Nicolas' Neighbour in the Internatia Song Contest

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Nicolas' Neighbour
Flag
Member stationBNN
National selection eventsFestival di Neighbouria; Aobour Fest; Tamar Fest
Participation summary
Appearances128
First appearanceISC 1st
Best result1st: ISC 40, ISC 124, ISC 127, ISC 136
Worst result26th SF: ISC 112,

Nicolas' Neighbour (formally Nicolas' Neigbour), often shortened to NN, is one of the eight countries that participated in the very first edition of the Internatia Song Contest. Due to internal struggles the country withdrew from the 2nd edition, and fell into a Civil War soon after. After the War and due to San Monique's persistence to make NN rejoin, the country decided to return for the 7th edition. It has taken part ever since, missing only 2 editons. After a successful return in ISC 7 , where it achieved a third place, Nicolas' Neighbour has seen mixed results. It qualified for the final only 34 out of 57 times, but reached the top 5 seven times. It came close to winning several times, and won the first Semi Final of the 28th edition. After 32 attempts however, it finally managed to win the contest, with the band Delta Rae. Interest in the contest, from both broadcaster and public, remains unexpectedly high, with very stable viewing figures. Most of the acts have been internally chosen, which BNN found the best way to select artists. They were proven right when the winner of the first ever National final, Young Wonder, failed to qualify for the final. For recent editions however, NN has cooperated with RTRVA from Aonach on several joint NF's, called Aobour Fest. NN also participates in another joint-NF, called Tamar Fest, which takes place yearly. Other nations that participated are Kaledonii, Haven and Saint Eva & Lepland, among others. NN took part in a joint NF with Kimmystan and Oalia once too. These NF's have led to great results for NN, as well as bigger interest from the public.

Contestants

Table key

  Winner   Second place   Third place   Last place   Disqualified   Jury qualifier   Did not compete

