SEMI FINAL DRAW

Now that all the songs have been released, fans have been making predictions as to how the semi-final layouts might lay out. Not only have the songs been designated to 1 of the 2 semi finals but have also been slotted into the top or bottom half of their allocation.

However, this is NOT a prediction – although it might as well be!

I am imagining I am in charge of running order. What factors would I be taking into consideration?
I would have to be careful to space out songs in such a way so that it feels like something different and unique is coming on stage next. I’ve also tried hard NOT to favour songs I like and put them in too much of an advantageous position. All I have tried to do and individualise each song by putting each song before or after something different whether it be the kind of act, style of song or language.The only difference from this is in the openers and closers of each half as this song has to make a statement about what's to come or close off in a memorable fashion.

So here is my half arsed attempt is making an ‘interesting’ couple of shows…

Semi Final 1 Australia Montenegro Albania Sweden Finland Azerbaijan Portugal Georgia Belgium Czech Republic Iceland Slovenia Latvia Cyprus Armenia Greece Poland Moldova

Semi Final 2 FYR Macedonia Malta Austria Romania Russia Netherlands Serbia Ireland Denmark Hungary San Marino Norway Bulgaria Lithuania Israel Switzerland Belarus Croatia Estonia

Also bear in mind there are likely to be ad breaks around the song 5 and song 13 mark (although these slots have not been cemented in fact) and so this knowledge may well affect the order.

This makes sense to me and I think it is fair considering the parameters I gave myself... 

Who knows what the real order will look like?

ARMENIA

The Armenian entry was finally revealed on March 18^th via the official video. Back in December, the final of Depi Evratesil was held at ARMTV TV Studios in Yerevan, hosted by Gohar Gasparyan. The winner during the final was chosen by SMS voting (50%) & an "expert" jury of Armenian diaspora musicians (50%). The winner of the show would be selected as the Eurovision entrant with a song to selected at a later date. Going to Kyiv is Artsvik singing the song ‘Fly with me”

The main part of the video is set on a brightly coloured stage with different levels to it. She performs the song in a black dress with coloured bands on it that changes colour at different points in the song, however I don’t think it is particularly flattering for her. She has a plethora of dancers backing her which adds a lot of strength and power to the performance. The dancers work well together and at times it feels like she is control of what they are doing, almost like a puppet master. Although she doesn’t go into a full on dance routine, it is mostly armography, it is obvious she can maintain a good level of choreography and could do something similar on stage.

The song is very ethnic and the backing music is very beautiful and intricate. The lyrics and tune that lies on top of it is very non-descript and changeable. The beginning is quite a jazzy, almost spoken word introduction which then gets interrupted by a deep beat which leads into a verse. This leads into a refrain of oooooohs which has a very mystical and eastern feel. It then goes back to another verse but she sings this much more strongly and with her full voice. This then leads into what I guess is the chorus as it contains the title of the song, however there is no backing music change between here and the verse so feels a little bit flat. After this is then a sizable instrumental which is very elaborate with lots of nanobeats and percussion. This is then followed by a final chorus but with a totally different tune to the first one.

So this has elements of a ballad but is far too abstract, ethnic and innovate to be but unto that box. This is possibly the most ‘arty’ song of this year and the video styling really emphasises this. However, looking through all of this creative veneer there is actually very little to get your teeth into. The lyrical hooks don’t stand out enough and there are too many ‘bits’ that don’t get repeated and you find yourself struggling to find one bit you can plant in your brain and remember it.

It must be said that in the last few years, Armenia have been one of the countries taking an ‘out of the box’ approach tot heir entries and have come up with something very different and highly memorable to the stage. Unfortunately this year, they have brought the ‘art’ but not the ‘pop’. I cannot see how any first listener to this could enjoy this and vote for it. As we know, however, the diaspora of this country will vote and might be enough to get it through although I personally think there are 10 other songs I would prefer to see in the final than this.

ARTIST - Artsvik

SONG - Fly with me

MUSIC - Lilit Navasardyan, Levon Navasardyan

LYRICS - Avet Barseghyan, David Tserunyan.

BULGARIA

The Bulgarian entry was released on March 13th via a lyric video. The broadcaster had released regular news snippets of their internal selection journey although very little was known about the final song and act choice. Going to Kyiv is Kristian Kostov with the song “Beautiful Mess”.

The release as in the form of a lyric video which leaves no clue about staging and singing ability. However, having watched a number of videos from his appearances on various talent shows, I can see that even though very young he has a very confident and self-assured voice. Although he has the boyish looks and fashion sense of a Justin Bieber, most of the songs I’ve seen are ballads and he doesn’t appear to move a lot. I say boyish looks, he could easily look at home representing Bulgaria at jESC instead.

The song in a slow ballad with a fair bit of falsetto and has an ethnic instrumentation. It sounds very modern and radio friendly and somehow also feels very familiar. It must also be said that the start of the song is very whispery and feels like he is using a very sensitive microphone so I would be very interested to see if he performs with such delicateness. The structure is pretty simple with a verse, chorus, verse, chorus structure. The ending is a bit odd as the last 30 seconds could be used to repeat the chorus fully rather than have an instrumental and an extra line. What is also confusing is the fact that the title ‘Beautiful mess’ is a line from the verse, not the chorus. In fact, it might even have been better to end on a repeat of that line.

So here is another ballad to put into the mix but Kristan will appeal to a younger age group compared to many of the other balladeers. When I listened to this for the first time I thought it was dull and quite average. I kept on waiting for a big guild up that never came. After several listens my opinion of this has got better but not by much. It also has shades of “Believe” by Dima Bilan about it, which dates it slightly. I think the biggest comparison many have made is that after last year’s banger of a tune this is a bit of a let-down.

Throughout all the craziness of semi-final 2 this could come across as quite boring and forgettable OR come across as 3 minutes of class during a very bizarre night. The draw might be a real factor in how well this does - if it is near the end, it will stand out. Personally, I think that this is too quiet, spiritless and lethargic to do anything in the final if it did progress -unless hehas a memorable stageing trick up his sleeve

ARTIST - Kristian Kostov

SONG – Beautiful mess

MUSIC - Borislav Milanov, Sebastian Arman, Joachim Bo Persson

LYRICS - Borislav Milanov, Sebastian Arman, Joachim Bo Persson

RUSSIA

The Russian act and song were revealed on March 12th via a news report of Channel 1. The country was almost silent about its Eurovision participation throught the selection window and the publication of the video was a little known almost until the day of broadcast. Yulia Samoylova will sing the song “Flame is burning”

The video is shot in a studio with Yulia on a large stage with an enthusiastic studio audience. Yulia is on a plinth centre stage with video screens all around her and underneath. Yulia is a wheelchair user and therefore does not movefrom the spot. Most of the visual dynamic of the piece is made by the different camera angles and the video screen. Most of the screen shots are of the top half of her body or head shots, however there are also some far away shots which show the stage really well but makes Yulia look like a tiny dot on a huge stage. On the other hand, with a creative 360 degree view they could come up with something very interesting and eye catching.

