#look. i love eurovision. okay. BUT ISRAEL. FUCKING ISRAEL.

[outlying-hyppocrate]

why is eurovision trending. stop it.

[ryttu3k]

Semi-final votes and comments, now in finals order! First, the scores I gave them, with a reminder that these can and absolutely do change between semi and final.

10/12: Australia 8/12: Norway, Portugal, Moldova, Finland, Slovenia, Albania, Austria 7/12: Serbia, Sweden, Czechia, Belgium, Lithuania, Poland, Armenia 6/12: Israel, Cyprus 5/12: Croatia 4/12: Switzerland, Estonia

No numerical score for the auto qualifiers.

And, my initial comments!

Austria: Okay, this one is making me grin and is also pretty catchy. 8/12 just for doing something genuinely different!

Portugal: Oh shit this is fun. Energetic torch song in Portuguese with a red dress I'm pretty sure the singer nicked from Conchita Wurst (complementary). I'm into it! 8/12

Switzerland: Oh no, a Heavy Topic Song™. Listen I respect it but is it really Eurovision? 4/12

Poland: I feel like I'm watching an aerobics video from the 90s. Produced in Spain. Which is odd, since they're Polish. On the other hand, I am jiggling my leg! Maybe it's Second Semi Final Syndrome's lower standards? 7/12

Serbia: Staging is really strong this year! Oh we're straight video game now. Wasn't sure at first but it's definitely growing on me! 7/12

France: I'm giving them nul points based solely on being a Mr Bean enjoyer. Okay no it's not bad. Ballady vibes but could be a banger.

Cyprus: Australia's back-up entry! He came 7th in the selection show last year (Voyager came second). …yeah no dull. Oh well. 6/12

Spain: Yeah I'm gonna have to wait to see the whole thing, but looks interesting. Maybe not my thing, but interesting!

Sweden: Loreen is back, too! I do wonder about this, previous winners returning tends not to play out great unless you're Johnny Logan. …It is a bit panini press, yeah XD Yeah honestly I'm not feeling this, definitely not as much as Euphoria, which I goddamn adored. It's still really solid, it's just lacking something? I suspect it'll win XD;; 7/12

Albania: Oh there's the drama. Not in English, rad costumes! 8/12

Italy: Eh, doesn't really do much for me.

Estonia: Nifty a cure for the fact that I've been awake for nearly two hours and it's only 5:20 AM. *faceplants on the keyboard 4/12

Finland: “When your sleeves say Met Gala but your chest says Vicks VaporRub.” The fan favourite! You go dude bust out of that box. I'm not actually 100% sold on it musically, but the presentation is top notch. Oh hey I really dig that last bit, actually! Rainbows! 8/12

Czechia: Oh these visuals slap. Not 100% sold on the song itself but the presentation is really cool. 7/12

Australia: Yeah here we go! Honestly so glad we're closing the show. Very synthwavey vibes but like, synthwave goes rock. And our old friend, the wind machine! And a keytar! Fuck yeah that's a closer! 10/12

Belgium: God this gets points just for not making me fall asleep. The Ballroom vibe is fun as hell too. 7/12

Armenia: Oh god this is so slow. Armenia, it's 5:13 AM, it's too early for a slow song. There we go, picked up! Yeah, aside from the slow start, this works. 7/12

Moldova: Welcome back, Pasha! I did love Lăutar. Oh shit this is fun as hell, really digging the staging and costuming, it's got some fun folky elements but amped up. 8/12

Ukraine: It's kind of giving 90s boy band, alas.

Norway: Oh this is a strong start! Costuming is dramatic, it's got energy, I dig it! Oof, that high note didn't quite hit, though. 8/12

Germany: ‘Blood and Glitter' is a hell of a title. They look like they're gonna be fun as hell!

Lithuania: Slow start, but some big vocals to save it a bit. I'm sorry I'm so tired. 6/12

Israel: It feels listenable but in the most generic way possible? Like, “Okay, start with interesting visuals, put some soaring vocals in, now do a rap bit, now do a dance, now end with pyros!” Like objectively I'm not sure there's anything wrong with it but it just feels… generic!! 6/12

Slovenia: Points for not English + I kinda want the lead singer's shirt + it's funky + band! With instruments! It's certainly no Maneskin, but yeah, definitely favourite of the night so far! 8/12

Croatia: Myf (Australian commentator) just described them as bonkers so I am eagerly awaiting this. …It is indeed bonkers! Not sure about the weird military-esque vibe but it's also giving somewhat cheerleader? Okay this is basically nigh unlistenable but it does get Bonkers Points™. 5/12

United Kingdom: It's certainly not bad! It's just very… more of the same, I guess?

So starting out with a really fun one, Australia and Finland have not-great places in the very middle of the pack, and we're ending with something very… samey. Well, we'll see how it goes!

[esc-is-holding-me-hostage]

The annual pre-show quick-fire "reviews"

Guess who procrastinated for a month and a half on this post!

Albania An Albanian song starting with a woman going "AaAaAAaaaAAAAA"? Groundbreaking. Duje is a very run-of-the-mill Albanian folk power ballad and at this point, I'm kinda tired of these.

Armenia Music good, lyrics clunky.

Australia It is, dare I say, alright.

Austria A song that everyone thought is gonna be a musical shitpost turned out to be an absolute fucking banger, god bless.

Azerbaijan I'm not sure whether I actually like it a bit or it's just me being happy that Azerbaijan has finally let local artists write their song. Now wait until the twins flop and Azerbaijan goes back to swedes-for-hire next year.

Belgium It's fine.

Croatia Is it weird that I don't have much to say about a song like this? Mama ŠČ is shocking the first time you experience it, and I do like the layers of interpretation, but it's not something I want to return to after a couple listens.

Cyprus Imagine Dragons-ass production, ugh.

Czech Republic It's pretty good but I can't fully enjoy it because of the fucking controversy. Look, I think that the girls had the best intentions in mind when writing My Sister's Crown but didn't realize that singing about Slavic unity and "choose love over power" while having a russian member might come off as problematic. Classic ignorance over malice. Still, I wish they had someone Ukrainian-speaking in the band, at least temporarily for ESC.

Denmark This type of "uwu cute softboy" music is not my thing, but eh, it's fine, I'll let zoomer kids have this one.

Estonia Well someone had to fill the ballad quota this year.

Finland It's crazy, it's party, I'm going to throw hands if it doesn't win the televote.

France Fulenn flopped so now we're back to being aggressively French. Evidemment is a bop, I like it.

Georgia It feels like they had a song that made sense in Georgian and then asked a third-grader to translate it. I'm not opposed to silly lyrics in general, but Echo is clearly trying to be meaningful but then fails at basic english grammar.

Germany "We have Rammstein at home". Blood and Glitter is fine but, I dunno, it feels a bit too "smoothed out". It just doesn't go hard enough (bold words from a Slovenia stan, I know).

Greece The most remarkable thing about this entry for me is that I've been watching Eurovision for longer than Victor has been alive.

Iceland Wish Diljá stuck with the Icelandic version.

Ireland I didn't mind We Are One at first but with every listen it just kept getting worse. This is such a formulaic, cliche, cheesy love-love-peace-peace wet napkin of a song. I've already complained about Portion Boys making a generic "eurovision unity anthem" for UMK but at least they tried to be funny. This one feels like a lazy attempt to game the system WITHOUT KNOWING HOW THAT SYSTEM ACTUALLY WORKS.

Israel My god, so much hype before the song's release and we got this? There are so many parts in this song but somehow forgot to put in a proper chorus, it's like Sekret all over again.

Italy L'essenziale is the one Italian ESC song that I always forget about. And now Due Vite is bound to join it. Eh, at least my mom loves it.

Latvia Didn't care about it when the Supernova songs first dropped, but now I'm vibing with it so much.

Lithuania It's okay ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. The "Čiūto tūto"s saved it from being totally forgettable.

Malta Somehow they've managed to find a half-decent song in the pile of garbage that was MESC. It's alright but I wish that I liked it more.

Moldova So "token pagan rave song of the year" is a thing now, huh? Glad to see Pasha's back.

The Netherlands It starts off really boring, but picks up around the second verse and becomes pretty good by the end.

Norway I think I like it but for some reason, my brain doesn't register it as a song??? It's hard to explain, but I don't see Queen of Kings as something you would listen to without some kind of visuals.

Poland Ughhhh. It's basically impossible to judge Solo on its own merit, but I'll try. And my impartial judgment is: I don't like it. Rigged selection or not, I just hate this kind of songs in general.

Portugal One of those songs that I like a lot but don't have anything specific to say about.

Romania The song's okay, and the vocals are good, but the staging is just beyond tacky. Dude, you can't pull off this type of cool, sexy image while looking like a wimpy history major freshman who barely ever shows up to class.

San Marino ... I'm a Piqued Jacks apologist now. Yeah, the lyrics are cringe, but the music? I enjoy it absolutely unironically.

Serbia "I just wanna close my eyes And just get it over with"

Yeah, dude, me too. The most relatable song of the year.

Slovenia I've jumped on the Joker Out hype train as soon as they were announced as Slovenia's participants and I'm riding that train all the way to Liverpool. Favorite song of the year.

Spain Hey, spaniards have finally gotten an artsy song about motherhood as their ESC entry! I have similar feelings about Eaea as I did about In Corpore Sano last year: absolutely mesmerizing on stage, but not something I would listen to casually.

Sweden She's gonna win, ain't she? I mean, Tattoo is fine, and the staging elevates it immensely, but it's such a predictable winner. I want more INTRIGUE, okay?

Switzerland Oh wow, boring AND tone-deaf? Switzerland is breaking new ground this year. I initially placed Watergun 31st but since then it sunk to the very bottom. Like, someone wrote this song, sat on it for several years, and decided that NOW is the best time to send it to Eurovision. Nothing against Remo, but "war bad, i don't want to go to war :c" is uhhh, rich coming from someone living in fucking Switzerland.

Ukraine I can't shake the thought that they first came up with a standard "I'm so cool, you can't hurt me, idgaf" song and then retroactively tried to give it a deeper meaning.

