CROATIA 2024

The Croatian act and song was chosen on February 25th through their selection process "Dora". Before the final, there had been 2 semi-finals of twelve songs each with 8 from each qualifying to the final. During the semis, 100% televote was used; in the final a winner was determined by a combination of a European jury (made up of Germany, Iceland, Italy and Ukraine), a national jury (25% each)  and a public televote (50%). Going to Malmö is Baby Lasagna performing the song "Rim Tim Tagi Dim".

Marko Purišić (aka Baby Lasagna), started out as the guitarist for the rock group Manntra. The band took part in Dora 2019 coming a credible 4th with the song "In the Shadows". During this time he was also writing tracks for German gothic rock band Mono Inc. The record reached number one in Germany with many of the songs being released at singles. Purišić pursued a solo career releasing his first song "IG boy" under the pseudonym Baby Lasagna with his second song released in December 2023. Purišić then forwarded "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" for consideration for Dora 2024, however the song was not included in either of the semi-finals. A few days later, after the withdrawal of Zsa Zsa from semi final two, he and his song were given a place in the competition.

The song has a very immediate rhythm which perks your ears up straight away. The title of the song is used in a very different way to most song as it replicates and imitates the guitar riff in the background. Therefore it turns up at any point and even if you don't know the words you can just riff the "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" whenever you can. The song starts with the title interlude before going into the first verse and then back to the title sequence. Verse two and verse three are chopped in half with the title sequence in the middle. The chorus is a little less frantic although the background music barely changes at all from start to finish. At the 2 minute mark the instrumental dies down a little and becomes more synthy than guitary: there is also a short dance routine which keeps the energy up. There is then a final chorus and title interlude to the very end.

On stage there is a lot of smoke/dry ice; I don't think this is needed per se but does create an atmosphere straight away. There are 4 other people on stage behind te singer. Two of them are instrumentalists: one on the drums another playing guitar and keyboards.  Another two are dancers whose chorography include doing household chores and incorporating folk dance movements, Everyone is in a slightly anarchic version of folk dress, with puffed sleeves, covered faces and alternative materials. In addition some of the instruments are covered in what looks like doilies. On the back wall there is a myriad of iconic pictures from the outline of farm animals, random flashing colours and dancing neon-coloured cats. The whole presentation is so instant and satiates all the senses without feeling overwhelming. The obvious "Cha Cha Cha" comparisons will come and go but I feel like this stands on its own. As it did in Croatia, this will have no trouble hoovering up televotes but I also feel that this has enough musical merit and performance ability to get a sizable jury support too.

ARTIST - Baby Lasagne

SONG - Rim Tim Tagi Dim

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Marko Purišić

SAN MARINO 2024

The San Marinese act and song was chosen on February 24th during the show "Una voce per San Marino". The entire selection process started back in November '23 with the first round of auditions. By the end of January, 129 acts were still involved at the semi-finals stage with just 8 of these joining the 8 preselected 'big artists' in the final. In addition, the winner of a competition to find the best AI written song was also included the final. The overall winner was selected solely by a jury vote. Going to Malmö is Megara performing the song "11:11".

Megara is a four-piece Spanish rock/metal group from Spain which formed in 2015. Although billed as an alternative rock band, the group likes to play and mess around with the boundaries people may perceive that this music should be. Very soon after forming they made their first EP and the next year they released the first of their four albums. The band came to fame in Eurovision circles when they entered Benidorm Fest 2023 where they came a credible 4th in the final. The group then entered the Spanish preselection again with the song "11:11" but was not chosen for the live shows, so the band made some changes to the lyrics and was then was added to the San Marino process.

The song is a rather frantic and fact-paced song. The background sound is their trademark electronic-punk mix which drives the song on and on and on. It starts with what sounds like part of a telephone call although not much is made of this during the staging. We begin with verse one and a pre-chorus before the chorus comes in. We then run straight into a short post-chorus and another verse. This time we go straight into the chorus which works better than the time before. There is then another post-chorus followed by a few words in English. We are now up to the 2 minute mark when there is finally a sizable pause. An instrumental break with a prominent Spanish guitar gives everybody a short rest from the frantic beat an crunching guitars. The final chorus - albeit longer - comes back in to fire up the pace once again but then breaks down again for the outro.

The stage at "Una Voce Per San Marino" had a rather basic layout although the LED screens on the back wall were used effectively by all of the acts. As well as the four band members (mostly in black) they were also joined by two dancers initially covered in black and pink fur. During the instrumental break they disrobe to reveal black catsuits with the print of a pink skeleton but also white bald heads! It did look and feel slightly chaotic on stage but I would put the down to the lack of space rather than lack of direction. With more space, more scope for action and a better vocal mix this could look and sound a hundred times better without putting much effort in. At first listen I felt the song was a collection of bits and it took me a long time to re-listen and break it all up before I understand the cohesion of the piece. I feel like the group could easily lose some of the pre and post choruses to make more space for the viewer to breathe and feel the flow of the song.  Repeating the "We like to party" line more would also give a clear signal of the start or end a section - especially at the very end. The finish as it stands is a little underwhelming and could be helped by having a real full stop to make a proper moment. I don't mind too much the fact that this is mostly in Spanish as that particular language has that syllable driven beat which this style of song needs to drive it on.

ARTIST - Megara

SONG - 11:11

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Sara Jiménez Moral, Roberto la Lueta Ruiz, Isra Dante Ramos Solomando

BELGIUM 2024

The Belgian song was revealed on February 20th - with the première of the song on the Eurovision Song Contest youtube channel. Way back in August, RTBF revealed that they had internally selected their singer and the chosen song was already in production. The Belgian song for Malmö is "Before the party's over" by Mustii.

