AZERBAIJAN 2022

The Azeri song was revealed on March 21st. On February 16th, İctimai Television revealed that Nadir Rustamli had been internally selected as their singer. His song is called "Fade to black" 

Nadir Rustamli studied piano at the Gulu Asgarov Music School for 7 years. As a singer he has particiaped in a number of different singing/song festivals such as the National Song Festival (runner up in 2017 and winner in 2019) and  the Youthvision International Song Contest (runner up 2019). Nadir then entered into the 2021 series of" Voice of Azerbaijan " and joined former ESC winner Eldar Qasımov's team. He got all the way to the final and won the series with over 42% of the vote.

The first verse is very fragmented with lots of short lines that seem to be more about the rhythm rather than the meaning. The pre-chorus is much stronger with additional strings and a much clearer, stirring vocal. However instead of carrying this trend on, the chorus comes in and this drops back to just piano backing before rising again for the 'I'm numb' finish. This goes straight into verse two and pre-chorus with a slightly more invigorated pace but again peters out for the chorus. This time the post-chorus leads into a bridge section which is possibly the most memorable part of the whole song. It has a proper tune, driving lyrics and gives Nadir a sense of direction with his vocals. The final few seconds are taken up by a shortened chorus -  this time with slightly different tune and the last line of the song being the title.

This song feels very weak to me. On first listen I totally missed the chorus because there was no build-up or hook to tell me it was there. I only discovered it was the chorus when it got repeated. There is no build up, no tension, no drama and by the end of it you start to have questions! This feels like a random collection of song parts that are not cohesive enough to make a memorable song. Although Nadir has a nice enough voice the lyrics are not 100% clear which also muddles the meaning of song. Being Azerbaijan, one has to wonder what intricate staging setup they have in store. The video is rather odd, including some extremely individual sartorial choices, none of which really helps us get a sense of who Nadir is or let's you know what kind of artist or person he is. I think this has the bare bones of a good idea but all the meatiness is totally missing.

ARTIST - Nadir Rustamli 

SONG - Fade to black

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Andreas Stone Johansson, Sebastian Schub, Thomas Stengaard, Anderz Wrethov 

ARMENIA 2022

The Armenian entry was revealed on March 19th. A week earlier it was announced that Rosa Linn had been selected by ARMTV as their entrant. Her song is entitled "Snap". 

Rosa Kostandjan - AKA Rosa Linn - started to learn the piano at aged 6. This love of music grew and she began writing and producing songs of her own. In 2013 she participated in the Armenian Junior Eurovision national final. Currently, Rosa is linked to the Nvak Collective and her latest release was a collaboration with electro-pop singer KIIARA. Her music style tends to me a mix  alternative indie pop genres although her Eurovision song has some acoustic country vibes too.

After a short intro, verse one starts straight away with a pattern of short/short/long lines. The song moves straight on into the chorus where the instrumentation is really ramped up. There is then a similar setup for verse and chorus two which has an extra bit of repetition at the end.  At the two minute mark there is a brief bridge, which is possibly the weak part of the song, but does lead nicely into the final - and longer - version of the chorus. As a bonus having the last word being 'snap' makes for a good excuse to it being a rather abrupt ending.

The song has an atmospheric quality and has a real drive in the backing track. The stopping and starting of the beat as well as the echoey backing vocals gives the song an ever-changing pace and a lot of depth. The chorus here is the star of the show and most of everything else is there to set that strength up. The use of counting is very clever as a lyric and the unusual warbling of the end line is very ear catching - not very singalongable but an earworm nonetheless. I would also say that the tune and the feeling seems to to precedence over the words which sometimes gets garbled or missed because of the production. I am no country music connoisseur but there is something about this track which feels very familiar. I don't know if this song borrows techniques from other songs or just has a very memorable quality. I guess a minor negative for me is that this song doesn't feel very Armenian. We have got every used to their tracks having some kind of ethnic quality and this has more of a whiff of the Swedish/American touch about it. I also wonder if the backing vocals will be doing much of the heavy lifting because they are so prominent. The video has an interesting visual concept with the floating house which could be translated into a pleasant stage design.

ARTIST - Rosa Linn

SONG - Snap

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Allie Crystal, Jeremy Dusoulet, Courtney Harrell, Tamar Kaprelian, Rosa Linn, Larzz Principato

MALTA 2022 updated

The Maltese Final (Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2022) was held on February 19th at the Malta Fairs & Convention Centre in Ta' Qali, hosted by Stephanie Spiteri, Quinton Scerri, Ron Briffa, Josmar and Ryan Borg. The winner was chosen by jury (6/7) and SMS voting (1/7). On the night, the winner was Emma Muscat singing "Out of Sight" however on March 14th the delegation unveiled Emma's new entry. She will now be singing the song "I am what I am"

Music was a huge part of Emma's life from an early age. She enrolled at the University of Performing Arts; honing her skills in singing, dancing, and playing the piano. In 2016 she started uploading her songs and videos onto youtube. In 2018 she took part in the Maltese talent show "Amici di Maria De Filippi" finishing with fourth place in the singing category and winning a contract with Warner Music Italy. Since then she has released more singles and albums including duets with rappers Shade and Astol and featuring on songs by Biondo and Junior Cally.

After a brief piano intro Emma sings verse one quite low in her register and quite softly. Once into the chorus she sings much more fully with lots of runs and trills through the scale. The first part of the chorus has less going on in the backing but plenty of lyrics while the second part has a fuller backing track but with a more anthemic tune. This is then repeated for the second verse and chorus. This takes us to the 2 minute mark where there is a brief lull before a final chorus that takes us to the end.

This is a very radio-friendly piano-led song in the oeuvre of songs like "The way it is" and " A thousand miles". The video is very friendly and inclusive and definitely made to drill in the meaning of the song. Maybe we will be getting people's faces on the backdrop or something similar to try and mirror this on stage. I am sure Emma will find this no problem to sing and I am also intrigued to see if she stays behind her piano like in the video. Co-incidentally, after this song was released, it was revealed that "I am what I am" had been submitted for Melodifestivalen this year - and rejected - and boy doesn't sound like it. It feels very clean and very Swedish and very safe and very predictable. These aspects don't necessarily make it a bad Eurovision song but it gets tired very quickly. To the casuals at home this is the kind of thing that on first listen they will engage with immediately, but for those of us listening intently between now and the contest they may find it getting skipped. This is no better or worse than their original entry and I think those involved in the original national final should be very miffed at the situation.

