Eurovision Semi Final 2 - Preview
Welcome back!
So a quick summary of the first semi final - great staging; Hannah Waddingham, surprisingly funny (expected to dislike her); Alesha Dixon, still not a fan (about as talented as toothpaste); musical interludes were fun and fit the theme of the show well. Overall, it was a pretty solid show. Unfortunately for semi final 2, semi final 1 was definitely the strongest in terms of songs.
In terms of predictions, I am happy to report that I got 100% with my predictions this year, which is rare, as the most I've ever gotten is 9, with 7 being the rough average.
In this post, it'll be pretty much the same as the last one. I'll give a brief, personal opinion on each participant, as well as the last remaining 'Big 5' songs (United Kingdom & Spain) and last year's winner, Ukraine.
Denmark - Breaking My Heart by Reiley
A big year for the Scandinavian countries as I think this will go through, making all Nordic countries, qualifiers, this year. It's a nice upbeat song, with cutesy undertones. I feel it does something that Eurovision often gets wrong and that's present a song that sounds relevant and could be played in any European country, if not any country around the world. It's very much a radio song - easy to listen to but avoids the anonymous nature of Malta's entry.
Armenia - Future Lover by Brunette
Stylistically, it sounds like something Ariana Grande might consider and then disregard as just an album track. There's not really much to it and is repetitive. Despite cracking the top 5 twice in recent memory, this is nowhere near as good as 'Snap' by Rosa Linn from last years contest, which scored criminally low in the grand final. As much as Armenia are perennial qualifiers, I think this may struggle but shouldn't be written off.
Romania - D.G.T. by Theodor Andrei
Theodor can clearly sing and the staging looks to be quirky, if the same staging in used from his national performance. It's inferior to their previous entry 'Llámame' by WRS. I think the staging may be used to smokescreen the failings of the song - in his national performance, he had 2 ladies and 2 gentleman in states of undress (they were more entertaining). Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad song, just not impressive.
Estonia - Bridges by Alika
Estonia have quite a sketchy qualification history, but usually not unfair. It's a nice ballad, that should pair well with a simple staging of a grand piano, minimal lights and nothing else. It's beauty comes in it's simple melody and simple lyrics - it's hard to forgot that the song is called Bridges as she references it quite a bit. I hope this qualifies and will be glad if it does but I don't feel confident enough to give it one of my predicted spaces, even though I love this song. Iceland and Georgia have also gone for songs in a similar stylistic oeuvre, with their offerings being just better than Estonia, by a small margin. For me, it could go either way for Estonia and Iceland.
Belgium - Because of You by Gustaph
This feel-good song is typical of a Eurovision pop song, with shades of 90s pop - think Simply Red, M People and an upbeat George Michael. It carries an uplifting message of getting on with your life regardless of what the world throws at you, which I think is a message we all need to hear right now. Belgium have an unusual qualification history, hitting patches where they enter random songs or just underperform. I have a good feeling about this one - based on the field in semi final 2, it should qualify, but will likely get lost in shuffle on Saturday.
Cyprus - Break a Broken Heart by Andrew Lambrou
Cyprus have never really hit the heights of in Eurovision except for 'Fuego' in 2018, which was sensational. Despite Andrew being Australian and a native English speaker, the pre-chorus and chorus sound like they've been translated from a different language or strange linguistic choices used to fit the rhythm of the song - e.g. 'I miss your kiss, gasoline and a matchstick'. This might sound like I'm having an unnecessary dig at the song, but I genuinely like this song and feel that it qualifies. His vocal range is impressive, the melody is pleasing and is easily a song I can see myself shuffling into my regular playlists for the summer.
Iceland - Power by Diljá
Greece - What They Say - Victor Vernicos
Everyone loves Greece. They've had some fantastic songs in the last 20 years, such as 'This is Our Night' by Sakis Rouvas from 2009, 'Secret Combination' by Kalomira from 2008, competition winning 'My Number One' by Helena Paparizou from 2005 and my personal favourite, 'Aphrodisiac' by Eleftheria Eleftheriou from 2012. Stefania tried to revive their substandard songs, from a Greek point of view, with her songs 'Supergirl' & 'Last Dance' from 2020 and 2021, respectively. This song, however, is similar to many in this semi final - it lacks something to set it apart from the competition as it's just another pop rock song. After much deliberation, (I've changed my mind three times on this one), I can't safely say this will get Greece to the final - the ground that Stefania has clawed back in the last two years will not be enough to see this giant of the competition through the final. Sorry Greece, but your place, for me, goes to a different country this year.
Poland - Solo by Blanka
Personally, I love this song, but I'll try not to let that blind me with the review. It's definitely an upbeat song and it's incredibly catchy, but it sounds like an attempt to cash in on Spain's success last year with 'SloMo' by Chanel. Germany tried something similar and sent Cascada in 2013 after Loreen won with 'Euphoria' the year before. My only reservation with this song is that the recorded version is better than Blanka's live performances; the charisma and fun just doesn't translate. Barring some sort of wardrobe or staging surprise in the semi final, I initially thought that Poland might struggle to qualify this year, however, compared to the other songs in the semi final, it is light, punchy and offers something different to the indie crop. I hope I'm right with this one, but it should scrape through. Just.
Slovenia - Carpe Diem by Joker Out
It's not a bad song by any stretch of the imagination and portrays shades of late 2000s indie music. It's got a decent melody and bass line to it and the nostalgia of the late 2000s is enough for me to turn it on, despite thinking it was boring. It's definitely one of those songs that grows on you rather than grabs you on first listen. Slovenia aren't well known for reaching the final and usually spend a few years in the cold, however I feel that this may be their entry that breaks their non-qualification streak, which will likely resume again next year. Expect this to just scrape through to Saturday.