Thomas Mustin (aka Mustii) started his acting studies at the Institut des Arts de Diffusion in Louvain-la-Neuve which led to many roles on French-language television shows as well as performances in French and Belgian theatre and opera. In 2019, he received the Magritte Award for Most Promising Actor for is role in the film "The Royal Exchange". He is almost as well known to many as one of the judges on Drag Race Belgique. In terms of his music career, he signed his first record contract in 2014 and his debut song was called "The golden age". He has plenty of experience performing at concerts and music festivals in francophone countries. Both of Mustii's albums have reached the Belgian top 10. In 2016, he was nominated in 6 categories at the D6bels Music Awards winning Newcomer of the year.

This song in an anthemic pop song with electronic and choral influences. The song starts with a verse and chorus, followed by a slightly shorter verse and full chorus which takes use just before the two minute mark. Here, the song takes a slightly different path and there starts a chant of a line over and over again. Mustii then starts to repeat the name of the song in a different rhythm making the songs into a harmonised call and response. This final part is anthemic but his sense of urgency is anchored by the alternate phrases done by the choir in the background. Mustii's voice shows a lot of texture in the song: at first is it rather delicate but grows into something a lot stronger - almost angry. In addition the background music is rather ambient but the driving drum beat and string section in the final part almost replicates a pulse or a marching beat.

The video has a muted tone, with a sepia quality, as well as smoke and dry ice which harmonises the different staging ideas together. There are a lot of  has many themes and styles of dress; an Elizabethan pearl headdress, partially naked with silver glitter and a stylised press conference. Some of these presentations work better than others and have more impact and clarity. The latter of the list above would be an excellent set up for a staging idea and could be an effective use of the camera angles 'in the round'. Having audience members right around him would also give him licence to work the crowd in a way that is also accessible to the television viewers. It is clear from Mustii's creative background he will have a clear direction and intention about how this is staged and won't be afraid of pushing boundaries. There could be dancers involved or even extra singers so it will be interesting to see how this appears on stage. I guess my initial thought with the song was the fact that it didn't feel terribly memorable at first. However the final minute with the chanting gets under your skin really easily. I hope that the televoters stay with this song because anybody judging this within the first 40 seconds may well be left with the wrong impression and miss the most important message.

ARTIST - Mustii

SONG - Before the party's over

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - C. Clark, A. Damato, P. Dumoulin, B. Leclercq, T. Mustin, N. Sampermans

POLAND 2024

The Polish act and song was revealed on February 19th - with the première of the song and the reveal of its singer on the Eurovision Song Contest youtube channel. The Polish song for Malmö is "The tower" sung by Luna.

Aleksandra Katarzyna Wielgomas, whose stage name is Luna, was born in Warsaw. In her youth she took violin classes, joined the Artos Children's Choir and performed in operas. Away from music, she studied legal and political sciences. In 2018, she recorded her debut song titled "On the Hills of Anxiety" under her own name. In 2020, Wielgomas started a musical collaboration with composer Michał "Fox" Król, resulting in the single "Luna" which not only signalled a change in musical direction but also inspired her new stage name. In total, she has released one album and one EP from which most of her single releases have come from.

The song follows a very simple structure of verse-chorus-verse-chorus, with each part actually being quite long in length. This near enough takes us to the 2 minute mark here the song focuses more on the earworms of the entry. From here there are a lot of repetitions of the chorus or part choruses to the very end. The instrumentation is minimal in the verses and has a very tinny synthesised drum beat. The chorus is a bit more full, made by adding real drums into the mix as well as layers of backing singers to give it more depth and a different identity to the verses. All in all not much is going on the background -  all the focus is on Luna's voice and her delivery. He voice in the verses is rather small and thin and almost feel slightly spoken. The chorus has a lot more tune and rhythm and there is an emphasis here to the rhymes and near-rhymes at the end of each line. This is a very catchy song but its impact will depend on how it is performed.

The video has a lot chess analogies which might make for some interesting black and white backdrops, outfit choices and sizable props. Luna also shows some interesting fashion choices in the video - in particular the wrapped white dress (in both long and short versions) makes her look like an avant-garde Egyptian mummy. Her make up and hair is striking - almost Gaga-esque - and even though her dancing is a little awkward she has an engaging and watchable presence. Having the dancers in white around her gives the song the right amount of energy. This style of song and entry is not really what I would have expected from them - this is almost more a Nordic/Belgian/Georgian style of contemporary entry. It is very radio-friendly and straddles that gap between a retro and contemporary feel. I guess we will have to wait to see and hear how her vocals hold up live. This song should be relatively easy to perform just stood singing; if she is moving her breath will be more prevalent on the microphone. In addition, we also do not know how much production has been used to make the vocal as clear as they are. 

ARTIST - Luna

SONG - The tower

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Max Cooke, Paul Dixon, Aleksandra Katarzyna Wielgomas 

LITHUANIA 2024

The Lithuanian act and song was chosen on February 17th through their selection process "Eurovizija.LT". Before the final, there had been 5 semi-finals of eight songs each with only 2 qualifying to the final. A 50/50 combination of jury and public votes selected 3 songs for a superfinal which would be judged through televote alone. Going to Malmö is Silvester Belt performing the song "Luktelk" (Wait).

Silvestras Beltė - aka Silvester Belt - was born in Kaunas, Lithuania but  a degree in Commercial Music Performance from University of Westminster in London. On his return to Lithuania after his studies he won the show "Aš – superhitas" (I Am a Superhit) which spawned him his first hit. A year later participated in Lithuanian X Factor being eliminated in the 4th week of the competition. This is not Silvester's first foray into Eurovision - in 2010 he came third in the selection contest for their Junior Eurovision song. 

