JCC Eurovision Song Contest 2017

Yes, it's that time of the year. Bring out the glitter, the bad jokes, broken English and everything possible that you can cram into 3 minutes of music.

Here's a short description of what it's all about.

This year the ESC will take place in Kiev, Ukraine after last year's victory for "1944". (Still remember that this is a totally non-political event ).

I guess everyone expected some kind of drama between Ukraine and Russia during the contest, but it the drama took place so early that it will probably not be noticed too much, but of course we don't know what Belarus is going to do. The drama was that Russia selected Yulia Samoylova as their artist, but she is banned from entering Ukraine due to her having performed in Crimea, and according to Ukrainian law it's illegal to enter Crimea through Russia. Russia has withdrawn from the contest due to this.

On a personal level I have managed to be possibly away for at least the start of both the semi-finals and possibly the whole final. I'm working on a solution, but I don't know yet.

Before we go through with this year's ESC let's recap the 2016 ESC though.

The Winner as mentioned was Ukraine.
Jamala - 1944

Runner up was Australia, that actually won the jury vote
Dami Im - Sounds of silence

And third place went to Russia, that actually won the televote
Sergey Lazarev - You are the only one

A year after the final I have noticed that the the songs that have found a permanent place on my ESC playlist are

Russia
Bulgaria, that I really didn't like at first but now it's a favorite
Poland, the song that was hated by the juries but climbed to a top 8 with the televotes (I loved it from the start and it was the one I voted for)

All in all the 2016 top 10 was unusally diverse when it came to the sound and music styles present. I can only hope that we will get something similar in 2017.

Or will we just get "Love, love, Peace, Peace" on repeat?

 

Wow, things heated up in my own thread and I missed it. Anyway I'm disappointed that the Russia vs. Ukraine ESC fight didn't even try to be creative. Russia sends a nationalist artist that they know will be banned from entering, and Ukraine takes the bait.

And when it comes to the voting, of course it's political. Everyone who has followed the ESC knows that there are certain countries that always vote for each other, and the Viking Empire is the worst, the interesting thing is though that in order to win you can't rely on your neigbhours, because there are so many countries voting that you need to get support from a lot of countries. As such it's not the 12 points that are the most interesting, but follow which country rakes in 8s and 10s from almost all countries, that usually ends up as the winner.

Anyway, on to semi-final 1, and it starts with a bang.

Semi-final 1 - 18 entries, 10 go through to the final.

1 - Sweden
Robin Bengtsson - I can't go on
Sweden draw the fairly unlucky number of starting the whole contest. The number is solid pop, with a streamlined and good looking show. Out of a fairly week field in the national selections I felt that this was the obvious winner all from the start. Both ladies and gays will swoon, and I expect it to end up in the top 10, but I don't think it's an overall winner.

2. Georgia
Tamara Gachechiladze - Keep the faith
Tamara is doing the best to channel her inner Conchita Wurst, while also singing about saving the world. Unfortunately her voice isn't strong enough to fully carry the song and it sometimes is more shouting than singing. I do wonder if the EBU will allow some of the pictures that can be seen in the background when she performs. A headline saying "Russia invades..." is definitely visible.

3. Australia
Isaiah - Don't come easy
The story about Australia is that the ESC has had a really big cult status in Australia, and a lot of people follow it. For the 60th anniversary Australia was invited in as a special guest, and became so popular that by now it's obvious that Australia is in the ESC to stay. This year's entry is the weakest that they have sent so far though. It's a standard ballad with a backing chorus that will depend a lot on the performance. Will Isaiah's sad puppy eyes and voice carry Australia to another top three placement?

4. Albania
Lindita - World
This sounds very much like Georgia, but with a better voice and slightly more interesting music. Albania has a tradition of very good singers, so at least I'm not worried that she won't manage to sing it live.

5. Belgium
Blanche - City Light
At the first chords I think "oh no, not another boring ballad", but as soon as I thought that it starts with the electronic beat and then I like it. This is good and interesting, and I like her voice when she keeps in the lower register. It will be interesting to see if they can make an interesting performance of it.

