ESTONIA 2023

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

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

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

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

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

ARTIST - Alika

SONG - Bridges

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

CZECHIA 2023

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

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

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

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

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

ARTIST - Vesna

SONG - My sister's crown

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

SPAIN 2023

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

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

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

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

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

ARTIST - Blanca Paloma

SONG - Eaea

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

NORWAY 2023

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

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

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

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

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

ARTIST - Alessandra Mele

SONG - Queen of the Kings

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

SLOVENIA 2023

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

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

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

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

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

ARTIST - Joker Out

SONG - Carpe Diem

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

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IRELAND 2023

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

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

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

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

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

ARTIST - Wild Youth

SONG - We Are One

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

BELGIUM 2023

The Belgian final "Eurosong 2023" was held on January 14th at Paleis 12 in Brussel and was presented by Peter Van de Veire. In the week leading up to the final, the seven acts performed their 2 potential entries in full then self selected their favourite to perform on the Saturday night final. The winner was chosen by a 50/50 split of televoting and jury ranking. Going to Liverpool is Gustaph singing "Because of You"

Stef Caers - also known under the pseudonyms of Steffen or Gustaph -  is a singer, musician, producer and singing teacher. Back in 2000 he released "Gonna Lose You" which placed number 22 on the Flemish Ultratop chart. He then released a small number of songs - solo and in collaboration-  but with less commercial success. From then on his focus shifted to production and songwriting but also kept up some stage work by playing piano and providing backing vocals for other acts and DJing.  In the mid 2010s he worked with the dance music group Hercules & Love Affair providing some vocals and writing credits on their album "The feast of the broken heart". He also currently teaches pop, rock and jazz courses at schools in his home town of Gent. Gustaph is no stranger to the Eurovision experience. He was a backing singer for both Sennek and Hooverphonic although both times he was off stage.

Gusaph is centre stage dressed in his trademark wide brimmed hat, an extremely frilly pink shirt and a black and pink patterned over jacket. His is backed by 2 singers (who had live mics) dressed in black who weave their way around the stage at different points and add real power to the song. Words from the lyrics are interspersed on the backdrop with shots of dancers in shadow and close ups of the artists. The song begins with a version of the chorus but under a pino backing. but soon this is joined by a '90s club beat and synthesized ear worm. The song follows a verse-pre chorus-chorus formula twice over before a slower bridge and then a final elongated chorus to finish. 

Gustaph's soulful voice suits this retro dance tune very well and performs the whole thing with gusto and confidence. He moves well although I feel his chorography could be a lot more over the top without straying too far away from his gestural moves. His sartorial choices are eye-catching if not a little odd but seemed rather tame compared to some of the other finalists on show. The whole concept could be easily worked on and I think the backdrop in particular is very apt to the sound and feel. The two backing singers add some well needed interaction. I almost feel like they should add more backing singers to the mix to really emphasise that ensemble approach. It also goes against the new notion of backing vocals on tape!

During the final Gustaph scored only 3rd with the juries but clear 2nd with the public vote, However, because of the way the other votes went he ended up winning the final by one point. The pre-final fan faves ended 3rd and 4th. There seemed much consternation at this 'accidental' win but the diversity of the finalist's songs were echoed in the distribution of all the votes. Gustaph had a solid and accessible performance. There is a familiarity to the genre and Gustaph also seems like a very likeable and talented person. One also needs to remember that the juries are now no longer voting in the semifinal. Having a solid audience score will probably be enough to qualify - and I hope it does too.

ARTIST - Gustaph

SONG - Because of you

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Jaouad Alloul, Stef Caers

ALBANIA 2023

The Albanian final "Festivali i Këngës" was held on December 22nd at the Palace of Congress in Tirana, hosted by Arbana Osmani. In the days before the final there were two semi-finals which whittled down the field of 26 to 21. In a change to previous editions, although the winner of the festival was determined by the jury vote, the act going to Eurovision would be chosen solely by the SMS voting during the show. Going to Liverpool will be Albina and Familja Kelmendi with the song "Duje"(To Love)

Albina Kelmendi was born in Kosovo and performed with her family from a young ages and came to prominence during the 2014 edition of The Voice Albania where she was the runner up. She has released many songs as had collaborated with numerous Albanian artists over the years but it was only until 2022 when she released her first solo album. It was then announced that Albina, backed by five of her family members, would be participating in Festivali i Këngës

The song begins with Albina centre stage dressed in a black cloak and starts with what seems like a good 30 seconds of familial Albanian wailing. Underneath this the guitar starts revving up and the song finally starts proper. The drum beat keeps the song going through the verse which doesn't really go anywhere. However, the songs changes as the two older members of the family, dressed in white, start on the chorus - a much more memorable part of the song. There is then a brief instrumental accompanied by some simplistic shimmying before another rendition of the verse. We then have an elongated final chorus with Albina becoming very impassioned and finishing the song knelt down on the floor.

