#Italian entry at ESC

[shushu3991]

POV: The whole act of Angelina Mango at this year’s ESC (Eurovision Song Contest) was so Thorn princess coded, you do a manip about it, because you can not obsess enough over it and the thought lives rent free in your head now. Plus, Yor has a pleasing singing voice.

See manips below 👇

Featuring Loid (Twilight) being in denial about his feelings for Yor again:

Bonus:

Proof that Yor is a good singer:

I also thought of a whole plot how Yor would’ve to enter ESC to kill a judge and Loid having to keep said judge alive for intel. Let me know if you’re interested in me writing this brainrot. 😂

[eurovisionart]

🇮🇹 Peppino Di Capri - Comme E' Ddoce 'O Mare

[mellyoraa]

surprisingly i actually don't hate italy's esc entry this year

[utvarpcity]

boring but it’s italy so it will end up in the top 5 anyway

[applejuicewerewolf]

I think it's also cool if countries sing in any other foreign language but English. Like Romania '22 (Spanish) or Austria '16 (French). That also supports the idea that English isn't the only international language

Please PLEASE let's make a new Eurovision rule:

-10 points if you sing in English

+10 bonus points if you sing in any language of your country that is not English

For the love of music please we hear 99/100 songs in english every single day!

I wanna hear all the beautiful languages and music from all the different countries, that's how Eurovision should be!

Anche San Marino e che caaz ...in inglese ma daiii... vi sta bene che non siete passati (un abbraccio agli amici di san marino si scherza).

[jackredfieldwasmyjacob]

my besties eurovisionspain just made this article about 12 artists that could be great choices for next year benidorm fest so i had to talk about them!!! here's the full article but i'll go over the artists / groups for all of you who don't speak spanish plus give my little opinion :)

(the links in the artists' name will go to the song the eurovisionspain team selected to be a showcase of them, so think of them as how a benifest entry for them could be like)

delaporte: delaporte is a duo formed by spaniard sandra delaporte and italian sergio salvi known for being one of the biggest electronic pop bands right now. i actually know them through their project titanas, made to celebrate female voices in the spanish music industry; my personal favourite of them is clap clap, their collab with anaju.

arde bogotá: arde bogotá is an indie rock band formed in cartagena (murcia) in 2017 by antonio garcía, dani sánchez, pepe esteban, and josé ángel mercader, known for the characteristic voice of their vocalist. i've actually been listening to their song antiaéreo for a while now, so i'm glad they're on this list!!! also i love how hard los perros (the song linked under the name) goes !!!

julieta: julieta is a pop and urban artist that sings in both catalan and spanish that goes from pop to reggaeton to house. i had not listened to anything from her but i knew her and i knew she was a girlie i should be on the lookout for. also y'all know how much i love when artists sing in another language that isn't spanish or english so !!!!!

GOMZ: GOMZ, whose real name is raúl gómez, is an indie electropop artist who first rose to fame (I KNEW I KNEW HIM) when he composed tu canción, the song that represented spain in esc 2018. his song sounds nice !!!

judeline: judeline was born in cádiz, and with only 20 years old, she's one of the biggest newcomers to the spanish urban scene. just as with julieta, tho i hadn't listened to any of her songs i knew who she was and yeah, this girl is gonna go far for sure !!!!

joe crepúsculo: NOT JOE CREPÚSCULO 😭😭😭 he's a well established indie pop / electronic artist known for his dance anthems and irreverent attitude. y'all i've seen this man live without knowing who he was and he knows how to give a show that's for sure. he's just a weird little man, just an absolute sicko.

fillas de cassandra: they're a female duo from vigo formed of maria SOA and sara faro who fuse galician oral tradition and modern sounds with a feminism focus on all her songs. i actually have listened to them before, specifically to their song lisistrata (PLEASE LISTEN TO IT AND WATCH THE MV IT'S GREAT), and after learning a bit more about them i might be a bit obsessed with them??? like just from their name ('daughters of cassandra'), their themes and sound, the fact that most of their songs titles reference greek mythology, and how much i loved tataravoa (the linked song, means 'great-grandmother' in galician) that i instantly put it in my playlist... also galician !!!!!!

bajocero x: bajocero x is the stage name of madrid-born daniel lópez, a newcomer to the urban pop scene who actually was a reserve artist in the previous benidorm fest! i like his sound he has potential!

SAMURAÏ: I CAN'T BELIEVE SAMU IS HERE LET'S GOOOO. samuraï is the stage named of aroa, also from madrid, an indie pop-rock artist with a very strong visual and vocal presence. GUYS YOU DON'T UNDERSTADN I'M OBSESSED WITH HER. like i've listened to all her songs so many times she's one of my biggest discoveries of 2023 if not the best i am so in love with her it isn't even funny. her last ep called artillería is so good and it also follows a theme in the naming of the songs which i love so so very much !!!!!! i'm struggling to pick only one song of hers to show to y'all (the linked song is very good btw one of my faves), so i'll give you three: the first song of hers i listened to, her collab with la la love you, and imo her best song in the last ep.

KAI NAKAI: kai nakai is the stage name of iratxe aguilera, a basque singer from gasteiz that does feminist urban music in basque language (euskera). i didn't know her and !!!!!! i do love me some minority language in a popular genre honestly

dulzaro: he's an artist from valladolid who fuses traditional castilian-leonese sounds like jotas, charros and corridos, with traditional instruments like cucharas, panderetas, panderos and botellas de anís, and modern sounds and mixes, to make a quite unique sound. i didn't know him but now i love him so much holy shit !!!! just look at the link and that music video!!!! it's chock full of castilian folklore and traditions and even the town screams castilla y león like it's so fucking perfect!!! and it's a jota !!!!!! oh how i would love this to go to eurovision fuck i know it'd have the same placement as eaea but i don't care this shit is so fucking good.

maría peláe: OH I LOVE HER. maría peláe, born in málaga, is probably one of the new generation of folclóricas [flamenco personalities] in the country, with flamenco full of social messages and almost an agressiveness to it. SHE'S AN ICON she's so funny and sassy and EVERYTHING!!! i love her song por si te vas so much (the music video for it is so good actually) but i might love el grillo (the linked song) even more like it has sooo much lola flores (the greatest flamenco artist ever) energy!!!!! i absolutely adore her

GUITARRICADELAFUENTE: MY MAN. born in aragón, he is a singer songwriter known for his unique sound and his traditional sounds - always with a guitar at the center, that combine rumba, flamenco and indie sounds. he's actually so good it's actually criminal he hasn't gone to benidorm fest. also i'm contractually obligated to link the song that made me discovered him because that song changed the course of my life, nana triste; but also his most known song that actually was who made him known to the public is guantanamera, a version of a traditional havanera that's almost become a classic here. also that mv is how i imagine paradise (it's the town where his grandma lives i think, in aragón).

