#Samanta Tīna

[aijamisespava]

The Last Place Squad

There's a saying my mother tells me when I do rankings of any kind, "Someone's always gotta be vanilla." The implication is that you could have a great batch of anything to rank, but someone has to rank at the bottom (apologies to my vanilla ice cream fans it is a good flavor). And with Eurovision, we have to have one song that ranks not last in the Grand Final (that's a future post though), but last of all the songs. Which I will be ranking (in my pure opinionation)!

Disclaimer: I won't be ranking "Europapa" as dead last because *technically* it was dead last with the disqualification, but it *did* qualify for the grand final. Same goes for my last in Grand Final post later.

2022: "Disko" by LPS (Slovenia) 2015: "Time To Shine" by Mélanie René (Switzerland) 2024: "Scared Of Heights" by Hera Björk (Iceland) 2016: "Play" by Jüri Pootsmann (Estonia) 2019: "22" by Sarah McTernan (Ireland) 2018: "Our Choice" by Ari Ólafsson (Iceland) 2023*: "Like An Animal" by Piqued Jacks (San Marino) 2017: "Spirit Of The Night" by Valentina Monetta & Jimmie Wilson (San Marino) 2021: "The Moon Is Rising" by Samanta Tīna (Latvia)

*: Technically speaking, "Like An Animal" by Piqued Jacks from San Marino and "D.G.T (Off And On)" by Theodor Andrei from Romania ranked dead last in Eurovision 2023 with nul points in their semi. HOWEVER, the tie has been canonically broken by running order. Since Piqued Jacks performed after Theodor Andrei, Piqued Jacks ended up ranked dead last.

Well that does it! I wanted to note here that my Eurovision 2006 ranking originally slated for today will be coming out tomorrow, and my rankings may come out on Saturdays from this point out because it's a lot easier. Just assume for now that you get rankings on weekends.

[eurovision-facts]

Eurovision Fact #215:

A total of 26 contestants from the 2020 contest returned with new songs to represent their nation in 2021.

Returning participants include:

Montaigne (Australia)

Vincent Bueno (Austria)

Efendi (Azerbaijan)

Hooverphonic (Belgium)*

VICTORIA (Bulgaria)

Benny Cristo (Czech Republic)

Uku Suviste (Estonia)

Tornike Kipiani (Georgia)

Stefania (Greece)

Daði og Gagnamagnið (Iceland)

Lesley Roy (Ireland)

Eden Alene (Israel)

Samanta Tīna (Latvia)

The Roop (Lithuania)

Destiny (Malta)

Natalia Gordienko (Moldova)

Jeangu Macrooy (Netherlands)

Vasil (North Macedonia)

ROXEN (Romania)

Senhit (San Marino)

Hurricane (Serbia)

Ana Soklič (Slovenia)

Blas Cantó (Spain)

Gjon's Tears (Switzerland)

Go_A (Ukraine)

James Newman (United Kingdom)

*While Hooverphonic returned in 2021, the band’s line-up was not the same. The lead signer in 2020 would have been Luka Cruysberghs. But in 2021, one of the band’s original lead vocalists, Geike Arnaert, returned.

[Sources]

Participants of Rotterdam 2020, Eurovision.tv (archived).

Participants of Rotterdam 2021, Eurovision.tv.

Participants of Rotterdam 2020: Hooverphonic, Eurovision.tv (archived).

Participants of Rotterdam 2021: Hooverphonic, Eurovision.tv.

‘Belgium: Hooverphonic replace lead singer ahead of Eurovision 2021,’ Eurovisionworld.com.

Hooverphonic, Wikipedia.com.

[atimefordragons]

obsessed with this stage effect 👀👀👀

[damiano-david]

22. Efendi - Mata Hari (Azerbaijan) 🇦🇿

Is this Cleopatra 2.0? Yes it is. Is it better than last year? No, it's not. But that doesn't make "Mata Hari" a bad song at all. I'm not a fan of Efendi herself (that's a topic/conversation for another day), but I don't mind the song itself. I believe this could either do extremely well or flop real hard depending on the staging and Efendi's vocals. 6.8/10

23. Samanta Tīna - The Moon Is Rising (Latvia) 🇱🇻

As much as I love Samanta this song isn't as good as "Still Breathing". Aminata manages to create bops after bops, but this one feels a little bit all over the place sometimes. But there are specific parts of the song that I enjoy and Samanta has killer vocals, so I'm hoping that I'll enjoy it (as a whole) a lot more after seeing it in Rotterdam. Will this qualify? It's different, it's loud and it's memorable. If Latvia nails the staging and Samanta kills the vocals (which I'm sure she will do just that) this could possibly go to the final. 6.7/10

24. Benny Cristo - Omaga (Czech Republic) 🇨🇿

This song is so damn fun and catchy. Benny has so much stage presence and charisma that you can't help but watch his every move. "Omaga" is different, memorable and fun - a combination that could bring Czech Republic to the final. I've mentioned this a lot, but this one is also gonna be elevated or "killed" once the staging is revealed. Hoping for it to go to the final tho. 6.6/10

25. James Newman - Embers (United Kingdom) 🇬🇧

"Embers" is going to be one of my summer 2021 bops. It does remind me of Sigala, but it's not a bad thing. I do believe that James and his vocals bring a lot of life to this song, thus being the reason why I enjoy it as much as I do now. United Kingdom should be proud of this entry, because it is one of their best in recent years. I really really wish for James to do well in the final. 6.5/10

[magicmalcolm]

Queen Samanta is here and giveth no fucks and we have no choice but to stan. Stanmanta.

Qualifying chances? NOT MY CASE.

[eurotastic]

Eurovision reviews: Semi 2

These reviews are based on my personal opinions about the songs, and not their potential in the actual competition. Qualification predictions are coming up in a separate post.

