Semi final running orders

Every year we have the umming and ahhhhings about who should go where in the running order. The producers can have a hard time making it 'fair' and sometimes they cannot help but make it blindingly obvious what they want to win!! It's almost become a bit of a custom to have a go at being Christer Björkman for an hour or two by making the running order ourselves, if only on the basis that when the real one comes out we can complain at how our versions are much better!

The songs competing in the semi finals have been placed into a semi but also allocated either a top half or bottom half slot, hence why each semi is separated into 2 in my pictures. I have tried really hard not to allow my own favouritism, or lack thereof, to influence the draw making. Instead I have tried to space out similar entries (so no back-to-back ballads) as well as keeping apart acts of a similar nature e.g. not putting groups next to each other.

What has become very obvious is that even though the semi allocation draw was totally random, and done before most songs had been chosen, it has created some rather noticeable imbalances. Semi one is where the majority of the non-English songs are - even then almost all of those are in the bottom half - whilst semi two is high on ballads - most of those also in the second half. Although this is a useful, if not sometimes frustrating, tool for creating the running orders, it does make you wonder what the balance of songs will be in the final. We could end up with no duets or groups in the final or have almost no non-English songs or have a very ballad heavy final which would help the efforts of the non-ballads.

The only thing that is not taken into account is where the breaks will be taken. There are usually two during each show but not always spaced out evenly over the evening. Obviously if someone has an intricate staging, they might be eyeing up a spot before or after a break, at the start or at the end of the show. As I don't know where these breaks will be I cannot take this into account. However, when the real order comes out,identifying the acts either side of the breaks could give us some insight into staging. However one might say giving extra time for such acts might be deemed favouritism. It is a tricky business!

Anyway, here is my attempt

   BLUE - male soloists   RED - female soloists   GREEN - duets   ORANGE - groups

SEMI 1

SEMI 2

Now, I very much doubt this will be the running order, for example it is very unlikely they will give Sweden, and possibly Netherlands, such a bum draw. Although the draw can help or solidify the favouritism of certain songs, with some entries this year I don't think they need such help, hence why I have put them were they are. One of the issues with a producer led running order is that emotions and hearsay about songs influences you. I mean, if I was able to push some of the acts I really like then Slovenia would be at the end of semi 1 and Azerbaijan would end semi 2. If I can see one major change to show favouritism, there might be a switch around of Croatia and Russia, although the fact we know the Russian staging is quite complex they may need a break slot.

ISRAEL

The Israeli entry was unveiled on March 10th via the host broadcaster's website and on youtube. The act chosen to sing for Israel was chosen using in the HaKokhav HaBa show which concluded on February 12th at the Keshet Studio in Neve Ilan, hosted by Asi Azar & Rotem Sela. The act who will perform in front of the home crown is Kobi Marimi with the song “Home”

This is another black and white video but most of the shots are of Kobi’s head and shoulders. There is also a lot of use of mirroring and creating multiple bodies almost in a kind of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ kind of way although this song is nothing like that! There are also shafts of light, like a door coming ajar at points in the video although it’s not particularly clear why but I am guessing it is to do with the coming or going ‘home’.

The song is a very emotional ballad that has more than a nod to ‘You raise me up” in its construction. The song starts like a religious chant but soon going into a softly spoken verse but gradually his voice becomes more full and rounded. Without any change or signal in the backing track we go straight into the chorus. If fact you don’t really realise is the chorus until the final word ‘home’. The next verse starts up but this time it is an ensemble effort with Kobi backed up by a number of singers. The backing track is still just a piano so you can kind of predict how the song is going to progress. Straight after this there is a short pre-chorus before going into another chorus. This time a drum kit and strings enter the backing track with the piano, but this doesn’t last very long as it goes back to the piano for the very end of the song.

This is a lovely, calm and emotional ballad and it is certainly the kind of safe song you sometimes expect from a host nation. Kobi’s voice is a little unusual and had some very ethic tones to it but at times it feel a little too ‘normal’ for his style and I almost would have like to have seen a bit more of the chanting at the start filter through into the body of the song. Compared with some of the ballads that need to qualify this is much more understated and doesn’t have some of the drama and probably won't have some of the outlandish staging others might have.

I think that this is a great stand alone song but with its mid-running order placing it might get overrun and overshadowed by many of the slightly more unusual entries on offer this year. It’s a good song but not another winner.

ARTIST –  Kobi Marimi

SONG – Home

MUSIC -  Ohad Shargai, Inbar Weitzman

LYRICS - Ohad Shargai, Inbar Weitzman

ARMENIA

The Armenian entry was released on March 10^th on various listening and video services. Way back in November, it was revealed that Srbuk, a former Armenian X Factor and Voice of Ukraine participant, had been internally chosen by the local broadcaster. Her song is called “Walking out”.

The video is shot in black and white although some of the shots bring through the colour red. Even though the narrative of the video is quite simplistic is bring out a lot of emotion from the song. Most of the video takes place in what seems like a studio but with a ceiling of strobing and flashing lights. She is surrounded by a number of male dancers who interact with her but not always in a positive manner. There is a lot of barging and pushing around and a lot of anguished faces. There are also shots of female dancers in different guises randomly inserted into the shots but each one only lasts a second or so, if that. Although it breaks the firey tension in the bulk of the video, these scenes are rather abstract and don't actually add or distract from the main body.

The song heavy ballad and that has very bluesy/urban feel to it. The song starts off which 2 verses in quick succession. The tune of this is very staccato and a lot of it is quite talkative and monotone. This leads into a short pre-chorus which is much more melodic and shows Srbuk’s higher register. This leads to the chorus which is quite full on again but only lasts 15 seconds which just isn’t long enough to get it into your system. We then have two more verses but this time it goes straight back into the chorus but this rendition is longer, almost 30 seconds, which works much , much better. There is then a very mellow coda which leads into the final goes of the chorus AND a key change! Most of the work here is done by the backing singers whilst Srbuk is freestyling and shouting her way through until the end

On the face of it this is a really good song. The hook is catchy in the chorus and some of the melodies and repetitions make it feel like it could be a really cool jazz song. But it is not. This song is swallowed up by the production values and I actually think that in the verses she is fighting against the music rather than being complimented by it. I also wonder if her stage show will be this aggressive as I don’t think that will be something people will vote for. I also wish there was a tad more room for light and shade in her voice because it just seems full on in the main chorus..

I think that this should qualify from semi two although it will have a lot of male ballads to fight off. I think this is just too busy and loud  in the main parts of the song to make a serious impact

ARTIST –  Srbuk

SONG – Walking out

MUSIC -  Lost Capital, tokionin

LYRICS - Garik Papoyan

MALTA

The Maltese song was unveiled on March 8^th as the video and song were released online. The act representing Malta was chose though the country’s X Factor show which finished on January 26^th, with the winner going to Eurovision. Michela Pace was the winner of the first series and she will be singing “Chameleon”.

In accordance to the name of the song, the video is highly colourised and uses a number of different settings, garments, props and copious amounts of models and dancers to create the feel of the song. There's lots of posing and colour matching/eye trickery going on to fit in with the title. I am a little worried that the setting of the video uses so much movement and use of extra people to make this feel exciting and memorable. The words of the song also appear on the video which is a little distracting.

