Eurovision 2021 Semi-Final 1: How They Stack Up

Let's take a look at ten of the first semi-finalists for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest and some personal thoughts on what might and might not qualify for the Grand Final on May 22.

1. Lithuania: The Roop - Discoteque

Like many of the artists this year, The Roop return and this, their 2021 effort, was one of the early favourites but has recently faded in the face of more supposedly-popular entries.

The whole concept showcases the quirkiness that the modern day Contest demands: crazy choreography and staging, bright costumes and a song that worms its way into your head whether you want it to or not!

Consequently, I can see this qualifying for the final with ease. Once there, it's the type of presentation and song that is likely to stick in the memory of the casual viewer. It should do well and a Top 10 place is not out of the question.

2. Slovenia: Ana Soklič - Amen

Ana is back in the competition too and has, unfortunately, been hidden away in position two by the producers - the notoriously difficult Eurovision starting place. 

Ana is no slouch in the vocal department though and sings Amen - a big, ballsy ballad - with great aplomb. The backing track emits some distinct gospel vibes throughout and Ana takes us and the song to church! 

However, although she is probably the one of the most accomplished vocalists in the competition, she is going to need some divine intervention to help her through to the final. This semi-final looks tough and I feel Ana will be one of its casualties.

3. Russia: Manizha - Russian Woman

Manizha replaces Little Big as Russia's Eurovision representative with an empowering anthem aggrandizing the development of the Russian Woman.

Even after hearing the song several times, it's still not one which has climbed my personal ranking very far. At first, I didn't care for it at all but once it reaches its 'Fiddler on the Roof' style refrain, it becomes a little more tolerable. 

Whether Europe will tolerate it enough to push it through to the final is debatable. Personally, I wouldn't miss it at all but Russia is one of those countries which somehow gets through to the final come what may. A borderline finalist.

4. Sweden: Tusse - Voices

Another production line entry from Sweden as young Congolese/Swedish singer Tusse confidently brings Voices to the Eurovision stage.

He is a product of the Idol factory, winning the country's version back in 2019 and has since successfully woven his way through the Melodifestivalen minefield.

Now, there's a lot to be said for Sweden's Eurovision selection process as the country's recent successes can attest. However, now and again, the technique can throw up something so formulaic it could have been written by a robot. Voices has that quality about it.

No surprises here from Sweden (even the obligatory key change), but with their track record, I've no doubt it will qualify and feature in the overall Top 10.

5. Australia: Montaigne - Technicolour

See the main page review here.

6.  North Macedonia: Vasil - Here I Stand

Vasil is another survivor from the 2020 contest and this time around he is singing Here I Stand, a song which he has also written for the event.

Now, there's no denying that Vasil can sing. He is a classically trained baritone which is more than evident from this somewhat overblown ballad. To be honest, you would more likely hear this on a Disney movie soundtrack or as part of a West End musical rather than on the Eurovision stage.

There is nothing wrong with it, per say. It's just likely to be forgotten among more striking up-tempo entries in what has become a tough semi-final. A non qualifier, I feel.  

7. Ireland: Lesley Roy - Maps

Ireland offers up Maps this year as its entry and the returning Lesley Roy should be heading in the direction to the final if her live vocals hold up.

It's a perky bop of a song which should get you strutting your stuff around the kitchen, even if you don't know what the heck Lesley is going on about.

Her diction isn't so great - or it might just be my aging ears - so it's tough to make out where her maps are taking her.

A berth in the final should be her final destination, but this is one of those entries that could just as easily be left at the starting gate.

8. Cyprus: Elena Tsagrinou - El diablo

Cyprus has decided to go with a bop-by-numbers composition called El diablo sung by Greek singer, Elena Tsagrinou - so expect 12 points from Greece!

