Arilena Ara IS in my Top Ten for 2020
But where exactly?
That is the big question running throughout this week's show - where are my final ten preferences going to place in my points from 1 up to 12? Just to remind you who is in the running (in alphabetical order, just to stretch that tension out as much as possible):
ALBANIA
AUSTRIA
ICELAND
IRELAND
ISRAEL
LITHUANIA
MALTA
NORWAY
ROMANIA
THE NETHERLANDS
Here are some stats for you about them - five songs got 8.5/10, three 9.0/10 and my top two 9.5/10. Five out of my top 6 came from the same SF and only three came out of the other - you can see from the list that none of the Big 5 made it this year either. Three female soloists in my top five too but enough of the chat. I was toying with making you look at the detailed info on my choices but you are here to listen to the show, so here you go:
As you will have heard, my preferences weren't all in one big block this week - I decided to alternate them with other tracks, just to keep your interest all the way through the show! What I will do is leave the playlist until after I have worked my way through all ten entries, just so it isn't obvious to those just reading the prose who finished where! Remember that all pictures are c/o eurovision.tv and all entries were scored for the SECHUK Jury 2020 on first listen (ideally live) in the following way:
Vocal Capability out of 5
Stage Performance out of 5
Composition / Originality out of 5
Overall Impression out of 5
Score out of 20 (final score out of 10)
The main difference is that these tracks now have points allocated to them, as they would do at the real event. Who got my ONE POINT in 2020? A nation who has made into my top ten for the first time since...I really cannot remember when!
10 (One Point) - IRELAND
Lesley Roy - "Story Of My Life"
Vocal Capability 4.5/5
Composition / Originality 3.5/5
Overall Impression 4.5/5
Score 12.5/15 (8.5)
Yes, that's right - Ireland at my number 10! I think I might be going back to 2010 and Niamh Kavanagh for the last time that happened but "Story Of My Life" deserves this positioning purely for the song's energy and fun. This is one of the few party anthems we have in Eurovision 2020 and I can imagine that all the fans in the standing are of the Ahoy bouncing up and down to this one so much that I hope that the floor had been strengthened! The official video sets the scene of what this entry is about but to be honest, this is all about the music, that synth and drum intro that immediately gets you listening and head nodding. Lesley Roy is a great performer and a solid vocalist when playing acoustically (as per her PreParty ES At Home session) but the one live performance I saw was a bit shaky voicewise purely because she was putting so much into the show. Fingers crossed that she would have found a happy medium between the two because this was a definite qualifier for me (my sixth in SF1), even in what I felt was the harder SF and I think that Ireland could have been heading for only their second top half finish in ten years (Jedward's first go being the last in 2011). Seeing Lesley was an internal selection, I would hope that RTE are already in negotiations with her for 2021, assuming she still wants to do it - having a singer/songwriter definitely seems to work wonders for the Irish at the moment.
9 (Two Points) - AUSTRIA
Vincent Bueno - "Alive"
Vocal Capability 4.0/5
Composition / Originality 3.5/5
Overall Impression 5.0/5
Score 12.5/15 (8.5)
Another entry base on the official video and studio release only but to be honest, I don't think that what he was doing in the warehouse could be bettered on stage. My comment for the SECHUK Jury 2020 was "Get a bigger hat and Vincent is Jay Kay" - I am not the only pundit who has compared this to the jazz-funk sound of Jamiroquai and for me, that is high praise indeed, as it is almost akin to "Virtual Insanity". Perhaps no head dresses though but the hat and the black in the video really looks the part - assuming Vincent could perform this live then this would be another stand-out party track, appealing to the Gen X and Millennials in the audience and seeing Austria sail back into the final via a midtable SF2 qualification. I am delighted that he gets another go and to be honest, Vincent Bueno could knock out something similar to "Alive" in 2021 and die-hard fans will not really care, whereas those voting for outside the bubble will just be a year older and still be receptive to that acid-jazz smoothness!