[borisbubbles]

Eurovision 2023 PRESHOW - part 3: the Borewhores

Time for my favourite part of any ranking - the songs that make me feel absolutely nothing. Hooray! These songs aren’t bad, but I don’t care for them. There a place for their entries at ESC, and that place is NOW!!! Bask in the glory of the grotesquely average! Or as I affectionally call them: the boring cunts. 

29. ITALY Marco Mengoni - “Due vite” Autoqualifier 

Whoever reads “Borewhore slaughter” in a BorisBubbles write-up thinks there will be an Italy write-up in the mix. Your thinking is once again correct! 😁

I don’t fucking know what to say about Italy anymore. I honestly feels like they’ve achored themselves down to send male-fronted mid-range emotional ballads, each new one just as dull and insipid as the previous one. L’essenziale, Fai rumore, Brividi, what’s the fucking difference, honestly? I’d say it’s the same old, but look at their entries in the last decade, and look at ALL of their San Remo winners since 2020. There was more variation amongst any four-year Italian stretch in the 60s, 70s and 80s, the time period where Italy were consisently one of the worst countries. 

Even as i’m sitting down to review this, my first instinct was “At least Marco’s handsome?” as a punchline and that says it all really? Italy fandom honestly IS barely about their songs and more about whoever (man) performs it, and what he looks like. The fucking halo effect that white mankind projects onto Italians is omnipotent and often earned, but so worth calling out in contexts like these. At least Marco IS handsome, I guess, the first *actually* handsome and charismatic Italian lead since Il Volo. No more “Protecc The Smoll Bean” nonsense. 

So um, the song. God, I don’t care how many silly Spaniards rank it absurdly high on their lists, “Due vite” is boring. I appreciate that it’s inoffensively competent but good grief, it and I do not align. WHY DOES IT HAVE SO MANY WORDS. I know that Italians are a loqacious lot and yap about anything, but this stereotype personified in ballad form frankly exhausts me. 

At least he’s handsome the fandom isn’t annoying about Italy this time around, I guess. 

Odds at Eurovision - ITALY

Aside from the Spaniards nobody seems to care about Marco. One may think this sets up an illusive Italian male flop but I’m not quite as easily fooled. Marco WILL come top 10. Look at this field, and tell me where the jury votes are gonna go towards. Italy will receive a decent mark here. That the fans are less vocal about Italy than they normally is merely an indicator that they’ll place somewhere in the lower half of the top 10. Maybe the Mengoni special of 7th place :-) 

Projected placement: 6th-10th (specifically: 7th) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

28. CYPRUS Andrew Lambrou - “Break a broken heart” Semi 2, slot #06

You know, sometimes the broadcasters easen job. Cyprus released a teaser for Andrew’s song before release, and although it lasted for THIRTY SECONDS it told us everything we ever needed to know about “Break a broken heart”, including what the remaining two and a half minutes would sound like. Great songwriting, y’all. 😃

Upon announcement though, I harboured a faint hope Andrew would just give us another “Electrify”, fulfilling his predestined role as this year’s hapless himbot with a basic club banger. Instead Cyprus imagined some dragons and sure, if you’re going to be basic there are worse directions to go. Doesn’t take away this is some lower-end ID song here to cash out another easy low-effort qualification into the usual 21st place. 

B L E R G H. 

Odds at Eurovision - CYPRUS

Andrew is Australian and less awful than little Victor Varicose Vein. So I think it’s safe to state Cyprus do better than Greece? They’re guaranteed one twelve from Greece and another one from Australia. That by itself puts them mathematically ahead of several countries in that semi. 

Like I honestly REALLY wish “Break a broken heart” were.. you know, good, because that would ensure Greece’s NQ while making Cyprus (which is a lock on PAPER) an even more secure qualifier. Sadlty, that’s not the case. In a fully just world though, everyone recognizes the “Break a broken heart” is just boringdull baggage nobody wants to take home with them, and both Cyprus and Greece get to hold hands as they sink into a sea of flop. Sadly that’s unlikely to happen in semi 2, unless ALL the other fringe qualifiers deliver something extraordinary.  Once in the final, Cyprus will beach themselves in a 21st-ish place (with votes from Greece and Australia ONLY), and nobody will talk about them ever again. 🙂

Qualifier Tier: B+ Projected placement: 7th-10th (semi), 19th-23rd (Grand final). 

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27. UKRAINE TVORCHI - “Heart of steel” Autoqualifier

What a big pile of misery. Yes, YES, I am aware what country this is. Any of us would be highly delusional to believe Ukraine would go for something cheery at this present moment in time, but Krut and Finka were right there, on offer for the Ukrainians to take? We don’t have to like  Ukraine this year, surely? Yeah it’s TAKING A STAND!! AGAINST THE EVIL INVADER!!! but if it’s about resilience and overcoming odds, then why does it sound like a fucking funeral march hmm? 

For all its doom and gloom, I don’t dislike “Heart of steel” though. It is well-made and unique, which I can appreciate. But I also don’t give two fucks about it. It’s a far cry away from the usual high octane stuff Ukraine send. 

More than anything, “Heart of steel” feels like the end of success story for what is ultimately one of Eurovision’s best and most consistent participating countries. While it won’t happen this year, I’ve a feeling Ukraine will continue to send entries like these, with diminishing returns until they finally ruin their perfect qualification record.

At least they’re not winning this time around, but more on that in the next rublic:

Odds at Eurovision - UKRAINE

The expectations for Ukraine differ depending on who you’d ask, ranging from “winning back-to-back” to “they’ll flop and come bottom five”. I think the expectations are wrong.🙂  Ukraine will come top 10, but nowhere near a win. Eurovision is not a charity, but there there’s clearly going to be some sort of sympathy vote.. But I also feel like this will be limited to countries with a vested interest towards supporting Ukraine (the Baltics, Poland, Czechia). Most of the other casuals I believe will have moved on, more stingy with their money in a world where general prices have skyrocketed. 