San Marino: Senhit ft Flo Rida - Adrenalina

After a decade of giving us nothing but memes, San Marino have finally decided to get competitive for real, giving us possibly the biggest Eurovision meme of all time by featuring some rapper called Florida Man in their song. Let's be honest, Flo Rida isn't nearly as big as he was a decade ago, but he's still the most relevant global celebrity to show up to Eurovision for a really long time. I know fans are upset that an American is showing up to Eurovision with a song that he very obviously doesn't care about, but I disagree! San Marino has what, 50 inhabitants? A country that small has every right to recruit some help from abroad. This is a banger and a huge meme, what else could you possibly want?

9/10

Estonia: Uku Suviste - The Lucky One

Between this song and the song from last year, I'm starting to think that this Uku Suviste guy might be the most boring man on the planet.

2/10

Czech Republic: Benny Cristo - Omaga

Listen, I think this song is criminally underrated by the fandom, but from what I've seen so far the live vocals are rough. I'm obsessed with the official music video where Benny recreates Leonardo Dicaprio's iconic car door moment from The Wolf of Wall street, but I don't think the live performance will be anywhere near as great as the video.

7/10

Greece: Stefania - Last Dance

I think this song is trying way too hard. It's too fast and there's too many high notes, I'm getting exhausted just listening to it. The staging is looking stupid as fuck, which is fun. Whoever decided that Stefania should be surrounded by dismembered dancing gym shorts should win the Nobel peace prize.

6/10

Austria: Vincent Bueno - Amen

This is even more boring than the last song called Amen, which is remarkable.

2/10

Poland: RAFAŁ - The Ride

There's definitely a good song hiding in here somewhere, but honestly, it needed another singer. This geriatric boybander unironically wearing sunglasses indoors isn't doing it for me.

4/10

Moldova: Natalia Gordienko - SUGAR

The fact that we're not getting any cake-related murder on stage is a real letdown. I was expecting a fun mess on stage, but it looks like we're just getting a boring mess.

3/10

Iceland: Daði og Gagnamagnið - 10 Years

This band has the worst luck in the world. I think this song is great, but it's obviously weaker than Think about things, which was the kind of perfection that can't ever be recreated. The staging is looking fantastic, but I'm just so sad that they can't perform it live.

If Dadi should return for a third attempt at Eurovision, I fully expect a volcano eruption to prevent him from attending the contest.

8/10

Serbia: Hurricane - Loco Loco

I honestly find this song really forgettable, but at least these girls have a really great stage presence. I feel like I should have something interesting to say here but I can't come up with anything at all. It's probably a fan favorite for a reason but I'm just not having any feelings about this at all, positive or negative.

6/10

Georgia: Tornike Kipiani - You

After watching thousands of Eurovision rankings and recaps on youtube, I still can't remember a single note of this song. I really wish he would bring back the weird screaming about random nationalities from last year, because at least that was fun.

2/10

Albania: Anxhela Peristeri - Karma

I really feel like we have gotten this exact song from Albania 500 times in the last 10 years.

3/10

Portugal: The Black Mamba - Love Is On My Side

I'm conflicted because on one hand I really enjoy this genre of music, but on the other hand this just feels like an album track.

4/10

Bulgaria: VICTORIA - Growing Up Is Getting Old

Victoria is basically just a Billie Eilish impersonator, but like a really expensive impersonator. This song might have the best staging of the year, and the song sounds fantastic, even if it's obviously very derivative.

8/10

Finland: Blind Channel - Dark Side

The year is 2008, I'm in 8th grade, me and my gang of nerds and emos are in recess listening to this song off someone's crappy flip phone. This is retro as fuck and I'm weirdly fascinated by the fact that the guys singing this are the same age as me and making this middle school throwback kind of music. Saatana perkele \m/

10/10

Latvia: Samanta Tīna - The Moon Is Rising

I mean, she's trying really, really hard to make something, but I have no idea what it is that she's trying to make. The whole "blood moon is rising" lyric really makes me think it's some kind of feminist statement about periods.

4/10

Switzerland: Gjon's Tears - Tout l'Univers

Super unpopular opinion but I absolutely love the staging where Gjon dances like a pretentious art school weirdo. I am reminded of Loic Nottet, and that's pretty music the highest compliment I could give any eurovision contestant.

9/10

Denmark: Fyr Og Flamme - Øve Os På Hinanden

I can't decide if this is endearing or repulsive. It's exactly like a Swedish, or I guess Danish dansband song from circa 1983 and I cannot for the life of me understand how this song ended up here. The danish language is the funniest shit in the world so it gets huge bonus points for making Europe endure 3 full minutes of guttural caveman noises.

7?/10

[maticide666]

my eurovision top 39 songs (finally)

anyway i finally got my top 39 completed. under a read more because it can get kinda long with the commentary i added klfdja;sflk (and by that i mean VERY long, maybe a wall of text if i have a lot to say about the song.)

none of this takes rehearsals into account.

basically, 39-37 i don't like, 36-35 are meh, 34-25 are decent, 24-18 are good, 17-12 i enjoy listening to a lot, 11-4 i love, and I would pay for votes for top 3 if i could.

39. Azerbaijan - Efendi - Mata Hari - Honestly, I kinda want to like this song. The instrumentation is nice, especially with the Azeri instruments. Efendi's vocals are ok during the verses. However, her vocals during the MA-MA-MA-MATA HARI part makes this song utterly unlistenable for me. It is just so distracting and ear-grating. Not great for my sensitive ears. And that is without taking anything else into account.

38. Estonia - Uku Suviste - The Lucky One - For some reason reminds me of a boring modern country song. Bland af. At least the melody of the chorus is nice.