Edition Artist Title Language Place Points Semi Points
1st United States Keri Hilson "Pretty Girl Rock" English 7 29
No Semi-Finals
Did not participate from 2nd to 6th edition
7th Japan KOKIA "Follow The Nightingale" Japanese 3 98
8th Greece Despina Vandi "Girismata" Greek Failed to qualify 12 47
9th United Kingdom CHVRCHES "The Mother We Share" English 12 80 6 70
10th China Sa Dingding "快乐节" Chinese 12 76 12 62
11th Ireland Imelda May "Mayhem" English 22 44 8 63
12th Netherlands Laura Jansen "Queen Of Elba" English 18 96 8 70
13th United States The Killers "Runaways English 18 85 11 60
14th Denmark Mads Langer "Overgir Mig Langsomt" Danish 24 56 9 75
15th Albania Besa Kokedhima "Kalorësi i natës" Albanian Failed to qualify 16 49
16th Norway Eva & The Heartmaker "Signals" English 21 72 5 84
17th Japan Kalafina "Aria" Japanese 8 123 2 102
18th Denmark "Pilgrim" English Failed to qualify 22 41
19th Netherlands Ilse Delange "Just Kids" English Failed to qualify 17 38
20th
Did Not Compete
21st Ireland Young Wonder "To You" English Failed to qualify 22 39
22nd Finland Janna "Sä Et Ole Hullu" Finnish Failed to qualify 14 52
23rd Norway Highasakite "Leaving No Traces" English 3 142 2 92
24th China Alan "Ode To The Himalaya" Chinese 23 78 10 61
25th United States HAIM "The Wire" English Failed to qualify 17 48
26th Jamaica/Ukraine Andru Donalds & Eugenia Vlasova "Wind Of Hope" English Failed to qualify 19 51
27th Spain Vetusta Morla "Fuego" Spanish Failed to qualify 25 18
28th Australia Sheppard "Geronimo" English 5 161 1 93
29th Sweden Marlene "Indian Summer" English 15 120 2 98
30th France Jenifer "Sur Le Fil" French 2 153 9 65
31st Netherlands Epica "Tides Of Time" English 17 95 6 70
32nd Denmark Nabiha "Animals" English Failed to qualify 14 51
33rd Israel Shiri Maimon "Kshehalachta" Hebrew 23 82 12 59
34th Belgium Selah Sue "Reason" English Failed to qualify 20 45
35th
Did Not Compete
36th United States Sufjan Stevens "Death With Dignity" English 27 69 8 69
37th Italy Annalisa "Vincerò" Italian Failed to qualify 15 51
38th United Kingdom Florence + The Machine "Queen of Peace" English 10 119 10 66
39th Italy Deborah Iurato "Da Sola" Italian Failed to qualify 19 42
40th United States Delta Rae "Chasing Twisters" English 1 165 1 98
41st United Kingdom CHVRCHES "Leave A Trace" English 16 104 12 50
42nd United States The Piano Guys "Beethoven's 5 Secrets" Instrumental 12 121 Host Country
43rd Sweden Lisa Nilsson & Joakim Berg "Innan Vi Faller" Swedish 12 112 10 68
44th Sweden Kate Boy "Midnight Sun" English Failed to qualify 18 49
45th Iceland Alda "Heim" Icelandic Failed to qualify 19 42
46th South Africa St. Lucia "Rescue me" English Failed to qualify 24 31
47th Norway Kristian Kristensen "Kan Du Lære Mæ?" Norwegian Failed to qualify 17 48
48th Norway Highasakite "Someone Who'll Get It" English 17 98 9 71
49th United States The Lumineers "Sleep On The Floor" English Failed to qualify 23 30
50th Japan Joe Hisaishi "The Legend of Ashitaka Theme" Instrumental 8 135 7 78
51st Netherlands Démira "Fountain" English Failed to qualify 17 49
52nd United States Ingrid Michaelson "Light Me Up" English Failed to qualify 18 46
53rd New Zealand The Naked and Famous "Higher" English 2 167 5 79
54th Denmark Agnes Obel "Familiar" English 5 152 3 91
55th Ireland Lisa Hannigan "What'll I Do" English Failed to qualify 21 41
56th Netherlands Kensington "Do I Ever" English 14 114 2 89
57th China Sa Ding Ding "自由行走的花" Chinese 13 105 9 74
58th United States LP "Tokyo Sunrise" English 20 100 8 70
59th Denmark SAVEUS "Levitate Me" English 23 87 7 66
60th Sweden Lisa Miskovsky "Got A Friend" English 21 90 6 75
61st Netherlands Thomas Azier "Gold" English 15 102 9 63
62nd Sweden Miss Li "Aqualung" English 2 171 4 85
63rd United Kingdom London Grammar "Bones of Ribbon" English Failed to qualify 19 50
64th United Kingdom Betsy "Little White Lies" English 19 95 9 72
65th Finland Sanni "Kelpaat Kelle Vaan" Finnish 9 132 4 81
66th United Kingdom Tokio Meyers "Bloodstream" English 20 106 4 77
67th
Did Not Compete
68th Japan Aimer "ONE" Japanese/English Failed to qualify 25 28
69th United States ODESZA "A Moment Apart" English 2 149 1 96
70th Sweden Ionnalee "GONE" English 7 131 4 79
71st United Kingdom Wildwood Kin "Run" English Failed to qualify 25 24
72nd Sweden Miriam Bryant "Black Car" English 2 158 1 106
73rd France Nolwenn Leroy "Cassé" French 20 96 9 70
74th Australia Sheppard "Coming Home" English 6 142 8 75
75th United States Panic! at the Disco "Dancing's Not a Crime" English Failed to qualify 21 31
76th France Aöme "Mille Couronnes" French 19 102 4 86
77th United States Dixie Chicks "Not Ready To Make Nice" English 4 165 1 94
78th France ZAZ "Qué Vendrá" French 22 91 6 81
79th United Kingdom Bryde "To Be Brave" English Failed to qualify 13 59
80th Ireland Talos "The Light Upon Us" English Failed to qualify 14 56
81st Italy Malika Ayane "Ricomincio Da Qui" Italian Failed to qualify 13 57
82nd United Kingdom Yola "Faraway Look" English Failed to qualify 15 58
83rd Belgium Lea Rue "Watching You" English 5 157 3 90
84th United States Raign "Now I Can Fly" English 26 70 8 76
85th United Kingdom Sam Fender "Hypersonic Missiles" English Failed to qualify 18 48
86th
Did Not Compete
87th Israel Lola Marsh "Echoes" English 3 171 1 104
88th United States Lauran Daigle "You Say" English 2 156 1 96
89th Ireland Bill Whelan "Riverdance" English 2 140 10 69
90th Germany Lilly Among Clouds "Closeness" English 6 131 3 83
91st Norway Julie Bergan "Bored" English 18 104 6 77
92nd United States Suzanne Vega "Luca" English 10 123 2 88
93rd Ireland Lilla Vargen "Why Wait" English Failed to qualify 23 33
94th United States The Killers "Caution" English Failed to qualify 21 49
95th Belgium IBE "Perfect Storm" English Failed to qualify 25 29
96th Denmark Myrkur "Ella" Danish 7 136 1 101
97th Sweden Last Night On Earth "Dancing My Tears Away" English Failed to qualify 14 56
98th China Circle 9 & Hi Chinese Orchestra & Thousand Fingers "權御天下" Chinese 27 80 7 75
99th Germany Roosevelt "Sign" English Failed to qualify 20 36
100th United Kingdom Nothing But Thieves "Impossible" (orchestral version) English 9 129 7 67
101st Netherlands Kovacs "Mata Hari" English Failed to qualify 14 50
102nd Chile Karla Grunewaldt "Ahora Es Tiempo" Spanish 9 134 1 90
103rd Russia Отава ё "Ой, Дуся, ой, Маруся" Russian Failed to qualify 13 59
104th United States Grace Mitchell "NOW" English 12 129 8 68
105th United States Sofi Tukker "House Arrest" English 14 119 13 57
106th Germany Purple Disco Machine ft. Sophie and the Giants "Hypnotized" English 4 144 6 78
107th
Did Not Compete
108th Spain Rozalén "Y Busqué" Spanish 16 104 4 78
109th France Suzane "Il est où le SAV?" French Failed to qualify 15 56
110th Japan Joe Hisaishi "Merry-Go-Around of Life" Instrumental 4 155 6 80
111th Belgium Bazart "Denk Maar Niet Aan Morgen" Dutch Failed to qualify 24 34
112th Sweden Miss Li "Tidsmaskin" Swedish Failed to qualify 26 31
113th Sweden Alba August "Killing Time" English 5 155 7 69
114th United Kingdom Florrie "Street Lights" English Failed to qualify 14 57
115th Norway Moyka "When" English 11 123 5 78
116th Netherlands S10 "Maria" Dutch Failed to qualify 22 44
117th United States LP "Cling To Me" English Failed to qualify 19 46
118th
Did Not Compete
119th United States Dorothy "Black Sheep" English 18 105 7 68
120th United Kingdom Kawala "Ticket to Ride" English Failed to qualify 25 19
121th Norway Highasakite "God Don't Leave Me" English 12 116 5 73
122nd France Clara Luciani "Respire Encore" French 13 114 6 78
123rd Norway Michelle Ullestad "Emelie" Norwegian Failed to qualify 23 37
124th United Kingdom Jessie Ware "Free Yourself" English 1 204 4 85
125th Denmark Saveus "Rainman" English 13 125 12 54
126th Netherlands Haevn "Trade It For The Night" English 16 113 Host Country
127th Finland Benjamin "N-Y-T" Finnish 1 185 1 105
128th France La Zarra "Tu t'en Iras" French 8 132 3 91
129th Slovenia Natalija Verboten "Zapoj Slovenija" Slovene 20 103 Host Country
130th United States Lissie "Night Moves" English 18 103 8 67
131th United States Ella Vos "Mindreader" English 20 101 8 65
132nd
Did Not Compete
133th Netherlands Altin Gün "Badi sabah olmadan" Turkish 20 98 3 90
134th United Kingdom Georgia "All Night" English Failed to qualify 18 38
135th Belgium Mentissa "Mamma Mia" French 20 109 3 77
136th Sweden Swedish House Mafia "Ray of Solar" English 1 187 2 83
137th United Kingdom LOWES "Bloodstream" English 9 125 2 96
138th France Jane Birkin "She Left Home" Instrumental 27 64 Host Country
139th United States Walk of the Earth ft. Linsdey Stirling "Long Way Home" English 3 148 5 73
140th Netherlands Wende & Froukje "Troostzoekers" Dutch

