EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2021 SONG REVIEW: AUTOMATIC FINALISTS

It’s time to review the six automatic finalists. Without further ado, let’s start with…

FRANCE: “Voila” – Barbara Pravi. This ballad evoked the classic chanson style, which used to be the top genre in Eurovision back in the 1950s to early 1960s. It’s so classic chanson, it reminded many people of the queen of this style, Edith Piaf. The main concerns many fans originally had was that this would definitely win over the juries, but may not fare well in the televote. But then again, we had a recent sea shanty trend as reflected on the popularity of the “Wellerman” and Salvador Sobral’s 2017 win prove that there might be a path where older styles would win over the general public.

Everything about the song is so authentically French, it is interesting to note about Barbara’s ethnic background–her paternal grandparents were originally from Serbia, while her maternal grandfather is Persian. But I think the French don’t really care about ancestral origins and Barbara is regarded as French through-and-through.

It is very much a very sharp contrast from the previous year, were instead of a national selection, the French broadcaster decided to hire Swedish songwriterss with strong Eurovision track records (in particular, the writers of “Euphoria” and John Lundvik) to come up with a “winning” song. They then added inputs from 2016 artist Amir*1 with hopes that it would add that “French” flair. Despite a video set in the Eiffel Tower,, the original incarnation then called “The Best in Me” immediately was derided by the internet fandom for its lack of French flavor. Retooling the song to the more acoustic “Mon alliée (The Best in Me)” may probably improved matters a bit, but the threat of it equalling the last place finish of Twin Twin in 2014 loomed large. The only saving grace of this entry was the hunky sexy appeal of the singer, Tom Leeb.

*1 Amir was responsible for France’s best showing since 2002, placing 6th with “J’ai cherché [I’m searching]“

GERMANY: “I Don’t Feel Hate” – Jendrik. This entry polarizes listeners–some would be turned off by the 1920s Charleston style peppered throughout the song, alongside the tongue-in-cheek comedic tone. Others would find those very qualiteis charming and would appreciate Jendrik’s showmanship. It evokes the vibe of Stefan Raab‘s 2000 entry, “Hadde Wadde Dudde Da“, another novelty song that made Top Five that year. This year, Germany is taking a risk that can either win over fans or backfire miserably.

The previous year, they had a safer bet with the contempoary dance-pop number “Violent Thing” by Ben Dolic. It was highly regarded by many fans, and it looked like a Top 10 shoo-in, even making a play for the Top Five.

ITALY: “Zitti e buoni [Shut up and be quiet]” – Måneskin. Very few people would think of Italy as a hotbed for hard rock, but this band (who derived their name from the Danish word for the liquor moonshine) proved that this genre is very viable and popular in that country. This act has charisma in spades, most especially its guylinered lead singer and its ferocious female bassist. The song is also an engaging danceable headbanger, so duplicating Lordi‘s win 15 years ago is very possible.

The previous Sanremo Festival winner was “Fai rumore [Make noise]” by Diodato. This Beatlesque ballad became a pandemic anthem in Italy, as during lockdown many confined residents would blare this song out and sing along. If the contest was able to go through, this could also be a possible winner.

23 NETHERLANDS: “Birth of a New Age” – Jeangu Macrooy. Jeangu is actually from the nation of Suriname, and a recent regime change tere inspired this entry. So, one might wonder, why isn’t this entry dinged for political content unlike Belarus? What worked in this entry’s favor is that it doesn’t specifically refer to the event specifically, but rather it is expressed as a more universal theme of liberation. The Afro-centric beats and the use of the Pidgin language Srinan Tongo (the “Yu no man broko me” line in the chorus) may have polarized fans, but it makes for a fresh musical experience. No one’s expecting this to come close to Duncan Lawrence’s victory, but it makes for an interesting part of the diverse tapestry that is this contest.

The previous entry, “Grow”,was a more conventional R&B ballad, though instead of love themes, it’s more about personal growth. Though this number has its fans, I have a feeling it would’ve fared in the bottom five of the finals.

