MOLDOVA

The Moldovan Final was held on February 27th at the TRM TV Studios in Chisinau, hosted by Sergiu Beznitchi & Olivia Furtuna. Before the final there were 2 semi-finals of 12 songs where 8 qualified from each. The winner, chosen by 50/50 televoting and jury was Lidia Isac with the song “Falling Stars”

The song is an upbeat pop song with a simple repetitive stricture. The verses are slightly down beat whilst the chorus backing track is more emphatic but the lyrics, more sparse. The bridge builds up towards the chorus but emphasis the title of the song. You do get a bit of a shock when the first chorus kicks in as it changes the song instantly. The whole thing feels a bit odd, like all the parts of this performance just don't fit. In some ways it has a bit in common with last year’s Belarus entry. Lidia is backed by 2 backing singers, a drummer and guitarists which not only looks odd but also feels redundant considering this is a synthesiser-led dance number. The back drop is also a bit lacklustre having a murmuration style light show, ended by a pointless pyro curtain and the words ‘falling stars’ on the back drop.

Lidia is a testament to the old adage “if you dont’ succeed, try, try again” having participated in every Moldovan preselection since 2013 and finally winning the ticket this year. Previously, she was part of the duo Glam Girls what was a successful act in Moldova although their style was more rockier that this entry. She has also participated three times in the New Wave competition as well as taking part in many other competitions in Eastern Europe.

The song itself has Moldova written through it like a stick of rock. It has a rawness, almost naïve-amateurness, that Moldova constantly seems to choose for Eurovision. It is a song that delivers a bit of a punch but not a killer blow. It’s a competent song and one that could qualify IF it has the right look. What is lacking from this is any sort of stagecraft. Lidia needs to move around the stage, even if just walking. Her dress is not the most inspiring thing and she could possibly get away with something more dramatic or something obviously relating to the title of the song.  She can dump the musicians on stage and get some dancers to live the whole thing up.  I won’t even start on the lighting and backdrop as they are so cheap and uninspiring anything will be better than this in Stockholm. Iron out the creases and you have a fine entry which could qualify. As is, it won’t go anywhere.

ARTIST – Lidia Isac

SONG – Falling Stars

MUSIC – Gabriel Alares, Sebastian Lestapier, Ellen Berg, Leonid Gutkin

LYRICS – Gabriel Alares, Sebastian Lestapier, Ellen Berg, Leonid Gutkin

UNITED KINGDOM

The UK Final was held on February 26th at the O2 Forum Kentish Town in London, hosted by Mel Giedroyc. There was a panel to give opinions of the songs and performances, consisting of Carrie Grant, Katrina Leskanich ( both former UK Eurovision representatives) and Jay Revell (stage choreographer and dancer). Although they had no influence or weighting on the final result. The winner was chosen solely by televoting or via internet voting. The wining song was “You’re not alone” sung by Joe and Jake.

The song is a contemporary stadium-anthem song in the style of Coldplay. The two boys are backed by two drummers sat behind full drum kits. The song grows and builds in a really good way. The verses are relatively short which means they can get through a verse/chorus cycle no time at all. The chorus has a good balance of oh-oh-oh-oh-ing and actual singing. The boys seem to work together well and their voices are kind of similar which makes the singing together parts sound nicer than it possibly should. . It has a Swedish production quality which makes it easy on the ear as a live or radio song.

Both Joe and Jake were solo performers that participated in the 2015 edition of The Voice UK. Joe joined Rita Ora’s team and advanced through the battle and knockout rounds only to get eliminated in week 2 of the live rounds. Jake joined team will.i.am and survived the battles rounds only to be eliminated in the knockout segment. The two solo singers then became a duo when the show was over.

First of all I have to support and thank the BBC’s decision to put on a national final – the first in years. Although it was 'relegated' to BBC Four, some of the songs were a bit boring, the set a little lacklustre and the panel a tad on the predictable side it was all in all a good show with a great atmosphere and Mel was a really good humoured host.