This is a modern electronic pop number with a latin/reggae type feel to it and is very much a radio-friendly commercial song. The beat of the song kind of comes and goes throughout which means that it keeps your attention between bits but also loses the flow of the whole thing. Her voice is also very clear which suggests it has been highly processed to make it really clear. The first verse only has a bass and drum in the background and during the pre-chorus the click track in the background goes to almost double speed but with very little around it. The chorus of the track is basically ‘I’m a chameleon’ sung over again which is a little uninspiring. This order is repeated again before a rather large bridge part which is lyrically weak and doesn’t actually add anything to the song apart from filling up the time. This then followed by a final pre-chorus which is interspersed with lines from the previous bridge, which actually works better, finishing with a final chameleon line with a ‘la la la’ to finish.

It must be said that this is really not my type of music and not what I would choose to listen to. I found some of the instrumentation far too odd and in places actually laughable. The lyrics of this are really corny and I am starting to feel worried how this might sound and look on the night. Michela doesn’t do a lot in the video and she’s going to need to do a lot of work to sell this down the camera. This is not a song where she can depend n people moving around her, she is going to have to do some of the moving herself.

I’m not fond of this at all and I’ve ended up having a lot of questions and fear about how this is going to come across on stage. In some ways this is modern and current but in a year of experimental numbers this might just be a little too ordinary and only something younger viewers might vote for.

ARTIST –  Michela Pace

SONG –  Chameleon

MUSIC -  Joacim Persson, Paula Winger, Borislav Milanov, Johan Alkaenas

LYRICS - Joacim Persson, Paula Winger, Borislav Milanov, Johan Alkaenas

SWEDEN

The Swedish Final was held on March 9th at the Friends Arena in Solna, hosted by Marika Carlsson, Sarah Dawn Finer, Eric Saade & Kodjo Akolor. Before the final there were 4 heats and a second chance round. The winner was chosen by 8 international juries (50%) & a public vote (50%). The public vote consisted of a mobile phone app votes (7/8) & televoting (1/8). The winning singer was John Lundvik with the song “Too late for love”

John is alone on stage with a rectangular array of light above his head. This moves around and shines and pulsates in different ways whilst he is singing on his own, otherwise there are yellow and blue lights strobing on the background and from above. He is dressed in black, as are his backing singers who come on later, and there are very few distractions on stage. It is almost like the lack of staging puts the emphasis on the song! There is some choreography, of sorts, during the verses but is more free form in the chorus.

The song is an mid-tempo pop song with a very defined beat and a gospel feel. The start is very low key and has just a piano backing. During the bridge, which cleverly repeats the name of the song before it gets to the chorus proper, the piano starts to create the beginnings of a beat and the crowd starts to join in. For the first part of the chorus the beat drops out again but comes back in for the second part. This beat then threads through the second verse and pre-chorus and during the chorus the backing singers appear (although they have been very audible up to now) and makes for a very different kind of culmination to the song. Their interaction with each other and John looks totally genuine. There is then one final chorus but this time John starts off singing it in a falsetto then returns to his normal range, then the backing singers take control of the rest of the song whilst John does some vocal gymnastics and ends with a final ‘is it’ which feels a bit of an odd ending but does make you want to say the rest of the line, which just happens to be the title of the song.

This is very much a feel good song and the ensemble setting of the song really makes it feel like a happy and uniting 3 minutes. It is a very welcome departure from the gimmicky and over choreographed numbers Sweden has sent for the last few years – and one could even add Heroes and Euphoria to that list too. The entire thing is quite wholesome in many ways and although the lyrics of the song are somewhat ambiguous as to how the question is actually answered the song’s personality is joyful.

The song's unique SP should be easily enough to get it into the final and not only will this appeal to juries, but is one of the few songs this year I can actively see people picking up the telephone for. Sweden is the songwriting and song production capital of Europe, if not the world, and this really shows it. Can they win again? Yes.

ARTIST –  John Lundvik

SONG –  Too late for love

MUSIC -  John Lundvik, Anderz Wrethov, Andreas “Stone” Johansson

LYRICS - John Lundvik, Anderz Wrethov, Andreas “Stone” Johansson

RUSSIA

The Russian entry was unveiled on March 8th with the video being premiered on youtube. A month earlier it was revealed that 2015 runner up Sergey Lazarev would once again be representing the country. His song is called “Scream”.

The video is reminiscent of fairy and folk takes. The very start looks like a cross between the BBC2 show “Arena” titles and “In the night garden”. Although there are different actors in the scenes there is also the use of shadow puppetry, animations and slow motion camera work. In between these shots we see Sergey singing the song passionately. Thereare lots of fighting dragons, running from danger, swords and shield and saving maidens in distress. The whole thing is quite dark and mysterious which fits with the tone of the song.

The song is heavily orchestrated and it is very clear that the use of a proper orchestra in the recording gives this a highly emotional and dramatic feeling. The start is very small and quiet, the first verse being very understated, low in tone and almost talkative. This goes into the pre-chorus which is basically a staircase of notes, with the tune doing a set of scales up and down. Then starts the chorus which is basically the word ‘scream’ elongated over the whole sequence then repeated again, which is a little disappointing considering the amount of effort it has taken to get to this point. There is then another verse, pre-chorus and chorus followed by what almost feels like false finish. There is then a mini coda section where Sergey sings in unison with what sounds like himself and this part really sounds more interesting than everything that has gone before. He does a lat chorus by the harmonised singing keeps going. This idea should have been picked up earlier in the song instead of leaving it right at the end.

Overall I feel every so lightly disappointed at this entry. Although the music is beautiful and extremely well structured the lyrics are terribly underwhelming. In particular I find the fire/liar/drier rhyme rather strange and I think the phrasing is a little odd. It’s almost like they have picked key words, put them together in a way that makes a bit of sense but most of all has the most emphasis. But most of all, the one word chorus is a let down.

That all said, we know from his previous attempt at winning Eurovision, Sergey can sing and we also know he can cope very well indeed with intricate and complex staging so the whole package will provide a lot of unforgettable drama which might overshadow some of its lyrical misgivings.

This will qualify with no problem whatsoever but he needs to be warned that in a semi with plenty of male ballads he might have to up his game to make sure his entry is not diluted by everything around him. This is good but I am also equally disappointed at the same time.

ARTIST – Sergey Lazarev

SONG – Scream

MUSIC -  Philip Kirkorov, Dimitris Kontopoulos

LYRICS - Sharon Vaughn, Dimitris Kontopoulos

NORTH MACEDONIA

The North Macedonian entry was released on March 8^th. The song was to be released on 4 March, but the release date was changed to 8 March 2019 to coincide with International Women's Day. Back in January it was announced that 2008 FYROM representative Tamara Todevska would be singing for the newly renamed nation. The entry is called “Proud”.

The video is shot in colour but a lot of the clothing is black and white and the background is mostly grey, so one might get the impression it was shot in black and white. It shows a number of different women (hence the date change) looking and performing to the camera, including Tamara herself. There is not a lot of narrative to the shots but this could work as an interesting backdrop for the Eurovision shows.

