SPAIN 2021

The Spanish Final (Destino Eurovisión 2021) was held on February 20th, hosted by Tony Aguilar & Julia Varela. The act selected to represent Spain in 2020, Blas Cantó, sang both songs and the winner was chosen by televoting & online voting which started on February 10th. The winning song was "Voy a quedarme" (I am going to stay)

Blas is alone on stage, dressed in black with his famous quiff. The stage starts off dark and smoke filled. An eclipse is captured on the video screen and as the song progresses we see the moon  which then becomes very bright. Below him lights come through this video floor possible mirroring the eclipse feature or maybe even to replicate the starry sky surrounding the moon. If anything a little bit more light on his face would be good and/or more longer close-ups.

The song unusually starts off acapella. This is an audacious way to start off the song as it could easily go awry with nerves or maybe even ear piece issues. However Blas shows great control and confidence and paves the way for the rest of the song. The backing track comes as the pre chorus commences although the backing in the chorus is still rather minimal and string led. At the end of the first chorus there is a shuddering moment where the beat, although slow, comes in under the song During the second prechorus/chorus backing vocalist become more prominent - and also rather annoying. Their constant ba-ba-ba-ing continues through the bridge and the last rendition of the chorus. The songs culmination ends just before the end of the chorus and concludes with Blas singing the last line in a similar way to how he began.

He has had a varied and successful career in his homeland. In his early days he even auditioned for Junior Eurovision, losing out to the eventual winner of the contest, Maria Isobel. He then had hits as part of the boyband Auryn and then has had a pretty successful solo career since they disbanded. His solo career has included some notable duets and collaborations as well as music in English as well as Spanish. He has appeared on my TV shows as a guest or as a participant and seems to be well thought of by those in the industry.

This is a really sweet ballad and Blas sings this sweetly and with real belief - even for those not able to understand a word of Spanish. The simplistic set up of the show suits the song although as we know the Spanish delegation have a bad habit of ruining perfectly good staging ideas. This is one they need to leave well well alone! In terms of the song, I would personally lose or quieten the backing singers as their monotonous ba-ba-ba-ing is extremely annoying and doesn't fit with the tone of the song, I might even be tempted to make a version even more string led and possibly hush the beat a little until the bridge. Compared to his 2020 entry this is a total step up. It has a great melody that you remember and recall straight away and suits Blas' voice to a tee without being too yodel-tastic. The song feels much more authentic and less faux-dramatic that "Universo" and I actually think this could cut through the chaos and busy-ness and be a nice oasis of calm in the final. 

ARTIST - Blas Cantó
SONG - Voy a quedarme (I am going to stay)
WRITING CREDITS - Blas Cantó, Dan Hammond, Dangelo Ortega, Leroy Sanchez

NORWAY 2021

The Norwegian Final (Melodi Grand Prix) was held on February 20th at the H3 Arena in Fornebu, Bærum, hosted by Silje Nordnes, Ronny Brede Aase & Kåre Magnus Bergh. 12 songs contested the final - the 5 semi final winners, 1 wild card and 6 preselected finalists, The winner, chosen by online and app in a number of different rounds, was TIX with the song "Fallen Angel" .

TIX is centre stage on a small circular plinth. He is dressed in gold urban clothing, gold jewellery, sunglasses, his customary TIX headband and a pair of wings (hence the title). He is joined on stage by 6 dancers who are also wearing wings but with horn type headdresses.  The dancers and TIX are connected by gold chains which are used in the choreography. The stage is mainly dark with a changing blue sky on the video screens and has the addition of some pryos near the end.

After a short intro, TIX starts with verse one which is very short and simplistic. Unusually the beat kicks in half way through the verse which makes your ears prick up a little. The beat then stops again for the build up to the chorus. This stop/start/stop motif continues on through the song, although annoying, does maintain your interest as you are never quite sure what is going to happen next. We then have verse two followed by an extended version of the chorus. We are then treated to a bridge, which repeats the name of the song and then we have another longer chorus preceded by a key change! The song then fades out just the way it faded in with the intro.

