My husband, who is both a Europhile and a bit of a smart ass, has always said that the Netherlands is the "America of Europe". I've always taken that statement with a grain of salt, but with with each new Eurovision entry I see, I'm starting to believe him.
Douwe Bob "Slow Down"
Alt-country? Alt-country is a thing in the Netherlands? I thought The Common Linnets was a one off thing...
Seriously, this is the first song that I have heard this year that makes me think that it could win the contest. The song is upbeat, catchy, and unique. It made me immediately want to pick up the phone and vote for it. That is what I consider to be a successful song.
If the Dutch get the staging right and the song has a good placement in the final, this song has a good chance of doing extremely well.
No matter where they fall at Eurovision, Macedonia is always on top of national flags.
As I mentioned in my review of last year's Macedonian entry, Kaliopi is one of the best singers their country has, and it's unsurprising that they have turned to her to represent their country again this year.
"Crno i Belo" is one of my favorite Eurovision songs, so I had high hopes for the song she would bring to Stockholm.
Kaliopi "Dona"
Unfortunately, this song is not as strong as her previous entry, with no build and a repetitive chorus. While her ability to clearly interpret lyrics is as strong as ever, she has been let down by the song she has been given to perform.
"Dona" is a marginal qualifier at best and it saddens me to say that.
Ukraine is a country that takes Eurovision seriously. This year's national final, which took place on February 21st, showed that a one year absence from the contest hasn't changed the quality of the song and performer they send.
Unlike the rest of the national finals I've watched so far, this is the first one that I haven't found disappointing. Out of the six songs that were in the national final, only one song was not strong enough to represent the country in Stockholm.
Brunettes Shoot Blondes "Every Monday"
Sorry Brunettes Shoot Blondes. You had no chance. But I love your band name.
Any of the other five songs would have been a strong entry, but only two songs really had a chance to win.
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Jamala "1944"
The Hardkiss "Helpless"
Both songs are musically interesting and well performed and after the votes of the juries and viewers at home were combined, they both received an equal number of points. However, "1944" received more televotes, superseding the judges preference, and Jamala will be heading to Stockholm.
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I was personally happy about the choice because Jamala is an artist whose career I've been following for a number of years, having discovered her after hearing her cover of the song "History Repeating".
Jamala "History Repeating"
I also loved her song from the last time she tried to represent her country in Eurovision.
Jamala "Smile" 2011 Ukraine National Final
So even if this song was weak, I would have hoped she would win the competition.
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Jamala's win has been controversial. "1944" is about the forced deportation of Crimean Tatars from Ukraine to Central Asia, based on the stories of the artist's great-grandmother's experience, and many consider it to be too political to be performed on the Eurovision stage.
The EBU has given the go-ahead for the song to be performed determining the song does not contain political speech. It is the right decision. There is no denying the song is political, but it is not a song that names a group in a way that would peg it as political speech. It is a category of songs like Russia's 2005 entry about American school shootings, Monaco's 1967 entry about the the fear of dying in a nuclear bombing, or Greece's 1976 entry about the Turkish occupation/invasion of Northern Cyprus.
Ukraine made a good choice when sending Jamala, and I'm looking forward to her performance in May.
Ireland hasdone something that they've needed to do for years--they've scrapped their national final and tried something different.
Instead of doing a national final with a bunch of unknowns, Ireland has internally selected an established performer.
Nicky Byrne became famous as part of the Irish boy band Westlife and parlayed that into a career as a presenter on Irish radio and television and has been a part of the last three Eurovisions as the Irish spokesperson, presenting the Irish votes.
So it was a natural choice that Byrne would represent the country.
Nicky Byrne "Sunlight"
I have to say that it's a step in the right direction, this is a piece of pop without any of the Celtic influences that have popped up in a lot of recent entries.
But I can't say that I see this as a song that will win the Eurovision Song Contest.
First of all, the song sounds dated. Instead of feeling modern, this song sounds like it's from the early 2000s, the heyday of Byrne's former band Westlife. It's not surprising that this would be the sound Byrne would have gone for--that sound has made him a decent living. I just wonder how this will hold up against songs that have a more modern musical feel.
I also have to say in the two live performances I've seen, Byrne has underwhelmed. Westlife was one of the most commercially successful Irish pop acts ever, but it was a manufactured group/ These live performances make me think that Byrne was a part of Westlife less for his musical ability than for his good looks. "Sunlight" is more spoken than sung and Byrne has battled with staying on pitch during those live performances. Still he does look good in those leather jackets.
This is no winner. But it is a step in the right direction for a country who has seemed to be stuck in the 1990s when it comes to Eurovision.
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.
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.
I love writing about my favorite songs for any country, because these are songs I want you to take a listen to and my favorite five Croatian songs are definitely ones that you should take a listen to.
Let's get started!
5. Magazin & Lidija Horvat-Dunjko “Nostalgija” 1995
You take one of the biggest bands from Croatia and put them together with an opera singer and you get this song. It is undeniably weird and I find it absolutely entrancing. It wasn't accessible enough to win the contest, but it placed a respectable sixth in 1995. It also grabbed "douze points" from Malta, Spain, and Slovenia.
4. E.N.I. “Probudi me” 1997
Girl power was big in 1997 and E.N.I. was the Croatian response to it. Yes, this performance isn't the greatest and they are obviously a knockoff of the Spice Girls. But it's good bubblegum pop and these ladies are able to pull of some dance moves in cantilevered shoes.
3. Danijela Martinović "Neka mi ne svane" 1998
Yep, Martinović was the singer in Magazin. She came back as a soloist with this dramatic number three years later and landed in fifth place. She has a clear voice with a beautiful tone that really pulls you into the song. Just not crazy about the costumes change and the sexy arms...
2. Nina Badrić “Nebo” 2012
I love this song. I love her performance. But the staging and camera angles ruined the song and sabotaged the chances for "Nebo" to make the finals. There was no need for the dancers. The backup singers needed to be hidden and in a darker color and Badrić needed to not wear a sheet. Had they kept the shots on Badrić and allowed people to connect with the song, this would have made the finals.
1. Goran Karan "Kad zaspu anđeli" 2000
This is how a Balkan ballad needs to be performed. Straightforward staging. Flawless vocals. Karan is attractive and knows how to work the stage and camera. Wish they had gotten rid of the girl in a bag. But it's 2000--everybody had a gimmick.
And there's my top five Croatian entries.
Rumors are circulating that Croatia will return to Eurovision in 2016, and like many people I hope those rumors are true. The more I watch Eurovision, the more I love the music from the former Yugoslavia. Having Croatia back means more music from a region I love.