The song is an emotional ballad and has very sparse instrumentation throughout. During the first verse and chorus there is only a piano present and in the second chorus a single violin joins in. After this there is a short interlude where the violin and piano and the tune of the violin starts to have a slight Balkan feel which gives this part some character. There then starts another verse but Tamara’s voice is much more powerful than the first time around and  the piano is much more staccato and has a driving beat. At this point a chorus of backing singers also joins and join in with the tune for the rest of the song. The ending of the song is slightly left in the air and the last ‘girl’ feel a little empty and lacking meaning.

Although this year has many ballads this one really stands out with its stripped-back backing track and its repetitive message gets through to you without being an annoying earworm. If Tamara can sing this with gusto and connect with the camera this could do really well. I think the ending culd do with a bit of tweaking but I hope the rest of the song stays as it it. I guess the biggest issue is staging and this country has quite the reputation of messing up and even failing on staging. I can imagine a pianist and violinist on stage – possibly only lit up when they start playing – joined by some backing singers. It might even be worth having something akin to the sea of faces behind her too. This needs no dancers, no intricate lightning it just needs to be simple to make sure the message comes across

I really like this and think that unlike some of the other ballads of show the simplicity of the music lets the words shine through, If it doesn’t mess up the staging this should easily qualify and I would really like this to do well.

ARTIST –  Tamara Todevska

SONG – Proud

MUSIC -  Darko Dimitrov, Robert Bibliov, Lazar Cvetkoski

LYRICS - Kosta Petrov, Sanja Popovska

POLAND

The Polish song was unveiled on March 8^th as the video and song were released online. Back in February it was announced vocal group Tulia was going to represent the country. Their song is called "Fire of Love (Pali się)".

The video for the song in black and white and follows the four members of the group getting ready for a performance in a rural hall. They are dressed in traditional costume, although a little bit more demure what the outfits seen in 2015! The people watching are all generally quite old and are dressed in large hats, coats with shawls and scarves. There is also a fire engine crew in attendance When the girls are on stage they are quite static, almost emotionless. Although the audience looks slightly disinterested and bored by the show they end up getting a standing ovation and everybody looks happier. The girls then leave and the fire engine crew also leaves.

The sound is rather unusual to the ears as it is slightly genre bending. The group unites rock and pop production values with traditional folk singing. At first it can seem quite shouty and full on but in some ways it does have a certain charm Most of the song is in Polish apart from the start and the end. The piece starts with the ‘Fire of love’ hook line, in English followed by the first verse, half English half Polish and a rendition of the chorus. We then have another verse and chorus in quick succession and yet we have only just passed half way on the clock. We have another verse/chorus cycle followed closely by another chorus, this time in English which takes us to the finish.

The full Polish version of ‘Pali się’ had actually been around for quite a while but when this was released again as the entry the English bits had been added in. I personally think this is a little bit nonsensical. Firstly, because I don’t think the style of singing particularly fits in well with the language and secondly, their style of singing is so booming and bawling you can barely tell which bits are in which language. I am also concerned that their performance style might be a little bit lacking. From the research I have done they just kind of stand and sing and that might come across as lifeless, cold or just boring. No amount of lighting or video cues would rectify that.

I appreciate the effort and unusualness of the entry but think that this might be a little bit too full on and different for the Eurovision audience to fully digest. But as we all know, if this pulls together the wide diaspora and gets them voting, anything is possible.

ARTIST –  Tulia

SONG –  Fire of Love (Pali się)

MUSIC -  Nadia Dalin

LYRICS - Sonia Krasny, Allan Rich, Jud Friedmann

AZERBAIJAN

The Azeri act and song was revealed on March 8^th with the release of the fully entry online. Although the broadcaster had announced they were talking with a number of singers, nothing was released about the act or song until the published date. Singing for Azerbaijan is Chingiz with the song “Truth”.

The video starts with a shot of Chingiz plunging underwater. This is then intersperses with shots of different people in a range of quite outlandish costumes. The underwater theme is kept throughout at Chingiz sings a lot of the song in front of a water-effect light. Through the piece there are some very clear and strong lighting effects used and would work very well as a staging idea. There is no real narrative to the video so it will be interesting if they keep the stage concept more fluid or go with something that mirrors the song.

The song is an mid-tempo pop song whose beat is constant throughout the song but is stronger and more visible in the choruses. We start with a verse which leads into a pre-chorus. This part of the song feels like it goes on too long and it might be an idea to chop this down a little so we get to the chorus as soon as possible. The chorus has a chanting feel about it and feels a little bit angry but not enough to feel awkward. There is then a short instrumental where the ‘shut up’ part of the chorus is repeated. We go into another verse but this time leads straight into a chorus which feels much tighter than before. After the chorus instrumental there is a short interlude with distorted voices on it which could be interesting to recreate live! This then goes into the final chorus and instrumental before stopping.

As this is a video premiere there is little to see how well he can perform this live. It must be noted that there is a lot of ‘double singing’ going on i.e. two voices singing at the same time, which makes me wonder if there will be some very well trained and hidden backing singers helping along but this is just conjecture. The other odd concern is that the video from first note to last is 22 seconds too long. Maybe they will just truncate the intro or maybe omit one of the lines of the pre-chorus but this certainly seems a strange notion from an internal selection. Otherwise the song is very instant, very current and also very memorable. This would also not sound out of place on most mainstream radio stations.

Even though this has tough opposition in semi 2 I think this will easily qualify and is most definitely in the running for the win. Whether it wins or not will most certainly be down to presentation on the stage and how well Chingiz can do this live and I really hope he can.

ARTIST –  Chingiz

SONG –  Truth

MUSIC -  Borislav Milanov, Chingiz Mustafayev, Trey Campbell, Pablo Dinero, Hostess, Bo J

LYRICS - Borislav Milanov, Trey Campbell, Pablo Dinero, Hostess, Bo J

IRELAND

The Irish entry was unveiled on March 8th with the video being premiered on youtube as well as its first play on RTE Radio 1. Although the Irish delegation said they were making an internal selection, very little was known about the entry or entrant until just before the official reveal. Going to Tel Aviv is Sarah McTernan with the song “22”

The video shows Sarah on a windy beach whist singing the song. The camera also has an odd flickering filter on it which is fine at first but gets quite annoying by the end. It does however give that old film type quality which goes with the vintage feel of the song. Her performance is rather simple and gives us very few clues to staging possibilities - unlike last year’s Irish entry. She copes really well in the video keeping her hair and scarf tamed and keeps good enough eye contact with the camera. I think with fewer distractions she could be really sassy and fun on stage.

The song has a 1960’s mowtown/soul feel with a nod to modern singers like Amy Winehouse. The song is about a former love and how certain things - in this case the number 22 - remind her of them. Her voice is very much the centre of the song and the backing is very bassy and is drum heavy. There is also the presence of backing singers who, although not really very loud or prominent, give quite a lot of depth and extra rhythm to the song. The structure of the song is basically verse-chorus x3 although some of the verses are longer than others and the last chorus is a bit more free form. The guitar riff after the chorus is also a nice light touch that gives the whole thing a nostalgic and whimsical feel.

