The 10 I expected went through last night. Switzerland was amazing. I loved it all- so imaginative and daring and the vocal was stunning. Albania was also a standout. I am torn as to should win as there are so many great songs and talented singers. The standard is so high.
I am all honoured that I'm hearing you say may name haha, as your inside source in the arena :-) I agree; although this was definitely the weaker semi, three of my current top 5 are from this semi (Switzerland, Bulgaria and Portugal), against one automatic finalist (France) and one from semi 1 (Ukraine). The others were just a bit too much meh, and there were too many where it was clear that they wouldn't be qualifying. About your remarks on Serbia; after qualifying I saw the girls from Hurricane hugging Anxhela Peristeri and that really moved me. People really can get along, no matter where they're from. Portugal has really been my biggest grower this semi, their staging is so fabulous and the song is so touching. I really hope they'll get a great result. Switzerland did not disappoint me either! Absolutely awesome and his vocal was breathtaking. Indeed, the crowd were cheering "Finland! Finland!" before they were called.
lol ok, yea i thought it was finland but the denmark boys reacted to it so i thought they had heard there own name. Great to hear that about Serbia - they seem really awesome. love little moments like what you saw. Thats what the whole competition is about. I wish youd gotten a video if that - would have been great to post online
I have so much to say! 😁 Firstly, i LOVE how you've come round to the Portugese song!!! I can now die happy 🤣 It's been one of my favourites from the off and I like seeing it either convert people to liking it, or to just prove them wrong! There were still a few people in the comments during your live who were saying it was a non Qualifier so it made me happy when they got through, so much so I was screaming the place down 🤭 This is most definitely what I love about Eurovision. I personally started out disliking Bulgarias song. I also disliked Denmark, Georgia and Poland when I first heard them but grew to really like (or appreciate) them as the months have passed. With Bulgaria, it was her touching, delicate performance that did it. It all just fell in to place and I understood its appeal. Denmark grew on me hugely, after seeing their performance last night. Quirky, nostalgic and happy is how it made me feel. Iceland have always floated around my top 15, but theyve gone top 10 now. That was a great performance of the song. And like you Tom, both me and Becky laughed at the cleverness of using the Ipads as the 'heads' of the two group members who were covid positive! They're such a charming bunch. I liked Albania to begin with, but it lost steam over the last month and it slowly slipped down from 16th to 28th, but after her performance last night, its had a boost and I'm back in love again. She is a powerhouse and commanded the stage all on her own. She basically did what Stefania failed to do with four dancers in tow! Speaking of Stefania, I'm so underwhelmed with the staging and now the song. Its slipped down for me, although she's a gorgeous girl. I can't see Greece going top 10 anymore. Some of the others are gunning for those important positions and are throwing everything they've got to get there. Stefania just didn't give it any 'oomph' and it was so disappointing. Switzerland I was always a fan of. I didnt like his song last year. It just didn't click with me sadly, so I feared this would go the same way. Thankfully it didn't and it hasn't lost any of its appeal. He killed it yesterday. His live vocals were on par with the studio version so it's up there in my top 5 of the year. Serbia slayed. I hate to say it but it was one of the few that I really disliked. After seeing the live performance, I can admit I was wrong. This was done perfectly and they gave it the energy that I needed. Two songs that went the opposite way to one another ended up swapping directions again last night! Initially I didnt like Uku's song and felt it was too here nor there, but the more I heard it, the more I started to find myself humming it, and eventually I grew to really like It. I knew it wouldn't be a Qualifier from off, but I appreciated it. Blind Channel were the band that started out in my top 10 (around 7th) but them slowly tumbled down outside my top 25. I think they were 25th at one point, but after last night's performance, I've found a second wave of appreciation and love for this. They were great. As awful as it sounds, I didnt care for Benny Cristo's song and just havent felt it at all, and last night he didn't win me over. The same goes for Latvia and Austria. Never liked the songs and still don't like them after after