Whilst we wait for the results, an itching question occurred to me that perhaps applies to more participants than I once anticipated, and that is the idea of choosing an artist on more than one occasion to represent your nation in the contest. As we have seen from the 2023 Eurovision winner this year, Loreen has proven that it can be a good idea to go with a proven formula rather than taking a risk with an unknown name. So what’s your verdict? Have you self-recycled before and would you do it again in the future? Is it a last resort when you can’t find anything else or would others consider it to be a cheap decision to make?

 

Thoughts on a postcard whilst we wait for semi results x

I try to avoid it but I've self-recycled four times before: Animal Collective, Air France, Korallreven and Teengirl Fantasy. I can definitely justify the latter because the two tracks I entered are very different, the others are because I loved them at the time.

 

To be fair I've been doing this for basically 15 years and the lineup of participants has changed a lot in that time so they might feel different to others. I doubt anyone notices or cares too much if there is a long enough gap.

Edited October 30, 20231 yr by Harve

I'll also avoid self-recycling unless that artist(s) flopped hard previously

I recycled D-Block & S-te-Fan last year, but with a different subgenre. Not sure if I'd like to self-recycle another one because I got plenty of artists yet to be sent.

I've never sent an artist to the main contest more than once before but did win a spin-off with SOLDOUT and then DNQed with them in the main contest that was within my first year of competing. I don't think I would ever repeat the same artist in the main contest as it's more satisfying for me to potentially introduce people to a new artist each time

I’ve self recycled twice in the main contest, Perfume and Twenty One Pilots (my anniversary artist).

 

I’ve also recycled Tempura Kidz when including spin-offs!

PLENTY :lol: Leww laughed at me for doing it last contest, cos I've done it several times THIS YEAR.

 

Smith & Thell - Kill It With Love (26th) / Illusion (8th) / Goliath (1st)

Dani Sylvia - She Swam Higher (2nd) / Youth (15th)

Peking Duk - High (3rd) / Chemicals (10th)

SVEA - Good At Losing (12th) / Dead Man Walking (3rd)

Elin Lanto - Discotheque (4th) / Toy Boy (23rd)

Dotter - Backfire (7th) / No Room For Love (3rd)

COBRAH - WET (23rd) / Dip N Drip (9th)

 

There might be more? But I don't think so. Smith & Thell clearly the most successful, getting better each time!

I generally don't from the main contest (I can't comment on others from the site ;D). I have done twice, We Are All Astronauts and Varien, the former didn't get me a good result and in retrospect, I don't feel I was necessary, but I do feel the latter was justified as A Pale White Horse was a completely different sound to Lilith and I wanted to right the injustice of that DNQing by clerical error.

 

I'd generally only do it if the sound is very different or enough time has passed that they could appeal to a new audience (Most of my recycles between song contests I can usually justify with those as well x).

Kölsch springs immediately to mind for me. I don't think there has been any others of mine in the main contest but I could be wrong.

 

 

edit - just remembered Rex the Dog also

Only a few times, and only one was a true straight recycle that wasn’t an anniversary entry. As a rule I try and avoid recycles of my own and other people’s artists if I can avoid it.

 

Mira Craig - Headhunted (DNQ) followed Maria and Mira - Mine All Mine (3rd) - this didn’t work out so well, oops!

 

Sheelah - The Last Time (1st) followed Sheelah - Psycho (1st) - I had a feeling they might win again as it sounded much bigger than Psycho which had already won :lol: of course these days it would be a clear veto as there wasn’t even a year between the two…

 

Delta Goodrem - Take Me Home (17th) followed Delta Goodrem - Believe Again (17th) and Hunters and the Wolves (2nd) - two of these were anniversary entries, which I figure is an exception

 

FIZZ - High In Brighton (35th) followed Pomplamoose feat dodie - Monster (DNQ) - I can’t help how much I love dodie, BuzzJack definitely does not though so I will rest her from now on but check out the FIZZ album for colourful pop and unexpected shades of Queen

I try not to - I have only done an artist recycle on here once (Babet; I think it was because my original entry was either already taken or vetoed?). I also try not to recycle an artist I've submitted into the PJSC contests, but have failed there a few times hehehe (Dolly Dots, Helene Fischer, Rondé)

I try to send entirely new artists to the site almost all of the time. I self-recycled BROCKHAMPTON for my 100th anniversary though, and I have sent Joe Goddard both as a solo artist and as a member of The 2 Bears. I also self-recycled one of my past Unknown Pleasures artists once (Yung Lean), and I sent James Blake to 2 different BJFestivalens.

Apart from my anniversary entries - that would be Pet Shop Boys - ive only done it once. Kishi Bashi, but i felt it was a pointless thing to do at the end of the day when theres so many options available. I will recycle others artists but generally by accident as i usually dont check oops! :D

I think I might have the record for doing it the most times if Phil doesn’t LOL

Only The Naked And Famous but that was for an anniversary entry so that was more of a special thing 🤷‍♂️ otherwise it's been spin-off to main contest (Sibewest) or genre contest to main (Sublab) or vice versa (Panteros666), those are the ones that come to mind but there might be more that I'm missing idk

Literally doing it this month. This is Molly Sandén‘s 4th BJSC main contest, and 4th for Rd’Á…

 

In total over 159 contests, I reckon it’s about 30 total, excluding the original time the artist was sent. I’ll have to sit and lay it all out.

 

 

 

I’d be surprised if anyone had more. I would have more but Altyr and Ramrynia are particularly fond of raiding the Rd’Á spare parts bin before I get a chance to do so myself

Not yet but I might semi-recycle one particular artist within the next few contests....

It's four times for me in the main contest with Anathema, Big Big Train, Archive and Marillion.

I have not personally recycled before. I don't see the point even if I thought I had a surefire formula for a hit, I would rather give some other artist the opportunity to have a go. That said, it could happen one day when I have entered another 50 artists, and I have no idea what artist will be my anniversary entrant yet, that should be an interesting one to decide eventually.

I have and definitely will again I'm sure, some artists just deserve to have more hype around them and it can come down to the song so why not try a few? I don't think there's any shame in it tbh I really want to send an artist I've sent twice already but I'm just not sure on the song, their newer stuff is so so good though