The track ran into trouble early on when the Church of Cyprus and many members of the Cypriot public objected to the lyrics concerning love of "el diablo". Nothing came of it, but what's more surprising is that Lady Gaga hasn't had something to say about the song, as you would be forgiven for thinking that - in part - you're listening to Bad Romance.

Nevertheless, it's well executed and has become one of the favourites to raise the Eurovision trophy. A definite qualifier and a Top 5 pick.

9. Norway: TIX - Fallen Angel

TIX's win at this year's Melodi Grandi Prix upset all the KEiiNO fans but, hey, Fallen Angel (Ut av mørket) is the better song.

Written by the phenomenally successful TIX, the track is somewhat autobiographical, as it deals with his depression caused by childhood bullying over his affliction from Tourette Syndrome.

That said, the song is an impressive composition in its own right; a soaring ballad with a memorable chorus and impactful presentation. It's the sort of package that Eurovision is all about, helped by the relatable back story which is very much an in focus topic.

The staging is a little overblown for my liking but I hope this entry does very well. A qualifier that deserves a Top 10 ranking at the least. 

10. Croatia: Albina - Tick-Tock

Having won Dora 2021, the Croatian preselection process, Albina's Tick-Tock faces off against its "banger" competitors in this semi-final.

In that quest, it could do really well as Croatia is presenting one of its strongest entries in years, courtesy of the attractive Albina. This anthemic dance track contains a very catchy chorus and feels like a radio hit, which I mean as a compliment. 

Croatia has not done well for several years, but if Tick-Tock progresses to the final – undoubtedly! – it could be on track to its strongest placing in more than a decade. Yeah, qualifier.

Lack of time has prevented any further reviews this year, but currently the bookies favour two of the Big Five countries to raise the winner's trophy: Italy or France. Could it be either of them or will we be heading to Valetta in Malta for the 2022 contest. All will be revealed on May 22!

Australia: Montaigne | Technicolour

Australia

Artist: Montaigne

Song: Technicolour

Semi Final 1: First Half

Australia doesn't mess around with its approach to Eurovision - having ranked near the top of the scoreboard more often than not since they first took part in 2015. Aria Award-winner Montaigne returns this year as the country's representative with her song, Technicolour - an ear-splitting tale of courage, vulnerability and solidarity. 

While the singer's stage presence may be striking - she now sports colourfully cropped hair, heavy makeup and chains -  her song is pretty much the opposite. Well, in truth the song is not too bad, it's just Montaigne's performance of it that doesn't cut the mustard.

Dami Im, Isaiah Firebrace and Kate Miller-Heidke all brought accomplished vocals to Eurovision and, in Kate's case, the bonkers factor. Unfortunately, Montaigne brings neither if her recent live performance of Technicolour is anything to go by (see above). She was whiny and off-key throughout, something which will not convince viewers to rush to vote for her.

Personally, the song does nothing for me and 2021 could well be the first year that Australia misses the Grand Final.

What are your thoughts? 

 

2019: Australia | Kate Miller-Heidke | Zero Gravity

Kate Miller-Heidke: Tel Aviv bound

Kate Miller-Heidke topped the scoreboard at Australia's first Eurovision national final with the pop-opera song Zero Gravity.

Quite frankly, the whole thing is a shambles. Juries are likely to shun it and, from a Eurovision perspective, it is likely to follow in the footsteps of Sweden's 2009 effort or Romania's entry from 2013, rather than the more successful path enjoyed by Estonia 2018 (whose presentation Miller-Heidke looks to be emulating). Both of the former entries ended up outside of the Top 10 and, quite honestly, each of those countries can claim a lot more friends than Australia.

The public's response to the entire package may turn out more favourably as, for example, Romania’s Cezar (2013) found when he finished within the Top 10 in the televote, but flopped with the juries. So, while this genre of song may gain the goodwill of the public in May, it is likely to be a non-starter elsewhere - especially if other songs in Australia's semi gather more credible traction. Of course, this all depends on whether viewers will be sufficiently engaged with the song. Personally, about halfway through, I just wanted it all to stop. To be fair, I stayed with it, but towards the end it all got extremely monotonous. Consequently, this may well have grave implications for Australia’s televote, given that any interest in their highly camp presentation swiftly evaporates.

