Poland National Selection Review - Edward Till

The selection of Poland’s Eurovision entries varies from one year to the next.  Following last year’s adaption of the long-running talent show format Szansa na Sukces (Shot at Success), this year TVP opted for an internal selection.  It also failed to reselect Alicja Szemplińska, who had won the show in 2020 and the right to represent Poland.  Instead, TVP picked Rafał Brzozowski to represent the country and on 12 March 2021, his entry “The Ride” was released.

 Born in 1981 in Warsaw, Rafał is a musician, television presenter… and a former wrestler.  He won bronze in the Polish student games in 2006, but a back injury subsequently ended his sporting career.

 His singing career started with a non-Eurovision edition of Szansa na Sukces in 2002.  He went on to sing in several Polish bands.  His solo career launched in 2011, when he competed in The Voice of Poland, reaching the semi-final.  This led to a series of record releases, including the award winning “Tak Blisko” (So Close) in 2012.  He has recorded some Christmas albums too, including a collaboration with Margaret, who has competed to represent both Poland and Sweden at the Contest.

 Rafał is no stranger to Eurovision audiences in his own right, both as a presenter and singer.  He competed in the 2017 Polish national final Krajowe Eliminacje with the song “Sky over Europe”, which came second only to Kasia Moś with “Flashlight”.  He was a co-host of the 2020 Junior Eurovision in Warsaw.

 “The Ride” is a synth pop song with an eighties flavour.  It is written by Swedish writers, and there are unconfirmed rumours that it was considered and rejected for Melodifestivalen.  Perhaps partly because of this, there has been a muted reception to the song.  By contrast, the colourful music video, set in the neon museum in Warsaw, has received more praise.  It will be interesting to see how this translates to the staging.

 Will Rafał’s eighties vibe see him ride into the final?  We’ll find out in the second semi-final of Eurovision 2021 on Thursday 20 May.

Portugal National Selection Review (First Semi-Final) - James Lindley

Festival da Canção 2021 – SEMIFINAL 1

The selection process for the Eurovision 2021 started in Portugal on February 20th with the first semifinal of Festival da Canção. 

Ten acts competed for five of the places in the grand finale. The show took place in the RTP studios and was hosted by Sónia Araújo and Jorge Gabriel having Inês Lopes Gonçalves in the Green Room, like usual. But this time, with the current pandemic, there was no public and the juries were in a different room.

Voting was 50% jury + 50% public. Among the juries we have Rita Guerra (ESC 2003), Paulo de Carvalho (ESC 1974) and Marta Carvalho (composer of the song that won Festival da Canção in 2020).

#1 The Black Mamba - "Love Is On My Side"

With B&W visual effects, Takanka and his distinct voice provides a very competent performance of one of the few entries in English. “It is a great ballad, that flows nicely and grows till the end.

RESULT: QUALIFIED

#2 Valéria - "Na Mais Profunda Saudade" (in the deepest Saudade)

A typical Portuguese song, about Fado and “Saudade”, that unique word so difficult to translate (*). A very strong performance with a nice background of the Portuguese Guitar. Maybe not for the Eurovision stage… but for sure Fado lovers will enjoy this.

RESULT: QUALIFIED

#3 Mema - "Claro Como Água" (clear as water)

It is not clear what this song is doing here… it goes nowhere, and even though there was an effort to make the performance interesting, it does not stand out.

RESULT: NON-QUALIED

#4 Nadine - "Cheguei Aqui" (I have arrived here)

Pure ballad by Nadine, for sure one of the best voices of the night. It has also the Portuguese guitar appeal, but it stands out much better than song#2. It is all about one’s life, the will to be happy and move on. Watch out, Fado lovers.

RESULT: NON-QUALIFIED

#5 Miguel Marôco - "Girassol" (sunflowers)

Miguel was selected from the free submissions stage, not by invitations RTP sent to composers. It is a catchy little song about life and the need to be optimistic (again…). Not a strong performance and after a while it gets a little boring.

RESULT: NON-QUALIFIED

After this, we had Inês with the usual chat in the Green Room.

#6 Fábia Maia - "Dia Lindo" (beautiful day)

Another ballad. Piano and strings on stage with Fábia singing about this beautiful day that will come. Lyrics point to some happiness but looks like she is suffering a bit… her vocals are not the best. If they wanted us to fall asleep, maybe she should have performed last?!?!

RESULT: QUALIFIED

#7 Irma - "Livros" (books)

Another snooze feast but a much better performance than song#6. Broken relationship and the will to move forward, all written in her books. “Livros” brings a cool feeling, it just needs a bit more of a crescendo to go with Irma’s performance.

RESULT: NON-QUALIFIED

#8 Karetus & Romeu Bairos - "Saudade"  (*)

The big favourites to win. A box with lights and the traditional masks and costumes from Podence, the “Caretos”, on stage. A qualifier for sure, but the performance lacks a bit of strength and excitement. It screams Portugal and tradition all over and it is, once again, about that unique feeling that is Saudade.

RESULT: QUALIFIED

#9 Sara Afonso - "Contramão" (contraflow)

Very quiet song with a nice flow. Sara is alone on the stage, delivering a strong performance. One of the best of the night.

RESULT: QUALIFIED

#10 IAN - "Mundo" (world)

Second song mostly in English of the night. The is for sure different. IAN gives it all in this “fight for love and against what is wrong” song, but her voice could have been a bit more in key.

RESULT: NON-QUALIED.

And again, as usual, the show went on with: green room interviews, Elisa (winner of FC 2020) with her new song and Dora (ESC 1986 & 1988) with “Não sejas mau p’ra mim”, her 1986 song. And then… we had results!

Portugal National Selection Review (Second Semi-Final) - Luis Braga

Semi-final 2 of Festival da Canção (FC) 2021

On February 27th 2021 we had the second semi-final of FC 2021, held at the same RTP studios and hosted by Tânia Ribas de Oliveira e José Carlos Malato, like last year. Again, no audience allowed, due to COVID-19. Let’s review the remaining 10 acts that performed that night:

Song 1 – Da Chick with "I Got Music" (https://youtu.be/g4N4VDIEpc0)

And the show starts very well with this disco/dance tune. Da Chick, who wrote the song, is very confident on stage and sends good vibes. All is colour and happiness and that is really indeed the effect that music has on all of us, right?

