Eurovision Season 2020: March Update
Can you believe we’re in March? It’s like Festival I Kenges happened, we blinked and suddenly we were a week off from the MelFest final! Whilst the excitement is not quite at the fever pitch levels of last year’s bonkers final fortnight, there are still a lot of twists to the tale approaching. More on those later! For now, let’s meet the new classmates heading to Rotterdam in May.
Belarus
So I’m not claiming that this will win or even that it will necessarily qualify but there is a lot of dross at this year’s contest and this is categorically not part of that. This song has atmosphere, the singer has charisma and with an upgraded staging package, this has a chance to at the very least make waves in Rotterdam. I wrote Belarus off pretty quickly in my last post and whilst I’m not sure how they will get out of that first semi, I am placing them from the no to the maybe camp on its qualification hopes.
Croatia
Can't remember the singer or the song or the staging. And that's having listened to it 5 minutes ago...
Estonia
Oh Uku. I saw you gave the most spirited runners-up performance in Eesti Laul last year with a song that would have done just as well if not better than 'Storm' in Tel Aviv. This dross you ended up winning the ticket with is a very beige shade of mediocre. There's nothing wrong with this song, there's just nothing that is particularly right with it either. The lyrics are contrived, the melody is very amateur musical and whilst the vocals are good, they never get going in the way that 'Pretty Little Liar' did. We might still see this in the final but for everybody's sake, I hope we don't.
Georgia
Quit yer whining... seriously! I know that Georgia drift in and out on playing Eurovision safe versus sending something weird, I don't know which this is but I definitively don't like it and it has nestled comfortably at the bottom of my Eurovision rankings hopefully ready to enjoy its Thursday night in the spotlight during Semi 2 in Rotterdam before packing up and making the long journey back to Tblisi! Better luck next year!
Germany
So Germany have sent the Slovenian Justin Bieber/Timberlake? Only at Eurovision does this make any sort of sense but it also says a lot about modern Europe that this is how events have unfolded. As for the song itself, I must stick my hand up and say that it is definitively not my thing but I acknowledge that there will be many people who like this sort of song and will vote for it in their droves. Their top 10 hopes will ultimately come down to the staging and the live performance which we still have yet to see but one thing I can accurately predict is that Ben Dolic has a long Europe-wide career ahead of him and this is the exciting start to it.
Greece
As I listened this for the first time on a train, I have since imagined that maybe I dreamed this song. She is 17! She is still at school! Will somebody think of the children? As somebody who wrote and performed songs at that age, I can absolutely say that Stefania will look back on this song and think - why the hell did somebody not stop me from performing this song in front of hundreds of millions of people in a moment that would completely define my career. Everything about this move is utterly ludicrous and I don't care if she has done Junior Eurovision before, the broadcaster didn't need to pick a song that highlighted how much of a child she was and I really hope they don't carry anything of the music video into the staging because that would just be utterly cringe-worthy. More than anything, it makes me nervous that Malta will do the same thing with Destiny which would be truly heartbreaking. This will probably qualify for Saturday night meaning even more importance on protecting Stefania at every part of the journey (especially if we see that horrendous voting sequence from last year come back).
Iceland
This morning, I was shocked to look at the UK iTunes chart and see that this was in 30th! 30th! A song off the Songvakeppnin 2020 album! If ever there were an indication that the end of the world was coming, it's not Coronavirus or the 2020 election or climate change, it's this. We will get on to all the different reasons that this year feels different to previous years in coming articles but for now let's talk about Dadi. Again, this isn't my type of music or my type of Eurovision but again I can also acknowledge why this is popular. Whilst I don't think that funk, synths and fun dancing are enough to win Eurovision, I'm sure that fans of The Roop would firmly disagree. I also question how well this will translate to the massive Rotterdam stage but my curiosity will certainly keep me hooked and it goes without saying that this will sail through to Saturday night and the top 10.