37. Cyprus - Elena Tsagrinou - El Diablo - Discount Lady Gaga at the best points of this song. Feels like three songs at once. Also, the lyrics seem like they just went all "What Spanish-sounding words sound spicy? Taco? Tamale? Mamacita?" As a Spanish speaker and as someone of Mexican descent who enjoys those foods, this annoys the living shit out of me. At least I can make El Diablo/Fallen Angel memes out of this. (Honestly, I don't mind the gratuitous Spanish with the words El Diablo.) Also, this song got real old real quick.

36. Slovenia - Ana Soklič - Amen - The gospel vibe is nice, but there is just too much Christianity in it for me to enjoy this song. Sorry, Ana.

35. Moldova - Natalia Gordienko - Sugar - Sounds like a sugary version of Siren Song by MARUV. Kinda boring, but enjoyable in the right circumstances.

34. Georgia - Tornike Kipiani - You - Good to listen to when mind feels blank. At first I kinda liked this song, but nowadays this song has lost its charm. This won't sound out of place alongside boring 70s slow classic rock songs.

33. Austria - Vincent Bueno - Amen - Not something I would listen to regularly, but still nice. For me, easily the biggest downgrade from 2020.

32. Greece - Stefania - Last Dance - Pleasant to listen to, not much else.

31. Portugal - The Black Mamba - Love Is On My Side - Good song, but not my cup of tea. Unfortunately, some great songs have to be near the bottom of my ranking.

30. Germany - Jendrik - I Don't Feel Hate - A fun song to listen to. The novelty wears off after a while. The feel good vibes and ukulele are nice.

29. Israel - Eden Alene - Set Me Free - the song release version was bland and boring, but the revamp. Now THAT is good stuff. The song doesn't seem so empty anymore. I miss the key change from the original, though.

28. Spain - Blas Cantó - Voy A Quedarme - A very emotional and beautiful song from Spain. Again, not usually my cup of tea. However, the melody somehow gives me a nostalgic vibe.

27. North Macedonia - Vasil - Here I Stand - DAMN Vasil has a lovely voice. Nice that he's showing it off here. Too slow of a song for me to enjoy regularly, though.

26. Albania - Anxhela Peristeri - Karma - I don't have much to say other than this song is nice.

25. Bulgaria - VICTORIA - Growing Up Is Getting Old - Pleasant to listen to, but depending on my mood I think this is a beautiful song but not my cup of tea or a complete snoozefest.

24. Serbia - Hurricane - Loco Loco - Fun song, but it feels like something is lacking, and I can't quite put my finger on it.

23. San Marino - Senhit - Adrenalina - Once the initial hype from Flo Rida being on the song died down, this became another typical Eurovision bop.

22. Sweden - Tusse - Voices - At first I thought the song was completely unremarkable and couldn't understand how this won Melodifestivalen. Nowadays it's a nice song to chill to. I gotta respect a perfect televote score from the national final.

21. Ireland - Lesley Roy - MAPS - nice.

20. Croatia - Albina - Tick Tock - Grew on me slightly. Shoutout for including a verse in Croatian.

19. Switzerland - Gjon's Tears - Tout l'Univers - Another grower for me. Doesn't hit as hard as his song from last year, but I dig it.

18. France - Barbara Pravi - Voilà - Lovely chanson right here. I wish it didn't take forever to pick up, though. I was about to completely give up on this song in the middle of my first listen. I'm glad I didn't.

17. Belgium - Hooverphonic - The Wrong Place - Classy. Not much else to say.

16. Ukraine - Go-A - Shum - I'd definitely go rave to this song. I kept finding this song hard to rank due to the white voice. I couldn't decide if I absolutely adored it or if I found it grating. Maybe I just wasn't feeling well when I first thought about it.

15. Lithuania - The Roop - Discoteque - Lots of fun, doesn't have the charm that On Fire had last year. I would dance to this song.

14. Poland - RAFAŁ - The Ride - I actually kinda like this song???? Even with Rafal's vocals??? I know he has political controversies, but I can't help but think this song is nice. A better, less controversial singer would benefit this song, though. I'm not counting the revamp just yet since it was released too recently.

13. Latvia - Samanta Tīna - The Moon Is Rising - This song gives me nostalgic mid to late 2000s hip hop vibes. The guitars in this song are lovely.

12. Romania - ROXEN - Amnesia - Definitely something that can put me in a trance if I'm in the right mood.

11. Czechia - Benny Cristo - omaga - Nice, catchy, I would dance to this.

10. Malta - Destiny - Je Me Casse - Damn, Destiny has a lovely voice! And the song itself is wonderful. I'm not a fan of the amount of Swedish talent being used instead of Maltese talent, but I really do enjoy listening to this.

9. Denmark - Fyr og Flamme - Øve Os På Hinanden - another really fun song! This really grew on me. Nowadays if I want to listen to a Eurovision song, this is one of the first songs I think of.

8. The Netherlands - Jeangu Macrooy - Birth of a New Age - I can vibe with this. You can hear the passion in this song. I wish I could let my body do the talking right now, but y'all can't see that with just a tumblr text post.

7. Russia - Manizha - Russian Woman - I was NOT expecting this to come out of Russia when it won the national final. I wasn't expecting to like this either. The message is great, the instrumental is great, everything about this is brilliant.

6. United Kingdom - James Newman - Embers - A funky song. I LOVE James's voice. Massive upgrade from last year in my opinion. I'm a sucker for brass in an upbeat song. Unfortunately, I have had the staging kinda spoiled and I am VERY skeptical about this coming out of bottom five. I'm done with the BBC.

5. Australia - Montaigne - Technicolour - There is a Lot happening in this song and I am all in for it. I'm kinda terrible at parsing lyrics, but it's a non-issue when I can follow Montaigne's voice and forget about the lyrics. Ironically enough, it's Montaigne's voice that also worries me this Eurovision season - mostly whether she was able to pull off her live on tape performance off.