Silvester is wearing a baggy red suit and what has become his trademark nose clip. He is joined on stage by 4 dancers in t-shirts, baggy trousers but also masks over the lower part of their faces. Because of the stark lighting most of what is on stage is seen mainly in silhouette but there is a lot of sharp chorography and intricate arm movements. Luktelk is a pop song with a driving hard bassline. Silvester's singing style is quite laid back and gentle which feels like it should be at odds with the harshness of the instrumental but isn't at all. The song's structure is very formulaic with a verse-prechorus-chorus order which goes around twice. There is then a bridge before the last chorus. Although the song is wholly in Lithuanian, the song has a lot of repetition in it and to be honest the rhythm and flow of the song is really what drives it.

The lighting for this is very stark and mysterious and it has this slightly shady club feel which fits with the style of song. I love the use of block colour and the slightly anonymous dancers as this adds a lot of flow and coolness of the track.  Although the song is in Lithuanian, one's lack of understanding of the words is made up with the repetition and simple rhythms made in the words and music. The repetitive chorus in particular is a straight-to-your-brain earworm. However, I feel that for this song to fully connect with the non-Lithuanian speakers and voters at home, there needs to be a little more effort put in to make Silvester (in particular) visible on screen. Yes, I understand the visual feeling they are trying to make, but that is much easier to execute when your audience understands the meaning of the lyrics. It is very obvious that this song went down well with the Lithuanian public at home, but is this is down to a great performer and performance OR down to a support of the Lithuanian language? 

ARTIST - Silvester Belt

SONG - Luktelk

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Silvestras Beltė, Elena Jurgaitytė, Džesika Šyvokaitė 

DENMARK 2024

The Danish act and song was chosen on February 17th through their long-running national final "Dansk Melodi Grand Prix". Two rounds of 50/50 voting were used to find a winner. Televoting was open from 10-16 February and during the show itself while the jury consisted of 10 Danish and 10 international professionals. In the first round, televoting decided on a top 3 then the same combination of votes selected the winner. Going to Malmö is Saba performing the song "Sand".

Saba's full name is Anna Saba Lykke Oehlenschlæge and she has a twin sister called Andrea. They were both adopted from Ethiopia as babies and were raised in the Danish town of Ringkøbing. In 2018 she was featured in a documentary on DR which focused on her battle with self-harm and depression. After a spell in hospital, being diagnosed as bipolar and subsequently dropping out of school, Saba moved with her sister to Copenhagen, with Saba started a new career in modelling, acting and musical theatre. In fact Saba's big break came when she replaced her sibling in the musical "Hair" when her sister had to leave the role due to her pregnancy.

This entry has a rather unusual arrangement. The intro almost signposts you to something up-tempo and relentless but the when the vocal comes we discover it is much more considered and placed. As the beat fades out, she starts on the first verse with a small echoing part at the end, which turns out to be the same as the chorus but with different words. The prechorus is where Saba's voice is at full strength and creates some tension before the beat comes back in for the chorus proper. We then start again with verse two followed by the prechorus but this time the chorus is repeated twice. On the second time the words are amended with the word 'sand' repeated instead of the ooh ooh earworm. after a short interlude there is another repeat of the amended chorus before the song seems to suddenly stop.

The staging of Sand is very simple. Saba is on her own throughout and stood on a small plinth to lift her above the dry ice and smoke effects. There are some simple uses of lasers and beams of light to create movement and energy. I really like the use of the back wall to create silhouettes as this really ensures you are listening to the words rather than relying on visual cues. She is wearing a shiny white top and similarly made pair of trousers. This is used later on the song when a beating heart is transposed onto her chest. The song is slightly on the safe side, although Saba's measured and almost flawless vocal gives it s sprinkle of uniqueness. Saba's voice is very expressive and she is able to really eek out every note with the right amount of power, subtlety and emotion. I just fear that in the semi-final, televoters will be sucked in by the more controversial acts and perfectly good songs and singers like this may be left on the shelf. She is also in the top half of semi 2 which is awash with solo female performers which might make that section rather awkward. While I feel that juries would absolutely suck this all in, getting out of the semi final on a 100% televote ticket may well prove to bit a bit trickier.

ARTIST - Saba

SONG - Sand

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Melanie Gabriella Hayrapetian, Pil Kalinka, Nygaard Jeppesen, Jonas Thander

ESTONIA 2024

The Estonian act and song was chosen on February 17th through their well-established national final "Eesti Laul". Along with five automatic qualifiers, 5 more finalists qualified from the 15 song semifinal held two weeks previously. The overall winner was selected over two rounds of voting: After the scores of an international jury and public vote were amalgamated, the top 3 went to a televote only second round where a winner was determined. Going to Malmö is 5miinust and Puuluup performing the song 

"(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi"   [We don't (yet) know anything about (these) drugs] 

This entry is an amalgamation of two well known, but slightly disparate music groups. 5miinust is an Estonian-language four-piece hip-hop group from Võsu. The collective have released two albums up to now, both charting in the top twenty. Their song "Aluspükse", a collaboration with Nublu, spent six weeks at the top of the Eesti Tipp-40 becoming the 3rd best-selling song in Estonia in 2019. They then signed a deal with Universal, with their next 3 songs all reaching number one, They have won in the Artist of the Year category on two occasions. Puuluup is an Estonian nu-folk duo consisting of Ramo Teder and Marko Veisson. They have called their style "neozombie postal folk". In particular, they create compositions on talharpas – a traditional bowed lyre -but use alternative bowing and drumming techniques. These sounds are then fed through loop pedals and given different sound effects. They have received several music awards in Estonia including the best band, the best ensemble and best album.

The song is mainly driven by the members of 5miinust but the instrumental has some very heavily interwoven folk traits from Puuluup. The song starts with a verse which has a rhythm reminiscent or MIA's "Paper Planes" but in Estonian. There is then a short instrumental break before the chorus in which a member of each band takes in turn to sing. Their vocal techniques and timbres are very different making it very engaging to listen to. There is then another sizable verse and instrumental before a short bridge and then into a final chorus. The song begins and ends with shouts of 'hey' in time with the music. During the song, it feels a bit like the two groups are competing against each other, in a kind of Aerosmith/Run DMC kind of way but during the final part of the song they all join in with what feel like a stylised half cancan.