SPAIN: “Voy a quedarme [I will stay]” – Blas Canto. One thing that is undeniable is that Blas Canto is a terrific singer with a lovely high tenor voice. The only issue is that the material he was given is just too ordinary. Though this ballad resonates with Blas especially with his grandmother’s death due to COVID-19. The general public may not feel the same way as Blas, and hence this entry will continue to relegate Spain to the bottom 5 doldrums.

His previous entry, the atmosperic pop number “Universo [Universe]“, may also not be as highly regarded, but there may be a path for Spain to avoid the bottom five doldrums at that time.

UNITED KINGDOM: “Embers” – James Newman. When this brass-laden uptempo dance number was released, many fans found it very refreshing and are hopeful this is a path to emerge out of the bottom five doldrums. But then, when the staging was revealed, the too-on-the-nose horn props was considered a letdown that the doldrums is deemed likely to continue.

The previous entry “One Last Breath“, was a respectable dignified number, but it’s not as impactful as “Embers” could potentially be.

Now with the finalists known, here’s my forecast of the Top 10 finishers of this year’s contest:

TOP 10: CYPRUS, MALTA, SWITZERLAND, ICELAND, BULGARIA, LITHUANIA, FRANCE, ITALY, UKRAINE, SAN MARINO

BUBBLING UNDER: RUSSIA, GREECE, SERBIA, FINLAND, NORWAY, SWEDEN

As usual, who i thought would fare well and who I personally liked would differ. Here’s my list of personal favorites:

1) MALTA, 2) SWITZERLAND; 3) GREECE; 4) LITHUANIA; 5) ITALY; 6) SAN MARINO; 7) BULGARIA; 8) ROMANIA; 9) FINLAND; 10) UNITED KINGDOM

BUBBLING UNDER: IRELAND, ICELAND, CYPRUS, LATVIA, UKRAINE, FRANCE, ISRAEL, CZECH REPUBLIC, CROATIA, AZERBAIJAN, AUSTRALIA, SWEDEN. MOLDOVA

It seems there is no clear-cut favorite as winner this year. Right now it seems to be a seven-way battle among MALTA, SWITZERLAND, ICELAND, BULGARIA, FRANCE, ITALY, and UKRAINE. Which of them would prevail tonight?

JUST ME!

JOSEPH

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2021 SONG REVIEW: 2ND SEMIFINAL, 1ST HALF

After all entries were announced, it was perceived that the second semifinal is the less competitive of the two batches, that it might be easier to make a call on who would make the final and who wouldn’t. But after witnessing the rehearsals, things turned a bit topsy-turvy, as some that are regarded as bottom feeders suddenly became strong finals possibilities, and certain apparent shoo-ins underwhelmed. Let’s now take a look at the entries for the 2nd semifinal, shall we?

01 SAN MARINO: “Adrenalina” – Senhit. This Eritrean-born artist actually competed and represented this tiny country 10 years ago, with the pop ballad “Stand By“. It was a solid albeit unremarkable ballad, and back then it fared the way most people expect this tiny nation to fare–second-to-last in the semifinal. Contrast to now, and with a minor change in spelling in her name*1, a shift towards dance music and hiring a slicker stylist, she is emerging as someone who can build on Serhat‘s previous best finish with this ethnop-pop dance bop. They seem to spare no expense as this ditty features a rap interlude by no other than American artist Flo Rida, and yes, he made it to Rotterdam. It seems delivering San Marino’s best ever finish is guaranteed this time. But becoming a possible winner of the whole thing*2? Based on early buzz on the rehearsals, it may no longer be considered a possible winner, but still it is considered a finals shoo-in.

*1 She originally competed under the original spelling of her name, Senit. She added an “h” in the middle of her name since then and embraced a more uptempo sound.

*2 There are running jokes that next year’s venue would be at Valentina Monetta‘s garden.

For the cancelled 2020 contest, Senhit has the disco ditty “Freaky“. Now this one’s prospect for the finals was like 50-50. Once they confirmed that there will be a 2021 contest, Senhit came up with a novel campaign called “Freaky Road to Rotterdam”, where she released these slick and stylized music videos covering some Eurovision classics over multiple eras. It’s fun checking out that video series.