4. Iceland - Daði og Gagnamagnið - 10 Years - I didn't think Daði could pull it off against this year, but he did it. I like this just a little more than Think About Things, which was my favorite song last year. I'm still a little gutted that this pandemic robbed him of a probable victory, but I've made peace with it. I still need to learn the dance moves, though.

3. Italy - Måneskin - Zitti E Buoni - FUCK YEAH A KICKASS ROCK SONG IN EUROVISION! This song gave me massive rock en español vibes on my fist listen, and honestly this is something I would bang my head to if I had the same body I did when I was 15.

2. Norway - TIX - Fallen Angel - I was not expecting to like this song much, let alone becoming THIS obsessed with TIX. In fact, he wasn't even on my radar for winning MGP. I listened to Ut Av Mørket for the first time and thought something like 'this is boring af, but at least it's in Norwegian'. And then he changed it to English, which I wasn't a fan of at first. And then one day the lyrics clicked - especially with my own struggles with mental illness. To this day this is one of only two Eurovision songs to actually make me cry. Even now he still isn't my MGP winner (that honor goes to JORN), but he has definitely won my heart.

1. Finland - Blind Channel - Dark Side - To say that this song kicks ass would be an understatement for me. This song has just the right mix of rock, pop, and even metal. Ever since I found out that this song would be in the national final, I knew that it would be my favorite this whole Eurovision season regardless of who won UMK. Yes, my jaw dropped when I saw the lead Blind Channel had in UMK. I literally cancelled my plans to watch the MGP final live because of these guys. I am not disappointed. Even Måneskin couldn't bring these guys down in my ranking. And while the lyrics might be a bit iffy, they did get me through rough times. I hope these guys are able to bring rock music back like they want to. But for now, I will give them my (useless tbh) douze points.

[cruger2984]

Hetavision ‘21 - 2nd Semifinal!

I managed to buy some snacks earlier today, and yet we can still wait for the next bloodbath that is the second semifinal of Europe's annual favorite TV show. The first semis had got shocking when Australia's failed to qualify for the first time, and now here we are, we're going to enter the second bloodbath! So here are the participants in running order!

1. San Marino: Senhit feat. Flo Rida - Adrenalina 2. Estonia: Uku Suviste - The Lucky One* 3. Czech Republic: Benny Cristo - Omaga 4. Greece: Stefania - Last Dance** 5. Austria: Vincent Bueno - Amen*** 6. Poland: Rafał - The Ride 7. Moldova: Natalia Gordienko - Sugar 8. Iceland: Daði og Gagnamagnið - 10 Years**** 9. Serbia: Hurricane - Loco Loco 10. Georgia: Tornike Kipiani - You 11. Albania: Anxhela Peristeri - Karma 12. Portugal: The Black Mamba - Love Is on My Side 13. Bulgaria: Victoria - Growing Up Is Getting Old 14. Finland: Blind Channel - Dark Side 15. Latvia: Samanta Tīna - The Moon Is Rising 16. Switzerland: Gjon's Tears - Tout l'Univers***** 17. Denmark: Fyr & Flamme - Øve os på hinanden******

* - To think Estonia's gonna perform if he is lucky enough to make Russia impressed. ** - Greece is gonna make sure that all of the cats will dance in perfect synchronization. *** - Roderich is having an alliance with Philippines (YES he is now a canon character!) and hoping that this will qualify. **** - Poor Ice. He had to be extra careful. He had to bring extra alcohol and a box of face masks on the table. ***** - Vash wants to bring the universe in for Liechtenstein, so as Austria too. ****** - Den wants to go on a time warp and performed a '70s number.

So please make sure to assemble your own snack boat, tune in to your channel (if you are in Europe), watch it on Peacock (if you are in the United States), and join the conversation at @hetaliadiscord!

[smimon]

Kalwi & Remi - Unbreakable ft. Joe Killington | Samanta Tīna - The Moon Is Rising

[ragazza-paradiso]

esc 2021 ranking

ranking as many contests as i can because i’m bored during the off season ?? okay

don’t remind me of these again:

39. germany (jendrik - i don’t feel hate): i do feel hate. lots of it. specifically towards this song. maybe i am a miserable person. i’m okay with it.

38. latvia (samanta tīna - the moon is rising): samanta’s entries can be best described as eclectic to me - and not in a good way. this song wasn’t helped by her veeeeery out of tune vocals at the semi final.

37. finland (blind channel - dark side): ooof, controversial i know, but i can’t stand this song. while i’m not a massive fan of the genre, i can appreciate some songs in a similar vein (ie linkin park) but this song makes me cringe so much with the lyrics. plus the whole presentation with the greasy hair and red fingers just puts me off. sorry lol

36. united kingdom (james newman - embers): respect to james for taking the contest seriously, but this was doomed from the start. he’s not really a performer, and it showed, with the shaky vocals and non-existent stage presence. also his outfit was hideous. the song itself would’ve been alright if it was 2015, but it sounds pretty dated by now.

it’s not terrible but it’s also not good:

35. poland (rafał - the ride): the studio version of this song is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, but there’s no getting over how ill fitted rafał is for this song. the on stage performance was a bit of a mess too.

34. czech republic (benny cristo - omaga): while the lyrics of this are a bit on the creepy side (“why don’t you let me have it” ???) the song itself is fairly catchy and i honestly thought this would be a dark horse to qualify before the rehearsals. benny himself has always been charismatic in interviews and live performances so i thought that would translate onto the stage. instead we got 3 minutes of benny whisper-singing in a much lower register than the song and a group of people on stage who looked like they’d just been picked up off the street. no idea why they thought that was a good idea. probably the act that fucked up the worst with the pre-recorded backing vocals introduction this year.