In most countries the oro-Ukraine vote will be limited to the expats and refugees for the most part because, again, most of Europe has moved on and also because  “Heart of Steel” is kinda unvoteable oops. I can’t make a projection of how many points that’ll be, but I’d be surprised it Ukraine got more than a bunch of fives and sixes? That should still be enough for a good result overall, but not enough to come even NEAR the actual winning entries. 

Based on musical merit i would estimate a decent jury score as well, to further underline a good but not outstanding result in Liverpool. 

Projected placement: 4th-10th (prediction: 6th place) 

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26. ESTONIA Alika - “Bridges” Semi 2, slot #4

What a wild rollercoaster ride for an entry I fundamentally care very little about.  I went from not caring about Alika to lowkey stanning her to concluding that wait actually "Bridges” kinda sucks, so Estonia should be ranked lowish. Oops!

Idk, I think that *within the context of Eesti Laul* where it became immediately obvious (from the feedback I heard from actual Estonians) that Alika would win, I just... forced myself to like her?  I also had taken it upon myself that Ollie NEEDED to lose for his overrated ~emo boy with emotions~ nonsense (no, it doesn’t work better if disguised as a Linkin’ Park song.) by all means necessary. Bedwetters would be the ideal men for the job, but again since nobody in Estonia seemed to care about them (why? Were Ollie and Alika truly that more exciting? What a crazy country.), Alika was a decent alternative, or so I thought.

Once she actually beat Ollie, I gave Alika little thought until it was time for the bulk relisten. During that I concluded that “Bridges” kinda annoys me? For something supposed to be introverted, it’s loud and pungent.

The presentation at EL does NOT help it either, as it involves Alika angrily screaming about how SHE’S BUILDING UP A WORLD OF BREECHES (what does that metaphor even MEAN, btw?) with the panache of a crazy woman who was just dragged from a river. It’s like Iceland where I feel like there’s a “solid idea” but the execution is a sloppy mess. Unlike Estonia though, iceland have a very good song AND fun performer this year, so i’m willing to forgive their flaws. 🙂

So much for the ONLY female-fronted classical ballad in this year, huh?

Odds at Eurovision - ESTONIA

Estonia are one of several countries in the second semi that are on the cusp. As i’ve written before, 7 countries are very likely through to the final: those 7 are Australia, Lithuania, Austria, Belgium, Slovenia, Armenia and Cyprus (probably in that precise order). San Marino are dead, and Poland/Romania hang on by a sliver. EVERYONE ELSE has a more or less equal shot at the final three positions. Estonia’s advantages here are (1)  Alika’s powerful voice and (2) Bridges being the only classical ballad in the semi. Both of those things can help Estonia stand out and receive televotes, in a semi where their closest ally is Lithuania. 

Estonia is also disadvantaged however. The first and largest of these is that the semi has a very slow start, so someone will have to kickstart it. That will not be “Bridges” which is adding reverse alacrity to the already dull proceedings

Even worse, I believe the big kicker will be Belgium. Estonia are on DIRECTLY BEFORE them, which is a very bad spot to be in.

Also, being on fourth with a ballad is never good. 

ALSO, “Bridges” in its current state is shouty and miserable. 

There are several things Estonia need to rethink in terms of their staging and Alika’s styling, if their ambition is to do well, let alone qualify. Currently I think they’ll come close to the Q, but will narrowly miss it in 11th or 12th place. 

If they do make the final, I could see Bridges becoming one of those entries that Juries love to death and televoters don’t give two fucks about. Their result will be lower-midtable once they’ve passed the big old hurdle of “reaching the grand final with a ballad in a full televote scoreboard”. Qualifier tier: C Projected placement: 8th-14th (Semi), 14th-19th (Grand Final)

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And that concludes those I find very very boring :-)  Next up are the decent entries. I’m not fully on board with them, but I understand why they’re liked. They bring something different to the table and I can appreciate that even if I’m not the target audience. 🙂

THE RANKING:

Part 1: The BAD entries (Switzerland / Croatia / Israel / Greece) Part 2: the IRRELEVANT entries  (Ireland / Albania / Netherlands / San Marino)

[lageografiademicamino]

Top 5 Non-English ESC23 songs

Eurovision is just a couple weeks away so let’s talk about different entries this year! 

Nine songs that are completely not in English are competing this year at the Eurovision. I ranked my top 5 below.

5. SPAIN -  Blanca Paloma: Eaea

No one can deny her talent. Her presence and interpretation is captivating, almost hypnotic. This is dramatic, load, theatrical, this is art, this has a soul, authencity. I’m a big fan of her live peformance which I hope will make Europe vote for her. However, after all these weeks I still haven’t downloaded this to any of my ESC playlists which make me scared that this might the most painful flops of ESC23. 

4. SLOVENIA -  Joker Out:  Carpe Diem

This is fun! Catchy and the music video is well fitting of the spirit of the song. You don’t need to understand the language or the lyrics to dance to this one. There’s a true disco, retro beat here I enjoy. I hope they’ll get the staging right for this one in Liverpool. 

3. FRANCE -  La Zarra:  Évidemment

This didn’t knock me out at first listen to be honest. But it has grown on me. It has a nice structure, that builds up nicely and in my opinion could have gone even higher, more edgier. I like the beginning of French chanson which then turns into a this groovy pop tune. I kind of expected a revamp but this definitely the direction France needs to go. Well produced, professionally performed and character owned songs! 

2. ITALY - Marco Mengoni: Due Vite

Each year I vote for Italy. Even when I think I don’t like them. Every year the songs grow. I cannot resist the quality, emotion, professionalism, talent that has gone into these Italian tunes. A lot of people say that we don’t need another Italian ballad this year but when it’s this good... there’s always room for one more. 

Marco Mengoni is no stranger to Eurovision as represented Italy already a decade ago in Malmö. 

1. FINLAND - Käärijä: Cha Cha Cha

Maybe I’m a bit bias as a Finn but even if I wasn’t... this is good and even though I wouldn’t find my cup of tea no one can deny the effect and reaction this song will surely cause in the viewer. Either it’s hate or love people will feel Cha Cha Cha will leave no one cold. The agressive cocktail of multiple genres (rap, pop, rock sounds and effects) will reach out majority of Europeans’ tastes. We’re potentially talking about a winner of Eurovision 2023 and for sure the best Finnish result since Lordi in 2006. 

What do you think about the Non-English tracks competing ESC this year? What’s your favourite??