It feels like her voice is heavily synthesised to be as clear and as strong as it is and I wonder if she will sound this clear live. I could imagine this styled and performed in a slightly more old school way with Sarah at the front a couple of backing singers at the side who also do a few moves with the numbers made up with musicians. Unfortunately semi 2 is already female heavy although the fact that this song has a unique genre and styling might make is stand out a little bit more. The UK gets to vote in the semi and will definitely give this points as well the Scandinavian countries drawn in the semi so it has got a glimmer of a chance to progress. 

I like the fact that they are trying something a little bit different and I just hope they don’t go too safe with the staging. I’d love this to qualify, just to keep the diversity rate as high as possible, but something tells me this won’t quite make it. It's certainly not a winner.

ARTIST –  Sarah McTernan

SONG – 22

MUSIC -  Janieck Devy, Marcia "Misha" Sondeijker, Roel Rats

LYRICS - Janieck Devy, Marcia "Misha" Sondeijker, Roel Rats

AUSTRIA

The Austrian song was released on March 8th with its premier play on Hitradio Ö3 and the video being available to listen and watch on youtube. Back in February it was announced that female singer Paenda would be singing the song. Her song is called “Limits”

The video is rather sparse, a bit like the song, and gives us very little clues about how the song might be performed. Panda is in front of a green screen over which various images and videos are superimposed behind her. Paenda herself is wearing a simple black strapless top and sports here trademark short turquoise hair.

The song is a sparsely instrumented ballad sung mostly in Paendas upper register. This makes the whole thing sounds quite intimate as well as showing great vulnerability. The verse and pre-chorus has barely any instrumentation apart from some piano chords and some ethereal noises. When the chorus starts the music gathers momentum and really helps to power the emotion of the song, It then goes back to a quieter verse before reverting back to the choruses with some added parts in between.

The whole song lasts a bit more than the three minute cut off point but I suggest that if they start the song just before she starts to sing and truncate the ending notes it should come within time. On the negative side this song is really not instant. Many people listening might be waiting for a bigger kick to come in sooner or to build into something much bigger but it doesn’t and this could prove a little confusing. However this girl has so much emotion in her voice and reminds me a bit of a Kate Bush meets Robyn kind of vibe. Although the video is as cheap as chips her connection through the camera is staggering and I could almost imagine a version of this video being her staging and it actually working. As for personnel she will need some extra backing singers to emphasise the chorus.

Even though this is not a stereotypical Eurovision ballad I think treated well this song has legs. Even though it could be lumped into the ‘arty’ pile of songs this one transmits so much pure emotion I would hope this is enough to get it saved. I think the song writing quality is enough to more than please the juries and if the televoters get this it could be a real dark horse.

ARTIST –  Paenda

SONG – Limits

MUSIC -  Gabriela Horn

LYRICS - Gabriela Horn

SAN MARINO

The San Marinese song was unveiled in a press conference on March 7^th before the video and song were released online. Back in January it was announced that former representative Serhat was going to try again for the principality and his song is called “Say na na na”

The video for the song is very busy and has a huge cast of dancers. There is a large video backgrounds which creates the atmosphere for the road scene that the video is set which reminds me slightly of Blade Runner but his song is much happier than that! At times the screen also shows shots of Serhat singing. The video has a lot of energy and action but I am rather puzzled as to how they could recreate the atmosphere which a smaller number of people. Serhat is wearing a number of suits all in the same style but in different colours but no sign of his signature hat!

The song is a disco euro-dance song with a very repetitive chorus and a predictable structure. The song starts with the backing singers going ‘na na na’ before Serhat joins in his signature deep talkative tone which actually suite this style of song. He does 2 verses before going straight to the chorus. This repeats the ‘na na na’ line several times and really does gets your head. The structure of the chorus is also interesting as the first part of the chorus as a slightly different tune to the second and almost feels like it has a key change. After another verse and chorus there is an interesting all and response part with the backing singers that I think the audience in the hall would totally get behind before a final last chorus.

Let’s be honest, Serhat is not the best singer and this isn’t the best song however it does know what it is and that is a feel good dance number. If anything, this is something more stereotypical for Eurovision and there is something quite wholesome and feel-good and enjoyable about this. It’s doing what it says on the tin and is doing a really good job and doing what it needs to well. I do have some concerns about what the act might look like on stage. I feel like he will need at least 2, maybe 3, good female backing singers which would then leave 2 or 3 space for backing dancers, which possibly should be male, unless he can find 5 mixed sex backing singers who can do a full on dance routine or vice versa. We must also be reminded that Serhat is Turkish and will get and extra fan boost from the diaspora in the voting countries.

This as a fun entry in a sea of ballads and high-concept entries. Maybe voters will find this too old fashioned and not vote or maybe this is something light-hearted and accessible that the people at home will vote for. My heart would love this to qualify but like his last attempt “I didn’t know” this might just miss out.

ARTIST –  Serhat

SONG –  Say na na na

MUSIC -  Mary Susan Applegate, Serhat Hacıpaşalıoğlu

LYRICS - Mary Susan Applegate, Serhat Hacıpaşalıoğlu

BELARUS

The Belarussian Final was held on March 7th at BTRC Studio 600 Metrov in Minsk, hosted by Olga Ryzhikova & Teo. A month earlier there had been a broadcast audition process where 73 different songs and acts performed and 10 were chosen to advance to the televised final. The winner, solely chosen by a 6-person jury, was ZENA with “Like it”.

The staging of this is quite simple with ZENA in a white crop top and trousers whilst her four female backing singers are wearing black tops and black trousers with white detailing. On the background behind them which changes between pinks, purples and blue shades also flashes up some of the words of the song albeit in a rather thin font. The girls on stage are really tight visually although the choreography is rather simplistic.

The song is an mid-tempo pop song reminiscent of the early Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera era. The verses are quite fast and wordy and because this is in the lower part of her register it is not always clear what she is saying. During the bridge the pace of singing slows down but also moves up her register which piques your interest. The chorus is very repetitive with the ‘yes you’re going to like it’ line repeated over however the first two times are in her lower register followed by two lines in her clearer higher register. This is then followed by a short instrumental and then a more free form ending before finishing on a short version of the chorus,

ZENA copes well with singing and dancing at the same time and her voice sounds as good at the start as it does at the end. The staging is a little bit dated, especially the dancing, and I think this could be made more exciting and dynamic without affecting her vocals too much. The stage in Tel-Aviv will also be much bigger so they will need to think more about moving around more, engaging the arena audience, connecting with the camera and filling the stage. It must also be said that ZENA is only 16 and I certainly would not want her to change anything about the performance that would over sexualise her or look too old. I like the black and white styling but think the backdrop needs to be much more dramatic and possibly changing in time with the beat of the song. If this was an audio contest I feel this would be a nice radio-friendly number that would sound safe and familiar.

Unluckily for Belarus most of its ex-Soviet pals are in semi 2 so friendly votes will be few and far between. I also feel that in a semi with such diverse songs this might be a little too formulaic to be remembered. I feel this is more of a song that the juries might find safer to vote for than the public but I don't this will be quite good enough to progress.