This was the best song on the night, not the best sung, but one does not need vocal gymnastics to perform this number. The boys have good chemistry and the song is not a bad one. The staging is a slight issue. The national final staging was very small and intimate and I don’t think this staging could work on a much bigger stage. That said, they did well considering what they had and I also think they will work hard to make it work. It would be nice to keep the rainbow flashing light motif as that really brightened the whole place up. I feel that the boys need to work on their stage craft. Personally I would let Jake lose the guitar and get him to move round a bit more. I would have them choreographed within an inch of their lives so they can punctuate the powerful parts of the song. This is a good song and should get votes from televote and jury, especially if the jury is advised to look for contemporary styled songs. Anything above 15th would be a brilliant result.

ARTIST – Joe and Jake

SONG – You’re not alone

MUSIC - Schwartz, Justin J. Benson, S. Kanes

LYRICS – Schwartz, Justin J. Benson, S. Kanes

GERMANY

The German Final was held on February 25th at the Brainpool TV-Studio in Cologne, hosted by Barbara Schöneberger. Initially, Xavier Naidoo was internally selected, but a day later, due to a fan backlash over this decision, the broadcaster 'de-selected' him. It was then announced that there would be a straight forward 10 song final. The winner was chosen in two rounds of televoting - the first to select a top 3 and the second to select the winner. Going to Sweden will be Jamie-Lee Kriewitz with the song “Ghost”.

The song is a mid-tempo ballad with a dark backing truck. The easiest way to describe the song is to say it is that it has more than a passing resemblance to Rihanna’s “Umberella”. Jamie-Lee has a nice enough voice but it’s not really the song or her voice that people will be talking about. The song stars off dark with Jamie-Lee back lit by the projection of a full moon, as the lights come up you see her dressed a la Harajuku girl (think mid 2000s Gwen Stefani).  You also see the 4 backing singers and the laser tipped trees. The song progresses well although the second part of the chorus doesn’t seem to sit well with her voice, she seems more at home being in her higher range.

“The Voice” is becoming a very common story for Eurovision performance and Jamie-Lee is another alumnus of this programme having won the German version in 2015. In fact this song, which was released in December 2015, was actually her winner’s single and was therefore eligible to be part of the Eurovision selection. She is also known for her love of Japanese and Korean culture which has very much influenced her unique sense of style.

I am seriously on the fence on this performance. First of all I really don’t think very much of the song. For my general taste, it is too slow and plodding and for that reasons it seems to drag. Also, the visuals and the setup do not fit at all with the narrative of the song. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that Jamie-Lee has the confidence to wear what she does but I think she needs to have soothing designed especially to be high on impact but less incongruous- but keep the headwear!. She does have something of the ‘Lena version 2’ about her which may also work in her favour. As this is in the big 5 Germany need not worry qualifying from the semis. I suspect this will do well enough and will probably be around the 10-15 place mark.

ARTIST – Jamie-Lee Kriewitz

SONG - Ghost

MUSIC - Thomas Burchia , Conrad Hensel, Anna Leyne

LYRICS – Thomas Burchia , Conrad Hensel, Anna Leyne

CYPRUS

The Cyprus song was unveiled on February 22nd during a special report as part of CvBC’s news broadcasts. Way back in November 2015, the band Minus One was internally selected  to represent the island. The song they will be performing is “Alter Ego.

The song is on the accessible range of the rock song genre with similarities to Nickleback, The Killers and to a point U2. Taking away the rock elements of the song the song does sound REALLY Swedish – the influence of Thomas G:son is undeniable. The intto to the whole thing sets a tone – but that tone isn’t really followed through for the rest of the 3 minutes. The verses are the strongest part of the song and much more distinct than the chorus which are very predictable. The last minute of this song should be the strongest part but is totally the opposite. The guitar solo at around 2:20 is totally unnecessary and comes in at the wrong pint in this song.

Minus One first came to prominence last year in Eurovision circles when their entry “Shine” came third in their national final, although the song did win the jury’s highest vote in that selection process. The band started in 2009 primarily as covers band but has since performed their own material in festivals in Cyprus, Britain and the United States.

First of all, this was a video presentation. And not a live show or even a mimed performance, therefore judging ‘the show’ will be hard. This is made slightly harder as the video itself is not really something that can be replicated in a studio – so there are not obvious clues for staging or stagecraft. This is such an odd, odd song. There is something about it that just doesn’t fit my ears. It feels just that little bit too middle of the road – it needs to be even rockier, or turned into a bog standard pop song. One might say it feels safe, others might see this as quite radio friendly and accessible.