At the time of writing, only a few of the songs in Australia's semi-final have been announced. Their competition could be tough though, as the first semi-final contains several Eastern/Balkan nations. The Aussies could find themselves in a fight for points. 

Those points could be more forthcoming if they can revamp the production so that more surprises are provided as Zero Gravity unfolds. Then, a place in the Grand Final may not be in question.

What do you think?

Australia

Artist: Kate Miller-Heidke

Song: Zero Gravity

Semi-Final 1: Second Half

Photo: Eva Rinaldi [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons 

We Got Love / Jessica Mauboy / Australia | Review

Will Jessica Mauboy get the love from Eurovision voters?

Following on from the of the likes of Guy Sebastian and Dami Im, the appearance (again) of Jessica Mauboy at Eurovision seems like a major achievement for Australia. Even though she's still somewhat unfamiliar in Europe, she’s a huge name back in Australia having placed second on the fourth season of Australian Idol, since when she's become an award-winning actress as well as a multi-platinum recording artist.

We Got Love (or #WeGotLove) was the preferred song of two which Mauboy had considered taking to Lisbon - the other titled A Force of Nature. It's a slice of anthemic pop which Mauboy describes as "a strong song with a simple message". The lyrics make it blatantly obvious what the message is: not to give up as love has the power to make changes for the better. Not a new theme when it comes to Eurovision; neither is the construction of this entry.

It's disposable, plastic pop which has been heard at the Contest dozens of times before, but this song has been done quite well. It feels fine-tuned for a contest triumph: it's drum-driven, catchy, easy to dance to and bound to get crowd participation at the stadium in Lisbon.

Possibly, the only doubt is how well Jessica's live vocals will cope with the song - many remember her pitchy performance at the second semi-final in 2014. However, some recent live performances demonstrate how much she has matured since then, so this may not be an issue now.

At any rate, I've no doubt that it will gain a substantial score, and in particular, it should be an entry with which Australia can be unquestionably pleased. It's also has a nice draw midway through semi-final two so, all in all, should be an easy qualifier.

Image by Eva Rinaldi [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons 

Australia 

Artists: Jessica Mauboy

Song: #We Got Love 

Semi-Final 2 | First Half

Eurovision 2016: Spotlight on Croatia; Greece; Australia

Croatia: Nina Kraljić with Lighthouse

Former The Voice of Croatia  contestant Nina Kraljić is off to Stockholm with this brooding, yet slowly developing, ballad called Lighthouse.

There's no doubting that Nina possesses a great voice but, in what seems to be a sea of female vocalists this year, there are superior examples of this kind of entry set to score more favourably. It incorporates the requisite key change, but even this may not help its chances of qualifying from its highly competitive semi-final.

While it's all rather alluring, the song is really not memorable enough to progress and smacks of 'heard it all before' syndrome. A borderline qualifier.

Appearance: Semi-Final 1, performing 5th

Image by Albin Olsson (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Greece: Argo with Utopian Land

Formerly called Europond, Greece's participants this year are Argo, a band which tends to promote long-established folk music from the Balkan region.

Their entry, Utopian Land, has a very definite ethnic feel about it, starting off with some traditional Balkan instrumentation before a transition into some messy Greek rapping. It's great to hear some partial native language lyrics and indigenous orchestration, but this offering really feels as if it is heading for failure.

Greece is normally one of those countries where anticipation of its entry is high - particularly as it has an enviable record of qualifying from its semi-final. While the song's heart is in the right place - its lyrics touch on the migrant crisis and the faltering Greek economy - one feels that Utopian Land's only route to the Final is through Greece's ever reliable diaspora vote. Even that might fail them and see Greece miss qualification for the first time in years.