performances last night. I knew none of those would qualify so I'm glad my predictions were on the mark. As much as I liked the Moldovan music video and song, I felt the most indifferent to this one last night. When you have such a rich music video that involves colour, oozes sexuality, exudes playfulness and grabs the viewer with the shock factor (cake face), and then bizarrely its strengths aren't utilised not used to inspire your stage set.....it just felt so one dimensional and was a let down. I was gutted for the staging and I was super surprised that she qualified. When she qualified, it just reminded me of how much I enjoy the song so I went from shock and disappointment to feeling happy for her. I genuinely dont think its going to go top 20 though on the night. Georgia.......what can I say. I appreciate the song fully. Its a lullaby love song and it was always going to be hard to stage because its so damn slow. Tornike gave it his best shot though and I still don't dislike the song (I started out hating it and it was bottom of the pile ar one point). It was always going to be a non Qualifier. There was never a doubt about that. Plus I think his face is ruggedly handsome ;) I found the Austrian song so boring and bland with no energy. Where the other songs brought high energy and essentially were a high speed 100m dash, this was more of a slow stroll around the park with a with a walking stick. I honestly couldn't see it qualifying. Finally San Marino. This might come as a surprise, but what started out as my favourite song of the bunch, its slowly dwindled in top 39 and slipped all the way down to 19th overall, and 17th going in to the final. Shes a great girl and the song is a HUGE step up for the micro-state, but now in hindsight I think I may have only initially ranked it so high because I was so wrapped up in the awe and shock of San Marino competing with something super quality and totally relevant for once. Once that wore off, it started to slide. She did great last night, but I just feel that even Flo Rida's appearance didn't really bolster it for me in the way that some of the other songs caught my attention. I'm still rooting for her though.....she so deserves a high placing because she's superb as an artist, and for essentially being a pioneer for San Marino and putting them on the map! Looking forward to the finals now!
I'm gonna be interested to see your 1-26 predictions. That's incredibly brave - either that or foolish lol. In a year like this one I would have no idea whatsoever other than Spain, UK and Germany all finishing in the bottom 5
If you follow the Serbian girls performance closely you will see that they REALLY use the prerecorded "backing" vocals creatively. At one point we can hear all three girls sing while just one has an open mouth. And Poland were just singing on top of his own prerecorded voice all through.
I just hope that we will not lose more countries next year. I understand that we have many countries participating, and that having all countries performing in one night is impossible, but going there and not making the final must be crushing. Countries spend a whole lot of money on this, and to basically having to say thanks but no thanks to a dozen of them is starting to bother me slightly. Maybe just one grand final split into different nights ? Unpopular opinion I know. My heart just goes out for countries like Romania who sent two amazing songs back to back and it still got them absolutely nowhere (and I am not saying Roxen deserved to go through).
Honestly I think Serbia is what Romania used to be. Serbia has NEVER come worse than 11th in a semi. Their only NQs of all time are 11th, 11th, and the infamous 10th place NQ in 09. And among their qualifications, no Serbian song has ever done worse than 19th in the Grand Final. Frankly they just seem to get it, and pretty much have from the moment they joined the competition, especially if you also consider the years as Serbia & Montenegro.
I had no doubts about San Marino at all, and if this doesn't get Top 5 at the final I will be really surprised. I've actually got work colleagues to watch the semis for the first time ever, and almost certainly on the basis of Flo Rida representing San Marino! Iceland, the more I think about it, the more I see similarities with the Eurovision movie. Art imitating history. There is a huge sympathy vote out there - from the fandom who have followed Dadi's attempts over the past 3/4 years, and from the casual viewer who might see some merit in an act affected by Covid actually winning the contest in the pandemic year.. Can I just say, Poland, yes there were so many things wrong about this entry and performance, but i get a feeling this is one that could be played over and over at Euroclub in years to come.