The staging is rather simplistic with mostly yellow and blue lights flashing on stage but with the middle of the backdrop being an eyeball which contains a kind of nebulae/nerve ending motif. The movement of the participants is well rehearsed but always seems raw and spontaneous, although it is very much not. The rough and ready visuals very much matches with the rugged vocal style. The prominence of the instruments also gives this another earworm to remember it by. The song - in some ways - is very calculated as there is plenty of scope for audience participation physically or vocally, even if you don't know any Estonian. Many have already compared this to "Cha Cha Cha" and have suggested that is it some kind of copycat entry and personally I don't quite see the direct comparison. Although on paper they seem to have a lot in common (a genre-bending song in a minority language with an accompanying dance routine and charismatic singer) there is enough about them that gives them their own identity.  I feel this will have little trouble picking up televotes in the semi-final or final, however this entry came 3rd, albeit not too far off 1st place, with the international juries during Eesti Laul so it may have something in common with Cha Cha Cha after all.

ARTIST - 5miinust and Puuluup

SONG - (Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Kohver, Lancelot, Päevakoer, Põhja Korea, R Teder, M Veisson,, K Wennerström

MOLDOVA 2024

The Moldovan act and song was chosen on February 17th  through their national final "Etapa naționala". On January 23th a live audition round was held where a jury selected the 11 songs and acts that would progress to the final. The winner was selected by a 50/50 combination of a public vote and jury vote. However the result was a tie and the jury vote took precedence. Going to Malmö is their 2007 representative, Natalia Barbu, performing the song "In the middle".

Natalia Barbu was born in the city of Bălți into a musical family. At a very young age, she began learning how to play violin. Later, she'd graduate from the State Conservatory with a major in violin. She competed in many national competitions in Moldova but did not get a record deal until 2006. Her single "Îngerul meu" was number one in the Romanian Top 100 for 11 weeks, The next year she represented Moldova at Eurovision with the song "Fight" coming tenth in the final. In 2012, she changed music labels and started realising new music which lead her in a new direction. The song " Said It's Sad" reached the number 1 position in the Top 10 Airplay Moldova. Another of her songs "Confession" participated in the national selection for Romania in 2013 but did not progress past the semi-final. In total she has released four studio albums and over 20 singles.

This particular song is rather intertwined with its staging which gives ts a rather intriguing feel. Natalia is on stage with 5 other females and all 6 of them are dressed and styled identically in black dresses and slicked-back hair. Each singer has access to two microphones and attached to one of them is a violin. The song has a verse-prechorus-chorus structure which is followed through twice. After each chorus there is a rather catchy vocalised part which has slightly folksy tones to it. Throughout the song, the people on stage have the same armography and clapping routine. After the second chorus the ladies release the violins and then, unseen from the back of their dresses, they each unveil a bow which they then use to play the violin. To finish, Natalia continues the vocalising part but in a much higher - almost operatic - register.

The backdrop, with its fire and smoke imagery and shots of crowns and sculptures, works well in mirroring the flow of the song but the constant camera cutting from straight on to side shots mean the group affect was lessened. With a larger screen behind them, or even below, the effect might be even greater. They may even create a platform so each person is on a different level or put on pedestals that rise up and down. I rather like the black dress aesthetic but they need to stay away from black on the back screen. Lastly, because of the lack of movement, the performance can come across as a little aloof and sterile. They either need to play on this and sell the "cloned puppet" feel or they need to make sure there are plenty of tight face shots and and hone the choreography so that it conveys more emotion. I think the only other issue the staging has is that it doesn't really reflect the song's meaning which also adds to its coldness. I feel like Natalia really sings the song well and the whole three minutes really shows off her vocal ability. The balance and the emphasis of what the delegation want to give to the viewer is what they need to work most on.

ARTIST - Natalia Barbu

SONG -In the middle

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Natalia Barbu, Khris Richards 

GERMANY 2024

The German act and song was chosen on February16th during the show "Das deutsche Finale". Eight songs were chosen and selected through the normal channels while a ninth spot was reserved for the winner of  "Ich will zum ESC!" The winner was selected by a 50/50 combination of votes from an international jury and a televote. Going to Malmö is Isaak performing the song "Always on the run".

Isaak Guderian is from a musical family and learned to play the guitar and piano at an early age. As a teenager her tried his hand at being a street musician which gave him the courage to appear on TV talent show "X Factor". Ten years later he went on to win the show “Show your Talent” which was exclusively filmed online due to pandemic restrictions From this springboard he made his own music  which can be found on almost all streaming sites as well as his youtube channel. In particular, the songs “Water to the Seed” and “Impact,” have gained over a million streams on Amazon. One of his most recent songs "Baby Steps" is in collaboration with DJ David Puentez and made it to number one on the iTunes charts.

The staging for this entry was extremely underwhelming. The set was rather dark but the predominant lighting colour was blue; they also used a 3-D effect of buildings and lights coming towards you on the back screen. Isaak was alone on stage throughout and was dressed in rather dark, casual clothing which was not too much of an issue as the stage was so dark. His movement on stage was very gestural and introverted which can look a little awkward. I feel some slightly choreographed moves/armography would help him utilise the space and the cameras better. The song has a very simple structure with a verse-prechorus-chorus compositions, which is followed through twice finishing with a repetitive bridge to the very end. The song overall has a slight rock feel although the prechorus allows for a bit of quiet in order to give some more fire and power to the chorus. Issak has an engaging stage presence as he was able to juggle performing to the crowd, performing down the camera and having moments of introspection during the song too.