Israel
I've done a lot of talking about songs that aren't my type of music so now let's talk about a song that represents exactly what I want in a Eurovision entry. Charismatic singer? Check. Fantastic voice? Check. Ethnic identity of representative nation? Check. Musical elements that represent the singer's identity as a person and/or a performer? Check. A killer pop beat holding up the melody? Check. An unpredictable and unexpected drop? Check. I can see why some people would consider the song clumsy and I can see why this is very much a Eurovision fan's type of act as opposed to a casual viewer's act but to be honest, I don't really care. I love this song so much and I am impressed that Israel chose Eden Alene having picked Netta and Kobi Marimi in the previous two years. This hasn't made a splash on the betting odds but I think it must surely be a matter of time.
Moldova
So as I said in my last post, this was a great selection of songs for Moldova. I am surprised that of that selection, Natalia Gordienko won the Moldovan ticket but it's not a terrible song. The music is nice and there is a lot you can do with the beat. Her voice is largely unmemorable but as the song is a dream team special, it definitely has potential to be elevated beyond its status. The wildcards at play here at that we know the Moldova are capable of staging acts to Eurovision perfection and that fighting your way out of the second semi is a simpler task than what their Romanian neighbors will have to handle in the first semi.
Romania
And speaking of the Romanian neighbors and of having the winning lottery ticket before finding a way to throw it away, how on earth was 'Alcohol You' the song that was selected of the five presented. This year, it's not even enough to cry foul as the public went for this with the same energy and enthusiasm that the jury did. I am shocked that at the time of writing this is still fourth in the betting odds but I assume that that is set to change in the coming months (and it has plunged since the result on Sunday). I really want to like Roxen, she seems like everything that Eurovision needs but I can't see how she is going to fulfill on the promise that was apparent when those 5 songs were initially released. To be honest, if this package was any other nation and any other singer, I would be saying there was a good chance that it wouldn't even make it to Saturday night!
Serbia
I have always liked Sanja Vucic, but talk about dramatic tonal shifts! I don't think I've seen anything like singing a song like 'Goodbye' in 2016 to coming back four years later in a girl group singing 'Hasta La Vista'. Whilst I appreciate the sentiment might be the same and the jokes of her preparing to sing 'Adieu' in 2024 are all totally warranted, I find the whole thing very strange. Yes, Serbia chose the most competitive song of the Beovizija entries on offer but it really wasn't that great a selection. This is a clunky girl group singing a clunky song that could accidentally stumble its way onto Saturday night out of that first Semi but it will go nowhere if it gets there.
United Kingdom
I'm not sure how much deep sea diving James Newman has done, but you can't give your fellow diver your last breath... that's just not how oxygen tanks work. It is this lyrical clumsiness that is at the heart of my feelings about our Eurovision entry this year. The BBC have done everything they could with the song selection. They got BMG involved, they found somebody who was up for doing it who had a proven track record, they got in songwriters who knew how to write a winning Eurovision song and somehow this came out of all of that? Any British Eurovision fans who believe this is a top 10 song are utterly deluded. This might become a top 10 package with really good staging and several underwhelming performances on the Saturday night, if not maybe we can aim for the top half of the results, but that's it! Look at the variety of songs that are on this post alone. Is anybody reading this and genuinely saying that they would vote for this on the Saturday night (somebody who isn't UK-based) over all the other acts on offer. Once again, the UK has had the right intentions and ultimately played the field too safe. On the bright side, we can continue our BBC to Europe narrative that started with 2015's 'Still in Love with You' then to 2016's 'You're Not Alone' as the Brexit referendum was in full gear to 2017's 'I Will Never Give Up On You' in the context of the result to 2018's 'Storms don't last forever' and 2019's 'It's bigger than us, it's bigger than you and me' as the EU negotiations rolled on, now the BBC is offering to give Europe its last breath and if I were Europe, I would say a nice firm non.
Phew.... right, everybody take a little breather, go to the bathroom, get some water because we have some national finals this weekend!