The song is a typical peace ballad with an anthemic chorus. The verses are quite fast and wordy, to the point where you really have to listen so you don’t miss the lyrics. The chorus is much calmer and memorable and she also has the support of the backing singers to emphasise the title of the song. The whole thing feels much better during the second verse as the drum beat is trsonger and seems to fit better with the meaning of the song. Around the 2:10 mark there is a nice interlude/bridge part with a much more intricate beat. This leads into the last chorus and the song slips back down into predictability again.

This is a very tough one to call. This is Russia, so it has lots of neighbours and culturally close countries who will vote for them. Russia also have a 100% qualification record from semi to final which I am sure they would want to uphold. There will also be a proportion of the viewership that might vote for this as a sympathy or solidarity vote due to her disability. On the other hand, her diction is very bad during the verses and the song writing itself is full of over used rhymes and the structure is far too predictable.

Personally, I think there are 10 better songs than this in semi-final 2 and if this was anybody else but Russia this would be an open and shut case of DNQ. The broadcaster has tried to distance itself from the political situation between Russia and Ukraine by sending a peace ballad by a singer with physical disabilities. Although this might stifle any booing and personal comments towards the Russian delegation (which has happened in the last few contests towards the Russian acts) it won’t stop people talking about how political Eurovision is no matter if this song does or does not qualify.

ARTIST - Yulia Samoylova

SONG - Flame is burning

MUSIC - Leonid Gutkin, Netta Nimrodi, Arie Burshtein

LYRICS - Leonid Gutkin, Netta Nimrodi, Arie Burshtein

SAN MARINO

The San Marinese act and song were revealed on March 12th via a via the official video release. Very little news about the song or act appeared all season until a couple days before the deadline when it was revealed that it would be a duet. Singing in Kyiv will be Valentina Monetta and Jimmie Wilson with the song “Spirit of the night”

Although the video itself it nearly 4 minutes long, if you eliminate the intro (up to the first ‘hey’) and outro, the song comes just in under the 3 minute limit. The setting is of a crowded club when Jimmie and Valentina are the stereotypical with the they/won’t they scenario. They have a good chemistry and make a bit of an odd couple which I guess should make them quite memorable to ther viewers. Of course this will be Valentina 4^th time at Eurovision for San Marino so whatever she does this will go HUGE in the hall.

The song is an up-tempo number whose genre is possibly closest to disco. The verses are quite corny with a kind of call and response structure. From this part the structure is quite repetitive but tells the story well. When the chorus starts the background music becomes slightly minimal and then beefs back up again for the second part of the chorus. The come down to the second chorus is a bit odd but I could imagine with clever camera angles and staging this could be minimised. I can’t but help myself wanting to go into “One Night Only” from Dreamgirls when the chorus starts up. The second half of the song is mainly variations on the chorus in which there seem to be multiple key changes. The ending, although sudden, is at least a proper ending that finishes on a high note.

Cheese. And what much needed cheese it is! Ralph Siegel has not quite lost it yet! Although a late-comer to the Eurovision party, they have certainly come up with something that is stereotypical Eurovision but it just so happens there is very little of that this year! The chorus in incredibly catchy and the repetition of the title certainly gets in your head even if you don’t want it to. The speed of the song is not too fast and not too slow and I can see the hall going big for this one. It is just the right speed for hand clapping and flag waving.

Of course, this is San Marino and the principality has only qualified once in its time (with Valentina) and I must be realistic about their chances. This a can really only qualify through quality of the song as they have no diaspora and no ‘neighbourly voting’ to rely on. The chances of this qualifying are almost zero but this is not through lack of trying. I really love this song and think it is just what Eurovision needs. The question is – has Eurovision ‘grown up’ and ‘moved on’ or will Eurovision always need, or possibly fall back on, some good old-fashioned pop?

ARTIST - Valentina Monetta and Jimmie Wilson

SONG -Spirit of the night

MUSIC - Ralph Siegel

LYRICS - Steven Barnacle, Jutta Staudenmayer

ICELAND

The Icelandic Final was held on March 11th at Laugardalshöll in Reykjavik, hosted by Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir. Before the final there were 2 semi-finals and all the songs at this point had to be performed in Icelandic. The winner was chosen in 2 rounds of voting - in the first round the top 2 were chosen by an international "expert" jury (50%) & televoting (50%) but in the second round the winner was chosen solely by televoting. The winner was Svala with her self-penned song “Paper”

Svala is alone on stage wearing an 80s style pants suit and jacket with a short top underneath. There are laser effects and plumes of smoke on stage throughout the song. At first she is very dimly lit whilst white light beams flash around her in time with the music. The background is mainly flashing blocks of turquoise. During the second verse, beams of pink light join the show. The staging of this is highly choreographed with every little step and arm movement thought through beforehand. I also notice that a lot of the camera work focuses on Svala’s whole body and very little on her face which is a very odd artistic decision.

The song is an electropop ballad although some of the parts of the song are phrased faster than others. The start of the song has very minimal backing which shows off Svala’s tone of voice and great diction. The chorus is cleverly written with a good 6 beats of the 8 given just to the word ‘paper’ although the other rhymes in the chorus are a little predictable. The second chorus is more interesting as the cadence and flow is much quicker, more staccato which makes the rhymes and writing much clever and more interesting to listen to. The ‘ah-ah-ah’ part after the second chorus is very ill placed and stalls the flow of the song and makes you think the song is nearly over when it is not. It makes the last version of the chorus feel like it’s plodding.

Although I quite like her style and staging of this, I find quite clinical. There is a lack of spontaneity and true feeling in her performance that leaves me very cold. I almost wish that for a chorus or two she just connected with the audience in the hall or straight down the camera lens and told the story. I particularly hate the part in the chorus where she dances with her hands on her hips! The other issue is that the song is quite bland and doesn’t really go anywhere. There is fair prominence to the word ‘paper’ which gets in your head but the rest is quite forgettable. I can easily imagine this being placed between more up-tempo numbers which would kill this song’s chances stone dead. In fact the only way I can see this qualifying is if it is performed last and the chances of that happening are minimal.

ARTIST - Svala

SONG - Paper

MUSIC - Svala Björgvinsdóttir, Einar Egilsson, Lester Mendez, Lily Elise

LYRICS - Svala Björgvinsdóttir, Einar Egilsson, Lester Mendez, Lily Elise

NORWAY

The Norwegian Final was held on March 11th at the Spektrum in Oslo, hosted by Line Elvsåshagen & Kåre Magnus Bergh. The winner was chosen in two rounds of voting. In the first round the top 4 were chosen by televoting (50%) & 10 international juries (50%). In the second round the winner was chosen solely by televoting. Going to Kyiv will be JOWST ft. Aleksander Walmann with the song “Grab the moment”.