United Kingdom I don't even think it's a bad song and yet I lowkey hate it. It's the beat, it's driving me nuts for some reason. People hate the spoken word part, but I like it because you don't hear that bloody "dun-da-da-dun" for once.

[docholligay]

13. United Kingdom

This is one of my daughter’s favorites, because she’s two and also europop trash. She seems (seems) to like Israel slightly more, but she’s a toddler and can’t quite use the ranker yet. I also knew @verbforverb was going to like this the SECOND it came out.

I have mentioned that I try very very hard, and sometimes fail, at letting the personalities of the singers get to me in any measurable way, because I’m not asking someone to be likeable, I’m asking them to sing.

I ABSOLUTELY fail with Mae Muller. There are so many things I hate about this song. I hate the accent levelling* until the JARRING jump where she talks like a person in her Spice Girls Spoken word moment, I hate that the song sounds like a 3 minute commercial jingle that you can’t get out of your head (as jetty put it), I hate the lyrics, I hate it all.

But goddamnit. I LOVE Mae Muller. I HATE that I like her so much. She did a pretty terrible job in Barcelona, really, and immediately the next day put out a short of her running through the airport that said “Me fleeing Barcelona after [twitterid] said my vocals flopped last night (I’m sick!)” and I laughed and I hated that I laughed. She is funny and engaging on stage, and she is honestly like, sorry verb you’ve been replaced by a new British Jewish mess I’d like to get drunk with (Actually, come along, i think it’ll take both of us to wrangle her). She’s tacky and I KNOW she’s a sloppy drunk and I am SO MAD about how much I like her and I want her to do well. DESPITE HATING EVERYTHING ABOUT HER SONG. RAGE.

And she was fucked from the word go by TAP music, who, so there was this huge rumor that Rina Sawayama was going to be tapped to be the Eurovision rep. It was never going to happen. It was a FUCKING PIPE DREAM. Rina has actual things to do with her life (affectionate). This was rumored even to be her song, I think it JUST hit the line for being viable:

Would I have loved that? Yeah, I absolutely would have. But it was never going to happen, and of course Rina played along, and they took WAY  too long to announce Mae, and honestly...they could have just candidly said, “Okay we promise it’s not Rina, we can’t wait for you to see who we picked” ANyway Mae was IMMEDIATELY thrown into a situation where she was a disappointment, which is SO UNFAIR to an artist no matter how I feel about them.

And she’s basically just made it her business to charm the shit out of every human being who comes into contact with her. I worry about her some, in that I fucking wish she would stop trying to dance and sing. She can’t do it. She loses her breath. Like, work on your cardio, but for now, STAND STILL. I doubt she’ll flop, but she’s closing the whole show and I would hate for her to put in a disappointing result (BECAUSE SHE’S CHARMED ME) because no one is paying attention to her actual abilities. She’s also changed the Spice Girls Moment and I don’t like the revamp as much.

*Every time I say this, someone says this isn’t a real thing, and this is just what singing is like, and, no, it isn’t. I have linked people papers and articles and I’m tired of doing that for shit you can hear with your own ears. It’s a noted observable fact in music, particularly mainstream music, it’s called accent levelling, and it is true and real even if that fact annoys you because maybe you or someone you love do it subconsciously. It’s a strange midwest-atlantic American mix that’s been more and more codified since the 80s, and, I also do it and I don’t care for that either! Look no further than singers like Billy Bragg or Steve Earle or Dave Carter, or to use a better known example, Lily Allen, to see it doesn’t actually have to be that way! It’s due to a series of media based and sociocultural factors, and also pressure from mainstream record companies to ‘sound mainstream’ but it’s not just how people sing. I said I wasn’t going to link, but here’s a very straightforward article from the guy who literally wrote the Cambridge Dictionary of the English Language and also was chair of his department in Reading for ten years, also wrote a great book about English pronunciation. Link.

[dawningfairytale]

"in no particular order" i will look for a pattern later

croatia: FUCK YEAH KEEP EUROVISION WEIRD (not my fave but i love that it's in the final. on principle.)

moldova: GOOD FOR YOU KING

switzerland: hey i did enjoy it i'm pretty happy about it!!!

finland: i mean no shit but YESSSSSSSSSSS

czechia: YOU GO GIRLIEPOPS

israel: LOOK I REALLY LIKED IT OKAY LOVE THAT FOR HER and me tbh

portugal: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

sweden: wow. i'm shocked. who could've predicted that?

serbia: THIS ONE'S FOR YOU @manuscripts-don-t-burn

norway: VERY happy for her but i felt so bad for ireland and latvia who just. knew.

"a few surprises there" my dude these are all the songs predicted to qualify on eurovisionworld's betting odds compilation. at least this year i think they didn't put the winner as the 10th qualifier. and, hopefully, we won't have another sekret situation.

finallye, petition to get myf to stop saying "vaginal windmill"

[fireladybuckley]

We’re going to be watching the Eurovision final tomorrow but I haven’t seen any of the entries at all, so @firemedicdiaz and I are watching through all the countries that didn’t make it.  Figured I’d post some reactions for the hell of it.  In alphabetical order, I guess.

Semi-Final Round 1

Albania Sekret - Ronela Hajati Well... that was interesting, anyway.  Not my kinda song.  Those pants are fire though.

Austria Halo - Lum!x feat. Pia Maria Honestly this is a banger!  I quite like it, very catchy.  I’m guessing they didn’t make it because her voice was a bit off but I genuinely like it.  Will be adding this to my playlists probably.

Bulgaria Intention - Intelligent Music Project Dammit why are there already two good songs that didn’t make it?  This is a very safe rock song but I dig it.  Definitely better than any ballad imo.

Croatia Guilty Pleasure - Mia Dimšić Song’s decent.  I was cracking up at the beginning because that guy in beige was just standing there looking kinda pensieve.  

Denmark The Show - REDDI Ah.  A ballad.  As far as ballads go, it’s not terrible.  I like the lyrics.  But colour me meh’d. OH WAIT - It’s picking up.  Okay I like this a lot more.  Always love a fakeout lmao.

Okay I take it all back I like this a lot.  WHY WAS THIS CUT?!

Latvia Eat Your Salad -  Citi Zēni Oh wow.  I knew about this song going in but I had no idea the performance was going to be like that.  The colours!  The energy!  Fucking ESC committee or whoever the fuck you are COWARDS.  This shit is primo Eurovision and absolutely should’ve been in the final.   Amazing.

Slovenia Disko - LPS Non english so I can’t comment on the lyrics but I like the energy and it’s super boppy.  Another one that maybe should’ve made it through?!  What the hell is going to be in the final?  If it’s a bunch of ballads I’mma be pissed.

----

Semi Final Round 2

Cyprus Ela -  Andromache Oh Venus, interesting.  I appreciate the aesthetic but I don’t care for the song.  Don’t really care that this one didn’t make it.

Georgia Lock Me In - Circus Mircus WHY.  This clown thing is so creepy AF.  I initially liked the song (it gets very annoying after a while) and that flower beard is amazing but I cannot get behind those giant clown images.  But just... why.

Ireland That’s Rich - Brooke Decent lyrics I suppose.  Not bad, but kinda forgettable imo.  

Israel I.M. - Michael Ben David Getting serious Adam Lambert vibes here hah.  Big energy, flashing lights, catchy, gay AF... I’m honestly surprised this one didn’t get through.

Malta I Am What I Am - Emma Muscat Good lyrics.  Not a bad song.  Feels a bit generic musicwise, but definitely not terrible.

Montenegro Breathe - Vladana Very nice aesthetic between the outfit and the lights.  Song is fine I guess, just boring.

North Macedonia Circles - Andrea I’m not really sure what to make of this song.  Getting kinda confusing vibes between her look and the song itself.   It’s okay.   Loving her hair though.

San Marino Stripper - Achille Lauro Um... I... I don’t even know what to say about this one.  I feel like they’re trying to do what Maneskin did with such success last year and failing miserably.  Super overkill with the bull and the flames imo.

Love that purple guitar though.

--------

Can’t wait for the finals tomorrow!!  I am excited :D

[deep-hearts-core]

2005 - semifinal

originally posted 7/21/20

Austria It's cute at best. I like the girl singer's voice here, and I love the traditional Alpine folk music that's being used as a base for this. Not a particularly strong number though. Seemed like maybe the singers were off-beat during the chorus? Or maybe the instrumental was just poorly assembled. Either is possible. Lithuania Little By Little doesn't suck. The styling here is fucking awful - Laura's outfit, hair, and makeup made it difficult for me to watch her. Her voice is also not a favorite of mine; while she doesn't have a bad voice, she was on key and all that, it just felt like rough going, like she wasn't particularly well trained. The song itself is actually pretty good though. Portugal That fucking sucked. People voted for this? I'm sorry, I just can't believe that. The vocals here were TERRIBLE, bad enough that I can't even comment on the quality of the song because I cannot for the life of me parse out a vocal line. I don't know if they were having problems with their mics or what, but every other word they sang was missing. The staging was equally terrible. It was hella unsynchronized and just made the stage look crowded.

Moldova  I can't tell if this song is supposed to be, like, absurdist or something. Moldova is always weird and so of course their debut is one of the weirdest of them all... the melody is catchy but aspects of the staging confuse me (what is the lead singer wearing? Is that traditional Moldovan dress or... something else? And why is the grandmother figure in a literal rocking chair for much of the song?) and there are a couple of racist lines in the lyrics, so, well. It's one of those things that's alright to listen to, as long as you don't listen too hard. Latvia This is one of the only songs I knew from this year going in - I really enjoy the studio version of this. I found myself kind of underwhelmed by the live, though. It's a very soft, chill song and I like the straightforward way they staged this, but the vocals here weren't awesome. The guy on the lower harmony was a little flat sometimes and there were instances where the harmonies were weird or one of them was significantly louder than the other. Monaco It's very nice! Classic Eurovision here. Lise has a nice voice and, although that dress was rather loud, for the most part she had pretty good styling too. I don't understand how this placed so low? I mean, I know this style of the song is jury bait in the era of no juries, but second-to-last is just upsetting. Israel Not that different from Monaco's entry in some senses... even with the loud dress! While this is a nice enough song, I feel like the background singers were definitely carrying Shiri through much of it, especially in the choruses. In the first verse she keeps falling a little short of the notes.