ARTIST - Emma Musicat

SONG - I am what I am

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Julie Aagaard, Stine Kinck, Dino Medanhodzic, Emma Muscat

PORTUGAL 2022

The Portuguese final - known as "Festival da Canção" - was held on March 12th at the RTP TV Studios in Lisbon, hosted by Filomena Cautela and Vasco Palmeirim. Before the final there were two semi-finals, where 5 of the 10 songs in each show qualified for the final. A winner was chosen by a 50-50 mix of 7 regional juries and televoting which started on March 8th. The winning act and song was Maro with "Saudade, saudade" (Longing, longing)

Maro - full name Mariana Secca - gets her unusual surname from her Italian father. After her Portuguese schooling she studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston and whilst there created "Berklee People". This was a collaborative project created to facilitate the sharing and disseminating knowledge between students rather than competing against.. During her her first year studying in Los Angeles, Maro released six albums entirely self-produced and self-written. Through while publicising her work on Instagram that caught the eye of English jazz musician Jacob Collier, who asked her to join his touring band.

The song starts with a very low instrumental with just the repetitive rhythm of the effective bassline which carries on under the first verse which is in English. The backing becomes much more involved during the chorus with the presence of a 6/8 beat which keeps the song moving but in no way takes over. Verse 2 is in Portuguese, is longer and has a different tune to the first. The backing singers harmonise so well and really helps to keep that emotion coming through. At the two minute mark the chorus comes in and this time the 5 ladies join in with some clapping. The beat peters out back to the original ethereal tune over which Maro sings an outro similar to the very opening lines.

This is a beautifully sung sad song and really takes inspiration from the heart of Portuguese music - Fado. However this song has a very mellow quiet quality rather than the dramatic impassioned performances sometimes associated with this genre. The staging also changed from the semi final into the final. At first Maro was stood alone on stage but now she is joined, on stools, by her female backing singers. It makes the song look and feel more full, almost supportive of one other, She even looks better in a more casual 'everyman' kind of outfit rather than in a shiny suit. The video projections are the same and I like the way it flickers, mirroring the gentle notes in the backing track. Maro's voice is so different and individual that the whole package stands out so much. People will really get the sadness and feel of the song; taking a few moments within the madness of many of the other entries, to be calm and just listen. People all over Europe may even personally relate to the lyrics, especially as many people will have different stories about 'longing' from the past 2 years, and I really hope this does well. 

ARTIST - Maro

SONG - Saudade, saudade

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - John Blanda, Maro

ICELAND 2022

The Icelandic Final (Söngvakeppnin) was held on March 12th at the RVK Studios in Gufunes, Reykjavík, presented by Björg Magnúsdóttir, Jón Jónsson and Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir. Before the final there were 2 semi-finals of five songs each. The two qualifiers from each were joined by a wildcard. The winner was chosen in two rounds of voting -  the first was to find the top two using half and half televote/jury) the these results were carried forward to the second round which was 100% televote. The winners were Sigga, Beta & Elín - now known as Systur - singing "Með hækkandi sól" (With the rising sun)

Sigríður, Elísabet and Elín Eyþórsdætur are sisters who were born into a family of musicians and have been singing and playing since childhood. In 2011 they formed the trio Sísý Ey releasing the electronic hit "Ain't Got Nobody" in 2013 in collaboration with DJ Oculus. As well as their success as a three-piece, they have also had some individual success. After their Eurovision, it was decided that the act would be called 'Systur' rather than their individual names.

The song begins with a short guitar intro - acoustic followed by electric - which sets up the mood of the song. They sing two verses in quick succession before the first chorus. After a short instrumental there is another verse and chorus. Now into the final minute the song becomes slightly darker and the girls - instead of singing in unison - are not performing slightly different parts of the song which really gives this part of the song a different feel. Then a final chorus before the song has a slowed down acapella ending.

This is very laid back has that slightly melancholy country feel too it. To many of the lay watchers, they may hark back to entries like "Calm After The Storm". In this song the girls' voices blend so well together and the whole thing looks and sounds effortless. The way the microphones are placed makes for some interesting camerawork. The Icelandic language also makes this song sound rather intriguing to the ear, especially with the whispery quality of the words and their vocals style. Visually it is a little bit dark and brown, which fits with the mood of the song but not very memorable. However this is somewhere negated by the clever camera shots, in particular the three-way split screen during the bridge. That all said and done, this ends up feeling like a rather uneventful song. There are a freakishly large proportion of country inspired songs this year and I am not sure how well this stands up in comparison. Part of me wishes there was a little more drama and maybe a bit more ooomph in the instrumentation - something to keep the interest going. This is a nice song - but nice does not guarantee points.

ARTIST - Systur

SONG - Með hækkandi sól

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Arnar Guðjónsson, Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir

SWEDEN 2022

The Swedish Final "Melodifestivalen" was held at the Friends Arena in Stockholm on March 12th, hosted by Oscar Zia. Before the final there were 5 semi-finals getting the list down to a final of 12. The winner was calculated by adding votes of 8 international juries with phone app votes divided into age groupings as well as televoting. Representing Sweden at Eurovision this year will be Cornelia Jakobs singing "Hold Me Closer"

Cornelia Jakobs - full name Anna Cornelia Jakobsdotter Samuelsson - is from a very musical family. Her father is a rock musician and grandmother a conductor. She studied at Rytmus music high school in Stockholm  and at 16 she unsuccessfully auditioned for Idol. She was part of the girl band Love Generation - also known as Stockholm Syndrome - which participated in Melodifestivalen 2011 & 2012 and also co-wrote last year's participating entry " Best of Me " performed by Efraim Leo in 2021.

