One of the best visually composed moments
from any National Final this year...
Will we see Tusse in such a light again in the Rotterdam Ahoy?
Sweden's winner of The Voice and more importantly for us Melodifestivalen, Tusse will be entry 36 of my reviews - 33 and 35 are returnees from 2020 whilst number 34 was presenting JESC in November! A lot of Eurovision fans like musical theatre as well - entry 33 would fit into that genre most easily...
NORTH MACEDONIA : VASIL - "Here I Stand"
North Macedonia is one of the many nations to keep faith with their artist from 2020 (after a slight glitch, when a stray representation of the Bulgarian flag in the first version of the Official video gave his opponents ammunition to try to stop him going to Rotterdam - fortunately nothing came of that) - VASIL returns with an entry very different to the one he had last year...
Whereas "YOU" in 2020 was a fairly generic pop song with the potential to have some decent dance staging, "Here I Stand" is what would be known in the musicals business as an "I WANT" song. These tend to be the first major tune in any musical showing what the motivation and desires are of one of the main characters within the overall play, something that gives us a clue as to what they want to get out of the musical and helps guide the viewer/listener to the end. Think of "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" from 'My Fair Lady' and "Over The Rainbow" from 'The Wizard Of Oz' - now read the lyrics to North Macedonia's entry:
There are times when I remember back
Wish to hug the child about to crack
I’ll tell’him: “wait it won’t be long
Trust your heart and just stay strong”
Cuz baby, they all tried to break us
Not knowing it’s what makes us
This is how we found our way
Now here I stand there’s no pretend
My walls are down and my hearts in your hand
Unchain my wings and the oceans of tears
All fade to black with the sum of my years
They all tried to break us (tried to break)
Not knowing it’s what makes us (they don’t know)
This is how we found our way
(This is how we found our way)
My walls are down and my heart in your hand
(They all tried to break us
Not knowing it’s what makes us
This is how we found our way)
There are times when I remember back
And all I do is smile, all for you!
(They all tried to break us
Not knowing it’s what makes us
This is how we found our way)
Combine that with the visuals in the Official Video and you know you are going on a journey with VASIL, one that is emotionally personal to him and, like Vincent Bueno's "Amen", you know that this track IS the one he always wanted to sing at Eurovision. His vocals are immense and he will be one of the best sounding artists in Rotterdam - add to that the full choir he has behind him in the backing vocals plus the orchestral arrangement powering him through, and I can see this being one of the highlights in SF1, regardless of how this looks on stage. This is going to be all about VASIL's voice and perhaps, more importantly, his emotional delivery - we get hints of that in the Official Video and I could imagine not only he being on the edge of tears but also some of the audience too. "Here I Stand" is an entry for older viewers and the jurors arguably - going back to a time of minimal staging and gimmicks at Eurovision, where the important thing was all about the sound of the singers voice, how well they delivered that and the emotional connection the listener got during those three minutes. We have not heard this sung live in its entirety but I cannot imagine anything other than excellence, assuming we get something like this from PrePartyES21:
Will this qualify for the Final? Even though I have this as 8/10, I still only have it as 11th in SF1 - it will be touch and go but I would be so delighted if VASIL makes it to Friday/Saturday night. "Here I Stand" would bring a huge slice of class to proceedings, an emotional rollercoaster for three minutes and a different experience to this wonderful show we all love, presenting yet another musical style for the non-fan audience. Moreover, it would continue the excellent work of the North Macedonian delegation and prove that backing vocalists (to Tamara Todevska in 2019) can take on the lead role and smash it!
In the past, Poland have had two blocks of non-qualifiers, both three years in a row. They are in their third one of those now and we have only had two years this time - for me, this entry WILL make it three. This is the classic example of what happens when you do things in a rush - we all thought that because TVP were taking so long to announce who was going to Rotterdam this year, perhaps Alicja would be the one with her incredible voice and giving it another go, maybe with yet another Bond theme like "Empires". She was given one of the JESC interval slots, ironically with RAFAŁ hosting, but nothing was said one way or the other. We now know that Poland wanted their own up-tempo track, just as every other nation thought the same thing. 1980s is the theme for this one and true to that decade, bangers don't need meaningful lyrics:
Lights, beating down a rainy street
All the faces that I meet,
tell me I’m wrong
Bright, starin’ at the the neon signs
Makin’ up a storyline
Got to hold on
(I’m) not lost, even in the dead of night
I can make it out alright
Just let me go
Yeah I, I will make it through somehow
Let me figure out what is in and out...