Belarus I like the costume concept that's going on here. The song is okay, it's very generic and for-the-time. My main problem is Angelica's vocals. They just. They don't sound right. There's a few notes she doesn't hit and a few places where her timbre just goes really brassy in a way that I don't like. Netherlands A solid, standard ballad! Glennis has a strong voice for most of this, the staging is simple - maybe a bit overly so, but not too badly - and the song is pretty good too. Like with Monaco, this one is very much styled for older Eurovision, which means that it didn't do well in 2005, which didn't quite have the nostalgia for moving ballads that the contest does today. Iceland I love All Out Of Luck, but I do not love this. Selma herself is an awesome performer with a good voice, but the song is all over the place - the chorus and the first verse, for example, feel very different, and the transition is slippery. I also can't quite comprehend what exactly it is that Selma's wearing but it does not look good on her, and I don't think it could look good on anyone.

Belgium Another one harkening back to the olden days of Eurovision. Nuno has a strong voice and the song has a really nice build to it - unfortunately, there's absolutely nothing happening in the staging, which sends the song way down in my opinion. Simple staging is okay sometimes but this? This was just lazy. Estonia Mostly, this song suffers for how young it is. Vocals are eh, song is trying too hard to be hype, but that could have been overcome with the right group and the right staging. Here, though, with the chunky bead strings and the bedazzled tee shirts, these girls look like the teenagers they are. I can't find a birth year source on most of the girls, but Laura for example would have been sixteen or seventeen for this performance, and it REALLY shows. Norway [heavy sigh] ah yes, it's glam rock again. This song is oddly familiar? Like it definitely sounds like something I would have heard on the radio growing up, which is a little disconcerting because I definitely did not listen to this song as a child. Like it came out in the right time frame, but I'm American, so like. Anyways. The song itself is... not bad? But I do take issue with the styling, maybe even more issue than I did with Sweden 2007. And lastly, can I just say. That band name? Not the vibes. Romania The first verse of this is very good, but once the chorus kicks in it becomes actually very generic. In the musical sense, that is. Luminita has a good voice and she seems to be a good performer, too, but in all honesty I can't focus on it. Her styling here was TERRIBLE and the set design was just as bad. The barrels being yellow just made me think of toxic waste or something.

Hungary Whoa, this one is pretty good! I like the rhythmic element to this song and also the folk dancing. Styling here is nice too. My only issue is with the singer's voice? It's not bad but it's awfully forward and nasal. Finland It's alright. I kind of vibe with it, actually. It's very dated but Geir has a nice voice and it's just... it's very chill. North Macedonia This feels more dated than the rest of them, somehow. Maybe it's the styling. Either way, the song is actually pretty enjoyable. The "la la lejla" hook is catchy and I also really love the bridge. Andorra An overall poor showing. It's not, like, terrible but the only impression it leaves is "oh wow, they are... wearing leaves, it looks like". Good vocals I guess.

Switzerland I am not super enthusiastic about this one. It is, solidly, Alright. I like the lead singer and the way this was set up, but I'm not sold on the song itself. The transition between verse and chorus is weird. Croatia I'm kind of bored by this one? I think part of it is that we've just reached That Point in the semifinal because of how many songs there are, but also, like. There's nothing super stunning about this, full stop. It's not even bad it's just unimpressive. Bulgaria I don't like jazz and this is no exception. We're gonna leave it at that. Ireland This is kind of fun, actually. I like the Irish dancing at the bridge and the chorus is pretty catchy. I don't know why these two were billed as "Donna and Joe" when it was really just Donna carrying the song... not that I mind that, I like her voice and presence. Joe, however, seemed incredibly awkward onstage, so that's one of my main complaints with this performance.

Slovenia The song itself is miles better than his 2017 entry. Stop is actually interesting. Things happen. There is rock guitar. In terms of presentation, actually, it's worse. In my 2017 ranking, I mentioned feeling conflicted because the staging was REALLY GOOD but the song sucked and Omar is a terrible person? Yeah, not so here. Omar looks like he has no idea what he's doing. He isn't even looking at the camera half the time. Denmark It's good! Jakob has a voice that I really like, and while the song isn't that impressive, it's fun and it's catchy and I can already tell that I'll be able to remember this really well. The staging is really cute too! Poland This one feels really hectic. Not entirely bad but there's a lot going on and it just moves at this frenetic pace. I do like the Polish musical influences though - I prefer this to My Slowianie lol!

My personal qualifiers Hungary Latvia Denmark Ireland Monaco Netherlands Norway Moldova Israel North Macedonia Miscellaneous thoughts I think this whole "Pavlo and Masha argue about how to start the semifinal" was funny, but I also felt like it was leading up to Ruslana performing, and then that didn't happen, so. Some disappointment there. Yeah, overall I'm not a big fan of these hosts so far. It's not even about their English, they just seem really awkward with each other and they don't have a funny script.

[nei-nei-nei]

Eurovision 2022 – In Review

🇦🇱 Albania: Ronela Hajati – Sekret okay so, I love the ethic touch in lyrics and video – visually I mean hot, costumes and hair wwohh – musically it was good as well

🇦🇲 Armenia: Rosa Linn – Snap It has that good old pop music vibe – plus that flying house reminds me of UP the movie – angelic voice but I guess its something that we have heard a lot – nothing extraordinary

🇦🇺 Australia: Sheldon Riley - Not The Same That dress reminds me of something that David Bowie would wear but in color – plus the vocals, omgg! I always love Australian entry every year – the face reveal, such a pretty person

🇦🇹 Austria: LUM!X feat. Pia Maria – Halo Like the ancient-futuristic vibe they have got – song was average – visuals were cool

🇦🇿Azerbaijan: Nadir Rustamli - Fade To Black Vocals were good so were the visuals but average it was – I miss efendi so bad now

🇧🇪 Belgium: Jérémie Makiese - Miss You gives strong 007 movie into vibes when it starts – definitely something they’d play in an action sequence – like the vocals and visual but –

🇧🇬 Bulgaria: Intelligent Music Project – Intention Gives late 90s, early 00s teenage rock and roll vibe – something they’d play in some teenage musical movie/show – nothing new – even though I love 90s/00s

🇭🇷 Croatia: Mia Dimšić - Guilty Pleasure Aww it’s a cute song – sweet vocals and yeah, I would run away with you – good luck

🇨🇾 Cyprus: Andromache – Ela Dark academia meets the light academia – wwooff those ethnic beats – the VOCALS – loved it

🇨🇿 Czech Republic: We Are Domi - Lights Off Like the science fiction vibe – music was good – average in general

🇩🇰 Denmark: REDDI - The Show Love the vocals – the lyrics are good – music gets better, energy gets higher

🇪🇪 Estonia: Stefan – Hope Love the country sound – we get the message – vocals are good – different but good

🇫🇮 Finland: The Rasmus – Jezebel Love the yellow and black (since SKAM) – music is good – it rocks – visuals are LOVE

🇫🇷 France: Alvan & Ahez – Fulenn I mean band members are haawwt – love the Celtic touch – unexpected after voila by barbara pravi – would crazy dance to it for sure

🇬🇪 Georgia: Circus Mircus - Lock Me In No music video? #stopthewarindeed – unique but personally did not liked it

🇩🇪 Germany: Malik Harris – Rockstars Like the vocals and lyrics – my anxiety anthem – I’d listen to it every night –

🇬🇷 Greece: Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord - Die Together Something they’d play on NRK P3, sounds much like emma steinbakken – loved those kinda vocals – such a cute video – cinematography is pretty I mean it’s Greece – we should definitely die together – I’d play it on repeat

🇮🇸 Iceland: Systur - Með Hækkandi Sól Ooioioi took me back to old Eurovision times – nostalgic – loved the vocals and Icelandic – its so peaceful and therapeutic

🇮🇪 Ireland: Brooke - That’s Rich Social media influencer vibes? – about modern problems? – and that’s not so rich

🇮🇱 Israel: Michael Ben David - I.M Love ‘being a narcissistic queer boss bitch who’s been through a lot’ vibe – okay let’s be political now – fuck israel – please don’t say middle east or even Yalla – pink washing is no good – #freepalestine and end apartheid

🇮🇹 Italy: Mahmood & Blanco – Brividi Love Mahmood since Soldi – vocals are so soothing and powerful – it gives you brividi brividi brividi brividi – this song is a feelinggg – takes you places on a diamond bike

🇱🇻 Latvia: Citi Zēni - Eat Your Salad Hahaha funny it is – a veggie anthem – drink more water – and eat your damnn salad – save the planet

🇱🇹 Lithuania: Monika Liu – Sentimentai Love the drama – her voice and Lithuanian omg sounds so good –

🇲🇹 Malta: Emma Muscat - I Am What I Am Love the energy and vibe – positivity we get from it – vocals are good

🇲🇩 Moldova: Zdob şi Zdub & Frații Advahov – Trenulețul Omggg the music is vibe in its own – video? So damn fun – dance worthy – really loved it

🇲🇪 Montenegro: Vladana – Breathe Love the vocals and lyrics – plus the headpiece looks so cool – plus BREATHE – okay song it was though

🇳🇱 Netherlands: S10 - De Diepte I love Reiky de Valk so much already – love the cinematography – love the vocals – neh not letting you go –

🇲🇰 North Macedonia: Andrea – Circles Love the maturity of the lyrics – fock toxicity, and toxic people – average song/video

🇳🇴 Norway: Subwoolfer - Give That Wolf A Banana Protect your grandma and give that damnn wolf a banana – ymmm ymm ymmm ymmm – I mean thanks for doing something different – makes no sense yet very fun – ahhh dancing to it/eat –

🇵🇱 Poland: Ochman – River Mee too am done – feel all that pain – strong vocals – you could always talk to me you know –

🇵🇹 Portugal: MARO - Saudade Saudade Soothing vocals – like their vibe – clap clap clap

🇷🇴 Romania: WRS – Llámame Woohoo – you go Romania -- Hola, mi bebébé, Llámame, llámame – Romania going a queer song is surprising since last I heard it was worst country in Europe to be queer in – song is so catchy – good luck –

🇸🇲 San Marino: Achille Lauro – Stripper Idk, all I need is love? Mee too – love the energy – rock and roll baby – guess in love with Achille Lauro – it rocks –

🇷🇸 Serbia: Konstrakta - In Corpore Sano Idk I love weird stuff -- Biti zdrava, biti zdrava , I mean doesn’t we all want to be healthy – keep yourself hydrated and yeah -- A sick mind in a healthy body, A sad soul in a healthy body, what shall we do about it – I mean watch this video on repeat maybe?