ARTIST –  ZENA

SONG –  Love it

MUSIC -  Yulia Kireeva, Viktor Drobysh

LYRICS - Yulia Kireeva, Viktor Drobysh

NETHERLANDS

The Dutch entry was unveiled on March 7th with the video being premiered on youtube and had its first performance, albeit a more acoustic version, on popular Dutch show “De Wereld Draait Door” not long after. Back in January it was announced that former “Voice of Holland” contestant Duncan Laurence was going to be the representative. His song was unveiled as “Arcade”

The video is very simplistic and very ethereal. It mostly shows Duncan in a variety of poses and movements underwater where the whole thing looks and feels quite foetal. Although this fits the soud of the music it is slightly incongruous with the lyrics of the song. During his tv performance he was backed by a string quartet and a couple more backing singers and is very static. Unusally Duncan barely had any time down the camera as most of the shots were side-on or moving from side to side or zooming in from below.

The song has a slightly choral theme to it with songwriting hints to people like Sia and Florence and the Machine although this seems much less commercial. It starts with a delicate choir sound before the piano joins in. Duncan starts off quiet and slow before jumping into his higher register for the rest of the song. The chorus is in two parts, the first part much more lyrical and melodic the second part having emphasis on the beat and atmosphere. This cycle is repeated and this leads to a very gentle coda part before two more repetitions of the second part of the chorus, once only accompanied by drums and another but with a slightly different chord sequence in the background music.

Luckily we have a live version to judge this by which has helped me somewhat with this review. His voice at the very start seemed a little lacking but this could have been nerves. However his voice absolutely soars in his upper register which this shows off really well. The staging is a little static but I can imagine the water there from the video would go down really well. I would also like to have seen a dancer or too but I suspect that this might do into backing singers instead – unless they can prove the choir-like noise is a synthesised one. I am also a little scared that a live choir might not sound as good as it does in the production. Personally, I am not a fan of male singers doing falsetto, however well done and this is simply not my cup of tea.

Unfortunately semi 2 is already full of male singers AND ballads and this could be a little too gentle and flat to grab peoples attention, that said if anybody is going to vote sore something as technical and intricate as this it will be the jury. I am just not sure if this is a 'pick up phone and vote for it' kind of song which is half of the total vote and although you don't have to win both sides of the vote, you have to do well enough in both to get a consensus.

ARTIST –  Duncan Laurence

SONG – Arcade

MUSIC -  Duncan de Moor, Joel Sjöö, Wouter Hardy

LYRICS - Duncan de Moor, Joel Sjöö, Wouter Hardy

SWITZERLAND

The Swiss entry was unveiled on March 7th with the video being premiered on youtube. Although the Swiss delegation had made public some of the acts and songs in the running, no actual news was given out about the selected act or song until the day of the announcement. Representing Switzerland is “Deutschland sucht den Superstar” winner Luca Hänni with the song “She got me”

The concept of the video fits very well with the threads of the song. He is in a bar and is interacting with the different people in there and they all end up dancing with each other. Many of the females are dressed in latin dance dresses that one might expect on Strictly Come Dancing whilst the men are dressed in shirts and loose bow ties in a kind of tango-esque fashion. The dancers certainly emphasise the rhythms of the song and also encourage you to feel the song itself. The whole thing is also shot quite dimly with a very slight browny-sepia tinge that gives the piece a vintage feel or a sense that the place is rough and slightly sordid.

The song is a mid tempo latino number with a slight nod to the East in its orchestration. It starts off quite sparse but in the pre-chorus the pace is built up by the call and response between Luca and his backing singers. The click track goes into double time during the main chorus which then leads into the beefy instrumental. This order is gone though again and is concluded with more call and response with his backing singers. The mood drops with a softer rendition of the chorus, leading into another instrumental and a final chorus. Considering the beginning of the song was quite formulaic, it goes a little bit too free form at the end and loses its flow.

I can imagine a modified version of the video would be a great staging but this would probably require more than the 6 people on stage to create. He definitely needs a good batch of male singers to create the call and response parts. However I would also say that this sounds very highly processed and with all the singing and dancing it might be too easy for him to get too carried away. The song itself lends more than a whiff of Fuego and Despacito and this familiarity could work either way.

In a semi jam-packed with ballads this number will definitely be a much needed injection of fun, rhythm and fun to the proceedings. Also its neighbours Austria, Germany and Italy can vote in this semi so its route out into the final is pretty much guaranteed barring a vocal disaster. It’s a good song, not one of my faves but stands out really well.

ARTIST –  Luca Hänni

SONG – She got me

MUSIC -  Laurell Barker, Mac Frazer, Luca Hänni, Jon Hällgren, Lukas Hällgren

LYRICS - Laurell Barker, Mac Frazer, Luca Hänni, Jon Hällgren, Lukas Hällgren

GREECE

The Greek song was unveiled on March 6th via a special programme on ERT2 that was also broadcast live on facebook. Last month, the Greek broadcaster internally selected Canadian born Katerine Duska to represent them at Eurovision. Her song is called “Better love”.

The accompanying music video, is rather visual if not a little on the abstract side. Katerine is seen in a number of different settings wearing a rather oversized pink dress made of what seems to be mesh or netting. Other wise there are scenes involcing lots of female models mostly dressed in shades of white and tan with hair akin to Crystal Tipps doing lost of strange movements and carrying odd props. As far as I can see I am not sure how any of this could be translated to the stage.

The song is an anthemic number which really shows off Katerine’s rather unusually toned voice. Her voice is very smooth but also quite low in its tone which sounds doubly odd when attempting the higher notes. The song has a really good flow and the parts of the song flow in and out of each other really well. The verses are quite wordy, with an almost spoken word feel whilst in the pre chorus the there are less words but more melody. This leads into the chorus which is basically the words ‘better love’ repeated but the beat is very prominent here which keeps the flow going. After the second chorus there is a small bridge before running into the chorus a few tie. However I have to say the more free form bit of the whole song to me is a bit of a let down and I feel I would rather have this part straight after the bridge then ending with a chorus rather than the other way around.

Katerine’s voice sounds great on the track but with all of these internally selected song that come without live performances I wonder how she will cope singing the song live. If her live version is anything like this and can get the crowd behind here this could be a real anthemic number that could really translate don the camera lens. The video is very odd and I hope the stage idea is more literal than figurative although the colour palette of the video is quite pleasant. Depending on your preferences and pre-conceived ideas the fact that this doesn't sound particularly Greek could sway its critics one way or another.
In a semi with many voting friendly countries this really shouldn’t fail to qualify, unless the vocal performance is dodgy. I also get the feeling this is a very safe jury choice and has of the melodic cues of ‘Nobody but you” from last year which was very much the jury favourite. It’s a bit of a grower – but don’t let the video put you off!

ARTIST –  Katerine Duska
SONG –  Better love
MUSIC -  Katerine Duska, Leon of Athens, David Sneddon
LYRICS - Katerine Duska, Leon of Athens, David Sneddon

CYPRUS

The Cypriot entry was unveiled on March 5th with its premier play via the evening news bulletin whist the video was simultaneously being released on youtube. Way back in December, the broadcaster CyBC announced that Greek singer Tamta would be representing the island nation. Her song is called “Replay”

In the accompanying music video, Tamta is in a variety of situations, none of which give us much of a clue as to how this might be performed live. She is also in a variety of clothes although all of them deliver a lot of looks. The monogrammed outfits might prove popular as a merchandising opportunity of nothing else! My favourite look is that of her whit the silver cap and black suit although I don’t think her look on stage will look anything like this. There are a lot of slow motion going on and shots of Tamta in different poses whilst singing at the same time. I had imagined her dancing and singing at the same time, but that’s not to say she won’t do this on stage.