The performance is pretty static although the members on stage are spaced out around the stage behind black  plinths which gives scope of different camera angles and view. The background is mostly pinky/purply blocks of colour although there is also the use of similarly coloured interference on the screen which at first makes you think something is wrong. Aleksander is in a long white shirt and large black hat, whilst the band in is dressed in black with LED covered masks on. It is certainly a very mysterious and stylistically bold set up.

The verses of the song have an almost reggae feel whilst the tune is monotone and repetitive and has an alost country swagger about it. The upside of this is that it shows of Aleksander’s diction and gets you straight into the story of the song. The chorus is also very repetitive having the same 2 lines repeated. After this there is a sizeable instrumental before going back into the chorus. Here, there are mechanised samples of the chorus that are repeated at different speeds and pitches. Now obviously, this cannot be allowed at Eurovision unless replicated live – is this even possible? The most interesting part is the bridge around the 2:10 mark when the backing goes a bit swirly but Aleksander sings on regardless.

This is not a bad song but the issue here is it not instant. On first listen this is pretty forgettable but it is only after 3 or 4 repeats that the structure becomes more predictable and at Eurovision you don't have that luxury. Although this song has been chosen to go to Eurovision, it doesn't scream ESC which possibly makes it more credible but less like what you expect in the show, The visuals of the act are pretty strong, even though Aleksander would do with looking a little smarter, and are memorable enough within the confines of the semi. What’s more, Alexander has such a good voice and barely puts a note wrong during any of the performances he did during the show. On the basis that this is a slow burner, this will either not qualify or just qualify but do better in the final.

ARTIST - JOWST ft. Aleksander Walmann

SONG - Grab the moment

MUSIC - Joakim With Steen, Jonas McDonnell

LYRICS - Joakim With Steen, Jonas McDonnell

LITHUANIA

The Lithuanian Final was held on March 11th at Švyturio Arena in Klaipeda, hosted by Ieva Stasiuleviciute & Gabriele Martirosianaite. Before the final there were a sequence of heats, quarterfinals, semi-finals and wild card votes before reaching the final of 7 acts 2017. The winner was chosen by televoting (50%) & an "expert" jury (50%). He winner was the group Fusedmarc with the song “Rain of revolution”.

The national final performance is very visual, The singer, Viktorija, has a long flowing dress and has her hair splayed out on top of her head like a Japanese bun.  She is very active, moving around the stage and trying to embody the words and music through her movements. Behind her is the guitarist and a line of backing singers. The video wall behind and below them is very well used. In fact, the glowing catherine wheel effect on the floor is very effective, especially from the above camera shots. The splattery, fuzzy background is a nice contrast to her dress but very little else.

The song starts off with a very jazzy fanfare before Viktorija, starts singing. Her voice is very strong and changes tone and strength depending on the different part she is singing. That said her diction and accent are almost impenetrable, especially at the start. The verses are very similar to Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” but without the funky guitar riff. The chorus is much more anthemic and sticks in your head quite quickly. After the chorus there is a roundel of ‘yeah yeah yeah’-ing which is really a waste and the fact it ends on this is very confusing. I would be more impressed if she lost it completely and went full on jazz with an improvised scatting middle 8.

Although this is another different style to add to this year’s genre list, it misses the mark, and by a wide berth too. Her voice, although quite artistic, it is very hard to listen too and her diction is verging on being ‘indecipherable club singer’. If you don’t know what she’s singing about you cannot connect to her orthe song. The different parts of the song don’t really work as a cohesive unit, I fear this will feel flat in the hall which will in turn make the viewers at home wonder what this song is missing.

The only glimmer of hope this has of qualifying is if the diaspora, of which there are some participating countries in the semi, vote hard enough to give their homeland and extra push, however I am not quite sure the juries (unless they are full to the brim of jazz/funk aficionados) will go for this at all. We won’t be seeing this on Saturday night.

ARTIST - Fusedmarc

SONG - Rain of revolution

MUSIC - Viktorija Ivanovskaja, Denis Zujev, Michail Levin

LYRICS - Viktorija Ivanovskaja, Denis Zujev, Michail Levin

SWEDEN

The Swedish Final was held on March 11th at the Friends Arena in Solna, hosted by Clara Henry, David Lindgren & Hasse Andersson. Before the final there were 4 heats and a second chance round. In the heats, voting was split between televoting and app voting. In the final, the winner was chosen by televoting (50%) and 11 international juries (50%). The winning singer was Robin Bengtsson and his song is called “I can’t go on”

In an effect over used by talent competitions, Robin and his backing dancers all start behind the scenes. They walk though the technical area before appearing on stage. They are all dressed quite smartly in suits which are done up and undone during the choreography.  When they get to the stage they then perform their well-rehearsed routine on travellators which move all different kinds of ways at different speeds. The background is very geometric which gives the effect of actually walking to or from somewhere else. The effect is very pleasing, especially when their cues are spot on and the camera angles show off the formations. Apart from that not much really happens.

The song is a stereotypical Swedish production. It is very radio friendly can you could easily imagine any generic western boyband or upcoming teenage star singing this song or ant contemporary commercial radio station playing this to bits. The verses are quite flat and have quite a low tune which means you must listen quite hard to pick up the lyrics and the tune. The chorus is much more instant, especially as the title of the song is repeated fight at the start of the chorus and really punctuates this important part of the song. The ending is quite effective especially as all the props stop dead and the lights go off too.

This is a perfectly good pop song and it presented and is performed well. In fact, one could say it’s just a bit too slick. Although Robin is a good singer and moves quite well he has the charisma of a twig and looks about as likeable as stepping in a dog turd. What this makes up in professionalism it totally lacks in charm and likeability.  First, I would get him out of the suit. It looks like the local bank manager has got drunk and is trying his hand at karaoke. It would almost be better if Robin did minimal choreography, spent his time and energy connecting with the camera and making more effort in his facial expressions, which are pretty blank and smug. It must also be noted that if he wants additional backing vocalists he will either have to get rid of 1 or 2 of his treadmill chums OR find a couple of people who can sing and dance whilst on a moving platform. 
This should qualify, as this will appeal to today’s download and streaming generation. However, it must be noted that this song won the international jury vote but only came third in the Swedish televote. This will be a welcome addition to the final but is no winner.

ARTIST - Robin Bengtsson

SONG - I can't go on

MUSIC - David Kreuger, Hamed "K-One" Pirouzpanah, Robin Stjernberg

LYRICS - David Kreuger, Hamed "K-One" Pirouzpanah, Robin Stjernberg

SERBIA

The Serbian entry was released on March 11th in the form of the official video. Last month it was announced that Tijana Bogićević had been internally selected and that her song would be unveiled at a later date. Her song is called “In too deep”.

The video centres on dancing and movement – in the air, on the floor and even underwater. Tijana is joined by a number of dancers whose parts are shown in slow motion. Most of this centres on one male and female pairing who dance a lot ‘together’ although mainly with and against each other.. On all parts of the action there are lots of flowing scarves flashes of colour or strings of beads, which again all look better underwater. Tijana herself is found either singing into the camera lens or seated on a ring suspended from the ceiling, although not too high.