[misdre]

my Even More Expert Than Usual impressions of this year's eurovision

faves:

australia (promise): this grows on me more and more every listen, might actually be my non-finland(yes this is a word now.) favourite this year. insert a joke about australia not even being europe here. catchy electro rock metal whatever with an attractive singer, yes king

austria (who the hell is edgar): ah ma gawd. this song mad catchy.

croatia (mama SC): it's perfect. next

cyprus (break a broken heart): my guilty pleasure fave this year, a borderline boring swedish-produced turd aaand i love it. this was the first one that stuck on my first listen through all the songs. that's just how it goes in this short-term-memory eat short-term-memory world

czechia (my sister's crown): this song would be near perfect if none of it was in english, because the english lyrics are a bit too corny for me. but the chorus is in ukrainian so i feel adequately pandered to. some of it is also in bulgarian and some in russian and i forgot what else. this is the one song that i hope has a really really good stage performance because otherwise it will just be ignored by everyone

finland (cha cha cha): here's a beautiful story…. back in february. it was a sunny winter day.... i walked home while listening through all our UMK (national selection) songs in release order for the first time. and i heard cha cha cha in there, and i typed in our friend group chat: ok so we're sending cha cha cha this year, that's just how it is. that IS how it is. (and my friends didn't believe me!!!! fools. i'm obviously always right?) it's crazy it's party.

germany (blood & glitter): WE'RE SO HAPPY WE COULD DIE! germany sends metal for the first time in eurovision history and the song was recorded in helsinki, it's my duty as a finn to stan. i also read that the german national selection juries hated this but finland was part of the international jury and gave it a 12 and into esc you go. take that, motherfucks.

moldova (suarele si luna): literally only just now while typing this noticed that this artist is the same who did lautar in 2012. that's a fucking excellent song LOOK AT THOSE DANCERS. anyway! moldova single-handedly taking care of my techno folk needs. like, all any artist in esc needs to do is combine folk and techno and it's my favourite that year, i'm basic like that

norway (queen of kings): let me just go grab my viking queen sword and we can leave on a journey through the fjords.

not crazy about it but ok:

belgium (because of you): this is like. inoffensive. it's alright catchy.

denmark (breaking my heart): this is like. inoffensive. it's alright catchy.

estonia (bridges): look, on a year with almost no ballads, the only(?? idk i didn't pay enough attention) piano&string quartet ballad is actually nice. i mean i genuinely like the song, it's good. and i love estonia. they're my new favourite neighbour because sweden needs to be eliminated

france (evidemment): this is like. inoffensive. it's alright catchy. also very french

georgia (echo): would be better in georgian (or just any language that's not english) but still pretty cool. it echoes alright

iceland (power): there's this specific flavour of song this year that is, "i'm aware this isn't very good, nobody else likes this, i only see shit reviews everywhere, but this is seriously stuck in my head all the time so i apparently find it catchy and likable". this is one of those. i really be singing POPOPOPOOOOOWEER WOoOOWOO while doing the laundry or whatever the shit

ireland (we are one): same as above. basic, corny stupid lyrics. but it's the only irish entry i've liked in… uhh ever? so that's.. something.

italy (due vite): there are two types of italian eurovisions. actually good ones and then… this. the due vites. i like listening to these too but it's no soldi or zitti e buoni. i wish i was listening to soldi rn

lithuania (stay): this is like. inoffensive. it's alright catchy. oh did i say that already. truthfully my opinion of this improved several notches when i learned the ciuto tuto part has to do with lithuanian folklore. it's almost like you add folk anything to something and i automatically like it? hmm. well yes

portugal (ai coracao): shockingly catchy for portugal. it's fun and got a bit of a folk sound. did someone feed portugal illegal substances to make them send such a fun song

romania (d.g.t (off and on)): i don't fucking know why i like this.

serbia (samo mi se spava): HEWWO? 0w0 this is a weird techno banger that basically got no clear melody and it kinda fucks. the way the dude goes SPAAVVAA :) in the beginning sounds mad gay and makes me laugh every time

slovenia (carpe diem): a nice little rock song in slovenian. the language does a lot for this tbh. it's also... it's.......... it's inoffensive alright catchy

uk (i wrote a song): i liked this decently much at first but then started seeing people call it A SUPER GOOD SONG AGAIN BY UK WOW THEY DOING IT AGAIN!!!! I CANT BELIEVE THEYRE SENDING SUCH AN EXCELLENT SONG AGAIN!!!! and my own interest started dying because bitch please. this is mediocre at best compared to space man from last year. but. i'm still gonna tatta datta da dai. tatta datta da dai

wish i liked more than i do:

albania (duje): the only ethno balkan ballad this year and! it's not good. and i always like balkan ballads, so this does something wrong. the only good part is the bridge(??) with no singing.

latvia (aija): i'd want to like this more because it's a pretty cool little song but i don't so there's that

spain (eaea): don't really understand this one. i've really tried to like it because of the ethno folk sound but i just don't get it, i wouldn't choose to ever listen to this outside esc. i feel like portugal and spain switched places this year, this is the experimental artsy song portugal would usually send. mom someone mixed the iberians up in mail.

ukraine (heart of steel): it's ukraine, it's dark and dramatic, it's for the defenders of azovstal. and i don't really like it. this song just doesn't go anywhere. but i do think it's fitting for the current ukraine, so that's a plus. they hopefully are going somewhere tho

wish i didn't like as much as i do:

israel (unicorn): ok enough FEMALE EMPOWERMENT!!!! YEA!!! POWER OF THE UNICORN!!!!!!!!!!!!! shit already. there's a centaur instead of a unicorn in the music video. you had one job. one horse. unfortunately the song is catchy

switzerland (watergun): if this was any other country's song or any other year, this could be my actual favourite, i mean like number one creme de la creme favourite. but here we have switzerland, a country that actively keeps blocking aid for ukraine because We ARe A neuTRAL coUnTRy, sending some fucking. no guns!!! song to eurovision. [loads my rifle and aims it at switzerland's head] let's see about that. then again, that's not really this artist's fault, is it. most probably not

no:

armenia (future lover): a toilet break song. though the upulupuu herureruus in the chorus are pretty fun

azerbaijan (tell me more): i had to check which country's entry this even was. that's how much i care

greece (what they say): i get a chuckle out of thinking back to a youtube comment on this song's official music video that was like "WHY ARE PEOPLE SLEEPING ON THIS MASTERPIECE???". because it's shit that's why

malta (dance (our own party)): you can't try to be a new epic sax guy without an actually good song. god this is so repetitive it makes me want to DIE

netherlands (burning daylight): zzz…. zzmgffgfg did you say something? no? mkayzzzz

poland (solo): baybah. :{} did you know that one of the producers of this song is finnish. i wish i didn't learn that today

san marino (like an animal): san marino existing in some weird bubble on its own as usual.

sweden (tattoo): i don't so much have a problem with this song specifically as i have a problem with sweden's melodifestivalen being a shit turd production where the actually good, unique, swedish-sounding stuff gets shoved aside for something like Hey let's send loreen again this year because she won ten years ago and we haven't been doing so hot lately in eurovision, surely she will be sexy and get us another win. and the fact that people are just buying it. sweden, unfortunately i have decided you need to be annihilated from the planet

[la-principessa-della-squadra]

I need to make this clear.