History

Internatia Song Contest 1

KOKIA, ISC 7, 3rd
Sa Ding Ding, ISC 10
Laura Jansen, ISC 14
Eva & The Heartmaker, ISC 16
Kalafina, ISC 17
Ilse Delange, ISC 19
Janna, ISC 22
Highasakite, 3rd in ISC 23 & ISC 48
HAIM, ISC 25
Vetusta Morla, ISC 27
Sheppard, ISC 28, 5th
Marlene, ISC 29
Jenifer, ISC 30, 2nd
Sufjan Stevens, ISC 36
Florence + The Machine, ISC 38
Delta Rae, ISC 40, Winner!
CHVRCHES, ISC 9 & 41
Lisa Nilsson & Joakim Berg, ISC 43
Joe Hisaishi, ISC 50
Demira, ISC 51
Naked & Famous, ISC 53, 2nd
Naked & Famous, ISC 54, 5th
LP, ISC 58
SAVEUS, ISC 59
Miss Li, ISC 62, 2nd
BETSY, ISC 64

Nicolas' Neighbour joined the very first ISC ever held. The song was internally chosen by the broadcaster, who at that time was under strict control of the government. The government decided that the song had to represent a feeling of superiority and unity, in line with a far bigger proppaganda program. The Song "Pretty Girl Rock", by Keri Hilson, was chosen. It was made into NN's national anthem, especially beacuse of the sentence: "Dont hate me because I'm Beautiful", which had a double meaning. It intended to tell the people of NN how pretty they were, and at the same time other countries to not judge the political system in NN. After the Revolution the song was abandoned, and Keri became anonymous. NN takes pride in the fact that they attended the first ISC edition, however.