There is still a lot to ‘guess’ about how this entry might come across so this is a very veiled opinion. This is a total let down. This band can do much better and I actually think they’ve been seduced by the idea of a G:son song and have been let down. If there is any justice this is will flop and stay stuck firmly in the semi final never to be seen again. However, Minus One deserve a proper chance with a proper song.

ARTIST – Minus One

SONG – Alter Ego

MUSIC - Minus One, Thomas G:son

LYRICS – Minus One, Thomas G:son

2016 recap 010

This is a bit of a rush but you will understand why!

We go through all the songs unveiled and selected int eh past week as well as the semi and heats.

The coming weekend is a super one with a whole host of finals going on- review writing will become a full time job soon!

Music from The Netherlands, Finland and Luxembourg

If you want to hear my personal podcasts you can find the info at www.twitter.com/bibberlycheese

Follow us on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/DVVHolland
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/DVVHolland to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)

You can download or listen to it here https://archive.org/details/2016Recap010

Click here to listen to this podcast in your usual music player (M3U Playlist)

UKRAINE

The Ukrainian Final was held on February 21st at the STB Pavilion in Gostomel, Kiev, hosted by Dmitry Tankovich & Alexander Pedan. Before the final there were 2 semi-finals where the field of 18 was reduced to a final of just 6. The winner was chosen by  a 50-50 split of televoting and jury. There was a tie for first place when all the results were in but as the televote took precedence the winning song was announced as “1944” sung by Jamala.

This is a world away from the Disney ballads and pop-fuelled numbers that Ukraine is renowned for. This is a much more paired down affair in terms of music production and the performance level. The song starts off very quiet and mysterious and the lyrics are very dark, almost menacing, but the whole thing is very compelling and emotional. There are no big tricks, no props no intricate staging - just her and 2 backing singers. Her semi final performance was much stringer vocally and she looked much more comfortable too. I’m not sure the dress she wore in the final suited the song or her personality.

The lyrics of he song are influenced by the experience of Jamala’s grandmother who was one of the many of the Crimean Tatars deported in the 1940s by the Soviet Union at the hands of Joseph Stalin, However many will hear the song and align it also with current political situation in Ukraine. Of course, Eurovision rules prohibit songs with lyrics that could be interpreted as having political content so it will be interesting to see if this song stands as it is OR if it withdrawn completely

Jamala is no stranger to music festivals and competitions around Europe. Her big breakthrough came in 2009 when she won the “New Wave” which catapulted her name into the spotlight and was featured in many local television programmes and concerts. However, she also took out time to concentrate not only on a pop career but dabbled in jazz and classical music. In 2011, entered "Smile" to the Ukrainian national final, but withdrew as he had no faith in the voting procedure.

This has a totally different feel to anything else in the contest up to now. It is a very emotional song with a very simple  performance. One criticism of Jamala is that her voice and diction is quite odd to the point that it is off-putting. Some see her singing style as engaging; some see it as over the top and quite shouty. I personally like the song, the performance and think that the very simple staging will work in its favour. If this does get to go to Eurovision I am certain that the song will get a lot of sympathy and support in the hall but I am not totally convinced that this will automatically convert into votes. I see this qualifying from its semi final but ending up mid table in the final. 

ARTIST – Jamala
SONG - 1944
MUSIC - Jamala
LYRICS – Art Antonyan, Jamala

ICELAND

The Icelandic Final was held on February 20th at Laugardalshöll in Reykjavik, hosted by Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir & Guðrún Dís Emilsdóttir. Before the final there were 2 semi-finals where 3 songs qualified for each. There were 2 rounds of voting - the first round the voting was 50/50 televoting and jury while in the second round the winner was chosen by televoting alone. The winning song was “Hear them calling” sung by Greta Salóme.

The song an atmospheric song that could be described as dance-folk. The song not only seems to hark back to last year’s winner “Heroes” but also to the previous Swedish winner “Euphoria”, and these influences are more in the performance of the song rather than the song itself. The song is intertwined with the backdrop, lighting and choreography of the piece. I am sure that the song would work on its own but with all the peripheral parts it almost feels like apiece of performance art. Her voice has never been the strongest but the song suits her range bust she is also backed by an unseen choir who help drive the haunting nature of the song.