Song 2 – Tainá - "Jasmim" (https://youtu.be/YdryCm8VO8M)

In a completely different style, Tainá brings us a love song. It resembles a bit bossa nova not only for her Brazilian accent but also for the mood of the song. Maybe not a qualified, but a good addition to this FC 2021. 

Song 3 – Ariana - "Mundo Melhor" (https://youtu.be/LHfPy6SThQg)

This bilingual song talks about a better World. Once again, change of musical style! We are taken to chillout place, with a bit of kizomba in the mix, and Ariana and her dancers give us a quite rexaling and nice performance.

Song 4 – Eu.Clides - "Volte-Face" (https://youtu.be/8IRI3-0aTdE)

This is very relaxing but does not stands out, in my opinion. Eu.Clides is sitting there… almost like talking and the way the performance goes it is difficult to understand what the message “Volte-face” (turn… twist?) wants to pass.

Song 5 – Joana Alegre - "Joana Do Mar" (https://youtu.be/Q-srHsmMq8w)

Joana Alegre is the daughter of Manuel Alegre, who wrote the lyrics for “Uma Flor de Verde Pinho” (ESC 1976). In “Joana from the sea” she talks about herself and her self esteem and brings us again another change in musical style: it is traditional Portuguese folk with modern arrangements. Joana’s performance is very strong and, due to her unique voice, very pleasant.

Now we have our first break. Time to visit the Green Room, where Inês Lopes Gonçalves is going to talk to the first five performers.

 Song 6 – Pedro Gonçalves - "Não Vou Ficar" (https://youtu.be/skNhuNp-LPg)

Pedro also wrote his own song. Modern pop (this semi-final turned out to be much better than semi-final 1 with so many different musical genres!). He talks about a love/relationship, something that did not worked out, but the somehow sadness of the lyrics have nothing to do with his strong performance.

Song 7 – Ana Tereza - "Com Um Abraço" (https://youtu.be/75--t6H8OhE)

Ana sings about how the World has change and things are strange now. But “With a hug”, everything gets better. She has a very pleasant voice and, even though the message is not really anything new, “Com um abraço” is nice. Another modern folk song.

Song 8 – Carolina Deslandes - "Por Um Triz" (https://youtu.be/2HCGIVYzFts)

Carolina, with her strong performance, talks about a relationship that was “almost” perfect. This is a pure Portuguese ballad. She is one of the favourites to win FC 2021. 

Song 9 – Graciela - "A Vida Sem Acontecer" (https://youtu.be/KPc89TJjQhc)

Graciela’s great voice would let us believe we were going to listen to some kind of Fado… but no! We are watching semi-final 2 of FC 2021, the show of 1001 musical genres 😊 “Life without happening” is an electro-pop song, and it is pretty cool! It is all about life, and the mysteries of it, but the main thing is the amazing tune.

Song 10 – NEEV - "Dancing In The Stars" (https://youtu.be/1cOLa384DFo)

If there is a God, in my opinion, this will be the first Portuguese entry at the Eurovision totally sung in English. NEEV has an excellent voice, the song is such a nice love ballad, sad as well as it talks about the loss of the loved one. NEEV is alone on stage playing the piano, playing this amazing song he wrote himself.

And… Green Room where Inês talks with the remaining five performers. … Lúcia Moniz performing her 1996 ESC entry … Agir, Paulo de Carvalho’s son (ESC 1974) performing an homage to his father with some well-known songs that did not win FC but became classics… waiting a bit more (it is FC after all 😊) …

And we have results! The five songs qualified for the final (with 50% jury and 50% televote) are:

Song 4 - Eu.Clides - "Volte-Face"

Song 5 - Joana Alegre - "Joana Do Mar"

Song 6 - Pedro Gonçalves - "Não Vou Ficar"

Song 8 - Carolina Deslandes - "Por Um Triz"

Song 10 - NEEV - "Dancing In The Stars"

Portugal National Selection Review (Grand Final) - Moises Fernandez

GRAND FINAL FESTIVAL DA CANÇAO 2021

The grand final of the traditional Festival da Cançao 2021 took place at the RTP studios in Lisbon due to the current COVID pandemic.

At the beginning of the gala, the presenters of the final, Inés Lopes Gonçalves, Filomena Cautela and Vasco Palmeirim, sang with a bit of humor while touring the facilities of the Portuguese chain.

After that, they gave way to the ten candidate songs.

Each song has had a recorded introduction as a projection in which different friends related to the composer and the singer, commented on what they had experienced with them.

~ Song 1 ~

Karetus & Romeu Bairos - Saudade

Karetus is a group made up of DJs and music producers Carlos Silva and André Reis. They are joined by Romeu Bairos, a singer from Açores who participated in The Voice Portugal.

Together they have sung Saudade, a song that combines the Portuguese tradition with electronic touches, becoming one of the great favorites of the edition.

~ Song 2 ~

Joana Alegre - Joana do Mar

The singer of rock indie and neo folk style correctly interprets a song that is somewhat reminiscent of Florence and the Machine. Regarding the semifinal she has been accompanied on the stage with the greatest instrumentation.

~ Song 3 ~

Fábia Maia - Dia Lindo

Fabia became known in 2014 after doing acoustic versions of Portuguese hip-hop songs. Her song is a sweet ballad that she sings with great sensitivity but that she does not stand out among the candidates of the final.

~ Song 4 ~

Valéria - Na mais profound saudade

The singer from the Alentejo region has been one of the great revelations of the edition. With a song by Hélder Moutinho, she delights us with a tribute to the great fado singers.

Without a doubt, the young Valéria must go to Eurovision.