Denmark
I will be in Copenhagen's Royal Arena on Saturday and I am very excited for it! This will not only be the 50th edition of Melodi Grand Prix, it will also be the first in Copenhagen since 2008 and the first time since 1999 that a live orchestra will be used alongside each performance. I will of course be writing an 'I Was There' post on my return as I am curious to see how the orchestra will intertwine with some of the songs that are very musically specific including instruments you may not necessarily find in a traditional orchestra. The competition itself (as with most years of DMGP) is a two-horse race between guitar duet Ben & Tan and synth-heavy Jasmin Rose feat. RoxorLoops. I am leaning towards Ben & Tan both as a preference and a prediction but I am curious to see how they perform live as that has been the defining factor in many past DMGP races. If Ben & Tan do win, they will probably follow the great Danish tradition of getting through to the Grand Final before proceeding to not particularly challenge the leaderboard but hey, I like it so I will at least enjoy the ride!
Finland
When was the last time that a national final race felt over before it had even begun. Erika Vikman's 'Cicciolina' was the first song to be released of the UMK entries and once it had been released, we might as well have just finished the competition then and there. Should this song finish the job on Saturday, it will be the first song in Finnish to grace the competition since 'Aina mun pitaa' in 2015 and should it qualify for the grand final as it almost certainly will, it will be the first song in Finnish at the Grand Final since 2008 which remains to date, the only song in that language to fight its way out of a Eurovision Semi Final. I'm excited for this, Finland is excited for this and frankly, all of Europe should be excited for this because it is a perfect example of the type of song every single nation could send.
Portugal
It's another two-horse race in Portugal as they look set to send a solo female singer to Rotterdam. The battle is between two songs in Portuguese, Elisa's 'Medo de Sentir' which is absolutely the more "Portuguese" entry when placed next to Barbara Tinoco's 'Passe-Partout' which let's just say would be more fitting to belong to a certain Francophone nation than said Francophone nation's actual song. I speak French, lived in France for four years and have a French partner so I am very biased on my preference but it's trickier to say what Portugal will actually go for. Either of these songs would be welcomed at the contest and either would probably qualify for the Saturday night, but I'd like to see Barbara win the ticket a) for the banter and b) so the producers can put this directly before or after the French entry in the final running order!
Sweden
So those of you who follow along with the blog will probably remember my post from the end of last year about Melodifestivalen's strange inability to choose a female act. This has changed significantly this year where the four front-runners are all women and the bookies favourite by a long way is Dotter. Of course SVT respond to relatively poor televote scores at recent contest by cutting the LED screens and having a curtain background to the show. Of course, they still find ways to sneak in strange gimmicks that end up defining the performance. Of course, the act that is set to win has a performance that is centered around some sort of laser deflecting costume (which is apparently some amazing Italian lighting thing that nobody has ever seen before but I still don't get it). If the Swedes were brave, they would put Dotter in a long black dress, have just piano music in the background and get her to work the camera but lest we forget, we're talking about the broadcaster that gave us Benjamin Ingrosso's light box and Robin Bengtsson's treadmills. I would love to see The Mamas win for the statement it would send out to Europe about Swedish values but I think Dotter and Anna Bergendahl are just a little bit more radio accessible. I will also just throw in there that I wouldn't rule out Felix Sandman still managing to win out of Andra Chansen and proving my original prediction correct!
I have some thoughts on the internal selections approaching starting with Russia who on Monday announced they would send Little Big. It's difficult to describe exactly what genre this band are but they are amazing and it is astonishing that the Russian broadcaster who have spent the last four years either picking Sergey Lazarev or Julia Samoylova, chose an act that is so out of left field that it makes Russia look genuinely cool. I have left a video of their big hit below and it is outstanding. Just imagine what they could do on the Eurovision stage...
And finally, the Dutch act leaked right as I was reaching the end of this post and if this really is the song, it is superb. It will probably see a lower half result but as a Dutch free hit at sending something interesting and exciting and moving and wonderful, Jeangu Macrooy has hit the nail on the head. I will go into more details about my feelings on the song next week once we have a confirmation and once we have our full class of 41! Until then, seat-belts on, rankings lists at the ready, we are heading into the final week of Eurovision 2020's national final season!