The song starts off with minimal backing which beefs up during the chorus. The tune of the verse is very much like the chorus of “About you now” by the Sugababes, whilst the chorus is more like “Running” by Naughty Boy. Not only do the two parts feel different, Tijana vocally sounds different. The change of atmosphere between the two carts is really jarring, especially coming down from the chorus into the verse again. It leaves you feeling quite cold and disrupts the flow of the song somewhat. The ending is not so sudden at is ends on the final line of the chorus so feels expected.

I feel quite let down by this entry. The structure of this song just doesn’t work for me. Tunes of the verses seems too nice whilst the chorus is too busy and frantic. The instrumental around the 2 in mark is very nice and fits in well and sounds really great sandwiched between the choruses. I am slightly intrigued so wee how this is staged as I feel that if she moves about too much she will sound too breathy but she will look very odd if stood still.

The other issue is that the second semi is full of very varied songs and, although quite radio friendly and modern, doesn’t really have the instant feel and catchiness of some of the other songs that will come before and after it. However Serbia is lucky to have quite a few neighbours in the same semi so will possibly get more votes than it might deserve. Either way, I personally would not be to bothered if it doesn’t qualify.

ARTIST - Tijana Bogićević

SONG - In too deep

MUSIC - Borislav Milanov, Joacim Bo Persson, Johan Alkenas, Lisa Ann-Mari Linder

LYRICS - Borislav Milanov, Joacim Bo Persson, Johan Alkenas, Lisa Ann-Mari Linder

AZERBAIJAN

The Azeri entry was released on March 11th in the form of the official video. Back in November it was announced that Dihaj (Diana Hajiyeva) had been internally selected and that her song would be unveiled at a later date. 
Her song is called “Skeletons”.

The video is very dark and mysterious and at some points feels quite detached from the song. Dihaj is sat in a café/bar and is then driven through the woods to a dark, undisclosed location. On the way, she keeps looking at her hand which at lines become like x-rays and you can see her bones. Once in the woods she is confronted by flashing TV screen which show videos of her in a Big Brother-esque way. Also by the end she looks quite dark and menacing in her slicked hair, goth make up and long bac trench coat. I could imagine the images of x-rays being a good motif for a stage show but very confusing nonetheless.

The song starts off with a nervy industrial, synthy and blocky backing track. The verses have a very clear tune and Dihaj can reach the notes and sing the song with good diction on the recording. When the song reaches the chorus is gets far too messy. Her diction is caught out a bit and you cannot always pick out her voice from the track, especially as the backing singers are singing something slightly different and Dihaj gets washed out. That said the lyrics of the chorus is much more interesting than the verses. The chorus comes into its own at the end of the song when different parts of the song are sung at different times at different pitches and the whole thing feels really atmospheric, although the actual end is very weak and limp.

I like this song and I also like the feeling and story the song brings but I think there needs to be a lot of work to make it Eurovision ready. First, they need to sort out the levels of the singers on the track. If the singers are going to be singing different things, especially in the first renditions of the chorus, they need to give Dihaj more prominence or minimise what the backing singers sing. Secondly they need to have a clear visual. I quite like the menacing goth look she has near the end of the song – giving her a clear ‘character’ would really make her stand out. Azerbaijan have never failed to qualify since they joined the contest and looking at the first half of semi 1 this song is quite individual but they have a lot of songs to compete against in the second half. Would the ‘indie’ vote prefer this or Latvia I wonder...? Although I think this should qualify, I have a feeling that like the last couple of Azeri qualifiers this will be right on the bubble.

ARTIST - Dihaj

SONG - Skeletons

MUSIC - Isa Melikov, Sandra Bjurman

LYRICS - Isa Melikov, Sandra Bjurman

FYR MACEDONIA

The Macedonian entry was released on March 10th in the form of the official video.

Back in November it was announced that Jana Burčeska had been internally selected and that her song would be unveiled at a later date. Her song is called “Dance alone”.

The video release of this is very interesting as many fans have been captured by its story. In short the old lady uses virtual reality glasses to watch herself, and presumably her late husband, when they were young – or possibly a reincarnation of how they would be if they were young now. These clips are interspersed with her doing normal things around the house, which emphasises her loneliness. It is a very strong visual, a great piece of storytelling and works well with the song and reel you into the whole package.

Her song is a modern radio tune with more than a passing nod to the electronica of the 80s. The vocals in the verses have been altered slightly to give it a slightly dull, old fashioned far away finish. This effect really works with the video but I am not quite sure how or if this could be replicated on stage. The verses are quite stylised feeling like she’s talking rather than singing and so require good diction. The chorus is quite catchy as the words are simplistic and tune is repetitive and the movement between verse to chorus to verse feels really seamless.

This is a very pleasing entry and not one you would expect from Macedonia.

My issue is that the video has overshadowed the song. Although many people have liked the quality of the song, I have seen and heard more chat about the narrative of the video. Now although this will give more footfall to the official video my worry will be more about the stage show at Eurovision. I very much doubt that this narrative could be transferred to the stage and having the video as a background would just not work. I almost think that any stage show just wouldn’t work as well as the video does. This twinned with the fact that the vocals probably won’t sound the same on the night and that semi 2 is more diverse, means it could be more of a struggle. If this had been in semi 1 this would easily qualify.

ARTIST - Jana Burčeska

SONG – Dance alone

MUSIC - Joacim Persson, Alex Omar, Florence A, Bobi-Leon Milanov

LYRICS - Joacim Persson, Alex Omar, Florence A, Bobi-Leon Milanov

MONTENEGRO

The Montenegrin entry was released on March 9th in the form of the official video. Back in December it was announced that Slavko Kalezić had been internally selected and that his song had already been chosen but would be unveiled in March. He will be singing the song “Space”.

The video is extremely ‘in your face’ (many might say overly aggressive) and a bit of an onslaught on the senses. For most of the song he is dressed in very little – mostly very tight trousers, boots and a headdress that mimics a VERY long ponytail. There are two settings in the video, one is a rocky outdoor scene which looks a bit other-worldly and the other is an industrial looking studio or club. At points, it looks like he has other similarly dressed dancers behind him but it is actually him backing up himself! There is a lot of suggestive dancing (which would go down well in the hall) and lots of disco-esque beams of light which would also make a good stage background.

The song in structure is similar to Hungary’s song in 2009 although this has a much harder edge. The tune of the verses is quite dark and minimal whilst the choruses have a more major feel and are more uplifting and danceworthy. His style of siging inbth parts is very different too andpart of me struggles to see if he will be able to keep up this styles change live without getting too breathy.  Going from verse to chorus is OK but getting back again is a bit jarring. However we only hear the chorus twice as the last 40 second is almost an instrumental ending with “In space we can be as one” which to my ears is the ONLY time you hear the word space in the song, which is very odd. The lyrics are slightly cringeworthy and are seemingly full of double entendre and double meanings whose effect wears off really quickly once you have heard it more than once.