Greta Salóme is another returnee to Eurovision as she sang “Never Forget” with Jónsi which successfully qualified into the grand final. As well as being a singer, composer and songwriter she is a professional musician and has been playing the violin since she was just 4.  She holds a position as a violinist in the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra; regularly performs with classical and pop music ensembles, has made several radio and TV appearances and also works as a studio musician. Unlike in 2012, Greta Salóme not only takes the stage by herself, but also without her violin.

The song is a real stomper and captures your attention from start to finish. Yes, most of this is down to the backdrop and the act that it tells a story. The chorus is very memorable, the false finish – which there has been a distinct lack of in Eurovision lately – is a great addition to the song and makes the ending even more dramatic. My only issue is that the production won't work on a Eurovision stage. The exclusion of shots of the audience or long sweeping camera shots may need to be reviewed. For the first time this year we have not only a Eurovision song with a bit of vim, vigour and guts but also a desire to win. Will easily qualify from semi 1, and is a probable contender for a) closing the semi final and /or b) winning SF1. Watch this space.

ARTIST – Greta Salóme

SONG – Hear them calling

MUSIC - Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir

LYRICS - Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

The Bosnian song was presented on February 16th at City Hall in Sarajevo. Back in January, BHRT confirmed that Fuad Backović Deen, Dalal Midhat-Talakić and Ana Rucner had been internally selected. It was later announced that they would also be joined on stage by the rapper, Jala. The internally selected song is called “Ljubav je” (Love is)

There is a very dramatic and ethic opening to the song, with a long instrumental a la Željko Joksimović. Ana is sat alone in the hall while Deen and Dala enter on a balcony above her. The two singers work well with the cameras but not too much amongst themselves. The song is very much Balkan ballad in the verses but more rock ballad in the choruses although the distinction between the two is just slight enough to work. The song goes on merrily for about 2 minutes until Jala, the rapper, joins Ana on the hall floor. The rapping is not that bad, albeit in Bosnian, nor the chemistry unconvincing but it really jars the ebb and flow of the performance. But also the ending is very weak and nondescript – if they started like Željko they needed to have a finish like Željko too.

Deen represented Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2004 with “In the Disco”. He has had a long and varied career, firstly in a boy band, then as a solo artist and has also performed in an opera choir. Dalal is part of the RnB duo Erato who have been releasing music for over 15 years. Ana Rucner is a world renowned cellist who has played all over the world and has released not only classical music albums but children’s music and interpretations of rock classics. Finally, Jala is an up and coming rapper from Sarajevo. It seems that he was included to the team to add another style of music to the 3 minute mix.

First of all it must be explained that this was only a presentation, and everybody involved was miming. They also took good advantage of the stunning architecture of the city hall which really added to the songs atmosphere. I don’t doubt that Deen and Dalal can sing this song well however this snot the really problem. The rapping part sounds so incongruous to the rest of the song and came out of nowhere that it leaves you slightly astounded and confused. It’s almost like somebody reminded the trio that BHRT wanted to do well… but NOT WIN. This is the first Bosnian entry since 2012 and this is not a bad re-entry to Eurovision. It’s also nice to hear a song in the local tongue. With some nigh scores for its 2 neighbours in the semi, this should qualify for the final and possibly go top 10 in the final. Without the rapping I might have even put it up there as a real contender for the win.

ARTIST - Dalal & Deen featuring Ana Rucner & Jala

SONG – Ljubav je (Love is)

MUSIC - Almir Ajanović, Jasmin Fazlić Jala

LYRICS - Almir Ajanović, Jasmin Fazlić Jala

GEORGIA

The Georgian result was announced on February 15th at the GPB Studios in Tbilisi. At the start January, Nika Kocharov & Young Georgian Lolitaz were internally selected to represent Georgia. All the songs were presented on February 3rd and the winner was be chosen by an international jury (50%) and televoting/internet voting (50%) which ran from February 4th-15th. The winning track was “Midnight Gold”.