6. Montenegro
Slavko Kalezic - Space
Once upon a time Montenegro sent solid Balkan music, this year they're sending a half-naked guy that seems to be in a serious relationship with this braided top knot and sings about space, space ships and protecting you on the Milky Way. I can only hope that they will go full ESC style for the performance. Let's have spacemen floating over the stage and stars exploding. The song itself is an ESC version of a club beat, so it's toned down and tame, but at least it's an up-tempo song.

7. Finland
Norma John - Blackbird
If you miss the title card, you still won't miss the song title. She keeps repeating "Blackbird" over and over and over again. It's a beautiful song, very folkinspired and a nice piano solo, but it's also very boring. It will probably grow on me after a few listenings, but I don't think it's strong enough the first time you hear it. I will be surprised if it goes through to the final.

8. Azerbaijan
Dihaj - Skeletons
Azerbaijan takes ESC seriously, and they are in it to win it. They send entries that place solidly in the top, and this year is no exception. Dihaj describes herself as experimental, but except for her experimental handling of the English grammar ("I'm a skeletons"), it isn't very new. It's solid and the tempo is higher than a lot of other entries, so it sticks out a bit.

9. Portugal
Salvador Sobral - Amar Pelos Dois
Portugal - the eternal worst performer of the ESC is returning to the contest this year. And the entry that's been chosen this time is actually so good that it's a top contender to win the whole contest. It's a beautiful, timeless piece and his voice is wonderful. It will be a simple performance, due to a medical condition he hasn't even be able to rehearse fully but left it to his sister, who is also the composer of the song. The simplicity fits the song really well, and it will be remembered by the audiences when it's time to vote.

10. Greece
Demy - This is love
A song that can't decide on what it wants to be. It starts out as a regular piano ballad, but then it throws in the kind of electronic beat that has survived in the ESC, despite disappearing from the music scene in the 1990's. Oh, and let's have some violins in the end as well to cover all the bases. The end result is mostly a mess though.

11. Poland
Kasia Mos – Flashlight
This truly is a year of female ballads. This is another one, and this is quite in the middle so it’s a good song to plan your toilet break around, it’s nothing that you need to worry about missing.

12. Moldova
Sunstroke project – Hey, Momma
This is the song for when you are bored with ballads. It’s trying to be light and funny, and it works. Add a lively saxophone and you have something that will probably end up in the final, but I don’t expect a top placement in the final.

13. Iceland
Svala – Paper
This is how you make an interesting ballad. I like it, the music is good, the voice is good. The lyrics are maybe not the most original, but she handles them well. At least in the video Svala is channeling just enough of Bjork that people will probably think it’s more experimental than it is, but it’s definitely good enough to deserve a place in the final.

14. Czech Republic
Martina Bárta – My turn
If you are making a piano ballad, let the piano be the main thing. That is exactly what Martina Bárta is doing. I can bet on that she is going to play the piano herself on stage, closing her eyes while singing. Solid, but nothing you will remember once the last note fades out.

15. Cyprus
Hovig – Gravity
Maybe it’s because I’m bored with ballads, so anything else comes up as refreshing, but I like it enough to nod along to it. If only Hovig didn’t look like he was so much in pain on every close up. He has nothing on Isaiah when it comes to sad puppy eyes.

16. Armenia
Artsvik – Fly with me
This is also a pretty good song, I would have liked a stronger voice, but it will probably work fine on stage. If they do something like the performance in the video it will probably look cool as well.

17. Slovenia
Omar Naber – On my way
We have heard this song several times already in the semi-final, but this time it’s a guy singing and not a woman. His voice is stronger than many of the other entries though, especialy in the end, and it lifts the whole song in the end. I’m thinking that it will lift enough to reach the final.

18. Latvia
Triana Park – Line
This is is competing with Armenia in the “Asian inspired performance with techno beat” category. I like the chorus, but I find Triana’s voice to be really annoying. You will probably find it either annoying or interesting, but for me it ends up in the annoying section.