So at least it is not a ballad…

I can imagine this possibly being the standout track in the first half of semi 1 and I kind of pity the acts that have to follow this one! From that perspective, I feel that the energy and possibly showmanship of Slavko will stand out a mile. This is going to appeal to a very particular catchment of Eurovision fans and viewership… and I am not sure who else. Montenegro are unlucky that only one other ex-Yugoslav nation is in semi 1 and this won’t benefit for neighbourly voting. That said I think it will get votes from some of the western countries who will appreciate the flamboyant nature of the song and singer. I personally think it is a little weak but have a sneaky suspicion this will just qualify (although I don’t think it should) but end up in the 20’s in the final.

ARTIST - Slavko Kalezić

SONG - Space

MUSIC - Momčila Zekovića

LYRICS - Momčila Zekovića

IRELAND

The Irish entry was released on March 10th firstly with a play on RTE Radio 2FM then released online in the form of the official video. Back in December it was announced that Brendan Murray,  member of the boyband Hometown, had been internally selected and that his song would be chosen and revealed at a later date. He will be singing the song “Dying to try”.

The video is set at Bray, a seaside resort just south of Dublin. The atmosphere is quite bright but also looks quite cold and windy. Brendan is filmed walking and singing at different points along the beach, interspersed by the will they/won’t they story of two lovers. I could imagine some of the sweeping scenery shots making it into a background package bout would not have much connection with the lyrics of the song. As it was a pre-recorded selection it is hard to discuss singing and performance ability at this stage, although he looks a nice young lad and dressed in an apt way could be accessible to the younger viewership.

The song is a slow ballad but with a Viennese waltz lilt. The backing track is very sparse with a kind of ‘white noise’ backing to it, apart from that the main instruments you can hear are piano and drums. There are also some prominent backing singers in the second half of the performance. The song builds nicely – with even a key change as it enters the second minute. By the end the song comes back down again from its big build up. Brendan has a noticeably high voice which does stand out, although I wonder how much production has been done to the track to tone this down slightly or maybe this song was chosen because it tones down that screechiness.

Overall, I think this is a good selection. I had major reservations regarding the selection of Brendan and the seemingly over-bearing mentoring by Louis Walsh. But the song is not a bad one and if Brendan can sing this well live it could be a bit of a dark horse, or at least take votes away from similar songs.

On the plus side, semi 2 is very diverse and is not as ballad filled as semi 1. Therefore, watchers might see this as friendlier and more accessible Eurovision fayre and feel safe giving this votes. I also think slightly older jury members would love this. On the down side, Ireland really don’t have may ‘friends’ in the semi – not even the UK votes in this one. I’d love to see this go through but it might just miss out.

ARTIST - Brendan Murray

SONG - Dying to try

MUSIC - Jörgen Elofsson, James Newman

LYRICS - Jörgen Elofsson, James Newman

ISRAEL

The Israeli entry was released on March 9th during a special television show. The entrant was selected back in February through the Rising Star programme. There were 9 shows to whittle the contestants down to the final 4. The winner was chosen through a combination of mobile phone app and "expert" jury votes. The winning singer was Imri Ziv and his internally selected song is called “I feel alive”

The video has a very touristy-summer feel as most of the film is set at the beach. The video also looks back on Imri’s journey through the selection competition and his previous brushes with Eurovision (Imri was a backing singer in the 2015 and 2016 editions) There are lots of party and dancing scenes which emphasise the beat of the song. In parts, Imri is joined by a couple of male dancers where they undertake some simplistic choreography although there is also some random breakdancing.

The song is a modern dance pop number with radio friendly and ethic edge. As many of these songs start out nowadays then instrumentation is minimal at the star then grows throughout the song. The verses are straightforward and are actually very strong. This is then followed by what can only be described as an overlong ‘pre-chorus’ which then becomes the true chorus with is ‘I feel alive’ repeated over and over again. During the second repetition of the chorus, the track is joined by something akin to an Arghul (similar in tone to a clarinet) which repeats a lively catchy ear worm which reminds you a little bit that this is an Israeli song. After this he repeats the chorus but with a stripped back backing track before going back into full force for the end. As the release was through pre-recorded means, it is hard to judge how, or if, Imri can vocally produce this live.

The song starts off on a good footing and pricks your ears up right away but for me, it all unravels towards the chorus. It takes way too long for the chorus to unfurl and when you get there it is the same line repeated over again. For such effort in the build-up, it totally misses the mark. Although the instrumentation later in the song redeems the track slightly you can’t help but fee like this had such promise but never quite reaches its peak.

In terms of qualification, it is still too early to judge as most of semi 2 is still unknown that said, it is a very diverse and contains a wide variety of acts and music styles. I can imagine that with a strong visual show this should qualify but not troubling the left hard side of the scoreboard. That said I am still troubled by how this has left me disappointed and if other viewers feel the same, they might not qualify at all.

ARTIST - Imri Ziv

SONG - I feel alive

MUSIC - Dolev Ram, Penn Hazut

LYRICS - Dolev Ram, Penn Hazut

BELGIUM

The Belgian entry was released on March 8th during a special press conference, afterwards the official video clip was distributed online. Way back in September,the Belgian Walloon broadcaster RTBF announced that Blanche (Ellie Delvaux) would be the internally selected singer and that her song would be revealed at a much later date. She will be singing the song “City Lights”.

The video is set at night at deserted apartment block. The video follows Blanche walking inside and outside the building, followed what looks like cannon balls of light that shoot through the building. On the outside of the building, lights flash, strips of glowing neon appear and the trees start glowing bright white. At times you follow Blanche walking around the place or have close ups of her singing the song. Although there seems no real narrative to the story apart from being linked to the title, I would see a light show and video screen using these elements being very identifiable and memorable on the stage.

The song is extremely modern. It nods to electro-pop as well as more modern figures like Lorde and Hozier. Blanche also has a very distinctive tone of voice - especially when you consider she is only 17 years old. The instrumentation and beat is very intriguing and although the tempo of the song is not that fast the beat feels like double speed. The song starts off with the chorus, although it is not obvious this is the case until it is repeated. The chorus itself is oddly phrased with a line with a beat of 6 followed by a beat of 8 which keeps you on your toes without feeling ‘wrong’. The ending is very sudden but the repitition of the last line builds up to it in a fair enough way. Blanche’s voice is very low and deep and it makes me wonder a) how comfortable this is for her to sing live and b) how much production has been used to create such an atmospheric voice.

This is the most contemporary song we have up to now in this year’s Eurovision and the Walloon broadcaster seem to have used the momentum from Loic 2 years ago and built on it. Even if it is not your style of music, within the confines of Eurovision this really stands out. It seems as though they are trying to keep on at the younger demographic for Eurovision and appealing at those viewers – or even children of viewers - who may not normally watch but might be switched on my this song.