Italy doesn't "send ballads to Eurovision".

Italy RARELY or, to be more honest,NEVER thinks of Eurovision when choosing the winner of Sanremo Music Festival.

They never think 'oh, this would make a great entry for ESC so let's give it a try'. No.

They just choose what the Italian audience like to hear on the radio.

period.

Change my mind.

SEE YA AT THE FINALS

[la-venere]

maria! how are we feeling about esc this year?

hii 🥺🥺🥺 obviously excited however there are two important issues number one being italy's entry is boring as fuck (my boy managed to be gay AND boring we love a loser! however he is hot. off topic), also i am absolutely buried in exams :)) we love the italian university system! how about u <3

[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.

[anotherescsite]

HEROES: Junior ESC 2023

Personally, Junior Eurovision is an abomination that creeps me out and make my poor ears bleed. That said there are songs in the Senior Eurovision that do that also (yes - I'm looking at Iru who consequentially came from the Juniors and won with Candy).

While there are entries that are travesties and screechy, there is sometimes quality as well. Needlessly you watch and sometimes a song sticks and you have it on your playlist: I still listen to 'Shut up' from Belgium and Antes Muerta Que Sencillas from Spain. And of course what seems great in a film could be a squealing disaster on the night.

So let's see what we have this year:

ALBANIA: Viola Gjyzeli - Bota Ime

Interesting entry from Albania that could be their best entry ever or a crashing mess. It has potential depending on the staging and Viola's vocal. The film is pleasant without going overboard with colourful lighting on trees.

ARMENIA: Yan Girls - Do it my way

The Armenian entry is a pack of girls with a modern hard hitting entry. This could do well; choreography is ready, the outfits will be flashy and it will be attractive to the children voting. May be a bit repetitive.

ESTONIA: Arhanna - Hoiame Kokku

This is the first Estonian song in the Juniors. The film says that it's about friendship, but hidden within is maybe something more Sappho-ic. The song does not sound interesting or memorable for me.

FRANCE: Zoé Clausure - Coeur

Defending champ nation has an interesting peppy entry that will present well, but not win. I think they will place her behind a piano for some of it and I expect there will be a dancer of some sort.

GEORGIA: Anastasia and Ranina - Over the sky

Now this could be interesting. There are three of them and while it is crediting Anastasia as the lead, the other two put in the work too. The harmonies are very nice and the song is a gentle lullaby of a song. The video is more a loopy trip than a film.

GERMANY: Fia - Ohne Worte 

I read Fia's story on the Juniors website and I am a little emotional half way through the song. It was unexpected. I don't know if it will do well, but I was engaged by seeing Fia and her sister, and the signing makes sense. I do hope it does better than expected.

IRELAND: Jessica McKean - Aisling

Gaelic always seems to give a song some whimsy and that's were this has gone. Children will not appreciate the beauty of this ballad. I'm sure that it will be presented nicely on the stage. I'm not sure if last year's Irish entrant will also be appearing, but it worked.

ITALY: Melissa and Ranya - Un Mondo Giusto

I don't know about this one. I'm not getting it. One of them has a better voice than the other and there are points where I expect there will be Italian yelling vocals which I'm not a fan of.

MALTA: Yulan - Stronger

This song is interesting as this could be a major moment of the night or a let down. Yulan seems like someone who can perform and if she can pull it off could go well for them.

NETHERLANDS: Sep & Jasmijn - Holding On To You

Another modern number with synth elements. I guess it will come down to chemistry on stage, if they can sing and dance, but I like it. I think it has good lyrics and a good beat.

NORTH MACEDONIA: Tamara Grujeska - Kaži Mi, Kaži Mi Koj

The introduction goes for almost 30 seconds and I was wondering if she would begin singing at all. For me, it is too much moan-singing and because of that I don't like it. Don't think it will finish highly.

POLAND: Maja Krzyżewska - I Just Need A Friend

Poland has had a good run lately. This could do well depending on styling, performance and choreography etc. Not sure if it will with though.

PORTUGAL: Júlia Machado - Where I Belong

A very quiet song, but maybe a very personal song. It has no sparkle to make it stand out so I don't expect a high place for this one.

SPAIN: Sandra Valero - Loviu

Hmm. It's an upbeat number which has the kind of feeling you expect from a little girl singing. Her voice could be annoying if she sings higher. Simple enough that it could score well.

UKRAINE: Anastasia Dymyd - Kvitka

A very young girl singing an age appropriate song. It's a bit repetitive and simple but it's okay to listen to.

UNITED KINGDOM: STAND UNIQU3 - Back To Life

This one will do well. There is a lot of space for choreography and vocals. The sound of the song is different to everything else sounding almost like a 1930s swing number.

Who will win is anyone's guess. I'd maybe put my money behind Malta, Armenia or Georgia and the UK as a dark horse. I may be completely wrong.

[kayotic-idiot]

How the uk could send non-english entries

So I feel like there's a couple ways that this could happen. The uk is incredibly diverse and contains so many cultures it would be awesome to see that represented on the eurovision stage.

The first way this could happen is sending in a song in cymreag (welsh), gàidhlig (scottish gaelic), Erse (irish gaelic) or Kernewek (the cornish language). It would be awesome to see these old celtic languages be represented at eurovision and may encourage brits to learn those languages. I know that cymraeg was tested at junior esc and didnt do too well but thats junior esc. I think it would do far better at regular esc, especially in the current shift towards native language songs. Might even place left side.