~ Song 5 ~

Carolina Deslandes - Por um triz

The singer and songwriter who became popular on Idols, brings us another of the most outstanding songs of the edition to the rhythm of a children's lullaby.

~ Song 6 ~

NEEV - Dancing in the stars

NEEV, artistic name of Bernardo Tavares Vassal de Beja Neves, is a Portuguese singer with clear English influences, who brings us a song entirely in English. Sitting at the piano and looking at the camera, he sings this romantic ballad reminiscent of great soundtracks.

~ Song 7 ~

Pedro Gonçalves - Não vou ficar

Pedro became popular on The Voice Portugal. He is presented with an eighties theme, with a saxophone included, composed by himself.

Personally, I think that although it is not a bad song, it stays at half gas on stage.

~ Song 8 ~

Sara Afonso - Contramão

Felipe Melo is the composer of this slow-paced song with guitar sounds. Sara performs the song brilliantly, but she doesn't stand out too much from all the slow-paced songs.

~ Song 9 ~

EU.CLIDES - VOLTE-FACE

VOLTE-FACE is a soft song, with an electro beat that transports you to the streets of Lisbon. Modern, hypnotic, sensual, a song that exudes personality without the need for artifice.

~ Song 10 ~

The Black Mamba - Love is on my side

Tatanka (Pedro Taborda) signs a song completely in English, with a blues and soul rhythm. The band presents itself with a very particular aesthetic, inspired by the American blues bands of the sixties.

After completing the ten songs that sought the passport to Eurovision 2021, the presenters remember once again that the voting lines have been open for several days.

After that, the RTP, as is traditional, pays tribute to different people who have been part of the country's musical and journalistic history, such as Carlos do Carmo, who died last January.

Among many other videos, a video of just one minute in which Duncan Laurence greets the Portuguese finalists, followed by a performance by the singers Filipe Sambado, Cláudia Pascoal and Clã.

After a long period of time since the last performance of the participants, around ninety minutes later, the performance of Elisa, winner of last year, is announced, and after it, the announcement of the results.

The voting begins with the votes of the juries of the 7 regions of the country, who bet on Carolina Deslandes, and leave NEEV, Valéria or Karetus & Romeu Bairos almost out of the fight for victory.

Finally, public votes are announced, giving NEEV the highest score.

After adding the scores of the public and the jury, several draws fill the classification table, the fundamental one in the first place where Carolina Deslandes ties with The Black Mamba, which rise with the victory by being better scored by the televote.

Romania National Selection Review - Edward Till

Like many selections this year, Romania’s 2021 story started in 2020.  Back then, a panel of industry experts selected Roxen to represent the country from a shortlist of performers.  She went on to present 5 songs at the country’s national final, Selecția Națională.  “Alcohol You” won with both the jury and public votes and was set to be heard in Rotterdam.

 The subsequent cancellation of the contest meant we sadly never got to see if the song would captivate voters across Europe and Australia the same.  However, as early as 31 March 2020, Romania’s national broadcaster TVR announced that Roxen would get a second chance to represent her country.

 Roxen is the stage name of Larisa Roxana Giurgiu, who was born in 2000 in Cluj-Napoca.  Her singing career began when she was just 7 years old, and she was soon winning music contests.  She is naturally at home on a stage and can incorporate dramatic elements and dance into her performance.

 She rose to fame as a featured vocal on Romanian producer Sickotoy's "You Don't Love Me", which reached number 3 in the national charts in 2019.  As a solo artist, she rapidly and impressively achieved number one hits with her first two single releases.

 Roxen confirmed on Instagram in January that she had found “the perfect song” for Eurovision 2021, making it clear that there would be no Selecția Națională as in previous years.  Nonetheless, a panel of industry experts at TVR reviewed around six English language songs before the final decision was made.

 “Amnesia” was released on 4 March 2021.  It is a delicate song that describes the internal battle of a young girl against her internal demons.  The lyrics “self-love amnesia” refer to the ability to forget to love ourselves.  The music video uses modern dance to represent the battle.  Roxen also tells us that the rollercoaster of the last twelve months, in particular the voices of those who have not been heard, is partly the inspiration for the song.

 Will Europe and Australia agree?  We will find out at the first semi-final on 18 May, when Roxen will finally get to perform at Eurovision.

Russia National Selection Review - Tony Peter

Russia surprised most by holding what appeared to be a very last minute national selection show to choose their Eurovision representative for 2021. The show was held on 08 March 2021 and involved only 3 acts.

Also surprising was that last year’s entrant, Little Big, performed their song Uno from 2020 at the start of the show and then promptly told the viewing audience that they would not be coming back for Rotterdam 2021.

The three acts who were up for Russian selection were:

* Therr Maitz - “The Future is Bright”

* #2Mashi - “Bitter Words”

* Manizha - “Russian Woman”

After interval performances by the infamous Philipp Kirkorov, the lovely Polina Gagarina and the very lucky Dima Bilan, the following results were announced :

1. Manizha 39.7% (WINNER)

2. #2Mashi 35.7%

3. Therr Maitz 24.6%

Manizha (Sangin) was born in Tajikistan and is 29. She is an independent singer and songwriter who has used her music to address issues about the rights of women and migrants.  Manizha is a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR.

With “Russian Woman” we have a frenetic hip-hop number that is in both Russian and English. The song is about the transformation of the Russian woman over time from being farmer types to being the modern woman about Moscow. A nice touch for her to win on International Women’s Day.

So far there’s been lukewarm response from the fandom but perhaps that is more just disappointment that Little Big won’t be returning.

https://youtu.be/l01wa2ChX64

Spain National Selection Review - Enrique Lopez de Vallejo

The same day in March that the 2020 Contest was cancelled, RTVE rushed to ratify Blas Cantó for the ESC in 2021. I dare to say he was the first artist confirmed for both editions and it seemed they have enough time to prepare his proposal.     

Despite this fact, season by season, year by year, we are used to the Spanish broadcaster’s anarchy. On this occasion, also, there was an endless speculation over how would be chosen Blas Cantó’s entry for ESC in Rotterdam. 