Got 9/10, same as SF1 Tom 😉 Moldova/Denmark cost me my 100% 😏 San Marino was just an iconic moment, saw some folk bitching about Flo Rida being there, but fair do’s - he was right into it and unlike Timberlake and Madge he was competing👍 Surprisingly (to me) my other stand out was Serbia, really hated their music video, but they are absolute knock outs live 🥰
I got 9/10 this time. The only one I got wrong was Portugal and despite the staging I just don’t see the appeal of this song. The fact that it’s in the top 8 in the odds at the moment after being at the bottom for the entirety of the season is truly mind-boggling. I guess the Leonora demographic really came through on this one 😂 I have to say I’m quite happy about Hurricane going through. Being that it’s the song representing my country, I initially found it slightly embarrassing and cringeworthy, however, the girls really won me over with their humility and willingness to listen and made me warm up to them. They listened to criticism and advice from fans and I even happen to know a few people who are close to Sanja who constantly gave her feedback and what people thought and she really took everything with stride. Ivana mentioned that they practiced singing on the treadmill in the gym so that they would be able to sing while performing physically demanding choreography. And to top it all off, they really love Eurovision and want to be there and have 0 ego or diva attitude, they are extremely professional and down to earth despite being huge stars in Serbia at the moment. As for the other contestants, I thought Gjon was the clear standout in the second semi. His performance was beautiful and haunting and an example how to do abstract and ambitious high-concept properly. That being said, I really don’t think he can win, I feel there is some sort of disconnect with the audience and I don’t think the average viewer can properly understand the song on a deeper level. The other two really great acts were Bulgaria and Iceland and both have a really good shot at the top 10 in the final IMO. From the remaining qualifiers, I’m very glad Albania qualified, I really believed in this song since it was released in FIK. People kept telling me it stood no chance of winning FIK and then she won. Then people told me she had no hope of qualifying, but she did. That was a seriously strong performance, it’s so nice to see Albania have such strong staging. San Marino was good, but a bit messy. I like the song, but I think the initial hype has died down quite a bit and top 10 seems a bit out of reach. I was quite underwhelmed by Greece as they hyped up their performance a lot, saying it would be epic and something never before seen in Eurovision. I found the whole thing quite tacky to be honest. The visuals were super ugly. I didn’t like Finland and Moldova and that’s about it. Needless to say I’m pumped as hell for the final. The voting is going to be bonkers this year, I’m sure 😂
RUclips autoplay has just given me Victor Krone 2019. Never believed I'd say that but Uku was 100000% better than it. Victor is permanently off key, static, and painful. And slightly uncool. Just shows how exponentially better this year is. Try both songs quickly and you'll see they can't actually even be compared.
I think San Marino won second semi, as I think Malta won the first semi final. Love your comments about this semi, sadly my favorites didn't make it, Uku Suviste and Vasil were my favorites.
Portugal's singer acted quite arrogantly in some of the later shots of him in the 2nd semi. Especially the shot of him qualifying. What was he even saying? He looked quite aggressive. All "transaction" for this guy. And if I'm right, think about the song... The word manipulative comes to mind. I hope Switzerland will win but Cyprus and Albania are strong contenders, and a couple of others I can't remember right now. Superfan in training.
And I agree with the assessment of Moldova. People don't give a fuck who Kirkorov is and what colour the video was. The song is fun, catchy as ringworm and Natalia endearing. What was behind it quite poor in general. And I told you about Denmark, we old people do not want to hear this music anymore. It was bad then and it is bad now. The two lads are super fun and really nice and it's the only reason it grew on fans, their outstanding personality. Not the song. But it's Eurovision, not the x factor. Vincent the greatest singer of the day but the song really not all that. Samanta lost it. Tornike never stood a chance. There's a case to be made for Benny but that's it.
Europe always underrate Albania every year in Eurovision, just like you did. And when the performance is done successfully. Hypocritically everyone is making statements " she was amazing, she owned the stage, she deserved it". Albania is giving the message to STOP judging a country based on politics and economy. Anxhela is 35 yo and has 20 years career, more than the ages of the bookies favorites actually hahaha. Underrating her I don't find it fair. Rona Nishliu, Eugent Bushpepa, Jonida Maliqi, Anxhela Peristeri, all amazing professional vocalists with a long career and still people, including you, had doubts and underrated them if they will qualify or no. And people keeps overrating cheap pop songs with amateur singers.
The 10 I expected went through last night. Switzerland was amazing. I loved it all- so imaginative and daring and the vocal was stunning. Albania was also a standout. I am torn as to should win as there are so many great songs and talented singers. The standard is so high.
I am all honoured that I'm hearing you say may name haha, as your inside source in the arena :-)
I agree; although this was definitely the weaker semi, three of my current top 5 are from this semi (Switzerland, Bulgaria and Portugal), against one automatic finalist (France) and one from semi 1 (Ukraine). The others were just a bit too much meh, and there were too many where it was clear that they wouldn't be qualifying.