8 (Three Points) - ALBANIA
Arilena Ara - "Fall From The Sky"
Vocal Capability 4.5/5
Stage Performance 5.0/5
Composition / Originality 3.0/5
Overall Impression 4.0/5
Score 16.5/20 (8.5)
Now this was an interesting entry - Arilena Ara won FiK 58 about Christmas time, which seems like a lifetime ago now with the Albanian version of this song, "Shaj". Not only do we have a change in language (ironically back to the one that the song was originally written in, English) but also a change in the look of the performance - black with "Shaj" and white with "Fall From The Sky". This was also the one song that I had to review twice and it obviously sounds so different and it was also the one track that moved down my preferences because of that. Not by much - it was originally my number 6 with 8.5/10 but has dropped due to the originality and overall impression not quite doing it for me now. Her voice and emotional connection are unquestioned and if you watch her Tirana online concert below, you will see that live performance:
However, I loved "Shaj" - the look (her in a unique PVC black outfit) and her delivery were spot on for FiK and I would have been delighted if that had been the version used and Albanian been the language of choice again for the third year in a row. Having said that, "Fall From The Sky" would connect lyrically far better with a non-fan audience, it being in English, and her vocals and passionate stage performance would have seen Albania sail into the Final for the third year in a row, securing another mid table finish - a suitable reward for this nation.
However, I loved "Shaj" - the look (her in a unique PVC black outfit) and her delivery were spot on for FiK and I would have been delighted if that had been the version used and Albanian been the language of choice again for the third year in a row. Having said that, "Fall From The Sky" would connect lyrically far better with a non-fan audience, it being in English, and her vocals and passionate stage performance would have seen Albania sail into the Final for the third year in a row, securing another mid table finish - a suitable reward for this nation.
7 (Four Points) - THE NETHERLANDS
Jeangu Macrooy - "Grow"
Vocal Capability 5.0/5
Stage Performance 4.0/5
Composition / Originality 3.5/5
Overall Impression 4.5/5
Score 17.0/20 (8.5)
You might remembering reading last week that I reviewed my opinion of Switzerland's entry after I heard Gjon's Tears sing his song "Répondez-moi" live? The same thing happened with "Grow", sung by Jeangu - see how positive I am about The Netherlands' entry this year. That was based on seeing and hearing him sing this song live on "De Wereld Draait Door" - have a look how I rated this song based on the official video:
Vocal Capability 4.0/5
Composition / Originality 2.5/5
Overall Impression 2.0/5
Score 8.5/15 (5.5)
Without his connection to the audience and his passionate, almost evangelical delivery of this song in a live setting, this song gave me nothing. I actually felt annoyed that he had wasted the first 140 seconds and if we hadn't had a live performance to watch, this would have been on the show two weeks ago in 38th place, just above Cyprus! Now I feel that Jeangu Macrooy IS the entry - he is the focal point of the live performance and his voice is sublime, he gives the song life. The slowness of the first two thirds makes total sense when you watch him, the entry really does grow in his hands and I think that The Netherlands really had an entry to be proud of in their home Eurovision. Not a winner but I think that Jeangu could have got a top ten with "Grow" and it would have been one of those perfect Eurovision moments where fans would have said "I was there, in the Ahoy, when Jeangu sung". My top Direct Finalist by far and deservedly so.
6 (Five Points) - ISRAEL
Eden - "Feker Libi"
Vocal Capability 4.5/5
Stage Performance 4.0/5
Composition / Originality 4.5/5
Overall Impression 4.0/5
Score 17.0/20 (8.5)
Now I traditionally like ballads but this year has seen my attention caught by most of the party songs, the fun and uplifting entries that would get everyone dancing and singing plus also bring a bit of variety in some way. That diversity here is not only the change in rhythm and beat throughout Israel's entry this year but this is the only song in my top ten that has a language in it other than English. You get two bonus ones chucked in for free - "Feker Libi" has Hebrew, Arabic and Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, and that seamlessly adds to the upbeat nature of this entry. Eden is a star in the making and was the deserved winner of 'Hakokhav Haba' and she had the good fortune to have a great selection of songs to sing in 'HaShir HaBa L'Eurovizion' - the Israeli public voted this one through on a landslide, mainly due to the incredible party vibe that this gave on the night. Not only do Eden's vocals shine through, the backing singers and dancers all played their part on the night to give that vibrant choreography everything, so much so that I could see that performance just being lifted from the studio in Israel to the stage in Rotterdam. I can guarantee that this would have gone down a storm in the Ahoy and I honestly believe that this could have given Israel another top half finish this year, due to its visual memorability and earworm status. Another artist already given the nod to return in 2021 - I can only see big things for Eden, as long as the songs she gets to sing as worthy of her talents...
