Qami / Sevak Khanagyan / Armenia | Review

Do Armenia have the Wind behind them this year? Sevak Khanagyan

Since their Eurovision debut in 2006, Armenia has enjoyed seven Top 10 placings out of ten attempts and is often considered to be long overdue its first - and perhaps justified - triumph. Could Qami (English: Wind) by Sevak Khanagyan be the song to do it in Lisbon? Well, it's a powerful ballad featuring modern production values and performed in its native language by a talented and potent singer.

Still, I’m not entirely sure. While the Armenians present an undeniably accomplished product, this entry is certainly not as instantaneous as it should be to win the Contest. As a matter of fact, it took some time before I could recall how it went, even within a few moments of playing it. Several previous strong contenders have also been thwarted by this problem - think Francesco Gabbani with Occidentali's Karma last year - and were largely overlooked by the majority of televoters.

I don’t feel that this song is likely to score too badly though. Like some of its predecessors, it’s practically a shoo-in to end up somewhere in the final Top 10, but I don't think it will be distinct enough to register the required range of national televotes to triumph - even if the juries love it.

Its potential may also depend on the running order this year. If it is featured within the first dozen songs, I have a feeling that people won't remember it when it comes time to choose their favourites. Nevertheless, Armenia usually put a lot of work into their entire presentation - including the visuals - so I'm sure they’ll devise something of note to improve their prospects.

Overall, Armenia have only ever failed to qualify once and there’s little doubt that Qami should make the Grand Final and could easily rank very highly within its own semi-final.

Armenia 

Artist: Sevak Khanagyan

Song: Qami 

Semi-Final 1 | Second Half