The song is an fairly straight forward and very commercial dance pop song with hints of reggaeton and latino rhythms. The structure of the song is very simplistic and because of that it is easy to get hooked into. There is a sizeable staccato verse followed by a much more melodic pre-chorus. The chorus itself is basically the word ‘replay’ on repeat AND highly compressed and synthesised. This cycle is completed twice, each lasting about a minute each. The final minute starts with a shorter and slower mini verse and a shorter and slightly higher pre-chorus before going back into the pre-chorus and chorus proper

Although it is hard to judge what the performance style and vocal ability by the video but the song is very strong and very catchy. It is very easy, and quite right too, to make comparisons to last years song, and on the surface hey are very similar in structure but I would say that this is much more instant than Fuego. I think that with a similar team on her side Tamta can ride on the same wave of success as long as the song has its own vibe and not just copying last year’s success. It will be interesting to see if there is a band of dancers like last year or if she will need more intricate backing singers for the chorus and pre-chorus. Will they synthesise that chorus live?

This should qualify with ease, not just because it is a good song, but because it’s semi contains several friendly countries. As much as I think this could be a winner part of me wonders if the one-a-year Eurovision fan might think this is just a bit to reminiscent to Fuego and decide not to give this their vote.

ARTIST –  Tamta

SONG – Replay

MUSIC -  Alex Papaconstantinou

LYRICS - Alex Papaconstantinou

SERBIA

The Serbian Final was held on March 3rd at the RTS TV Studios in Belgrade, hosted by Dragana Kosjerina, Ivan Mihailovic, Kristina Radenkovic & Slaven Došlo. Before the final there were 2 semis with 6 qualifying from each. The winner was chosen by SMS voting (50%) & an "expert" jury (50%). Going to Tel-Aviv is former Moje 3 member, Nevena Božović, singing her self-penning song“Kruna” (Crown).

Nevena is on her own centre stage wearing black dress cut shorter at the front and longer at the back. The dress is strapless and her neck wrists and upper arms all adorn various silver jewellery. Behind her the backdrop is black/dark blue and white, reminiscent of bokei city lights. Near the end there are a couple of pyrotechnic displays. Not very much happens on stage and there is very little movement.

The song is a ballad although not necessarily in the pure Balkan style. Although it starts off quietly it gains momentum in the choruses and by the time the last chorus comes the song has more of a rock edge. The song starts off in a quite nondescript way when your ears prick up for the two line bridge which is the only bits in English. The chorus starts and is much more melodic and powerful than the rest of the song. Then there is a break when Nevena starts oh-oh-ohing which actually stops the flow of the song. But here the song starts to get quite intricate as the next verse cuts over the rhythms of before and sounds very different. The English bridge comes in then there is a full length chorus followed by a repetition of the last line but the finish just stops a little too suddenly. If she omitted the oh-oh-ohing she might be able to elongate this last section to a proper finish.

There is no doubt that Nevena is a great singer and you can tell that she has written and composed this song to show off her vocal strengths but I have to say in many respects I am left lacking. The song doesn’t really have any instant appeal, there is no way I would remember this if it was near the start of song contest semi or final. At times, her passion and feeling for the song comes across more as shouty and angry, possibly also because it is not particularly clear what or who she is singing about. This could be easily rectified through the staging or possibly by having a dancer or two on stage. This would help with the storytelling and create much needed movement on stage.

Personally I feel like this is a less impressive version of Mall with many of the lyrical qualities of Croatia’s 1998 entry but with any of the personality erased from it. I personally don’t rate this and think it is just a bit to introverted to make an initial wow statement on the stage. That said, in a sea of quirkier, edgier and more up-tempo songs this might provide a welcome change of direction. Either way this just does not do it for me at all.

ARTIST –  Nevena Božović

SONG –  Kruna (Crown)

MUSIC -  Nevena Božović

LYRICS - Nevena Božović

GEORGIA

The Georgian Final was held on March 3rd at the Tbilisi Concert Hall, hosted by Vaniko Tarkhnishvili & Ruska Makashvili. Before the final there were elimination shows to whittle down the contestants to a final 4. The voting will be a mixture of televoting & Facebook Messenger. The winning act was Oto Nemsadze and he will be singing the song and he will be singing “Sul Tsin Iare” (Go ahead)

During the show Oto was alone on stage although he had a full band kit behind him not being used which looked very odd indeed! He is centre stage with 5 male singers on backing to his side. For the first part of the show the video screens display blue skies with fluffy white clouds but then this is overlaid with fluttering Georgian flags. It certainly comes across as quite nationalistic, which doesn’t come across well at Eurovision but may also just have been celebrating the fact this is Georgian Idol! There are even some smoke and pyrotechnics used during the song.

The song is a rocky, impassioned ballad entirely in Georgian. Oto has quite a growly powerful tone which very much suits the songs structure but less so the song’s production, but this could be changed/vamped up between now and then. The song starts off quite small and low in tone. It also takes quite a long time to get into gear which is frustrating as there are not many clues to tell you quite what’s going on. The song finally starts taking shape just before the 2 minute mark after the first chorus. Oto’s voice really soars in the second half but the ending comes too quickly and ends up being a bit of a jolt. All in all,there is promise but not much seems to happen, progress or deveop.

The bare bones of this song are not bad but the direction of this piece is all over the place. Oto, very clearly, has a rock voice but the instrumentation on the backing track is very weak and this makes it look like he is over singing the song. If the backing was more echoey, fiercer and contained more guitars the balance of the track could be restored. Obviously the production values of the national final and parameters such as cameras, stage size and costume will be vastly different in Israel and one might hope that a more intricate show would also help.

As dramatic as this is, right now it really doesn’t work. Although Georgia is an ex-Soviet stave, only two of them are in the their semi. Last year’s Georgian language number didn’t translate well at all into actual votes, however this is in a much more accessible genre which could be its saving grace.

ARTIST –  Oto Nemsadze

SONG –  Sul Tsin Iare (Go ahead)

MUSIC -  Roman Giorgadze

LYRICS - Einar Stefánsson Roman Giorgadze

PORTUGAL

The Portuguese Final was held on March 2nd at the Portimão Arena, hosted by Filomena Cautela & Vasco Palmeirim. Before the final there were 2 semi-finals with four qualifying from each. The winner, chosen by televoting (50%) & regional juries (50%), was Conan Osiris with “Telemóveis” (Mobile phones)

Conan is joined on stage by his dancer, João Reis Moreira and they are dressed similarly in white fluffy gowns and trousers and both have long gold finger adornments. Conan is also wearing a gold face piece which covers his chin and cheeks. Also on the stage is a small flight of stairs that is used through the performance to go up, down and sit on. The background is fairly innocuous as there is so much on stage to look at but mostly consists of red flashing lights and the motif of a red rose that is blooming.

