POLAND 2023

The Polish final "Tu bije serce Europy! Wybieramy hit na Eurowizję" was held on February 26th at Studio Transcolor in Warsaw, hosted by Ida Nowakowska, Aleksander Sikora and Malgorza Tomaszewska. There were two rounds of voting - firstly to establish a top three then another to select a winner. Both rounds used a 50/50 mix of sms voting and jury vote. The winning act was Blanka singing "Solo"

Blanka Stajkow was born in Szczecin to a Polish mother and Bulgarian father. She was encouraged by her family from an early age to try things as diverse as judo and disco dancing. Through watching MTV as a youngster this inspired Blanka to try and make it in the music industry writing her first song when 13. In 2021,competed in the Polish version of the Top Model franchise but did not make onto the final roster. She then released her first official single, "Better".

The song as a slight reggae feel and the background of a slightly jungle feel mirrors this hot summer feel. She also has her name in lightboxes att he back of the stage. Blanka is wearing a short shop and skirt which has a silvery white sheen. She is joined early in the song by 4 female dancers and all of them are dressed in a kind of colour but with sherbet pink jackets. The song has a verse-pre chorus-chorus structure and these parts flow well into each other although there is a noticeable pause before the chorus proper. This roundel is repeated again before a staccato bridge and a final chorus. From start to finish, Blanka and the girls do quite an involved dance routine.

A lot needs to be done before this gets to Liverpool. Vocally her voice is not good. The start of the song seemed very out of key, almost shouty, and I would almost suggest bringing the song up a tad as it almost feels too low for her. At points her voice seems overly accented (and not in a good way). The lyrics of the song are rather trite and one dimensional. The song is performed quite straight and one might be a bit more forgiving if the performers showed a sense of humour or playfulness about the stock, predicable lyrics. The stage show needs a real overhaul. The outfits need to be less fussy and the choreography much tighter. Maybe Blanka could use this opportunity to stand still and make a connection down the camera. 

This is a rather dull and safe performance. Although this song has become a bit of a viral hit in Poland, hence its win at the national final, there is very little about this that grabs you or entices you to keep with it or vote for it. The song is not bad, but in the realm of Eurovision this might be the kind of thing I might see and hear at the Junior show. It is a nice radio-friendly song but offers no personality or character. I can imagine the youth of Poland wanting to vote for this in the national final but, thinking about the broader and slightly older crowd that will be watching this in Europe, I am sure the appeal will be a lot less at the actual contest. Eurovision is at a point where culture and authenticity is a big selling point and this entry song provides neither of these, in fact some may even see this as co-optation. Will the Polish diaspora get this out of it's semi? Possible but I hope not.

ARTIST - Blanka

SONG - Solo

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - M. Broberg, M. Górecki, M. Puchalski, B. Rzeczycki, B. Stajkow, J. Sundberg, Tribbs

SAN MARINO 2023

The San Marinese final "Una voce per San Marino" was held on February 25th at the Teatro Nuovo in Dogana, hosted by Jonathan Kashanian and former San Marinese Eurovision performer Senhit. Before the final there were four semi finals and a second chance round. 2 San Marinese artists then joined the artists who qualified through the heats. The winner was chosen via a jury vote. Going to Liverpool is Piqued Jacks with "Like an animal".

Piqued Jacks are a four-piece Italian rock band from Tuscany. The group was formed in 2006 and its current members are known by their stage names E-King, Majic-o, littleladle and HolyHargot. Their first releases came in 2010 and 2011 and their first album, "Climb Like Ivy Does" came out in 2015. In total the band has four studio albums to their name. In 2019 they won the main Rock category at the Sanremo Rock festival. In 2022 they performed at Musexpo in Los Angeles and opened for Boomtown Rats at the Lechlade Festival. To publicise their last album the band parachuted from a 11200ft altitude and, on landing, played the full tracklist on the landing strip.

The group members are dotted around the small stage playing their instruments or holding the microphone. They are all dressed in a smart-casual way thought the singer is wearing a black sparkly jacket. The background is weirdly reminiscent of the new Eurovision logo and has a 3D tunnelling effect. The song starts with a guitar intro before a short burst of the chorus. The verse has a lot of repetition and the lines seem to elongate as it goes on and leads quite nicely on into the chorus. This roundel is repeated again before a short quieter bridge leading into the outro. This end part is a little more free form but shows off the singer's vocal range and power that wasn't really show in the rest of the song. Although a rather powerful way to end the song it leaves the ending feeling a little bit cut off early.

I am going to cut this entry a little bit of slack because the setup, visual and audio, has so much more scope for improvement. The technical level of the show was not the best and with a potential carte blanche for Eurovision this particular stage show could really glow up. Given that the band has experience of playing live shows the group might need to be a bit more 'rehearsed' when if comes to camera angles and making memorable visual moments. The song is not that bad but presently feels a bit flat. The ending in particular leaves you on a bit of a tenterhook. Ideally I would like the to return back to the chorus even if this was under the singer's outro (I have no idea if this works sonically) The background also needs to be more pointed and effective, although I hope they just don't resort to playing GIFs of animals.

I find it rather interesting how the San Marino national final manages to entice well known acts into its fold, yet this entry was apparently the best package, according to the jury. There were some familiar names and acts involved, with a rather wide standard of performance, and would have generated a lot of publicity for the microstate and the contest as a whole. Maybe we will see the results of the money-making scheme for RTVSM in whatever props and technical wonders they have in store! Unfortunately for San Marino they have to share the second half of semi 2 with Voyager and Joker Out and compared to them, this feels extremely weak. This is not great but not bad either, we will have to see what they bring to the stage in May.

ARTIST - Piqued Jacks

SONG - Like an animal

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Piqued Jacks

FINLAND 2023

The Finnish final "Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu" was held on February 25th at Logomo in Turku and hosted by Samu Haber. The winner was chosen by a mix of international juries which made up a quarter of the score and national televoting making up the other three-quarters. The winning act, getting just over 45% of the total votes available, was Käärijä with the song "Cha Cha Cha".