33. malta (destiny - je me casse): another controversial pick to be so low down, but honestly i’ve not been a fan of this from the very beginning and never understood the hype. i made a post about this on the day of the final, but this song screams faux feminism to me - it wants so badly to be progressive but in the most vapid sense of the word. completely commercialised and soulless. it’s a shame because destiny is a great singer and she has amazing stage presence (which is the only saving grace for me). i did feel a bit sorry for her because it seemed the maltese delegation put a lot of pressure on her shoulders to win, and her disappointment was evident after that didn’t happen. especially with the complaining about the running order, it seems they are one of the most pushy delegations.

32. sweden (tusse - voices): tusse seems like such a sweet, down to earth guy and his story is really touching, but this song is just standard fare for swedish eurovision entries over the past decade or so, and it does it probably the worst of all of them. i’m just bored of this. yes, it’s produced and sung well, the choreography is slick, but it all just feels so robotic. it’s like sweden have developed a formula for eurovision songs, which makes it feel like i’ve seen it all before. i don’t hate this song, it’s okay, i’m just tired of sweden qualifying every year with this kind of thing, while other countries miss out when taking creative risks.

31. ireland (lesley roy - maps): i always want to root for ireland at eurovision, but they make it so hard for me. the studio version of this song is pretty good (much better than “story of my life” which was very cliché), i like the mix of modern pop with irish folk influences. the problem i have with this is the staging. it’s a good concept on paper (haha) but it just didn’t work in rotterdam. if you’re gonna go for the mystical up close world, don’t break the illusion at the end of the song, because you lose that whole effect. and her constantly on a treadmill really negatively affected her vocals. i don’t think it deserved to finish last in her semi final, but i wasn’t surprised when this didn’t qualify, unfortunately.

i’m not crazy about it but it’s decent:

30. slovenia (ana soklić - amen): i’m not crazy about the religious themes in this song, but ana’s vocals are very impressive and she had a good stage presence. she was always doomed with performing in the #2 slot and being in a tough semi final, but it was a decent effort.

29. estonia (uku suviste - the lucky one): this is a pretty basic mid tempo pop song, it’s quite catchy and that’s why i like it. the staging was unimaginative though.

28. norway (tix - fallen angel): i originally liked this song a lot more, it’s very catchy and a nice throwback pop song. the song being personal to tix’s life story makes it all feel more authentic. i’ve just grown a bit tired of it, and reading about tix’s past in the norwegian music industry made me doubt his character a bit more.

27. israel (eden alene - set me free): honestly, i really loved “feker libi” so this song was a bit of a disappointment to me when i first heard it, and it never really grew on me too much. it’s a decent pop song but i don’t really understand what the meaning is (the lyrics just seem really random all throughout). eden’s vocals were amazing though, and what i imagine made her qualify above a few other entries. it’s an okay pop song but quite forgettable, other than the whistle notes. also the hair dress was weird.

26. north macedonia (vasil - here i stand): the lyrics are pretty standard, but vasil’s voice is so lovely. the musical theatre vibe to the song also made it stand out to me a little more, since this isn’t as common at eurovision. the staging did a good job of enhancing a song that maybe wasn’t strong enough to really stand out in a strong semi final. i also think vasil’s work for LGBT rights in north macedonia and the balkans is really cool and worth mentioning.

25. moldova (natalia gordienko - sugar): this song and performance are a hot mess but you have to pay tribute to a pop diva who gives the audience what they want. mic drops, odd vocals, attitude and step by step choreography, it’s all great. natalia’s such a sweet and funny character as well. eurooooope, ow!

24. spain (blas cantó - voy a quedarme): this is another fairly standard mid tempo pop-ballad song, and while the studio version is a little forgettable, i think blas always gives it a little extra oomph when he performs it live. the massive moon was pretty cool too. i wasn’t too surprised this finished near the bottom of the final, but it’s a nice song.

23. lithuania (the roop - discoteque): i was a massive fan of “on fire”, and i honestly think that would’ve come in the top 3 had esc 2020 actually taken place. so i had high hopes for the roop’s effort in 2021. this song starts off really strong, i love the half-talking half-singing intro, and as always with the roop, the production and riffs are excellent. i just think this song lacks a big ending. the last chorus always falls flat because i want something a little more. i don’t know how to explain it, but i felt that from the first listen and have ever since. the staging is iconic though, really bold with the purple and yellow and i loved the way all of their outfits matched but were distinctive to their personal styles.

22. iceland (daði og gagnamagnið - 10 years): despite all the hype, “think about things” was not a favourite of mine in 2020, and i much prefer this song. i think the lyrics are really sweet, and the melody is far less annoying than “think about things”. we got pretty much what we expected from them in rotterdam, but they did it very well, despite not actually getting to perform live.

i go back to watch these regularly:

21. austria (vincent bueno - amen): i think this is such a classy song with a classy performance to match. vincent’s vocals were literally indistinguishable from the studio version, and i loved the whole aesthetic of the performance. my one gripe with this song is that i feel they could’ve fleshed the chorus out a little better, but i love the verses so i can let it slide. i think this was really unlucky not to qualify, i was almost certain the juries would push him through.

20. san marino (senhit ft. flo rida - adrenalina): the hype that built around san marino from when the song was first announced with flo rida’s feature, to the suspense during rehearsals when we waited to see if he would turn up (bikini contest lol) was so fun and really well executed by senhit and her team. the performance was just so fun, i thought it was an excellent show closer. i’m still confused how this did so poorly in the televote.

19. netherlands (jeangu macrooy - birth of a new age): one of the most undeserving 0 points ever, this song is so rich with cultural heritage and a coherent message. jeangu delivered it perfectly as well. another year where the host country is underrated in the votes while i love it, lol.

18. georgia (tornike kipiani - you): some people call it boring, but for me it’s so much more engaging. i love the way this starts so quietly and builds through the song. the lyrics are simple and sweet without being cheesy. the staging was fitting and very cute as well. i wish tornike had been more engaging during the performance, but i think he was quite nervous.