The first verse starts with very quiet violin backing which continues through the lengthy pre-chorus. It also continues under the chorus but is much more noticeable and soaring in the mix. Into verse two, the backing track is joined by a stable beat which gets bigger as the verse, pre-chorus and chorus follows though. As we pass the two minute mark, the backing disperses before regathering during the bridge with an almost rock/dance edge. The song finishes with an elongated version of the chorus before finishing suddenly.

Although I watched very little of MelFest, I took time to watch the final and I was underwhelmed to say the least. There was so little breadth in terms of genres and displays that felt like over-rehearsed faux music videos rather than part of a live music show. The presentation of this song, however,  is quite personal and a bit more intimate than past entries have been. Cornelia does a good job of keeping her eye on the camera while she navigates her way around the floor, the rotating glowing disc and the microphone stand. The jittery camerawork is trying build tension and atmosphere when it should be coming from the singer and the lyrics. The song doesn't really need that much and by having little staging you have nothing else to focus on but the song.  But for my taste there are some things that I can't quite get past and turn me off straight away. I don't like the way she sings the start as to me it comes across as a bit whiney and self indulgent. This is not helped by the lack of honest body language because Sweden cannot help but choregraph everything within an inch of its life . Co-incidentally her reprise after being announced the winner felt so much better than her competitive show. The lyrics are incredibly basic and possibly does not help show more emotional depth. This is not a bad entry and compared to many of the potential entries available it was possibly their best choice for the night. However, in a semi final full of eclectic and individual choices this might end up being 'the right one... but at the wrong time'

ARTIST - Cornelia Jakobs

SONG - Hold Me Closer

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Cornelia Jakobs, Isa Molin, David Zandén

AUSTRIA 2022

The Austrian song was revealed on March 11th. In February it was revealed that LUM!X featuring Pia Maria had been internally selected by ORF to represent Austria. The song has its radio premiere on Ö3-Wecker and the video was released shortly afterwards. Their song is called "Halo"

Luca Michlmayr (a.k.a. LUM!X) started making and uploading his self made tracks music very early on. From here Swedish label Bounce United discovered his work and signed him and released a number of songs including many collaborations. His breakthrough came with the song "Thunder" which was remixed with Eiffel 65 member Gabry Ponte and charted in many European countries. With more than 70 weeks in the German single charts, Monster is also one of the songs that stayed in the German single charts the longest. Since 2020 he has had hits inspired by Iggy Pop's "Passengers", "Major Tom" by Peter Schilling ,and Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" 

The song starts fiercely with a shortened version of the chorus. Going to into verse one the beat kicks in under a pattern of short-short-long verse lines which keeps the pace and the variety of rhyme high. After this is a very repetitive pre-chorus which has a very earwormy tune. From here we have a full version of the chorus which leads straight into verse two and into the same pattern as before. Will a minute to go we have a very brief respite with a la-la-la version of the pre-chorus over the same relentless beat. This sets up the 'We will rock you" inspired clap-along chorus as the beat drops out and comes back in again for the second half then comes to a slightly awkward end.

The video to the song is really eye-catching and although it does not necessarily fit the style or message of the song it is an interesting aesthetic. I almost feel like this is a millennial version of "Rock me Amadeus". Alternately I could see them going do the Eurodance 90's club route which would also be really different. Both performers seem to have good charism with each other and down the camera so I think this might look really good on stage. This is a very busy song with loads of layers and different part of the backing track. A lot of the vocals overlap each other so it will be very interesting to see if she sings the song differently so they don't OR if some of these vocals can fit under the 'backing vocals' rule. On first listen I was a little underwhelmed if not a little bit surprised by the song. But this has grown on me a lot, especially as this has such a different feel to almost anything else on the Eurovision menu right now. this could go down so big in the hall, especially with the parts where the audience can interact, and it could be the party track we've been waiting for.

ARTIST - LUM!X ft. Pia Maria
SONG - Halo
WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - flyckt, LUM!X, Anders Nilsen, Gabry Ponte, Sophie Simmons

GREECE 2022

The Greek song was revealed on March 10th. Back in December it was revealed that Amanda Georgiadis Tenfjord had been internally selected to represent Greece. The song and video was aired for the first time on ERT’s programme "Studio 4". Her song is entitled "Die together"

Amanda Georgiadis Tenfjord (sometimes just known as  Amanda Tenfjord) has a Norwegian mother and a Greek father and spent much of her childhood between those two countries. She was inspired to take up music by Sigrid who was also at her school, however still continued her medical studies in Trondheim. In 2016, she participated in "The Stream",  a Norwegian singing show and got into the top 30. She has also honed her skill and craft though touring and the festivals circuit and has released numerous singles and two EPs.

The song starts in a very unexpected way and keeps on going for the first half of the song. Amanda is singing on top of a synthesised/vocoder version of herself which give the song an uneasy texture. Very reminiscent of Laure Anderson's "O Superman" This continues through verse on, pre-chorus and chorus before the a very loose and wispiish backing track comes in and the vocoder departs. Verse two is much shorter than verse two and goes straight into another chorus. After this there is a bridge which a very different tone and pace and is super catchy before a final chorus which has a slightly different tune before suddenly stopping.

This is a very contemporary ballad and one that has made some very interesting stylistic choices. First of the the first minute or so is going to be quite challenging: many will revel on such an opening gambit but many will be wondering if there has been a cock-up on the backing tape. I am the biggest critic of pre-recorded backing vocals but one has to applaud those countries really taking this rule to its limit. The video is half love story, half tourist video and I found myself a little bit lost in the whole thing to actually pay attention to what was going on. I am hoping for something very pared down in the fist half then getting bigger, possibly even some contemporary dancers. The song has some really good and memorable rhythms, in particular the repetitively building bridge, and the use of long notes followed by short sharp lines really gets your ears up. This is a bit of a weird one because on one hand there are lots of surprising things whose impact lessens time after time but the tune becomes more familiar after every listen. This could go either way - too odd to vote for or so unusual it packs a punch.

ARTIST - Amanda Georgiadis Tenfjord

SONG - Die Together

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Bjørn Helge Gammelsæter, Amanda Tenfjord

UNITED KINGDOM 2022

The UK song and entrant and were revealed on March 10th.The entry and entrant was revealed by Scott Mills on BBC Radio 1's breakfast show with Greg James followed by a performance on "The One Show on BBC One. Going to Turin will be Sam Ryder with the song "Space Man".