TIX is the alter ego of  Andreas Haukeland, and has been rather big in his homeland for the past 5 years. He has had numerous hits in Norway including two number one songs in 2020, however the majority of this success has been in the Norwegian language. In fact, in his premier performance of the song during the competition he sang this song in it's Norwegian form but changed it to the English version for the final. Internationally, he has also had a hand in writing prominent songs for Flo Rida and Ava Max. His styling is rather OTT and harks back to a kind of boyband over-confidence of the late 90s/early 2000s and seem very lavish and slightly up himself. This is is direct contrast to Andreas who has himself been open about his Tourettes and his mental heath.

The thing about this whole entry is, that on the face of it, it quite a tired - almost clichéd - type of song and singing style... and I'm not even talking about in Eurovision terms either! The whole visual production of the song makes it feel like it is a pastiche or a mickey take of this genre of  song. Taking it a step further it then also feels like it is parodying the contest itself. This all said and done, the song is not bad and is actually quite easy to get in your head. To that matter I feel that if this was a radio contest this would do very well. Once again I feel like this is very over produced and most of the time I couldn't tell where his voice was in the mix as the level of backing vocals was so high. As much as I would implore the team on this entry to rethink the staging and just tone it down a touch, I have a feeling this won't be happening. 

ARTIST - TIX
SONG - Fallen Angel
WRITING CREDITS - Andreas Haukeland, Mathias Haukeland, Emelie Hollow

FINLAND 2021

The Finnish Final (Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu) was held on February 20th at Mediapolis in Tampere, hosted by Antti Tuisku. The winner was chosen by telephone/app voting (75%) & an international jury (25%). The overwhelming victor was "Dark side" sung by the alternative rock band Blind Channel.

The staging for this is dark, shadowy and full of flashing lights. The band are dispersed about the stage - the drummer and keyboard player at the back, two guitarists at the sides and the main vocalists moving about the the front. They are all wearing different sorts of black outfits  and sporting a range of different hair styles and lengths. Behind on the video screen are close ups of the band members but they are all upside down (and it is PROPERLY upside down, not just the film being turned 180 - you can tell by their hair!) This is a very simple but effective of keeping the mind bending and unsettling feeling of the song through to the viewer.

The song starts off with a sinister pulsing beat and then bursts in with a strong guitar-led wall of sound with what is a shortened version of the chorus/post-chorus. The verse is more akin to a kind of Linkin Park-esque rap with a strong rock background with a lot of rise and fall in the background music. We return rather quickly to the chorus but this time a slightly longer version which doesn't seem quite as punchy as before. There is then another verse and another chorus in prety much similar style as before. At about 2 mins in we have a brief lull in proceedings with a sort of bridge which is delivered quite low and whispery and leads into a final full chorus and ends with a long screamy note to finish.

The band Blind Channel has been going for over 7 years having released several singles and albums, but it is only this song that has gained them any chart success in their homeland. As we all know, rock songs are something we have come to expect from Finland, being the basis of several of their entries this millennium. So, although this style of music is rarely heard at Eurovision, the fact it comes from Finland may make it slightly more palatable to the once a year viewer. Also, this song may also being going against the grain of the polished, overchoreographed 80's numbers and actually convey something a bit more 'real' or emotional. That said the lyrics are rather negative and somewhat violent and may not go down well with the public at large.

No matter if this you're style of music or not , this song makes an impact. There's probably not going to be anything else like this in the contest and so any rock fans will support this entry - see also Lordi and AWS. I also feel this will get support from other Nordic countries and Central European countries that also appreciate this genre of music. For many listeners, this will be a bit of a wake up call - wanted or unwanted - and could either signify an renewed interest OR a toilet break. On a different point this seemed a bit too polished. I am not convinced that some of the live vocals were as high up in the mix as they should have been. I personally feel that having a more gruff and less polished feel so a song like this gives it more life and emotion and this didn't give me that. So maybe if they can turn down the pre-recorded vocals(without making it too shouty and incomprehensible) and focus on the connection between the singers and the audience at home, this could do better than you think...