17. australia (montaigne - technicolour): this is such a fresh modern alternative pop song, and montaigne made the best of her situation, with not being able to travel to rotterdam. it’s a shame as i feel she would’ve had more going for her had she been there, as it seemed she was forgotten about by the time of the contest. also worth mentioning this was probably one of the hardest songs to sing in this year’s contest, and she nailed it.

16. greece (stefania - last dance): i really love this song, it’s way more mature and fitting than “super girl” was, while still being fun and carefree. staging was a little weird, but i think stefania made up for it, and her purple costume was iconic, to say the least. really see her coming back to the contest eventually and winning it (or at least doing really well) in a helena paparizou-esque way.

15. switzerland (gjon’s tears - tout l’univers): this is another case where i completely fell in love with gjon’s 2020 song (my second favourite) and so unfortunately his 2021 song was always going to struggle to live up to the hype. don’t get me wrong, i really like this song, and the avant garde performance was strange to me at first but i like it now. but “répondez-moi” just had something so beautifully haunting about it that this song doesn’t quite capture somehow? still, this is an excellent entry and i am still in awe of gjon’s voice and sparkly suit.

14. denmark (fyr og flamme - øve os på hinanden): this is such a grower and really just fun. pop music is my favourite genre, especially 80s inspired synth pop so this was always gonna go down well with me. they are both very engaging on stage and i just loved the pure energy that jesper has. i just hope their non-qualification doesn’t discourage denmark from sending more danish language songs in the future.

13. azerbaijan (efendi - mata hari): as a self-professed lover of the ethnopop domination at eurovision during the mid to late 00s, this caught my eye as the only real song of that genre in this year’s contest. yes, it’s very similar to “cleopatra”, but on the stage this just worked and credit to efendi, she really used her camera angles well.

12. cyprus (elena tsagrinou - el diablo): the lyrics are stupid, but i’m not really enjoying this entry for the lyrics, to be fair. this was an amazing stage show, with a good modern pop song, and elena performed well.

11. romania (roxen - amnesia): i love roxen’s voice and the overall vibe of all her music and her style, she seems so effortlessly cool to me. and this song felt really personal to her, but it really resonated with me as trying to reconnect with your true self and rediscovering your joy is something i’ve been struggling with the past few years as well. i liked the stage show, i just wish they had given roxen a little less demanding choreography so she could focus on her vocals more. but this song is such a masterpiece that i can’t rank it too low for that.

10. serbia (hurricane - loco loco): past me would’ve called this a guilty pleasure but present me unabashedly loves this. i love the fact that it’s not trying to disguise itself as anything other than pure girl group pop. all the girls seem like such lovely people and i felt they just brought so much energy not just to the stage, but to eurovision in general this year. loved the giant disco ball.

9. albania (anxhela peristeri - karma): if anyone remembers my pre-rehearsal rankings, this was very near to the bottom. this may be one of the songs that i think has improved immensely on the eurovision stage ever. i’m still not crazy about the song, but the fire and passion anxhela brought on the stage, and her pure presence, was enchanting. albania, please don’t stop singing in albanian ever again.

8. croatia (albina - tick tock): this is my number 1 played song this year - in general, not just of eurovision songs! and that’s for a reason, this is by far the most catchy and fun song of eurovision this year for me. albina and her team really delivered when it came to the stage show. i was devastated when this didn’t qualify.

actual masterpieces:

7. portugal (the black mamba - love is on my side): another song that wasn’t really on my radar before the contest, but is now one of my all time faves. if there’s one thing portuguese entries have delivered in recent years, it’s classiness and authenticity, and the black mamba definitely continued those traditions. the stage show really made the story of the song come alive for me, and this just stood out so much compared to anything else in the contest this year. pedro’s vocals were amazing. portugal continues its streak of sending fantastic entries, and long may it continue.

6. belgium (hooverphonic - the wrong place): i’ve talked about my distaste for alex callier before, and i stick to that. the man knows how to write a good song, but boy does he treat people around him like shit a lot of the time. to not participate in the “love shine a light” singalong because he doesn’t like the song, and the way he kicked luka out of the band left a sour taste in my mouth. but judging purely on the song and performance, wow. a massive step up from “release me” (although i did like that more than the average esc fan), it’s far more quirky and engaging. the song is mysterious but in a good way, geike has this aura around her when she sings that draws you in. where “release me” felt a bit tired and predictable, “the wrong place” feels completely out there and unnerving, but in a good way.

5. france (barbara pravi - voilà): i love songs where you can instantly tell which country they’re from, because for me eurovision is all about representing your country in an authentic way. this is so french it hurts, but in a good way. the way this was choreographed was so clever, the camera work towards the end is probably some of my favourite camera work in esc ever. barbara is an amazing singer, but more importantly the way she conveys emotions in her voice is second to none. the word that comes to mind when i think of this song is just classy. france were very unlucky to not break their 40+ year losing streak this year.

4. ukraine (go_a - shum): i remember playing this for friends and family members before the contest, and all of them were just a bit indifferent and considered it odd. and that was to be expected, ukraine folk-electronic-trance music is a bit of a refined taste, shall we say? but the way they just went all out with the staging, completely captivated them when they saw it live. this is another example of a song that couldn’t represent any other country but ukraine.

3. bulgaria (victoria - growing up is getting old): i fell in love with this the moment i heard it, and when i saw her performance, it was the only song this year that made me cry. knowing victoria’s backstory regarding this song, and being able to relate to so much of what she’s singing about, just makes it hit home for me. the staging was gorgeous, eye catching but it never took you out of the moment. having the sand representing the “sand of time” was really clever. it’s only a matter of time before bulgaria takes home the trophy.