About your remarks on Serbia; after qualifying I saw the girls from Hurricane hugging Anxhela Peristeri and that really moved me. People really can get along, no matter where they're from.
Portugal has really been my biggest grower this semi, their staging is so fabulous and the song is so touching. I really hope they'll get a great result.
Switzerland did not disappoint me either! Absolutely awesome and his vocal was breathtaking.
Indeed, the crowd were cheering "Finland! Finland!" before they were called.
lol ok, yea i thought it was finland but the denmark boys reacted to it so i thought they had heard there own name.
Great to hear that about Serbia - they seem really awesome. love little moments like what you saw. Thats what the whole competition is about. I wish youd gotten a video if that - would have been great to post online
If every country had an emergency meeting surely we would have around 40 amazing songs🤔
Ha, a true convert to "Love Is On My Side"...🤣🤣🤣
But have you downloaded it?????
That's the real test lad!!
🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹
They left flowers outside of Iceland's hotel for them to collect.
Man I'm fascinated by your beard!
I have so much to say! 😁
Firstly, i LOVE how you've come round to the Portugese song!!! I can now die happy 🤣 It's been one of my favourites from the off and I like seeing it either convert people to liking it, or to just prove them wrong! There were still a few people in the comments during your live who were saying it was a non Qualifier so it made me happy when they got through, so much so I was screaming the place down 🤭
This is most definitely what I love about Eurovision. I personally started out disliking Bulgarias song. I also disliked Denmark, Georgia and Poland when I first heard them but grew to really like (or appreciate) them as the months have passed. With Bulgaria, it was her touching, delicate performance that did it. It all just fell in to place and I understood its appeal.
Denmark grew on me hugely, after seeing their performance last night. Quirky, nostalgic and happy is how it made me feel.
Iceland have always floated around my top 15, but theyve gone top 10 now. That was a great performance of the song. And like you Tom, both me and Becky laughed at the cleverness of using the Ipads as the 'heads' of the two group members who were covid positive! They're such a charming bunch.
I liked Albania to begin with, but it lost steam over the last month and it slowly slipped down from 16th to 28th, but after her performance last night, its had a boost and I'm back in love again. She is a powerhouse and commanded the stage all on her own. She basically did what Stefania failed to do with four dancers in tow!
Speaking of Stefania, I'm so underwhelmed with the staging and now the song. Its slipped down for me, although she's a gorgeous girl. I can't see Greece going top 10 anymore. Some of the others are gunning for those important positions and are throwing everything they've got to get there. Stefania just didn't give it any 'oomph' and it was so disappointing.
Switzerland I was always a fan of. I didnt like his song last year. It just didn't click with me sadly, so I feared this would go the same way. Thankfully it didn't and it hasn't lost any of its appeal. He killed it yesterday. His live vocals were on par with the studio version so it's up there in my top 5 of the year.
Serbia slayed. I hate to say it but it was one of the few that I really disliked. After seeing the live performance, I can admit I was wrong. This was done perfectly and they gave it the energy that I needed.
Two songs that went the opposite way to one another ended up swapping directions again last night! Initially I didnt like Uku's song and felt it was too here nor there, but the more I heard it, the more I started to find myself humming it, and eventually I grew to really like It. I knew it wouldn't be a Qualifier from off, but I appreciated it.
Blind Channel were the band that started out in my top 10 (around 7th) but them slowly tumbled down outside my top 25. I think they were 25th at one point, but after last night's performance, I've found a second wave of appreciation and love for this. They were great.
As awful as it sounds, I didnt care for Benny Cristo's song and just havent felt it at all, and last night he didn't win me over. The same goes for Latvia and Austria. Never liked the songs and still don't like them after after performances last night. I knew none of those would qualify so I'm glad my predictions were on the mark.
As much as I liked the Moldovan music video and song, I felt the most indifferent to this one last night. When you have such a rich music video that involves colour, oozes sexuality, exudes playfulness and grabs the viewer with the shock factor (cake face), and then bizarrely its strengths aren't utilised not used to inspire your stage set.....it just felt so one dimensional and was a let down. I was gutted for the staging and I was super surprised that she qualified. When she qualified, it just reminded me of how much I enjoy the song so I went from shock and disappointment to feeling happy for her. I genuinely dont think its going to go top 20 though on the night.
