FINLAND

The Finnish Final was  held on February 9th at Barona Areena in Espoo, hosted by Anne Lainto & Ile Uusivuori. Before the final there were 3 semi-finals. The winner was chosen by televoting (50%) and an "expert" jury (50%) and was announced as "Marry Me" performed by Krista Siegfrids.

As the title suggests the song an performance set up is all about weddings and Krista is dressed in a particularly puffy (and low cut) wedding dress and very clumpy pick platform school whilst her dancers are dressed as grooms. I am not quite sure what her two backing singers are dressed as but whatever it is they look embarrassed to be there. There is also a plethora of extras on the stage too - far too many for the Eurovision stage. It will be interesting to see how they get around adding in all the vocal and visual tricks with just 5 extra people on stage. She will need a lot of vocal help in the chorus but the visual gags will keep her memorable.

The song is extremely cliché and too, too over the top even for Eurovision standards. The song is quite a standard ESC pop song in structure however the 'oh-oh ding ding' refrain after the chorus - and the complementary stomping on the spot dance routine - is just cringe worthy. The breakdown part in the middle is just unnecessary and has just been put in to make the song sound more modern than it actually is.

In summary - I really dislike this song and in particular I actually find some of the lyrics of the song quite distasteful - if I could whiff a sense of irony maybe I would not feel so bad but I cannot see it at all. Knowing my luck with will win by a mile in May but if it were up to me it would be a most definite DNQ.

 

Artist - Krista Siegfrids

Song - Marry Me
Music - Krista Siegfrieds, Erik Nyholm, Kristofer Karlsson, Jessika Lundström

Lyrics - Krista Siegfrieds, Erik Nyholm, Kristofer Karlsson, Jessika Lundström

 

 

MALTA

The Maltese Final was held on February 2nd at the Malta Fairs & Convention Centre in Ta' Qali, hosted by Elaine Saliba, Gordon Bonello & Rodney Gauci. Before the final there was a semi-final where the cast of 24 was reduced to 16. The winner was chosen by a mixture of an "expert" jury (7/8) and televoting (1/8). The winning song was "Tomorrow" sung by Gianluca Bezzina.

The song, at first listen, appears to be a nice, gentle jolly ditty which has two powerful ingredients
1) a repetitive oh-oh ear worm and 2) a ukulele.
This must also be the first Eurovision song to include the name 'Jeremy' and the phrase 'risk assessments and investments'. Comedy comments aside, the song merrily goes along telling the story of a man who is looking for her ideal girl  in his boring world - the idea being he will find her tomorrow. The story idea is a good one but unfortunately due to many reasons, this is lost.

Firstly the oh-oh earworm part of the song it the only part that is at all memorable. The tune is quite weak, especially in the chorus which is too high for Gianluca, and you cannot always quite follow the story because parts of it are said so quickly. Secondly Gianluca's live performance was a bit on the ADHD side. Not quite sure he was supposed to move about and visit his fellow musician around the stage so much but it was very off putting. Setting the whole thing out much more intimately so he can just look and reach out for his band will be much more effective. Either that or he needs to meticulously choreograph every sing step around the stage, Guildo Horn style, so that the movement has has an impact on the viewer.

The song doesn't really go anywhere and the ending it a little abrupt and sudden. Would be mush better if they were able to slow it down for the last line or something and make it a bit melancholy. All in all this is not  bad song but needs a lot of work. I am really not sure if this is a qualifier right now.

Artist - Gianluca Bezzina

Song - Tomorrow
Music - Boris Cezek, Dean Muscat

Lyrics - Boris Cezek, Dean Muscat

 

ICELAND

The Icelandic Final was held on February 2nd at Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, hosted by Þórhallur Gunnarsson & Guðrún Dís Emilsdóttir. Previous to the final there were 2 semi-finals. The winner was chosen in 2 rounds of voting - the first to select the top 2 (50/50 televote/expert jury ) and a second (televote alone) to select the winner. The winner of the ticket to Malmo is Eyþór Ingi Gunnlaugsson singing "Ég á líf" meaning "I have a life"

The song is a slow, building Celtic style ballad with lots flittle musical touches. It starts of quiet and Eyþór's voice takes centre stage. During verse 2 you can hear the sound of balalaika, or something of that ilk, in the background. During the bridge it becomes more orchestral then during the next chorus the sound is very Celtic with violins and penny whistles. Near the end it has a military feel with strong drums. The ending, although a little predictable, is memorable and in its own little way dramatic - will they be able to copy this in Malmo?  Eyþór's voice is almost flawless, having heard it several times sung live his voice is so strong and professional it is hard to see any weakness.