Belarus
So I’m not claiming that this will win or even that it will necessarily qualify but there is a lot of dross at this year’s contest and this is categorically not part of that. This song has atmosphere, the singer has charisma and with an upgraded staging package, this has a chance to at the very least make waves in Rotterdam. I wrote Belarus off pretty quickly in my last post and whilst I’m not sure how they will get out of that first semi, I am placing them from the no to the maybe camp on its qualification hopes.
Croatia
Can't remember the singer or the song or the staging. And that's having listened to it 5 minutes ago...
Estonia
Oh Uku. I saw you gave the most spirited runners-up performance in Eesti Laul last year with a song that would have done just as well if not better than 'Storm' in Tel Aviv. This dross you ended up winning the ticket with is a very beige shade of mediocre. There's nothing wrong with this song, there's just nothing that is particularly right with it either. The lyrics are contrived, the melody is very amateur musical and whilst the vocals are good, they never get going in the way that 'Pretty Little Liar' did. We might still see this in the final but for everybody's sake, I hope we don't.
Georgia
Quit yer whining... seriously! I know that Georgia drift in and out on playing Eurovision safe versus sending something weird, I don't know which this is but I definitively don't like it and it has nestled comfortably at the bottom of my Eurovision rankings hopefully ready to enjoy its Thursday night in the spotlight during Semi 2 in Rotterdam before packing up and making the long journey back to Tblisi! Better luck next year!
Germany
So Germany have sent the Slovenian Justin Bieber/Timberlake? Only at Eurovision does this make any sort of sense but it also says a lot about modern Europe that this is how events have unfolded. As for the song itself, I must stick my hand up and say that it is definitively not my thing but I acknowledge that there will be many people who like this sort of song and will vote for it in their droves. Their top 10 hopes will ultimately come down to the staging and the live performance which we still have yet to see but one thing I can accurately predict is that Ben Dolic has a long Europe-wide career ahead of him and this is the exciting start to it.
Greece
As I listened this for the first time on a train, I have since imagined that maybe I dreamed this song. She is 17! She is still at school! Will somebody think of the children? As somebody who wrote and performed songs at that age, I can absolutely say that Stefania will look back on this song and think - why the hell did somebody not stop me from performing this song in front of hundreds of millions of people in a moment that would completely define my career. Everything about this move is utterly ludicrous and I don't care if she has done Junior Eurovision before, the broadcaster didn't need to pick a song that highlighted how much of a child she was and I really hope they don't carry anything of the music video into the staging because that would just be utterly cringe-worthy. More than anything, it makes me nervous that Malta will do the same thing with Destiny which would be truly heartbreaking. This will probably qualify for Saturday night meaning even more importance on protecting Stefania at every part of the journey (especially if we see that horrendous voting sequence from last year come back).
Iceland
This morning, I was shocked to look at the UK iTunes chart and see that this was in 30th! 30th! A song off the Songvakeppnin 2020 album! If ever there were an indication that the end of the world was coming, it's not Coronavirus or the 2020 election or climate change, it's this. We will get on to all the different reasons that this year feels different to previous years in coming articles but for now let's talk about Dadi. Again, this isn't my type of music or my type of Eurovision but again I can also acknowledge why this is popular. Whilst I don't think that funk, synths and fun dancing are enough to win Eurovision, I'm sure that fans of The Roop would firmly disagree. I also question how well this will translate to the massive Rotterdam stage but my curiosity will certainly keep me hooked and it goes without saying that this will sail through to Saturday night and the top 10.
