CZECHIA

The Czech result was announced on January 28^th.  The 6 chosen entries were revealed on the Ceská Televize website. The winner was chosen by an international jury (50%) & via the Eurovision mobile phone app (50%). Going to Eurovision will be the band Lake Malawi with the song “Friend of a friend”

As the competition was via the website and based on video clips of all the entries there is yet a live version of the song, although there are a few live performance videos around on youtube if you search for them. The video for this song is very basic, with most of the shots taken by hand held phone cameras. It chronicles the lead singer, who is singing towards the camera in different places in his apartment. Although it is not a narrative I could see being replicated on the Eurovision stage it does prove that the lead singer, Albert, has pretty good chemistry down the camera lens.

The song is a mid tempo electro pop song with a slight soul feel. The first verse is slightly more low key than the rest of the song which allows the song to build, albeit too slowly for my liking. The second verse has a much clearer beat which fits in better with the mood of the song. The chorus is the star of the show in this song. The tune is repeated over and over again as well as the phrase ‘friend of a friend of a friend of a friend’ at the start of each cycle and sometimes at the end too. The sequence is then repeated but as an instrumental. By the first time you hear it, it is totally stuck in your head although the actual words take longer to become embedded. In my opinion they could do with cutting down one, or both of the verses to possibly have an extra repetition on the sung chorus either after the first or second verses. The ending is a little curt but because of the electro style of the backing it doesn’t come across as too sudden.

Because of the way the Czech selection did, we see that this did equally well with the jury and online vote. With in international jury, mainly made up of past contestants, this came equal first and was second in the public vote. This might be seen as a slight negative but because we know that anybody around the world could vote in the selection this shows that overall this was liked, no matter where the votes came from. Although this was my favourite of the selection I am a little cautious of singing its praises. I think I will and a better gauge of how good they are when performed live and what show they decide to bring

The fact of the matter is Mikolas broke the glass ceiling for Czechia and to follow that is going to be a big job. This has a different vibe but a modern enough one to be a radio hit even if it doesn’t hit the higher placings at Eurovision. I’d love to see this qualify but if Europe is one again looking for something different and quirky, it could miss out.

ARTIST – Lake Malawi

SONG – Friend of a friend

MUSIC - Jan Steinsdoerfer, Maciej Mikolaj Trybulec, Albert Čern

LYRICS - Jan Steinsdoerfer, Maciej Mikolaj Trybulec, Albert Čern

FRANCE

The French Final was held on January 26th at the Studios de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, hosted by Garou. Before the final there were 2 semi-finals where 4 songs qualified from each. The winner was chosen through a mix of international jury and televoting. Representing France this year is Bilal Hassani with “Roi” (King)

It has to be noted that the performance in the final was different to that of the semi. Re-imagining the show must have been tough in such a small space of time, so although it showed promise, there were many rough edges.

He is dressed in a black suit with heavily fringed silver epaulettes. He is also sporting his trademark glasses and beautiful blond shoulder length hair. He stands in front of a projection box which shows various video reels of Bilal as a child which are particularly cute! Most of the song he walks around the stage but also does a few dance moves after the chorus which works ok but does affect his voice. Halfway through he is joined by two female dancers which he occasionally joins in with. Their dancing is too jerky and seems to emphasise a beat which is not there. To my eyes and ears this makes the whole thing very disjointed and I think it needs something a bit more flowing but still as modern. Also the crown motif is very clever and simple.

The song is a mid tempo ballad which Bilal sings well but on the higher notes in the chorus his voice is a little bit thin. I start to wonder if the song could be taken down a tone/semitone to make the high notes more reachable? That said his voice and tone is easy to recognise. His pronunciation is lovely and it is easy to hear the switches in language from French to English and back again. The chorus has a very catchy repetitive structure and actually sounds great in both English and French. The last 30 seconds though is weak. The long high note isn’t Bilal’s strong point and could easily sound off on a bad day. I also think he needs to stick rigidly to the tune of the song and not go for harmonies, alternate melodies or too many runs and riffs. The song takes a few too many listens to get the gist of the story and meaning which is a shame.

The song was very big in the hall and with good reason, Bilal was on the Voice Kids a number of years ago and is quite a prominent youtuber in France with quite the following within the youth and LGBTQ community. This was further evidenced by his landslide win in the French televote (he got approx 35% of the public vote, second pace got just 15%) This support in the French speaking world is strong but the international vote did not go his way, coming only 5^th and this is worrying. What did the international jury not get? Was it the language barrier, his lesser vocal control, the odd staging or something else…? Basically, Bilal needs to work hard at nailing the vocal and needs a team around him that will nail the visual show. The semi performance didn’t quite work, neither did the final. Pick one and whittle it down until it makes a fine point OR start again from scratch.

This will be a fan fave but I also suspect that without the right advice this will be the fan flop. France should be lucky that they don’t have to qualify because if they did, I think they would struggle. Not a winner.

ARTIST – Bilal Hassani

SONG – Roi (King)

MUSIC - Bilal Hassani, Madame Monsieur, Medeline

LYRICS - Bilal Hassani, Madame Monsieur, Medeline

SPAIN

The Spanish Final was held on January 20th at Parc Audiovisual de Catalunya in Terrassa, hosted by Roberto Leal. Before the final there was a jury and online vote to choose the songs to be sung in the gala. The winner, which was chosen solely by televoting, was Miki with “La Venda” (The blindfold).