The choices available during the national final were not niche enough as a sizable percentage of the songs/acts did not show a lot of personality or extoll much about the German music scene. Although the video screens were utilised well, not many of the acts had extra backing singers, dancers or even any props. Issak was one of these acts who performed alone. Isaak seems to be confident in his ability, has a great personality and a great voice however this in itself is not going to translate to the Eurovision stage as it is. It might be nice to see him on stage with some backing singers as I feel he would interact well with them. Isaak was not seen as one of the front runners to win the national final but he did end up winning both the international jury vote (he was top three in 7 of the 8 juries) and televote which must account for something. Right now, against some of the other acts and songs we know will be in Malmö, this feels extremely safe and it is a good job this song does not need to qualify for the final. However, against some of the acts we know, Isaak's voice is one of the best and this might be something the juries look favourably upon. If Europe is looking for something conventional, well performed and radio friendly - Germany many just have the guy they're looking for.

ARTIST - Isaak

SONG - Always on the run

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS -  Isaak Guderian, Kevin Lehr, Leo Salminen, Greg Taro 

ITALY 2024

The Italian act and song was confirmed during a press conference on February 11th. During the previous 5 nights the yearly  "Festival della Canzone Italiana di Sanremo" was held. Over the different nights, a number of  votes were held including a press vote, a demoscopic jury vote and public televoting. On the final night, votes were combined and the top 5 songs then participated in a superfinal. The morning after the festival the winner announced they would be participating in Eurovision with their winning song. Going to Malmö is Angelina Mango performing the song "La Noia" (Boredom)

Angelina Mango was born into a very musical family; her mother being Laura Valente, former singer of Matia Bazar, and her father, Giuseppe Mango, whose recording name was Mango. She grew up with her older brother Filippo in Lagonegro, where their love for music was fostered. In September 2014, Mango enrolled at a Liceo Scientifico but stopped her studies following the sudden death of her father. Later she moved to Milan where she continued her studies and playing with her band with her brother as a drummer.  In 2021, she participated in the selections of Sanremo Giovani, but was not selected as a finalist. In 2022 she became a competitor on the long running talent show "Amici di Maria De Filippi", finishing in second place overall and winning the singing category. Last year, her song "Ci pensiamo domani" reached the top ten of the singles chart and was certified triple platinum, while the accompanying EP was certified gold. 

This composition is wholly in Italian, as is customary for songs in Sanremo, and each act had added live accompaniment from the orchestra and extra vocal support from the bank of off stage backing singers. The Sanremo stage, although impressive, had limited scope and size compared to a Eurovision stage. However Angelina's yellow and black strobing background went well with the song and helped emphasise when the beat kicked in. Angelina is alone on stage but fills the stage with her personality - she is good mover but it all feels natural and not overly choreographed. The song has a Mediterranean feel as well as relying a lot on the music and lyrics of the rhythms and carnival atmosphere of South America. The song flip-flops between the rhythmic polysyllabic verses and the repetitive but sparse chorus.

Angelina performed three times during the festival -  once during covers night when she performed a song from her father's repertoire and three times with this song. Her staging was very similar each time doing similar moves around the stage and as well as up and down the stairs (although on the final night she slipped up the stairs!) Angelina does a great job of balancing the performance to the crowd, the performance down the camera and her own vocal capacity. It will be very interesting to see how the team decides to enlarge this setup for Eurovision. I am not saying that having Angelina on her own would be a bad thing but they absolutely need to ensure she does not look alone or adrift. I can imagine her reproducing her Sanremo appearance on the in-the-round-stage and making it look carnival-like with all the waving flags and swaying hands of the fans around her. I feel like some extra musicians, especially percussionists, might give the setting a bit more focus but also give Angelina a reason to move around the stage AND give her people to interact with. Nobody should be bored when this comes on !

ARTIST - Angelina Mango 

SONG - La Noia

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS -  Francesca Calearo, Dario Faini, Angelina Mango

LATVIA 2024

The Latvian act and song was chosen on February 10th through their national final "Supernova". A week earlier, the semi final was held with 10 of the 15 entries qualifying for the final. The winner was selected by equally adding the ranking of a national jury to that of the national televote. Going to Malmö is Dons performing the song "Hollow".

Artūrs Šingirejs - the real name of Dons - is one of the most popular male singers in Latvia this century. He studied piano at the Saldus Music School and taught himself to sing and how to play the guitar  He began his music career in the 2003 edition of the reality show "Talantu Fabrikā". His first release was an album of duets with fellow contestant Linda Kalniņa whom he would later marry and divorce. His first solo album "Lights On" was mostly in English but his next 7 albums would all be in Latvian. He has won numerous awards including best rock album once, best album twice and Latvijas Radio's song of the year five times. This was Dons' third Supernova appearance having participated in 2010 and 2014 - finishing second on both occasions.

The song starts with some very melancholic and bluesy piano chords whose mood is mirrored in the shrouded setting. The song follows a very simple verse-bridge-chorus structure which he follows through twice then completes a shortened and quieter chorus as an outro. I say 'simple' but with many things, if something is simple it has to be technically sound and executed flawlessly. His voice in the verses is croakier and shows some fragility while in the bridge he starts to push his voice a little more. He is really belting out the words of the chorus which has an unusual flow as the start and end contains elongated notes which the middle parts are quick and wordy. There is some movement on stage by Dons but most of the movement is done through a range of close up and wide shots. Because this is very much a solo effort, all the focus of the song is on Dons: his technique, his appearance and his connection down the lens.