02 ESTONIA: “The Lucky One” – Uku Suviste. A few things are certain–he’s undeniably a hunk and he’s a good singer. Compared to his previous entry, he is fielding a solid song, but he’s burdened with being granted the dreaded no. 2 running order. It is an uphill battle for him to advance but do not count him out as he can pull an upset advance.

Unlike most national final champions, Uku was not given a free pass and had to compete for the right to represent his country via Eesti Laul. Well, despite being weak with the jury, he was able to win again. In the previous year, he was a surprise champion with his ballad “What Love Is”. Many fans (including myself) regard this number as mediocre and would not have a chance of advancing to the finals.

03 CZECH REPUBLIC: “Omaga” – Benny Cristo. The title is actually a phonetic wordplay on the actual lyric “Oh my God”. I wonder if EBU has rules agains the explicit mention of God in a song title, hence the pun title. Anyway, this is a catchy dance song that could possibly see action in the finals, but based on rehearsals his presentation underwhelmed as compared to the fun music video (loaded with Hollywood movie references) that could hurt its prospects of advancing.

For 2020, he fielded another dance song, “Kemama”. From its original version to its final incarnation, it underwent a revamp by adding some African musical textures. It first misfired as those sounds first distracted, but a final mix improved it somewhat. Even then, its final prospects was 50-50, not that certain if it would advance.

04 GREECE: “Last Dance” – Stefania. She’s the youngest artist in this year’s contest, being only 18 years old. She also has a strong Dutch connection as she’s actually a longtime Dutch resident and actually represented that country in Junior Eurovision five years ago. The song she fielded this year is a retro-1980s style bop, and it could bring this country back to a strong finish as it did in its 2000s heyday. This looks like a shoo-in for the finals.

I have a coupel of notes abotu this song. First, I think the producers of the Netflix series Cobra Kai should consider adding this to their soundtrack–it could be a love theme for character Samantha Larusso (played by Mary Mouser), perhaps? Secondly, there is a grit in Stefania’s voice that made me recall 1980s teen-pop sensation Tiffany. If she wasn’t packaged with a more upscale image back then, she would’ve sound like this.

For the cancelled 2020 edition, Stefania has the ethno-pop infused “Supergirl“. It would have advanced to the finals, but it is more of a middle-of-the-pack entry then.

05 AUSTRIA: “Amen” – Vincent Bueno. He’s of Filipino descent, and he previously saw action in Eurovision as backup singer to Nathan Trent back in 2017. Initially, many were disappointed with this song, as it’s a sad, earnest ballad about personal loss. For me it sounded like a ballad version of George Michael’s “Freedom ’90” that’s stripped off that song’s exhilarating rush. But then as rehearsals came in, the tasteful staging and Vincent’s singing garnered raves that this suddenly became a song likely to advance instead of a bottom feeder as initially thought.

In the previous year, more people were a bit more bullish about the prospects of his funky uptempo number Alive“. Based on buzz about “Amen”s staging, it could be assumed that “Alive” will also do well and be a near-shoo-in to advance that time.

06 POLAND: “The Ride” – Rafał Brzozowski. Like GREECE, this entry taps on 1980s nostalgia. However, the problem is that Rafal is a limited vocalist, and it seems to try too hard to look cool instead of actually being cool. It’s not a “ride” that most people would like to take.

For the previous cancelled 2020 contest, they fielded “Empire” by Alicja Szemplińska. It’s finals prospects are not that assured, but it was well regarded and could’ve had an outside chance of advancing. It’s sad the Polish broadcaster decided not to tap her again.

07 MOLDOVA: “Sugar” – Natalia Gordienko. When the music video was released, many fans believe finally this country would have a finals shoo-in with this fierce dance number. But then based on rehearsals, it seems the staging is deemed disappointing, and its status as a likely finalist has faded significantly.

Previously Natalia won her national final with “Prison“. I found the musical arrangement jarring–Natalia sang and performed the song as a ballad, but the beats employed over this song was just very jarring and harsh to listen to. Many fans, including myself, regard this as a bottom feeder.