Internatia Song Contest 7-21

After ISC 1 NN descended into civil war and did not participate for a long time in ISC. It was San Monique that convinced the reborn country to take part in ISC 7. Non other than Kokia, national legend, opted to go for NN and BNN, Broadcaster of NN, did not doubt for a second. Kokia had been at the top of the Music industry for over a decade, but her fame grew even bigger after the revolution. It was announced that she would represent NN with her song "Follow The Nightingale". Kokia achieved a 3rd place for NN, which resulted in mass crowds celebrating on the streets and a welcome ceremony for Kokia.

For ISC 8, BNN selected Despina Vandi internally. Despina comes from the southern province of Azubiwa, known for its folk music, where she is a big star. The song selected is called "Girismata". She did not manage to qualify. After the failure at ISC 8 BNN decided to take a different approach and selected young electro band CHVRCHES to participate in the ISC. The song was internally chosen as well, and turned out to be "The Mother We Share".

For ISC 10 Sa DingDing was chosen with the song "Xi Carnival". This is actually and old folk song, which has been around for ages and comes from the city of Xi. The city of Xi is the oldest city in NN and has a very big and old cultural history. The biggest anual event is the Xi Carnival, a festival which last 6 days and which is celebrated throughout the country. "Xi carnival" represents traditional Neighbourian music at its best. Expectations for Sa DingDing were huge, so her 12th place was a bit of a letdown, and BNN decided to not send huge stars again to the ISC. A variety of artists were sent, and NN managed to qualify 4 more times in a row for the final. Subsequently those entries ended at the bottom of the scoreboard, to the broadcasters' disappointment. It wasn't until ISC 17, when the the broadcaster picked the classy Kalafina trio to represent the country, that success was finally achieved again. After 10 editions the country was back in the top 10 again.

This succes did not last long though. In the two subsequent contests NN failed to qualify for the final, finishing in 17th and 23rd place, its worst results ever in the contest. BNN, thereafter decided to take a break from the contest, withdrawing from the 20th edition, in order to reinvent themselves and come up with a good scoring formula. After closely observing other country election procedures, BNN decided to hold an National Final for the fist time ever. BNN announced that the official name of NF would be the Festival di Neighbouria. It further announced that 5 artists would take part, each with one song. The winner would be decided by the Neighbourian Jury and any guest juries that would vote. In the end 12 guest juries voted, making a total of 13 jury votes. In the end Young Wonder was declared the winner, with a small margin over 2nd-placer Burhan G. As such, Young Wonder was sent to the ISC, while it was later announced that Burhan G would participate in ISSC 11.

Festival di Neighbouria
Order Participant Song Language Placing Points
1 Burhan G "Kalder Mig Hjem" Danish 2nd 84
2 Young Wonder "To You" English 1st 88
3 Claudia Debreij "Mag Ik Dan Bij Jou" Dutch 5th 66
4 Rasmus Seebach "Olivia" Danish 4th 74
5 Damien Rice "9 Crimes" English 3rd 78

At the ISC, Young Wonder did not manage to reach the final, prompting BNN to get rid of the National Final immediately.

Internatia Song Contest 22-30

For ISC 22, singer Janna was selected. Although she did not manage to qualify, her song received lots of support and the final results showed that Janna was very close to qualifying to the final. This gave BNN hope, yet it had not qualified for the final 4 times in a row now. Relieve finally came with the young indie band Highasakite. Not only did they bring NN to the final, they achieved a 3rd place, with 128 points, the best result of the country in the contest so far, being only 13 points away from actually winning. For ISC 24, BNN relied on the traditional music of NN once again, sending Alan with a classic ethnic ballad. Alan surprised friend and foe be qualifying to the ISC final. For ISC 25 the Indie girl trio HAIM was selected, after impressing a representative of BNN at a live concert, yet they were not able to qualify.

After an announcement for more cooperation on the national level between Aonach and NN, BNN accepted an invitation by RTVRA to participate in a joint NF. Although hesitant at first due to the bad result achieved by the previous NF winner, BNN saw an oppurtunity to profile itself more on the global field, as well as being able to host a bigger production. 4 artists were sent to Laírge, Aonach, to fight for a ticket to Yottoban in the very first Aobour Fest. In the end Andru Donalds & Evgenia Vlasova were picked for NN, while Aonach won the overall NF.