Qualification shouldn’t be a struggle but semi 1 is very East-heavy and won’t gain particularly from much neighbourly voting. However, I think the strength and individuality of the song will see it through and should (if the correct instructions are given) be heavily favoured by the juries. If justice was done, this would probably be an easy top 10, possibly top 5.

ARTIST - Blanche

SONG - City lights

MUSIC - Pierre Dumoulin

LYRICS - Pierre Dumoulin

CZECH REPUBLIC

The Czech entry was released on March 7th via a release on youtube. Although an official video had been filmed, this was not on the release. Last month it was revealed that Martina Bárta would be singing for them in Kyiv with the song released at a later date. Her song is called “My turn”

Although a video has been recorded, this was not used as part of the song release and no reason was given why. All we see is Martina dressing in a beige top with people standing around her. I don’t think this gives us any indication to the stage show at all. Martina is an experienced Jazz performer and one could expect anything for her show although I suspect it will be rather pared down - possibly just her and a piano.

The song starts off with Martina singing over a piano backing. You keep on waiting for the song to move up a gear but stays where it is for almost the whole song. At the 2:30 mark a drum beat finally kicks in as some strings only for this to peter out 20 seconds later to a piano ending. Martina has a very smooth, jazzy soulful voice and sings with a very distinctive European twang. Her she over pronounces some of her consonants, which I personally like, but find some of her vowel sounds verging towards feeling Americanised with a whiff of the Iron Curtain.

The song is a very interesting listen. The verses are quite simple and easy to follow but the structure of the chorus is more surprising as the tune does not go here you think it is going, which keeps you on your toes. That said the song really doesn’t go anywhere musically. The introduction of the full band 30 seconds from the end feels redundant and comes far too late. Although the tune is nice it’s still quite flat (although her vocal sounds fine) I also suspect that the fast, wordy parts might be difficult for her to pronounce. This is ok but nowhere near as good as last year’s attempt. I don’t think this will be troubling the final.


ARTIST - Martina Bárta
SONG - My turn
MUSIC - DWB, Kyler Niko
LYRICS - DWB, Kyler Niko

AUSTRALIA

The Australian entry was released on March 7th via a press conference held in Melbourne. Like the past 2 entries, SBS internally selected their singer and song. At the press conference, the song was performed live and later on the official video clip was released. Going to Kyiv is Isaiah Firebrace singing the song “Don’t come easy”

The during the conference, the song was sung in the venue’s small stage so there was not a lot of scope for applying Eurovision tricks. He wore a very simple black suit which suits his quite small frame and of course there is his lovely foppish hair! The official video clip, which was released a little later, was also very simple, focussing mostly on head shots, emphasising his angular features and the emotion of the song. It seems he’s not one for moving, but this song doesn’t really call for that.

The song starts off as a piano ballad but grows as the song progresses. The verses are relatively short meaning you get a cycle of verse and chorus done in about 50 seconds.  After the second cycle there is a very early bridge part with a slightly less memorable tune. This then goes into the end repetitions of the chorus where he starts free styling it a little and moving away from the tune, although this is maintained by the backing singers. The ending of the song is a little abrupt going back to a piano instrumental.

He sang the song live really well, although I personally think he can push his voice too far when going for the higher notes. The song has a lot of similarities to last year’s Australian entry and that is mainly because both had the same writing team behind them. From the clips I have seen of him, Isiah is a more measured performer and has a very straightforward style of singing. His voice however is very soulful and he should be able to sing this really well on the night. My main criticism is that his face looked pained and might need to do more emoting through the camera. On the other side the first half contains two stumbling blocks. Firstly, semi 1 is very Eastern European and wonder if support will be spread too thin between friendly countries that places like Australia might not get a look in. Also the top half of semi one is VERY ballad heavy and one has to start wondering if anything from this half is going to qualify with easy. Personally, I hope this does but I really would not be shocked if it did not - this would more be down to the style of the song than anything to do with Isaiah’s skills.

ARTIST - Isaiah Firebrace

SONG – Don’t come easy

MUSIC - Anthony Egizii, David Musumeci, Michael Angelo

LYRICS - Anthony Egizii, David Musumeci, Michael Angelo

GREECE

The Greek Final was held in on March 6th at the ERT TV Studios in Athens, hosted by Antonis Loudaros & Elena Bouzali. In January it was announced that Demy had been chosen as their internal candidate. It was then revealed that there would be a nation finals consisting of 3 songs. The winner was chosen by televoting & 9 juries of Greek diaspora associations. The winning song  was “This is Love”

As the presentation was done by video it gives us few clues as to what one might expect on the stage in May. Demi is a very beautiful girl and at some points almost looks like a doll rather than a person. The song is mainly shot in black and white with some coloured accent of red. At some points of the video the lyrics also appear on the screen but there seems little reason or logic to why they appear. At the start we a see a grand hall with Demy sitting in a ball gown singing the song. During the chorus, the focus changes into shots of different people looking into the camera. These two ideas then flit about for the rest of the song with, again, little clue as to how these parts are connected. There are then shots of Demy outside on a set of steps, walking a cobbled streets and in some woods. Again it is all very disconnected.

The song begins as a piano based ballad but during the chorus the beat kicks in and becomes a more electronic pop-dance number. The issue I have with the construction of the song is that there are too many ‘bits’ to the song. There is a chorus and a verse but there is also a ‘pre-chorus’ which could also be a chorus on its own. If this part was just said the once during the slow part, there might have been more room to repeat the chorus or parts of the chorus again at other points. You only get to hear the chorus for the second time well past the 2 minute mark. The instrumental near the end is not only ill-placed but the badly-synthesised instruments sound very tinny.

This is a nice enough song with a good beat but it has failed to deliver on the hype this selection promised to bring. Although an up-tempo song, it feels quite dated and not quite energetic enough. One also must question why the selection was run as a video contest. I have no idea as to how this would look on stage and I can’t even judge how well she can - or cannot -  sing this. You never know, one of the other songs might have been better and more instant when sung live and might have swayed the voters. On the plus side, I am sure she will have a well produced stage show to ensure she stands out amongst the crowd, with many surprises and tricks to sway undecied voters. The pessimist in me would say that Greece have done enough to qualify but not tried quite hard enough to win.

ARTIST - Demy

SONG - This is love

MUSIC - Dimitris Kontopoulos

LYRICS - Romy Papadea, John Ballard

PORTUGAL

The Portuguese Final was held at Coliseu dos Recreios in Lisbon on March 5th, hosted by Sílvia Alberto & Catarina Furtado. Before the final there were 2 semi-finals,, 4 songs qualifying from each. The winner was chosen by a 50/50 televoting/regional juries split. Going to Kyiv is Salvador Sobral singing “Amar pelos dois” (Love for two)

This is possibly the simplest stage show we have seen all year. Salvador is alone with a mic stand. There was no big light show, no real background - just him and the camera. He has a very individual singing and performance style which is so individual it is hard to describe. It has very small internal hand and eye movements which emphasise the feeling and meaning of the song. He is also very responsive to the buzz of the crowd which was so supportive towards him during the final. He looks a bit scruffy and dowdy in his oversized shirt, jacket and messy hair but it makes him feel more relatable than many of the other acts that have already been chosen.