The song is a multi-faceted song with nods to minimal techno, indie, world music and fado. Unlike most commercial songs this doesn’t really have a reoccurring verse/chorus repetitive structure although the backing track has certain rhythms and themes that repeat as well as some lines that come back time and again. The backing track Is really the star of the show with lots of minor key macro beats with yelps and bells interspersed between them. It has a real visceral tribal feel to it which is really brought home by the dancing. The ending of the song is oddly elongated, which creates premature clapping and keeps it going until the conclusion.

This is a piece of art. Like all art, some people get it some people don’t. The same is true with this. It is visually and aurally stunning and intricate but this might just be a bit too much for the everyday common watcher of Eurovision. It has certainly polarised the fans - even some of the people who wanted it to win lauded its creativity but are not that fond of the actual song – but being talked about is always better than not being talked about. This does need work and if anything he can afford to make this more outrageous, more strange and more weird. Although the Portuguese language makes this rather an unintelligible piece to the average listener, it does give him the scope to focus on the outrageousness of the performance. I just hope that Conan keeps control of his show and is not persuaded to change or add things he is not happy with. However odd this might be, you really get the sense that this is authentic. I personally love its quirks and how I hear or see something different on every play. This is possibly a bit too out there and a bit too alternative for Eurovision but I think it is a really pointer to the way in which the contest is going.

Considering the amount of publicity this has got and will get during the contest, this will be getting a lot of eyes on sets during its semi final – the song and its performance went viral before it even got to the final of Festival Da Cancao. People who love this will absolutely love it and those who don’t will find it confusing, find it just too weird or find it absurd. Whichever way it goes this is a must must MUST see event.

ARTIST –  Conan Osiris with

SONG – Telemóveis (Mobile phones)

MUSIC -  Conan Osiris

LYRICS - Conan Osiris

NORWAY

The Norwegian Final was held on March 2nd at the Spektrum in Oslo, hosted by Kåre Magnus Bergh & Heidi Ruud Ellingsen. The winner was chosen in three rounds of voting. In round one the top 4 was selected by televoting/internet/app voting (50%) & 10 international juries (50%). In round two, these four competed in duels with the two winners qualified for a ‘super final’. In both of these rounds, the winners were chosen solely by view voting by phone, internet or via the app. The winner was KEiiNO with “Spirit in the sky”.

The setting of the song is quite dark and mystical but I am not quite sure this works. I think the backdrop is supposed to be the Northern Lights and if it is it doesn’t come across very well. The three members of the band are together on stage and as the camera pans around them you can see a male then a female dancer near them. Throughout the whole piece they stand together but don’t really interact with each other which I think is a shame. They are also dressed quite differently to each other although they are all quite muted. I would much prefer them to be in something a bit more distinct and unique. At the two minute mark, a band of drummers come on which is a welcome diversion but one that wouldn’t be possible at Eurovision itself then giant flags are seen waving in the audience (I mean is that classed as a person on stage or not?)

The song is folky electronic song which talks about the power of inclusivity and strength of being and individual. The beginning is rather minimal and atmospheric and the tune is rather unusual which keeps you intrigued. During the next part, the tune and backing change into something slightly more formulaic. The chorus includes the Sami joik which at first is quite odd and doesn’t seem to go with the rest of the song but as the song progresses is seems to fit better. The joik part around the 2 minute mark again sounds a little incongruous but with a better visual this would definitely work better.

As song to listen to there are a lot of things to catch your ear on. The three singers have vastly different voices and there are lot of divergent rhythms and tunes. The song definitely keeps you on your toes. However the performance was really lacking as well as including many facets than need to be changed for Eurovision. They definitely need better outfits for starters to emphasis the meaning of the song. They also need to work on their chemistry towards each other which seems non-existent. The setting is also far too dark and needs to lighten up especially in the chorus. They will need backing singers/dancers too which might give more power to the chorus.

This is a really interesting song but needs a much more structured and direct approach to its performance, otherwise it will dilute its power. On one hand it finds itself with quite a few neighbourly countries so will get some votes but will need to work much harder to get the Europe wide vote.

ARTIST –  KEiiNO

SONG – Spirit in the sky

MUSIC -  Tom Hugo, Fred-Rene Buljo, Alexandra Rotan, Henrik Tala, Alexander N. Olsson, Rûdiger Schramm

LYRICS -  Tom Hugo, Fred-Rene Buljo, Alexandra Rotan, Henrik Tala, Alexander N. Olsson, Rûdiger Schramm

MOLDOVA

The Moldovan Final was held on March 2nd at the TRM TV Studios in Chisinau. There was due to be a semi final but this was scrapped in favour of a one-shot final. The winner was chosen by a 50/50 split of by televoting and jury. The winning act was Anna Odobescu with the song “Stay”.

Anna is right at the front of the stage whilst 3 backing singers are to the side on her left. She is dressed in what seems to be a gold shimmery leotard with a belt tied around her middle with strips of white cloth tied around it. It doesn’t look too bad when still but as soon as she moves it the skirt starts to look very cheap. Behind her the video screens start off with a dark shimmering setting then turn into puffs of white smoke. There is also the odd moments of redness too as well as shots of a mouth (possibly hers) lip syncing the lyrics.

The song a mid tempo song, slightly tipping towards the ballad side. The backing track is quite synthesised although I think the whole thing could be beefed up by making it more rocky by using electric guitars Straight off the bat, Anna is singing full blast, which at first provides an initial bit of power but becomes quite tedious quite quickly. The chorus flows nicely in and out of the verses but you almost miss it when it’s gone. There is a quiet part around the 2 minute mark which provides some light relief but goes back into shouty mode very quickly. The last chorus also comes with a key change. The ending would also work much better if there was more light and shade in the rest of the song.

Anna has a very strong voice but in this song it just comes across as a bit too angry and loud. Maybe if there was more scope, tone and the ability to show off different parts of her voice it would not come across as so one-dimensional. The staging is also quite boring and doesn’t really have any hook to memorise it by. The only thing I can really remember is that really bad dress. When Moldova goes full out on something it’s done with energy and attack this has none of that. That’s not to say it couldn’t change things around. Ideally I’d make it more rock influenced, make the first verse a little softer so the chorus gives the power blow and I’d give her a much better wardrobe.

It’s not a bad song but the attention is in the detail and this is seriously lacking. Unless this is gone through with a fine tooth comb it’s not qualifying.

ARTIST –  Anna Odobescu

SONG – Stay

MUSIC -  Georgios Kalpakidis, Thomas Reil, Jeppe Reil, Maria Broberg

LYRICS - Georgios Kalpakidis, Thomas Reil, Jeppe Reil, Maria Broberg

ICELAND

The Icelandic Final was held on March 2nd at Laugardalshöll in Reykjavik, hosted by Fannar Sveinsson & Benedikt Valsson. Before the final there were 2 semi-finals where 2 songs qualified from each by right plus a wildcard. The winner waschosen in two rounds of voting - in the first round the top 2 were chosen by a mixture of televoting and a jury but in the second round the overall winner was chosen solely by televoting. The winning act was Hatari with “Hatrið mun sigra” (Hate will prevail)

The three members of the band are joined on stage by two female singer/dancers and one male dancer. One member of the band is stood on a small plinth whilst he bangs out the beat of the song on the boxes next to him whist the other two alternately sing parts of the songs in their very differing musical styles. The whole troupe is dressed in its signature bondage style whilst the back drop is mainly flashing red. Most of the dancing and action is very gestural with walking, pointing, fist-making and back bending motifs.