Appearance: Semi-Final 1, performing 2nd.

Image by Albin Olsson (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Australia: Dami Im with Sound of Silence

Like many, you might be wondering why Australia has returned to the Eurovision stage having appeared last year as (one-off) guests at the 60th edition. Ours is not to reason why...but let's just say that the Aussies love Eurovision.

That said, Guy Sebastian did pretty well in 2015 when he managed to secure fifth place with his upbeat offering Tonight Again. There's no doubt that Australia have pulled out all the stops this year to better that placing with Sound of Silence, a full-on power ballad sung by former X-Factor Australia  winner, Dami Im.

The Korean-born chanteuse has rightly earned the reputation for being one of the best singers in the competition and interprets this dance-beat laden entry with consummate ease. Much will depend on its staging of course, but Team Australia is bound to bring some surprises to the Ericsson Globe to add to the song's dramatic atmosphere and content.

If there's any niggle with Sound of Silence, it's that the song sounds a little too repetitive for its own good. That's not going to stop it from qualifying, though. In fact, it could quite easily be the song to beat in the second semi-final.

Appearance: Semi-Final 2, performing 10th.

Image by Albin Olsson (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

What are your thoughts about these songs?

6 More For the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015

Over the past few weeks several more entries - which will participate in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in November - have been revealed. These six form part of a larger group of seventeen nations which will compete for the title in Sofia, Bulgaria.

So, let's take a look at what the following countries have to offer:

Armenia

Mika: Love

Mika

Earlier in October, the Armenian delegation presented their song for the JESC, a throwback rock'n'roll number sung by Michael Varosyan - who will be performing under the name Mika for the competition.

As anticipated, Love  is a 2015 take on the energetic styling of 1950s/1960s rock. Mika sells it well - for one so young he radiates the performance techniques of a seasoned professional.

That's a requirement for this song. After all, it's a positive, upbeat tune which should have no difficulty in attracting a lot of votes. Think Lulu and Shout! and you have some idea of what to expect.  8/10

See the official video here

Australia

Bella Paige: My Girls

Bella Paige

Australia returns to the Eurovision stage for the second time this year, as the Land DownUnder has been invited to make its début in Junior Eurovision. It's a very promising start, with the country represented by Bella Paige singing a Delta Goodrem-penned song called

Bella is another reality TV graduate having secured a runners-up slot in the 2014 series of the Austrlian version of The Voice Kids. For a 13-year-old, she possesses a powerful and emotive vocal style which is well-suited to My Girls - described as an upbeat electro track.

In fact, the song has a The Voice  connection itself. Originally scheduled as Anja Nissen's winner's single, it was suddenly withdrawn, even failing to secure an intended spot on her début album. Was this done because of its quality or for some other reason?

The answer is unknown, but this modern ballad - which has more than a hint of Alicia Keys' Girl on Fire - is certainly more than satisfactory for the Eurovision stage. Indeed, it would hold up well at the main Eurovision event, probably finding itself in the Top 10. For that reason, this one gets a 9/10.

See the official video here

Georgia

The Virus: Gabede

The Virus

An unfortunate name for the four-piece group which will represent one of Junior Eurovision's more successful nations: Georgia. Nevertheless, Helen Kezhrishvili, Lizzie Tavberidze, Tako Gagnidze and Data Pavliashvili put on an infectious performance as The Virus, no doubt hoping their song will spread among Eurovision fans and voters alike.

It has a good chance of doing so. Gabede is a lively, bouncy and enthusiastic entry with plenty of catchy, repetitive chants all of which is staged in a fun, wacky and eye-catching way.

All positive, but Georgia is unlikely to make 2015 its third winning year. Gabede should score well, but there are better selections this time around.  7/10.