Aobour Fest 1
Order Participant Song Language Placing Points
1 Nicolas' Neighbour Linnea Henriksson "Min Stad" Swedish 7th 68
2 Aonach Elena Gheorghe "De Neinlocuit" Romanian 5th 72
3 Nicolas' Neighbour The Common Linnets "Lovers And Liars" English 3rd 85
4 Aonach Molly Sandén "Spread A Little Light" English 6th 69
5 Nicolas' Neighbour Árstíðir " Ljóð Í Sand" Icelandic 4th 75
6 Aonach Anna Tsuchiya "Rose" English 8th 62
7 Nicolas' Neighbour Andru Donalds & Evgenia Vlasova "Wind Of Hope" English 2nd 93
8 Aonach Laura Jansen & Tom Chaplin "Same Heart" English 1st 100

At the ISC, the duo did not manage to reach the final, much to the country's disappointment. The cooperation between RTVRA was deemed a success though and plans for more Joint NF's were made already.

Over the summer, Vetusta Morla, coming from the ethnically different Azubiwa, scored a monster hit with their album "Deriva". BNN, impressed with their succes and hungry for some good results again contracted Vetusta Morla to go to ISC. They were given free pick to choose the song and choose "Fuego". Although the single became platinum within no-time in NN, Vetusta Morla failed to make any impression at the Semi-final, getting NN's worst placing yet. BNN however, used the same method to select the artist for ISC 28, the band Sheppard, who, according to BNN, had more accesable songs. Though the Neighbourian public was sceptical about their participation, Sheppard finally brought NN back into the ISC final, even achieving the highest amount of points yet and within 3 points of the victory.

For ISC 29, BNN hosted the second Aobour Fest. This time held in Nan'ji, NN, 8 songs again battled for a ticket to ISC and the victory. This time NN was more succesful. grabbing 1st and 2nd place in the NF. Marlene was selected to go to Kosma, just in front of Hannah Pakarinen.

Aobour Fest 2
Order Participant Song Language Placing Points
1 Nicolas' Neighbour 2ne1 "Come Back" Korean 5th 69
2 Aonach ""Walk This Way" English 7th 63
3 Nicolas' Neighbour Hannah Pakarinen "Go Go" English 2nd 80
4 Nicolas' Neighbour Marlene "Indian Summer" English 1st 82
5 Aonach The Coronas "All The Others" English 8th 58
6 Aonach Kim-Lian "Garden Of Love" English 3rd 79
7 Aonach Inna Voronova "Ty Ne Moj"" Ukranian 6th 64
8 Nicolas' Neighbour Natalie "Nello Spechhio" Italian 4th 74

Marlene achieved as second place in the Semi Final, but could not follow up that great result in the Final were it only ended 15th. Due to the success of the joint NF's of Aonach and NN, BNN came up with the idea to use this format on a bigger scale. 4 befriended broadcasters were invited for a so-called super-NF (RTK, RTVA, HBC & ITVR). Response from all broadcasters was very positive and it was decided to hold a joint NF for ISC 30 with 5 countries. BNN, being a small broadcaster itself, happily passed the hosting over to RTK from Kaledonii, who hosted the NF in the city of Tamar.

Tamar Fest 1
Order Participant Song Language Placing Points
1 Aonach M83 "Midnight City" English 5th 92
2 Aonach Gabrielle Aplin "Salvation" English 4th 100
3 Haven Shawn Mendes "Life Of The Party" English 6th 54
4 Haven Brigitte Boisjoli "Mes Jambes à Ton Cou" French 9th 36
5 Irdminia Stina Girs "Mä tahdon tietää mitä rakkaus on" Finnish 3rd 102
6 Irdminia Poe "Haunted" English 8th 40
7 Kaledonii Zhana Bergendorff "Samuray" Bulgarian 1st 112
8 Kaledonii Sunidhi Chauhan "Aaja Nachle" Hindi 7th 42
9 Nicolas' Neighbour Jenifer "Sur Le Fil" French 2nd 102
10 Nicolas' Neighbour Kensington "War" English 10th 34

A total of 17 countries voted. Jenifer ended in a very respectable 2nd place, on 10 points from the winner from Kaledonii. Kensington fared much worse and ended last in the NF. Obviously, Jenifer won the right to go to ISC 30. After some concerns about their potential flop at ISCC, BNN still granted Kensington the right to go to ISSC, as "ISSC isn't as much about success as about just participating", according to sources in BNN. At ISC, Jenifer surprised friend and foe by grabbing the second place, just a couple of points short of the victory.