🇸🇮 Slovenia: LPS – Disko For me disco never sucked – really like the sound – good song but average

🇪🇸 Spain: Chanel – SloMo Wwoohhhffff – amazing energy – I could watch people going crazy making tiktoks on this song – like the video – that where music fades and we could hear her dance is so well done – take a video, watch it slo-mo mom o indeed

🇸🇪 Sweden: Cornelia Jakobs - Hold Me Closer Woof the vocals – sounds like the girlfriend’s reply to the “call your girlfriend by robyn” – breaks my heart – love the lyrics – love the music – Hold me CLOSER – don’t you mind I’ll be fine – hold tight – now am crying – the powerfulness of this song –

🇨🇭 Switzerland: Marius Bear - Boys Do Cry Like the vocals – that cardboard armor ahh we did an assignment like that its hard making them plus we could see it was broken from back ehh dafak's wrong with me – boys do cry – they need to talk about things – they need to cry more – love the message

🇺🇦 Ukraine: Kalush Orchestra – Stefania Ethnic song with rap in it? Love the mash – love the sound – the energy is so good

🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Sam Ryder – SPACE MAN A better song from UK, good to listen – like the vocals – I wanna go up in space , MAN so bad -- My Tops: (for now) 1- Cornelia Jakobs - Hold Me Closer 2- Mahmood & Blanco – Brividi 3 - Chanel – SloMo 4 - S10 - De Diepte 5 - Alvan & Ahez – Fulenn 6 - WRS – Llámame 7 - Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord - Die Together 8 - Subwoolfer - Give That Wolf A Banana (had to frikkin add this)

[nyaheum]

My yearly list of Eurovision songs after the first impression (I mean, for like, half of them. I heard snippets of some songs.). Judged on music videos, because...if I only listen to the songs on Spotify, my eyes get bored. :’)

(oh, and don’t talk to me about iceland’s placement, I know this might be unpopular)

X. Belarus

Fuck Belarus, all my homies hate Belarus. Not even going to grace them with a rating.

Norway (TIX – Fallen Angel)

...no. :( And it’s not even because Keiino didn’t win, I just wholeheartetly hate this song. And I’m kinda sorry to TIX, because he seems like a cool dude and his stage outfit is absolutely hilarious, but oh my god do I hate this song with an absolute burning passion.

Poland (RAFAL – The Ride)

eye emoji mouth emoji eye emoji – well, this is a non-qualifier if I’ve ever seen one. Can we just...skip this?

Belgium (Hooverphonic – The Wrong Place)

Nap time! This song annoys me. I cannot explain it, but it gives me a headache and my whole body is revolting against this song. I am not kidding. Objectively, I don’t even hate it, but there’s just something about it...that makes me go...hnghgng…

North Macedonia (Vasil – Here I Stand)

eye emoji mouth emoji eye emoji ver. 2 – I am not trying to sound mean, but does North Macedonia do any music that is not dramatic power ballads? I’m serious. (And I don’t like it, sorry. :((...except for the high notes, I like them. When he can hit them live.)

Estonia (Uku Suviste – The Lucky One)

This (the music video)...is soft porn. I am slightly scared of Uku. I don’t know why. But, uh...this is better than last year’s song? Still, it wouldn’t qualify under my watch, whoops.

Georgia (Tornike Kipiani – You)

He stopped yelling angrily at the microphone. :((( Nah, but this isn’t my thing. It’s great that they are doing their own thing, it’s just not really my thing...it also reminds me of a song I know, damn.

Austria (Vincent Bueno - Amen)

He looks like a german youtuber. I don’t know hich one, but he looks like one. I also canot tell if he’s 18 or 38, lol. (For some reason he also reminds me of Alex Albon, which is even weirder.)...oh, uh, the song? Idk, I don’t care for I. It’s fine.

Spain (Blas Cantó – Voy A Querdarme)

Confession: I’m probably the only person who actually doesn’t like the sound of Spanish all that much. Whoops. Apart from that though, I’m not the biggest fan of this song. Can’t really say more about that. Meh.

The Netherlands (Jeangu Macrooy – Birth Of A New Age)

Listen: I really like the tone of this voice. It’s great. I am not a fan of the song. There’s something just very off about the loud percussions (?) in the background that make me go absolutely crazy when listening to this. My sensory-overload-prone ears hate it, and I’m sorry...the part before the last chorus on the other hand I love. The whole song could have sounded like that and I would have loved it. (...and I can’t unhear “You are my broccoli – You know my broccoli!” ;-;)

Azerbaijan (Efendi – Mata Hari) Whenever I see Efendi, my brain still goes “Cleopatrrrrra!”, oof. This song sounds like a song I know. Which...is super unprecice, but I genuinely don’t know which one. I do like that they kept the weird pre-chorus thing from Cleopatra (and reference the song later on), but I must say that I liked Cleopatra more...but it’s a party song, so I think it will be fun on stage!

Romania (ROXEN - Amnesia)

I didn’t like her song last year, I don’t enjoy this all too much and I’m kinda sorry but also...I don’t want to apologize for my taste in music, lmao. I want her hair though. Give me her hair.

Denkmark (Fyr & Flamme – Ove Os Pa Hinanden)

Ring ding ding, native language bonus. This is also way more fun than I thought it would be, hah. VERY retro, but I don’t hate that? :D (this and sweden really aren’t any different in terms of how much I like them)

Portugal (The Black Mama – Love Is On My Side)

I can appreciate this. I just wish it was in Portuguese, honestly. I don’t really know if I like the English for this song. That being said, I don’t know if you can make these very specific tones (you know what I mean) in portuguese without it sounding super off, so…

Ireland (Lesley Roy – Maps)

Okay, you do you Ireland. :D

Israel (Eden Alene – Set Me Free)

This exists. :D

Cyprus (Elena Tsagrinou – El Diablo)

Cyprus came to party, and I can’t be mad at that. I just don’t know why everybody in the YouTube comments loves this SO MUCH that they are sure that it will win if it gets the jury votes. I don’t think it’s as good as Fuego or She Got Me were, but maybe I just have no taste in party music. I don’t party. (Only if you got a 2000s playlist and some iced tea.)

France (Barbara Pravi – Voilà)

FRANCE sending a BALLAD? In MY Eurovision? It’s more likely than you think. It’s good, objectively. Personally, I don’t really care for it all that much and feel like I already know it.

United Kingdom (Embers – James Newman)

A good, modern song? In my british eurovision song? What happened on the Isles over quarantine? Are you guys okay? Did you find yourself? Have you taken your last breath (breath!) and looked at your past results? I’m impressed enough to put this relatively high, wow.

Serbia (Hurricane – LOCO LOCO)

*adore delano voice* party! Oh, and native language bonus...for a party song! I’m...impressed, actually. I cannot decide wheter I prefer this or Hasta La Vista, but I think it’s this one? The flows smoother, if that means literally anything.

Bulgaria (VICTORIA – Growing Up Is Getting Old)

*shrugs* I think a lot of people will like this. And I get that. I think I even understand it...yeah. I didn’t like her song last year either. It’s just personal preference, I think. I just want to have fun during Eurovision, hah.

Finland (Blind Channel – Dark Side)

Finland: FUCK YOU!!! Germany: Fuck you. <3

That’s all I’ll say, we know how the Finnish are, this is not surprising, lmao. (And I’m one of those children that grew up on Rammstein, so I legally cannot dislike this.)

Croatia (Albina - Tick-Tock)

Tick-tock, can you hear me go tick-tock? My heart is like a clock, I'm steady like a rock-...oh wait, wrong tick-tock! Still, really enjoy this song’s chorus – I actually enjoy it so much that it makes up for the utter loss of interest I experience once it’s over, chrm.

Sweden (Tusse – Voices)

I mean...let’s be honest, it’s a generic swedish pop song. It sounds like every other Swedish entry, and I think that bothers me. I know, that sounds kind of...weird, looking at my choices higher up in the list, but...meh. I think this will easily qualify for the Final and place high, and I am totally okay with that. It’s just not...what I wanted, I guess? :D (and i’m sorry but as a german-speaker I cannot get over the name “tusse”) (oh, and tusse seems to be super cool)

Albania (Anxhela Peristeri - Karma)

Oh, we’re going to war in 130 A.D.? Fine, let me just pack my spear and- oh, Albania has already sent a singer? Ah, well, might as well give up and just vibe.

Czech Republic (Benny Cristo - omaga)

This sounds fun. Not a winner or anything, but fun. I’ll probably still be on Twitter when he’s performing, whoops.

Slovenia (Ana Sklic - Amen)

Wait, there’s TWO songs called Amen? And why do I actually kinda like this? Oh well, might as well just accept it. (Her voice though...mhmmhmhm…yes please)

Iceland (Dadi og Gagnamagnid – 10 Years)

We just vibin’. I liked Think About Things more, but I’m very much biased here...because I’ve known that song for a year now. But this is still very good, and very on brand. (And I understand like...half of the lyrics, but I am okay with that.)

Australia (Montaigne - Technicolour)

not australia flexing at all of europe that they can hold big gatherings! D: oh, but I like this way more than last years song. I feel like Montaigne can show her GREAT voice way better in this song. (Even though her outfit and the sound of the song reminds me of the UK song that had...a dude run on the stage. I can’t think of the word for it right now.)

Malta (Destiny – Je Me Casse)

Destiny’s voice is just….wow. This is very different than All My Love, but it’s fun. The topic of the lyrics kinda remind me of Toy, and I like that…..I don’t really like the music video (especially the dancers in the colorful dresses? idk), but I’ll just ignore that.