Second way I can see this happening is a bit dumber, theres nothing forcing any country to sing in any language. I mean, just look at the time belgium sent in a song in a made up language, TWICE. Imo I think it would be funny if the bbc rolled a dice or threw a dart at a map to decide what language to enter in. There is literally nothing stopping us from entering in Polish or Italian or really any european language.

Third way is a more serious suggestion. The uk as mentioned is hugely diverse. Where I live theres a lot of ugandan-indians and ghanaians and north-indians and a surprisingly high number of polish people. Point is that the uk has a huge variety of languages and cultures to send entrans from. Imagine a eurovision entry in hindi or gujarati etc. It would be so cool to see that part of the Uk represented on such a huge stage.

I know that there are issues with all of these ideas but the UK has been sending songs in english for so long it would be nice to see something a bit different, and it might encourage other countries to send songs in their own languages instead of defaulting to english.

[itscrazy-itsparty]

ESC2023 Reaction Post

Just like the title said, I'm writing this post as I listen to most of the 2023 entries for the first time. So far, I have only heard Italy (of course), Spain, Finland, Serbia, Portugal (I just couldn't miss their national finals), and Norway (heard it in the wild).

My top 6 of these entries would look like this:

1. Finland: Käärijä - "Cha Cha Cha"

I've definitely caught the Cha Cha Cha fever! At this point, I've streamed it 240 times in less than a month. It's an instant dopamine boost, it hits several spots of my taste in music, the transition between the two halves of the song is seamless and reflects the lyrics perfectly (I recommend Eurovision Histories' analysis of the song, he explains it really well), Käärijä is such a charismatic performer and an absolute sweetheart, but most of all...

2. Spain: Blanca Paloma - "Eaea"

I rarely cry over a song, so when one does manage to get my eyes wet, it must be special. The fusion between flamenco and a contemporary production, together with Blanca Paloma's flawless and intense vocals, make "Eaea" a contender not only in my ears, but also in my eyes, as the staging completes the package effectively. Hopefully she doesn't change it much for Liverpool!

3. Serbia: Luke Black - "Samo Mi Se Spava"

It seems like Konstrakta might have paved the way for a more experimental side of the Serbian music scene! I first heard "Samo Mi Se Spava" at Pesma za Evroviziju's final and, while I loved the dark electro-pop style, I was also left a little confused - maybe it was the vocals that I couldn't fully get? But with more listens, I've now warmed up to it. Its only flaw is that it's too short. Give me a 7-minute long extended mix with a drop going absolutely bonkers, please.

4. Italy: Marco Mengoni - "Due Vite"

Yes, it's a classic Sanremo-style ballad. But the artist can make or break this kind of songs with their way of singing, and Marco definitely makes it with his distinctive vocals and artistry. While he has a bunch of upbeat bangers and I would have loved him to show this different side of his music this time around, I really can't complain as "Due Vite" makes yet another entry we can be proud of. Forza Marco!

5. Portugal: Mimicat - "Ai Coração"

This keeps growing on me! Such a cute and classy song, retro sounding in the best way. Portugal is one of my favourite country in the ESC, and "Ai coração" is faithful to their brand. Mimicat is such an endearing performer and definitely sells the song!

6. Norway: Alessandra - "Queen of Kings"

It's 'last' as for now, but I'm sure it won't be last in my overall ranking! In fact, I can't see it dropping outside of my top 20 once I've heard all of the entries. Epic feel, pumping bass, powerful vocals - I wouldn't be surprised if "Queen of Kings" landed the second top 10 placement in a row for Norway. Bonus points for Alessandra being half Italian!

Needless to say, I really enjoy all of these songs. It feels so hard for me to imagine a personal winner other than "Cha Cha Cha", but maybe I'll be surprised...

Now to my live reaction to the remaining 31 entries: what I'm going to do is play ESCBEAT's Spotify playlist on shuffle without looking at the title, so I'll make it even more interesting for myself and try to guess which country's song is playing - with the exceptions of Armenia and San Marino, as they're not available on Spotify yet so I'll check them out individually on YouTube.

Armenia: Brunette - "Future Lover"

Ok, before the song starts, let me say that basing her song on Tumblr quotes is honestly iconic behaviour. Truly one of us. However I fear I won't be able to take it 100% seriously after reading this fact.

Alright.

After listening: you know what... it makes a lot more sense to me now. The first verse can be interpreted as her scrolling her dashboard, reading such posts and fantasizing over this ideal partner to do all of these cute and mundane things with. The second verse is when she gets hit by reality and acknowledges that she's spent so much time obsessing over someone who doesn't even exist, and that realization hits her hard. The music seems to explode together with the racing thoughts in her mind. Solid, r&b-tinted track, has potential to be a memorable moment on the Liverpool stage. Oh, and once again Armenia shows that they're capable to make a music video.

San Marino: Piqued Jacks - "Like an Animal"

I have already read the lyrics to that, and they are definitely Something™. Let's see if the music and the performance can make up for it...

I was expecting so much worse from what I've read around the eurofandom spaces? It's a pleasant, very well sung rock song. The lyrics didn't even bother me that much while listening, although they're kinda awkward indeed. Maybe they'll change them up in the upcoming revamp?

Now to shuffling the Spotify playlist.

Sweden: Loreen - "Tattoo"

Oh, this has to be Tattoo. The start is indeed a bit reminiscing of The Winner Takes It All! It's what Sweden can do best - a strong pop song with slick production, in which Loreen's personality and artistry is the added value. I wish she had presented something more experimental, but seeing how it went with "Statements", can we really blame her? "Tattoo" does sound like a jury winner, and it would surely be deserved. I'm sure it's even better live - I'll make sure to check her Melfest performance out!

Australia: Voyager - "Promise"

Have no idea of what this could be, but the sound is interesting. Hope the build-up does not disappoint.

Okay, it has to be Australia! I was expecting it to evolve into a full-on dance-pop song, lmao.

I'm digging this! "Dreamer" was a national final favourite of mine last year, and while I'm not sure I like "Promise" more, I still did like it a lot, and I can hear some common patterns between the two songs - poppier verses, the chorus suddenly getting heavier, and then the peak in the breakdown and the final chorus. Oh, and there's a short but sweet guitar solo in here! I wonder how it will be received on the ESC stage, as it might come across as confusing to some.

Slovenia: Joker Out - "Carpe Diem"

Is this Joker Out? I've been SO curious to hear their song, as I heard some of their back catalogue and it sounds really cool.