2. italy (måneskin - zitti e buoni): over the past few months, i’ve had far too much overexposure to måneskin quite frankly, but after taking a break and then coming back to rediscover their music, i’ve fallen in love with them all over again, just like the first time when i heard this song at festival di san remo. it packs a punch, and the bridge after the second chorus so perfectly makes you want to scream along. i thought this was going to win, and it did, no surprise.

1. russia (manizha - russian woman): again, an authentically russian song. i love the bravery manizha showed in coming to eurovision with a controversial song because she believed it was important to share the message, despite the hate she was receiving. i also admire her truthfulness and humility in revealing that it was a hard journey for her and one she struggled with a lot. i think the way that all culminated in the semi final performance was absolutely powerful. i love the way she represented women from all different regions and ethnicities of russia, through the dress made of different cultural fabrics, to the LED screen showing them. when she turned and kneeled in their direction, singing to them, it was a goosebumps moment for me. but i also love the way she doesn’t take herself 100% seriously and embraces eurovision’s penchant for “out there” entries, with the moving dress and the way she does impressions in the verses. this was my number 1 since the beginning, and the thing i really want to say is that i’m so glad this song came to the contest, and was heard by europe.

overall 2021 was a very strong contest, the dutch should definitely get credit for putting on such a great show despite the covid-induced difficulties. i’m most excited for next year because i feel 2021 was a turning point in the way the contest is viewed in europe - overall i felt people reacted way more positively towards the contest than they have in other years previously. i can’t wait to see the way that reaction influences next year’s entries. i feel this was the year we finally reaped the rewards of the contest’s gradual improvement in terms of song quality over the past decade (which i credit mainly to a certain entry from 2012, which i will definitely talk about soon!).

[ebvllogique]

My 2021 Eurovision top 39 (before the show)

I know, I'm a mess and you're totally allowed to roast this ranking.

1 Norway TIX Fallen Angel

2 San Marino Senhit Adrenalina

3 Malta Destiny Je me casse

4 Denmark Fyr & Flamme Øve os på hinanden

5 Finland Blind Channel Dark Side

6 Austria Vincent Bueno Amen

7 Lithuania The Roop Discoteque

8 Ukraine Go_A Shum

9 Greece Stefania Last Dance

10 Australia Montaigne Technicolour

11 Switzerland Gjon's Tears Tout l'Univers

12 France Barbara Pravi Voilà

13 Slovenia Ana Soklič Amen

14 Belgium Hooverphonic The Wrong Place

15 Russia Manizha Russian Woman

16 Germany Jendrik I Don't Feel Hate

17 Italy Måneskin Zitti e buoni

18 Sweden Tusse Voices

19 Romania Roxen Amnesia

20 Latvia Samanta Tīna The Moon is Rising

21 United Kingdom James Newman Embers

22 Spain Blas Cantó Voy a quedarme

23 Cyprus Elena Tsagrinou El Diablo

24 Albania Anxhela Peristeri Karma

25 Portugal The Black Mamba Love Is on My Side

26 Poland RAFAŁ The Ride

27 Iceland Daði og Gagnamagnið 10 Years

28 Serbia Hurricane Loco Loco

29 Moldova Natalia Gordienko Sugar

30 Netherlands Jeangu Macrooy Birth Of A New Age

31 Czech Republic Benny Cristo Omaga

32 Croatia Albina Tick-Tock

33 Azerbaijan Efendi Mata Hari

34 Estonia Uku Suviste The Lucky One

35 Bulgaria Victoria Growing Up Is Getting Old

36 Israel Eden Alene Set Me Free

37 Ireland Lesley Roy Maps

38 North Macedonia Vasil Here I Stand

39Georgia Tornike Kipiani You

[tinyriver]

okay so under the cut is my ranking today (i've been tracking my ranking since march so obviously things have changed a lot and maybe i'll post the spreadsheets someday)

but like, this has even changed since yesterday. so many of the songs are soo good that it's hard to rank when i actually really really enjoy like 30 or something of the songs

idk if i'm going to check out much of anything that happened today since i'm busy. but i'll be pulling up my vpn to watch tomorrow.

zitti e buoni - måneskin

tout l'univers - gjon's tears

russian woman - manizha

dark side - blind channel

omaga - benny cristo (i know it won't qualify and i will be sad)

voices - tusse (has seriously grown on me)

fallen angel - tix (wow i hated this for the longest time but since seeing rehearsals, i love it)

tick-tock - albina

i don't feel hate - jendrik (it makes me smile like nothing else so...)

the wrong place - hooverphonics (rehearsals took this from the bottom of the list to the top)

technicolour - montaigne

last dance - stefania

shum - go_a

10 years - daði og gagnamagnið

je me casse - destiny

voilà - barbara pravi

øve os på hinanden - fyr & flamme (i unironically love this song)

adrenalina - senhit (also a prediction: i don't think flo rida is going to come :( even though i want him to)

el diablo - elena tsagrinou

embers - james newman

voy a quedarme - blas cantó

amnesia - roxen

amen - vincent bueno

karma - anxhela peristeri

mata hari - efendi

set me free - eden alene

the moon is rising - samanta tīna

maps - lesley roy

discoteque - the troop (it was good and then i heard it too much and it's really repetitive)

growing up is getting old - victoria

loco loco - hurricane

birth of a new age - jeangu macrooy

sugar - natalia gordienko

love is on my side - the black mamba

you - tornike kipiani

the lucky one - uku suviste

here i stand - vasil

the ride - rafał

amen - ana soklič

(also yeah, i like every song up to and including sugar, and i even sort of enjoy the rest, so overall, imo it's a strong year)

[atimefordragons]

EUROVISION 2021 ENTRIES  THE MOON IS RISING - Samanta Tīna (Latvia)

[damiano-david]

What songs are your favorite from eurovision 2020

Here's my literal Top 10

[guysofeurovision]

Have you watch Eurovision Home Concerts 5 :) ? My favorite was by far Samanta Tīna, I love her and her song : it's such a great way to let go of your worries ! I really enjoyed the other upbeat songs : ZibbZ, Val, Ben Dolic, Senhit... On the other hand, the slower performances were great but did not appeal to me as much. I guess I prefer lightness and fun in these troubled times. Which is also why I often check this blog, thank you for entertaining us ! I hope you're doing as well as possible

I’ve just finished it so here are my impressions, straight out of the oven!