This is very ‘alternative’ and harks back to the ‘90s Britop era rather than anything one might perceive as ‘Eurovision-y'. The song structure is slightly off kilter and there are lots of phrase bending riffs to keep you on your toes. The tune is very basic and there isn’t really a definable verse/chorus structure and the guitar riff seems to take the place of the chorus – that said it is a very catchy guitar riff! After the 2 minute mark it does go a bit strange with a lot of ear bending twitching and repetitive, shouty lyrics. The whole thing does leave you wondering "What was that??!?!" but at least it gives you a reaction as opposed to some of the vanilla tracks chosen this year. The song is about ten seconds over the limit and this could be easily remedied by deleting some of the middle part which does go on for a bit too long.

To be honest after searching high and low for information about Nika Kocharov & Young Georgian Lolitaz, only very basic info is known. The band is formed of lead singer Nika Kocharov, vocalist and bassist Gia Iashvili, guitarist and keyboardist Nick Davitashvili and drummer Dima Oganesian They are a band that have been going for 15 years now and have spent some time living, working and recording in England. It doesn’t look like they have had much in the way of any commercial successes in Georgia or elsewhere.

You have to give the band some credit that they have actually agreed to do Eurovision but that have not compromised their style or music genre in doing so. The song totally goes with who they are and in that way it stands out – there won’t be many songs like this! That said, it isn’t your normal Eurovision fayre – this could be a plus OR a minus. Yes, the Euro fanboys and schlager lovers will diss this until the cows come home and Eurovision-watching veterans may well look on in horror and/or puzzlement. It has a certain charm, even nostalgia, and someone of my age and ilk might feel the same. Those into the more indie/alternative scene may watch Eurovision just to vote for it! There is no outward performance aspect but with focused direction and better camerawork this can be altered. It almost doesn’t matter if it qualifies or not! I really hope it does - for the sake of having a wide range of musical genres in the final - but I fear it won’t.

ARTIST - Nika Kocharov & Young Georgian Lolitaz

SONG – Midnight Gold

MUSIC - Kote Kalandadze

LYRICS - Kote Kalandadze

SWITZERLAND

The Swiss Final was held on February 13th at the Bodensee Arena in Kreuzlingen, hosted by Sven Epiney. There were regional selections as well as an online platform to select the songs. Before the final there was an ‘expert check’ where the songs were whittled down to a final 6. The winner, chosen by televoting (50%) and an "expert" jury (50%) was Rykka with the song “The last of our kind"

The song is a contemporary ballad with an electronically infused backing track. It is quite atmospheric and the set up of the stage tries to mirror that. She is on a Perspex plinth which allows smoke to surround her, which mirrors not only her write floaty dress bit also the clouds in the backdrop. The chorus is repetitive but its tune is not pleasant to the ear. The song doesn’t really go very far until she goes into the key change which really works in her favour. She sings the song very well although I feel that the staging of the song is restricting her emotion and interaction with the camera.

Rykka is Canadian with Swiss ancestry and the Swiss have had some success with sending Canadian singers to Eurovision. From her teens she appeared in local festivals and competitions mostly appearing under her real name, Christina Maria Rieder. She has released 3 albums up to now, which have had releases in Canada, Germany and Switzerland, and there is now a fourth in the offing.

The song is not a bad one, she looks good and she sings it well. There are however there are many intertwined issues that need examining. Although the idea of the plinth and the smoke is a good one, it detaches her from the audience and restricts what she can do. Either they need to get rid of it – which would be a shame – or they need to introduce some dancers and/or backing singers who can create movement and interaction and maybe help her get off the plinth at the end. This may also help the whole performance create more oomph at the end if she can be more at one with the hall.. The ways she sings to the side and the fact it takes her so long to get up keeps the track at too slow a pace.

The fact is that this sounds like Rhythm Inside’s slightly dull sister and compared to this modern classic it really shows the lack of energy and direction that the Swiss entry has. Being drawn in the first half of semi 2, which has 19 participants, will also not work in its favour and I think this is on the DNQ side of the board.

ARTIST – Rykka

SONG – The last of our kind

MUSIC - Christina Maria Rieder, Mike James, Jeff Dawson, Warne Livesey

LYRICS - Christina Maria Rieder, Mike James, Jeff Dawson, Warne Livesey

2016 recap 009

Well what a couple of weeks that was!