The performance used almost every inch of the stage, and even started off in the audience. Following him almost every step of the way was a five piece female band with drums, trombones and accordions which not only powers the instrumentation of the song but also the fun party atmosphere. There are no real props and backing screen for this but I would imagine street scenes, streamers and balloons and dancing being a possibility if there is a video wall in Tel Aviv. I think the band works well and also frames the shots down the camera lens. I wonder though if some of the band will need to double up as backing singers or even be replaced by them.

The song starts off with a band and practically doesn’t stop. It is a Latino party song with hints of Mariachi but also tones of Ska and 2tone. The tempo is incredibly fast from beginning to end and is going to look amazing in the hall with everyone jumping and waving flags. The whole piece is a mass of repetition but in a way that does not get tiresome. The verses have quite curt and choppy lines which have the same repeating tune but with different words each time. The chorus is even more repetitive as it is shorter. Every line has the same tune and the 2 lines are repeated as many times as needed. The other upshot of this that the first verse/chorus turnaround takes just over one minute, including intro, which gives the song scope to grow. The ending is a little weak but as the song goes right up to the 3 minute mark there is not much room for manoeuvre, maybe they could beef the volume and brass sound up a bit to make it more of a triumphant ending? Miki’s singing is ok but this is a song all about enthusiasm and passion and energy

This song went down like a house on fire in the hall, possibly helped by the fact that Catalan Miki was performing in front of a supporting barcelonés crowd and that the accents and of the song are inspired by the rhythms of that region. That said, this song does have a certain something. It certainly has heart and passion and will certainly make its mark in the hall which I think will be translated through to the TV viewers. I also think if the Eurovision voting public are looking for a summery party song then this will be it. It will be interesting to see where this gets drawn in the running order as I think its placing could not so much make or break *its* chances but possibly effect the flow of the whole show. Get this drawn in the second half and it could be a brilliant show bookend!

Not sure that this is a winner but it is certainly a quirky memorable number that will make an impression and will certainly be remembered!

ARTIST – Miki

SONG – La Venda (The blindfold)

MUSIC - Adrià Salas

LYRICS - Adrià Salas

ALBANIA

The Albanian Final was held on December 22nd at the Palace of Congress in Tirana, hosted by Viktor Zhusti & Ana Golja. Before the final there were two shows, where the 22 selected entries were performed with a full orchestra, then in ‘Eurovision form’ before being shorted to a final of 14. The winning entry, chosen solely by the jury, was "Ktheju tokës" (Return to the land) sung by Jonida Maliqi.

The song was presented slightly differently on the three different nights but I am going to concentrate on her final performance. Jonida is centre stage in a very striking large 80s style metallic dress which fits snugly down to her calves, The shiny fabric is nice but the colours and patterns make her look much bigger than she is. Her heavy bob hairstyle could be scraped back into a tight bun with statement jewellery to make a better and clearer presentation. She does not move very much from the spot and at times the stage, even with backing singers and orchestra behind her, feels empty. On the video wall behind her is a representation of a street scene, which is sometimes covered by a train passing and changing into a collage of street signs and traffic lights.

The song starts off with some echoing drumming, almost like a heartbeat. Jonida joins in although her words mirror the speed and rhythm of the drums. Her vocal production is also quite bassy and echoing. After the first part it starts to become a bit free form and lamenting and you start to wonder where this is going. The beat kicks in a little more during the chorus and there s also a little more in terms of tune here too. The changes in chords here are quite nice and offer a little more optimism although still in a minor key. After another short verse and another rendition of the chorus, the song ends in a kind of whimper which is a shame. I honestly think there is too much filler and groaning in the song which could be replaced by a reprise of the chorus or at least part of it. The song builds very slowly and I could find many casual watchers getting bored after the first 45 seconds.

Unlike many Albanian entries chosen via Festivali i Këngës, this song a feels a stage ahead of those gone before it. The rule change meaning songs were performed two different ways meant all involved have had to have an preparatory eye towards Eurovision before the national final rather than afterwards. This song still needs some improvements and some possible re-framing to make it more accessible and memorable to a wider audience. It is still a few seconds too long and the instrumental parts could be shortened, nay cut out, and more chorus put in to keep the tune firmly in your head.

This is very much a song for Albanians, in particular those ethnic Albanians who have left of their own volition or those who have fled due to conflict. In this context I can see that this song will very much appeal to the wide spread Albanian diaspora or to those sympathetic towards them. To everyone else this song, as it stands, is lacking a clear thread. If I had not read the lyrics before hand I would have no idea what the song was trying to interpret. Yes, the backdrop gives a sense of moving but not much else. During the second night of performances, 4 female dancers were also on stage which I think helped to interpret the song more visually and made the stage a little less bare.

A song for Albanians – but is it for the rest of Eurovision-land? It’s not a winner…

ARTIST – Jonida Maliqi

SONG – Ktheju tokës (Return to the land)

MUSIC - Eriona Rushiti

LYRICS - Eriona Rushiti