Not making the Eurovision Song Contest final after months of hard work and preparation is a heartbreaking moment for any artist, but for some artists, sharing their feelings with fans is one way to come to terms with the disappointment. Olivia Lewis spent much of yesterday at the press centre talking to journalists about the team's sadness at not making the top ten in the semifinal, and has written to fans in her blog about her feelings following Thursday night.
Olivia's personal blog at oliviavertigo.blogspot.com offers fans a touching insight into the feelings that go on behind the scenes of the Eurovision Song Contest, but it also gives hope to Olivia's own fans that life does go on after semifinal disappointment, and people move on. The Maltese team were one of the delegations which had spent the most time and effort in promoting their entry across the continent, and Thursday's semifinal broke the hopes of many months of hard work – a feeling Olivia shared with seventeen other unlucky participants.
Guilt… Then encouragement
Olivia talks of the feelings of letting her country, friends and family down, but the singer has also been encouraged and supported by the hundreds of messages of support that fans have posted on her blog. As the last envelope came and went without Malta being called, Olivia explains how 'all the pressure and worries of the past three months suddenly caved in on me… Feelings of immense guilt began to seep in.' It was her mother who helped her begin the process of accepting and moving on with the simple message 'Olivia, life goes on. You were wonderful and the Maltese loved you yesterday'. Now, she singer herself is beginning to look at it all more philosophically as she moves on: 'Eurovision is like that. You never know what you're going to get.'
Other artists have also spoken publicly about their semifinal woes, and reactions range from Icelandic representative Eirikur's frustration to Edsilia's resolve to get on with life straight away, and go out and party. Fans across Europe can take some heart in the strength participants find in the ongoing support of the public even after the bitter blow of semifinal failure.