ARTIST - Blind Channel

SONG - Dark Side

WRITING CREDITS - Joel Hokka, Aleksi Kaunisvesi, Olli Matela, Niko Moilanen, Joonas Porko

CZECHIA 2021

The Czech song was revealed on February 16h, via a video premiere on youtube. The song had been chosen internally by the artist. Benny Christo, who was to be the Czech representative in 2020, will sing the song "Omaga"

The song was premiered as a video clip rather than a live performance so this is what I will have to base by opinions upon. Benny is seen singing the song to a girl, however he is actually inside the telly and she is a viewer! In a slightly "Take on Me" style, his hand comes through the TV and drags her in to join him. From then on Benny is seen singing the song in a number of different situations, all influenced by classic TV and film clips such as Forrest Gump, The Shining and The Simpsons to name just three. These are also interspersed with views of Benny in a vividly lit room, almost psychedelic, whilst he dances around.

The song starts with what turns out to be part of the chorus but has a slightly softer timbre. As verse one starts of the beat is pronounced, the lyrics are much more staccato and sounds like a half sung rap. This leads into the pre-chorus which has a very repetitive staccato rhythm and offers a moment of slight rest before going into the chorus that is really infectious and happy. Verse two merges with the pre chorus - but does contain one line of Czech! This then leads into another chorus but this time a slightly longer version. This ends with the over emphasised "Omaga" sequence. We then have a short respite with another longer pre-chorus before ending with long chorus. The beat fades out by the end and the whole thing unexpectedly finishes a word too early.

Many fans were introduced to Benny through his 2020 entry which was slightly divisive as its Afrobeat feel - and the many remixes thereof - didn't quite hit the mark with everybody. Benny is very well known in his homeland having been a contestant on "Česko Slovenská Superstar" and later becoming a judge on it. Looking back on his discography, most of his back catalogue has this contemporary r'n'b/pop mix but is mostly in the Czech language. This song certainly feels very much like a song he would make full stop never mind a song for Eurovision.

I personally feel very conflicted about this song, or maybe that should be 'I feel conflicted about why I feel conflicted. 'The fact is - am I judging this against the other songs in the competition or am I judging this against this song last year? There is no doubt that this is a great up-tempo dance song with a hell of a lot of character. With the right kind of staging I could see this really getting the attention of the televoters at home and possibly getting the right kind of vibe with any audience that night be in the hall itself.. That said it took me a good few listens to get properly into is and get though some of the lyrical conundrums (such as apocalypse rhyming with lips and Omaga being a very bad pronunciation of oh my god) For me personally "Kemama" takes a lot of beating and I was - and still am - a little disappointed that the 2 artists that had songs with African elements in 2020 have not brought back the feels from last year. That said, this one is definitely up there at this early stage. Maybe when he wins he can do "Kemama" as the reprise....?

ARTIST - Benny Cristo
SONG - Omaga
WRITING CREDITS - Ben Cristovao,  Filip Vlček 

CROATIA 2021

The Croatian Final was held on February 13th at the Marino Cvetkovic Sports Hall in Opatija, hosted by Daniela Trbovic, Barbara Kolar, Jelena Lešic & Doris Pincic. The winner was chosen by a 50-50 split of  televoting & 10 regional juries. The winning song was "Tick-tock" sing by Albina.

Albina spends most of the time centre stage wearing black boots, a black top and black strappy trousers. She is joined on stage by four similarly dressed male dancers who do some very energetic and armography-heavy dancing. Behind them, the stage has a lot of strobing/neon motifs which seems to be lending itself to the current 80s nostalgia feel however I actually feel more of a 90s leaning to parts of the production. She has long blonde hair, that does some great flicking, as well as a neon eyeline which fits in well with the background.