See the official video here

Italy

Chiara and Martina Scarpari: Viva

Chiara and Martina

Last year's victors are represented by twin sisters Chiara and Martina Scarpari singing the song Viva. They travel to Sofia having won the Italian public vote quite convincingly on the TV show Ti Lascio Una Canzone (67%) in a final round against Giovanni Sutera Sardo.

Viva is pretty good: tight vocals and harmonies are spurred on by a catchy mid-section which has a naggingly familiar refrain. There's also a splendid Eurovision key change as the song enters its final thirty seconds which will do it no harm in pulling in a few more votes.

As with all things Eurovision these days, the staging and live performance will be all important because Viva is not as strong as it might be. For that reason 7/10 seems fair.

See the official video here

Macedonia

Ivana and Magdalena: Pletenka

Ivana and Magdalena

Following a year away from the competition, Macedonia returns with the female duo of Ivana and Magdalena and the song Pletenka (tr. Braid).

Both girls are 13 and were internally selected by Macedonia's national broadcaster, MRT. Having seen the video and listened to the song, they seem to have made a good choice.

Pletenka, a song about unity, happiness and peace (aren't a lot of Eurovision sings?) flies along at a rhythmic pace with an electric keyboard accompaniment that will immediately transport you back to the 1980s. Its chorus is catchy and you'll soon find yourself humming along to it - even if you don't want to.

Fortunes may be more promising for Macedonia this year, then. The country has often struggled to impress on the scoreboard, with two fifth places its best showing. Ivana and Magdalena could improve on those.  7/10.

See the official video here

Serbia

Lena Stamenković: Lenina pesma

Lena Stamenković

Serbia returns to the Junior Eurovision Song Contest hoping to improve on their tenth place in 2014. This year the Balkan nation has internally selected Lena Stamenković, an 11-year-old with a big voice.

Obviously talented, she impressed many on a Serbian TV talent show and has also contributed to the composition of Lenina pesma, her song which will compete at the JESC 2015.

Translated as Lena's Song, it's a powerful ballad which carries a message of optimism and hopefulness. Its reminiscent of Serbia's entry at the main Eurovision event earlier this year and young Lena possesses a similar vocal style to that of Bojana Stamenov.

Although it appears to have secured much online support due to Lena's incredibly mature singing voice, the song is somewhat less dynamic.

Eurovision has always been about making a positive first impression - her vocal may achieve this, but her song lacks a hook to draw in the listener.  6/10.

See the official video here

More Junior Eurovision song reviews to come...

Review: Australia: Eurovision 2015 | Guy Sebastian

Guy Sebastian

If you're going to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest just the once, you may as well send one of your most successful male recording artists with an entry that is bound to rock the arena.

Australia have accomplished just that with Tonight Again, a contemporary R'n'B track co-written and composed by self-styled 'Soul Man', Guy Sebastian.

Just in case you don't know, Sebastian won the talent contest Australian Idol back in 2003 and has since racked up 51 platinum and 6 gold certifications in his homeland. He has, however, barely managed to crack the music charts in the lucrative European and American markets. The Eurovision Song Contest is an ideal place to start, then.

No doubt this was a large part of the thinking behind his participation, particularly as his record company was involved in the selection process. The exposure from an anticipated television audience of 200 million is not likely to harm your sales potential, after all.

It's a good thing, then, that the song Sebastian cobbled together in a few days is likely to penetrate your subconscious rather quickly, as well as break the monotony of a succession of ballads which are already heading to Vienna. It's a bold, brassy club track cut from the same cloth that produces the Bruno Mars songbook, with Sebastian even managing a carbon copy vocal in places. It's not quite as obvious as Denmark's Cliché Love Song from 2014, but the fusion of 1970s Earth, Wind and Fire with modern dance music has Uptown Funk written all over it.

Streuth! It has familiarity in spades. Add to that the novelty value of an Australian entry and an automatic pass into the Final: How could it really fail, mate?

Image by Eva Rinaldi from Sydney Australia (Guy Sebastian) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons