2019: Montenegro | D-Moll | Heaven

D-Moll: Heaven or hell for Montenegro in Tel Aviv?

In early February, Montenegro chose its latest Eurovision participants through a televised national final, Montevizija. The selection, which had five songs in the running, saw D-Moll win both voting rounds with their entry Heaven - ultimately winning with a 24% televote difference over the second placed act.

Like San Marino, Montenegro enjoyed their first Eurovision finals as an independent country five years ago and they have generally proven over succeeding contests that it wasn’t by accident. With the choice of Heaven, that observation may well now be up for debate.

As Balkan entries go, this is quite underwhelming in terms of its capacity to appeal to a wide cross-section of  Eurovision voters. Although it has a perky and upbeat personality, the whole production feels depressing, drab and dated. It's as if the song has been plucked from an earlier decade and awkwardly recycled for a 2019 audience.

For sure, there is a melody for Eurovision viewers to grasp, while the arrangement is quite inoffensive on the ears. However, the lyrically repetitive nature of the chorus adds little but a feeling of annoyance and a desire for it to finish as soon as possible.

Harsh words, yes. But a possible promised revamp by the Montenegrins may change minds about the likelihood of it qualifying in Semi Final 1. 

While it’s not impossible for D-Moll to reach the final with some improved staging and vocals, at the moment - based solely on the entry - I predict the group will be on an early flight home.

Montenegro

Artist: D-Moll

Song: Heaven

Semi-Final 1: First Half