Is Sweden even real?

Sometimes I wonder if it is something I dreamed up, because things happen there that are just too amazing to be believed. On their Idol programme they’re at the same point as X Factor, and last night was the first of the live finals. Last year was the first series I watched, and I remember loving the song choices, which were usually fairly modern, and often very obscure (so far this series there has been a Jojo album track, and a song by Lemar, who isn’t even known in Sweden), and enabled the acts to show how they would fit into the contemporary music scene. It’s quite the contrast to X Factor and American Idol where every week someone manages to cover Whitney or Mariah… and no-one’s yet done Vision of Love or the Thunderpuss mix of It’s Not Right But It’s OK.

Anyway, this week the Swedes have truly outdone themselves: This week the theme is songs by past Idol contestants! First up is Maltese Eurovision wannabe Kevin Borg, singing Natalie by Ola!! I have always imagined how X Factor or American Idol could do this theme, but neither has had enough good songs to achieve it, and it shows what a fantastic show Idol is that they can easily do it. I’m curious as to what the beautiful Lars is going to do, though, since no serious indie artists have come out of Idol’s past series. I can’t wait to see if someone will do On and On, and surely something by Darin will need to be included, as the biggest selling Idol act? Yay yay yay!

Edit: OH NO! I have been fooled!! They aren’t singing songs from past Idols, just from the years when Idol has existed, i.e. the last 4. It was just chance that the first song was by an Idol act. It’s still a nice theme, but I’m so sad that there won’t be Darin, Danny or Agnes songs after all. Sigh…

Edit 2: This is very upsetting. Lars is singing James Blunt! As lovely as he is, if I was only listening and not watching, this would be officially the most horrific thing on a talent show since Clay Aitken. Very sad indeed.

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