So that’s it for the first semi-final. It will be the cool guys vs. the piano ballads vs. the techno wannabees, but who will reach the final?

**********
I put this list together over the weekend, and since then some things have happened. 1 is that I've fallend in love with Finland, two is that I saw some glimpses of the dress rehearsal, and some of the acts will have serious problems trying to get through the screen.

Here are my top guesses for the finalists:

Sweden
Georgia
Australia
Belgium
Finland
Azerbaijan
Moldova
Cyprus
Armenia
Slovenia

 

Ukraine ban a Russian singer.

It's payback time

 

Well semi-final 1 was unusually boring, I'm hoping that it will be a lot better on Thursday. Some entries got a lot better though, I'm thinking about Finland, Poland and Montenegro, while Belgium just wasn't interesting live.

My revised list for going to the final:

Sweden
Poland
Australia
Portugal
Iceland
Azerbaijan
Moldova
Cyprus
Armenia
Montenegro

 

A bleak night, I think the best part has been the guy that's tweeting all the lyrics translated into Klingon.

And the finalists are:

Moldova
Azerbaijan
Greece
Sweden (puh)
Portugal
Poland
Armenia
Australia
Cyprus
Belgium

I missed Greece on both my lists, and I don't think it deserves its place in the final. Belgium survived the weak performance, while Iceland wasn't saved by a cool show, and Montenegro was probably not wacky enough to go through. Still I had 8/10, not too bad tonight.

 

The first semi-final got rid of most of the boring ballads, and the second semi-final is looking more interesting.

1 SerbiaTijana Bogićević - In Too Deep

It’s tough to start as nr 1, since it’s a long time left until the voting starts. Serbia has a good song, but it risks not standing out enough that the voters will remember it when it’s time to pick up the phone.

2. Austria
Nathan Trent – Running on AirPoor Austria. I think they have had quite good songs in a couple of ESCs, and yet almost nobody votes for them. This is a cute and charming songs. It makes me happy, so I’m really hoping that it will reach the final.

3. FYR Macedonia

Jana Burceska - Dance Alone

A good tune to have on the summer dance floor, but it risks being a bit too repetitive on stage. She needs a good stage performance to go to the final. The chorus is easy to sing along to though, and that’s always a good thing.



4. Malta

Claudia Faniello – Breathlessly

The first piano ballad of the night, with a typical raspy Italian voice. In the music video she feels a bit too theatrical, but the song gets stronger and stronger, and if she manages to convey some true emotion on stage then I think we have one of the stronger ballads of the year.



5. Romania

Ilinca feat. Alex Florea – Yodel it!

Finally! It took us a bit into semi-final 2 until we finally get a “what where they thinking”- piece, the kind you only get at ESC. Romania has now paid off all its debts to the EBU and is welcomed back, and they do it by combining rapping and yodeling, and throw in some rock in the end as well. Please let this entry go to the final, just so people who don’t see the semi-finals won’t miss it.



6. The Netherlands

OG3NE - Lights And Shadows

After Romania I’m not sure what to think about the Netherlands. A trio of women singing in harmonics feels very pale in comparison, but it’s also soothing. It feels like something that would have fitted better in the ESC in the 1990’s than the 2010’s.



7. Hungary

Joci Pápai – Origo

When talking about old-fashioned ESC. The Hungarian entry would have been great in the early 2000s, that was dominated by ethno-influences and when Balkans and slightly Middle Eastern harmonies ensured success. A bonus point for singing in Hungarian instead of English, but it’s a no from me.

8. Denmark

Anja Nissen – Where I am
A power ballad that has some interested pieces, but it’s drowned by the parts that are mostly about her shouting. The chorus is good, and there her voice is at the best as well. As a good member of the Viking Empire I think it deserves a place in the final, but it’s in no way sure that it will get there.

9. Ireland

Brendan Murray – Dying to try

Ireland is still looking to find the formula for winning that they had in the 1990’s. This year they are going the safe route with a ballad sung, but a boy with a great voice. I do question how it will be on stage though. To me the song really gets good at the end, when he’s joined by the choir, and only six people are allowed on stage. Will that be enough to turn the energy up on the song?