Germany (I Don’t Feel Hate - Germany)

Confession time: I actually actively enjoy this song. Everybod is shitting on it, but it’s FUN and it has a good message, and Jendrik seems like the nicest dude ever and...it doesn’t deserve all the hate it’s getting? It’s completely self-produced and just fun. Stop being mean. :(

(...also someone on youtube said “pewdiepie” and I can’t unsee that now so fuck you >:((...no, no I don’t feel hate, just rethink your life choices)

Moldova (Natalia Gordienko - SUGAR)

What in the “Eis.de ist in der Kiste” is this music video? And I thought I would absolutely hate this song, but I actually don’t mind it all that much. It’s actually fun. Oh no, I’m splipping, someone catch me, aaaaaahhhhh….(and that poor cake dude. Is this song about cannibalism? Does she want to eat him?)

San Marino (Senhit – Adrenalina)

Catch me hum the chorus of this song at least once a day...but honestly, without any malicious intent: what the actual FUCK san marino? This is so much better than Freaky, and even though I do not believe for one second that this will win, the simple outragiousness of bringing Flo Rida to Eurovision deserves attention. (Bringing someone like Flo Rida to ESC sounds more like Scandinavia/Bulgaria, doesn’t it?)

Russia (Manizha – Russian Woman)

Not gonna lie, I miss Little Big, but at least they are sending something that’s at least as weird. I love that. Russian Rap is cool as fuck anyway, so I’m fully here for this...but I’m glas this song doesn’t have a music video, this just has to be a live performance. (Oh, and another strong woman!)

Ukraine (Go_A – SHUM)

I’m SO glad Go_A are back. But, let me be completely honest: I know why they had to change the lyrics, but I still liked the first version better. BUT I feel like the new one will grow and me and it will climb one or two places, because the Instrumental just slaps SO HARD. (Makes me feel like putting on a Cybergoth outfit and start dancing at a German industrial park, lmao.)

Latvia (Samanta Tina – The Moon Is Rising)

Does this count as my guilty pleasure this year? I loved her song last year, and this sounds similar, so...I like this too. It sounds modern as fuck (well, for Europe, you know) and I can definitely...”vibe” with that. I genuinely really enjoy this, and I don’t know why. (Even though I prefer last years drop.) A lot of “strong, independent women”-songs this year, and I’m not complaining.

Switzerland (Gjon’s Tears – Tout l’Univers)

Just so we’re clear, this and Italy share the exact same spot. I just cannot compare them at all. Gjon’s voice just takes me hostage throughout this whole song and won’t let me go. And everything that isn’t english/is in the countries offical language immediately gets plus points from me. As if this song needed them anyway.

Lithuania (The Roop – Discoteque)

Aaaaaand...dance break! Good, I just love them so much, it’s not even funny anymore. And I’ve been singing this song randomly since it came out. I can’t stop. It has burned itself into my brain. Let’s dis-co-teque right at my home! *waves arms around with no sign of coordination*

(and does anyone else feel like he’s serhat, just with a different alignment? Like, they are both chaotic, but serhat is chaotic neutral and he’s either chaotic good or chaotic bad, it really depends on the way he looks at the camera)

Italy (Maneskin – Zitti E Buoni)

Italy delivers, as they do every year. Not only do I really like this song (it is very much my genre), THIS is an aesthetic I can get behind! Knowing Eurovision, I doubt it will win, but damn if it won’t be super fun! (I am so glad this won Sanremo, hah.)

[aprilskyforever]

Henny ranks Eurovision 2021: third and final edition, after the show

 we waited two years... and just like that, it was over. but what a YEAR! there really aren’t many songs in here that i actively don’t like, i can see some appeal in pretty much all of them. alas, if i have to rank them, this is where they end up:

1. italy. (+10) yes, i too got on board the italy hype train in the end. and yes, i too wanna sleep with the whole band, all at once if possible. this is just oozing sex appeal both in melody, riffs, lyrics and of course, their look and charisma. and i’m HERE for it. what’s so interesting with italy is that, when they won sanremo i felt like yeah this is a decent song and it will probably get a decent placing but it won’t win, because that’s usually the case with italy you know, and i’m fine with that! and then... it’s like with love, isn’t it. it happens when you stop expecting, stop looking for it. 

2. switzerland (+1) the staging for this was not what i expected but i was absolutely on board. and gjon is flawless. the song, his voice, everything about this is perfect.

3. malta (-2) i lowkey wish destiny had kept the dress she had in the first rehersal. this was everything i wish toy was, in a way. 

4. iceland (+3) like i said in my first post, daði really knows how to make a beat. this became one of my most streamed songs this season, but the performance was ace as well, even if i’m not sure about the sweater/nerd aesthetic. although at the same time, i can’t really imagine what it should have been instead?

5. ukraine (+13) probably the biggest grower for me this year! i adore it. it feels like a trip, a punch in the gut, it tur11ns your world around. oh, i love it so much.

6. lithuania (+3) the most solid song of the season. i just didn’t grow tired of it, and it’s been out since what, january? 

7. russia (-1) she’s just. a queen. an icon. i love her. 

8. norway (-3) this song and this man just makes me soft. i feel for him so much.

9. sweden (-7) oh tusse deserved so much better!! i get why we didn’t score that well in this year so i’m not mad but, in statistics, this place is equal to robin stjernberg in 2013 and that’s just.... WRONG. robin wasn’t even the winner of the televote in melfest that year. and tusse won EVERY age category this year. we love him! he deserved better.

10. france (+5) i’m still not best friends with this song but i, too, can see the appeal of this, i can see why it’s good, it’s just not for me. 

11. bulgaria (-3) beautiful... but a bit boring after a while, no?

12. san marino (-8) yeah it’s senhit’s vocals that sinks this but I STILL LOVE THE SONG and i stand by that. they deserved so much better.

13. moldova (-3) it lacked live.. but the song still hits

14. cyprus (+14) oh look a grower!! the lyrics still make me cringe but DAMN elena is a good performer. i have to give her that.

15. finland (+10) like i said in my first post i’m glad that people like it and that finland gets to do well, especially considering their results ever since.. softengine? but it’s not for me.

16. netherlands (-3) i still love the vibe of it all. deserved better.

17. serbia (+18) clown nose on. maybe i did enjoy this in the end after all.

18. azerbaijan (+4) it’s a bop but like, a hollow bop? it’s okay.

19. croatia (+2) deserved qualification! i enjoyed it.

20. portugal (+17) the power of staging, folks. hot damn.

21. spain (+1) no this was beautiful actually. even though this is the song i’ve had the hardest time to remember this season.

22. uk (-6) the song is good but james is not a performer and bbc can’t stage for shit. there’s that.

23. greece (+9) so stefania is great live! but the staging was not as cool as they thought it was and i still don’t really like the song.

24. albania (+7) it’s still very albanian 101 but sacha can create magic and angela sings it really well.

25. denmark (+8) maybe i saw some appeal in this after all. it’s cute. 

26. germany (-12) in my first post i said uk was like a chewing gum but no, THIS is the chewing gum of the year. and now by the final all flavour was gone and could barely blow a bubble anymore.

27. israel (+7) you can only polish a turd so much i’m afraid.

28. austria (+2) the staging for this was beauuuutiful and i love the chord progression in the melody. but it still gets a bit repetitive.

29. romania (-3) roxen did do everything right but it wasn’t enough in this competition i’m afraid.

30. belgium (-7) i never got around to it, i still like the verses but not the chorus, it’s just.. boring.

31. slovenia (-12) yeah, i let it go. it’s ok but not more.

32. czechia (-15) ohhh this is nooot how you stage something like this. it needed so much more. i’m sad, i still like the studio.

33. australia (-4) it’s just. too weak! verses are nice but the chorus is just not working for me at all. 

34. north macedonia (+2) i gotta give him that the performace was quite nice even though the song is corny in the bad way as fuuuuc

35. ireland (-15) oh lesley ): why did you let me down like this

36. georgia (-12) still a great song to rock forth and back in a hammock to. just wanna lie in one and listen to all the sounds of nature when i hear this. but in the competition? it’s a no from me.

37. latvia (-25) yup, this years biggest let down by FAR. and poor samata was off key for the most part. i can’t rank this higher even if i like the song a bit.

38. poland (+1) still cringe as fuck ew but it lowwwwwkey bops so

39. estonia (-1) nope. just no.

[laifelow]

Okay, so a review of the esc 2021 entries we have so far. In alphabetical order. And on their live vocal.

I WILL compare returning artists to their 2020 songs. and WILL NOT be objective.

Albania: Anxhela Peristeri - Karma : Albania ALWAYS delivers. I love it. Her voice is amazing, and Albanian is really nice. THE PASSION. Strong song.The dancers are weird, but chances are they’ll get lost for Rotterdam.

Croatia: Albina - Tick-Tock : Okay, performance is good, but appart from that, it’s very meh. Generic pop music. Not my style, I’d say, but her voice is also a bit lacking. But there’s a lil part in croatian, wich is cool.

Czech Republic: Benny Cristo - Omaga : No live version yet :( I like this one, it’s so happy and dancy! I think it’s better than 2020′s Kemama (which I already liked). If the performance is good, it’s a sure qualifier for me.

Finland: Blind Channel - Dark Side : The hook is super catchy. My fav so far.The chorus, not so good, and that’s honestly a shame. I think it’s good for Eurovision, though. It’ll def grow on me. They need to calm down on the flashing light, though (and put some fire. Fire is good).

France: Barbara Pravi - Voilà : Yeah, it’s a good song, she has a v good voice, and very touching delivery. It’s just... SO FRENCH. Old school french. And I don’t like this idealisation of old music we have going on. idk, doesn’t do it for me. It’s not shameful to send, tho (looking at you, 2020). Also, I fucking hate the ending. Its speed gives me serious anxiety.

Israel: Eden Alene - Set Me Free : I wasn’t sure Eden Alene could do better than 2020′s Feker Libi, and well... she did. Set Me Free works great, and I can’t wait to see her live!

Lithuania: The Roop - Discoteque : Heh, On Fire was better imo. The performance is on point, tho. The bright colors, the neat, weird dancing, that’s what I want on Eurovision. The song just lacks a lil something. Also, v repetitive.