The song starts off with a very light intro with prominent glockenspiel type sounds. This then goes into a verse with the backing staying very much the same. As the verse builds up to the chorus, the backing track builds up too. Once into the chorus the beat drops again and the first part of the chorus is almost just a solitary beat under the singing, sort of underlying the name of the song. We are the treated to a rather awkwardly placed 'middle bit' which feels a bit like a verse but isn't and then another chorus. After a half a verse we go back to the chorus - once in Croatian then once in English to end. Under closer inspection it seems like more of the this song is based around the pre chorus/chorus/post chorus parts with random bits stuck around it.

On a continuing theme already, and to be a much repeated phrase this year, "Tick-tock" fits into the up-tempo electronic 80s retro feel that has been rather popular over the past 18 months. It is very radio friendly and repetitive the the prominence of the beat is very clever. The part in Croatian is a bit odd and stands out slightly as it pricks your ears up at the point where one's mind might wander off. It should also be added at this point that Albina is a very popular artist in Croatia having won "The Voice" and this familiarity of phoning up to vote for her would have been nothing different for her fans, followers and viewers.

On the face of it this is not a bad song, but it is also not a very good one either. Yes, it is really contemporary and radio friendly but nothing about how this song sounds stands out. Nothing screams 'vote for me' during the whole 3 minutes. This retro vibe is going to be big this year and there are already songs in the running that do this schtick better. Nothing about this song or performance is bad it just doesn't come across well. The lyrics are a little banal and simplistic and the backing track needs a point of pizazz for it to stand out from the crowd. In soon to be repeated phrase, the backing vocals are VERY high in the chorus to the point where you think 'is she singing or pretending to sing?' Yes I know that this is allowed this year but just because you can doesn't mean you should take advantage. I am also starting to wonder how many entries of this ilk it is going to take before I start wondering when they will start mushing together as one or cancelling each other out when it comes to voting...

ARTIST - Albina
SONG - Tick-tock
WRITING CREDITS - Tihana Buklijaš Bakić, Max Cinnamon, Branimir Mihaljević

LITHUANIA 2021

The Lithuanian Final was held on February 6th at the LRT TV Studios in Vilnius, hosted by Ieva Stasiuleviciute & Vytautas Rumšas. Before the final there two heats and a semi final. The winner was chosen by a 50/50 mix of televoting and jury. Going to Rotterdam are The Roop, who were to be the Lithuanian representatives last year, with their song "Discoteque".

The group are all wearing different outfits in a very lurid shade of yellow however the aesthetic is more memorable than off putting. The singer is front and centre with a dancer either side and then the two instrumentalists either side of them. There is a lot of movement going on but is all done is a very organised way which gives a sense or controlled chaos. The back ground uses three main colour pallets, White for the verse, purple for the chorus and a strobing chequerboard effect for the dance routine after the chorus.

We start in almost darkness with the main singer, Vaidotas, in silhouette doing a rather sinister whispery spoken intro. It is also here we hark back to their "On Fire" routine with a nod to the 'hand on the head' dance move from last years' entry. The lights then come on and we see the other two members of the Roop on either side of the stage. The first verse is quite unsteady as the camera sweeps round the stage causing confusion, which marries up with the lyrics, also Vaidotas's dancing is also very unbalanced. Just before the chorus they are joined by the male and female dancer. The chorus is highly choreographed and mirrors the staccato nature of the lyrics. the instrumental goes back to the chaotic and frenetic style before This then repeats with a longer instrumental part with what can only be described as 'fingerography' before the very last chorus.

Obviously the group were supposed to be the Lithuanian representatives last year and were one of the favourites. The song kind of fits in with the whole 80s nostalgia motif that has infiltrated music but I would also say this lends itself a fair bit more to the 70s - in particular the name of the track, the dance moves, the outfits and strobing brightly coloured background makes me think of the "Saturday Night Fever" OST. This song has enough different about it to make if different rom "On Fire" but structurally you can see and hear that it feel like one of their songs. The use of earwormy instrumentals, the ebb and flow of the backing track as well as the way the whole group seems to get their personality across.