Internatia Song Contest 31-40

For the next two ISC's, BNN selected their candidate internally. For ISC 31, symphonic rock band Epica were chosen, who easily qualified and reached a respectable 17th place. This was in line with BNN's expectations, who wanted to show the musical diversity of NN in the ISC. For ISC 32, the choice fell on Nabiha, a strong vocalist, with her song "Anmials", which is a non-conventional pop-song. Sadly, Nabiha ended up 14th in the Semi, 2 places short of qualification to the final.

ISC 33 marked the return of Aobour Fest, the 3rd edition of this Joint National Final. Rules remained the same so 4 artists went to Lairge, Aonach, to battle against 4 Aonachian acts for the title. 11 nations from all over Internatia voted and gave us the following the results.

Aobour Fest 3
Order Participant Song Language Placing Points
1 Nicolas' Neighbour Shiri Maimon "Kshehalachta" Hebrew 1st 100
2 Nicolas' Neighbour Kent "La Belle Epoque" Swedish 4th 90
3 Aonach Gorgon City "Unmissable" English 8th 65
4 Aonach Ani Lorak "Medlenno" Ukrainian 1st 100
5 Aonach Laura Dogett "Old Faces" English 7th 66
6 Nicolas' Neighbour Mando Diao "Dance With Somebody" English 6th 78
7 Aonach Edurne "Painkiller" English 5th 84
8 Nicolas' Neighbour Jessie Ware "Champagne Kisses" English 3rd 96

With Both Ani Lorak & Shiri Maimon receiving exactly 100 points, both singers were crowned as winners of Aobour Fest, and both entries went on to represent their country in the ISC. At ISC, Shiri managed to scrape through the semi-final, and ended in the bottom 5 in the final.

Due to a reorganization, BNN's strategy was unclear for a couple of editions. For ISC 34 a last-minute decision was made. Selah Sue was chosen, based on her newly released album, but was not properly backed by BNN. As as result, Sue failed to make a dent at ISC and stayed in a Semi. Due to the backlash as a result of their messy selection procedure, BNN decided to withdraw for ISC 35 to get their act together. Although under severe pressure, BNN decided to take part in ISC 36. Protests arose when the public learned that the same selection commission that chose Selah Sue would select this artist as well, but BNN would not budge. Indie artist Sufjan Stevens was chosen, who has a style similar to Selah Sue. Against all odds, and with barely any home support, Sufjan managed to make it to the final. However, in the final Sufjan ended dead last, NN's first last place, leading again to complains.

Both the selection commission and the head of organization were fired, and a new team was assembled. They agreed to focus more on pop music, as that was what did well with both the public and at ISC. Although their first attempt was a failure, in ISC 38, NN made the top 10 again with Florence + The Machine. Her good placement brought back interest from both the public and BNN, which had been sliding over the last editions. In order to keep the interest, another edition of Aobour Fest was proposed, and Aonach gladly accepted.

Aobour Fest 4
Order Participant Song Language Placing Points
1 Aonach Elle Eyre "Together" English 6th 76
2 Nicolas' Neighbour Smallpools "Killer Whales" English 8th 67
3 Nicolas' Neighbour Dotan "Hungry" English 3rd 83
4 Aonach Amel Bent "Délit" French 1st 89
5 Aonach Katarina Grujic "Lutka" Serbian 7th 71
6 Nicolas' Neighbour Deborah Iurato "Da Sola " Italian 2nd 84
7 Aonach Kodaline "Honest" English 4th 77
8 Nicolas' Neighbour The Asteroids Galaxy Tour "Heart Attack" English 5th 77

At ISC 39, Both Deborah and Amelie failed to qualify. Nonetheless, BNN considered Aobour Fest a success in terms of viewing ratings. This remains the last edition of Aobour Fest to date though.

For ISC 40, Delta Rae was chosen, with the song Chasing Twisters. BNN considered a good mix between pop & Indie, and there were even some feelings of having discovered a potential winner. Most of the staff at BNN did not believe the band would do so well though, and aimed at another top 10 placement. Delta Rae easily placed for the final, and rumors began to surface that NN was seen as a frontrunner (although these were mainly spread by Tonallan). Tension started to rise in both BNN & NN, although most remained skeptic. After a very close voting, NN came from behind to claim victory, with 1 point more than Alma Livre.

Internatia Song Contest 41-50

In ISC 41, CHVRCHES, who represented NN in ISC 12, was the first act to represent NN twice. With their song Leave a Trace they were expected to give NN a top-10 placing. The subsequent 16th place thus was a disappointment, as was the 12th place in the Semi-Final. ForISC 42 a second edition of the 5 nation Tamar Fest was planned, but due to winning the 40th edition the entrant for ISC 42 was be selected internally. The selected entrant turned out to be the Piano Guys, who defended the home team with honor and ended on a very respectable 12th place. The second multi-nation NF was again held in Tamar, Kaledonii. 4 nations participated, with Haven dropping out of the NF. Lisa Nilsson & Joakim Berg placed second and won the right to represent NN in Noxus.