The song begins with a mini rhapsody which slowly becomes less and less until all you can hear is the piano. But as the song progresses the strings come back in and back out again. The instrumental starts again in full force after the first chorus but during the second chorus it dies before coming back for the finish. If I had any criticism of the song it would-be that the song ends a little strangely. The last line of the song doesn’t end with the tune you would expect it too then is followed by about 5 seconds of outro. Most of the time you actually cannot hear this instrumentation because of the noise from the audience, On the plus side, it is also very obvious that they have used real instruments rather than synthesised ones. 

His story over the past few weeks has been amazing. Many were shocked by his rather large and shabby appearance during the semi, then a day the show after he was admitted to hospital for surgery to repair a navel hernia. He returned to perform in the final but during the intro he gestured that he could hear nothing in his earpiece so performed just using the sound in the arena. Finally, during the reprise he duetted with his sister, who wrote the track, which was so very touching.

This is such a beautiful piece of music. His style of singing is so personal and intriguing, he has that quality of thinking he’s singing to just you in a crowded room. It feels like something out of a 40s or 50s musical. One wonders if a video screen with a man and woman in a yellow dress might also intrigue lovers of a certain “La La Land”

On the other hand, it’s not in English but I see this as a strength rather than a negative considering at time of writing it is the ONLY song in SF1 not in English. and some may see the song as too quiet. Given a decent place in the semi this could easily stand out, or be swamped with a bad placing. I really hope this has enough sweetness and heart to qualify and I would love a top 10 finish for Salvador.

ARTIST - Salvador Sobral

SONG - Amar pelos dois

MUSIC - Luísa Sobral

LYRICS - Luísa Sobral

ROMANIA

The Romanian Final was held on March 5th at the TVR TV Studios in Bucharest, hosted by Iuliana Tudor & Dan Helciug. Before the final there was a semi-final where the long list of 15 was reduced to 10, which was done by a 5-person jury. However during the final, the winner was solely chosen by televoting. The wiiners were Ilinca and Alex Florea with “Yodel It”

The stage show was rather simple mainly due to a quite minialistic stage. Alex starts off in almost darkness and as the song begins the lights come up then Ilinca appears. The lights flash different colours through the song and there is no reall form to the background. He is in all black - wearing a casual jacket, t-shirt and ripped trousers and has a very small (and annoying) pony tail. During the final Ilinca wore a VERY short bottle green mini dress and had a belt on it which made her look a bit like a leprechaun. The two of them move about the stage quite well but it is all very freestyle and haphazard although they make more of an effort in the chorus.

The song starts off with a military style drumbeat which grabs your attention and s then shouted on top of by the male singer. His parts are not really rap but wouldn’t go so far as to call it singing. There seem to be a lot of singing on the same note! Her yodelling parts show a lot of skill and it seems so effortless when she does it. I almost wish she had a song all by herself The song kind of flip flops between his parts and her parts through the song until the 2 min mark when it turns into a ballad rock number – which by the way shows what a really brilliant singer she is – then into a rather shouty aggressive part - both feel really removed to what has gone before.

I am going to keep this brief.

I can totally understand why people like this – it is light hearted, slightly eccentric and adds and much needed bit of flavour to this year’s contest. However, for me, this is the worst thing I have seen or heard in a long time.  Yes - it is fun, it is different, it is quirky but this just doesn’t work for my eyes and ears. Something about them and the song rubs me up the wrong way. I just don't get the fuss or the hype. One might suggest that the lack of any real contender in the national final made this a very obvious choice all round.

Luckily for them they have a number of friendly countries in their semi plus Switzerland and Austria (they know about yodelling, right?) But one has to ask - what kind of international jury member would vote for this? I can understand televoters being charmed but will this fit the criteria given ot eh experts? His ‘singing’ is not of great quality and although yodelling is a bit of a skill it is a bit of a ‘marmite’ genre. Romania have never DQ’d so momentum is with them but there is always a first time…

ARTIST - Ilinca and Alex Florea

SONG – Yodel It

MUSIC - Mihai Alexandru

LYRICS - Alexandra Niculae

                                       (this video is their winners reprise at the end of the final)

ESTONIA

The Estonian Final was held on March 4th at the Saku Suurhall in Tallinn, hosted by Märt Avandi & Ott Sepp. Before the final there were 2 semis, with 10 songs and 5 qualifying from each. The winner was chosen in two rounds of voting. In the first round the top 3 was chosen by a 50/50 televoting/jury mix. In the second round, the winner was chosen solely by televoting. Going to Kyiv are Koit Toome & Laura singing “Verona”

The stage show is rather simple. Laura starts off on stage in a classical, but quite tight, white dress but in silhouette. A video of Koit then starts up behind her which then turns into a normal camera shot. He is dressed smartly in a white shirt and black suit and looks very comfortable on stage. Like the theme of the song, they are in different places on the stage throughout the song. There are lots of being apart, being together, looking away, looking towards which helps build up the song.This continues until the first big chorus when they are together on stage. The background is all monochrome which maintains the simple staging idea. 

The song has a very slow build up, it takes a lot of time to get into the meat of the song. "Verona" is a song based aroundf the play "Romeo & Juliet". It starts off with a very interesting guitar chord before Laura starts singing. The first verse feels more like ‘Goodbye to Yesterday’ before the beat kicks in. There is then a slow and punchy bridge part which at first listen feels far too early. The chorus is very simple and repetitive and the ‘ahhhhh-ing part is very catchy. The bridge part appears again – this time feeling much better suited – before a final rendition of the chorus, with an ever so slighy different tune, and we then find that Laura is again alone on stage.

Neither singer is new to Eurovision. Koit came 12^th in 1998 and Laura competed in the semi-final in 2005 as part of Suntribe (but did not qualify) and has also competed many times in the Estonian selection process as a solo artist.

This is a pretty difficult one to judge. I like the way the song grows and has a turn of pace during the second verse and the bridge. I like the storytelling aspects of the staging, although not perfect. There are too many lingering head shots – especially when they are not singing – and I think Laura could wear something a bit more eye-catching. The main issue is that the first rendition of the chorus doesn't happen until half way through the song, which almost feels too late. It stands out that the first half is almost all verses and the second half almost all chorus! I would suggest deleting the first bridge, or even just curtailing it to just a couple of lines so the chorus kicks in beore one gets bored. Although Koit and Laura sing the song really well, I have huge issues with Laura’s diction and she seriously needs some English or pronunciation lessons. The song also needs to shave off about 10 seconds to be under the 3 minute mark.