OMG I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. Such a strong indie-rock banger, reminiscent of what I used to hear on the alternative radio stations in the mid 00s, but still sounding fresh in 2023. Also Slovene sounds adorable together with rock music. It's been absolutely worth the wait! I NEED THIS TO QUALIFY OKAY.

Austria: Teya & Salena - "Who the Hell Is Edgar"

OH MY GOD YOU'RE SUCH A GOOD WRITER. Yeah, recognized it instantly. MASSIVE BOP ALREADY. Was... not expecting this opera bit.

POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE EDGAR ALLAN EDGAR ALLAN

Everyone stand up for the new Austrian anthem. Honestly iconic. Loving it unironically, great production, love me some satire, and I trust them to deliver live. Hope they go bonkers with the staging. I feel like ranking these entries is going to be hell...

Switzerland: Remo Forrer - "Watergun"

Oh, piano intro.

Army mention. Switzerland, isn't it?

Not bad, just sounds kinda cliché so far... very nice voice though. Can't see myself replaying it. Probably going to end up in my bottom 10.

Georgia: Iru - "Echo"

This is a banging intro, I'm listening respectfully.

...Georgia?

There's going to be a drop, I hope so...

I'm... disappointed so far? Not really hearing the build-up I was hoping for. It seems to be a fan favourite, but I'm not getting it. Maybe it will grow on me, who knows?

Moldova: Pasha Parfeni - "Soarele si Luna"

ROMANIAN. Has to be Pasha. Another song I was eager to hear!

THE DROP. THANKS FOR MY DAILY DOSE OF DOPAMINE. THIS IS SO GOOD HELP. The bass, the flute, the backing vocals, everything. This might be my favourite Moldovan entry ever. Pasha Parfeni came on this bitch mad as hell. Welcome back!

Azerbaijan: TuralTuranX - "Tell Me More"

Automatic voice message? This sounds kinda unserious idk why.

Oh, it has to be Azerbaijan.

I'm glad they left the artists more creative control this time around, but this is really not doing it for me. It sounds like the demo to some 90s song. My last so far. I fear this won't do well and the delegation will go back to Melfest rejects...

Ireland: Wild Youth - "We Are One"

We take our first breath and then we exhale. King of teaching us how to breathe. Can't figure out which entry this is, but it sounds cliché so far.

Oh, Ireland. Wild Youth, what have you done? I already knew their song "Can't Say No" and it's so good, are we sure it's the same band? It's like they came together and decided to deliberately write the most stereotypical ESC song. It's a no from me.

Latvia: Sudden Lights - "Aijā"

Interesting beat, wonder where it's going to go from here. Oh, guitars.

5/4 to 6/8 tempo transition? A bit confusing but in a good way, I'm enjoying it a lot! Definitely original. Could it be Latvia? I've been VERY curious to hear it.

Well, he's saying Aijā now so no doubt. First impression is really good already, but I feel like I'll end up being obsessed!

Malta: The Busker - Dance (Our Own Party)

Funky pop, nice. Enjoying it more and more as it progresses, and that sax? *chef's kiss*. It's sensual, retro but there's also something a bit futuristic about it at the same time? Still not sure about what it is, even now that the song is coming to an end. Kinda want to say Malta? I'll figure this out by exclusion. What's sure is that it slaps.

(Spoiler: it was indeed Malta)

Romania: Theodor Andrei - "D.G.T. (Off and On)"

Is it Romanian again? Thought Romania's entry was in English, so this is surprising. And it's pretty good? This was one of the entries I just couldn't figure out the vibe of from the eurofans' comments, and I'm positively surprised honestly! Was expecting it to be maybe more upbeat, definitely was not picturing this jazz-rock fusion. Oh, turns out it's bilingual. I don't know how memorable it will be in the mix, but it's solid. Such a diverse lineup so far, it's shaping up to be a stronger year than I thought!

Albania: Albina & Familja Kelmendi - "Duje"

Oh, this lady CAN vocalize! Something in the Albanian water...

I was expecting this to be more ballad-y for some reason but it's making me want to shake my ass. I feel like something in the production/mixing is holding it back a bit, though. Overall it's Albania doing Albania, and I can't complain.

Iceland: Diljá - "Power"

Iceland time, I think? I'm enjoying it a lot so far. EDM hasn't been particularly successful at ESC, but she has a lovely voice and her winning Söngvakeppnin suggests to me that she can deliver live, so this could be a dark horse!

Denmark: Reiley - "Breaking My Heart"

Very modern production for this and vocoder for this next song. Okay, this is probably Denmark. It's most likely not going to be one of my favourites, but it's a personal taste thing. It's a solid pop song, hope he can deliver it live.

Estonia: Alika - "Bridges"

Now a lovely tone of voice being accompanied by just a piano and strings. I've lost count of which songs are left to listen to, and while I'm at the last chorus, I'm still struggling to figure out which country this is. WAIT IT'S ALIKA FKFHFKFHDKDH. Girlie said "bridges" a ton of times and I didn't catch it lmao. Really liked it though! It could stand out in a less balladful year like this one.

Czechia: Vesna - "My Sister's Crown"

FINALLY HEARING VESNA'S SONG!!!! This has been so hard to resist BUT GOD HAS IT BEEN WORTH THE WAIT. I've been listening to their music for some time and I was so excited when they were announced for ESCZ. It's what I was expecting from them and more: a gorgeously sung, very well produced folk-pop tune, and the rap verses are such a great surprise! Up to my top 5 you go.

Belgium: Gustaph - "Because of You"

Gustaph delivers some good old eurodance, and I can tell this is going to be a sort of guilty pleasure for me... except I do not, in fact, feel guilty. It's the good kind of dated. Good job on bringing out the 90s kid in me!

United Kingdom: Mae Muller - "I Wrote a Song"

Sounds like slick pop so far. Oh this is building up nicely.

Yes, the UK delivering a quality, very radio-friendly host entry. They seem to be determined in changing their course, and hopefully we'll see a competent enough staging to bring out the entry's potential!

Greece: Victor Vernicos - "What They Say"

Is it Greece? Cute song, I just think I'm not the audience for it. He's really young and this seems to be his first performance on a big stage, so I'm a bit worried about how he might cope with nerves... But then again, there have been 16-year-olds who did amazing on the ESC stage, so fingers crossed!

Croatia: Let3 - "Mama ŠČ"

CROATIA TIME LET'S SEE

This is as all over the place as I was expecting, it's far from a musical masterpiece but it's clearly not meant to be. They're just vibing, and I support that.