So baby hold on for the ride of your life
High above ground, livin’ it loud
I’m gonna take it to the end of the line,
Takin’ the fight, make it alright
It doesn’t matter if I stumble and fall
I’ll make it through,
I’ll never touch the ground
So baby hold on for the ride your of life
Hold on real tight, make it alright
Heart, I will give my heart and soul
I am going for the gold
No holding back
I’m gonna rise,
High up in the atmosphere,
I ain’t got no time to fear
Follow my tracks
Not lost, following the neon lights
Shooting’ through the summer skies
Just let me go
Yeah I, I will make it through somehow
Let me figure out what is in and out...
I’m gonna take
on the world tonight
Not gonna ask
Gonna take what’s mine
So hold on tight
Baby let’s get high
High above the ground
Bright, starin’ at the the neon signs
Let me figure out what is in and out...
The Official video is bright, colourful and there is choreographed movement that is befitting any pop video from MTV's golden era - that was 30 years ago though and it did not inspire me in the slightest. It is all very sedate, underpowered and despite what is promised, you WON'T be getting 'The Ride of your life' with Poland's entry this year. We have seen a performance of sorts at The Voice Kids Poland and that really didn't improve matters - a very old style group choreography with dancers moving slowly around RAFAŁ, who had sunglasses on all the time! Now unless you have a medical problem that requires those to stay in place indoors, that look is not a positive one. To be fair to this year's Polish singer, he does come across as very personable and has the perfect host demeanour - he even has decent live vocals which we witnessed at PrePartyES21:
Both the Official Video, The Voice Kids staging plus that Promo footage has at least given me material to grade Poland's entry...
Vocal Capability 4.5/5
Stage Performance 2.0/5
Composition / Originality 3.0/5
Overall Impression 3.5/5
Score 13/20 (6.5)
Not bad but that rating puts it way down my preferences this year - if RAFAŁ made the Final, I would be shocked to put it mildly! It is placed 6 in the running order in SF2 and I suspect that it will be long forgotten by the time Europe comes to vote - "The Ride" is an average dated pop song and there are perhaps only a couple of entries that I could see being placed lower than this on Thursday night. At least it means that 2022 should see a return to Poland qualifying again, if history is anything to go by...
LATVIA : Samanta Tīna - "The Moon Is Rising"
Finally! After the numerous attempts at selection processes in Latvia and Lithuania, plus the false start last year, Samanta Tīna gets to sing at Eurovision. During these reviews, I have exclusively used Official videos and live performances to get my point across - for this singer, I want to add in another one...
As the top comment says...
"I don't speak one word of Latvian and this was one of the most emotive videos I've ever seen"
And that was my sentiments exactly - watching her be told that she could try again in 2021 was pure joy and you could see how much this means to her. It also meant a lot to me - one thing that Samanta always brings to the table is passion, belief and also a unique take on performing skills. We can all remember "Still Breathing" from 2020 which was my #14 last year - her presentation in 2020 at Supernova was phenomenal and yet a definite Marmite song. Her 2021 entry is no different in that regard...
I know - amazing, right? There are a few entries this year claiming to be about female empowerment - "The Moon Is Rising" tops them all in that regard. Just read the lyrics:
The queen of the night is coming
The blood moon is rising
When I walk in like this
With an attitude
You should know that
I’m coming after you
You can run, you can hide
But you’re mesmerized
In your mind I am
Already idolized
Playing dirty -
Not my case!
Giving up hopes -
Not my case!
Being envious -
Not my case!
If you got something to say,
Say it to my face!
The queen of the night is coming
The blood moon is rising
(Get ready for a)
Pa ra ra
Pa ra ra
Pa ra ra pa
Pa ra ra pa pa-rade
I will glow, I will burn
Illuminate
Bring the passion inside,
Let me touch your fate
I will lead, I will guide you
On your way
I am here to remind
You’re in the right place
My rules, your rules
I’m a woman, I’m a ruler
My rules, your rules
I’m accepting only true love
My rules, your rules
I’m a woman, I’m a ruler
You got something to say,
Say it to my face
My rules, your rules
Getting ready for the parade
My rules, your rules
No excuses, if it’s too late
My rules, your rules
Everybody follow my way
You got something to say,
Say it to my face!
The queen of the night is coming
The blood moon is rising
(Get ready for a)
Pa ra ra
Pa ra ra
Pa ra ra pa
Pa ra ra pa pa-rade
The words alone would be enough but combined with that performance in the Official video, this is classic Samanta. She might be in your face, she IS a force of nature and she definitely cannot be ignored - her presence in that footage is all encompassing and she almost didn't need the extra dancers and actors. Having said that, the choreography is superb and the choice of extras inspired - I wasn't sure if this could be repeated in such a way live but hey, this lady definitely showed me...