Jere Pöyhönen - aka Käärijä - grew up in the Vantaa area on the outskirts of the capital, Helsinki. Growing up his main two passions were ice hockey and playing the drums; the latter became his starting point for writing and producing his own music. He released music independently at first then in 2017 he signed to Monsp Records. He has since released numerous singles and EPs on this label as well as his debut album "Fantastista" in 2020. His style of music crosses many genres: hip hop, rap, rock, electronic music mostly performed in the Finnish language. His stage name is even a Finnish pun as his name literally means "Wrapper".

Kaarija is on a stage made of wooden pallets that gives the song an industrial feel. He is wearing black trousers with spikes on them and what can only be described as an Incredible Hulk-esque bolero sleeve jacket. The song begins with a pulsating, infectious beat and earwormy synth line. The first verse is low and mysterious with Käärijä prowling round the stage menacingly. He is then joined by 4 Latin American dancers dressed in a lurid shade of pink. As the chorus comes starts his voice lifts but is juxtaposed by the shouty "Cha cha cha" refrain after each line. The second verse starts like the first but Kaarija starts to come out of his shell, singing the the last part, and seamlessly goes into the chorus. Here the dancers seem to be throwing themselves about and almost at war with each other. There is then a change in direction as the backing track and Kaarija's voice becomes softer and a new tune appears. The dancers move the pallets out of the way to make a bigger space to dance in. The final minute is much more tune driven and has its very own goofy dance routine. As the song nears its conclusion the loud "Cha cha cha" shout starts to come back in before Kaarija collapses to the floor.

On the face of it this song is an absolute mess but the precision and care taken to intertwine all the different styles, genres and earworms is done to perfection. All of the juxtapositions down to the song types and striking visuals make for a memorable act. The first part of the song is staccato and monotone, but so is the Finnish language, and they are ultimately brought together by the 'cha cha cha' refrain. Kaarija also straddles that very fine line between selling the tough rock character and being likeable and relatable. The song has a plethora of amazing earworms and catchy rhythms which will stay in one's brain for a long time. Moreover, this feeling is immediate and this entry wastes no time in getting through to you - whether you like it or not. 

To my mind there are two main concerns with this song. Firstly, that people might see this as a joke entry. I would hope that when people see the whole thing from start to finish people might realise how clever and endearing the song actually it. Secondly is the prominence of the backing vocals. Having watched back the videos multiple times there is no doubt that Kaarija is performing live but it is embedded firmly within the vocals on the track. I almost want him to be a little more imperfect and riff a bit more during he instrumental parts. I think he can afford to be a bit more lenient with the vocals because people will not understand the Finnish words. The song has a great way of sucking you into the world and there will be a lot of people around the world who will want to vote for this and the call to arms for this will be strong - just in its national final this song got over 50% of the televote score. Winner or not, this is an entry to go down into the annuls of bright green iconic entries!

ARTIST - Käärijä 

SONG - Cha Cha Cha

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Käärijä, Johannes Naukkarinen, Aleksi Nurmi Ki-RO, Jukka Sorsa

AUSTRALIA 2023

The Australian act and song was revealed on February 21th as a premier of the official music video via the Eurovision Song Contest youtube channel. Representing Australia this year is the rock band Voyager with the song "Promise".

Voyager is a five-piece rock band who formed in Perth in 1999 and their current line up consists of Alex Canion, Ashley Doodkorte, Simone Dow, Daniel Estrin and Scott Kay. The band released their first album in 2003 and have currently seven albums under their belt. Although they have had plenty of success in their native Australia, most of their albums have had European releases. They have also frequented festivals been support slots in Finland, Netherlands, Germany and the UK. The band first came to light in Eurovision spheres when they took part on the 2022 edition of  "Eurovision – Australia Decides". They were one of the pre-favourites and eventually came a close second but did win the public televote.

The song begins with a strobing synth bassline. This continues under the first verse and lead into the pre-chorus. The synthy-ness is more ethereal during this part and acts like a buffer and springboard between the verse and the much more rock infused chorus which is short but catchy and sharp. Verse two into the pre-chorus has much more full backing but is much shorter and the run into the chorus is noticeably truncated. There there is a notable pause and drop where a slow but heavy instrumental comes in leading into an elongated pre-chorus with some extra instrumentation in the backing. The final chorus is slightly broken up by more instrumental parts this time of a synth nature and feeling more akin to 70s prog rock before the shouty end.

I have to admit this took some time to actually catch my ear. There is SO much going on in this song and so full of bits and pieces there is a lot to take on board. However this song made so such more sense listening through headphones and I am hoping with better sound production and live vocals there will be more variety on the levels when performed live. There is also a lot of lyric repetition, not just in the chorus, and I quite like this especially as a lot of it feels like the singer addressing the audience/listener directly which gives it some urgency. They also feel like a very tight band and I think they should have a good setup and stage idea for the song. Personally I find the video a bit disjointed and didn't really portray the song's message.

This is a very distinct genre (which is good) but it is not a very Eurovision-y genre and so it's rather up in the air as to how this is going to go. I feel like the rock people will like this and I feel that many will appreciate the artistry and the unusual nature of the song. Looking at their semi, there is nothing vaguely like this (as I write) , possibly the nearest comparable song would be Slovenia's. This will stand out and will make a real point. The problem is - is it too different, too confusing and too hard to comprehend on one listen? And will anyone actually vote for this? I actually feel like the 100% televote may be of detriment to them as musicologists, producers and musicians of this genre would probably be at the top of the list for giving this much needed points. Although this is not really my style or normal listening material I hope this does get through because it has real substance and the band has got the style. The final would be a less interesting place without them.

