It is this time of the year again for preparations to begin for Sopot Festival, the Polish popular music event where artists from all over Europe and the USA compete annually for the two prizes awarded by a jury and the public. This year again sees popular Eurostars among the contestants, such as the 2004 winner Ruslana and Melodifestivalen participants Mans Zelmerlow and Velvet.
The Sopot Festival started back in 1961 and has attracted many international stars throughout the years. Among the winners and particpants these past decades were many names Eurofans will recognise, such as Henri Dès in 1969, Alla Pugacheva in 1978, The Herreys in 1985, Kasia Kowalska in 1995, Vanilla Ninja, Andreas Johnson, Brainstorm and Monrose among others. Among the international stars that have performed at Sopot are resounding names such as Demis Roussos, Ricky Martin, Elton John, Gloria Gaynor, The Corrs, Goran Bragovic, Whitney Huston and Bryan Adams to name a few only.
This year, Sopot festival is organised by private channel TVN and Radio Zet on 24th August and the following artists will be particpating in the finals:
Danny – Tokyo
Oh Laura – Release me
Matt Pokora – Catch me if you can
Ruslana feat. T-Pain – Moon of dreams
Velvet – Chemistry
Mans Zelmerlöw – Brother oh Brother
They will be joined by one Polish artist who will be chosen through a local preselection which includes Eurovision artists like Blue Café (ESC 2004) or singers known from the Polish national selection 2004 like Marcin Rozynek or Anna Wyszkoni.
Special thanks to Jarosław Hęciek for his contribution to the article.