5 (Six Points) - MALTA
Destiny - "All Of My Love"
Vocal Capability 4.5/5
Composition / Originality 4.0/5
Overall Impression 5.0/5
Score 13.5/15 (9.0)
Ah, we move into my personal top five now and we start off with arguably the best candidate for the JESC/ESC double, Destiny from Malta. I was hoping that this incredible singer who won her place at Rotterdam through X Factor Malta would have been given a song as superb as her JESC 2015 winning one "Not My Soul" but "All Of My Love" didn't seem to be the one to do that. Don't get me wrong, this entry is a perfect mix of superb vocalist, soulful pop and catchability that would see this easily build up the streams and listens on a commercial radio station and it got my overall 5th place - it is just that I think it is just not 'there'. Destiny seems to be coasting, not stretching her wonderful voice fully and that would have been my only criticism of this entry. I am sure that this would have been staged well in the Ahoy and the music sticks in my head - perhaps I was just hoping for more for her, so that Malta could grab that elusive Eurovision win that so many fans want for the Mediterranean island. My score really hits the nail on the head - 9.0/10, just something not quite there to get that final mark of excellence. We don't know what is happening for 2021 - even 2020 was all a bit last minute, as "All Of My Love" was one of the last tracks to be revealed and the Eurovision edit you heard in this show was only released in the last week. I cannot imagine that Malta will pass up on the chance to send Destiny to Eurovision, now that they have her in pole position, so I would suspect that some sort of 'song only NF' would be the pathway for Malta's entry for 2021 - fingers crossed! Give her that perfect song and I think that we might be going to Valetta 2022...
4 (Seven Points) - ICELAND
Daði & Gagnamagnið - "Think About Things"
Vocal Capability 4.5/5
Stage Performance 5.0/5
Composition / Originality 4.0/5
Overall Impression 4.5/5
Score 18.0/20 (9.0)
My fourth place preference this year but in reality, as I outlined on the show, the potential winner for Eurovision 2020. I truly believe that Iceland had what would have been our runaway winner this year and that we would have been going to Reykjavik in 2021 - at one stage I felt that 2020 was going to be a close run thing, with several possible winners but when the Contest was cancelled, I had already seen the signs for this particular entry moving ahead of the pack and staying there:
My belief is that by this time, in Eurovision week, every non-fan would have been aware of Iceland's entry and would have been tuning in just to see it. The momentum would have been such that I think that this would have not only been the 2020 televote winner, I think it would have smashed the highest televote points total there too. There would have also been enough love for this among juries too that I think that would have been at least top three there (as a pessimistic view) and that would have been enough for this to win. It would have been my favourite this year but there are three others that either caught my imagination more (my #3) or literally took my breath away and gave me that 'wow' moment 9 my #2 and #1). I loved the fun and hilarity of "Think About Things" at Söngvakeppnin 2020 but it was all done in a very clever and perfectly executed way, nothing manic or trolling about the performance at all. The use of making instruments that don't exist in the real world because you don't play for real at Eurovision was genius and that whole choreographed routine looks simple but getting all the looks to camera spot on would not have been easy and would involved numerous hours of rehearsals (I assume). This would have been THE SHOW in Rotterdam and I am convinced that the question would not have been 'is this going to win', the question would have been 'Iceland are going to win - how much by?'. Such a tragedy that this won't see a Eurovision stage - will we even see Daði & Gagnamagnið in 2021? I think the longer the lockdown goes on, the more likely that is happen but then again, could they top what they had this year?
Top A list celebs (Russell Crowe, P!nk, James Corden, Rylan) were making positive noises to their followers about this song;
Netflix were due to release the Eurovision film, the main characters being Icelandic;
The video was a staple on MTV and building up views everywhere;
The dance routine was starting to find its way around the world and onto Tik Tok;
Comedy and news shows were talking about the look of the entry and the family connection within the group;
The story behind the song was emerging and would have given this the 'ahhh' factor;
The song itself is incredibly catchy and the stage routine intricate but seemingly easy to follow;
Daði comes across laid back and funny in interviews.