Georgia.......what can I say. I appreciate the song fully. Its a lullaby love song and it was always going to be hard to stage because its so damn slow. Tornike gave it his best shot though and I still don't dislike the song (I started out hating it and it was bottom of the pile ar one point). It was always going to be a non Qualifier. There was never a doubt about that. Plus I think his face is ruggedly handsome ;)
I found the Austrian song so boring and bland with no energy. Where the other songs brought high energy and essentially were a high speed 100m dash, this was more of a slow stroll around the park with a with a walking stick. I honestly couldn't see it qualifying.
Finally San Marino. This might come as a surprise, but what started out as my favourite song of the bunch, its slowly dwindled in top 39 and slipped all the way down to 19th overall, and 17th going in to the final. Shes a great girl and the song is a HUGE step up for the micro-state, but now in hindsight I think I may have only initially ranked it so high because I was so wrapped up in the awe and shock of San Marino competing with something super quality and totally relevant for once. Once that wore off, it started to slide.
She did great last night, but I just feel that even Flo Rida's appearance didn't really bolster it for me in the way that some of the other songs caught my attention. I'm still rooting for her though.....she so deserves a high placing because she's superb as an artist, and for essentially being a pioneer for San Marino and putting them on the map!
Looking forward to the finals now!
I'm gonna be interested to see your 1-26 predictions. That's incredibly brave - either that or foolish lol. In a year like this one I would have no idea whatsoever other than Spain, UK and Germany all finishing in the bottom 5
omg lol so i was gonna do a video showing me doing it and then i did them out and they were so close to the odds. a total facepalm moment!!!
If you follow the Serbian girls performance closely you will see that they REALLY use the prerecorded "backing" vocals creatively. At one point we can hear all three girls sing while just one has an open mouth. And Poland were just singing on top of his own prerecorded voice all through.
10:40 I’m not a parent but.... DAMN!!! 🤣🤣🤣
Pated on the head by a cat.. Hey if you have cat allergies that can be very problematic, TYVM!! XD
I just hope that we will not lose more countries next year. I understand that we have many countries participating, and that having all countries performing in one night is impossible, but going there and not making the final must be crushing. Countries spend a whole lot of money on this, and to basically having to say thanks but no thanks to a dozen of them is starting to bother me slightly. Maybe just one grand final split into different nights ? Unpopular opinion I know. My heart just goes out for countries like Romania who sent two amazing songs back to back and it still got them absolutely nowhere (and I am not saying Roxen deserved to go through).
Honestly I think Serbia is what Romania used to be. Serbia has NEVER come worse than 11th in a semi. Their only NQs of all time are 11th, 11th, and the infamous 10th place NQ in 09. And among their qualifications, no Serbian song has ever done worse than 19th in the Grand Final. Frankly they just seem to get it, and pretty much have from the moment they joined the competition, especially if you also consider the years as Serbia & Montenegro.
Yea im starting to think of them as the Norway or the Balkans. super solid nearly always qualify, but not challenging for the win
I had no doubts about San Marino at all, and if this doesn't get Top 5 at the final I will be really surprised. I've actually got work colleagues to watch the semis for the first time ever, and almost certainly on the basis of Flo Rida representing San Marino!
Iceland, the more I think about it, the more I see similarities with the Eurovision movie. Art imitating history. There is a huge sympathy vote out there - from the fandom who have followed Dadi's attempts over the past 3/4 years, and from the casual viewer who might see some merit in an act affected by Covid actually winning the contest in the pandemic year..
Can I just say, Poland, yes there were so many things wrong about this entry and performance, but i get a feeling this is one that could be played over and over at Euroclub in years to come.