 

Eyþór sings the song alone on stage and has a lot of vocal strength and stage presence. Eyþór has a striking appearance and I am guessing he was probably Iceland's participant in the 'best Justin Lee Collins Lookalike competition 2008". I really suggest that Eyþór gets a really good stylist before Malmo and get him dressed and presented in a manner which will make him stand out - and not for the Barbara Dex prize.

Like all the songs in the Icelandic final, it was sung in Icelandic. Like too many an Icelandic entry before, this will probably be translated into English - unnecessarily. Although the song does sound gobbledygook-ish the repetition in the chorus means you have the "Ég á líf" hook and tune in your head after no time at all - even if you have no idea what you are saying. The breathy tones of the Icelandic language really suit this song and I fear that an English translation will change the tone and of the song and make it less powerful.

I think this song has a lot to give and could be a strong contender - that is as long as the other countries left to choose don't also choose a Celtic ballad...

Artist - Eyþór Ingi Gunnlaugsson

Song - Ég á líf (I have a life)
Music - Örlygur Smári, Pétur Örn Guðmundsson

Lyrics - Örlygur Smári, Pétur Örn Guðmundsson
 

 

DENMARK

The Danish Final was held on January 26th at the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning, hosted by Sofie Lassen-Kahlke, Louise Wolff & Lise Rønne. There were 2 rounds of voting - one to select the top 3 and another to select the winner. The voting was a mixture of televoting (50%) and an "expert" jury (50%). The winner was Emmelie de Forest with the song "Only Teardrops".

The song has a mish-mash of styles - the penny whistle gives it a Celtic feel while the drumming gives it a military edge. She has edges of Ellie Goulding and Dido on her voice and she also has a Toyah-esque lisp which can sound a little distracting. She is joined on stage by 3 backing singers and 2 drummers one of which also dabbles on the penny whistle. She starts on the floor and then gets up and basically does a lot of arm wafting at her fellow musicians. She is dressed very plainly in what can only be described as a half finished diaphanous negligee which she needs to be careful getting up on (or we will see more of Miss de Forest that one would care to). She is also barefoot. The one thing that does confuse me is that the song is called "Only Teardrops" yet the background screen is of fire... 

As for the performance, the first few times I heard this I found it very annoying. Her voice is very memorable but could polarise a lot of people being on the edge of individual/annoying. This said the song is very good. It is well structured it has A LOT of repetition and by the end of the song you have at least one line stuck in your head. I do have a few concerns that the last part of the song could be a little too high for her and she could stumble.

It is still early days but this is one of the few songs I can say will more than likely get themselves in the final, if not a bit further up the scoreboard.

Artist - Emmelie de Forest
Song - Only Teardrops
Music - Lise Cabble, Julia Fabrin Jakobsen, Thomas Stengaard
Lyrics - Lise Cabble, Julia Fabrin Jakobsen, Thomas Stengaard

 

UKRAINE

The Ukrainian Final was held on December 23rd in Kiev. The winner, chosen by a mixture of SMS voting and jury, was the song Gravity sung by Zlata Ognevich.

I have been trying to think for days now about my opinion and feelings about this song but I am still very confused. First of all the girl can really sing. She has a lovely tone to her voice and the song shows the different parts of her voice really well. It is also nice to see a simple singing performance where the efforts of the backing singers are not ignored and shown to the full. It would be nice to have a similar visual performance in Malmo.