My belief is that by this time, in Eurovision week, every non-fan would have been aware of Iceland's entry and would have been tuning in just to see it. The momentum would have been such that I think that this would have not only been the 2020 televote winner, I think it would have smashed the highest televote points total there too. There would have also been enough love for this among juries too that I think that would have been at least top three there (as a pessimistic view) and that would have been enough for this to win. It would have been my favourite this year but there are three others that either caught my imagination more (my #3) or literally took my breath away and gave me that 'wow' moment 9 my #2 and #1). I loved the fun and hilarity of "Think About Things" at Söngvakeppnin 2020 but it was all done in a very clever and perfectly executed way, nothing manic or trolling about the performance at all. The use of making instruments that don't exist in the real world because you don't play for real at Eurovision was genius and that whole choreographed routine looks simple but getting all the looks to camera spot on would not have been easy and would involved numerous hours of rehearsals (I assume). This would have been THE SHOW in Rotterdam and I am convinced that the question would not have been 'is this going to win', the question would have been 'Iceland are going to win - how much by?'. Such a tragedy that this won't see a Eurovision stage - will we even see Daði & Gagnamagnið in 2021? I think the longer the lockdown goes on, the more likely that is happen but then again, could they top what they had this year?
3 (Eight Points) - LITHUANIA
THE ROOP - "On Fire"
Vocal Capability 4.0/5
Stage Performance 5.0/5
Composition / Originality 5.0/5
Overall Impression 4.5/5
Score 18.5/20 (9.0)
Another nation, another dance routine but this one was the first of the 2020 season and arguably the more technical, needing two professional dancers to accompany lead singer Vaidotas Valiukevičius in their staging. "On Fire" gets the nod over Iceland's entry for two reasons - this is original to my eyes whereas the look and feel of the staging for "Think About Things" was seen before back in 2017 with "Is This Love?" and the whole package for Lithuania's entry just fitted better for me. His vocals and delivery of the lyrics are more interesting and intriguing, the quirky parts of the visuals such as the magnifying glasses and the lighting changes with the stage being plunged into deep red have stuck with me from first viewing and of course there is THAT dance. The hands by the head, the crown effect plus the arm stretch and windmill all came together to make this watchable all the way through - combine that with the look of the band and their dedication to making this a real gig performance, and you get what I think the professional jurors would have been looking for with a stage show. The entry itself is not as catchy on first listen though and that would have been the reason why Lithuania would not have been taking home their first Eurovision trophy in 2020. I can guarantee that this would have been giving this nation their first top five at the Contest ever though - I can accept that my current favs LT United would have their crown deposed! This dance will be remembered for years to come, probably more so than that of Iceland or Russia's entries and I hope that we do get the chance to see THE ROOP yet again - whether that is at Eurovision, I am not too sure.
2 (Ten Points) - ROMANIA
ROXEN - "Alcohol You"
Vocal Capability 5.0/5
Stage Performance 4.0/5
Composition / Originality 5.0/5
Overall Impression 5.0/5
Score 19.0/20 (9.5)
My top two this year had things in common - both female soloists and both who were superb live with their vocals and their delivery of the song. Being picky, my runner-up was in that position partly because of the staging at her NF and also because the entry for Romania didn't quite give me the same feelings as my top preference but it was pretty damn close! I had not heard of ROXEN when she was announced as being her nation's artist for Rotterdam but within the space of a few months, she is now an artist that I have played all of her back material on the show and will be actively looking out for more as her career blossoms. This singer is a phenomenom - there has always been a vocal minority within the fandom who have already labelled her (and VICTORIA from Bulgaria too) as a 'Billie Eilish clone' but ROXEN is her own person and performer. She is another singer whose studio and live vocals are indistinguishable from each other but what her live performances bring to the table is a paradox, physically very laid back and yet also so, so intense. That intensity is through her glances at most visually but always through her emotional delivery of every single word she sings. "Alcohol You" was the song of the five she sung at Selecția Națională 2020 that gripped me from the first time I saw the official video for it - even in the minimally stylised video, mainly of animated swirls and loops, together with that almost foreboding background, ROXEN drew me to watch her and only her, listen to her words rather than watch the lyrics on the screen and that convinced me that this must be the Romanian entry this year. It did help that the main competition, "Cherry Red", was clearly not her prefered choice and she gave that song little help in the NF - I was secretly pleased though! The revamp actually added that increase in musical power right at the end and if I hadn't already scored the composition at maximum already, it would have got it then. I could listen to "Alcohol You" on a continuous loop - such a powerful song, delivered by one of the voices and singers of Eurovision 2020. Having said that, I think this was one for fans and jurors - I am not sure that the Romanian entry would have got enough public love to have got this anywhere near the top of the Rotterdam table. A top ten would have been my expectation for ROXEN but I think that missing a year will in fact improve her chances next time - she is continually releasing new material and it wouldn't surprise me if she has a far higher profile in 2021 than she does now. "Alcohol You" will be with me for always though and for that, ROXEN, I say 'thank you'...
