HARVEY
Brian Harvey started his musical career as one fourth of the hugely successful pop band East 17 in 1992. Taking their name from the area of London in which they lived East 17 were born and in August of 1992 their first single House Of Love was released and went straight into the top ten. From then on a succession of 17 other singles and six albums followed including the million selling single Stay Another Day which hit the Christmas number one spot in 1994 and stayed in the charts for 16 weeks.
Brian says he was ‘thrilled’ to be asked to perform on Making Your Mind Up and his East 17 band mates are supporting him all the way, “they will all be voting for me on the night!” Some people might think Eurovision is a world away from Brian’s image of an east end lad but he says: “There is something about the scale of this competition which grabs people’s imagination. It’s like a national treasure and I am very excited to be a part of it.” He remembers Eurovision from his younger days recalling the moment the Bucks Fizz girls had their skirts ripped off. I got very embarrassed and left the room, I didn't want my parents to catch me watching it.”
CYNDI
Cyndi Almouzni first realised she wanted to be a singer when she saw the breathtaking performance of Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You from the film ‘The Bodyguard’. She practised her own vocal techniques to this track at first singing to herself, then her family and then in school. This led to her parents sending her to singing school followed by private lessons.
Steve Allen, A&R at Sony BMG, first discovered Cyndi after hearing her vocals on a dance track and believed he was listening to the sampled voice of an American soul diva. The track I’ll Take My Heart has been produced by renowned Grammy award winning producer Brian Rawling.
HAWKINS & BROWN
Justin Hawkins is best known to most as the former lead singer and guitarist from multi award-winning rock band The Darkness. His soaring falsetto lead the group to major chart success with a string of top ten hits and two platinum albums in the UK as well as three Brit awards in 2004 for Best Act, Best Rock Act and Best Album for Permission to Land. And then he left.
Hailing from the Midlands, Beverlei has worked as a professional singer alongside many top names in the industry including Chaka Khan, Blur, Jamiroquai, Lemar, Joe Cocker and Razorlight. She is considered to be one of the finest vocalists around. Although Justin and Beverlei are both currently unsigned to any record label, this track is destined to appear on a future Beverlei Brown album.
LIZ McCLARNON
Since Atomic Kitten took a break in spring 2004, Liz has been on one big roller coaster ride of adventures with her debut solo single the Robin Gibb produced “Woman in Love” hitting the top five in February 2006. In recording her debut album her song writing travels have taken her from Liverpool to London, Los Angeles to New York and across Europe.
Liz will perform her self penned single (Don't It Make You) Happy! which she believes can give the UK a much needed lift at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007. "Happy! is a huge, upbeat song from the heart which I think will give everyone a lift when they hear it and see the performance,” says Liz. “Lyrically it’s as positive a message as you can get. Eurovision has always been a big event in our household. It’s the musical event I have the earliest memories of and to actually be in with the chance of representing the UK is so exciting!”
SCOOCH
Scooch scored four top 20 hits including the massive top five single More Than I Needed to Know, culminating in their album “Four Sure”. In their time together they performed alongside Christina Aguilera, Kylie, Westlife and Ronan Keating to name but a few. Their success wasn’t just limited to the UK either, with number ones in various countries worldwide.
So why have they decided to reform for Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up? Russ said: “Last year’s winners Lordi showed that it’s about the whole performance and that’s what we were always known for. We decided to do it because we felt it was our job to bring Eurovision back to its former glory. The UK hasn’t done too well of late and we’re taking it back to pure pop music. We’re the Buck’s Fizz for this generation – pure pop is going to bring the Eurovision back to the UK. We’ve got a catching song, fantastic costumes and a great dance routine, but you’ll have to wait till the night for any tricks.”
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http://homepage.ntlw(...)p%202007%20songs.htm
Anybody still having difficulty finding the songs they're at the above link.
I'd go for the pure piano version of "I Can".... this is music and because there are no drums there is not so much similarity to the likes of R.Kelly. The piano version stands out and is more in the tradition of a good old Elton John song.....
So where can I watch the video interviews promised?
I have heard 5 of the 6 songs (can't find a link for Scooch anywhere).
Here's what I think:
'Hawkins and Brown' : Great song, sounds world's apart from the usual UK final stuff. I think this song stands out, but I don't think it's strong enough to win ESC.
'Brian Harvey': The song is very R.Kelly "I Believe I Can Fly". I like it but it starts to become irritating as his voice is so high for such a long time. There could be people that become really irritated by it too. I think it would be a high scorer or a flunker. It could go either way.
'Cyndi': Wow... what a beautiful song. It sounds like it was pulled directly from the Titanic soundtrack. It sounds like a Ireland entry. Ironic if this gets chosen in the UK final (being on St. Patrick's Day). I think this is quality. It may not be up-to-date but it would score well. I'd be pleased to support this one.