Tamar Fest 2
Order Participant Song Language Placing Points
1 Aonach Louane "Nos Secrets" French 1st 112
2 Aonach Kygo ft. Conrad "Firestone" English 7th 60
3 Irdminia UnSun "Whispers" English 8th 52
4 Irdminia Neon Jungle "Louder" English 5th 84
5 Kaledonii Kátya Tompos "Magányos Csosák" Hungarian 3rd 92
6 Kaledonii Kerli "Zero Gravity" English 6th 82
7 Nicolas' Neighbour Lisa Nilsson & Joakim Berg "Innan Vi Faller" Swedish 2nd 104
8 Nicolas' Neighbour Nargiz "Ya Ne Tvoya" Russian 4th 86

Like the Piano Guys in the previous edition, Lisa & Joakim also ended in 12th.

After 4 consecutive good results, BNN were full of confidence about their strategy and were very pleased with the entrants they selected for the upcoming editions. This arrogance would immediately be punished, as NN failed to qualify for the next 4 editions. Kate Boy, Alda and Kristian Kristensen, while all not doing terrible, remained rather unnoticed in their respective semi's. South African artist St. Lucia ISC 46 almost equaled NN's worst result with his very unorthodox synthpop entry.

Desperate for a qualification, BNN turned to an established artist again, sending a returnee for the second time. This time it was Highasakite that were allowed to go again. While they soundly managed to qualify, their final result was a lot worse than the one from their first attempt, ending in a disappointing 17th place. The next two editions reflected the overall lack of structure at BNN . While The Lumineers flopped big time, Joe Hisaishi scored NN their first top-10 result in 10 editions in ISC 50.

Internatia Song Contest 51-60

Indie artist Démira could not live up to expectations in ISC 51 (which came as a suprise to both BNN and several other broadcasters) and ISC-veteran Ingrid Michaelson also remained in the semi. Having qualified only 3 times in 10 editions, BNN was getting desperate for a good result. For ISC 53 once again the multi-nation NF Tamar Fest was used as pre-selection. At this point in time the participating countries decided it had become something of an annual tradition. Haven returned to take part in the NF, while Irdminia had withdrawn from ISC altogether and thus no longer took part. Per BNN' suggestion, they were replaced by Saint Eva & Lepland. BNN caused some controversy during the NF, as it had to change it's entry twice. First it was discovered that a different version of the song "Scarborough Fair" had already taken part (and won) ISC. The replacement entry, "Aya", had also already been entered, by Darkria. On a very short notice the Naked & Famous were appointed to take part.

Tamar Fest 3
Order Participant Song Language Placing Points
1 Aonach Kygo ft Julia Michaels "Cary Me" English 7th 58
2 Aonach SVRNICA "Meet Me On The Battlefield" English 9th 52
3 Haven Years & Years "Meteorite" English 10th 49
4 Haven Alessia Cara "Scars To Your Beautiful" English 6th 60
5 Kaledonii Coldplay "Hymm For The Weekend" (Seeb Remix) English 5th 61
6 Kaledonii Alina Eremina "A Fost o Nebunie" Romanian 1st 109
7 Nicolas' Neighbour Naked and Famous "Higher" English 2nd 106
8 Nicolas' Neighbour Gauhar Tas "Kazagym Aj" Kazakh 8th 57
9 Saint Eva & Lepland Pearl Jozefzoon "Clocks" English 3rd 98
10 Saint Eva & Lepland Enya "Echoes In The Rain" English 4th 82

3 out of the 5 participants made it to the final. The Naked and Famous did exceptionally well, ending in second place, and scoring even more points than Delta Rae did. This proved to be some kind of turning point for NN. While they had only qualified 3 out of times in the past 10 editions, it would go on to qualify 8 out of 10 times in the next 10 editions, and it had its longest qualification streak to date. The Naked and Famous were followed up by Agnes Obel, who scored another top 5 placing with her haunting song Familiar. While Lisa Hannigan was not able to qualify in the following editon, from ISC 56 all the pieces fell together for NN. It qualified 7 times in a row, all with relative ease. At the same time, none of its entrants managed to make it to the top 10, with most entries being stuck on the lower half of the scoreboard. Among the entrants were Sa DingDing, who represented NN again with an ethnic Chinese song, Kensington, who had once taken part in a NF for NN, LP, Lisa Miskovsky and SAVEUS, who was expected to at least make it to the top 10.