Norway: TIX - Fallen Angel : The sunglasses. The gold. The fur coat. The WINGS. Dude got it right, it’s ridiculous, and I love him. The song is 100% boring tho, catch him getting lost in semi-finals. It will 100% grow on me also, catch me loving this song in 3 month.

Spain: Blas Cantó - Voy A Quedarme : Universo was one of my fav in 2020, I was so scared for this year and well... It’s not as good. Still good, tho. I really like his voice, so I kinda hope they revamp it with a lighter production to feature his vocals better.

Ukraine: GO_A - Shum : This one has already grown on me :’). I don’t like it (yet) as much as Solovey, but I like it. It’s v different, I love her voice, the flute, the beat. It’s good. GOOD. I’m waiting a lot from their live performance.

Yeah, so there’s no winner for me so far, but it’s overall pretty good. Can’t wait to see what’s next (esp Portugal. You better send Keratus)

[secretagentspydetectiveninja]

okay i’m gonna watch all this year’s entries in a row and React

FRANCE: oh gosh that was so sweet???

CZECH REPUBLIC: this is a bop, i like it, and i also like his earrings

ARMENIA: the song is catchy and she could order my execution and i would thank her

ITALY: mY HEART, HOW DOES ITALY ALWAYS DO THIS TO MY EMOTIONS

RUSSIA: this is exactly what eurovision should be. 100000/10 they have my vote.

DENMARK: aw it's cute! YES!

ESTONIA: my first reaction to the name of the song is "baby don't hurt me" but anyway yes it's a good song

ROMANIA: oooh this is good stuff, excellent pun too, also the aesthetic of the video is pretty

AZERBAIJAN: "straight or gay or inbetween" listen i'm aroace and even i want to marry you HOLY MOLY??? <333 i have changed my vote

ALBANIA: owo no music video? anyway yes this sounds nice yet angsty, she's an amazing singer

GREECE: this infant did a fantastic job and i love the music video lmao

PORTUGAL: that outfit is top notch and so is the song

MOLDOVA: it's not memedova but you know what? this is good too, i like it

MALTA: this feels so inspirational somehow, the music and also the parkour

SERBIA: heck yeahhh this is so catchy and cool

POLAND: apparently this is an infant too? she's a fantastic singer omg

SAN MARINO: this is typical san marino entry and it's great, you guys did serhat proud

NORTH MACEDONIA: hsgdjgsjGGhg this gives me call me maybe vibes lmaooo the dude's clearly into the bartender mate

ICELAND: there is not a single part of this that isn't iconic. smh guess i'm gonna just have to vote for iceland again

FINLAND: why is this song so accurate right now T_T way to make me cry mate

SWEDEN: i??? love this????? they sound and look AMAZING????? this just makes me feel happy

CYPRUS: ohoho groovy angst, i like it

SLOVENIA: aesthetically gorgeous and makes me want to stay hydrated and whoa she hits those high notes so well

BULGARIA: what a trippy music video hsgkfgskhf anyway it's really soft and pretty

IRELAND: yesssss good stuff!!! it's catchy and boppy and the video is so retro

AUSTRIA: damn this is so funky, it makes me feel alive

ISRAEL: this is glorious oh my goshhhh it's catchy AND it visually looks awesome AND has like a gazillion languages in it

NETHERLANDS: this song... makes me feel things... just like arcade did... god i'm feeling so bad now that all these musicians never got to perform these songs this year

SWITZERLAND: wtf this is so haunting (and i mean that in the best possible way)

LATVIA: this sounds so great and the music video is surreal af and it's nice to see my yearly tradition of "having a celebrity crush on the latvian entry" is still going strong

GEORGIA: this is amazing :O please inject this song directly into my veins. i might honestly change my vote again

GERMANY: while i feel like this probably still would have come last place in the televote, like always, THIS IS ACTUALLY GREAT I'M BOPPING

BELARUS: hooooo i love their aesthetic, that eyeliner amirite?? the song is catchy too

LITHUANIA: why is this amazing? i honestly don't know how or why but it is, it just IS. also what the heck is this music video it's so weird but also iconic

CROATIA: bless this guy he did an awesome job, those long notes near the end!!!

UK: okay first things first fuck all of you for not voting for poor michael last year and dooming him to last place when he tried so hard and did so well. ANYWAY, moving on... THIS SONG IS AMAZING AND YOU'D BETTER VOTE FOR JAMES NEXT YEAR OKAY. SCREW YOU. THE UK SENDS GOOD SONGS THESE DAYS SO JUST FORGET ABOUT POLITICS FOR A SECOND AND THINK ABOUT HOW HARD OUR ENTRANTS TRY. PEOPLE WOULD VOTE FOR ANY UK SONG IF SWEDEN HAD SENT IT, YOU KNOW IT. okay okay aish calm down you're not even British british

UKRAINE: man i love this!!! it sounds so unique and awesome, and the outfits too

SPAIN: yoooo i like the sound of this and this dude is rather pretty

BELGIUM: this is so dreamy in a sad way, i like it, the words "losing game" are just sending me though

NORWAY: her dress is so sparkly!! and she's such a good singer omg

AUSTRALIA: australia, once again, really gets the eurovision spirit and for that i can only respect them. also this is legit amazing

in conclusion i have no idea who i’d vote for because none of them sent metal

[gncrevan]

here's that long post of me commenting on every esc19 song that you didn't wanna read! going in order of appearance on the playlist.

cyprus: forgettable, but i like the early 2000s hook and that they really want their video to be editorial but it's mostly confusing

moldova: sounds like kelly clarkson with more bass? idk i'm disappointed

russia: high production value cannot hide that song and singer are boring

israel: yes for completely inappropriate opera with that terrible pop singer drowl

albania: there's rain! there's fire! running! drama! from the video i'm guessing it's an anti war song, but yeah it really brings the pathos, hope they do an equally dramatic stage show, also sounds very nightwish/lacuna coil circa 2005

romania: if they do the broken doll dance on stage i might dig it for pretentiousness alone. also omg the special effects!

armenia: they really thought a video of men beating up a woman was a good idea??? i like the singer though

malta: props for putting even the "na na" part of the lyrics in the video. do they know they're not lana del rey? very danceable, i like the chama-chameleon part with the instrumental.

sweden: the song is structured weirdly, but not in a good way. john can sing and moves well but damn the song is bad, even with the choir.

belarus: i feel bad making fun of this cause it's so cheap

montenegro: oh! terrible. it's so wrong. i love it.

italy: not remotely esc-appropriate but it makes cool use of repetition

ireland: no.

norway: surprisingly camp! pretty bad! weird dancing! the robotic smiles! the bald dude who just kinda injects something norwegian and can't hit a single note! the drums! it's so inappropriate, i fucking love it

north macedonia: i'm generally a defender of the art of the eurovision ballad and it has all the makings of something where they can overuse the wind machine

poland: the weirdness factor has real potential if they pull it off on stage, i generally quite dig it though i think the verse is stronger than the chorus

hungary: don't hate it but it's underwhelming

portugal: hey uh what the fuck????? amazing. show-stopping. here for it!

greece: what's with all the artsy music videos for mediocre pop songs this year? all that pink tulle

azerbaijan: i usually trust azerbaijan to send something very stupid but this is just boring. hope they have the dude with the mask on stage at least

austria: no.

spain: i guess at least there's a dance

czech republic: thanks i hate it

netherlands: not many men can pull off the hurt mournful singing without sounding obnoxious and ... duncan can't

san marino: serhat is KING and i love that they just sent him again even though he didn't make the cut last year, but this year's song isn't as good imho

slovenia: slavic fashion REPRESENT

serbia: could work with more pyrotechnics & wind machine

switzerland: i want that suit & hat he wears but wow is this bad

georgia: oto is creepily intense so this might be cool with like, costumes and stage action, i have hope

denmark: love how she's dressed but BIG NO.

finland: sgsjsjgsjgdjgdhk this is what i mean about stage shows making all the difference, the song is boring but that setup is so funny, why is the synth guy in a box, why is the dancer on top, the aquarium illusion, just everything

iceland: hewwo??????????? part of me is scared they're n*zis, the other part is just like omg look at these fucked up electro screamo SM thunderdome guys

belgium: no. (tbf when was the last time i gave belgium a yes)

france: i can't concentrate because he looks like lady gaga from the side

lithuania: sorry but he just doesn't have the range

germany: HAHAHAhahaha fuck no

estonia: i swear when will they stop allowing songs that are just some dumbass and his acoustic guitar

latvia: props for trying to bring back chanson i guess? it's okay.

croatia: they need to make it BIGGER but they're on the right track like, those wings? the white leather jacket? that musical build-up? the mist? fuck yeah that's the good eurovision shit

united kingdom: idk if he's nervous or just bad but the song is exactly what i expect from the uk (shit)

australia: look i've been criticizing australia these last years for Not Getting It but this is pretty awesome! musical opera bullshit with that costume and the person swinging on a stick? noice! and they made a halfway catchy song, too

[redbutterflies-blueeyes]

Alright, here’s my Eurovision run down

(These were all typed up during the performances)

Ah shit, here we go again

Malta- chameleon - bloody hell, are you wearing plastic sleeves? Questionable.