Cyprus: Andrew Lambrou - "Break a Broken Heart"

What in the Imagine Dragons is this? Oh, that's Cyprus. This is pretty good, I just don't see myself coming back to it much. But I feel like it's the kind of song that might be elevated a lot by strong staging.

Poland TVP: Blanka - "Solo"

BEYBAH ITS KAINDA CRAYZAH.

...yeah. It's a song. I get those who say it sounds like a Margaret song, but it's also giving me early 00s vibes. At the same time, while I'm a slut for early 00s pop, this is giving me nothing. And the context around it makes everything worse.

Israel: Noa Kirel - "Unicorn"

I've heard "Unicorn" is a messy song, now I'll get to witness it for myself. So far it's a respectable dance-pop entry, but that "power of the unicorn" sounds so random ngl.

Oh well. This is definitely a song meant FOR a staging. The breakdown after the repeated "do you want to see me dance?" line reminded me of kpop a bit. The ending was... so abrupt?

Netherlands: Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper - "Burning Daylight"

This might be the Netherlands' entry? You can surely hear Duncan Laurence in it. I was afraid it would sound too forced as a song and a duet, but it's flowing well so far. However I'm not a fan of what the drums sound like. They sound... buried? I liked it the most until the second chorus.

Germany: Lord of the Lost - "Blood & Glitter"

Metal? In MY Eurovision Song Contest? Love to hear it, especially from Germany, since it seemed like they were stuck in their safe approach to the competition. As for the song itself... maybe I'll warm up to it with time, but on a first impression, I like the intro and the verses a lot, the chorus not as much. The ending was great!

Ukraine: Tvorchi - "Heart of Steel"

Oh, what's this? Slightly off-beat chorus, very interesting!

Right, Ukraine! Tvorchi use their host entry privilege to bring something we've never heard at the ESC before, and definitely a change of pace from the folk-driven songs of the past couple of years, proving the richness of this country's music scene.

Lithuania: Monika Linkytė - "Stay"

ČIŪTOOOO TŪTO

Another returnee! Sweet ballad, really pleasant vocals. Turning into more of a midtempo now, with sort of marching drums. I can't remember which country is in which semi, but I wouldn't mind this in the grand final at all!

France: La Zarra - "Évidemment"

So far, so French. And yes, it's a compliment - I'm a French pop slut. It's now surprisingly evolved into pop-funk, and I'm loving it! France is truly on a great streak (STILL MAD ABOUT FULENN OKAY.) - maybe we'll see them win in the next few years?

Overall: what a year! I was planning to make an initial ranking, turns out I'm too overwhelmed right now. As the years go by, the songs seem to be less meant for a contest, and more as a bunch of stand-alone solid and diverse tunes that happen to compete with each other, therefore it feels unfair to choose some over others. I'll take my time to warm up to them, and see which ones I will come back to the most, which ones will grow on or off me.

I think Finland is still my favourite, though.

Most likely to end up in my top 10: Czechia (definitely top 5), Slovenia, Latvia, Moldova, Malta, Austria

[because-its-eurovision]

What are in your opinion the top 3 finnish esc performances?

Also who fo you think are the most attractive / hottest finnish contestants ever? I need this for science👀 (if you are comfortable answering)

What a lovely ask! 🖤 I picked three performances based on styling (clothes, hair, make-up, jewellery), choreography, staging and lightning choices, camera angles, vocal performance and charisma of the singers and back-up singers & musicians, and how well all of of those support the melody, lyrics and structure of the song. I suck at making definitive rankings so these are in chronological order 😄

1977: Monika Aspelund - Lapponia

Lapponia tells the story of a beautiful witch maiden in Lapland and the man who falls in love with her, and Monika really acts out the lyrics to the camera with her expressions. The blue and white (Finnish flag colours my beloved) styling with Lapponia brand jewellery is very simple yet stylish in a Nordic way and fits the song well. Vocal performance of both Monika and the back-up singers is near perfect considering she was suffering from angina at the time and still managed to hit the high note. Choregraphy again is simple but works and compliments the epic chorus, and the end frame is possibly the greatest of Finland's Eurovision history. There's a reason why this is still my favorite entry of all time.

1990: Anneli Saaristo - La Dolce Vita

Once again: simple yet effective. The song is a great combination of melancholic Finnish mindset with Spanish and Italian influences. The main melody flows effortlessly and her low, dark and full voice is perfect for that. Throwing in the acoustic guitar and some flamenco claps for Mediterranean flavor when she is singing about beautiful sweet life in the chorus. Staging is beautifully balanced with the guitar players on both sides of Anneli and she really pops with the red outfit and makeup, bringing out the passion of the song. And listen to the horns and violin sections of the live orchestra! The ending pose is the cherry on top. One of the most succesfull Finnish entries ever and deservedly so.

2021: Blind Channel - Dark Side

Dispite some slight mishaps in the vocal performance, as a whole I love this performance to bits. The background screens with them hanging upside down in white clothes so the stage is not too dark. The combination of red and black. The contrast between Joel and Niko that was purposefully built by giving Niko the rapper look with darker hair and Joel the rocker look with blonder hair. The pyros right from the start and throughout the song. The choreography that looks natural and effortless despite being rehearsed hundreds of hours. The text JOIN in Joonas's guitar, when I first saw him lifting it in their second rehearsal clip I got chills. How they make Niko's and Joel's height difference work by putting Joel behind Niko to whisper like a demon. How dynamic and full of energy the entire performance is and how they are giving their ALL. Joonas & Olli walking to mid stage to join the HU HU HU choreography with Niko & Joel. Aleksi's hairflip. Joonas's hairstyle and clothes and the guitar spin. Him lifting the guitar for the slow part and how Olli looks at the camera. Kneeling Joel. JOIN on Niko's palm. How the energy builds up for the final chorus and them all making the huge jump together, perfectly timed with the pyros. The "headshot" move. Joonas & Olli just spinning and running from opposite directions across the stage during HU HU HU HU, twice. The final scream & pyro combination. 😭😭😭🖤🖤🖤 MY BOYS DID THAT

I'm glad you didn't ask for top-3 hottest contestants, because that would be impossible 😄 Some of those whose looks I've appreciated are Blind Channel (2021), The Rasmus (2022), Käärijä (2023), Sebastian Rejman (2019) and Jarkko Ahola (Teräsbetoni 2008). Boys of Softengine (2014) were adorable, as well as Paradise Oskar (2011) 🥰