Eurovision 2013: Latvia

I'll be the first to admit it.  I don't quite understand Latvian taste in pop music. 

I've just finished watching the Latvian national final, courtesy of www.eurovision.tv, and the twelve songs are very interesting.  None I would likely select to play on a regular basis.

The winner is a rap/pop duo called PeR with this song.



PeR   "Here We Go"

 



Like most Latvian entrants or recent years, I can't see this making it through the final, especially when it is starting out the contest.  (Although I must admit I enjoy the humor of making the first song in the first semi-final of 2013.  Nice job SVT.)

 

The closest analog to this is last year's Austrian entry, and "Woki mit deim Popo" sank to the bottom that year.  I can't see "Here We Go" doing much better.

 

I thought PeR was a joke act, but they seem to be real players in the Latvian music scene and were successful enough to have two songs to make it through the Latvian final Eirodziesma 2013.

 

PeR "Sad Trumpet"

 

I have to admit that they have some musical chops.  Their lead singer, Ralfs Eilands, has a great voice in this song but the beat boxing added absolutely nothing.  "Here We Go" is the better of the two entries, without question.

 

So who would have I gone with?

 

My personal favorite was the song that placed dead last:

 

 

 

Sabīne Berezina   "Upside Down"

 

Ms. Berezina's song was the one that seemed fun, but she was cursed with off key backup singers and some bad styling.  The dual curse is probably the reason that you can't easily find clips of her performance in the final, but had things been perfect, "Upside Down" would have been a wildly better choice.

 

But based on performance alone, the song that should have gone was the third place song:

 

  

 

Marta Ritova   "I Am Who I Am"

 

Latvia's answer to Regina Spektor would play better to the Eurovision audience than PeR is likely to do.  

 

But success at Eurovision doesn't seem to the the primary point of Eirodziesma.  The Latvian audience chooses the song that they like the best and that's what's sent, unlike countries who work their hardest to send the "winning" song. 

 

I like that ethos, and I'll be happy if PeR has a good ride in Malmö.