Sam Ryder Robinson, better known as Sam Ryder, began his career on the rock and metal circuit as a singer and rhythm guitarist. He fronted groups like the Morning After and Blessed by a Broken Heart before starting a solo career as a pop artist. During the lockdown of 2020, he started posting short videos of himself singing and his popularity skyrocketed. He has posted videos on youtube and tracks on sound cloud but has garnered the most fan interest on video sharing app TikTok. After this resurgence, he was signed to Parlophone, which issued a number of tracks in 2021 and 2022. His more recent work has been pop based but has a strong and raspy rock-edged tone.

(This is based on the shorter version as performed on The One Show rather than the official video)

This entry has a very, very basic structure with verse-chorus-verse-bridge-chorus-outro. The song starts very promptly straight into verse one and sounds almost acapella which really hones the listener to the different textures of his voice. During the chorus he is joined by a drum rhythm but everything else still feels quite low in the mix. This feeling continues during verse two an the chorus but this time ends with some slightly sinister strings and pulls the mood slightly down into the bridge. This part uses his lower range as has a slightly Beatles feel to it helped by a really full feeling to the music. For the last 50 seconds or so we have renditions of parts of the chorus as the backing track lowly wands down to almost acapella once again.

Sam has a very distinct voice which is absolutely shown off in its best light. The lyric journey is also very clever as it works on a surface level - actually being a space man -  as well as being a metaphor for winding your way through life. Either way I feel many people will be able to bond with this as the language is easy to understand and uses repetition and rhyme. If I had any complaints about the track I would like to see more guitar or at least more light and shade throughout the whole song - not just during the last minute. The tune feels very familiar but not in a kind of 'rip-off' way and is very radio friendly. This track was Radio 1's 'song of the week' on the lead up to it being revealed at the Eurovision entry. I have no fear that Sam with kill this song on the night and will go down a storm in the hall but does this song compel the people at home to vote? It's probably the best chance we've had for a while and will be hugely dependent on the staging. I actually don't think this needs a lot of staging and could work well with just him and a backdrop as well as nailing his looks to camera. Unfortunately the UK's track record of getting staging right is very poor and can see this as defeat snatched from the hands of victory (victory being not in the bottom 5)

ARTIST - Sam Ryder

SONG - Space Man

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - KOZ, Sam Ryder, Amy Wadge, Max Wolfgang

BELGIUM 2022

The Belgian song was revealed on March 10th. Back in September the Walloon broadcaster RTBF revealed that Jérémie Makiese had been internally selected to represent Belgium. The song was revealed via its first radio play on Vivacité, then the video premiere on channel La Une and its official release on the official Eurovision channel. His song is entitled "Miss you"

Jérémie was born in Antwerp and is of Congolese heritage His family moved around Belgium and learned both Dutch and French. Although his talent for singing was honed through singing at church, at the age of 13, he started to play as a goalkeeper for BX Brussels and has since played for numerous different clubs. In 2021, Jérémie auditioned for "The Voice Belgique" and after all four of the judges turned he chose too join Beverly Jo Scott's team. After tackling artists just as James Arthur, Bruno Mars, Gregory Porter and Christophe Maé, he became the series winner. HIs musical style is pop but with a soul and R&B leaning.

The song starts with a brief but dramatic violin intro before going straight into the piano-backed first verse. During the pre-chorus and chorus the strings join in but you also get the feeling Jérémie is not giving his all (yet) to the performance. At 50 second in we are already into verse two and although the tune and structure has not changed there is a very dominant beat and the pulsing of an electric guitar which replaces the piano. After the pre-chorus and chorus there is a short bridge before entering a last chorus, some odd freeform bits then a final recall of the first verse with some riffing and vocal gymnastics to end.

On my first consumption of this song I felt very confused and bewildered and really not so sure what to think. It suddenly dawned on me that this video is just AWFUL. I get that this is an urban style ballad but the chorography and outfits are much more suited to something more robust and lyrically harder than this. Therefore I would suggest to anyone about to watch the video that they just listen to it! After my brief confusion I realised the song really is not bad at all. Lyrically it is simplistic but in a way that makes it memorable - the repetition of 'sometimes' in the first verse and the refrain of 'no' in the chorus'. The chorus in particular is very clever and creates an interesting dynamic of fast and slow, call and response that I could see being copied in the hall. This song feels very contemporary, modern and unlike anything else on the palette this year. The structure of the whole song means it speeds along quite quickly and you get a lot of song for your 3 minutes. However, this entry is going absolutely nowhere with that bad boy/krump aesthetic in the video. If they go with the soul boy in a nice suit version they might just get away with it.

ARTIST - Jérémie Makiese

SONG - Miss you

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS -  BGRZ, Paul Ivory, Jérémie Makiese, Silvio Lisbonne, Manon Romiti 

CYPRUS 2022

The Cypriot song and entrant and were revealed on March 8th. This was unveiled via the premiere of the song and video on the official Eurovision channel. The singer Andromache will be performing "Ela" 

Andromáchi Dimitropoúlou grew up in Germany and she moved with her family to Greece when she was 10. In 2015, she appeared as a contestant on the Greek edition of The Voice joining Michalis Kouinelis' team but was eliminated in the second of the live shows. She did not take this disappointment to heart and soon got signed to Panik Records. Her Eurovision entry will be her eighth song release to date. Her music is generally sung in Greek and has an ethereal folk/modern mix.

To start there is some plucking of strings and some synthesised chanting. Already you get a feeling that this is fusing traditional ideals and modern techniques. As verse one begins the backing track is very low and delicate. During the pre-chorus, words come sharper and quicker and then the beat comes to light in the chorus. The switch from English into Greek is not too much of a jerk because her style is not changing. We then repeat this process to get to just over the two minute mark. After a brief instrumental and vague bridge the chorus is again repeated to the end of the song.

