It's Eurovision Season once again, and although for the past three years I haven't done a look at the national finals selections staged over the past few months to determine this year's entries, I've decided to revive it and review the standout non-qualifiers.
UKRAINE
Interestingly the country fielding the first entry for this year's Eurovision is last year's champion, UKRAINE. It hosted Vidbir in mid-December 2022 instead of its usual February staging. I suppose uncertainties with the ongoing war made them decide to get the selection over with. Another interesting note is that it staged its finals in an underground railway station--all the better to avoid those Russian air strikes. There were 10 finalists who competed, and with a few exceptions, they tried to avoid fielding entries that sound similar to the ethno-folk/modern fusion by Go_A and Kalush Orchestra.
"Ya Vdoma [I'm Home] - Tember Blanche. This introspective pop tune got some early buzz among Eurofans, though it turns out their introverted style do not translate well in a live setting, hence they ended up placing 9th.
"Oy, tuzhu [Oh, I miss you]" - OY Sound System. This fusion of avant-garde electronica and ethno-folk was one of the survivors of the reportedly brutal screening process. It proved compelling live that it got great buzz among Eurofans, and though the jury placed this 6th, the Ukrainian public did not connect to it so it placed 2nd to last, making it finish 8th overall.
"Dovbush" - Fiinka. This entry finished 4th place overall. This is a sassy hip-hop track where she expresses that her ideal man is legendary 18th century outlaw and folk hero Oleksa Dovbush (think Ukraine's equivalent to Robin Hood). Sonically it's probably the closest entry in this year's national selection to resemble last year's "Stefania"
"When God Shut the Door" - Jerry Heil. She previously competed in Vidbir 2020 with the song "Vegan", which placed 6th then. This entry is indeed a major improvement as it's catchy and memorable. It is an accessible techno-pop track that touches on the sadness over Russia's incursion to her country, though it provided a sense of hope highlighted by some semi-operatic vocal flourishes, which the YouTube channel Overthinking It compared to the "Diva Dance" number from the film Fifth Element. It finished 3rd overall, finishing 3rd with the jury and 2nd in televote.
"Kolyskova [Lullaby]" - Krutь. The last letter of this artist's name is actually a signifier that the previous consonant should be palatalized, as if to sound almost like a "ch" sound in the English word "church", but not quite getting there. This is a lilting folk ballad that also talks about the ongoing conflict, especially as its lyrics talk about men defending the land from enemies as she tries to assure her children that they are safe. It was a close 2nd behind the winner--it led the jury, but because it ranked 3rd in televote, this allowed the eventual winner to prevail over her.
ALBANIA
Albania's RTSH staged its 61st Festivali i Këngës for four consecutive nights, featuring 26 entries comprising of 10 new artists and 16 veteran artists. The 26 entries were divided into two groups that comprise the first two nights of competition, where five of the new artists would advance to the final to compete alongside the 16 veteran artists, then the third night features a non-competition show featuring the 16 veteran artists covering popular songs from previous editions of this competition alongside some guest artists, then the final night. A twist was added that though the winner of the competition will still be decided by jury, the one who would represent Albania in Eurovision would be decided by televote.
"Kozmosi i dashurisë [Cosmos of Love]" - Erma Mici. She was a new artist who was given the Best New Artist award for this festival. The song reminds me a bit of Alannah Myles 1990 smash "Black Velvet".
"Stop" - Fifi. This entry fuses Balkan folk with some R&B/funk swing. I dig this number--I wonder how it actually fared because they only disclosed the ranking of the Top Three.
"Duaj [Sheaves]" - Manjola Nalibani. Some Eurofans did this for its propulsive upbeat ethno-pop sound. I can understand the appeal, though it's not as good as Ronela Hajati last year.
"Burrë [Man]" - Enxhi Nasufi. This is another rhythmic ethno-bop that many Eurofans dig. Too bad juries don't appreciate numbers like these.
"Atomike [Nuclear]" - 2 Farms. It's interesting how this avant-garde rock number won over the jury and placed 3rd. It's an ominous song about the dangers of nuclear war. I suppose the ongoing conflict in Ukraine made this number relevant to the jury hence it was rewarded with a very high ranking.
"Evita" - Elsa Lila. This was the actual winner of Festivali i Këngës. This torch ballad does have a quality that is indeed catnip to the jury, so it's not a shocker why it won. But if this was sent to Eurovision, especially with the semifinals decided solely by televote, this would most likely struggle to make an impact.
BELGIUM
After several years of internal selection, Belgium's Flemish broadcaster VRT decided to stage a national final in January, called Eurosong. The competition format was to invite seven artists to bring two songs each, and amongst the artists themselves, they would suggest which of the two songs would they then send to compete in the final. With the exception of one act, the artists chose the song chosen by their peers. Then, the seven finalists would then be selected by a combination of jury and popular vote.
"Emotion Ollie" - Gala Dragot. She's actually half-Albanian and was a guest artist at the aforementioned Festivali i Këngës. She garnered a strong following among Eurofans, and could have difficulty deciding which of her two songs to favor. Based on the inputs of her peers this was the song that was dropped. Anyway, it's a pretty strong avant-garde number that is worthy of attention.
"Oceanside" - The Starlings. This husband-and-wife duo is composed of Eurovision 2010 veteran Tom Dice and his wife Kato Callebaut. Most Eurofans and the fellow peers felt this song is the stronger song, but the couple decided to drop this for their other song. I wonder if the decision is based on the fact the other song was co-written with a whole host of veterans like Laurell Barker and a team of Swedish songwriters? I tend to agree with the Eurofans and the peers and feel this could've won the national final and we would see Tom on his second Eurovision go-round.
Now, let's discuss the entries that made the finals, starting with
"Ooh La La" - Hunter Falls. This trashy bop deserved to finish last, but I just wanted to highlight this because I find that at several angles this guy is highly appealing.
"The Carnival" - Ameerah. This sassy rhythmic pop bop placed 5th overall after placing 4th with the juries and 6th with the televote. It got a lot of positive notices among Eurofans, so some might be furstrated that it got that standing.
"Ça m'ennuie pas [I don't mind]" - Chérine. This 1980s synth throwback French-language ditty is also a Eurofan favorite. It placed a close second with the jury vote and placed 4th with the televote for a 4th place overall finish.
"T'inquiète [Don't worry]" - Gala Dragot. Though the song title is in French, the entire song was sung in English. But its artfully sparse balladry does evoke a French-y vibe, so the title makes sense. This was the jury champion, beating Chérine by 1 point. Some Eurofans would've wanted this to be the overall champion, but it was hampered by its 3rd place finish with the televote, which caused it to also finish in 3rd overall.
"Rollercoaster" - The Starlings. Admittedly, I do agree with the Eurofans that this ballad is a bit too chill to make impact, and this was the probable reason why it was marked down by the jury that this placed 5th there. But it did amass a lot of points with the televote, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit from the jury, as it was pipped from victory by the eventual champion by 1 point. The eventual champion, by the way, placed 3rd with the jury and 2nd in televote--something many Eurofans would've disagreed.
COMING UP: IRELAND, NORWAY, SPAIN, and CZECHIA
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