Albania- the dreaded number 2 spot, pretty dress - but then I do like black and gold, this turned rather dramatic halfway through

Czech Republic- friend of a fried, apparently don’t listen to the lyrics too closely, proper cheesy boyband bloody hell - according to the lyrics, I think he got friendzoned

Germany- Sisters, who apparently aren’t sisters? Ehh, not bad I guess - I expected more from you, Germany

Russia - now this is meant to be good, pretty sure its bookies favourite, I’m sorry what did you say? “I swallow hard”? my my

Denmark- the audience likes this one, I can hear them singing along, why are you climbing backwards up a ladder!! NSFW! NOT SAFE! WHERE ARE YOUR HARD HATS!! Cute song

San Marino- what...what is this? How did you get here? The semi finals should have killed you off like a weed...though, it must be infectious- the longer I listen, the better it gets ... say na na na! Nope, no it’s weird again. Graham Norton: It’s the dancers I feel sorry for, they’ll be rocking and crying backstage later

North Macedonia - 🇲🇰 nice flag, and nice dress - I want that dress, I should get back on topic, she had a good voice , it’s a nice ballad with a nice message, I’m okay with it honestly

Sweden- ‘is it too late for love 🎶’ I mean, it’s almost 9pm, maybe a bit late, the audience likes it, I feel like it’s a pop song I’d hear on the radio in summer

Slovenia- ‘Graham Norton: romantic or creepy - you decide’ Oh this will be good, I love a good game of romantic or creepy, that’s why I’m a fan fiction author, currently leaning towards creepy

Cyprus- they had Fuego last year, I liked that, ah yes this is more like it, plastic costume, thigh high leather, dangly gems on her groin, it’s a bit bdsm honestly - I thought that was Iceland - oh duck when’d you get closer to naked, again with the plastic - even the back up dancers are bdsm. I liked it

Netherlands - there’s a piano - but is it on fire? No. It’s...nice, bookies like it, not really ‘Eurovision’ tho

Greece- Graham claims that she’s in the vein of Florence, she has an interesting voice - They yeet’d a ball into the audience! Play the game where you don’t let it hit the floor!!! Oh, they’re fencing swords - wha..? Graham: have I been in the Euro bubble too long? I enjoyed that

Israel- slow, ballad like, he has a lovely bow tie - that’s the real star of the show

Norway - oooh, Sami, I’m intrigued, Eurovision pop, with random Sami type yodelling? Fuck Yeah. I love it

UK - ah my home country, I have no hope, another ballad - you know you have a decent voice, I just- I love the Euro trash music

Iceland- oh baby I’m looking forward to this, just, just yes. You go you funky kinky fuckers

Estonia- back to our regularly scheduled cheesy love songs.

Belarus- bloody hell, 16 years old, don’t dress her like that! Give the baby some clothes! Nice boots tho... this is high energy anyway - vaporwave

Azerbaijan- is that a feckin robot arm right off the bat? Dum-E?? Oh I see, they’re projecting a heart on him, and it’s beating, isn’t that wonderfully gory. I quite liked it

France- oh boy your hair, I love it, gimme, we got a deaf dancer, we got a plus size ballerina, tbh I’m here for this

Italy- we got clapping! I like clapping!

Serbia- leg! Sorry. Oh hey, it’s goth Elsa, you know it’s another ballad but I don’t hate it, that necklace looks like it weighs a ton

Switzerland - I’ll be honest, it’s a bit of a bop,very red. I like the back up dancers. What on earth is he wearing tho ?

Australia- world war EU(+Australia) finally bringing in Aussie, oh, not what I expected. At all. But I’m not complaining. Oh and a baseline coming in, damn this really isn’t what I expected. She looks like Glinda the good witch tho, Zero Gravity? More like Defying Gravity. Bloody hell, this doesn’t look safe tho.

Spain- already this music is a choice, WHAT THE DUCK IS THAT HORRIFYING LIGHT MONSTER - anyway, it’s boppy, an excellent ending

[singtheskyandfightlikehell]

Eurovision 2019 Opinions

Well, the 26 countries that will be participating in the final are official now, so here’s my in depth thoughts about each entry, ranked from least favorite to favorite along with explanations and a 10 pt rating system. honestly i thought this year was solidly mediocre. a few i really like, about 3 i can’t stand, and the rest are all smack dab in the middle of “decent”. of course, these are just my opinions and I totally get that people will disagree with them. i don’t really care. yeah there’s a few i’ll judge you for, but frankly my opinion shouldn’t matter to you. i’m just posting it for my own record and for anyone who might be curious

26. Slovenia (0/10) I know a lot of people like this entry, but frankly, I cannot stand it. It’s boring. It’s awkward. It’s uncomfortable. If I wanted to watch an m/f couple - or, you know what, any couple - stand really close to each other and mumble for three minutes, I - I don’t actually know where I’d go, because I can’t conceptualize myself ever wanting to see that.

25. Denmark (0/10) Again, why? This entry annoys me a lot, and the only reason I didn’t put it last was because I appreciate the use of more than one language. It’s my least favorite parts of all kids shows combined coupled with a message that honestly I disagree with. It feels a bit like she’s judging me for being upset at injustice in the world when I should just shut up and be happy about what I have. I’m sorry, but I don’t believe it’s acceptable to ignore atrocities just because my life is filled with good things. I could imagine this song being the welcoming number in a musical staged in one of those “everything is perfect on the outside but inside it’s the creepiest shit you’ve ever seen” towns that’s used to hypnotize the protagonist into not noticing the creepy shit

24. Estonia (1/10) I don’t honestly dislike this song, but it does bore me. He’s a mediocre singer with a mediocre song. Also I can’t get past the fact that he rhymes “this” with “this”. It distracts me and ruins the whole thing.

23. Czech Republic (2/10) I really didn’t like this one at first. It was irritating and the lyrics were weird. However, I surprisingly enjoyed the live performance. The lead singer has some charisma on stage. Good for him.

22. San Marino (3/10) No idea how he got to the final (I know it’s bc he’s a meme, but still), but I don’t hate the song. I don’t think it should win, but honestly, I think it’s fun. His voice is ridiculous, but I can stand it for three minutes.

21. UK (4/10) I definitely feel like this is the kind of generic song I’ve heard many times before, but he does a good job with it, and ultimately it’s alright. His hair makes me think of Finn Shelby from Peaky Blinders, but that’s neither here nor there.

20. North Macedonia (4/10) Honestly, I feel like I should like this song more than I do. She has a good voice, and the song has a good message. Unfortunately, it’s just never clicked with me, and I often find myself tuning out while listening to it.

19. Israel (5/10) I like his voice. He sells the emotion. Not a gripping song, by any means, but not bad. Some of the rhymes feel a little forced, like the lyrics were written specifically so that they would rhyme, rather than because they have meaning.

18. Germany (5/10) This one gets stuck in my head sometimes, but I’m okay with that. Tbh, I quite like it. Plus, the whole “sisters (but I’d say girls in general) are taught to tear each other down but need to build each other up instead” theme is one I wholeheartedly support. I spent too many years hating everything associated with girls because society told me to.

17. Malta (5/10) I go back and forth on this one a lot. Parts of it I like, parts of it I don’t. It feels a bit different to me, but not like, in a revolutionary way. The singer is strong, and it definitely gets the award for most colorful performance, literally!

16. Serbia (5/10) I feel like I’ve heard this entry before, too, but specifically at Eurovision. Still, she does a good job with it, and I like her armor-inspired jewelry. Plus, it’s not in English!

15. Belarus (5/10) Another one I go back and forth on. I find this is very good study music - energetic and repetitive enough not to be distracting. I don’t love it (I’m even hesitant to say I like it lmao), but people really ought to stop hating on her so much. She’s sixteen. Let her have her fun.

14. Albania (6/10) I really liked Albania’s entry this year tbh. I didn’t feel she sang as strong in the semi-final as she did in the music video, but otherwise I thought it was a very powerful song. The staging was pretty cool, too!

13. Azerbaijan (6/10) I loved everything about this except the refrain. The “shut up about it” bit starts to get on my nerves by about the second refrain. But the verses sounded cool and the staging was awesome!

12. Sweden (6/10) Not the most exciting song in the world, but he sounds good, the ladies sound great, and there’s nothing I dislike about the song or staging.

11. Cyprus (6/10) Not as good as the music video, sadly, but still catchy and fun. I didn’t really like it the first time I heard it, but it’s grown on me since. I felt bad for her being put on the spot with that one “are you mad about Cyprus losing last year” question.

10. Greece (6/10) Definitely grew on me. I tuned out of it the first time I heard it. Prior to the semi finals I thought it was alright. But she really gave us the lesbian dream, huh? Ladies with neat clothes and swords, plus a garden? What more can you ask for lmao

9. France (7/10) Feels kinda standard to me, but not in the worst way possible. Sometimes I get really into it, other times it’s just a nice song. I’ve been liking it a little bit more each time I hear it, though.

8. Netherlands (7/10) The favorite to win, and I’d be okay if it did. Not my favorite this year, but a solidly good song. I have to be in the right mood to want to listen to it, but when I am? Fucking amazing. Also, considering he never left the piano (and didn’t light it on fire), he gave a pretty good performance.

7. Spain (8/10) This song is so much fun, and it’s definitely going to end the competition on a high note. I’m also really curious to see the full version to know more about the life-size dollhouse and animatronic thing they’ve got going

6. Switzerland (8/10) I loved the music video more than the live performance, but regardless I thought this song was also really fun and, idk, snazzy? Love dancing to it while I fold laundry.

5. Australia (9/10) Australia’s staging was everything! I had them in the upper middle rankings until the semi-final, but honestly that looked cool as all fuck!! Her song is weird, but in a way that I can dig. Plus seeing her soar around like Glinda in space with two fellow witches is one of the highlights of Eurovision this year

4. Russia (10/10) Sergey is back and just like in 2016, I absolutely love him and his performance. I’ll admit, the shower thing was a bit weird, but the song sounded great live! Plus, he had a leg-up for me by going with fairy tale imagery in the music video.

3. Norway (10/10) Initially, I only liked the joiking. The other two singers have grown on me, though. This song is fun, the staging is cool, the singers are great, and then it gets quiet and the joik part comes in, and it’s so fucking cool!! Love it, love it, love it!

2. Italy (10/10) My favorite for a long time, only bumped out because I made the fortuitous mistake of watching Iceland’s interviews. I love the song. I love the message. The thing that impressed me most, though, was that this song is about something that isn’t even remotely close to anything that’s happened in my life. I do not relate to it at all. But despite having no personal connection to the topic, I could feel the emotion in it. For a brief three minutes, I could feel something that isn’t my reality but is the reality of many other people. And an artist who can do that is powerful indeed.