This has an unmistakable Greek sound and will obviously appeal to those of a Greek background. The backing track has some traditional elements but also has a kind of 'white noise' feel which gives it an atmospheric sound. The English lyrics are simplistic and the tune is not that memorable. The Hellenic style warbling at the end of the lines lessens the power of the tune even more. The chorus is much more meaty and authentic and does a lot of the heavy lifting but the lack of a final line is a slight disappointment. The video has a nice aesthetic which compliments the old-but-new feel of the song. It will be interesting to see if any of visual appears on stage in May. One question I ask myself is 'how on earth did it take so many songwriters to create something so very dreary?' It's not bad, it's not good and I have to wonder who will vote for this.

ARTIST - Andromache 

SONG - Ela

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS -  Arash, Y. Limani, E. Mirzazadeh, F. Miftaraj, A. Papaconstantinou,  G. Papadopoulos, F. Raçi Fifi, G. Sandell, V. Svensson, R. Uhlmann 

GEORGIA 2022

The Georgian song was revealed on March 9th via the songs release on youtube. Back in November it was revealed that the band Circus Mircus would be representing the Caucasian nation and the song would be released at a much later point. Their song is called "Lock Me In" 

Very little is known about Circus Mircus and even the things we do know may not quite be 100% true. It is said that the band formed in 2020 and is made up of 3 Georgian friends who dropped out of circus school and made music instead. They have a Spotify entry as well as a number of songs to listen too. Their sound is a mixture of punk, rock, indie with aspects of soul and funk.

The song begins with a funky and percussive beat over which a kind of laid back sassy male vocal is heard. At first it sounds a bit like a half-sung into but keeps going and going. It finally reaches the first proper ear worm which is a very quick monotone line which is repeated over and over again at just over the minute mark the chorus comes in. The lines are much shorter and are compared of lines starting "lock me". The backing here is a little more psychedelic and electro rather the the funk backing of before a short instrumental before another monotone verse pursued by  chorus, although this time the verse is a little shorter and the chorus much longer.

It is fair to say that the group caused quite a stir with their cryptic messages and odd interactions with Eurovision fans at the start of Eurovision season, so it is with a heavy heart to say I feel disappointed by this. Although this song is not that different from some of the back catalogue available online, maybe the fandom was  holding out for something eve more odd, even more rockier OR both. This has a few nice hooks and earworms but they feel like they are clashing against each other rather than working together. The intro goes on a bit and, taking into account that it's some way short of the 3 minute mark, it may have made more sense to get into verse one quicker and create space for more verses/choruses. However it would be remiss of me to wonder what the stage show could be like. No-one really knows who they are what they look like. Even some of their photos and song covers have masks, emojis or pixilated parts instead of faces. We don't really get any idea from the 'music video', albeit a very clever statement on current events, but I suspect an official video will be available soon. Weird Georgia is back and we love it, even if that means a DNQ.

ARTIST - Circus Mircus

SONG - Lock Me In

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Circus Mircus 

SWITZERLAND 2022

The Swiss song and entrant was revealed on March 8th. The song and act was revealed through a youtube premiere on the official Eurovision channel. Marius Bear will be singing the song "Boys Do Cry" 

Marius Bear was born Marius Hügli and started off studying mechanics but decided to change direction and move into music. He upped sticks in 2017 and moved to the UK to study music production at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. His first EP got into the top 40 in his homeland and his debut album got into the top 20. To top this off he won "Best Talent" at the 2019 Swiss Music Awards. In 2020 he appeared on the RTL show "I Can See Your Voice" and although he did not win his episode, this spawned the release of a cover of "I wanna dance with somebody". His work has an acoustic  singer-songwriter feel.

The song begins with some oohing over a piano. The piano continues as Bear starts with the first verse and first rendition of the chorus. His voice is quite small and crackly and the lyrics are rather sparse with long gaps between the syllables. As the chorus fades out the ooohing starts again and the backing track starts to include strings and a very light drum beat. There is then another verse and chorus however the end of the chorus goes up the scale rather than down. This gives the song a little lift and impetus in the final 30 seconds. He then repeats the final lines of the chorus again before ending with the title of the song.

This has slightly downbeat jazzy feel to it and his croaky over-emotional vocals are a little bit over the top, but maybe might be tempted to actually sing properly when live. Many have described this as a bit 'Eurovision does John Lewis Christmas advert" which not only describes the vocal but also the video. It does have a slightly wintry/log fire feeling which I suppose could work with a Swiss mountain chalet backdrop perhaps. This is a very considered and quiet song and could easily get lost amongst the busy-ness of semi 1. Maybe the delegation needs to make a point of it not being busy and promoting the calm and thoughtfulness. After the first listen I actually found myself getting rather attached to the song by the end, as this normally isn't my kind of thing, although I fear this may have been down to the story in the video rather than the song or the singer. I await with baited breath a live version of this as it may break or seal this song's fate.

ARTIST - Marius Bear

SONG - Boys do cry

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Martin Gallop, Marius Hugli

SERBIA 2022

The Serbian Final was held on March 5th at the RTS TV Studios in Belgrade, hosted by Dragana Kosjerina and Jovan Radomir. Before the final there were two semi-finals where the long list of 36 was reduced to a final of 18. The winner was chosen through a 50/50 combination jury and text voting. The winning act was  Konstrakta singing "In corpore sano" (In a healthy body) 

Ana Đurić, whose pseudonym is Konstrakta, started out life following a career in architecture like her husband. However in her youth she was also the lead singer of several bands in Serbia which covered a very wide range of styles and genres. However, she is most famously associated with that of the band "Zemlji Gruva!" who took part in Beovizija in 2008 and 2009. She embarked on a solo career in 2019 and has made strides into heath and wellbeing campaigns in Serbia too.

The song starts with an unexpected chant before Konstrakta starts her first verse. The name check of Meghan Markle gets your interest straight away as part of you wonders if she said it or not. As the lights come up you see she is surrounded by backing singers dressed unusually with towels around their necks. She completes the rest of the verse before embarking on the clap-along chorus. There is then another verse but this looks and sounds rather different to the first. After this the music sounds more choral, almost churchy, This has a call and response between Konstrakta and the backing singers who reply in a robotic vocoder style. There is then one more version of the clapping chorus before an outro focusing on the name of the song, sung in Latin.