'Liz McNarnon': I was a bit disappointed with this. I really don't think it stands out at all. It's so forgettable. It sounds like a Jackson 5 intro, but then does nothing much. It's still better than the usual UK final songs, but not best of this bunch. Really don't want this to be chosen. We would not make Top 10 with this.
'Big Brovaz': OH MY GOD! This has to be the song. It made me sit up straight and listen. This would be such a milestone for the UK. It would be the first time in YEARS that UK would have sent something actually with the aim of going for the Number spot. I think this would be a real contender for the title. I love typical Eurovision, and don't normally got this kinda music but it's such a cool chorus and makes me dance and move every time I hear it. The first time I heard it was the WOW factor, that counts in Eurovision.
'Scooch': Not heard it, but have heard about the lyrics. I wait with baited breath. Hehehe.
I haven't heard any of the songs yet but they look like they will be better than last year, all of which were terrible. The problem is the UK just don't take this contest seriously enough when you compare how seriously many countries take theire prreselection heats.
Im voting Justin and Beverly but to be honest I wouldnt mind Big Brovaz having a go, Not my type of music but I think it would give us a fair chance..
MARIA'S OF EUROPE UNITE AND VOTE SARBEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!
Maria is a very popular female given name in many diverse cultures, including Spanish, Italian, Greek, Russian, Portuguese, German, Polish, English, and Bulgarian. It became popular with the spread of Christianity as a Europeanized form of the Hebrew name of Jesus' mother Maryam, which means "eminent lady" (or "beloved lady" 
, although it was used even before the establishment of Christianity as a female form of the Roman name Marius.
As a first name, Maria ranked SEVENTH out of 4,275 for females of all ages. Because of its enduring popularity, the name is used extensively throughout society and media throughout the world!!!
Some famous Maria's:
Religious
Maria, Mother of Jesus
Maria Magdalena, disciple of Jesus
Maria Salomé, disciple of Jesus
Maria Betânia, sister of Lazarus
Maria al-Qibtiyya, wife or concubine of the Islamic prophet Muhammad
Nobility
Maria I of Portugal, Queen of Portugal
Maria II of Portugal, Queen of Portugal
Maria Amalia of Austria, Duchess of Parma
Maria Fyodorovna, Dowager Empress of Russia and Princess of Denmark
Maria Nikolayevna Romanova, Grand Duchess of Russia
Maria Leopoldina of Austria, Empress of Brazil and Archduchess of Austria
Maria I Stuart, Queen of Scotland
Maria I Tudor, Queen of England and Ireland
Maria Tudor, Queen Consort of France
Maria Augusta, Queen Consort of England and Empress of India
Maria Antonieta, Queen Consort of France
Maria Teresa, Empress of Austria
Maria Carolina, Empress of Austria
Actors
Maria Avdjuško, Estonian actress
Maria Bello
Roxann Maria Caballero, American actress and director
Maria Ozawa, Japanese AV actress
Singers/bands
Maria (Bulgarian singer), Bulgarian singer
Maria (singer), a Danish R&B singer
Maria Mena, Norwegian pop singer
Maria Lawson, a contestant on The X Factor UK in 2005
Maria (Japanese Band), Japanese band
Athletes
Maria Kanellis, professional wrestler working for World Wrestling Entertainment
Maria Kirilenko, Russian tennis player
Maria Mutola
Maria Sharapova, Russian tennis player, Wimbledon Champion
Maria Elena Camerin, Italian tennis player
Maria Khan, Pakistani squash player
Maria Hussain, Pakistani wrestler,Winner of kabbadi for women,2007
Models
Maria, French supermodel
Television hosts
Maria Menounos, Access Hollywood presenter
Songs
María, Ricky Martin
M (song), Ayumi Hamasaki
Maria, Rage Against the Machine
Maria, US5
Maria (1956 song), West Side Story
Maria, Gackt
Maria, The Sound of Music
Maria (Blondie song), Blondie
Maria (Green Day song), Green Day
Maria (I Like it Loud), Scooter
Maria Maria, Santana and The Product G&B
Maria no Tsumeato Janne da Arc
My Maria, B.W. Stevenson
They Call the Wind Maria, Paint Your Wagon
Maria, Café Tacuba
Maria, Men at Work
Any more to add????
YASSOU MARIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!! Love from Greece!
BBC you make me sick. Every year for the past few years I have gone away for my birthday weekend 2nd March and had to record the contest or have the result texted to me. This year Im going away 14th March for 2 weeks and you flout the rules to put on your crappy annual effort. Tis shower will not make the top 20, but hope they choose the one from the Darkness. We may as well send any unusual stuff even if its rubbish. How very dare you continue with putting in crap selections year after year and then say Europe has strange taste etc.