 

ARTIST - Voyager

SONG - Promise

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - A Canion, Paul Clarke, A Doodkorte, S Dow, D Estrin, S Kay, Matt Templeman

FRANCE 2023

The French song was revealed on February 18th during the France 2 show "20h30 le dimanche" presented by Laurent Delahousse. Earlier in January, the French broadcaster announced that Quebecois singer-songwriter La Zarra had been internally selected as their act. Her song is called "Évidemment" (Obviously)

La Zarra - real name Fatima Zahra Hafdi - is a Canadian singer and songwriter based in France. She was born in Montreal to parents of Moroccan descent and settled in the suburb of Longueuil. Her career began in 2016 with the release of her debut single "Printemps blanc" collaborating with French rapper Niro. Her next song "Tu t'en iras" was not released until 2021 and was certified platinum by Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. La Zarra was nominated for the NRJ Music Awards, the leading French music awards, as "Francophone revelation of the year" and nominated in her homeland at the Gala de l'ADISQ for "Revelation of the year" in part by the success of her debut album "Traîtrise"

La Zarra is on a small platform inside a small dark studio with a lot of strobing lights. She is dressed in a dark tight fitting dress with a cinched in waist, pointy shoulder pads and matching fascinator. She has no particular choreography but does use her arms a lot and moves her shoulders to the beat. After a dramatic instrumental intro La Zarra starts with a staccato and very pronounced first verse; her voice is quiet and has a slightly raspy/whispery tone during the verse and pre-chorus. The chorus builds nicely and has a steady beat throughout although doesn't really build that much. We then have another verse and pre-chorus; the backing seems to be the same as before but her voice is stronger. This then runs into a shorter chorus than the one before. After this there is a bridge that feels like a much wordier verse but has a nice big note to end on. This then runs into the very last repeat of the chorus and finishes with the title of the song.

The song is in a similar genre to her previous songs with a slight Dua Lipa type feel to it. With this it has a bit of a retro 70s/80s disco vibes a la Dalida, Raffaella Carrà, Sheila B Devotion or Dihya. The repetition of the name of the song is well done, earwormy and is kind of unforgettable. The French vibes are evident but is not too in your face. The presentation was done via a lip synced video and this leaves some imagination as to how well this can be sung. Personally I find the sound production a bit flat and I hope she can really accentuate the words and harness her vocal power to make it a little less one-note energy-wise. The exaggerated nature of the chorus makes the title really stand out but the rest of the song feels quite unremarkable. Although this studio setup was good down the lens of the camera, one has to wonder what they have in store for a stage production. I am hoping the classy chanteuse feel will still be there but maybe with the addition of some dancers or cleverer camerawork.

If this song had won through a national final I would be suggesting lots of work to be done to the backing track to, again, make it much more immediate and punchy. I would also go so far as it say that the track doesn't develop anywhere near as much as it could go - I want more instrumentation, bigger drops and a much more compelling ending. However, as it this is an internal selection I very much doubt any of this is on the cards, unless they have a slew of remixes in the bag that could be whipped out before the declarations day mid-March having taken into account fan feedback. I feel like this is a definite effort from the French - something that is relevant, contemporary and fun - but this is no winner.

 

ARTIST - La Zarra

SONG - Évidemment

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Benny Adam, Banx & Ranx, La Zarra

LITHUANIA 2023

The Lithuanian final was held on February 18th at the LRT TV Studios in Vilnius, hosted by Giedrius Masalskis and Auguste Nombeko. Before the final there were quarter finals and semi finals cutting down to 10 the initial list of 30 entries. The winner was selected by an equal weighting of jury and televoting but as there was a tie, the jury preference won out. The winning song was "Stay" sung by Monika Linkyte.

Monika is a stalwart of competition, especially in the Eurovision sphere. In 2007 she participated in the selection for Junior Eurovision and during the time period of 2010 to 2015 Monika took part in the adult Eurovision national finals, winning the spot in 2015 as part of a duet with Vaidas Baumila. They eventually qualified for the final placing 18th position. 2014 was an important year for Monika: she represented Lithuania at the New Wave contest coming 4th and in that same year was the runner up on The Voice Lithuania. She also released her debut album "Walk With me" which went platinum and was awarded best album, best song, and female artist of the year at the MAMA awards.

The song was revamped vocally and visually from the heats to the final which possibly had a lot to do with this song's sudden rise in the voting. Monika is dressed in a gold coloured  off the shoulder dress with similarly coloured tights and shoes. The backdrop also contains these sunrise colours and there is a lot of strobing. The song starts with a brief choral intro in Lithuanian before a simplistic first verse and short pre-chorus in English. During this part the four backing singers become visible. The Lithuanian refrain comes in again and the 5 singers start to interact with each other. The second verse has a slight beat to it and the live vocals of everyone on stage gives the song a subtle power. This is then succeeded by the pre-chorus and an elongated chorus. The song finishes with the Lithuanian refrain once again.

I guess this shows a lot of guts and smart thinking from Monika and her team. The fact the song had some quite monumental changes to it - and in a relatively short amount of time - shows a fighting spirit, but also that it is never too late to change artistic direction. I feel like the addition of the Lithuanian really did endear it to the local crowd, something non-Lithuanians might not really care too much about at the actual contest. The power of the ensemble on stage was impressive and as we have seen in some of the other national finals, we have discovered there is a strength to having live backing vocals on stage. Monika has a good strong voice and this style of song suits it. 

I must admit I am utterly disappointed, nay heartbroken, by this choice. I feel like the jury suddenly choosing this song as the best, when they seemed to be enjoying Petunija, Beatrich and Ruta much more over the previous heats, more than a little odd. This song (even with its last minute change in direction) is essentially weak and feels more like a song left on the cutting room floor during the editing of "The Greatest Showman". It lacks a noticeable story and has no real call to arms. The staging is simplistic and rather generic and the pieces don't really fit. I fear this is an example of someone's voice outselling the song and I am not sure if this will be enough, even when only 6 of the 16 will not qualify. On the other hand, Lithuania's semi contains quite a few neighbours and diaspora countries and this may well be enough if everyone does their bit. I guess if this song can be worked into a national final winning song in a matter of hours, it could be moulded into something worthy of being in the final with even more time and energy. Who knows what this song will look and sound like by the time May comes around....?