This is probably one of the 'odder' eurovision songs and unless you understand the background story to the song, you almost feel a bit lost and wonder how you are supposed to feel. The crux of the song relates to the fact that musical artists (as well as many other professions) in Serbia are not always covered by medical care and that artists like her sometimes feel forgotten. They bring so much happiness and joy and help people through hard times yet when they are the ones who need help, care is not freely available. The setting of the song is extremely stylised: the backing singers, the chair, the white uniform, the ritual handwashing, the sharp camera cutaways, the evading glances from the camera the ever changing back drop all makes for an impressive  and eye-catching stage show. But the song is very complex and apart from the chorus is not really very memorable and is rather freeform, made more complicated by the use of the Serbian language. I feel like this is more "a local song for local people" and its prime audience and message is very much a Serbian one. This makes a valid point about an important issue and having it played out on a global stage may make the politicians in Belgrade change tack. Unfortunately I feel people will find this too tricky and weird to vote for but it is something that probably won't be forgotten for a while.

ARTIST - Konstrakta

SONG - In corpore sano (In a healthy body)

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Milovan Boskovic, Konstrakta

FRANCE 2022

he French Final was held on March 5th at the La Plaine St Denis TV Studios near Paris, hosted by Stéphane Bern and Laurence Boccolini. The overall winner was chosen in two rounds of voting. After the first round of voting, the top five voted for songs were joined by a jury pick into round two. From here the winner was chosen by a 50-50 split of televoting and jury vote. Going to Eurovision is the collaboration between Alvan & Ahez called "Fulenn" (Spark)

This entry the combination of two musical acts from the Breton region of France. Alvan, real name Alexis Morvan-Rosius, is a multi-instrumentalist musician specialising in electro. He started producing music in 2011, but only became a full time musician in 2015. He then has numerous original singles and remixes and participated in several music festivals. Ahez (Marine Lavigne, Sterenn Diridollou & Sterenn Le Guillou) met while at Diwan - a Breton speaking school. They began singing. and learned "kan ha diskan" a musical style linked to Breton dance, As part of Ahez they interpret contemporary stories mixed with the myths of Brittany.

The song has a rather uneven vibe which keeps on  your toes. Many of the verses have three lines rather than 2 or 4, the tune can be monotone, they don't always start on the beat of 1 and even bridging over bars without a discernable gap. After a rather weird opening gambit the first verse starts off with a rather menacing and primitive background which continues into the chorus which they all sing. This then ends with two lines sung by Alvan alone which leads into the introduction of the dance beat. Verse two starts followed again by all 4 singing the chorus. The dance beat drops out the the drum beat comes back in the the bridge before a free form la-la part which is first sung by Alvan then by Ahez after this be beat come back along with some folk like instrumentation. From here to almost the end, they chant part of the chorus as well as the la-la chant section over a pronounced dance beat. At the very end Alvan speaks a part of the chorus which is a rather odd and unexpected ending.

The song tackles the Breton legend of a young woman who frees herself from societal norms by dancing at night bathed in the light from a bonfire. Some of this is mirrored in the staging and somewhat in their outfits and the mood of the music. The addition of the dancer is a class move and really adds to the movement on stage as well as adding an extra sassy energy to the song. That all said this is much more a mood piece for those of us not fluent in Breton. It isn't exactly sing-along-able but the tune is rather catchy and the beat really drives the whole thing along.  The ending is a little odd and I feel that will a couple of extra seconds up their sleeve that ending could be made more finite and memorable. There is a lot on offer visually; the beautiful dancer, the interactions of the singers, the fetching outfits and the array of niche instruments. This, along with the aural load, could be a bit too much. I could understand if people felt it was trying too hard and throwing everything into the kitchen sink. There is also the fact that there s not much like thins on offer this year and considering the success GO_A had with a similar feel this could well piggyback onto that success. Whatever you feel it is pretty unforgettable and a bit of a bop...and there are not that many this year.

ARTIST - Alvan & Ahez

SONG - Fulenn (Spark)

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Marine Lavigne, Alexis Morvan Rosius

ROMANIA 2022

The Romanian Final "Selectia Nationala" was held on March 5th at the TVR TV Studios in Bucharest, hosted by Eda Marcus and Aurelian Temisan. Before the final there was a semi-final where a jury reduced the long list of 20 to a final of 10. The winner was chosen by by a split of jury vote 5/6 and phone voting 1/6.  Going to Eurovision is WRS (pronounced urs) and "Llámame" (Call me)

Andrei-Ionuț Ursu - stage name WRS - started his career in show business as a dancer, backing many well known Romanian and Moldovan artists. He was also part of the background troupe used on TV shows like The Voice Romania and Romania's Got Talent. His first foray into singing was in 2015 as part of the boyband Shot. Two years later he left the project, moving to London to work on solo ideas. In 2020, he signed with Global Records starting up the electro-pop music project WRS. He has released several songs and an album Romania and Bulgaria.

The song follows a rather simplistic verse-pre chorus-chorus flow which comes round twice. However after each chorus there is a lengthy instrumental when Andrei and his backing dancers enjoy time to partake in rather Strictly-looking posturing and flamenco arms. He dances while singing too but this part is much more flamboyant and interactive with the others on stage. From here there is a rather weak bridge leading into the final chorus which he sings slightly differently to before. There is then a instrumental outro with more dancing as the song ends. His style of music is electropop although this song has obvious Latino influences.

This entry has a strong identity and that is not a bad thing. The stage show as it is kind of works but also has the ability to be upscaled without ruining the concept. I might be tempted to change the backdrop and the lighting a little as at certain times the whole thing looks very dark and slightly sinister. The repetitive chorus really does get in your head and by the end your are joining in without thinking, however the rest of the song is a little directionless. His diction is not always the clearest and you have to really listen to fully get his gist. I feel like he is trying to be emotional and charismatic at the start but actually comes across as creepy and almost like he can't sing. If he could be more direct at the start of the song he might be able to engage even more energy further down the song. Plus he doesn't always find the camera which would help with getting the message further down the lens. He definitely knows how to wow and impress the crowd in front of him but needs more work to connect to those able to vote at home. It may be interesting to see, if it qualifies, how this stands up against the actual Spanish entry.

ARTIST - WRS
SONG - Llámame (Call me)
WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Costel Domințeanu, Cezar Gună, Alex Turcu, ​WRS

DENMARK 2022

The Danish National Final "Dansk Melodi Grand Prix" was be held on March 5th at Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning, hosted by Tina Müller and Martin Brygmann. The winner was be chosen by SMS and mobile app voting in two rounds of voting, firstly to select a top 3 and another to choose the victor. Going to To Turin is the band REDDI with the song "The Show"

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix was the debut of Danish-Swedish 4-piece girl band REDDI. The band consists of Danes Ihan Haydar (drums) and Mathilde 'Siggy' Savery (guitar/piano/vocals) with Swedes Ida Bergkvist (bass) and Agnes Roslund (guitar). The band was put together by Lars Pedersen - aka Chief1 - and the drummer Ihan. She is well known to Danes as the 'queen of drummers' and appeared on the Eurovision stage with Soluna Samay in 2013. This song is influenced by pop, rock and punk from the '70s and '80s.

The song starts with the lead singer, Siggy, on the piano where she sings with very little accompaniment through the first verse and chorus. This part is impassioned and full of melancholic emotion At this point she stands up and all of a sudden the song ramps up completely into a fast paced rock number. Her voice still contains some anger but the tune is belted out with power and conviction but also They complete verse two and a chorus before a well deserved instrumental showing of their musical prowess. This then leads into a final elongated chorus to the end of the song.

In hindsight this was going to be the best song to choose from the songs in contention. Too many of the songs were rather bland, samey and frankly "Danish". Apart from this and the entry from by Fuld Effekt nothing else really had any visible or audible personality. One thing I really applaud abut this song is the fact that they fully start off the song in one way for a sizable chunk of time before turning into something else. Plenty of songs have a slow intro then quickly go full throttle but the build up on this lasts so long it is a genuine surprise to see it change. I would however look at making the end a bit less of a sudden stop. Siggy's voice is really strong and pulls off a kind of Suzi Quatro kind of vibe. Although I would change very little about the visual stage production I might want to look into making the group a little more cohesive when it comes to their outfits. There seems to be an imbalance between their punk rock audio and their Slade-esque garb. Maybe if they kept the same kind of outfits but added a cohesive stamp - like a tartan scarf, or facial make up mark - it may feel a bit more like a group. This is a lot of fun and looks and feels very different anything we have in 'the show' so far.

ARTIST - REDDI
SONG - The Show
WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Chief 1, Julia Fabrin, Ihan Haydar, Remee Jackman, Siggy Savery

GERMANY 2022

The German National Final "Germany 12 Points" was held on March 4th at the Berlin-Adlershof TV Studios, hosted by Barbara Schöneberger. The winner was chosen through an equal weighting of televoting and online voting compiled regionally through radio station websites where voting opened on the 28th of February. Going to Turin is Malik Harris with the song "Rockstars"

Malik Harris, although born in Germany, has American roots. His father is American presenter and radio host Ricky Harris and two of his grandparents also worked in the music industry. It came as no surprise when he began to teach himself the guitar, keyboards, drum machine and learned how to use a loop station. After the release of his first two singles in 2018 he was then signed up by Universal Music Group in 2019. That same year he began his first solo tour began. Last year he released hs first full album "Anonymous Colonist". His music is a real mish mash of influences; fusing pop and rap with aspects of rock and electronic music.

The song starts off which a very basic and keyboard accompanied chorus. This establishes the theme and mood very quickly. For here it goes straight into the first verse. The verses here have a much different feel and cadence and are actually quite long and full compared to the lesser worded chorus. This time the backing at a bit more full with the second half having a trilling beat in the background. Unusually verse 2 is a rap, even more unusually it seems to fit snuggly between the chorus at the start and chorus at its end. The last 30 second is covered but  a free form bridge which highlights parts of the chorus followed by the final few words of the chorus sung quietly over an acoustic guitar.

Let's just start from scratch. This national final was ABYSMAL. Yes, the singers and songwriters showcased were fine and dandy but there was no depth or breadth, everything sounded samey, nothing that blew your socks off. There wasn't even anything that was appallingly bad - apart from the poor lass who forgot her lyrics and even that was taken in good spirits. However Jamala's performance was possibly the strongest and most heart-wrenching thing and has contributed to many millions of Euros being raised to help those in need.. Going back to the task in hand, Malik's song and performance probably had the most promise. The setup on stage was very fragmented visually although I feel like they were trying to encapsulate in a 3 minute song what an an entire set might look like. The whole thing looked too frantic and bitty and didn't quite connect fully. That all said Mailk's live performance was vocally strong and clear. With simpler direction and stagecraft this could be made into something memorable and voteable. Right now it is too busy and the production crew need to focus on getting his feelings and emotions down the camera - in particular during the rap - because making people remember and want to vote for this is imperative.

ARTIST - Malik Harris

SONG - Rockstars

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Malik Harris, Robin Karow, Marie Kobylka

MONTENEGRO 2022

The Montenegrin song was revealed on March 5th during a special show celebrating Eurovision called ‘Montenegro, dodici punti’ broadcast on RTCG. Back in January it was revealed that Vladana had been internally selected as their representative. The song she is singing is called "Breathe".

Vladana Vucinic has music in her blood as her grandfather was a prominent music manager. Her own musical education includes that of music theory and opera singing. Although she studied for a degree in journalism she also balanced that with a music career. She has tried to participated at Eurovision a few times - taking part in Montevizija 2005 as a solo artist then again in 2006 as part of in a duet with Bojana Nenezić. Later that year, she performed at the newcomers section of the music festival Sunčane Skale. Her first few releases were in Montenegrin but leading into the 2010s her work was starting to be performed in English. 

The song begins rather quietly with the piano as the main instrument. The first verse almost feels acapella before the volume of the piano increases for the pre chorus, chorus and post chorus. As verse two starts the backing track is now much more full and ends up being a bit of a a sudden wake up call. This change of gear continues through the pre-chorus and chorus but the song now feels very different;. her voice is much stronger and she is not quite singing the same melodies as before. After a short break she reprises part of the chorus again as the instrumentation dies down again. A short bridge helps the song build up one more time before another half rendition of the chorus.

First of all the music video is very well shot - I feel like the people at "Visit Montenegro" will love this. It is dramatic and uses some clever lighting and slow motion effects. The addition of the ballet dancer is very clever when it comes to telling the story and I could see someone fulfilling this role on stage with her. Vladana is a great actress and has a very expressive face which really works in this video. Vladana also has a very stylised, if not severe, look throughout. Although I very much approve of some of the sartorial choices (in particular some of the amazing jewellery and headpieces) her make up slightly detracts from the overall package. What also detracts from the song, unfortunately, are the lyrics. It's not that they are written in bad English or even basic English, the lines sound clunky like they have used a thesaurus to try and and find suitable words that fit the phrasing. I appreciate the links to the recent covid crisis and global warming but the wording diminishes its powerful message. "Breathe" is not the only ballad in the bottom half of semi 2 and it is certainly not the best. Unless this has a memorable staging AND she can pull this off live I fear this will be memory holed. This is not bad, it's just not great.

ARTIST - Vladana

SONG - Breathe

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Darko Dimitrov, Vladana Vucinic

NETHERLANDS 2022

The Dutch song was revealed on March 3rd via a youtube premiere of the music video. Back in December it was revealed that S10 (pronounced steen) had been internally selected as their representative. The song she is singing is called " De Diepte" (The Depths)

S10 (real name Stien den Hollander) and her twin brother were born in Abbekerk a small town north of Amsterdam in 2000. Her first mini-album, which was self-recorded, was uploaded to SoundCloud in 2016. From here she was signed to the record label Noah's Ark and released a second mini-album, In 2019, her debut album "Snowsniper" was released and this was awarded an Edison - a Dutch Music Award The following year she released her second studio album "Vlinders", She has suffered from mental health issues, including hallucinations, depression and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and much of her work is influenced by this. Her work is a mixture of pop, rap and Nederhop (hip hop songs recorded in the Dutch language)

The song starts with a short guitar intro this backing continues under the first verse and into the pre-chorus. As it progresses into the chorus, the beat comes in and the song has a much fuller sound and almost seems slightly echoey. Verse two begins in a similar way to verse one although this time the guitar is joined by a very low but noticeable beat. After the pre-chorus and chorus proper the fuller instrumental continues with a bit of a freestyle bridge. It then drops out with 30 seconds to go as the pre-chorus comes in however where you might expect the final chorus to come in with a bang the chorus actually continues the quite tone to an almost whispery end.

This song shows off her more subdued and melancholic side. The oooohhh-ing pre-chorus creates a kind of buffer between the parts of the and gives those non-Dutch speakers something earwormy to hang onto. I feel like the once-a-year Eurovision watchers may well see links between this and "Arcade" although this has a slight country twang about it. It too is highly emotional and the backing track grows as the song progresses. Obviously this is a music video and it might have been more beneficial to see S10 sing this live. By the looks of it this is something that will happen soon, which is good to hear. It will be interesting to see how the live acoustics changes the mood and feel of the song. The music video does help to explain and visualise some of the feelings in the song but I wonder how they will translate all of this to a stage show. I fear that if they make the show too small and too intimate the wider meaning will get lost. Although this song has some great strengths part of me has to wonder who will vote for this? Unless the staging has some great direction and narrative I am not quite sure what reason anyone would have to vote for it, which is a shame.

ARTIST - S10

SONG - De Diepte

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - S10, Arno Krabman

FINLAND 2022

The Finnish Final "Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu" was held on February 26th at Logomo in Turku, hosted by Vesala and Mmiisas. The winner was chosen through a 25/75 mix of international juries and national televoting. Going to Eurovision is The Rasmus with "Jezebel"

The original line up for The Rasmus formed while still at school and their first independent EP was released December 1995. Since then the band has had nine studio albums, two compilation albums, six tours and countless singles with their most successful period coming in the mid 2000s. Their breakthrough single "In The Shadows" was a hit throughout Europe, as well as the antipodes. The album "Dead Letters" was certified Gold in Sweden, Poland, Hungary, UK; and Platinum in Switzerland, Germany and Finland. In 2007 they met Desmond Child who produced their album "Black Roses". This partnership continues and Child has a writing credit on their Eurovision entry. Their music is rock based but has influences of glam, alternative, pop and goth.

The song starts off with a guitar riff before Lauri starts to sing the first verse. The tune is rather clever having similarly phrased lines but steadily changing key as it goes. From here it goes straight into the chorus which starts and ends with the title of the song. After a minute it is time for verse 2 however this is substantially shorter than verse 1 but still leads straight into a full chorus. We then have a reprise of the intro but this time with the whole band playing along. There is then a third shortened verse - although it feels more like a bridge as it helps build up to the last part of the song - before a last energetic rendition of the chorus ending with more impassioned repeats of the title.

First of all, UMK is becoming one of my favourite Eurovision national finals. The standard of production is always high, the song and act choices are always interesting and the whole thing always feels seamless and interesting (and many thanks for the multi-language streams too!) This year the final had a bit of a rock/guitar bias but considering Finland and Italy's success last year why break a winning formula? This was not my favourite but is not a bad choice at all. Being a known band helps things plus their image - especially Lauri's - has not changed that much and will help people keep this in their memory. On a vocal level the song starts off a little shaky. I am not sure if Lauri was nervous or trying to hard to sing softly at the top of the song but it felt a little unsure. Yes, it sounded much better as the song went on but he will need to be careful that people don't lose confidence in the song or make too rash an opinion of the whole entry too early. The yellow and black staging is a choice, not sure it goes 100% with the song, but again it does make it memorable. I enjoy the visuals of the cartoon guitar player, modelled on their actual guitarist, and that of the signature birds flying off into the distance at the end. All in all, I think this song has a lot to give and there is a lot that can be done to make it even better. The band has a reputation and fanbase they want to keep, impress and grow. They are going to work hard to make this a success and I hope it will be too.

ARTIST - The Rasmus

SONG - Jezebel

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Desmond Child, Lauri Ylönen