Swap the setting of a cold warehouse for a warm tv studio and that is the ONLY difference between the two performances. The dancers are so synchronised with each other and with the beat of the music, plus the backing singers who return after 2020 are spot on with the vocals of Samanta. The music is the one thing I haven't mentioned there - yet again this mix of electropop and dubstep is electrifying, so fresh and modern, and something I am sure will catch the attention of those Eurovision jurors, as it did me. Perfect vocals, colossal stage charisma and a suitably contemporary song co-written by Aminata - that is why Latvia 2021 got these marks from me:
Vocal Capability 5.0/5
Stage Performance 4.0/5
Composition / Originality 4.5/5
Overall Impression 4.5/5
Score 18.0/20 (9.0)
So many great songs this year that this ends up being my #6 but I am bucking the trend of most Eurovision fans with my love for this entry. "Going out in a blaze of glory" is the phrase that comes to mind when I think of Samanta Tīna and "The Moon Is Rising" - the end of a very, very long journey for her and therefore why not go for it? Why not put your all into it, use the platform to push your passions and just go for broke big time? Unlike most fans who think that Latvia's entry is just noise, I love this one and I am thoroughly looking forward to how it is staged and seeing what reaction she gets from jurors and the viewers. If I had to go for an entry that most fans would be surprised to see in the top ten in the Final, it would be this one. Whatever happens in Rotterdam, "The Moon Is Rising" is one of my moments of 2021 - it also led to my obsession getting ever bigger by watching a five part series about Samanta, all in Latvian, to prepare myself for the reveal of this entry back in March! I think it was totally worth it...
SWEDEN : Tusse - "Voices"
Ironically, the visuals were by far and away stronger than Tusse's vocals, which is strange given that he won The Voice Sweden - he did sound a little strained at times, perhaps explained by what we know now (the need for a minor throat operation just before Rotterdam). Apart from female empowerment, the other big topic for lyrical content this year seems to be about 'winning over the haters' - "Voices" is one of those...
There’s fire in the rain
But we’ll get up again
We’re thousand miles apart
But we’ll overcome
I’ll never let you down
World is turning us around
But I feel it in my heart
Let’s make a brand new start
Can’t stop us now forget the haters
Get up and live and make it matter
There’s more to life so go ahead and sing it out
Can you hear a million voices
Calling out in the rain
You know we got a million choices
So go get out and let it rain
A million voices voices
A million voices voices....
There’s fire in the rain
And I can feel your pain
Painting all the scars in
The colors of change
Don’t let them hold you down
Don’t let them hold you down
Go shooting like a star
The star you are
Can’t stop us now forget the haters
Get up and live and make it matter
There’s more to life so go ahead and sing it out
Can you hear a million voices
Calling out in the rain
You know we got a million choices
So go get out and let it rain
A million voices voices
A million voices voices....
Can you hear them?
Can you hear them?
Can you hear a million voices
Calling out in the rain
You know we got a million choices
So go get out and let it rain
A million voices voices
A million voices voices....
Tusse has said that as soon as he saw these words and played the music, he knew that this was the song he had to sing - you can tell from the performance that he connects passionately with it and you can believe it too. There was no contest in Sweden in the end, this entry winning every age category on the public vote which could be a novelty at Eurovision, given that nation's problems with pulling in a decent televote. He still impressed this juror, mainly with the visuals which should be what we see in a few week's time, if past Melodifestivalen winners are anything to go by...
Vocal Capability 4.0/5
Stage Performance 5.0/5
Composition / Originality 3.5/5
Overall Impression 4.5/5
Score 17.0/20 (8.5)
Unlike a lot of years, Sweden are not up among the favourites and there is even talk by some that this could be a shock non-qualifier. I cannot see that happening but if Tusse's voice does suffer during Eurovision, being near the top 5, as most Swedish entries of the past five years have been, might be a long shot. If his vocals are as they were during The Voice, combined with that powerful and thought-provoking staging we saw in Sweden, my tip would be the other way - we could be looking at a Swedish entry that comes out of nowhere, is unlike anything else on the running order and could pick up enough love from jurors and public to get that top five. This could even be like 2011 where an entry from the pack takes the title - what an irony that would be for Eurovision, if Sweden picked up their record-equalling seventh title with a song that nobody expected to do well? I am undecided at the moment - I will wait for those all important rehearsals before passing a final judgement.
My personal positions for these four?
NORTH MACEDONIA 22nd
POLAND 33rd
LATVIA 6th
SWEDEN 12th
Samanta and Tusse are my certainties for the Final, I would love VASIL to join them too but I cannot see RAFAŁ being anywhere other than the lower reaches of SF2. Entries 33-36 done, only three to go that have yet to have the LMBTO treatment - one in my top ten and two in my bottom five! Join me for one last article and see what I think of entries 37, 38 and 39.