08 ICELAND – “10 Years” – Daði og Gagnamagnið. Daði Freyr specializes in do-it-yourself (DIY) retro synth-pop, and for his Eurovision stints he brought in his friends to perform with him. And like his DIY ethos, his dance moves are quirky yet easy for everyone to follow, and that is a key selling point for this act. They were highly hyped as a possible winner last year, but initially this entry was considered a bit of a step-down (though still a finalist shoo-in), but it received heavy buzz from rehearsals. However, tragedy struck as one of the members tested positive for COVID-19, and hence the entire band was quarantined and they opt to air rehearsal footage of their performance instead.

They had made a big splash when they won Songvekappnin last year with “Think About Things“, as they were buffered by hype by Hollywood celebrities tweeting about them as it also served as a tie-in to Will Ferrell’s Eurovision-themed comedy Eurovision Song Contest: Tale of Fire Saga as the protagonists in that film were supposed to come from this country. With all that hype, it was possible that Iceland would’ve finally won Eurovision last year.

09 SERBIA: “Loco Loco” – Hurricane. This trio featured two members with prior Eurovision experience. First, the raven-tressed Sanja Vučić represented Serbia back in 2016 with the ballad “Shelter”. Then, the blonde Ksenija Knežević sang backup for her father Knez as he represented Montenegro in 2015 with “Adio“. Both previous entries are dignified ballads, so some might feel that them shifting to what I dub as “trashy pop” seems a letdown, but we have to hand it to them that they bring ferocious energy with this upbeat sound. Hopefully even with the lack of Balkan allies (except for Greece and possibly Moldova), they will still earn enough points to advance to the final.

Their previous entry has a similar sound and a similarly Spanish-styled title, “Hasta la Vista“. It, too seemed to be a likely finalist based on its catchy, upbeat sound.

COMING UP: 2ND SEMIFINAL, 2ND HALF

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2021 SONG REVIEW: 1ST SEMIFINAL, 2ND HALF

08 CYPRUS: “El Diablo” – Elena Tsagrinou. What people initially observe when they listen to this entry is that it resembles two of Lady Gaga’s 2009-2010 hit songs “Bad Romance” and “Alejandro” Visually, the music video seems to lift heavily from Zara Larsson‘s “Love Me Land“.. Besides being considered derivative, this is regarded as a shoo-in finalist with strong prospects of finishing Top 10 in the final.

The Cypriot broadcaster previously selected “Running” by Sandro. As well regarded as this dance track is, many felt it would be an uphill battle for this entry to make the finals. Perhaps this is the reason why the broadcaster opted to change artists for the following year instead of keeping him like what most countries did.

09 NOREWAY: “Fallen Angel” – Tix. During Melodi Grand Prix, (MGP) many fans thought the most deserving entry to represent Norway is 2019 alumni KEiiNO with “Monument” so when this entry was chosen instead, many of those fans are upset and believe that Norway will miss the cut this time. The reason why Tix won was because he has an extremely strong following within Norway, and this year’s national selections was determined solely by televote. It should also be noted that this entry is a solid pop song. One must also note that Tix also had a hand in co-writing Ava Max‘s international smash hit, “Sweet but Psycho“, so we should not underestimate Tix’s prospects of advancing to the final.

Last year’s MGP winner was the ballad “Attention” by Ulrikke Brandstorp. It’s a polished, well-crafted and well-performed ballad, so its finals prospects was unquestioned.

10 CROATIA: “Tick Tock” – Albina. When this won Dora, many fans were doubtful about this entry’s chances of making the cut. As the days wore on, it started gaining better regard, especially with Albina consistently proving to be a strong vocalist. It’s not yet considered a shoo-in for the finals, but its chances are looking very strong.

The previous champion of Dora was “Dvilji Vjetre [Wild Wind]” by Damir Kedžo. At first listen, he seems to be part of the bland, hunky balladeer triumvirate with ESTONIA’s Uku Suviste and FRANCE’s Tom Leeb, but as the days wore on there are more people who appreciate this ballad and Damir’s passionate delivery. However, my favorite version is a dance remix that actually featured a music video..