The 28th of January some rumours were confirmed: during February (no exact date) would take place a unique show in which the audience would be able to pick the song between two proposals. They were selected by some RTVE experts, singer’s record Company, his team and Blas himself.   

The 6th of February, through an almost hiden six seconds promo, it was announced that the songs would be released the 10th of February in the oficial site. Finally we could hear the entries: ‘Memoria’ and ‘Voy a quedarme’. At the same time, those who wanted, could vote for them by different ways. 

Once the two themes launched, two days later, RTVE published the date of the show and the hosts: the 20th of February Julia Varela and Tony Aguilar would be in charge of the gala to choose Spanish entry

After the intro (a medley composed, mainly, of some Eurovision winner songs), Blas performed the first theme, “Voy a quedarme”. It is a ballad, a genre that the artist specially likes. He said about this song that ‘it is very sensitive and strong’ and that his purpose is ‘to move the audience’ with it. 

Next he sang ‘Memoria’, an uptempo, and for him ‘it is an entry that aims to convey good energy to the audience but, at the same time, get them excited’ 

Then the show offered a review of this young artist’s career (you can find out more information in the last year report about him) and performed some different hits together with a few of his friends. Between them there were Pastora Soler and Edurne, who represented Spain in 2012 and 2015, respectively. 

Following this, it was announced the winner song, chosen by the audience: “Voy a quedarme” got 58% of the vote, defeating “Memoria”, which earned 42%. In May it will be Europe’s and Australia’s turn: will be Blas able to improve last years Spanish bad results? 

Serbia National Selection Review - Steve Stigwood

Serbia’s all girl pop and R&B group “Hurricane” were the winners of Beovizija 2020 (Serbia’s National Selection show) with their song “Hasta la Vista” and the group were confirmed in December 2020 as Serbia’s entrant in the 2021 Eurovision to be held in Rotterdam in May.

The group has stayed with the Spanish/Latino theme as their 2021 song is titled “Loco Loco” (Crazy, Crazy) and it was selected by the Serbian televote after a telvised show where Hurricane performed a short list of chosen songs.

It is definitely an improvement on the dated 2020 entry! The group are singing better and have much more experience and success having released 3 hit songs since November 2020 alone! They now have a back catalogue of ethno pop bangers, energetic pop songs and dance club hits.

“Loco Loco” has a retro disco feel and the distracting video is a kaleidoscope of props and costumes to fit the party vibe it is espousing. Although, I will miss those long black boots from 2020! This song is performed mostly in Serbian with only a smattering of Spanish in the chorus and a few words of English spoken by Sanja Vucic in the bridge of the song. Although the song does sound repetitive after a few listens, it does have some earworm possibility and lots of sex appeal and may make its way into the final with the high energy, feel good, well choreographed performance this group is capable of bringing to Rotterdam. Vocals will be strong from the experienced lead Sanja (Eurovision entrant 2016) and Ksenja Knezevic and Ivana Nikolic are certainly up for this challenge.

I’m so happy that Serbia has really stepped up this year and that these performers who have worked incredibly hard over the past twelve months, will get to showcase their talent in Rotterdam in 2021.

Perhaps it will be a Hurricane that blows thru Roterdam in May!

Slovenia (EMA 2021) - Chris Zeiher

Slovenia’s song reveal for Eurovision 2021 took place last night (27th Feb) telecast from Ljubljana via a celebratory revamp of their internal selection contest EMA.   Stunning Ana Soklič, the winner of EMA 2020, was internally selected as the Slovenian representative for this year.  The initial proposal for EMA 2021 was a showcase of 3 potential songs (selected from over 190 entries) for Ana to take to Rotterdam where the general public would vote for their preferred option.  However, due to ongoing issues with the COVID-19 pandemic, the show was transformed into an hour long celebration of Slovenian and Yugoslav participation in the contest.  The retrospective was capped off with the reveal of the song that Ana will take to The therlands in May; the anthemic “Amen”.

Hosted by Lea Sirk (2018) and Nejc Šmit EMA 2021 was the perfectly socially distanced retrospective of Slovenia’s history at the Eurovision Song Contest, as both a part of former Yugoslavia and as independent country.   The hosts playfully moved through the decades chatting with multiple former artists and performers from throughout the years.

Highlights from the hour long show included a truncated “re-watch” of Yugoslavia’s win in 1989 with Riva’s “Rock Me” coupled with a lively chat with Riva’s lead singer Emilija Kokić.   Other standout interviews included a great natter with 1990 entrant Tajči Cameron and a lovely feature with the very humble 2 time representative Darja Švagyer who, to this day, co-owns Slovenia’s highest placing in the contest (7th in 1995).

The show also feature numerous shout outs of support for Ana from previous Slovenian entrants including members of 1XBand (Slovenia’s first entry as an independent country in 1993), Sestre (the controversial drag act from 2002) and artists Alenka Gotar (2007), Tinkara Kovač (2014), Omar Naber (2005, 2017), Rebeka Dremlj (she of the dog men fame from 2008) and 2019 finalists Zala Kralj & Gašper Šantl.   EMA 2021 hit all the right notes of celebration and reflection.

AMEN! 

The second song in the 2021 contest going by the moniker “Amen” (yep, we’re looking at you Austria) this is a dramatic, gospel-laden track that suits Ana’s caramel voice and big range perfectly.  Written by Ana, Charlie Mason (um, he co-wrote “Rise like a Phoenix”), Ziga Pirna and Bojan Simonic “Amen” delivers everything you want from a ballsy ballad particularly in the final third.   

Sung entirely in English “Amen” feels like a logical progression from Ana’s previous winning effort “Voda” which would have been performed at the 2020 contest.   “Amen” is slightly more accessible than the prior and one which could, given some clever staging, deliver plenty of drama in Rotterdam.   This 2.0 version of Ana could continue Slovenia’s recent success of qualifying for the Grand Final.