Israel
I've done a lot of talking about songs that aren't my type of music so now let's talk about a song that represents exactly what I want in a Eurovision entry. Charismatic singer? Check. Fantastic voice? Check. Ethnic identity of representative nation? Check. Musical elements that represent the singer's identity as a person and/or a performer? Check. A killer pop beat holding up the melody? Check. An unpredictable and unexpected drop? Check. I can see why some people would consider the song clumsy and I can see why this is very much a Eurovision fan's type of act as opposed to a casual viewer's act but to be honest, I don't really care. I love this song so much and I am impressed that Israel chose Eden Alene having picked Netta and Kobi Marimi in the previous two years. This hasn't made a splash on the betting odds but I think it must surely be a matter of time.
Moldova
So as I said in my last post, this was a great selection of songs for Moldova. I am surprised that of that selection, Natalia Gordienko won the Moldovan ticket but it's not a terrible song. The music is nice and there is a lot you can do with the beat. Her voice is largely unmemorable but as the song is a dream team special, it definitely has potential to be elevated beyond its status. The wildcards at play here at that we know the Moldova are capable of staging acts to Eurovision perfection and that fighting your way out of the second semi is a simpler task than what their Romanian neighbors will have to handle in the first semi.
Romania
And speaking of the Romanian neighbors and of having the winning lottery ticket before finding a way to throw it away, how on earth was 'Alcohol You' the song that was selected of the five presented. This year, it's not even enough to cry foul as the public went for this with the same energy and enthusiasm that the jury did. I am shocked that at the time of writing this is still fourth in the betting odds but I assume that that is set to change in the coming months (and it has plunged since the result on Sunday). I really want to like Roxen, she seems like everything that Eurovision needs but I can't see how she is going to fulfill on the promise that was apparent when those 5 songs were initially released. To be honest, if this package was any other nation and any other singer, I would be saying there was a good chance that it wouldn't even make it to Saturday night!
Serbia
I have always liked Sanja Vucic, but talk about dramatic tonal shifts! I don't think I've seen anything like singing a song like 'Goodbye' in 2016 to coming back four years later in a girl group singing 'Hasta La Vista'. Whilst I appreciate the sentiment might be the same and the jokes of her preparing to sing 'Adieu' in 2024 are all totally warranted, I find the whole thing very strange. Yes, Serbia chose the most competitive song of the Beovizija entries on offer but it really wasn't that great a selection. This is a clunky girl group singing a clunky song that could accidentally stumble its way onto Saturday night out of that first Semi but it will go nowhere if it gets there.
United Kingdom
I'm not sure how much deep sea diving James Newman has done, but you can't give your fellow diver your last breath... that's just not how oxygen tanks work. It is this lyrical clumsiness that is at the heart of my feelings about our Eurovision entry this year. The BBC have done everything they could with the song selection. They got BMG involved, they found somebody who was up for doing it who had a proven track record, they got in songwriters who knew how to write a winning Eurovision song and somehow this came out of all of that? Any British Eurovision fans who believe this is a top 10 song are utterly deluded. This might become a top 10 package with really good staging and several underwhelming performances on the Saturday night, if not maybe we can aim for the top half of the results, but that's it! Look at the variety of songs that are on this post alone. Is anybody reading this and genuinely saying that they would vote for this on the Saturday night (somebody who isn't UK-based) over all the other acts on offer. Once again, the UK has had the right intentions and ultimately played the field too safe. On the bright side, we can continue our BBC to Europe narrative that started with 2015's 'Still in Love with You' then to 2016's 'You're Not Alone' as the Brexit referendum was in full gear to 2017's 'I Will Never Give Up On You' in the context of the result to 2018's 'Storms don't last forever' and 2019's 'It's bigger than us, it's bigger than you and me' as the EU negotiations rolled on, now the BBC is offering to give Europe its last breath and if I were Europe, I would say a nice firm non.
Phew.... right, everybody take a little breather, go to the bathroom, get some water because we have some national finals this weekend!