Got 9/10, same as SF1 Tom 😉 Moldova/Denmark cost me my 100% 😏 San Marino was just an iconic moment, saw some folk bitching about Flo Rida being there, but fair do’s - he was right into it and unlike Timberlake and Madge he was competing👍 Surprisingly (to me) my other stand out was Serbia, really hated their music video, but they are absolute knock outs live 🥰
I got 9/10 this time. The only one I got wrong was Portugal and despite the staging I just don’t see the appeal of this song. The fact that it’s in the top 8 in the odds at the moment after being at the bottom for the entirety of the season is truly mind-boggling. I guess the Leonora demographic really came through on this one 😂
I have to say I’m quite happy about Hurricane going through. Being that it’s the song representing my country, I initially found it slightly embarrassing and cringeworthy, however, the girls really won me over with their humility and willingness to listen and made me warm up to them. They listened to criticism and advice from fans and I even happen to know a few people who are close to Sanja who constantly gave her feedback and what people thought and she really took everything with stride. Ivana mentioned that they practiced singing on the treadmill in the gym so that they would be able to sing while performing physically demanding choreography. And to top it all off, they really love Eurovision and want to be there and have 0 ego or diva attitude, they are extremely professional and down to earth despite being huge stars in Serbia at the moment.
As for the other contestants, I thought Gjon was the clear standout in the second semi. His performance was beautiful and haunting and an example how to do abstract and ambitious high-concept properly. That being said, I really don’t think he can win, I feel there is some sort of disconnect with the audience and I don’t think the average viewer can properly understand the song on a deeper level. The other two really great acts were Bulgaria and Iceland and both have a really good shot at the top 10 in the final IMO.
From the remaining qualifiers, I’m very glad Albania qualified, I really believed in this song since it was released in FIK. People kept telling me it stood no chance of winning FIK and then she won. Then people told me she had no hope of qualifying, but she did. That was a seriously strong performance, it’s so nice to see Albania have such strong staging. San Marino was good, but a bit messy. I like the song, but I think the initial hype has died down quite a bit and top 10 seems a bit out of reach. I was quite underwhelmed by Greece as they hyped up their performance a lot, saying it would be epic and something never before seen in Eurovision. I found the whole thing quite tacky to be honest. The visuals were super ugly. I didn’t like Finland and Moldova and that’s about it.
Needless to say I’m pumped as hell for the final. The voting is going to be bonkers this year, I’m sure 😂
2:46 Serhat was 19th
👍🏻
RUclips autoplay has just given me Victor Krone 2019.
Never believed I'd say that but Uku was 100000% better than it. Victor is permanently off key, static, and painful. And slightly uncool.
Just shows how exponentially better this year is.
Try both songs quickly and you'll see they can't actually even be compared.
I think San Marino won second semi, as I think Malta won the first semi final. Love your comments about this semi, sadly my favorites didn't make it, Uku Suviste and Vasil were my favorites.
still mean semifinal 2 was the best
Albania was good.
Portugal's singer acted quite arrogantly in some of the later shots of him in the 2nd semi. Especially the shot of him qualifying. What was he even saying? He looked quite aggressive. All "transaction" for this guy. And if I'm right, think about the song... The word manipulative comes to mind.
I hope Switzerland will win but Cyprus and Albania are strong contenders, and a couple of others I can't remember right now. Superfan in training.
And I agree with the assessment of Moldova. People don't give a fuck who Kirkorov is and what colour the video was. The song is fun, catchy as ringworm and Natalia endearing. What was behind it quite poor in general. And I told you about Denmark, we old people do not want to hear this music anymore. It was bad then and it is bad now. The two lads are super fun and really nice and it's the only reason it grew on fans, their outstanding personality. Not the song. But it's Eurovision, not the x factor.
Vincent the greatest singer of the day but the song really not all that.
Samanta lost it.
Tornike never stood a chance.
There's a case to be made for Benny but that's it.
both semis were weak, but this was way better because of perfomances
No das una, dedicate al parchís
Europe always underrate Albania every year in Eurovision, just like you did. And when the performance is done successfully. Hypocritically everyone is making statements " she was amazing, she owned the stage, she deserved it". Albania is giving the message to STOP judging a country based on politics and economy. Anxhela is 35 yo and has 20 years career, more than the ages of the bookies favorites actually hahaha. Underrating her I don't find it fair. Rona Nishliu, Eugent Bushpepa, Jonida Maliqi, Anxhela Peristeri, all amazing professional vocalists with a long career and still people, including you, had doubts and underrated them if they will qualify or no. And people keeps overrating cheap pop songs with amateur singers.