11 BELGIUM: “The Wrong Place” – Hooverphonic. My first impression of this song was not good, as I felt it seems to just remain stuck on a certain key without any sense of climax, like, say, a key change would do. But upon further listens, I get to appreciate this entry’s atmospheric moodiness. Everything seems to be solidly staged, so the question is if the juries will respond well to this and will there be enough popular support to advnce tot he finals.

Interestingly, this band is one of the rare acts who decided to trade a youthful ingenue for a more mature one. For last year’s entry, “Release Me“, their vocalist was teenager Luka Cruysberghs. For this year they decided to replace Luka with 41-year-old Geike Arnaert, who was in their lineup from 1997-2008*1. Anyway, as well-crafted as this 1960s-style orchestral ballad was, its prospects for making the finals was deemed weak.

*1 This means Geike was not in the band when my favorite Hooverphonic song, “Badaboum” was released in 2015.

12 ISRAEL: “Set Me Free” – Eden Alene. Initially, fans were underwhelmed by this entry, as in its first incarnation it lacked an ethno-pop flair delivered by her previous entry. The song revamp didn add in a few minor ethno-pop elements, but it provided a part where Eden can sing in a whistle register to impress the juries. It’s far from assured if this would advance to the finals, but it seems likely at this point.

The previous entry, “Feker Libi [My Beloved]“, has this vibrant ethno-Afro-tropical global flair that was a delight to listen to–it’s one of my favorite entries form batch 2020.

13 ROMANIA: “Amnesia” – Roxen. I highly appreciate this art-pop ballad that tackles the topic of mental health. I’m optimistic that this will break this country’s two-year finals drought, though some observers are not that bullish.

Roxen’s previous entry was also another art-pop ballad, “Alcohol You“. The song is a clever wordplay on the expression “I’ll call you”, indicating a drunk emotional call to be made when intoxicated. I like the 2021 entry better than this one, but it seems most were more bullish of this entry’s finals prospects then.

14 AZERBAIJAN: “Mata Hari” – Efendi. This ethno-pop ditty seems more appropriate for the host coutnry venue, as Mata Hari was of Dutch nationality. It’s a fun, boppy listen, but with an extremely competitive group like this one, it seems there is no 100% assurance this will advance to the finals.

“Mata Hara” is basically derivative of last year’s entry, “Cleopatra“, which many regard as superior as it has this engaging bombast to it.

15 UKRAINE: “SHUM [Noise]” – Go-A. In its original incarnation, this song directly uses an old Ukrainian folk song and fuses an EDM groove. Many listeners loved that version, but the problem is on top of it beyond the 3-minute time limit, EBU rules do not allow direct lifting from an existing song. So, they had to revamp the song, changing the melody and lyrics. Even if the new version is not as infectious as the previous one, it still captures the spirit of the original that with great buzz on its staging based on rehearsals, seem to sustain this country’s perfect finals qualification record.

Last year, Go_A won the national selection with Solovey [Nightingale] “. It’s a well-regarded entry, although some observers felt it may not be a shoo-in as this country’s track record may suggest.

16 MALTA: “Je me casse” – Destiny. This country came close to winning the contest in 2002 (Ira Losco’s “https://youtu.be/S4fHMmPqC80&th Wonder”) and 2005 (Chiara‘s “Angel“, placing 2nd. This time, there is a chance they might finally win it all with this entry. It features the vocalist who already brought Malta to glory as Junior Eurovision champion back in 2014, and the female empowerment song is brimming with a lot of sass and attitude, making me recall rapper/singer Lizzo–can I call her “Euro-Lizzo”?

Previously, the entry was “All of My Love“. It’s a strong entry that was one of the likeliest to make the finals, but not a possible winner unike the current entry.

With all 16 entries accounted for, here’s who I would think would qualify for the final:

TOP 10: LITHUANIA, RUSSIA, SWEDEN, CYPRUS, CROATIA, ISRAEL, ROMANIA, AZERBAIJAN, UKRAINE, MALTA

BUBBLING UNDER: AUSTRALIA, IRELAND, NORWAY, BELGIUM

COMING UP: 2ND SEMIFINAL, 1ST HALF