And as you will hear I was sooooooo happy at the start (not!)

We have national final results from 4 countries to look at as well as some partial news from Greece and Italy. There have been heats GALORE all over Europe and we look at the state of play there. We also catch up with some possible internal selections as well as news of some national finals in the pipeline! Finally we catch up on the breaking news regarding the newly released stage design!

Music is from Ukraine, Norway and Turkey

If you want to hear my personal podcasts you can find the info at www.twitter.com/bibberlycheese

Follow us on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/DVVHolland
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/DVVHolland to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)

You can download or listen to it here https://archive.org/details/2016Recap009

Click here to listen to this podcast in your usual music player (M3U Playlist)

DENMARK

The Danish Final was held on February 13th at Forum Horsens, hosted by Jacob Riising, Annette Heick & Hilda Heick. The winner was chosen in two rounds of voting. In the first round, a top 3 was selected through a 50/50 combination of jury & SMS/app voting. There was then a second round, just comprising of SMS/app voting, and the winner was Lighthouse X with “Soldiers of Love”

The song is a very bog standard, mid-tempo, boy band type song with very typical Danish Eurovision elements. The staging of the song is very simple and they way they perform is quite relaxed and in some ways a little pedestrian if not also predictable. The tree band members take it in turns to sing bits of the verses but sing together for the chorus, however it must be noted for the part of the song that repeats the title of the song, it seems that all three of them find this too high and an all too audible backing singer track is there for all to here. This makes the most important part of the song lose all power and makes what should be the strongest part of the song the weakest part. The ending is also a bit cringeworthy as they all join in for a bit of dad dancing and it’s all feels a bit embarrassing.

Lighthouse X (pronounced 10, as in the Roman numeral) in a three piece boy band, although judging by some of the info about them it is more of a ‘man band’. Martin is a singer and choreographer and has had a hand in many a musical, Søren was once in the Danish boyband C21 and appeared in the TV show 2900 Happiness and Johannes was had major roles in musicals and came second in “Vild med dans”. The trio had their first release as a band in 2014 and have released songs in both English and Danish.

It was a little bit of a shock win for the band as there were much more outwardly Eurovision-y songs in the national final. I feel that the song stood out because it was a little less showy and a bit more ‘safe’. I would say that this needs a total revamp in all areas but I don’t think this is going to happen. They need better clothes, better camera direction and more ooomph towards the end of the song. The song is not bad, the guys themselves are not bad but it’s just all a bit boring, samey and safe. No-one will hate it but nobody will love it either. I don't think we'll be seeing Denmark (again) in the final.

ARTIST – Lighthouse X

SONG – Soldiers of love

MUSIC - J Nymark, M Skriver, S.F. Ovens, D.L Jørgensen, K.KAndersen, S Bregendal

LYRICS - J Nymark, M Skriver, S.F. Ovens, D.L Jørgensen, K.KAndersen, S Bregendal

AUSTRIA

The Austrian Final was held on February 12th at the ORF TV Studios in Vienna, hosted by Andi Knoll & Alice Tumler. The winner was chosen in two rounds of voting - in the first round a top 2 was chosen by 50/50 televoting and jury while the second round winner was chosen by a 90 second speed vote. Coming out on top was Zoë with “Loin d’ici” (Far from here)

The song is a very dreamy pop song. Although the song is French the production and style of the song is also very French sounding and so the whole package does not sound out of place – apart from the fact that this is the entry for Austria!  The song builds really well and has a very clear structure. The verses are a little non-descript but this does let the chorus really shine. The tune of the chorus is very earwormy and even the words get into your head. The ending is very string and Zoë is a very polished and confident performer and it really shows. The whole set up of the show on the night was also very striking. The use of the treadmill coupled with the moving background was also innovative and eye catching. It also offers up that slight bit of jeopardy as anything could go wrong!

19 year old Zoë is already an experienced performer. Before the age of 10 she had appeared on song with her parents and appeared on kids TV talent contest. More recently she appeared in the ORF television series “Vorstadtweiber” (Suburban Wives” and also came 3^rd in last year’s Austrian Eurovision selection. Obviously the song is very different to what they have chosen in the past and does not appear to be very Austrian, but Zoë enjoys singing in French and the song is composed by herself and her father.