For a great retrospective on Yugoslavia and Slovenia’s participating in Eurovision check out EMA 2021 here – https://www.rtvslo.si/4d/arhiv/174756986?s=tv

Amen! And here’s Ana’s entry - https://youtu.be/p5LW-09r2JQ

Switzerland National Selection Review - Alan Tubery

Gjon Muharremaj the Swiss representant was born 29 June 1998 in 29 June 1998 in Broc, Fribourg, Switzerland. That means after Véronique Müller 1972, Arlette Zola 1982 and Carol Rich 1987, he will be the 4th “Fribourgeois” to represent Switzerland  

He is better known professionally as Gjon's Tears, is a Swiss-Albanian singer and songwriter. He was scheduled to represent Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Répondez-moi". He was nonetheless internally selected as the country's representative for the 2021 contest with his song "Tout l'Univers". 

"Tout l'Univers" was released as a single on 10 March 2021 by Sony Music. It was written and composed by the singer himself alongside Nina Sampermans, Wouter Hardy and Xavier Michel. This song has the same songwriter Wouter Hardy as Arcade had! However this is not an “Arcade” part 2. 

The song is scheduled to represent Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, after being internally selected by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. 

One of the issue of course like for the Roop and Daði Freyr, the surprise effect is no longer there. I think that is an incredible song, and better than last year. I really like the idea that it is in French.  

The music is amazing! His ability to pick up such highs impresses me the most. I think the lyrics are really beautiful, the melody is intoxicating and the voice is perfect. The only flaw is that it's a ballad, can two ballads win in a row? In any case, it’s a really good choice for Switzerland.  

He was considered to finish in the top 5 last year and he deserves to do the same this year. Will it be Zurich 2022?  

Here is an interesting interview 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAa5y9ycgOU

Ukraine National Selection Review - William Fedor

On the 22nd of February 2020, at the Grand Final of the national selection program “Vidbir”, the Ukrainian public chose the group Go_A with their “Solovey” to represent Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam.  As you know the contest was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic with the group given the option to represent Ukraine for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest also to be held in Rotterdam.  

With there being no national selection process for 2021, it allowed the group the chance to explore the options of producing a song for the contest. On the 22nd of January 2021, the group released a new song “Шум” (“Shum”) on YouTube.  The song at the time of release was over the specified 3-minute time period that is required for a Eurovision song.  At the time, the group advised that the song would not be their song for the contest, but due to popular demand, the public loved it. “Shum” (“Noise”) is inspired by Polissya folklore and incorporates a bit of dark retro style to give it a magical feel and incorporates an element of using bio-hazard suits that have become synonymous during the pandemic.  

At the end of January, it was advised that Jamala, Evgeny Filatov, Ruslan Quinta, Yaroslav Lodigin and Dmitry Khorkin were to be selected as the jury.  They would have the option of choosing out of three songs: “Шум”, “Рано” and “Церкова”. The public were only able to hear short snippets of the other two songs.   On the 5thof February, “Shum” was chosen to be the groups song to send to the contest. Once again there was a lot of hype surrounding the selection of the song, but the group did advise that the song will have to be changed to fit into the time limit as well as changes to the lyrics of the song as they represented a current tune.  

On the 11th of March 2021, Go_A released their new revised video of “Shum”, still featuring elements of the original song, but with new lyrics and very much road warrior element added into the video.  With many mixed reactions due to a lot of people being very much attached to the original version, it is the kind of song that when you listen to it more and more, the more it will entice you in.  I love every element of the song including the continue use of the ‘Sopilka’ (wood flute).  The style of singing is very traditional, but it brings out Ukrainian culture in a more modern way.  I really hope they do well in Rotterdam.  Good Luck! 

U.K National Selection Review - Barry Tsai

The U.K’s entry for Eurovision 2020, James Newman with the song ‘My last breath’ was officially announced as the U.K entry on Radio 1 and 2 this morning.

After years of disappointing results by artists/songs selected via the dreadful Eurovision decides selection show; In September last year, the BBC announced that the 2020 entry would be internally selected in partnership with BMG.

After an initial flurry of excitement when fans scoured the BMG roster of artists to speculate on who could possibly be chosen (Kylie Minogue’s name came up a few times) things inevitably went silent until last week, Graham Norton announced the U.K entry would be revealed Thursday.

So, have the BBC finally managed to get it right?

The writing credentials are good, Ed Drewett, Adam Argyle and Iain James have between them written hits for the likes of Little mix and One direction and James also has Eurovision connections, having been a co-writer of “Running Scared” by Ell & Nikki, which won Eurovision 2011 for Azerbaijan.

Newman himself, although not an established solo artist, does have a good musical pedigree, particularly with his impressive list of song writing credits.

The song itself opens with a steady drum beat and vocal that has hints of Azerbaijan’s 2019 entry Chingiz “Truth” but quickly moves into the contemporary pop realm.

Make your own mind up about the song here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iS-lV909T4

Pabandom is Naujo - The Final - Luc Spencer-Gardner

The final of the competition took place on 6 February 2021 and featured the remaining five entries that qualified from the semi-final and the pre-qualified entry: "Discoteque" performed by The Roop. The members of the jury consisted of Ramūnas Zilnys (music reviewer), Aistė Smilgevičiūtė (singer), Jievaras Jasinskis (composer and musician), Gerūta Griniūtė (cultural presenter and event host), Stanislavas Stavickis-Stano (singer-songwriter), Vytautas Bikus (composer) and Ieva Narkutė (singer).

The running order for the final was:

1. Titas & Benas - "No"

2. Martyna Jezepčikaitė - "Thank You Very Much"

3. Gebrasy - "Where'd You Wanna Go"

4. Voldemars Petersons - "Never Fall For You Again"

5. Evita Cololo - "Be paslapčių"

6. The Roop - "Discoteque"

This was the fourth show, listening to the same songs, can get a little tiring. So let' jump straight to what the Jury thought:

Martyna received their lowest score of 40 - allocating her 5 points

Titas & Benas received a score of 44 - and 6 points

Evita got a score of 47 - hence 7 points

Voldemars had a score of 51 - and 8 points

Gebrasy received 70 as a score - and 10 points

The Roop - took out the jury vote with a score of 84 - and 12 points!

The televote - now this is interesting:

Receiving 427 votes, and 5 points - Evita

With 1,094 votes, and 6 points - Titas & Benas

Getting 1,224 votes, or 7 points - Voldemars Petersons

Receiving 2,453 televotes - 8 points - Martyna

In second place with 6,413 televotes was Gebrasy - securing 10 points

The Roop, however, received a massive 74,512 votes - and another 12 points.

Meaning, at the end of the day, The Roop won by a landslide. This long winded process could have been avoided if Lithuania just picked them...

While this is a good vehicle for artists to peddle their wares - the SAME wares can get... tired.

Bonne chance pour The Roop!

Bulgaria - Kieran Hegarty

Bulgaria was one of the first countries to announce they would give a second chance to their 2020 entrant, announcing only 3 days after last year's cancellation that Varna-born singer VICTORIA would return in 2021. Because she was leading the odds by the end of the period tracked by the bookmakers, all eyes were on the country to come back with a track as strong as "Tears Getting Sober," and VICTORIA and her team worked tirelessly over the following months to create one of the most anticipated selections of the season.

A total of 6 songs were publicly revealed as candidate songs for Bulgaria's 2021 participation; one was released as a single with a music video in November, and the remaining five with lyric videos over one week in February which constituted her debut EP, a little dramatic. National broadcaster BNT then held an open feedback period where international listeners could share their opinions and predictions for the songs which they would take into consideration before selecting the final song.

This process culminated in the 'a little dramatic' concert on 10 March, where pre-recorded performances by VICTORIA were revealed of her planned 2020 entry "Tears Getting Sober" and her non-Eurovision related singles "I Wanna Know" and "Alright," along with the 6 candidate songs: ballads "Dive Into Unknown," "Growing Up Is Getting Old" and "Imaginary Friend," and mid-tempo songs "Phantom Pain," "The Funeral Song" and "Ugly Cry." The show also featured clips of her team discussing her journey in the music industry and through life in Bulgaria, and the process of preparing their Eurovision participation.

In the last few minutes, VICTORIA revealed that after hearing from the public as well as international music experts, the two favorites were "Imaginary Friend" and "Growing Up Is Getting Old." She described choosing between her songs as the hardest part of the process as they were all special to her, but she knew in her heart which song she would perform in Rotterdam. "Growing Up Is Getting Old" was revealed as Bulgaria's Eurovision 2021 entry at the end of the concert, accompanied by a new music video, and will compete in the second semi-final on Thursday, 20 May.

Belgium - Rachel Guttler

2020 was an interesting time for Hooverphonic. Their entry for the COVID-cancelled Eurovision, “Release Me” received lukewarm response, the group were criticised by Euro-fandom after they were the only 2020 act not to take part in “Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light” and they even replaced their leader singer, Luka Cruysberghs.

Traditionally both national broadcasters from Belgium VRT and RTBF take turns in selecting Belgium’s Eurovision representative however due to the special circumstances they reached an agreement with Hooverphonic for them to return to Rotterdam in 2021.

Hooverphonic have a career spanning some 25 years and their current line up is Alex Callier (bass guitar, keyboard) , Raymond Geerts (lead guitar) and Geike Arnaert (lead vocal).  Geike had previously been with the band between 1997 and 2008.

The musical style of the current version of Hooverphonic leans towards ambient pop with a splash of electro.  Looking through their discography, songs of note include Mad About You, 2Wicky, Eden and Looking for Stars.

On 4 March Hooverphonic released their song for Eurovision 2021 called “Wrong Place”. https://youtu.be/0EQyG1Yjlgw

I must say, this feels about right for them and their stye.  It’s a song about having mis-givings “the morning after” and the music video captures the mood perfectly. It’s nicely paced and instantly recognisable.

There is certainly opportunity for some creative staging in Rotterdam with the band saying that the team behind The Netherlands’ “Calm After the Storm will be taking the lead.

With Belgium failing to qualify for the Eurovision final on the last two occasions the pressure will be on Hooverphonic to break the run of bad luck.  I think this should do well for Belgium this time around and they won’t end up in the Wrong Place after the semi final.

Azerbaijan - Sevket Yigit

Samira Efendi (shortened as Efendi) is returning to represent Azerbaijan again at Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam. 

A little recap from last year: Samira Efendi (Efendiyeva) is a 29- year- old young artist from Baku who graduated from several music schools since 2001. Her portfolio includes taking part at different competitions nationally including Yeni Ulduz (New Star) 2009, Buyuk Sahne (Big Stage) 2014 and the Voice of Azerbaijan (2015-2016- third place) as well as Silk way Star in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 2017 (finished third). She was again in Kazakhstan in 2019 for Voice of Nur Sultan.She was chosen by Ictimai TV last year to represent Azerbaijan in Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with her song “Cleopatra.” 

“Cleopatra” could have been an epic production on stage which unfortunately we will never know and see.

This year she returns to Eurovision stage with  another strong song with another strong woman title : “Mata Hari.”

“Mata Hari” was written by Amy van der Wel, Josh Earl, Luuk van Beers and Tony Cornelissen. Van Beers was also one of the songwriters of “Cleopatra”and Tony Cornelissen was the producer of “Cleopatra”. This potentially explains the similarities between the two songs.

The song is a combination of modern and traditional sounds. Ethnic instruments zurna ( a variation of trumpet) and nagar( a variation of drums) were mixed into modern elements. Azerbaijani folk dance yalli was blended into the mixture.

We also hear Azerbaijani language within the lyrics which is the first time in Eurovision history. Listen carefully the following lyrics: “Yalan da mən, yanan da mən, yaman da mən” – ‘I am the lie, the burning one, the relentless one.’

Azerbaijan is one of my favorite countries in the contest. If you ask my personal opinion about this year’s entry though, it’s a mish mash of a big mess. In summary: This is a story about a Dutch femme fatale  claiming to make a point about strong women, composed by Dutch artists with traditional Azeri sounds, representing Azerbaijan in the Netherlands. It is definitely catchy and fun to watch but there are better strong woman stories in the contest this year.

Austria - Michaela Sowden

Vincent Bueno and Amen

Vincent Bueno was internally selected as Austria's representative in 2020 , however , due to COVID was unable to perform in Rotterdam. Luckily Austria and ORF decided to let him participate in 2021. On 10th March his song Amen was released on Ö3 Wecker and shortly afterwards officially on YouTube, mind you it was leaked a day earlier.

It is a midtempo folk pop ballad , different from his last years song Alive., and in my opinion a much better song. Vincent stated in his press conference that he spent the past year professionally to find the perfect song at both national and international level. He further said that the song found him, and I do believe that. Amen is much better song than Alive, which left me wanting. Vincent conveys the emotion of inner struggle/ death of a relationship really well. He likened the end to a death and a funeral and feels like he had been buried. While it may seem, he is singing about a relationship that is ending , it is much more than that. Vincent stated that for him it was more about an inner struggle with you own strengths and weaknesses. The line “is this what you wanted" achieves both the emotion of inner struggle as well as that of the end of a relationship. It certainly tugged at my heartstrings. I really do like this song and was surprised at its quality. I would give it 12 points.

I hope the staging will do the song justice. It will be choreographed by Austrian Marvin Dietman, who was behind Conchita's staging in 2014 and Cèsar's in 2018. Interestingly he will also stage Cyprus' entry Elena Tsagrinou's El Diablo. I do hope it all comes together for Vincent on the night.

https://youtu.be/1sY76L68rfs

Melodifestivalen Heat 2 - Dennis W Flores

The second heat of Sweden's six week national final Melodiffestivalen was on 13 February 2021. As with all shows this year, it was held in the Annext arena hall as part of the Stockholm Globe Arenas. The main host, the General of Melodifestivalen, Christer Björkman, was joined by former competitors Oscar Zia and Anis Don Demina. The postcards were different compared to the first week's show, instead of the singers walking around Stockholm landmarks to an orchestrated version of the Melodifestivalen theme, they were instead interviewed by Oscar Zia and Anis Don Demina (by the way, this is a hosting duo I did not know I needed, they did a great job) in an informal and comedic fashion over snacks. Also featured in-between songs, was another comedy element titled Stars Tour Mello 2021 Edition, featuring Oscar Zia and Anis Don Demina running into former Melodifestivalen stars like Robin Bengtsson and Nanne Grönvall out and about their daily routines

The current Melodifestivalen format, as established during the tenure of Christer Björkman, the seven competing entries first undergo an initial round of televoting to narrow the field to five songs, from which these five are put in a second round of televoting where the top two advance to the Final and the third and fourth place entries go to the Andra Chansen round.

Song #1 - "New Religion'' (Anton Ewald)

Anton Ewald returns for his third entry in Melodifestivalen (having previously competed in 2013 and 2014). This song reminds me of a mix of Bad-era Michael Jackson song with 90s NKTOB. Visually reminds me of his 2013 entry "Begging" complete with the leather jackets, high-waisted pants, plain white shirts, and two dancers. Filling the stage with lasers and smoke, it's very entertaining to watch. Vocally, Anton isn't the strongest (which is not a surprise when looking back at his previous entries), but I think this song is better suited for him vocally, he's not struggling to hit higher notes. (My Ranking: #3 of 7)

Song #2 - "Rich" (Julia Alfrida)

Julia Alfrida makes her debut at Melodifestivalen. She was the first announced competing artist as she won the P4 Nästa competition over in 2020. Julia is alone on stage but does feature a wall of faces behind her. Immediately when the song starts, it reminds me right away of Lorde (slow, a little dark), but then it becomes an empowering anthem song. I feel like a majority of the song is the chorus, by the end of the song I completely forgot how the first song went. Overall, nice for a debut song, but doesn't have the stand out factor. (My Ranking: #7 of 7)

Song #3 - "90-talet" - WAHL featuring SAMI

Tracksuits and Cyan Yellow Magenta theme, it screams the 90s which conveniently is the English translation of the song title. There are 90s pop culture references mentioned in the song, but I don't remember the 90s sounding like this. The song is a hybrid of a rap verse and a singing verse, but it sounds like it's a mash up of an 80s high energy group fitness song.. (My Ranking: #6 of 7)

Song #4 - "The Silence" - Frida Green

Frida Green makes her Melodifestivalen debut, previously known for being a finalist on Sweden's version of Got Talent. It's quite obvious that Anna Bergendahl co-wrote this song, a country ballad with a deep meaning. Frida is featured simply in alternating orange and green lights alone on stage until she is joined at the end by three backing singers. In my opinion, having the backing singers come in at the very end doesn't make sense to me. I think it would have been more powerful to feature Frida alone the entire time and not walking around on stage too much to let the song shine through. (My Ranking: #4 of 7)

Song #5 - "Rena rama ding dong" - Eva Rydberg & Ewa Roos

Classic schlager style song. The two actresses Eva and Ewa are featured on a gold and purple stage with four dances. It's a very theatre act filled with comedic elements. In all honesty, the chances that Sweden would send this to Rotterdam are extremely slim, but these ladies know how to have fun. Vocally, can't complain about anything. It's entertainment for the entire family to enjoy! (My Ranking: #5 of 7)

Song #6 - "Tears Run Dry" Patrik Jean

Patrik Jean makes his debut as a singer in Melodifestivalen, but he has actually already won Melodifestivalen; last year he was one of the co-writers for The Mamas winning song "Move." Break-up song in the style of a Top 40 pop ballad, a lot of falsetto. Patrik is joined by a circle of four dancers in purple lighting, smoke, and some strobes here and there. I enjoyed this one, when not jumping to falsetto his voice is very calming to me, but feel that the song could have ended better as it ends way too abruptly. (My Ranking: #2 of 7)