Dons is alone on stage throughout and, along with a small layer of dry ice at his feet, the background is dark and stormy. His blue suit and balding head punctuate the screen. In the semifinal the week before, Dons started seated on some crates and his performance was much more outward and the ending seemed a little more optimistic. I feel like this presentation might be more palatable to the viewers at home and creates a clear narrative to remember it by. The music video for the song is also simplistic yet clever and I almost feel some of the symbolism of this would also be effective on a big screen. Last year's Latvian song was so beloved by many and it is nice to see that they have gone back to another well established act. Interestingly, this song was originally recorded in Latvian under the name "Lauzto šķēpu karaļvalsts" (Kingdom of Broken Spears) so one could suggest that, again like last year's entry, it could be a dual language affair. Dons does seem to be a bit of a marmite act as his demeanor, physicality and his vocal tone as seem a little harsh and strong to many. I feel like the song would definitely be up the juries' street which might put it in jeopardy due to it being 100% televote in the semi-finals. However, an emotional song, well sung and simply staged may well stand out just as much, in a Eurovision with song and acts that may be more niche.

ARTIST - Dons

SONG - Hollow

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Liam Geddes, Kate Northrop, Artūrs Šingirejs

FINLAND 2024

The Finnish act and song was chosen on February 10th through their successful national final process "Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu". A winner was selected by adding a combination of a national televote score (75%) to an international juries score (25%). Going to Malmö is Windows95Man featuring Henri Piispanen with "No Rules".

Windows95Man is one of the many pseudonyms of  Teemu Keisteri who is a dancer, DJ and artist with his own gallery in Kallio, Helsinki. The character of Windows95Man began in 2013. His very 90s outfit consists of a pair of short shorts, baseball cap, mullet, socks&sandals and trademark (quite literally!) Windows95 t-shirt, He performed at Helsinki’s New Year’s celebration in 2022 and has been Käärijä's support act. As well as Windows95Man, a name he usually DJs by, he is also known for the character Ukkeli, whose likeness Keisteri uses on his merchandising, The main singer on the track, Henri Piispanen, is less well known physically by the Finnish public but his voice is much more well known. His main job is as a voice actor, mainly dubbing cartoons and animations into Finnish. His voice can be heard on the Finnish versions of numerous Disney film re-dubs, Lego Ninjago, Pokemon series and films, Paw Patrol and Bluey. He is also the singer-bassist of a Finnish-language rock band called Pasa .

The song starts with Windows95Man inside a giant egg which is covered in ripped jeans but as he comes out of the egg you soon realise he is not wearing his shorts - this then becomes a narrative of the staging. Henri starts behind the egg and is wearing a rather fetching long patchwork denim jacket over his denim shirt and shorts. As the song progresses there is some rather clever camerawork and posing from Windows95Man that cover up his private area (he is however hearing illusion pants so it looks like he's nude) During verse 2, two denim clad dancers join the stage and give the two singers more to interact with. With a minute to go there is a more chilled out chorus where Window95Man's shorts come down from the rafters. Once he has put them on the attached hopes shoot fireworks out of them! The song then ends with a euphoric key change in the final chorus.

The song's title is extremely prominent in the song and, along with the infectious 90s beat, it makes the whole thing very catchy. The lyrics are also rather repetitive and predictable which again is not always a bad thing for a Eurovision song. The juxtaposition between Windows95Man's gruff chanting and Henri's light and high vocal shouldn't work, but does. I have to give Henri some kudos because being able to sing that well with so much going on around him takes a lot of skill.  There can be no mistaking that this entry came last with the international juries. Maybe the joke was lost on them or the juries had lost their sense of humour. However the national televote overwhelmingly gave them their support meaning that they were able to overcome any deficit they had had. I feel like this is the kind of act that will be played over again in the 'isn't Eurovision wacky?' compilation shows. Like it or loathe it, it is memorable and there is something of a nostalgic everyman in the main character. People will vote for this which is why qualification to the final is almost guaranteed. This also means its chances in the final will almost definitely be diminished by the juries (just like in the national final!) Lastly, there has been some talk that, due to obvious conflicts, the Windows95Man name and image may well have to change. When, how, what to and if, remains to be seen.

ARTIST - Windows95Man

SONG - No Rules

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Teemu Keisteri, Henri Piispanen, Jussi Roine 

UKRAINE 2024

The Ukrainian act and song was chosen on February 3rd through their annual the selection show "Vidbir". The ranking of a jury (whose make up was chosen itself by a public vote) was combined equally with that of a national televote to find a winner. Although the songs were presented on the 3rd, the result was not announced until the next day due to technical difficulties. Going to Malmö is Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil  performing the song "Teresa & Maria"

Aliona Olehivna Savranenko (aka Alyona Alyona) is 32 years old and before she found her footing in the Ukrainian rap scene she worked as a kindergarten teacher. She has 4 albums to her names and has reocrded collaborations with numerous Ukrainian figures such as Kalush, Aliona Pash and Jamala. Over the last 5 years she had been nominated for numerous music awards and was recently placed number 44 in a list of Ukraine's most influential women. Yana Oleksandrivna Shemayeva - professionally known as Jerry Heil - is 28 and started out in the music industry posting covers on her youtube channel. In 2017 she signed a record deal and then found herself on X Factor Ukraine, only getting as far as bootcamp.. Her most famous song is "Okhrana, otmyena" which won a Jager Music Award and a YUMA. Jerry participated in Vidbir twice previously in 2020 and 2022 coming third in the latter.

The staging is rather pared back compared to Ukrainian entries of yore. The set is black as are the outfits of the two performers. Around them are 4 backing singers and the background wall projects a stylised video of a woman shrouded in black flowing shiny fabric. Jerry starts centre stage by herself with an introductory verse before starting the chorus by this time joined by Alyona. They start singing outwards, back-to-back The chorus had a very familiar feel - almost slightly folkish - and the predictability of the way the note go low to high then back down again is very natural and unforced. Alyona Alyona's meaty rap adds an extra layer or rhythm and pace to a song that might come across as a bit plodding. The non-stop words seems to plow easily in a similar way to the rap parts of "Stefania". The song ends with a couple of chorus renditions to wind down to the end.