ARTIST - Monika Linkyte

SONG - Stay

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Krists Indrišonoks, Monika Linkytė, JJ LUSH

MALTA 2023

The Maltese final "Malta Eurovision Song Contest" was held on February 11th at the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre in Ta' Qali, hosted by former Maltese Eurovision competitors Amber and Glen Vella. At the start of the competition there were 40 competing songs. After a series of quarter finals and semi finals, there was a final of 16 songs. The winner was chosen by a mixture of jury and sms voting. The winning act was The Busker with "Dance (our own party)"

The Busker was founded in 2012. It started as the duo of Dario Genovese and Jean Paul Borg but was increased to four with the addition of David Grech and Sean Meachen in 2014. In 2016 they opened for Neville Staple from The Specials and Maltese band Tribali at local festivals. "Telegram" was their debut album - which won best album in the MMI Awards - with their follow-up "Ladies and Gentlemen" coming out in 2018. Genovese left the group in 2021 making the band a trio. Their music is inspired by classic bands and songwriters such as The Beatles, Beach Boys and Bob Dylan but they have a distinctive indie-pop feel.

This song is one of the few that has utilised the on screen graphics and interwoven it into an integral part of the show. On stage the three members of the band and their equipment are joined on stage by a park bench, a sofa and cardboard cut-outs of former Maltese Eurovision representatives Destiny, Ira Losco and Joe Grech. The background is full of 80's inspired geometric shapes and colours and even has some 8-bit inspired computer imagery. The song starts with an earwormy sax solo which is repeated throughout the song. The two part verse is almost of spoken and flow nicely into the pre-chorus, which actually is more memorable and catchy than the actual chorus that succeeds it. There is a vague dance routine although this not clear in the rather random camera shots. This procedure is repeated again before a longer instrumental and a final pre-chorus and chorus. There is even a costume change half way through but is again not 100% clear.

I am not saying this song has been written to "a type" but this slots into the index of previous entries from Czechia and to a point Moldova. This is a catchy, modern pop song with saxophone earworms and a well directed & choreographed stage routine. The different parts of the songs are distinct and interesting but also flow together well as a cohesive song. The on-screen graphics give the show a retro MTV video feel but not to the point it is either clinical or disguising the live show - there are plenty of shots of the audience and the band acknowledges the crowd.

I would say that the stage ideas are really interesting but the camerawork and stage direction needs to be much tighter. The section where they are pretending to be in a car needs to be a top half shot and all the dancing during the chorus needs to be shot from static cameras - maybe even a three way split screen - so you can actually see what they are doing. The long instrumental section lacks direction and is the only part of this song that feels empty or under-rehearsed. Maybe some audio revamping here could help fill the time a little better? Basically, the production people need to tell the story of the song better! This song is cool and feels relevant and they sell the song in an honest way. This is also a style of Eurovision song that has done well in the recent past. This should qualify with ease and may even give Malta an excellent result.

ARTIST - The Busker

SONG - Dance (our own party)

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Jean Paul Borg, Matthew James Borg & Michael Joe Cini, Sean Meachen, Dav Jr

CROATIA 2023

The Croatian final "DORA" was held on February 11th at the Marino Cvetkovic Sports Hall in Opatija, hosted by Mirko Fodor, Mario Lipovšek Battifiaca and Marko Tolja. The votes of 10 regional juries and national televotes were added together to find a winner. That winner was the legendary band Let 3 with the song "Mama ŠČ!!" (Mama, shhhh!)

Let 3 (Flight 3) were formed in 1987 in Rijeka, Croatia although the formation of the band can be traced back much earlier to the punk band Termiti who were active in the '70s. Over the years their line up has changed considerably but currently consists of Dražen Baljak, Ivan Bojčić, Damir Martinović, Zoran Prodanović and Matej Zec. The band is popular across many of the former Yugoslav republics due to their songs full of vulgar lyrics and performances including acts of nudity. They have stirred up many controversies over the years including releasing albums that have no music on them, touring Croatia with a statue of a grandma with a penis, filming music videos parodying Serb & Albanian soldiers and pulling corks out of their rectums during a TV talk show.

To start, 5 of the 6 members are visible spread out on the stage dressed distinctly in frock coats, skirts, jackets and hats with an overall subversive military theme. They are also heavily plied with make up. There is a solitary drumkit on stage but no-one playing them. The background sometimes displays words of the text but mostly shows dancers or the band doing the dance routine. The song starts with a rousing punkish guitar before quietening down for the first two verses. The music then becomes frantic, mirrored by the actions of the band on stage, before going into the chorus. We then have a repeat of verse 2 which ends with the 6th member coming on stage holding what seems to be two rockets or missiles. During the multiple repeats of the chorus, instruments are now being played, the missiles have now become giant firing sprinklers and the original 5 members have stripped down to spangled nude bodysuits. 

The start of this song is insanely catchy. The repetitive lyrics, accompanying dance routine and general silliness is rather infectious and definitely memorable - for either good or bad reasons. The first 40 seconds or so have such power and impact. Vocally the singer has a strong and powerful voice which one might underestimated. However, I would almost say that the strong start almost sets itself up for a fall. The odd breakdown part where they recite the alphabet loses the flow of the song and you start losing the plot a little. The chorus has its positives but is nowhere near as immediate as the verses - the repetition as a crescendo to the end worsk much better. The iron curtain-esque backdrop with the slightly demonic dancers is an excellent idea and I can see the audience in the standing area doing the dance routine too.

The qualification of this really could go either way; this could be seen as too odd, crazy and silly, or as a show of a country's sonic cultural heritage. One also must heed that the song has an underlining political allegory concerning the mama and the tractor. It is a theory that needs some breaking down to understand but I can see this creating a lot of discussion about such a political entry being at Eurovision. This group is well known in the Balkans and the Croatian/Balkan diaspora, which may land them more votes. This is likely to be an entry which will benefit from the 100% televote rule as I would suggest juries may have marked this down. No-one is going to forget this one that's for sure!

ARTIST - Let 3

SONG - Mama ŠČ!

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Damir Martinović Mrle, Zoran Prodanović

 

ROMANIA 2023

The Romanian final "Selecția Națională" was held on February 11th at the TVR Studios in Bucharest with hosts Ilinca Bacila and Laurentiu Niculescu. Votes could be cast via sms and online. The winning song was  "D.G.T. off and on" (Fingers off and on) sung by Theodor Andrei.