Internatia Song Contest 61-65

Thomas Azier continued this trend by finishing 15th in ISC 61. NN was then invited by Kimmystan and Oalia to take part in a NF for ISC 62, which they gladly accepted. The theme was female pop songs, and each nation would submit three songs. True to form, NN caused a scandal again, after it was discovered that one of it's contestants, Helena Paparizou, had already been selected by Treslend, and could not be persuaded to switch countries. She was consequently replaced by Giusy Ferreri.

Queens For ISC 62
Order Participant Song Language Placing Points
1 Oalia Becky G "Todo Cambio" Spanish 6th 73
2 Nicolas' Neighbour Giusy Ferreri "Partito Adesso" Italian 7th 69
3 Kimmystan Samantha J "Baby Love" English 4th 84
4 Oalia Peg Parenevik "Don't Tell Ma" English 5th 81
5 Nicolas' Neighbour Betty Who "I Love You Always Forever" English 3rd 87
6 Kimmystan Sandra Lyng ft. Temur "Bungalow" Romanian 8th 67
7 Oalia Christine and the Queens "Christine" English 8th 67
8 Nicolas' Neighbour Miss Li "Aqualung" English 1st 96
9 Kimmystan Léa Paci "Adolescente Pirate" French 2nd 90

To its own surprise, NN won this National Final. Out of the three nations, NN also fared best in ISC. Oalia did not make it to the finals, while Kimmystan did not send their selected song, and ended up at the bottom of the scoreboard with their replacement song. NN meanwhile ended at an unexpected second place, shattering their old points record in the process. It felt as the ultimate reward to the broadcaster who after putting in a lot of work, finally managed to get a spectacular result.

Euphoria would not last long though as London Grammar failed to qualify in the following edition, ending a 7-edition qualification streak. Of course the annual Tamar Fest also took place, this time selecting the entries for ISC 64. 4 countries took part, with Aonach sitting out this time. Inviting Tikata as their replacement was discussed, but it was decided that this would be on too short of a notice. It is likely though that they will take part in the future.

Tamar Fest 4
Order Participant Song Language Placing Points
1 Haven Molly Sandén "Rygg Mot Rygg" Swedish 7th 91
2 Haven Taylor Davis "Fairy Tale Theme" Instrumental 2nd 125
3 Kaledonii Mew "Satellites" English 8th 30
4 Kaledonii Vishtèn "Corandina" French 5th 93
5 Nicolas' Neighbour Arisa "Controvento" Italian 6th 91
6 Nicolas' Neighbour Betsy "Little White Lies" English 4th 103
7 Saint Eva & Lepland Birds of Tokyo "I'd Go With You Anywhere" English 1st 127
8 Saint Eva & Lepland We the Kings ft. Elena Coats "Sad Song" English 3rd 110

SEAL smashed the competition and also did really well in ISC, finishing a strong 4th. Kaledonii and NN both qualified, but ended up at the bottom of the scoreboard. Haven, despite a strong showing in the NF, failed to qualify for the final.

For ISC 65, NN almost withdrew due to a lack of funds. At the last minute, Sanni, a fairly unknown singer volunteered to go for NN, paying part of the expenses her self. While this proposal was welcomed by BNN, the public was not enthusiastic about the deal, with some even claiming she paid her way to ISC.

Voting History

ISC Spinoffs

ISCC

Due to selecting their candidate via internal selection, NN was not able to participate in ISCC. After holding their first National final for ISC 21, BNN started considering participating in ISCC. It was not until edition 10 though, which was hosted by brother nation Aonach, that BNN sent runner-up Burhan G to participate. BNN stated that their intention is to take part in future editions.

Junior Internatia Song Contest

NN participated in the very first JISC, and has taken part in every most editions so far. NN had a very good start in jISC, ending in the top 10 4 out of 5 times, but results started to disappoint in later editions. Because BNN's involvement in other spinoff contests, the partcipation in jISC has become of lesser priority. According to an official BNN statement, there will be only a song sent when a good enough candidate is found. "NN wont participate for the sake of participating." After the result in JISC 9, BNN announced that it will no longer take part in JISC.

ISC Does Eurovision

BNN took part in both Eurovision spin-offs, both times finishing at the bottom of the ranking.

Country Artist Song Place Points
 Nicolas' Neighbour Iva Zanicchi "Due grosse lacrime bianche" 18 49
 Nicolas' Neighbour Frida Boccara "Un Jour, Un Enfant" 31 74

ISC-1

NN joined this contest for the first at the 3rd edition, and has only skipped two editions so far. It is the best watched ISC spin-off in NN, having considerable higher viewing figures then both JISC and ISCC. BNN, therefore has already committed itself to participating in the next 5 editions.

References