1 (Twelve Points) - NORWAY
Ulrikke - "Attention"
Vocal Capability 5.0/5
Stage Performance 4.5/5
Composition / Originality 5.0/5
Overall Impression 5.0/5
Score 19.5/20 (9.5)
Now this is the real tragedy for me in 2020 - we will not get to see this absolute beauty of an entry performed on the Eurovision stage. I will have to make do with the MGP 2020 performance:
Notice something? This is the 'preview' version when Ulrikke sung "Attention" in SF4 at MGP2020 as one of the Direct Finalists, having the opportunity to showcase the song before the Final - I prefer it purely because I think she looked better in black than the gold outfit she wore when she won. Apart from that, this entry had everything for me...
The wonderfully perfect live vocals of Ulrikke;
The understated staging with the two classical instruments accompanying her with the lovely pyro curtain flourish;
The incredible build-up of the music that took me on a journey with her along with those believable lyrics, that only someone involved with the writing of them could exactly emote;
The dip in volume and intensity as Ulrikke conveys her ultimate sadness in the telling of her story;
And the spot on acting, together with the vocal and facial delivery of all of the emotions that this song had to offer.
I get goosebumps everytime the song starts, it feels like I hold my breath for three minutes, I close my eyes and my arms almost move around like a conductor commanding an orchestra. This is one of the best Eurovision entries of recent times and I am struggling to decide if this should go in my all time Eurovision top 20, seeing that it is strictly won't be sung at Eurovision! Ulrikke is a delightful person that deserves a wider audience and I am totally gutted that Norway have already decided that MGP will be the method of finding their 2021 entry. She was offered a place in the Final but has turned it down, mainly because she admits that it is almost impossible to get a song as good as "Attention" for next year - I'd be inclined to agree with her. I mentioned in the show that she had done a video blog during the time of winning MGP and Rotterdam being cancelled - here is the link for her channel where they all are. I hope that we see her again at Eurovision but she will have to go some to trigger the emotions that "Attention" has done within me this year. A thoroughly deserved #1 in 2020 and I knew from the moment I had heard this entry that this was 'my song'.
I hope you have enjoyed the run down of my 41 preferences this year and in particular my top ten in this show - there were other songs on my show this week and here they all are...
"Let Me Be The One" (Eurovision version) - The Shadows
"Story Of My Life" - Lesley Roy
"Nostalgija" - Magazin and Lidija
"Alive" - Vincent Bueno
"I Need A Hero" - Samanta Tīna
"Fall From The Sky" - Arilena Ara
"Hajde Da Ludujemo" - Tajči
"Grow" (live with band from Rotterdam Ahoy) - Jeangu Macrooy
"Uptight" - Hooverphonic
"Feker Libi" (revamp) - Eden
"Still In Love With You" - Electro Velvet
"All Of My Love" (Radio edit) - Destiny
"Lights And Shadows" - O'G3NE
"Think About Things" - Daði & Gagnamagnið
"Hallelujah" - Gali Atari & Milk And Honey
"On Fire" - THE ROOP
"Quero Ser Tua" - SUZY
"Alcohol You" (Eurovision version) - ROXEN
"Here For You" - Maraaya
"Attention" - Ulrikke
"Without You" - STEFAN
"Lost And Found" (instrumental) - Eye Cue
A great mix of present and past - I did mention that I'd embed a couple of items - first the hour long online concert from Croatia, "Eurosong od doma":
And of course, the latest edition of the Eurovision Home Concerts, number 6:
Phew, just writing about my top ten, especially my top two ROXEN and Ulrikke, has drained me emotionally! This being what should have been Eurovision week has made us Eurovision fans all a bit sad at least but there is loads of scheduled material coming up online and on tv, some of which I will cover next week on show 93 and here in the blog. We have already had one of them, Eurovision Song Celebration part 1, which played all of the SF1 songs in their producer decided running order, plus the associated Direct Finalists (Italy, Germany and The Netherlands). I will look at those more closely next week and I might even have a special guest on but that is 'still in negotiations' at the moment! You will find out next week if that all happens - until then, I will leave you with another excellent picture from Eurovision.tv of my favourite singer in 2020...
Ulrikke Brandstorp
"Attention"
Norway
My #1 for Eurovision 2020