Although this is pretty much a ready-to-go performance and song there are some small issues which may need looking at. Usually I would pick up on the prominent use of backing vocals. This year, being slightly different, the rules on backing vocals have changed and pre-recorded vocals are allowed. However this doesn't mean that it's 'OK'. There are points where the backing vocals are too prominent and it would be nice to hear as much of the live voices as possible. I don't want this year's Eurovision ruined by songs or singers where they are basically drowned out or where acts are accused of hiding behind or effectively miming to parts of the song.

This is a great song, and even more great as a Eurovision song. This works well as a radio friendly number but also as a stage show. The band know what they are doing and understand the purpose of the song. The stage show looks immense but also well managed and also have that aspect of having lyrics to singalong to and a dance routine to join in with. Hey, they even have a colour scheme that you can fashion yourself with too! This is easily an early front runner and could well be up at the top of the scoreboard in May

ARTIST - The Roop
SONG - Discoteque
WRITING CREDITS - M. Banišauskas, R. Baranauskas, Laisvūnas Černovas, Kalle Lindroth, Vaidotas Valiukevičius, Ilkka Wirtanen

UKRAINE 2021

The Ukrainian song was revealed on February 4th, via social media. Earlier in the process, it was announced that the song would be chosen by an internal jury from a final shortlist of  3 songs. GO_A,  the band who would have been the Ukrainian representative in 2020, will sing the song "SHUM". (Noise)

The song was released a few weeks earlier as a single by the band before it was revealed to be on the Eurovision shortlist. However as this was a jury led internal selection the video version is the only version we have, so this is the performance I will have to use to make my judgement. In the video the group and some extra dancers are on a hill overlooking a very misty and cold Kyiv. They are all dressed in white plastic protective outfits and transparent face visors. As well as close ups of the band singing and playing their instruments the other people can be seen joining in simplistic dance routines. It is a rather stark, if not memorable, visual.

The song starts with odd calling sounds almost like a squawking birdsong. As the song builds up the backing track slowly layers up too. The singer starts with what you might assume is a verse, but once through you realise the structure is a little more complicated than that. There are two main rhythms and tunes, which could be seen as verses or chorus) but almost work better as a single stand alone unit, or a 'stanza'. The song starts with two stanzas in quick succession, as the beat starts to penetrate the song, followed by a penny whistle led instrumental. There is then another stanza ending in a long high note which stops the beat but it comes back ever so slightly faster. After another 2 stanzas the beat exits again which leads in a long pulsing regrouping. The final 4 (yes - 4!!!) renditions of the stanza are done with a super quick and driving beat. The final stanza finishes with the long high note.

GO_A's style is one many Eurovision fans have become accustomed too. They marry folklore sensibilities with modern production values by using a range of traditional and electronic instruments. The song is based on Ukrainian folk songs and is interspersed with flute-led instrumentals over pulsating electronic beats. The short sharp stanzas have a repetitive structure which makes it really easy to stay in your head. The changes of tempo keep you wondering what is going to happen next and the slightly frantic ending implores you to join in and dance! Their style - vocally, musically and visually - is unique and this entry is no exception.

Once you hear the song, you realise changes will need to be made. The song, as published, is about a minute too long. However in a song where the 'stanzas' run at about 16 seconds each the repetitions at the end could be reduced as could some of the instrumental parts. There are also some questions about the lyrics. According to the band, they are based on folksongs and folklore and many wonder if they adhere to rule about lyrics being "100% original". I guess if the band are up for reviewing the set up of the song, they may also be up for adding new lyrics! I think the band know that this song has been looked at positively by their fans and Eurovision followers  and I honestly don't see why this would put a stop to Ukraine's 100% qualification run. On the plus side the links to their previous entry "Solovey" but this song pushes the envelope just a little bit further. Yes there is a lot of work to do but I feel like the finished article will be immense no matter the set up.

