I’m fairly dedicated to scoring a spot at the front of the stage, so anything that delayed my entry to Semi-final 2 would have to be pretty special. Like a close up and personal performance with Guy Sebastian. Yes, that would be it! I was lucky enough to secure a ticket to a private gathering – at an ‘Aussie’ themed pub, of course – organised by SBS with an intimate performance by Guy, his backing singers and guitarist. The venue was probably too small for the guest list, which included other Aussie Eurovision connections such as Katrina Noorbergen, co-writer and back up vocalist for Russia – but all that was forgotten once Guy came on stage. He’s such a lovely person, giving due credit to his fellow musicians and boy – can he sing! We could have spent all evening dancing and singing along with Guy, but we have a semi-final to get to and Guy needs to rest up for the big night!
Bubblegum pop at its best from Lithuania. A nice, happy song about love sung by two attractive young people with some cute dancing, and a tune we can all sing and dance along to. And doesn’t the crowd just love it!
A lovely lilting tune in the tradition of popular Irish music, but possibly a piano based number doesn’t quite cut it for Eurovision.
I don’t know whether you could see little flashing lights on the broadcast, but they were on buttons handed out by the San Marino crowd. They also worked to support every other song that started with the lights down. It’s a shame they didn’t put more effort into the actual song. This was one of the weaker entries from the smallest nation to compete in Eurovision.
Hey he’s having fun, his backup dancers are having fun, we’re all having fun dancing along to this east meets western pop tune from Montenegro. Nothing wrong with that in the grand tradition of Eurovision.
Poor Amber from Malta started with a bit of a disadvantage as we already have one warrior maiden in the final. She has had a previous Eurovision moment as backup singer for Kurt Calleja back in Baku.
Well I don’t really like this song. It’s not the sort of euro-pop we expect from Norway. Lots of other people seem to, though. Maybe it’s just me?
Portugal didn’t really grab me this year either. The song is pleasant enough, but not a real stand out.
Another pleasant enough duet from the Czech Republic with ‘Hope Never Dies’. It would take a lot more than hope to see them take out this contest.
Let’s see now. An infectious dance number called ‘Golden Boy’. Would that just go off with the fans on the dance floor at Eurovision? It may not be a winner but the crowd just loves it!
‘Love Injected’ by Animata from Latvia goes to show how it’s impossible to judge the songs based on the recordings alone. The live performance is completely mesmerising and shows a depth and passion that just isn’t captured on the CD. It’s a clear crowd favourite.
‘Hour of the Wolf’ from Azerbaijan was a song I didn’t have a clear idea about going in to the contest. On first listen, it seemed fairly ordinary. But then the chorus started to grow on me. However, the live delivery was just captivating, with Elnur’s powerful vocals, a rhythmic backing track and those amazing contemporary dancers in a mythical, Midsummer’s Dream type setting. It was well worthy of a place in the Final. And we all get to watch those dancers again!
This song just didn’t gel at all. A pretty young girl, dressed like she’s going to a children’s birthday party but belting out a pop tune. Hmmm. Although a really interesting part of Maria’s bio is that she played the part if a young Michael Jackson in a tribute show in Reykjavik. It really is a small population over there. I would just love to see footage of that!
Obviously Sweden is a crowd favourite. Let’s face it, the country is a master of Euro pop and their entries are selected on the basis of a popular national vote. Måns just oozes charisma, he’s a polished performer with an incredibly catchy dance tune and the animation is a clever and novel idea. This is a clear contender.
Another ballad. Pleasant enough, but is it Mélanie’s time to shine? Even with the costume reveal?
John from Cyprus brings us a forgettable melody with wimpy lyrics and a very dull presentation. Thank goodness I won’t have to sit through that song again. What do you mean it made the final? Who voted for that? Seriously…
Ah Maraaya from Slovenia, a girl in a long white dress wearing sparkly headphones with a back up dancer wearing a black light-up costume and doing a mean air-violin. Does this make any sense? Only in Eurovision! About the headphones, one website mentioned that they were part of some sponsorship deal but the official story in the program is that Marjetka started wearing her studio headphones on stage as she wanted to evoke the same emotions she felt in the studio while recording. Which is interesting, as most singers try to evoke the energy of a live performance in their studio recording.
Monica had her music career interrupted in 2006 due to a serious car accident, but re-launched herself as a solo artist in 2012. Yes it’s another ballad but yes, she can also sing. It’s just slightly disappointing that Eurovision, which bills itself as an accessible event, hadn’t considered how to get her on and off the stage, seeing as a feature of this year’s event was having all the acts walk up stairs and on to the stage at the beginning of each show.
So it’s only another two days until the Final. I’m really looking forward to seeing Australia perform for the first time. Every time they play Guy’s song as part of the pre-qualified entries, the whole venue erupts in song!