Theodor Andrei first made himself known by participating in the 2017 talent show Vocea Romaniei Junior, the Romanian version of The Voice Kids, where he reached the semi-final. In 2020 he took part in X Factor Romania, where he reached boot camp. His debut album "Fragil" was released in 2022 with Theodor producing many of the songs with Dan Dimitriu. As well as singing, he has also acted and performed - most notably in a famous satirical children's review show called "Nepotii lui Tanase".

Theodor is sat wearing black and white trousers, white shirt and black bow tie and he is writing into a book. Behind him are two female dancers, who are later joined by two male ones, and behind them are two guitarists. Also on the stage are two small platforms used by Theodore and the dancers later on. The backdrop contains a lot of flashing and random patterns of red as well as the letters D.G.T at pertinent points. The song ticks along really quickly and there is not much space between the parts. It starts almost immediately with two verses, a bridge and chorus in Romanian. The next two verses -one much longer than the other - are in English followed by a brief Romanian bridge. Next follows an English version of the chorus but sung with a deeper tone and will a very scarce backing. The song ends with an elongated chorus back in Romanian. The languages chop and change at this point but flow quite nicely in and out of each other. The song ends with the reveal of the phrase 'make love not war' on the backdrop and written across his chest.

Theodor has a good voice and his diction during the English parts is pretty good considering the speed in which he drives thorough the song. He sells the song well, has great connection to the audience and seems to know where the camera is at all times. His signature look of the glasses and long hair is instantly memorable. The word 'degete' being written as D.G.T. is also a clever way of getting the pronunciation an unfamiliar foreign word into people's heads as well as sparking questions about what it might mean or stand for. This song has a gutsy, sexy jazz vibe but it is the presentation which concerns me most. 

Although the staging is memorable, there is too much going on - 3 ideas are on show when there need only be one. Theodor's costume changes are effective but the impact is lessened due to the surplus movement on stage and the busy-ness of the backdrop. The use of the voodoo doll is also a interesting gimmick but doesn't work. Something like this needs to be *the* theme rather than one domino in a rally of concepts. The female dancers are almost a necessity for the song's narrative but they are dressed too provocatively (especially as they are dancing with an 18 year old) and I am not sure if the platforms or the male dancers are needed either. This is a good song but it is being held back by negligent, complex and overbearing staging. Sell the singer and the song and this will sail through to Saturday night. Leave it as it is, it'll end up a mush of lights and movement and confusion.

ARTIST - Theodor Andrei

SONG - D.G.T. (off and on)

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Theodor Andrei, Luca de Mezzo, Mikail Jahed, Luca Udățeanu, The Watcher

LATVIA 2023

The Latvian Final "Supernova" on February 11th at the LTV TV Studios in Riga, hosted by Ketija Šenberga and Lauris Reiniks. Before the final there was a semi-final where the long list of 14 was reduced to a final of 10. The winner was chosen by a 50-50 split of televoting and jury. The winning act was Sudden Lights with the song "Aijā" (Hush)

Sudden Lights was founded in 2012 by Andrejs Reinis Zitmanis and Mārtiņš Matīss Zemītis and two years later Kārlis Matīss Zitmanis and Kārlis Vārtiņš joined the group. In 2015 the group won the "Pirmā Plate" competition for young musicians in Riga. From here the group had the opportunity to record their original song "Tik Savādi" and this became their first release. In 2017, the band released their debut album "Suburbs" which included songs in both Latvian and English. In 2018 they entered Supernova for the first time. The band eventually gained a wildcard for the final and came second to Laura Rizzotto.

The band are dressed smartly but in muted dark colours and there is barely any backdrop. The stage is dotted with large lights which flicker and increase in intensity depending on the part of the song. We start with an electronic beat sample which the singer starts over. The verses have an unusual 5/4 time signature which takes some time to get into. After this there is a brief guitar solo and refrain into the chorus. This part however has a more typical Viennese waltz signature and has a more expansive, less jerky sound. A second verse and chorus follow; the song then quietens and builds up to the final part of the song. This introduced another new style to the song as this is in Latvian and contains the title of the song. Here, the lead singer is also playing guitar and the song turns into a gentle lullaby.

This song feels like multiple songs rolled into one - some people will enjoy its fragmented whole, others will find a section they like and others will find this song disjointed and complicated. The song effectively straddles the line between radio friendly rock and avant garde song writing but the listener needs to hear the whole thing before making judgements. The start of the track is a little unexpected and on first listen it sounds very odd to the ear. I fear this could put a lot of people off very quickly.

To counteract any negativity people may have on the song, the band could work something more visual into the performance. The essence of what the song or title means is unclear. Reframing the song into a kind of frenetic peace ballad would really connect all those different juxtapositions. Also I feel like they need to put the chorus into their recap clip as this is probably the most accessible and memorable part of the song. Remembering that it is 100% televote in the semi-finals, this could find itself in a tricky position. This doesn't really have a call to arms and people could may well forget it's there, or dismiss it too quickly, ending up being overlooked for a final spot, which would be a shame.

ARTIST - Sudden Lights

SONG - Aijā 

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS -  Kārlis Vārtiņš, Gatis Zakis, Mārtiņš Zemītis, Andrejs Zitmanis, Kārlis Zitmanis

DENMARK 2023

The Danish final "Dansk Melodi Grand Prix" was held on February 11th at the Næstved Arena. The show was hosted by Tina Müller and Heino Hansen. There were two rounds of voting. Firstly sms and app voting would select a top 3, with app voting open before the final and during. Finally a winner was chosen by a 50/50 mix of jury vote and sms & app votes. The winning act was Reiley with "Breaking my heart".

Reiley - real name Rani Petersen - is a Faroese singer & social media influencer who started out posting on Instagram and is now most prominently on TikTok. Most of this posts are of him singing cover songs. Before this he started playing piano as a six-year-old but then left music to train for for gymnastics. However his interest in music returned when he performed as a dancer and singer in his secondary school’s production of Grease. In 2019, he travelled to London and Los Angeles to record music and landed a record deal with Atlantic Records thereafter. His single and debut 'Let It Ring' had most success in South Korea.

Reiley starts alone on stage in front a neon pink heart which, as the song suggests, breaks up as he moves onto the stage proper. He is good joined by two female and two male dancers. They are dressed in jeans and jackets while Reiley's is very much in white and pink. The verse is rather short and have a lot of modulating in and out of falsetto . This is followed by a longer pre-chorus then chorus proper. Here the backing track cuts off and all you can hear is synthesised backing vocals singing the first part of the chorus. The track soon comes back in but is not the main feature. We then have another verse followed by a pre-chorus before another chorus with the track stoppage. The chorus is much longer with the final part with a much stringer backing track. It then slips back into a pre-chorus before one long chorus which ends rather abruptly with a green backdrop with random love symbols.

This is all extremely boring and pedestrian. The only reason the chorus has any impact at all is because of the vocoder. It will be interesting to see if this will even be allowed as you cannot hear his vocal during this pivotal point. He has very little stage presence and actually seems a little overwhelmed by performing in front of a crowd. Talking of the crowd they seemed very underwhelmed by what they were seeing. The subject matter makes it unclappable and the plodding beat makes it hard to wave your arms or your flag to. This flatness really was palpable down the camera. This is actually a shame as the chorus has a really interesting melody but the stop/start backing track is too over the top - this track needs to grow rather had yo-yo backwards and forwards. To make matters worse he choreography of the dancers is poor and dated. The graffiti on the jacket idea just didn't work and for this song is a very bad gimmick.

I don't really know how famous Reiley is outside of Denmark or the Nordic world but if he is then he is going to have no problems getting his followers and fans to vote him in - remember it is now 100% televote in the semi-finals. Ideally this song needs a visual revamp - I mean if he is a TikTok star why not produce the performance so it feels like one of this videos? They are not going to tinker with the song so they need to work much more on the staging and his presentation skills too. This may well appeal to the younger viewers but to those stalwarts who actually watch the semis, most of which are probably of an age where they are not so interested in acts' social media presence - this will not make a mark. I hope and wish for a dramatic revamp but I doubt I am going to get it.

ARTIST - Reiley

SONG - Breaking my heart

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Bård Mathias Bonsaksen, Sivert Hjeltnes Hagtvet, Rani Petersen, Hilda Stenmalm

ESTONIA 2023

The Estonian final "Eesti Laul" was held on February 11th at Tondiraba Jäähall in Tallinn, hosted by Tõnis Niinemets and Grete Kuld. Previous to the final there were 2 semi-finals where 10 songs competed per show and 6 qualified from each. During the final, a top 3 was chosen by 50-50 televoting and international jury but in the second round the winner was chosen solely by televoting. Going to Liverpool is Alika with the song "Bridges"

Alika Milova is from Narva, a town right on the north eastern border of Estonia Alika has been singing since she was small and has participated in many of the singing competitions in the area such as Baltic Voice, New Wave Junior and Kaunas Talent to name just a few. However, she came to national prominence in 2021 where she won "Eesti Otsib Superstar" - the Estonian version of Pop Idol - which also won her a record deal with Universal Music.

Alika is on stage wearing what seems to be a normal off-white trouser dress but is actually made up of different layers and slightly different materials. She is onstage with a piano - which sometimes plays by itself - and later on we see a cellist at the side. The song begins with a solitary piano intro. Alika begins with a very soft first verse followed by what turns out to be a shortened chorus. The second verse flows straight after with Alika's voice being a little stronger than before. There then follows a full length chorus which really gets the repetitive tune into your head. Into the final minute we have a bridge then a final rendition of the full length chorus, which has a slightly different tune, and ends on a big ballsy high note.

This song is extremely catchy, which is rather an odd thing to say about a very heartfelt ballad. The verses show off the low and lyrical parts of Alika's voice then the chorus shows her ability do short quick lyrics and to belt notes out. The music accompanying this is very classical and the repetitive scales in the chorus makes this whole piece sound extremely familiar and endearing. Alika's overall performance is very convincing and the use of the self playing piano is an interesting touch although I am not so sold on the armography during the chorus. I feel like the embryo of a good staging idea is here but may need to be placed and shot differently when on the Eurovision stage.

In a sea of very nationalistic and cultural songs this definitely covers all the normal general bases. It has a touch of musical theatre about it although staging wise it is not at all set that way. If the staging and camera work focuses in on Alika's voice then this surely cannot go wrong. I think this is a nice straight down the line ballad, the problem is will people see this as a well sung traditional Eurovision ballad or will people think this is somehow old fashioned and boring?  

ARTIST - Alika

SONG - Bridges

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Wouter Hardy, Alika Milova, Nina Sampermans

CZECHIA 2023

The Czech final "ESCZ 2023" was held on January 30th at the CT TV Studios in Prague and hosted by Adam Mišík although the result of said production was not revealed until February 7th. The winner was selected though app voting: 30% of the score coming from internal Czech voting and 70% from the international audience. The voting window was open right up until February 6th. The winning act was the girl group Vesna with "My Sister's Crown"

Vesna was formed in 2016 and was the idea of the groups' founder Patricie Fuxová. The groups encompasses folk song writing and instrumentation but with a modern sensibility. The band is named after a pagan Slavic goddess. They released their first song in 2017 which was recorded with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. After a line up change in 2018, the group was announced as 'Discovery of the year" at the Anděl awards - the Czech equivalent of the Grammy. During the covid-19 pandemic, the group worked on a new album called Anima . It was released in October 2020 and focused on animal archetypes, and balancing the male-female worlds. Along with Patrici,e the current line up consists of Bára, Markéta, Olesya, Tanita and Tereza.

Although the song is mostly in English there are also parts in  Czech, Bulgarian and a Ukrainian refrain, During the national final the six-piece were dressed in a modern style and all very individual. There was plenty of movement on the small stage by the three singers but everything seemed really natural and reactive rather than over stylised and forced. The song starts with chant which then becomes more urban. The verses are more staccato, almost rap-like, and the lyrics are quite pointed - either between the girls or directly to the audience. The pre-chorus shows another change in direction before going full tilt into a fully-sang chorus. There follows a rapped verse in Bulgarian then back into the pre-chorus/chorus which is followed by a short bridge before a longer rendition of the final chorus. The ending is not unexpected but is a little uneventful.

