50 minutes before the show, they weren't even on the playlist...
Voyager revealed "Promise" just in time for LET ME BE THE ONE!
6.30pm GMT Tuesday 21st, and like most of the Eurovision fandom I was watching the YouTube reveal of Australia's entry for Liverpool. Voyager's televote win at 'Eurovision : Australia Decides 2022' was obviously enough for SBS to put them forward as their representatives this year and save on the need for a National Final. Timing wise for a radio show airing 90 minutes later, it wasn't great - no sign of the track on a download site or even Spotify, so it seemed that playing "Promise" on the show would have to wait until show 238...or would it? The answer is right at the start of this week's Mixcloud catch-up...
The playlist gives it away!
"Promise" - Voyager
"Évidemment" - La Zarra
"Stay" - Monika Linkytė
"Like A Movie" - Beatrich
"Do You?" - Alen Chicco
"Saw Your Ghost" - Gebrasy
"Home (The Voice Of Switzerland)" - Remo Forrer
"Släpp alla sorger" - Nordman
"For The Show" -"Melanie Wehbe
"Främling" - Carola
"Fulenn"(karaoke version) - Alvan & Ahez
"So Lucky" - Zdob și Zdub
"Dis oui" - Mélanie Cohl
"The Girl" - Charlotte Perrelli
"YOU" - The BossHoss & Ilse DeLange
"Emri Im" - Albina Kelmendi
"Vi maler byen rød" - Birthe Kjær
"Печаль" - Navi Band
"Paradise" - We Are Domi
"Zapomnij" - Kasia Moś & Leszek Możdżer
"Same Room" - Anja Nissen
"Let Me Be The One" - The Shadows
Bandcamp is a useful source of information and some artists use it as a separate download site - luckily Voyager do that and with 50 minutes to go before the show went on air, I had a suitably edited track to play! 2023 is rapidly becoming a 'battle of the bands' edition, what with Croatia, Ireland, Latvia, Czechia, Slovenia and now Australia already sending groups to Liverpool. Synth-metal, prog-metal, call Voyager's style what you want but they will stand out in May, partly due to their sound and also due to their energy on stage. If the performance at EAD 2022 was anything to go by, they will be remembered by voters and (assuming they get there) appreciated by jurors in the Final. The video reveal was slightly under par for them but I think that the live of this is where the strength of Danny Estrin and co will be, and the first line of the song "Have you ever done anything like this before" will refer to Voyager playing at the Eurovision Final.
Somebody who is straight into that Final on 12/13 May and who was going to kick off this week's show was La Zarra. We found out about "Évidemment" last Sunday evening with another video reveal and instantly saw that no matter what she would be singing, she IS this French entry. Much like Monika Liu in Turin, it won't matter what the staging looks like, the charisma and stage presence that La Zarra has will keep all eyes on here - it doesn't hurt at all that she is singing a modern upbeat track that gives a nod to chanson as well. She is definitely going to be an attraction in Liverpool for press and fans alike - the French delegation are pulling out all the stops this year and going internal looks like being a very smart move. Lithuania came to a close last weekend and being the sole National Final of the night put the focus on the eventual winner, a little bit out of the blue, Monika Linkytė. Not really tipped as a possible winner of Pabandom iš naujo 2023 at any time, even on Final night, Monika tweaked how she looked (leggings added, bare legs and boots lost) and made the phrase "ČIŪTO TŪTO" the focal point throughout, rather than keep it to the last verse as had been the case in the PiN heats and SFs. As we all knew, she has a great voice and those changes have produced a real earworm with Monika and her four backing singers giving a enjoyable visual show. "Stay" regularly jumps into my head throughout the day and that might be the factor that helps get Lithuania through to the Final in Liverpool. Rūta MUR's "So Low" was more interesting as a spectacle and song in my opinion and Beatrich's "Like A Movie" arguably the best performance of the Final, but I think that "Stay" stands out from the Liverpool list at the moment as far as genre and style are concerned. Complete entries for the week are done - now onto the one artist announcement. Remo Forrer will be the singer for Switzerland, selected in much the same way as for the last three performers for that nation. That method has provided the Swiss with two top fives and another Final placing, so why fix it if it ain't broken? Remo is another Voice winner so we know we are getting spot on vocals but that is about all we know, bar he has said that the song will show off his entire vocal range. Song reveal is March 7th - will we get a Gjon's Tears placing or a Marius Bear? Another piece of the puzzle for May sorted - the nine presenters for Liverpool in various roles throughout Eurovision week. I'll talk more about that in show 238, as that announcement happened on Wednesday - I'll also be playing you at least four Eurovision 2023 entries. Lithuania is one, as Monika's Final winning version of "Stay" is now available but you'll also hear the songs from...
FINLAND, SAN MARINO, POLAND
To be honest with you all, as I type this article early Saturday afternoon, I have no clue as to who might win in any of those nations! Listen in next time to find out...