I guess my problem about the song is that it doesn't really have a strong predictable structure. (Unpredictability is normally a strength in pop songs but ESC songs require a strong structure and flow) It has a repeated bit which I guess is the chorus and a few extra bits which seem to come in and out at random patterns and these don't seem to have the same tune. Then there is also the weird fact that Zlata doesn't actually sing the title of the song...

Then there is the middle part. This part reminds me of "Love of the common people" by Paul Young or "Life in a Northern Town" by The Dream Academy. This middle part is possibly the best part and the part that most sticks out in my mind. It is also the part where it turns from a dreamy balland into something a bit stronger. A really great light show mirroring the different shouty parts would work really well here. Then there is the end which is a real damp squib. Just as you start getting into the song it end and ends poorly.

I think it is a safe to say it this early stage in the Eurovision season that this will qualify, plus I also think that this will be a clear Jury favourite. It is a singers song and has that kind of 'I'm from a musical' kind of quality. All in all I think this is a good strong song but something just doesn't sit right...

Artist - Zlata Ognevich
Song - Gravity
Music - Mikhail Nekrasov
Lyrics - Karen Kavaleryan

ALBANIA

The Albanian Final was held on December 22nd at the Palace of Congress in Tirana, hosted by Enkel Demi and Floriana Garo. Before the final there were 2 semi-finals and the eventual winner was chosen by an "expert" jury. The winner of the Festivali i Këngës 51 was the duet of Adrian Lulgjuraj & Bledar Sejko with the song "Identitet" meaning Identity. 

This song has an ethic edge to it  but also maintains a rock edge and a lot of the song is lead with strong drums and guitar. Here was me thinking that Belgium was the only country that still liked Simple Minds - it looks like Albania does too. However this is Simple Minds if they had been re-fronted by an middle aged Adam Lambert. The two singers have that kind of gravelly retching tone to their voice which seems to be popular in Eastern European circles but I am not sure if this will be enough to be reprieved into the final.

The song, as many Albanian entries are, are well over 3 minutes long. This is a shame as the introduction to this song (which lasts almost a minute) is the best part of the song and will probably get cut to pieces before it gets to Malmo. However the pointless dad-dancing guitar solo is the bit that really needs to be cut. Unlike many Albanian entries I would say that being translated or re-written into English would be a good thing. It does has a strong repetitive tune and having English lyrics would help the song's catchiness no end.

Needless to say this is no Suus. In many ways this is the furthest they could probably get from it. As it is, there is very little chance of this song getting to the final but with some clever tweaking it could actually be a good song.

Artist - Adrian Lulgjuraj & Bledar Sejko
Song - Identitet (Identity)
Music - Bledar Sejko
Lyrics - Bledar Sejko

LITHUANIA

The Lithuanian Final was held on December 20th at the LRT TV Studios in Vilnius, hosted by Andrius Rožickas. Previous to this there had been a slightly complicated system of heats and semis before getting to the 8-act final. The winner was jointly decided between jury and televoting. The winner of the ticket to Malmo was Andrius Pojavis with his self-penned song "Something".

The Lithuanian 'tradition' of sending slightly barmy/strange/wholly unsuitable entries to Eurovision has once again been continued into 2013.OK, I am being a little harsh here but there is a lot about this performance I do not get. On the plus side, I really like the song. Within a couple of listens I had the chorus firmly stuck in my head. It is certainly a contemporary song, in a kind of Killers/Editors style with a  bit of electro-pop thrown in for good measure. In these respects it is almost a bit of an 'anti-eurovision' song as nothing quite of this ilk has been sent before.

On the other side we have the actual performance. His voice is ok, quite memorable in places. As he also wrote the song it is fair to say this plays to his vocal strengths. However the visual performance is more akin to something you would find in Junior Eurovision. He is dressed in top hat and tails, which doesn't suit the song and more over does not suit him. During the final he was also joined by a couple of masked mime artists and a ballet dancer holding a red ball. Confused much.

I really like this song and although the lyrics are a little trite it does get in your head. But something drastic is going to have to be done about the performance of this song to make it truly memorable enough to get out of the semi-final.