The parts Alyona Alyona does are great and is direct down the camera. The parts Jerry Heil does are well sung and the emotion is conveyed. However there is a lack of stagecraft between the two of them and this disconnect needs fixing. Yes, the stage was rather basic but other acts were able to conjure up some feeling using dancers and video techniques. If not, the song will otherwise feel like two people performing on the stage at the same time rather than a duet. Because of the song's message, I feel like this is not an entry that can be made better with a gimmick. The singers need to be somehow 'together' and make their parts feel cohesive. I need them to be interested in each others words in relation to the song. I'd like to see them singing to each other, maybe holding hands or even singing with their backs touching rather than just turning away from each other. This needs a lot of work but Ukraine has  a depth of staging experience and I really hope they can turn this piece of jet black coal into a real diamond.

ARTIST - Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil

SONG - Teresa & Maria

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Anton Chilibi, Ivan Klymenko, Aliona Savranenko, Yana Shemaieva

 

MALTA 2024

The Maltese act and song was chosen on February 3rd through their national final "Malta Eurovision Song Contest". Back in October and November, a number of semi-finals were held with nine acts performing in each show. The most voted for 12 songs were selected as finalists. The final was preceded by the premiere of the finalists' music videos. The winner was calculated by adding a jury score with (7/9 weighting) to the televote score (with 2/7 weight) Going to Malmö is Sarah Bonnici performing the song "Loop".

Bonnici is from the island of Gozo. Her father is Marcel Bonnici, CEO of Mercury Towers (Malta's tallest building) and owner of football club Ħamrun Spartans the reigning Maltese Premier League champions). Aged 11, Sarah competed in the Maltese national selection for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest and finished a credible in third place. The following year, she won her age group category of the L-Għanja Tal-Maltin Song Festival, competing with a song written by former Eurovision competitor, Miriam Christine . She also returned to the Junior Eurovision selection show but came 7th but still did go the jESC that year as a backing dancer for Nicole Azzopardi. Bonnici participated in Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with "Heaven" placing 12th in the final.

During the national final live performance, Sarah was wearing what seems to be this year's Eurovision uniform - a black cutaway mesh catsuit! She is joined in the studio by 4 male dancers who are also wearing black tops with an illusion neckline, which is extremely off-putting. The stage is also predominately black with some pink/purple strobes of light throughout. With everybody wearing black, it is sometimes hard to see where everyone is! Sarah starts on her own with some soulful vocal gymnastics before going into the verse and chorus followed by a shortened second verse and full chorus. Up to this point Sarah had been dancing while singing, but here there is a long pause for more involved dancing. There is then a brief stop for vocal gymnastics finishing the song with a final chorus and a last second dance break. Sarah's vocal is not bad considering how much work she is doing on stage, is maintained throughout although at times you can hear her stopping to catch her breath.

This is an extremely full-on entry with many strengths. Sarah, as I have already stated, has a clear voice and she moves well on the stage. However on a very simplistic level many will see the show as heavily derivative of Chanel's "SloMo" and Noa's "Unicorn". One may even say this is a weaker entry compared to both of these but this may be due more to technical details than any lack of promise and talent. There are two main things I feel they need to work on to get the impact right. First one is to properly highlight the name of the song. The title is lost in the mix and either needs to be audibly louder or the words prominent on the stage. It would help is Sarah sang the word rather than just being on the backing vocals. Secondly they need to revamp the staging because it is too dark and gloomy. There was so much dancing that could not be appreciated properly because of the bad lighting and the poor camera angles. The gimmick of the blindfolded flip is honestly not worth it; the time taken to set it up was not worth the pay off. It would be nice to have something a lot more colourful as this is a great fun dance tune. The video clip that went along with the song was very dynamic -full of snappy camera changes and swooping shots - if only they could create such power on a static stage. This is definitely a Eurovision song for the modern age and might provide a bit of familiar relief amongst the niche entries.

ARTIST - Sarah Bonnici

SONG - Loop

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Leire Gotxi Angel, Sarah Bonnici, Michael Joe Cini, Kevin Lee, Sebastian Pritchard-James

SPAIN 2024

The Spanish act and song was chosen on February 3rd through their recently revamped "Benidorm Fest". Earlier in the week 4 songs qualified from each of the two semi-finals. During the semis and final the voting weighting was 50% jury and 25% each for the national televote and the demoscopic panel. Going to Malmö is Nebulossa performing the song "Zorra" (Bitch).

Nebulossa is a Spanish electropop duo from Ondara in the community of Valencia. The duo consists of  Maria "Mery" Bas - the singer - and Mark Dasousa - keyboard player and producer. They are married , have been together for over 20 years and have two children. This all said, the project of Nebulossa has only been in force since 2018. Their only album to date is "Poliédrica de mí" which was released in 2021. In 2022 they participated in the preselection round of "Una voce per San Marino" as a trio, along with singer Ophelia Alibrando, but did not get to the finals of the competition.

The duo are joined by a female drum player as well as two male dancers initially dressed in suits but then reveal underneath thigh-high boots and a corset. On set was also a large red two tiered circular pedestal - doubling as a performing platform and as seating. The song starts with a very immediate and pulsating 80s style opening which really gets you hooked. The first half of the song fits the normal verse chorus, verse chorus structure however the second chorus then turns into an elongated bridge until the end. It does not go on too long, or feel too repetitive, and does cement the rhythm of the chorus in your head. The sung parts are more measured and purposeful than the beginning instrumental might suggest. Mery's sung parts have a very calm quality to them which, at times, is at juxtaposition to the words. However, her performance comes across as measured and confident which absolutely fits with the words she's singing. 