1. Iceland (10/10) If you couldn’t tell from the everything about my blog, I have firmly joined the camp of Hatari stans. It may surprise you, but I didn’t really like this song the first time I heard it. Then, I found out the meaning behind it and gave it another chance. Lo and behold, I liked it! It rose in my rankings from lower-middle to the number one spot between listening to it multiple times and watching all the Hatari content I could get my hands on. I totally understand the music being too far for some people, but as a metalhead during the not-Eurovision parts of the year, Hatari isn’t too far of a leap for me. I love the song. I love the staging. I love the costumes. I love the message. I love the band. I love how they interact with each other and everyone else. I love the bits on Iceland Music News. I love their trolling and sarcasm in the interviews. I love the anti-capitalism. I love their websites (seriously, check them out. they put a lot of effort into them). I love the way they approach issues that are important to them. I love the fact that they aren’t afraid of the tough subjects. I especially love that they aren’t trying to walk the popularity line (you see it all the time - for example, queerbaiting, where a tv show wants to appeal to all sides of an issue, so they make characters nearly lgbtqia+ but then throw in enough straightness to please conservatives). Hatari picks their side in each issue instead of trying to cater to everyone, and I respect that a lot. My reactions and emotions aren’t usually prominent or even necessarily visible, but there’s a chance I might actually cheer if they win.

Finally, the honorable mentions, aka countries that didn’t make it to the final but that I would’ve loved to see:

Hungary (in my original top 10) - loved him last time, loved him this time. Beautiful song, beautiful voice, beautiful staging

Georgia - my hopes weren’t high but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love it. There’s nothing quite like a good dramatic song, and this was as dramatic as they come

Portugal/Poland - the two most people were really miffed about in the first semi-final; I think they’d’ve been alright in the semi-final, but both depend entirely on my mood. sometimes I love, sometimes I hate

Croatia - the song was ‘meh’, the singer was fantastic, and the staging was Eurovision in all the right ways

Armenia - one of my early favorites. could’ve used some other people on stage, but otherwise I thought she did wonderfully

Romania - what can I say that hasn’t been said already? she brought everything! that was an experience and an amazing one at that. so disappointed she didn’t make it

and of course,

Ukraine - catchy, badass, wacky, and wlw? sign me the fuck up. So sad to hear what happened to her. I know people are saying this is why politics should be kept out of music, but that’s ridiculous. The real issue is when the issue/message isn’t coming from the artist. It should always be up to the artist’s discretion what they do or do not promote. Propaganda and censorship go hand in hand, which is why I am so bothered by the blanket statements I hear thrown around about Ukraine’s fiasco this year

And that’s all! I think I’ll be happy with anyone scoring a 7 or higher for me winning on Saturday. I wouldn’t be upset about a 6 winning either, I suppose.

Anyways, off to bed so I can make my snacks tomorrow lmao!

[deep-hearts-core]

2007 - semifinal

originally posted 7/16/20

We've officially reached the point where I haven't watched the actual shows anymore. I've seen videos of a number of the songs from 2007 and earlier, but I've never watched the full shows. We're also reaching the era of only one semi, which means... well... rankings for me are gonna be a little harder, especially in the semi, because there are twenty-eight songs in this semi, holy shit. Only one semi with more autoqualifiers also means that there's a much larger percentage of songs I only hear once, and as I mentioned in my 2008 ranking sometimes hearing a song again makes a big difference. Bulgaria This song has ascended to epic status in ESC fandom, and for good reason. I've never seen the whole performance before, and... god. Elitsa's chain mail shirt and leather pants actually look good. The instrumental and background staging for this song are so cool. Elitsa's voice works against that instrumental. And, of course, the drums. Stoyan and Elitsa are fucking monsters on the drums, it's so incredibly cool to watch. Israel A weird take on a peace song, but this entry is endearingly quirky in a way. I think each individual section of the song is good, especially the prechorus and the Hebrew rap, and I enjoyed the sort of comedic camerawork and slapstick staging. However, the song seemed to have been stitched together weird, with shaky, unpredictable transitions between sections.

Cyprus I'm really enjoying Evridiki's take on... what is this, synth-rock? This is a pretty good song... like, this is good. This semi really started off strong. I think the staging worked really well with the stage itself here, too. I guess the only part that's questionable is, like, her outfit. Even her vocals are good! I was genuinely thinking the vocals would be bad when this started but I was pleasantly surprised by most of this. Belarus I appreciate the Bond-like feel at the beginning. This is a cool song - definitely typical for 2000s Eurovision, but not in a bad way. I love the guitar here. The staging is also really cool, Dmitry and his dancers are both doing a good job keeping the energy up. My only issue is with his vocals. They're not bad, they're just kinda nasal and I'm not a huge fan.

Iceland Bruh how have all five of these songs been good. Wtf. Strong vocals here and pretty competent staging, but honestly I like this one the least so far because it leans a little too far into the rock genre for my personal taste. You have to admit the vocal line is cool-sounding, though. And that one lyric about the tiger trapped inside his cage makes me think of Nael, Age 6 - yknow, "The tiger. He destroyed his cage". Lol. Georgia A strong debut! The composition of this song goes hard. I think maybe there was some trouble with the sound mixing at the beginning though, Sopho sounded really faint; parts of the staging were also messy. She's a good singer and performer though. I enjoy the sort of enticing feeling the music gives, especially towards the beginning.

Montenegro You have to understand that this is not a bad entry. It's just that all the other songs so far have been so good that this one doesn't make a strong impression. The verses are good, but the staging and camerawork is messy and I'm not a huge fan of the chorus; also Stevan's hairstyle here makes him look like a second-gen Kpop boy. Switzerland This entry is just stupid. Like lyrically it's just... like, what? Okay, vampires, sure. I like the dance routine that goes to this and I think the instrumental is good but the Black guy was the only one with really impressive vocals and the costumes also made it hard for me to like this. Also, the mannequins on stage kept throwing me off - they looked weirdly realistic and my brain kept going "oh shit they have like 12 performers onstage". Moldova The beginning to this is absolutely mesmerizing. Then the singing starts. I don't have anything super against this song - Natalia actually has an amazing voice especially on her more sustained notes and I think aspects of the staging were really cool - but a lot of this just feels clumsy. The outfit, the vocal line, the way Natalia sounds on the verses. Idk. Netherlands It took me a while to get into this one, but I was jamming along to it by the end. The chorus here is especially good. I'm not a huge fan of Edsilia's styling, though. Maybe it was just the 2007 fashion, but I really didn't like her dress. Albania Finally, something that I actually dislike... that sounds bad, but it's hard for me to really categorize the songs when all of them are so good. And there's nothing so objectively bad about Hear My Plea either, it's just boring and not my style. Denmark Not bad, just kind of tacky? Idk. The verses here are nice I guess. I don't have strong feelings about this entry. Croatia Another one that just bores me. It's not bad it just doesn't super draw me in - I also don't super love the male singer's voice. Poland This is another song that's good in two separate pieces, but they don't work put together. The verses are really fun to listen to, and while I don't like the chorus as much it's still good, but the transition between the two just doesn't work. Which is a shame, because the staging and vocals are pretty fun here. Serbia A deserved winner. I think maybe I'm desensitized to this song because it's the one from this year that I've seen performed in full so many times, so I can't really appreciate it the same way I might have in, say, 2016, but this is a great song, and Marija has a very strong voice that really conveys all the feelings she's having while she performs. Czechia I just don't like harder rock music. This is alright and honestly Czechia could have done a lot worse for their debut. Portugal This is one of the better Portuguese entries - which, let me be clear, that is not exactly a high bar. The song is good and Sabrina has a lot of energy and stage presence even if her vocals are kind of shaky. I liked the styling here. I do think the staging could have been a little more cohesive though. North Macedonia Styling here is great, and Karolina's one high note was really well executed. I'm not crazy about the rest of this, though. The vocals for most of the song didn't sound very supported and I'm just not jazzed about the composition here. Norway I personally am of the opinion that Norway has no business sending a Latin dance number, but this is solid - maybe more so than some of the things Spain and Portugal have sent. Guri has a nice enough voice and she and her backing people are good dancers. Malta The CA here aside this song is BAD. Olivia doesn't have a voice that I like and frankly Vertigo as a song is quite boring. That's a no from me, Malta.

Andorra Pop punk is usually something I like at least a little bit. I don't hate this entry - it just could have been better. The English lyrics were clumsy (I would have much preferred this entirely in Catalan) and the singer didn't have a voice I liked and also seemed to be flat a lot. Hungary Not usually a blues fan but I think this is done well... although, like with Norway's entry, this is a genre that I think is weird for a White Hungarian woman to sing. Magdi does have a great voice, though, and while I'm not usually a fan of ubercasual clothes on the Eurovision stage somehow that choice made the song seem more honest here. Estonia Thanks, Estonia, I hate it. Everything about this song is really awkward. Gerli does not have the stage presence she thinks she does, and the song is shouty and hectic and overall just bad.

Belgium The lead singer here has a lot of stage presence, but that can't change the fact that disco is one of my least favorite genres of music. Disco in 2007 played completely straight... I just can't like it. Slovenia I enjoy the stage aesthetics here, but this is another case of the performer not really having the charisma to pull this off. Also, classical vocals in Eurovision are one of those things where I either really love them or really hate them, and in this instance it just doesn't work. Turkey This placed fourth? I honestly can't believe it. Yes, this song is catchy in places, but Turkish Troy Bolton onstage singing about "sweet things" is not my idea of top five material. Not to mention that his vocals were also not so solid.

Austria This is the song that Austria got so pressed over its NQ that they withdrew for three years? Unbelievable. The song itself is actually good, and Eric's a strong singer, but the staging for this is terrible. The silver and red costumes are hard on the eyes, and the ultra-white background gave this entire performance an unfinished quality. Latvia THIS HERE? This is how classical-style vocals in Eurovision can work. The song just makes me feel very warm, idk. All six singers are incredibly good and the song is really well done - it doesn't feel dated, but it's true to genre.

My personal qualifiers Cyprus Bulgaria Serbia Hungary Latvia Netherlands Georgia Iceland Belarus Norway Miscellaneous thoughts Both the opening and interval acts were really cool to watch! I especially liked the choral performance in the interval. Having the hosts draw for the starting number in the final is... fascinating. I don't think it's a bad idea, in the era of the random draw... Mikko is getting so excited during the draw, I love that for him. TBH I really am enjoying Mikko and Jaana as hosts! They're really funny, have a great platonic chemistry with each other, and they're working with a great script.