Starting with the original songs, I have to confess that I wasn’t blown away this week.  ZibbZ’s vocals wasn’t amazing; Sandro’s home version of Running (which I don’t like at all, for the record) was unbelievably sad and boring (but he looked gorgeous); Senhit and Samanta Tina were way too much: the first one to me (that I’ve known her since her first musical steps here in Italy) looks a bit sad trying to demonstrate now, in her 40s, that she can be young and fun, while the other one must have never heard of the saying less is more... I really can’t stand the song and her exaggerated way of perfoming it! Tom Leeb, cute as hell and furry like a puppy, played the usual Tom Leeb: I love his intimate way of singing but I’ve listened to his whole album and I can honestly state that his songs do sound almost all the same, sadly; Ben Dolic delivered a great vocal performance (amazing song) but looked terrible with that haircut, purple wall behind him and his way of standing still and staring at the camera with such an uptempo song!  Roxen isn’t my cup of tea but I think she was cool as usual,  VAL’s song is terrible whenever wherever so please, next, while Michael Schulte made a very tiny effort in this performance and the result was just forgettable (sadly, ‘cause I used to like his song).

Moving on to the covers...  Sandro and ZibbZ did a better job with Tonight Again and Nobody but you: I loved the energy, voice and intention of Nicolas while the brothers from Switzerland really got into Sampson’s song and delivered an energetic home perfomance! Roxen’s Undo was good in the first part but then, when the electronic sounds kicked in, it all went to pieces; Tom Leeb transformed Arcade in another one of his songs so I really get when people label him as “boring”: I would have praised this performance only if I’d done it shirtless, frankly.  Senhit dilapidated all her monthly salary on candles and for no reason: L’essenziale is made for Marco’s voice and her version lacked of personality (sorry, I don’t dislike her as a person but musically speaking it is what it is). Michael Schulte’s performance was again poor and mediocre like VAL’s cover: she has a good voice but the result was just meh...  Ben Dolic, on the other hand, worked his magic for the second time: from twink to twink, Beautiful Mess sounded perfect for him but, again, he needs to work on his non-verbal communication... I’m starting to think his live on Rotterdam’s stage wouldn’t have been as great as I hoped (not talking about the voice).  To conclude, Samanta Tina again, cross and delight: she looked like she was enjoying Shady Lady very much, having fun singing it (but probably not as much as shaking her fringed sleeves around ahah) In the end it was a good performance!

[aprilskyforever]

Henny ranks Eurovision 2020  (second edition, the day before the final)

... or, the day there would have been a final, had it been one at all. but with the way things are... well you all know why. this also means we haven’t seen anything change with the songs; no live versions from preparties, no rehersal clips, and of course, no actual on-stage versions.  

   this doesn’t stop me from having my opinions change over time though! songs grow on or off you, so let’s do one final ranking of this season, shall we?

category: this should have won and it hurts me that it never got the chance 

1 Bulgaria Victoria Tears Getting Sober (-) 2 Lithuania The Roop On Fire (+1) 3 Iceland Daði & Gagnamagnið Think About Things (-1) 4 Germany Ben Dolić Violent Thing (-) 5 Israel Eden Alene Feker libi (+2)

category: crown worthy👑

6 United Kingdom James Newman My Last Breath (-1) 7 Denmark Ben & Tan Yes (+2) 8 Italy Diodato Fai rumore (+4) 9 Ireland Lesley Roy Story of My Life (+1) 10 Switzerland Gjon's Tears Répondez-moi (-2) 11 Azerbaijan Efendi Cleopatra (-5) 12 Russia Little Big Uno (-1)

category: sure, they’re alright

13 Netherlands Jeangu Macrooy Grow (-) 14 Austria Vincent Bueno Alive (+2) 15 Norway Ulrikke Attention (+3) 16 Sweden The Mamas Move (-2) 17 Malta Destiny All of My Love (+2) 18 Latvia Samanta Tīna Still Breathing (+3) 19 Belarus VAL Da Vidna (-2) 20 Belgium Hooverphonic Release Me (+7) 21 Georgia Tornike Kipiani Take Me as I Am (+3) 22 Greece Stefania Superg!rl (-7) 23 Czech Republic Benny Cristo Kemama (-1) 24 Ukraine Go_A Solovey (-1)

category: doesn’t quite cut it

25 Spain Blas Cantó Universo (-) 26 North Macedonia Vasil You (-6) 27 Romania Roxen Alcohol You (+6) 28 Australia Montaigne Don't Break Me (-2) 29 Finland Aksel Kankaanranta Looking Back (-1) 30 France Tom Leeb Mon alliée (The Best in Me) (+7) 31 Croatia Damir Kedžo Divlji vjetre (-2) 32 Albania Arilena Ara Fall from the Sky (-1)

category: no thanks

33 San Marino Senhit Freaky (+1) 34 Slovenia Ana Soklič Voda (+6) 35Poland Alicja Szemplińska Empires (+1) 36 Serbia Hurricane Hasta La Vista (+2) 37 Portugal Elisa Medo de sentir (-5) 38 Moldova Natalia Gordienko Prison (-3) 39 Armenia Athena Chains on You (-) 40 Cyprus Sandro Running (-10) 41Estonia Uku Suviste What Love Is (-)