The song is a very raw industrial tinged electronic dance song. There is a very hard beat to the song which is further emphasised but the pendulum-esque drumming on stage. The verses are sung with a highly compressed effect on it to make it sound like it’s coming out of a megaphone. It also makes the voice come across as shouty and angry. The chorus is sung much more gently and as a kind of tune to it, however the hard backing track de not let up and you end up with a very odd juxtaposition of sounds. By the end of the song there is a false finish twinned with an even more unexpected key change which eventually brings both singers together at the same times which culminates in its finish. Although the whole song is sung in Icelandic, the emotion and passion of the song comes flooding through the screen.

Needless to say there has never been anything quite like this at Eurovision so working out how this will do is a real 'finger in the air and see which way the wind is blowing’ kind of moment. It is certainly a song and act that gives you a bit of a jolt and demands to be watched, whether that be with shock, awe or disgust. One also does have to wonder if they might be asked to tone the visuals down, especially for some of the afternoon shows or this might be another performance blurred out in some media strands. On the other hand their outrageous personas and their apparent political stance will get a lot of press for them and the whole contest.

Will this qualify? Who knows! What I will say is that although some western countries may well appreciate the dynamics of the performance and vote for something a it subversive, part of me thinks this might be a little be too much for more traditional countries but more so for some of the jury members. People working as vocal coaches, orchestral musicians or members over 60 might not see the funny side of this at all. Good for them for trying something new!

ARTIST –  Hatari

SONG –  Hatrið mun sigra (Hate will prevail)

MUSIC -  Einar Hrafn Stefánsson, Klemens Nikulásson Hannigan, Matthías Tryggvi Haraldsson

LYRICS - Einar Hrafn Stefánsson, Klemens Nikulásson Hannigan, Matthías Tryggvi Haraldsson

FINLAND

The Finnish Final was held at Logomo in Turku on March 2nd, hosted by Mikko Silvennoinen & Krista Siegfrids. Back in January, YLE announced that they had internally selected Darude to represent the country at Eurovision although he’d be joined on stage by Sebastian Rejman who would sing the vocals anal the tracks. Like last year’s Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu, there were three songs to choose from. The winner was chosen by and equal weighting of televoting & an international jury. The winning song is “Look Away”

The staging of this is relatively simple compared to others of the night, which is maybe why it won. Darude is inside an open-fronted white box where he plays keyboards and on top of it is a female dancer dressed in green. Sebastian starts inside the box but moves to a mic stand just outside. The box rotates as the song goes on until the second verse when the dancer disappears. The back of the box is then revealed to be a video screen and shows the dancers moving through water, which Sebastian interacts with. She then reappears during the last rendition of the chorus.

The song is an electronic number where the backing track is much more intricate than the tune. The verses are a little more piano based and atmospheric whist the beat is quicker in the chorus. The song also has an interesting feature in the fact that not only is the chorus very sparse in terms of words – being ‘look away’ repeated numerous times – but the pre chorus is also used a post chorus too, like a bumper either side of the chorus. Sebastian’s voice is not bad although it is noticeable that he has quite a bit of backing during the chorus which at least tells us where the spare 3 places on stage will be going! The whole thing is really brought together by the backing track which although alternating between different beat speeds, never seems contrived or clunky.

Although nothing about his entry is really outstanding, it does prove that if you put the right bits together something can add up more to the sum of its parts. The visual motifs of the global warming picture s and the underwater dancer works very well to put the song into context, however I think Sebastian needs more time looking into the camera. My main bug bear is that this song to me sounds very close to 2 other songs. Parts of the verses sound like “Keep me hanging on” and the look away bit is exactly the same as Emelie Sande’s “Heaven” and I am actually surprised nothing has been looked into about this. if Jack White can get a writing credit on “Toy” anything can happen!

This is a nice, almost stereotypical, dance number for Eurovision. It does, however, already have a lot of competition in this area, plus some rather alternative dance numbers, so does this have enough to stand out? That is a very tough call to answer. It has direct competition from Estonia in this semi, as well as Slovenia and Belgium in the electronic stakes and I cannot see all 5 of these qualifying. However the fact that Finland has a known name representing them may well get some extra familiarity votes too. This one is really on the cusp.

ARTIST –  Darude ft. Sebastian Rejman

SONG – Look away

MUSIC -  Sebastian Rejman, Ville Virtanen

LYRICS - Sebastian Rejman, Ville Virtanen

BELGIUM

The Belgian song was unveiled on February 28th with its premier play on radio station MNM and its simultaneous release on spotify and youtube. Back in January, the Wallonian broadcaster RTBF announced that another former "The Voice Belgique" contestant, Eliot Vassamillet, had been internally selected. His song is called “Wake up”

In the accompanying music video, Eliot is dimply lit with various types of light usually striping and strobing across his face. As the song progresses more and more people come out of the darkness, they are all dressed in white and are lip synching along with teh track. Not very much actually happens in the video, there is not much narrative but I guess this leaves more to the imagination as to what they could bring to the live staging. It must also be said that Eliot has been given a very Loic-esque look in the video and he certainly does moody very well!

The song is an electronic ballad with a slight ‘80s tinge to it. The beginning is rather echoey and atmospheric and Eliot’s voice comes across and quite smooth and soft. The verses are also suite sparse when it comes to words and there is quite a lot of lengthening of notes to fill the space. The chorus however has a very punchy beginning which is echoed in the backing track. There is a lot of repetition and a slight pick up of the pace which at first listen is a little jarring. But at the end of the chorus the beat, although still quite quiet, is double time and the second chorus starts up which is very intriguing but once again the chorus messes up the flow. The bridge before the last chorus works much better and sets up the end of the song nicely but once again the staccato chorus is too much of a change although this time is gets quieter into its finish.

Eliot’s voice comes across really well in this song and shows off the texture of his voice, rather than the range and/or vocal dexterity. It will be interesting to see how/if he can sing the song live. In the video he certainly seems to have a presence down the camera. As I’ve already stated the video and performance is rather open and gives few clues as to what the performance could be. I could see some kind of light show to fit in with the beat or possibly some dancers although as the song is similar in places to Blanche they might keep it very, very simple.

This is a really good song and the writing cues towards “City Lights” are quite clear although more commercial. In my opinion the verses and much more interesting that the chorus and I think a trick has been missed by not keeping the beat of the verses threading through each chorus, especially during the final rendition. From a song formulation point of view this is one of the best of the year but the lack of information about the context of the song makes it hard to judge its trajectory. In a semi with quite a few electronic entries this will need to be solid to progress and progress well.

ARTIST –  Eliot Vassamillet

SONG – Wake up

MUSIC -  Pierre Dumoulin

LYRICS - Pierre Dumoulin