I think this is a nice enough song and I think it just about stands out enough to be noticed in a very diverse bottom half of semi 2. If they give a performance akin to that in the national final, they should qualify although I don’t expect them to be on the left hand side of the scoreboard in the final.

ARTIST - Koit Toome & Laura

SONG - Verona

MUSIC - Sven Lõhmus

LYRICS - Sven Lõhmus

THE NETHERLANDS

The Dutch entry was unveiled on March 3^rd at a special press conference in Amsterdam. The presentation was hosted by Cornald Maas and Jan Smit, who are also the official Eurovision commentators for AVROTROS. Way back in October, it was announced that OG3NE (pronounced O-gene) would be representing The Netherlands. The sisters previously represented their home country at Junior Eurovision 10 years ago. They will be singing a song co-written by their father called “Lights and Shadows”

The video is set at night in a clearing in a forest. The three sisters - Lisa, Amy & Shelly – are stood together in dark clothing and large coats. Lines from the song are projected into the banks of the clearing, the trees and the girls themselves at different parts of the song. Although there is no choreography, they spend a lot of time turning their heads left a right depending on the camera. The overall effect is quite classy although very minimalistic. Something akin to thins could possibly work for the girls on stage.

The song is a quite stereotypical female empowerment ballad and from that end the lyrics are quite cheesy however it has stayed away from the bog standard rhyming couplets that might be involved. In parts, it makes me think of Bee Gees ballads and the way they would harmonise together, which dates it slightly but does make it feel familiar. It starts with a short a cappella introduction which immediately pricks up your ears. The verses are less dynamic because most of each line is sung individually but this provides growth for the chorus. Although the chorus is in the same vein, there is much more power and the phrasing of the lines make the rhymes really noticeable, as does the final line of ‘lights and shadows’ which stand on its own. I am not quite so keen on the odd guitar into to the second chorus and I think the ending needs to be more powerful – but this might be achievable when sung live.

As a ballad goes, this grows properly and the hand clap part near the end works really well and is placed just at the right part of the song to gain momentum. Although this was not a live performance, their singing ability cannot questioned at all. They are top notch at their close harmonies which this song shows off. However, this version is slightly over produced and I wonder if the true power of their vocals will strengthen the song or over-power it.

I am pleasantly surprised by this and I think it will do well. The fact they can sing AND one of the few groups this year will make them stand out, only a poor draw could be their down fall. I can’t see this winning but should obtain a single digit placing.

ARTIST – OG3NE

SONG - Lights and Shadows

MUSIC - J Rory de Kievit, Rick Vol

LYRICS - Rory de Kievit, Rick Vol

CROATIA

The Croatian entry was released on March 2^nd. It was premiered on Croatian Radio 2 then a song release on youtube. In February, the Croatian broadcaster HRT announced that Jacques Houdek will represent the country in the 2017 contest. He will be singing the song “My Friend”

An account of the visual is very difficult – as currently there are none, the premiere of the song has all been done aurally, apart from the painting in the lyric video. What we do know is that Jacques is quite a big guy so I don’t see any huge stage choreography. Although he can move I don’t think any kind of sidestepping or shimmying would suit the style of this song. We can also hear a number of backing singers on the track so we know these will be required – seen or unseen. There are also some prominent violin parts, so ths might feature on stage too.

This is a very unique song and has lots of memorable parts. First of all the instrumental of this, which incidentally revealed a few days before the vocal version, is really quite beautiful. The violin solos remind me of Croatia’s 1995 entry ‘Nostalgija”. It left a lot of people guessing as to what Jacques would put on top of it. First of all there is a spoken word intro which is VERY unusual for Eurovision. He then starts singing the song in English when all of a sudden it not only changes to Italian – but in an operatic voice. This toing and froing continues throughout out the song. You have to keep reminding yourself that the same man is singing both parts. The tune is not very memorable although the chorus is VERY Eurovisiony and repeats the title quite a few times. There are issues around the 2 min mark when the two sides of his voice appear to overlap each other. He will either have to choose one style over the other or get the backing singers to help this part out.

This is truly astonishing. This is either a piece of dire campness that will totally flop OR is actually a piece of genius that will be recreated in other entries for years to come - either way this is going to be remembered. The staging need to be considered. Rumours are abound that his stage outfit will be part influenced by his pop voice and part by his opera voice. I have visions of god-awful Got Talent contestants who half dress up as Pavarotti and half dress up as a blonde bimbo and do both parts of a duet…

This is bad, but it is memorably bad and no matter what you think of the song -  you won’t be able to forget it. After listening to it a few times it just won’t stay in my brain – all I can remember is the spoken word then the opera. I don’t think this will qualify (although there are plenty of neighbours and Eastern countries in its semi)  but will give TV broadcasters more footage for their ‘isn’t Eurovision wacky’ vignettes.

ARTIST - Jacques Houdek

SONG - My Friend

MUSIC - Jacques Houdek, Tony Roberth Malm, Siniša Reljić

LYRICS - Jacques Houdek, Arjana Kunštek, Fabrizio Laucella, Ines Prajo

CYPRUS

The Cypriot entry was released on March 1^st via a release on youtube plus the video was premiered via a CyBC news broadcast. Way back in October it was announced that Hovig would be the internally selected singer and that this song would be revealed at a later date. He will be singing the song “Gravity”.

The video is quite minimalistic and although filmed in colour, has a kind of black/white/dark blue hue to it. Hovig is joined by a female dancer although most of the time they are in different shots. Her parts are quite choreographed whilst Hovig moves seem much more improvised (and slightly limited). There are lots of clean lines and lots of movements that accentuate the beats of the backing track. The last 30 seconds are possibly the most interesting as the 2 participants bounce and balance off each other then do sequences of lunges and reaching poses suggesting falling and/or stopping falling.

There is a real mood about this song – and it starts with the introduction of a really thumpy, downbeat and atmospheric backing track. Unfortunately, when the lyrics start it feels disconnected. The tune of the song is very monotonous when what it really needs is something more rhythmical, less wordy and with lyrics that are punchier and more repetitive than what we’ve got. The ending is a little weak as the chorus ends but he instrumental carries on for another 5 seconds, which I don’t quite understand. It does have its catchy moments but I think most of the pull of this song will be brought out through the live performance.

This is not a bad song and the backing track is very well produced but this song doesn't sound like it was written for somebody like Hovig. This requires a gruffer, bolder more ‘rough around the edges’ voice – like Rag n Bone Man, Maverick Sabre or even someone like Gregory Porter. The video doesn’t give too many clues as to how well he can sing this live, although I am sure he will be fine. I also expect, like the video, for there to be lots of mind-bending and illusion-making lines of perspective, camera angles, and tricks to pinpoint the idea of ‘Gravity’. It's main saving grace is that the chorus is very memorable. This isn't a winner but am swayed towards it being a qualifier.

ARTIST - Hovig

SONG - Gravity

MUSIC - Thomas G:son

LYRICS - Thomas G:son