Song #7 - "Little Tot" - Dotter

Last year's runner up returns with a high-energy dance song. Definitely different than "Bulletproof" and "Cry," but still undeniably comes across as a Dotter song. In a dark stage with just spotlights and joined by a group of four dancers, and numerous camera cuts, this was the best entry visually. Gave off the feeling of a lot of movement on this year's small stage, fitting for the show to end with this one. Without a doubt Final material, although personally I don't feel it as catchy as "Bulletproof.," but it still stands out as a strong entry. (My Ranking: #1 of 7)

Results:

7th Place: Julia Alfrida

6th Place: WAHL feat. SAMI

5th Place: Patrik Jean

Andra Chansen: Frida Green

Andra Chansen: Eva Rydberg & Ewa Roos

To Final: Dotter

To Final: Anton Ewald

Melodi Grand Prix 2021 - Heat 4 - Marisa Austin

As we pushed on into our first week of February, Norway continued on with its national final, Melodi Grand Prix as the 4th heat of 5 premiered on February 6th. This heat provides a level of musical diversity as we're treated with everything from the token emotional ballad to what could be described as 'dads going wild at the cookout'. So without further ado, let's have a deeper look at the songs competing in the 4th heat.

Duel 1

Marianne Pentha & Mikkel Gaup - Pages

After the songs for this heat were revealed shortly before the airing, Pages quickly emerged as the fan favorite to win. The addition of joik, the traditional form of song of the Samí people, to a driving and anthemic melody turned out to be a recipe for a big success. The kaleidoscope of blues and purples as well as the blankets of fog along the ground make for an atmospheric staging which really helped amp up the live performance.

Landeveiens Helter - Alt det der

Alt Det Der or 'All of That' chronicles the drunk escapades of four middle aged men, who apparently have no regrets about getting hammered and ultimately destroying their livers. While the live performance isn't anything to really gawk about, it does look like these gentlemen are having the time of their lives on that stage, and that's really all that matters right?

Winner: Pages

Duel 2

KiiM - My Lonely Voice:

Much like last year's winner 'Attention', My Lonely Voice is an emotionally driven power ballad with a near pitch perfect vocal performance to do it justice. The stage show provided was dark, yet simplistic enough to allow Kiim's voice and stage presence to deservedly steal the show.

Royane - Circus

This semi's oddball entry comes to us in the form of Royane's 'Circus', a RnB tune laced with elements of jazz, or in the words of a good friend "Witch Woods Lite but with a budget". Which for all we know could be true considering the stage was only a live elephant short of a decent circus show.

Winner: KiiM

KiiM emerged the Second Duel victorious with his song 'My Lonely Voice', which would move on to the Gold Final and face off against the winning song from Duel One, Pages.

Pre-qualified Song

Atle Pettersen - World on Fire

Along with the artists competing in the semis, one of the automatic qualifiers performs as an interval act. This semi showcased 'World on Fire' a slick pop song by Atle Pettersen. Its catchy chorus paired with Atle's undeniable stage presence, this performance was quick to prove that it was well deserving of the automatic spot in the final.

Overall winner: KiiM

After all was said and done, the winners from each duel faced off for a spot in the final but only one could emerge victorious. My Lonely Voice defeated fan favorite Pages and will be performed at the MGP Final, airing on NRK on February 20th.

Melodi Grand Prix 2021 - Heat 5 - Cindy Zhang

On Feb. 13, 2021, Melodi Grand Prix wrapped up its semifinals with its 5th and last heat. Competing in this semi are:

TuVeia “Bli med meg på gar’n” vs RIVER “Coming Home”

Ane.Fin “Walking In My Sleep” vs IMERIKA “I Can’t Escape”

First Duel:

TuVeia - Bli med meg på gar’n

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBx74hndzNw

Norwegian farm boys meet rap in this barnyard rockabilly number. Neither the song itself nor the rapping is anything to write home about, but the colorful set will keep your toddlers entertained.

RIVER - Coming Home

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aIaQ-Yy3pI

The duo RIVER then takes the stage with their country-pop song “Coming Home.” A nice-enough performance all around, if a little European-take-on-country-genre-by-the-number.

Winner: RIVER - Coming Home

Second Duel:

Ane.Fin - Walking In My Sleep

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7sv6Gi8q0M

Ane.Fin takes the stage with her electric-pop tune, “Walking in My Sleep,” in a Barbara Dex Award-worthy ill-fitting suit. Her thin, slightly reedy voice adds a unique touch to the song, even if the vocal color might not be to everybody’s taste.

The non-geoblocked stream of the show on the NRK website also died right after her performance began to overseas Eurofans’ chagrin, who must now rely on either Norwegian fans’ reports or use VPN to access another geoblocked NRK1 web broadcast. (I went for the second option after finding a link a kind Norwegian fan shared so I’m not sure if the international stream ever came back.)

IMERIKA - I Can’t Escape

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC7DQ4M94yg

There’s something different about IMERIKA’s performance. The staging might be simple, but all she needed was the stage and her voice. It is one thing to elevate a song with a masterful staging, but it’s quite another to accomplish it with just a superb live performance where the simple staging elements only serve to highlight your voice and the song.

Winner: IMERIKA - I Can’t Escape

After the two duels, the last pre-qualified finalist, Rein Alexander, unveiled his song “Eyes Wide Open,” which was also written by Eurovision familiar Mørland of “A Monster Like Me” fame.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24lSz5I1z5w

Gold Duel: RIVER - Coming Home vs IMERIKA - I Can’t Escape

Winner: IMERIKA - I Can’t Escape

With the semifinals completed though, there is still one spot in final still left open: the newly-implemented "Sistesjansen," or the wild card entry. The results of the online vote was decided through online votes from the Norwegian audience, and the result was announced on Monday, Feb. 15 through a show broadcasted for both TV and radio. The Siste sjanse show was a simple recap of the 15 eliminated acts, with pre-recorded performances from the respective semifinal shows, with some commentaries from the hosts from the NRK radio studio. At the end, Jorn, with the song “Faith Bloody Faith,” took home the final ticket to the final.

- Cindy Zhang