Eurovision 2016: Belarus

But I don't feel it deep inside for this year's final.

I have to say that watching the Eurovision national finals have been a slog.   After the disappointment of Belgium, I was hoping for a more exciting final from Belarus.

It didn't happen.

Belarus's national final took place over a month ago, on January 22nd, where ten acts took competed to represent their country in Stockholm, and they selected this:

Ivan   "Help You Fly"

There's nothing about this song or performer that is particularly memorable, and that's kind of the kiss of death for a country like Belarus.  This type of music is somewhat popular in their part of the world, but in a semifinal without most of their neighbors, Belarus needed to send a song that would appeal to the rest of Europe.   

A song cut from the sequel to Top Gun is not that song.

But this entry is just as good as any in the contest.   There was nothing that stood out and really nothing worth mentioning, save the song I would have voted for:

NAVI   "Heta ziamlia"

I'm a sucker for peppy songs and songs in national languages, so I would have voted for this.  It would have had the same chance as "Help You Fly" will.

Better luck next year, Belarus.

Eurovision 2016: Belgium

Finally, Eurovision season has started, and I get to take a look at the songs that are trying to win the 2016 contest.

Can Belgium match last year's success?

First up this year is Belgium, who have two broadcasters who share the duties of sending a song, and this year it's the Flemish broadcaster VRT's turn.

VRT's track record in recent years hasn't been particularly stellar, and they decided to change things up by featuring "five young musical talents" who were vetted by "music experts" associated with the broadcaster.

I admire the broadcaster for wanting to discover a new singer.  Yet when watching the final, the contest felt more like it felt like talent night at an magnet school for the arts.   It's evident that there was talent among the contestants, but nothing fully formed.

That showed in the staging of all of the songs.

There was blatant stealing from previous successful Eurovision contestants:

Adil Aarab   "In Our Nature"

We know that Mans Zelmerlöw won last year, but doing the exact same things doesn't equal a winning formula.   It just looks lazy.

And then some extremely confusing props

Amaryllis Uitterlinden   "Kick The Habit"

I'm still trying to figure out what the spiderweb and bouncing lanterns actually has to do with the song.

Not even the winning entry felt fully formed.

Laura Tesoro   "What's The Pressure"

I am a big fan of disco, but the weakest part of the song is Tesoro herself.   The song is fun, but the girl was so awkward and low energy during the final, it made me wish that they would get rid of her and remix the song for her backing singers.   It's not a good sign.

Luckily, they have a few months to rehearse, and hopefully the girl will get enough confidence to actually connect with the audience.   For Belgium to make the finals, they have to bring a great song with a great performance.   Laura Tesoro and "What's The Pressure" aren't great right now.