The song is vocally and visually catchy. The live version is also much more punchy and direct than the studio version where their voices are mixed much more smoothly. The different rhythms and languages keep you on your toes and the chorus particularly - even though in Ukrainian - almost invites you to join in. The individual characters in the group have time to shine and even though they have different styling it works because the song is about the appreciation of everyone's identity and having solidarity. This almost feels like a second part to Manizha's "Russian Woman" or a slightly less racy/more intellectual "We are Slavic". The fact that these two songs qualified from their semi-finals suggests a positive route to the final for this entry.

It needs to be said that the ESCZ staging was not particularly big or impressive and their particular set up worked for that purpose. I hope they can replicate a similar 'sisterhood' feeling on a bigger stage because we know that this message works. The music video for this song is very stylised with lots of colourful costumes and characterisation and maybe they can bring some of this vibrancy to their backdrops rather than their actual performers. I can also imagine translations of some of the part being graffitied onto the backdrops as they sing as well as lots of crown imagery. Whatever they do I feel they need to keep the mood more relatable down the camera to the voters at home. This is such a great mix of cultures and styles and I think a lot of people will find this engaging, accessible as well as charismatic and a cultural window into Czech music.

ARTIST - Vesna

SONG - My sister's crown

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Patricie Kaňok Fuxová, Kateryna Vatchenko, Tanita Yankova

SPAIN 2023

The Spanish final "Benidorm Fest" was held on February 4th at the Palau Municipal d’Esports l'Illa de Benidorm, hosted by Mónica Naranjo, Rodrigo Vázquez & Inés Hernand. In the week before the final there were two semi-finals where 8 songs qualified from the 18 competing songs. Voting in the final was divided into televoting and demoscopic jury (25% each) and the expert panel having a 50% say. Going to Liverpool is Blanca Paloma with "Eaea"

Blanca Paloma is an real all-round creator as she has a background is many different spheres of art. As well as her singing pursuits she's worked with RTVE creating music for the series "Lucía en la telaraña". She also studied Fine Arts at Miguel Hernández University in her home town of Elche and has also worked a costume designer and set designer for theatrical productions. Last year, she participated in Benidorm Fest with the song "Secreto de agua" coming 5th in the final.

The song has a very clear Flamenco personality although the backing track is much more electronic and avant garde. Blanca Paloma is wearing white trousers, a maroon bodice with black latticing on one arm. The maroon colour is also shared by the backing singers and dancers. Apart from the fringing used to encompass the stage there is little backdrop. There are, however, clever lighting effects and overhead/tracking shots to create atmosphere. The song is rather transfixing with a pulsating backing track which almost works like a heart beat  - twinned with the clapping. It starts unusually with a pre-chorus and chorus which allows this part to be repeated more times. There is then the first verse followed by a pre-chorus/chorus then again. The final chorus is mainly sung by the backing vocalists as Blanca Paloma sings a long powerful almost heart-wrenching note to end.

This song comes to life when performed on stage as the studio version really belies Blanca Paloma's powerful vocals, enchanting personality and mastery of her artform. Whether you like this or not or enjoy it or not EVERYONE has an opinion or point of view on it. Those who love this will vote, vote and vote again and - being Spain - the nation will support this to the hilt. The tight staging works well as it is and I hope they make few major changes. 

A concern some people may have is that the song sounds a little bit nagging and Blanca Paloma's face can pull some odd faces which may put people off. I also wonder if this 'new flamenco' style is a little too removed - in a similar way that "Fulenn" was a step too far for France. One can look back to 1983 when Remedios Amaya came to Munich with a very contemporary modern flamenco number and came away... with nil points. But in this modern era of pushing authentic artists and showcasing diverse talents this surely has to be up there are something special - whether people vote for this or not may well be another matter.

ARTIST - Blanca Paloma

SONG - Eaea

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS -  José Pablo Polo, Blanca Paloma Ramos, Álvaro Tato

NORWAY 2023

The Norwegian final "Melodi Grand Prix" was held on February 4th at the Spektrum in Trondheim, hosted by Arian Engebø and Stian Thorbjørnsen. Before the final there were 3 semi-finals which whittled down the 21 competing songs to just 9. The overall winner was chosen by a 50/50 split of online voting and an international jury panel from 10 different competing Eurovision countries. The winner was Alessandra with "Queen of Kings"

Alessandra Mele was born to an Italian father and Norwegian mother and grew up in Italy. She studied piano and took singing lessons with a singing teacher and participated in her first singing competition as a six-year-old. In 2021, she moved to Norway and enrolled at the Lillehammer Institute of Music Production in 2022. That same year Alessandra participated in The Voice Norge, reaching the live rounds.

The song starts off with atmospheric chanting in Italian. Alessandra then comes in with a quiet version of the chorus which steadily builds up to the rest of the song. After a verse, pre-chorus, verse roundel she follows quite quickly with another one. There is then a short bridge where she vocalises along with the track ending with a very high whistle tone before one more energetic version of the chorus. Alessandra is dressed half warrior princess, half  Greek goddess dripping in golden jewels on a dark velvety bodice. The staging is dark and moody with a colour scheme of blacks and blues. She is also accompanied by 4 dancers dressed and black sometimes using light sticks when dancing in the dark.

The beat of the chorus here is absolutely key. This gives it a modern EDM feel but also has a fierce Viking/Game of Thrones vibe. She has a very noticeable timbre which is easy to comprehend but almost has an operatic undertone. The staging of this could have been overly busy but the focus is squarely on Alessandra to the point where you barely notice when the dancers are there. In fact the dancers do a great job in the chorus but I implore the chorographers to get rid of the terrible light-sabre gimmick at the end. Although in essence it seems like it great idea, the timing was not perfectly on pointe and it looked rather clumsy and under-rehearsed. In a performance so well executed this part looks out of place.