 

The Benidorm Fest stage was extremely versatile and reminiscent of the 2003 Eurovision stage. The main lighting colour was red, possibly to emphasise the angry and defiant tone of the storytelling. The word 'zorra' was predominantly displayed on the backdrop and the Spanish crowd were singing along very noticeably. Mery looked regal in black and I loved the way the mesh flourish on the sleeves caught the red lighting and also interacted with the platinum blond Hollywood glamour hair! Mery's voice does struggle a little on the high notes of the bridge but I think with more practise and breath control this could easily be remedied. The song works really well as a whole although I feel the rhythm of the verses are stronger than the chorus. The staging would work really well 'in the round' of Malmö  but they may been to think about making the instrumentalists more prominent on stage. This is a fun song with a serious message and the audience on the Saturday night will be vocal about their support.

ARTIST - Nebulossa

SONG - Zorra

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - María Blas, Mark Dasousa

NORWAY 2024

The Norwegian act and song was chosen on February 3rd through their long-running national final "Melodi Grand Prix". Before the final there were three semi finals with three songs qualifying from each. The winner was selected by a 60/40 combination of public televoting and an international jury. Going to Malmö is the band Gåte performing the song "Ulveham" (Wolf skin).

Gåte is a progressive folk-rock band who perform Norwegian folk music with metal and electronica leanings. Many of Gåte's songs are rearranged versions of traditional Norwegian folk tunes. Their self-titled EP was released in 2000 and this garnered success in their homeland and many other European nations - as did their debut album "Jygri". However after their second album, the band declared they were going on a hiatus mainly due to the singer, Gunnhild, wanting to devote time to solo projects.  There was a brief reunion in 2009-2010 as the band conducted a mini tour or Norway billed as their final farewell. However, Gåte made a full comeback in 2017 with the EP "Attersyn", followed by the album "Svevn" and the announcement of full tours.

The staging for the act is simplistic yet effective. The stage is dark, with a slight green/blue tinge. There is effective use of strobing lights & lasers to create movement. The mystical feel is further strengthened by the use of scenic settings overlaid on the screen. The instrumentalists are situated around the stage while singer Gunnhild is in the middle on a small rotating platform. The song shifts between an enchanted bassy beat, a strong guitar metal sound and a background of interesting folky instruments. The song is wholly in Norwegian and Gunnhild's haunting vocals adds to the atmosphere. Although one would not really understand what the song is about, the feelings conveyed in the song are visceral but also full of wonder and beauty. The vocalisation between the worded parts further shows the singer's mastery of the higher notes and folkish tinge she has to her vocal style.

The lead up to the final was rather more frenetic compared to the other finalists. After their semi final performance, NRK asked band to change the lyrics as the text was based on a 1000 year old ballad and therefore could be construed as plagiarism. They duly complied but to the casual watcher, especially one uneducated in the Norwegian language, one may have not seen any difference. I feel like this song, in the midst of the Melodi Grand Prix show was very much different and identifiable from the finalists. The staging as is is perfect for the song and I would work on any size or shape of stage. I don't want to say that the song is not memorable but the song is ultimately elevated by the band 's performance and the singer's engaging vocal style. One change they may want to make is to bring more wolf imagery to the graphics creating a more obvious link between the song, the lyrics and the title - commentators may allude to before the song begins. I feel like juries will appreciate the vocals of this track while the people at home will enjoy the ambience of this entry.

ARTIST - Gåte

SONG - Ulveham

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS -  M. Børmark, R G Janssen, M J Lillebuen, J E Schärer, G. Sundli,, S E Sundli

LUXEMBOURG 2024

The Luxembourgish act and song was chosen on January 27tth during the selection show "Luxembourg Song Contest". There were two rounds of voting. In the first round, the ranking of an international jury was combined equally with that of a national televote to create a top 3. The vote was then reset - the juries and televote reopened with the scores combined to find a winner. Going to Malmö is Tali performing the song "Fighter".

Tali Goldergant was born to an Israeli mother and Peruvian father and Spanish was the language she spoke most at home. At the age of 7 her family settled down in Luxembourg where young Tali learnt French and English. From a young age she was interested in songwriting, acting and playing the piano. She went to school in the International School of Luxembourg then went on to study musical theatre at Marymount Manhattan College in the city of New York and now lives there. She has also been touring her home borough with her band called Blue Stripes. She has been releasing music onto streaming sites since 2020.

Tali is joined on stage 6 dancers - 4 male, 2 female - and they are all dressed in a kind of strappy leatherette/mesh clothing. The visual look is a little distant from the song's meaning but is at least a cohesive look. The song starts with a close up of Tali's face which is being manipulated cleverly by her dancers' hands. The song is mainly sung in French with part of the chorus and a small bridge at the end in English. The English part gives the song a memorable earworm while the French parts have a nice rhythm and uses some familiar French word endings/rhymes. This is a mid-tempo song with a slight Mediterranean feel without feeling too much like it should come from a certain country or culture.

The stage was very simple with a long video screen runway. Throughout her song, the screens showed various pulsing geometric shapes varying in shades of colours. I feel like the inconspicuousness of this makes one focus on is what is happening on the stage. The dancers frame Tali, who moves well but does not do a lot of the group choreography. I don't think this matters too much as the sweeping camera shots gives the visual more depth and movement, The visuals will need some tightening up. They will need to drop a dancer and ensure the choreo is purposeful throughout. Personally I'd like to see the dancers used to create levels i.e. standing on them like a staircase or being lifted up in the air. Tali needs to keep the focus on her vocal. During the fast part of the chorus you could hear her struggle to catch up and catch her breath.; if she cannot do this part properly then an alternative solution needs to be found. Overall this comes from a good starting point but needs to have laser-focused direction in a contest that is already looking to be a diverse one.

ARTIST - Tali

SONG - Fighter

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Dario Faini, Silvio Lisbonne, Manon Romiti, Ana Zimmer