ARTIST - GO_A
SONG - SHUM/ШУМ (Noise)
WRITING CREDITS - Ihor Didenchuk, Kateryna Pavlenko, Taras Shevchenko

FRANCE 2021

The French Final was held on January 30th in Paris (Eurovision France, c'est vous qui décidez!) hosted by Stéphane Bern & Laurence Boccolini. The winner was chosen in two rounds of voting. Eight of the twelve would qualify through to round two with the top 7 chosen by televoting and 1 song chosen by the jury. From there, the winner was chosen by a 50/50 mix of televoting and jury. The winning song was "Voila" (There it is) by Barbara Pravi.

This was, considering the current situation, a full blown production with a small but technologically forward set and well set back audience. Barbara is centre stage dressed in simple black bodice and trouser suit with a statement silver belt around the middle. All of the tension and drama is created not only by her physical performance but also from the unusual camera angles and the use of spotlights and smoke to create movement.

The first line is done without a backing track and then the piano comes in. The tune on the verses is quite staccato, almost spoken, and not particularly memorable. Many of the words, however, are highly recognisable to anybody with basic smattering of French, which in itself is very clever tactic. The verses are rather non-descript and slightly flat but in an odd way this helps the chorus fly and create several stand out moments in the song. The first chorus is shortened and almost temps us with what is to come. There is a slight pause before the third verse which slows the pace down but as the final chorus comes to a conclusion it slowly speeds up to a thrilling ending which, although sudden, is not unpleasant.

The song is sung in very stylised style; slightly jazzy, slightly cabaret and feels unapologetically French without feeling like a pastiche or an angry rant. The instrumental does have an "Amelie" type feel, something which Patricia Kaas' entry also tried to encompass. Her voice is exceptionally clear and the emotion of the song is abundant in every word and movement she makes. Many have already made comparisons with Portugal's winning song from 2017 but this emotion is much more raw, piqued and possibly more aligned to the present world mood.

For me, though, the staging of this song on the night was the real secret weapon. The positioning of spotlights from different angles, the use of the video floor and the slightly intrusive and jittery camera work created real mood and tension. Moreover, at a time when we do not know which scenario will be used to ensure Eurovision takes place, this particular setting is an evergreen. Wherever this performance takes place, this staging will work. It would work in a room full or half full of people or as a static recorded performance in an empty room. This is a very individual song and will work well on one listen. It is certainly a step up from last year's dirge.... Can Barbara make this a double - a French Junior AND Adult Eurovision win ...?

ARTIST - Barbara Pravi
SONG - Voilà (Here)
WRITING CREDITS - Barbara Pravi, Igit, Lili Poe

ISRAEL 2021

The Israeli song was revealed on January 25th, via a special show (HaShir Shelanu L'Eurovizion) hosted by Lucy Ayoub. Before the final there was a semi-final where the long list of 9 was whittled down to a final of 3. The winner was chosen by online & app voting which started on January 19th. Eden Alene, who was to be the Israeli representative in 2020, will sing the song "Set me free".

The show, unfortunately was not a 'live' show and the winning song was only seen as a video clip so this is what I will be using to review. Eden Alene is dressed in white and has some very distinctive make up and hair styling. She certainly looks very dynamic and this is made more interesting by the dancers around her dressed mostly in back with picture frames of lights surrounding their head and shoulders. This framing is every eye catching and keeps Eden Alene firmly in the centre of attention

The song starts with a brief intro then straight into a shortened version of the chorus, albeit a rather low key version. This is always a clever tactic as it gets this key part of the song firmly locked in your hear within seconds. The backing track has a very strong beat and has a great use of sythy-strings to create moments between the singing. The verses are much more spiky and show Eden's personality much more than the chorus. Here, the pace slows ever so slightly although this change of style and tempo shows the diverse range she has to her voice. There is then a rather prolonged post-chorus which also contains lines in Hebrew. During the second verse the backing track changes slightly to a slightly more dancehall rhythm which really perks your ears up. After a third verse the very last chorus starts with a key change - jut in case you forgot it's a Eurovision song - then finishes with a final "Just set me free".