Denmark
I will be in Copenhagen's Royal Arena on Saturday and I am very excited for it! This will not only be the 50th edition of Melodi Grand Prix, it will also be the first in Copenhagen since 2008 and the first time since 1999 that a live orchestra will be used alongside each performance. I will of course be writing an 'I Was There' post on my return as I am curious to see how the orchestra will intertwine with some of the songs that are very musically specific including instruments you may not necessarily find in a traditional orchestra. The competition itself (as with most years of DMGP) is a two-horse race between guitar duet Ben & Tan and synth-heavy Jasmin Rose feat. RoxorLoops. I am leaning towards Ben & Tan both as a preference and a prediction but I am curious to see how they perform live as that has been the defining factor in many past DMGP races. If Ben & Tan do win, they will probably follow the great Danish tradition of getting through to the Grand Final before proceeding to not particularly challenge the leaderboard but hey, I like it so I will at least enjoy the ride!
Finland
When was the last time that a national final race felt over before it had even begun. Erika Vikman's 'Cicciolina' was the first song to be released of the UMK entries and once it had been released, we might as well have just finished the competition then and there. Should this song finish the job on Saturday, it will be the first song in Finnish to grace the competition since 'Aina mun pitaa' in 2015 and should it qualify for the grand final as it almost certainly will, it will be the first song in Finnish at the Grand Final since 2008 which remains to date, the only song in that language to fight its way out of a Eurovision Semi Final. I'm excited for this, Finland is excited for this and frankly, all of Europe should be excited for this because it is a perfect example of the type of song every single nation could send.
Portugal
It's another two-horse race in Portugal as they look set to send a solo female singer to Rotterdam. The battle is between two songs in Portuguese, Elisa's 'Medo de Sentir' which is absolutely the more "Portuguese" entry when placed next to Barbara Tinoco's 'Passe-Partout' which let's just say would be more fitting to belong to a certain Francophone nation than said Francophone nation's actual song. I speak French, lived in France for four years and have a French partner so I am very biased on my preference but it's trickier to say what Portugal will actually go for. Either of these songs would be welcomed at the contest and either would probably qualify for the Saturday night, but I'd like to see Barbara win the ticket a) for the banter and b) so the producers can put this directly before or after the French entry in the final running order!
Sweden
So those of you who follow along with the blog will probably remember my post from the end of last year about Melodifestivalen's strange inability to choose a female act. This has changed significantly this year where the four front-runners are all women and the bookies favourite by a long way is Dotter. Of course SVT respond to relatively poor televote scores at recent contest by cutting the LED screens and having a curtain background to the show. Of course, they still find ways to sneak in strange gimmicks that end up defining the performance. Of course, the act that is set to win has a performance that is centered around some sort of laser deflecting costume (which is apparently some amazing Italian lighting thing that nobody has ever seen before but I still don't get it). If the Swedes were brave, they would put Dotter in a long black dress, have just piano music in the background and get her to work the camera but lest we forget, we're talking about the broadcaster that gave us Benjamin Ingrosso's light box and Robin Bengtsson's treadmills. I would love to see The Mamas win for the statement it would send out to Europe about Swedish values but I think Dotter and Anna Bergendahl are just a little bit more radio accessible. I will also just throw in there that I wouldn't rule out Felix Sandman still managing to win out of Andra Chansen and proving my original prediction correct!
I have some thoughts on the internal selections approaching starting with Russia who on Monday announced they would send Little Big. It's difficult to describe exactly what genre this band are but they are amazing and it is astonishing that the Russian broadcaster who have spent the last four years either picking Sergey Lazarev or Julia Samoylova, chose an act that is so out of left field that it makes Russia look genuinely cool. I have left a video of their big hit below and it is outstanding. Just imagine what they could do on the Eurovision stage...
And finally, the Dutch act leaked right as I was reaching the end of this post and if this really is the song, it is superb. It will probably see a lower half result but as a Dutch free hit at sending something interesting and exciting and moving and wonderful, Jeangu Macrooy has hit the nail on the head. I will go into more details about my feelings on the song next week once we have a confirmation and once we have our full class of 41! Until then, seat-belts on, rankings lists at the ready, we are heading into the final week of Eurovision 2020's national final season!
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