Having listened to all the full versions apart from Scooch, and if the live version comes up to the standard of the recording its got to be Cyndi for Helsinki. For the first time in years I've got really excited about a possible entry from the UK. Brian Harvey is OK, Liz Mclarnon is instantly forgetable, Big Brovaz is not my kind of music but could do well (unfortunately). Hawkins & Brown is a strange one, which could all hang on the live perfomance, which I'm sure will be rather exentric. Cyndi will be a breath of fresh air, a good strong power ballad with class, exactley what the UK has lacked over the past few years.
Enough moaning about the UK contenders please! Let's cast our minds back 15, 20 years ago when we had little more than a glorified club singers' talent contest called Song for Europe. How things have moved on. Accept it: internationally renowned British artists will never risk their reputations at Eurovision. This year's line up is the best MYMU has come up with so far. Let's wait to see the performances before slagging them off! On the basis of hearing the clips my votes are as follows:
1. Cyndi
2. Brian Harvey
3. Justin and Beverlei
4. Scooch
5 Liz McClarnon
6. Big Brovaz
IN MY OPINION THE TICKE TTO HELSINKI STANDS BETWEEN BIG BROO AND SCOOCH
they played a very brief clip of brian cindi and justin and beverlei
Did they play any of the songs?
cyndi looked the classiest of the guest
Cyndi was on Richard and Judy as well. she's French which could be a first for the uk and her song sounded very strong. Still not sure about Hawkins and Brown, sounds a little bizarre but the performance on the night could make the difference. "I Can" is very good and catchy, it would make a change for the UK to send a male ballad. I think all three would stand out in Helsinki. Looking forward to the 17th.
If anyone is interested, Justin Hawkins and Brian Harvey are about to appear on Richard and Judy.
The first 2 songs of the UK:
Big Brovaz
http://rapidshare.co(...)_-_Big_Bro_Thang.mp3
Brian Harvey
http://rapidshare.co(...)n_Harvey_-_I_can.mp3
______________________________ ___________________
Check out my site for more downloads of all the countries:
http://eurovisionfan.blogspot.com/
on the Amstrerdam radio station's website magic94.2fm,they have a link to Bigbrovas website,and on there it's listed as a new single.and also it has been hving months of airplay on that radio station's play list long before,they were choosen as potential U.K representative's.to me it seem's a strange process.
Big Brovaz must be a joke act - surely? No one takes that sort of puerile posturing seriously.
Brian Harvey comes across as a good egg - but he's very much a has-been.
Cyndi is an unknown, and that's how she'll remain.
Liz McClarnon is just another blond, booty-shaking, identikit pop-chic, instantly forgettable despite her band's contrived success. ALL Atomic Kitten's music was bland, boring and entirely insubstantial. Success in the UK does not mean success elsewhere; people in other countries have ears.
Scooch is music for seven-year-olds with lax standards.
It has to be Hawkins and Brown. They have at least some ACTUAL talent and ought to be different enough to stand out. If they are chosen it could be an upper-mid-table position for the UK this year, which would mean success. If someoene else is chosen it will be another very low score for the UK and more of the usual Balkan-bashing.
Wow! Justin Hawkins! That'll be something new for UK in Eurovision. Go for him and his duet partner! 
Hawkns & Brown is the only sensible choice if the clips on the BBC site are anything to go by (and yes, I know they only represent 1/6th of each song). Everything else seems mediocre at best or plain awful at worst (i.e. Scooch).
Interesting collective.
Brian Harvey's song is the only one I have heard so far and I think it is quite a good song, but it's not a winner.
I remember seeing Scooch on Live and Kicking a few years ago
Ok,everyone from UK - you must be very happy to have such a participant for your Eurovision contest! No one from all over the world could deny the talent of your singers and you should be happy you have them. The unique voive of Brian Harvey is your chance to win the Eurovison!!! So go on and send there your boy! Good luck!
Finally! Some news! I have not had internet access, and this computer I'm using has no earphone shocket, but I have quite a good feeling about this year. This should really raise the profile in the UK (last year MYMU was ignored by all the 'recomended' TV listings), and while we might not get Liverpool 2008, it should be a vast improvement. I think Cyndi should sing under a new stagename though-Cyndi sounds a bit of a rough name! She might have a good song though
I thought Eurovision rules said that it was only songs that where comercially available as a single before any decision on who would represent a country would be disqualified. For instance they couldn't send OK or Favourite things but Big Brovaz could send Big Bro Thang coz it isn't comercially available yet as a single!
Re:Big Brovas,they are a very talented act,but that song "big brova thing" breaks the rules of Eurovision,as Magic radio in Amsterdam,has being playing that song for over 2months,i heard it there in there recently,and after i returned i listend online,and they still play it.that song should be disqualified.
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