The song itself has a great contemporary feel and would not feel out of place on many radio stations around the world. In addition, most Eurovision fans are pretty confident that Eden Alene will perform the hell out of this physically and vocally although there are obviously numerous questions about potential staging ideas. After numerous listens, the song starts to feel more like a collection of bits that don't quite flow together. In particular I am puzzled at the prevalence of the 'Imma make it on my own" part which almost seems to overpower and overshadow the chorus, as well as take up a rather large part of the song's time limit. The ending also feels rather sudden.

On the face of it, this is a solid effort and something that very much fits into the modern scope of Eurovision. Instinctively one wants to compare this to "Feker Libi" and this new song really isn't at that level. Personally, I don't like the way it slows down for the chorus or how long the post-chorus goes on for. I feel like something with a a more constant pace would suit Eden's personality more as well as create more flow for the listener. There is time, however, to finalise the backing track as well as making the best possible stage show, although having seen how much effort has gone into the development fo the tracks and video, I don't think this will be the case.

ARTIST - Eden Alene
SONG - Set Me Free
WRITING CREDITS - Ron Carmi, Amit Mordechai,  Ido Netzer, Noam Zaltin

ALBANIA 2021

The Albanian Final (Festivali i Këngës) was held on December 23rd at Sheshi Italia in Tirana, hosted by Blendi Salaj & Jonida Vokshi. Before the final there was a semi-final where the long list of 25 was reduced to 18. The winner was chosen solely by a jury. The winning song was "Karma" sung by Anxhela Peristeri.

Anxhela is centre stage for most of the performance wearing a sparkly beige/coral number consisting of long sleeves, pronounced shoulders and a shredded skirt. The top half looks good in close up but the bottom could be a little more imaginative. Her dancers are wearing gold and black catsuits with matching bandana and capes which seems rather incongruous with Anxhela's outfit AND the theme of the song. The stage colouring seems to mix red and blue with a number of different motifs but none are prominent.

The song starts with a rock-guitar led call to action with Anxela blasting loud and clear like a fog horn followed by a guitar riff but soon settles down into something much more mellow. The first verse is very sparse and punctuates the syllables and expression in Anxela's voice. It seamlessly goes into the chorus which has the warbly earworm from the introduction but uses a softer tone to her voice. This leads to a brief instrumental mirroring the tune of the chorus and four dancers crawl onto the stage next to her. From here the song gets a little less static and more powerful.

During the second verse/chorus combination the background music is more pronounced and more instruments join in. Anxhela is also engaging more with the camera; swaying and bending to the music. As the song enters its final minute there is another instrumental this one much more drum based and has the backing singers chanting away on top. During this part Anxhela is tossed and turned between the backing singers before being lifted above their heads. This gives Anxhela enough time to do one more rendition of the chorus before the song finishes rather abruptly.

Positively, there are very few occasions that a song with wins the Albanian national final is exactly the right length to go to Eurovision, so this means we don't have to worry about parts being cut out or awkwardly phrased. We also know that the song is being kept in Albanian, which I think is a good move. The ethnic instrumentation may have felt jarring with English lyrics on top so keeping it as it is will keep it feeling natural. Some tweaks will need to be made to the stage show depending on the different options of how Eurovision will be presented this year. I think work needs to be done on all of the outfits - especially the backing dancers!

This is quite expected Festivali i Këngës fayre and is not a bad bar to judge the rest of the Eurovision entries to come. Personally, although the tune (particularly the chorus) is memorable there is a lack of flow. The tempo is a little safe and predictable and I would almost be tempted to experiment with trying the song out a tad quicker or slower to see if it changes the emphasis of the song and maybe give more direction for the staging and dancers. That all said and done, knowing that they don't really need to do much to the song in essence, just wait for the devamp....

ARTIST - Anxhela Peristeri
SONG - Karma
WRITING CREDITS - Kledi Bahiti, Olti Curri