Georgia - Echo by Iru
It's not a bad song, compared to their last few entries. I think it's possibly one of their strongest songs in years, having failed to qualify for the last 5 finals. It's driving drums and powerful vocals should be enough to garner enough votes to put it through. Iru has really likeable quality to her performance and vocals and, from the live performances I've seen, can clearly carry this heavy vocal workout. One of the stronger songs in this semi final and should qualify - I'm hoping for some sensational staging if the official music video is anything to go by.
San Marino - Like An Animal by Piqued Jacks
This has the unfortunate position of going before Austria, who are clearly the favourite in this semi final. The song itself is bland and forgettable, despite being quite repetitive. It doesn't match up against the other songs in the semi final and can be quite annoying, especially towards the end when the singer just starts to hold onto long notes to seemingly fill their 3 minutes. Sorry San Marino, but no final for you this year. Maybe next year send a Serhat & Senhit super duo?
Austria - Who The Hell is Edger? by Teya & Salena
Only Eurovision could see a song written about being possessed by the ghost of a long dead writer and have the bookmakers predicting a top 10 finish on Saturday. It's quirky, catchy and the energy of Teya & Salena is contagious. Prepare to randomly utter 'Who the hell is Edgar?' after you've heard it for quite a long time. If Croatia in semi final 1 was madness, this is as close as semi final 2 goes to reach their heights. This obviously qualifies.
Albania - Duje by Albina & Familja Kelmendi
It's not very often I look into each song in depth, however when I read about the selection process that Albania uses, I had to check out another song. So this entry by Albina came third in the jury vote, but was selected by the public to represent them. To get it out the way, this won't qualify even with Albina using her own family as part of her group. Duje is boring and there's not much to hook a listener to it. It's vocals have that standard Balkan quality and styling to them, but that's all that makes it identifiable.
My recommended track for this post will be 'Evita' by Elsa Lila, which should have been the song chosen - it's engaging, it has Bond-theme styling, it's got emotional weight, it's orchestral and the ending would have left the crowd in tears. Shame on you, Albania,
Lithuania - Stay by Monika Linkytė
Right, let's get back to it shall we? This is a good song, there's no doubt about it, but it will get lost in this semi final. In all fairness, it would have gotten lost in semi final 1 as well, which is a shame as it holds up, just not this year. It's cute in its presentation, simplistic in its lyrics and the melody isn't overpowering. Monika has represented Lithuania before so she won't be daunted by the event itself, however her last entry in 2015 will only be remembered by the onstage kiss that went too long and the caused her and her partner on the night, Vaidas Baumila, to miss their cue. I wouldn't be annoyed to see this qualify and hope it does well, which is why after much internal turmoil, I'm giving Lithuania one of my top 10 places, replacing Greece. Big shout, but hopefully I'm right.
Australia - Promise by Voyager
Australia are an unusual entrant - firstly, they're not in Europe (it has to be said every year as someone always mentions it on the night), and secondly, it's different to any other Australian entrant. For me, it's a safe song - likeable, but not one to climb the table and threaten the top half. It's a decent rock song. This will qualify. There were some rumours circulating that this might be their last year in the competition and, frankly, I'd be sad to see them leave as they've competed better than some countries who are present every year - looking at you Germany, France, San Marino & United Kingdom.
Predicted Qualifiers - Denmark, Belgium, Cyprus, Iceland, Poland, Slovenia, Georgia, Austria, Lithuania and Australia
United Kingdom - I Wrote a Song by Mae Muller
I'm not sure what the United Kingdom are up to as this song is a banger. It is catchy, the melody is fun and would be something that if any other Eurovision country had submitted, would get at least mid-table in the final. The bookies apparently have us finishing in the top 10 with this song and, to be honest, I find myself agreeing. As a long time fan of Eurovision, it's nice to see that the United Kingdom are actually trying to compete. It's about time we shrugged off the reputation we've gathered and actually turned up, which, thanks to Sam Ryder in 2022, we seem to be working towards. We're not going to win, but I believe we can at least cheer when we get a decent points score.
Spain - EAEA by Blanca Paloma
Spain shocked everyone last year by actually submitting a song that people could get behind with Chanel achieving a spectacular third place. This year, Spain have gone a bit artsy and abstract with their flamenco-inspired entry. It has an almost ethereal presence that is only usually found in the passionate, native-tongue ballads from Eastern Europe. I have no idea what the song is about and, after looking it up on the internet, apparently it's hard to translate, but is ultimately a lullaby inspired by her grandmother. The biggest compliment I can give this song is that it is utterly mesmerising. The bookmakers are predicting this to place between third and fifth, which I can completely understand.
Ukraine - Heart of Steel by TVORCHI
It pains me to write this, but I don't like this song. In all fairness, I wasn't a fan of Kalush Orchestra in 2022, when they won the contest. I feel there were other factors at play in the voting, but won't deny the fact that it should have finished top 5. This year, I feel this is a generic winner's offering, in that they don't want to win again. Yes, the message it portrays is a good one - nuclear war is bad, war is bad, the resistance and resilience of the Ukrainian people is liking have a 'heart of steel', but I can't help but feel that this will overperform again. I checked the odds on this one as well and it's apparently predicted to finish third. To give it some positives and move away from contentious opinion, the song is good and it will pick up some points, but it's no better than some of the others on offer - external factors aside, this is a mid-table finish, but I will ultimately be wrong.
Dan's Recommended Track
As promised above, I'm playing the song that should have chosen to represent Albania. As I've already said, it is clearly better with more emotion and feeling in it. A song dedicated to her daughter and the process of birth and missing that connection once the child is born. It is beautiful. I hope you enjoy it too.
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