10. San Marino

Valentina Monetta & Jimmie Wilson – Spirit of the Night

San Marino is a small country, and apparently they don’t have many artists. Valentina Monetta is returning for the fourth time since 2012. This entry is her 3rd weakest, nothing can be worse than the Facebook song, but it’s definitely no “Crisalide”. A monotonous attempt at a disco song, I would ve very surprised if it reaches the final.

11. Croatia

Jacques Houdek – My friend

Someone has listened a lot to Freddy Mercury and Montserrat Caballé, why use two singers when you can sing it all by yourself though. Jacques Houdek throws himself between pop and opera, English and Italian, And well, I always have a weakness for opera in the ESC, and I much rather have this in the final than yet another ballad.

12. Norway

JOWST – Grab the moment

One of the disappointments last year was that Norway didn’t reach the final. This is a safer entry than last year, and just like with Austria’s entry it makes me smile. Maybe it’s trying too much with breaking out some electronic sounds in the end. One of the controversies ahead o the ESC is that Norway had to get an exception to use the electronical voices, since according to the rules all the voices needs to be sung live on stage. A good dance tune, it will probably be heard a lot on the dance floors in Sweden this summer.

13. Switzerland

TImebelle – ApolloWhen watching the video I’m getting more interested in the construction of her dress, and just how high that slit in the skirt is. That doesn’t bode well for the song, and it’s not really interesting, just a run of the mill ESC pop number.

14. Belarus

NAVIBAND - Historyja Majho Zyccia

This year’s entry from Belarus is neither an ad from the Belarus Tourist office or a guy who wants to be naked with wolves, instead it’s cute folksy duo. It stands out from the rest, and if the duo can bring those smiles and energy from the video to the stage, then I’m sure that we will see them in the final. And here I was thinking that they would stand by big brother Russia and do something more obviously political.

15. Bulgaria

Kristian Kostov – Beautiful Mess

This is actually one of the favorites to win the whole ESC but to me it's a boring boy singing a boring song. The verses are ok but unlike Ireland the song never gets interesting. It will definitely come to the final, and it deserves that, but I hope that it won't go on and win everything.

16. Lithuania
Fusedmarc – Rain of RevolutionIt tries too much to be artsy, modern, jazzy and interesting. Her voice is too weak, and to be honest it took me the whole first verse to hear if she sung in English or another language. If it was in semi-final 1 it wouldn’t stand a chance against Armenia, Iceland or Latvia, but in this semi-final it’s different from the other entries, and I guess that is its only chance of reaching the final.

17. Estonia
Koit Toome and Laura – Verona

The title is Verona, and guess what it’s a duo singing about Romeo and Juliet. It has a 1980’s pop feel to it, and it’s nice and easy to the ears and I can’t help myself but humming along to it. It’s coming towards the end, and that can definitely help it be remembered when it’s time for the votes.

18. Israel
Imri Ziv – I feel alive

Israel rotates between good and really bad, singing about peace or singing about love. This is on the good side, and is about love and not peace. It won’t get a top position in the final, but it deserves getting there.

I think the semi-final 2 is a lot more varied and interesting than semi-final 1, and that also makes it a lot harder to predict the finalists. Here are my top 10 though.

AustriaMaltaRomaniaDenmarkIrelandCroatiaNorwayBelarusEstoniaBulgaria

 

Semi-final 2 was better, and more varied than semi-final 1. Compared to the previews Hungary got a lot better, but Ireland couldn't deliver without the big chorus. It's a lot harder to predict but after the live show these are the ones I think will go to the final

Austria
Macedonia
Romania
Hungary
Denmark
Croatia
Norway
Belarus
Bulgaria
Estonia

 

Awwww, a marriage proposal in the greenrom (the Macedonian singer said yes), and here are the finalists:

Bulgaria
Belarus
Croatia
Hungary
Denmark
Israel
Romania
Norway
The Netherlands
Austria

8/10 in this semi-final as well. The only one I'm really going to miss in the final is Estonia.