This is a very strong identifiable song. It would be very remiss not to mention that my first reaction was that this is very KEiiNO-esque - I even wanted the bridge to be a little bit more joiky! This is not a bad comparison because like "Spirit in the sky" this song is catchy, visually enticing and very Eurovision. The fact that this song absolutely stormed the televote bodes well for her chances of making it through to the finals. If I had a word of warning it would be that the presentation of this needs to be fierce without feeling too angry or aggressive. Also there are already a few songs with this kind of wailing/strong female vibe to it which is unfortunate. However this song has such a strong identity that this will be very hard to lodge from your brain.

ARTIST - Alessandra Mele

SONG - Queen of the Kings

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Linda Dale, Stanley Ferdinandez, Alessandra Mele, Henning Olerud

SLOVENIA 2023

The Slovenian song was revealed on February 4th during a special TV show called "Misija Liverpool" as well as the simultaneous official music video premiere on youtube. Earlier in December, RTV SLO revealed that the band Joker Out had been internally selected as their act. Their song is called "Carpe Diem"

The band was formed from the remnants of two other bands that had split up in Ljubliana in 2016. Joker Out consists of Bojan (vocals) Jure (drums) Nace (bass) and Kris and Jan (both guitarists). Their first single as Joker Out was released in November that year. They have had many festival appearances in Slovenia and were the winners of the 4th series of the Špil league - a established student band contest - in June 2017. Over the past 5 years they have released 9 singles, with their Eurovision entry being their tenth. They have alo received three Zlata Piščal (golden flute) awards for their success in the Slovenian music scene: in 2020 for newcomers of the year, and in 2021 and 2022 as performers of the year.

Although the song has a Latin title, the whole song is in Slovenian. The studio is thronged by an audience who are very enthusiastically waving their hands, jumping up and down and being generally encouraging and energetic. The song begins with an intro, which is actually the second half to the chorus, then flows nicely into a long verse, pre-chorus and chorus with a lengthy but catchy instrumental break before another verse, pre-chorus and chorus. There is very little in terms of choreography the guys move naturally and seem to gave the knack of playing to the area as well as noticing the camera at the right points. They are dressed casually, in muted neutral colours, with a slightly floaty bohemian look..

The song has a funky rock feel - almost a bit like a slightly hipster Måneskin. You can tell that they have experience of performing live and have a good sense of self. The singer in particular gives an effortless performance physically and vocally and it feels like there is a lot more to give from them all. The song has an interesting structure and the tune is rather memorable although not in an annoying or deliberate earwormy way. Oddly the very start of the chorus remind me of "Young Folks" by Peter Bjorn and John but in a very different way. The Slovenian language seems to suit the song but it leaves the listener a little unaware as to what the song is about - especially from the live performance - and I wonder if anything from the video or some other kind of narrative device will be used to make the meaning more memorable. I guess this is also why they have used a snappy Latin title whose meaning links directly to the songs theme.

I also have to commend the team behind the staging of this. The use of a young crowd really makes the song come alive, makes it dynamic but also makes it feel relevant to the music world right now. I can imagine the stadium rocking out to this in the arena as well as having a bit of a boogie. This has good crossover appeal and inhibits that Harry Styles space where genres and styles collide. Although they need to do more to get the songs meaning across they need to make sure they don;t do too much as this may break up the camaraderie of the band. I hope this does well for everybody involved.

ARTIST - Joker Out

SONG - Carpe Diem

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Todd Burke, Bojan Cvjetićanin, Kris Guštin, Nace Jordan, Jure Maček, Žarko Pak, Jan Peteh

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IRELAND 2023

The Irish final "The Late Late Show Eurosong Special" was held on February 3rd at the RTE TV Studios in Dublin, hosted by Ryan Tubridy. The scoring was made up by a mix of an international, national and public televoting all with a 1/3 weighting. The winning act was the band Wild Youth with "We Are One"

The four-piece band are Callum McAdam, Conor O'Donohoe, Ed Porter and David Whelan. They were formed in 2016 and come from Dublin. Their debut hit came out in 2017 and this led to slots supporting Zara Larsson, Lewis Capaldi and Niall Horan on the Irish legs of their tours. Members of the band have also written and recorded songs for The Script and Moncrief. Their break out song "Can't move on" which was released in 2018 and got to number 56 in the Irish charts and their following releases - and EP called "Last Goodbyes" was a top 5 hit.

The band is dotted around the small stage, the a member each on keyboards, drums, guitar and vocalist David, front and centre. Although most of the band is dressed casually, David is dressed in a rather spangly black jumpsuit. Blurred animated figures can be seen on the backdrop as well as strobing yellow patters with lyrics from the song. Words from the lyrics are interspersed on the backdrop with shots of dancers in shadow and close ups of the artists. The song has a very simple verse-pre chorus-chorus structure which is repeated twice with the song ending with a slightly modified extra chorus. Although they were accompanied by two live female backing singers, there was A LOT a backing vocals on the track.

Overall, this song is an anthemic radio friendly song with nods to U2 or Coldplay with a modern stadium pop/rock feel.Unfortunately this performance fell slightly flat because there were not in that setting plus the studio did not lend itself to such interactions. It felt like they were giving a lot but not really getting much reaction back from the audience during the track. At least at Eurovision there will be that opportunity to showcase this song in a place more fitting and with a crowd that may well appreciate them better. I can imagine the lights strobing and the flags wafting in time to the song. It's very memorable and does feel like a song fitting of Eurovision-the occasion, Eurovision-the contest and Eurovision-the community.

However, we are at a time in the contest where we no longer want to see the 'normal' kind of act or song we at sour local hall or hear on the radio. People are now looking for something more local, more cultural, more unusual. This said, the song has appeal and a really positive message. The sounds is very familiar and it's nice to see Ireland trying something a little bit more contemporary for a change. You never know, in a sea of odd-ness and niche genres this song may stand out. Although the song won the Irish jury and televote portions of the vote, the international jury preferred Connolly's song - a fact that might not bode well in a 100% European televote to get into the final. Wild Youth have been mooted as the next big Irish group for a few years and this could be the break they've been after. If they want to qualify they are going to need to work on stage presence,their appeal down the camera and to absolutely nail every single note.

ARTIST - Wild Youth

SONG - We Are One

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Jacob Bitove, Jörgen Elofsson, Conor O’Donohoe, Edward Porter