This entry caters very well for the home-based FiK audience but as an outsider this song is rather impenetrable. For me, the song only gets going during the repetition of the chorus and that is far too late. The song is on the cusp of the 3 minute mark - rather short compared to many entries chosen from FiK -  so this bodes well for a sympathetic glow up. It needs a clearer direction musically although the use of the orchestra during the festival can give songs a different sound compared to the studio version. It also needs to be much more striking visually with more made of the family aspect of the act and the song, Many of the other members on stage looked scared and unsure on stage and maybe more definite staging would help e.g. the hand movement during the chorus really makes the group look and feel like a cohesive unit. It has already been confirmed the song will stay in Albanian which is a smart move. This song has hints of promise but right now lacks clear direction and personality. 

For me this song is all about that chorus. Shorten the warbling at the start and make the second verse shorter, there might be more space to add more parts of the chorus and make a bigger feature at the end. Unfortunately Albania has a habit of ruining its Eurovision songs either in the revamp/shortening process or by making the stage show more complicated. This song is currently too muddled and takes too many listens to become familiar enough to remember. That all said, there is something charming and lovely about a family performing together. I hope it can be pulled together to make something more notable.

ARTIST - Albina and Familja Kelmendi

SONG - Duje (To Love)

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Enis Mullaj, Eriona Rushiti

UKRAINE 2023

The Ukrainian final "Vidbir" was held on December 17th at Maidan Nezalezhnosti Metro Station in Kyiv, hosted by Timur Miroshnichenko, Kateryna Pavlenko and Zlata Ognevich. The winner was chosen by a 50-50 mix of jury and audience vote. Going to Liverpool will be Tvorchi with the song "Heart Of Steel"

Andrii Hutsulyak and Geoffrey Kenny have been working as the group Tvorchi - sometimes stylised as TVORCHI - since they met as students at university. Their first song was released in 2017. Since then they have participated in song competitions and have 4 albums to date. In 2020 they participated in Vidbir with the song "Bonfire" and in 2021 they won three YUNA awards

Although the national final was set in an underground metro station the production values were first rate. Andrii with a keyboard was on one side of the stage while Geoffrey was stood slightly obscured in the gaps between four large projection screens. After the first verse and chorus they are joined on stage by two dancers wearing boiler suits and stylistic gas masks. There is then another verse followed by an elongated chorus repeating the title of the songs and then the song just kind of ends.
This entry makes for an interesting addition to the final. The visual identity of the song - incorporating the visuals, lighting and outfits - is good but could be made even stronger.  The use of projections, in particular with the dancers, is very clever and could easily be scaled up for the Eurovision final. In fact I feel like they broke the magic of this trick far too early and could be extended to add even more optical illusions. I also suspect they many need to tone down or change some of their more pointed symbolism such as the children in gas masks.

This has such a different feel from the more folky-inspired numbers of Kalush Orchestra and GO_A however this vibe is possibly more contemporary and indicative of a more RnB feel. Personally I found this song very hard to get into and remember although many people in the ESC community have had some very strong immediate feels for this song too. That said after a few weeks of bedding this the song has very much grown on me. Part of me wishes that the song was either a little quicker or progressed musically a little more than it does. The song is also quite short at just over the 2;30 mark. I am not hinting that they should mess around with the structure of the song but something somewhere could be added but I am not sure what. It's going to be quite the moment when it appears in the final.

ARTIST - Tvorchi
SONG - Heart Of Steel
WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Andreas Stone Johansson, Sebastian Schub, Thomas Stengaard, Anderz Wrethov 

FARTY OR PARTY - a jESC review!

 Well we let the boy name the podcast... we'll never do that again!

Here's me (Ann) the husband (Andy) and the boy (Marcus) in his podcast debut looking at the Junior Eurovision songs of 2022. For those of you 'new' to this in the UK , the contest will be live on Sunday 11th December on BBC1 and CBBC. Remember that you can vote online via https://junioreurovision.tv/ from Friday the 9th - and you can vote for ANY of the entries EVEN YOUR OWN !!!!! 

EPISODE 1 - Ireland, Malta, Kazakhstan, Italy and United Kingdom!

https://archive.org/details/fop-2201

EPISODE 2 - France, Albania, Spain, Poland and Georgia!

https://archive.org/details/fop-2202

EPISODE 3 - Portugal, Netherlands, Armenia, Serbia, North Macedonia and Ukraine!

https://archive.org/details/fop-2203a

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