Unlike many of the songs chosen this year, this already feels like a finished package. The backdrop is great and she sings the song really well. If anything, I would suggest somebody gets her a slightly thicker skirt – one that is not see through! Initially I was not very inspired by the song or performance BUT put it into perspective with the songs that have already been chosen it actually comes out quite favourably. With a similarly staged performance in the semi AND a good draw (she is 2nd half of semi two) she could get quite a few votes. It does have a lot to overcome – not one French language song has every qualified from a semi-final and unfortunately for her there is only one French-speaking nation is voting in her semi. With a slightly heavy heart I don’t see this qualifying but part of me is pleased to finally see something a bit different being chosen for Eurovision 2016.

ARTIST – Zoë

SONG – Loin d’ici (Far from here)

MUSIC - Zoë Straub, Christof Straub

LYRICS - Zoë Straub, Christof Straub

2016 recap 008

It's time for Fabulous February!
Sooooo much is going on that I am going to have to pick up the pace and do podcasts every week during the coming month - should be an exciting time! Therefore there is lots to catch up on this podcast!

Lots of news and rumours going on - as well as the madness that has already happened in Sweden - and Melfest does't happen for another 6 hours as I am writing ths! Also Squirt makes a few mentions although you should be glad podcasts don't smell!!!

Music comes from Netherlands, Lithuania, Italy and Greece.


If you want to hear my  personal podcasts go to www.twitter.com/bibberlycheese

Follow us on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/DVVHolland
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/DVVHolland to find get the latest information about blogposts and podcasts or even have a look back at our old ones :o)

You can download or listen to it here https://archive.org/details/2016Recap008

Click here to listen to this podcast in your usual music player (M3U Playlist)

SPAIN

The Spanish Final was held on February 1st at the TVE TV Studios in Villaviciosa de Odón, Madrid, hosted by Anne Igartiburu. The winner, chosen by televoting (40%), an international jury (30%) and an "expert" jury (30%), was Barei with “Say yay!”

The song is a very commercial, radio-friendly and contemporary pop song with a very repetitive chorus. The verses are actually very forgettable but the chorus does have a lingering quality about them. The bridge though it the star part of the song, although she needs to either change or turn down her backing singers. Barei’s stage presence is very energetic and friendly and she seems to want to interact with the crowd while singing. The performance value of the song was very low and will need some beefing up. She also needs to stop it with the chicken dancing – very embarrassing. Her outfit was a little odd but suited her personality. The backing singers were a little bit loud and distracting but that can be sorted. Barei has an OK voice although you do have to really listen - partially due to the speed of the song, and partially due to her accent – although the latter is not bad at all, for a Spanish speaker.

Barei (real name Bárbara Reyzábal) is a singer and songwriter who has been in the business for over 10 years. She has had little commercial success in terms of sales but has had some prominence on youtube and as incidental music on screen. She sings and writes mainly in English and has penned songs for other Spanish artists such as Malu and Edurne. Her style is very upbeat and fresh and is definitely something different stylistically for Spain to send to Eurovision This song was already number 1 on the itunes chart in Spain before the final which bode well for a national final victory.

This in many ways is a positive step for Spain but does need a bit of TLC applied. It must be added that studio sound on the night was not good and the staging was very minimal. If both can be remedied this could be a good result. The song is really upbeat and catchy but also will go huge in the hall (especially in the instrumental parts of the chorus – I can already see everybody singing ‘la-la-la-la’ back to her!) She has great charisma and energy and I hope that the performance in not changed too much. Yes, she needs to hit her marks better and needs to really get that energy down the camera lens but she also needs to keep that freshness. In a weird way, although it does not *sound* Spanish it somehow encapsulates a vibrancy that feels very Spanish indeed. Terrible title, but a great tune.

ARTIST – Barei

SONG – Say Yay!

MUSIC - Bárbara Reyzábal, Rubén Villanueva, Víctor Púa Vivó

LYRICS - Bárbara Reyzábal, Rubén Villanueva, Víctor Púa Vivó