Artist - Andrius Pojavis
Song - Something
Music - Andrius Pojavis
Lyrics - Andrius Pojavis

 

BELGIUM

The Belgian Final was held on December 16th on Radio Vivacité, hosted by Jean-Louis Lahaye. The internally selected singer, Roberto Bellarosa, sang all the songs and the winning song was chosen by televoting (50%) and "expert" jury (50%). This turned out to be "Love Kills"

Unlike most Eurovision finals, this was a radio based show although there was a webcam available to show Roberto singing the song. There has obviously been some criticism about this as this obviously focuses too much on the sound of the song and not on the presentation - something integral to modern Euro songs.

The song is a slow building pop song with an up beat edge. The song needs to have a much bolder beat in the background as it doesn't grow and build as it possibly should. The break part in the middle is very weak and doesn't work as it stands. The final key change in the last chorus is obviously too much for Roberto as most of the last part is totally flat. Roberto has a nice voice but he does have quite a strong accent which can make listening to the song a little tricky.

One could say that the main positive about this selection is that it really cannot get any worse. With a bit of reworking in the song, a bit of extra practise and some presentation skills it might just get better. Don't book a hotel for Brussels, Antwerp or Hasselt in May next year.

Artist - Roberto Bellarosa
Song - Love Kills
Music - Jukka Immonen, Iain Farquharson, Andreas Anastasiou
Lyrics - Jukka Immonen, Iain Farquharson, Andreas Anastasiou
 

SWITZERLAND

The Swiss Final was held on December 15th at the Bodensee Arena in Kreuzlingen, hosted by Sven Epiney. The winner was chosen entirely by televoting and that was Heilsarmee with "You and Me".

As ever, the Swiss final was an entertaining show although almost all of the songs sung were not exactly Eurovision material. The clear winner is actually a Salvation Army band, which included a man on double bass who is in his 90's ! It was the stand out song however the standard was not particularly high.

 

The song has an anthemic quality to it, although it starts off more like Lordi. The chorus is quite memorable however the rest of the song is a bit shambolic. The two singers (one male one female) are very singers and have a good rapport. There is a whiff of Jonsi and Greta Salome about their partnership and it could do with their strength in performance. Overall the staging is a bit twee and static and possibly some more drama in the background.

 

However, the winner itself is still under some scrutiny. Because of the religious connotations of the entrant they have appaently been told to change their name AND they will not be allowed to perform in uniform, which is a bit of a shame really.

Artist - Heilsarmee
Song - You and Me
Music - Georg Schlunegger
Lyrics - Georg Schlunegger

 

BELARUS

Eurovision 2012 has offically kicked off with the first (well, possibly!) full song and singer chosen by Belarus !

The Belarussian Final was held in Minsk on December 7th, with the winner being chosen by a mixture of televoting and an "expert" jury.  The winner of "Eurofest" with a full points victory from bith jury and televote was last year's disqualified winner Alyona Lanskaya. Last year she won the final with a ballad but was then stripped of her ticket to Baku after vote rigging allegations. This year she returned with a very different song.

"Rhythm of Love" is an uptempo dance song (I have a feeling we'll have a lot of these this year) with a radio friendly feel and a bit of a Girls Aloud/Swedish production edge to it. The start of the song is quite strong and the verses are well paced but the chorus is a little bit lacklustre and a bit too rushed. It doesn't have the punch that the start seems to promise. She is not a bad singer, although the accent can seem a bit garbled at times, and she has good stage presence even when she is lying on the floor! Visually it is not bad and the dancers do add a strength the song needs.

Obviously at this stage it is hard to judge how well a song like this will do when there is nothing to compare it too, however I would suggest this is a "good but not good enough". By the end of the month we should have at least 5 songs and singers to compare her too.
Knowing Belarus, she may have won the vote, but will she be off to Malmo...?


Artist -Alyona Lanskaya
Song - Rhythm of Love
Music - Leonid Shirin, Yuri Vashchuk, A. Shirin
Lyrics - Leonid Shirin, Yuri Vashchuk, A. Shirin