[LMBTO] Eurovision 2017 weeks 12 & 13 - Blanche and Jana, please step forward...

Is this going to be the year of single name artists?  First we have Hovig from Cyprus, now we have the self-styled Blanche (or 'white' in French) who will be singing for Belgium.  A product of The Voice Belgique (worked okay with Roberto Bellarosa and Loïc Nottet, didn't it?),  Ellie Delvaux (as Blanche was known then, now deciding to change it now to avoid any comparisons with other current singers named Ellie) reached the SF before being knocked out.  Blanche has been internally selected by the broadcaster RTBF and whilst she is a relative unknown outside The Voice, she has provided some covers, including this one:



The phrase "very distinctive singing voice" comes to mind and it is quite an acquired taste - I cannot remember hearing any other singer with a vocal style quite like hers.  It will be interesting to hear her sing her entry for Eurovision as only then can we tell whether it all ties in together.  In an RTBF interview with her, she has indicated that her song is self-penned and that can only be a good thing - everyone knows exactly what lyrically and musically works for themselves, so as long as she puts forward something good, we might see Belgium in a third successive Final.

A couple of days previously, FYR Macedonia announced that Jana Burčeska would be their singer in Ukraine.  Finally, someone in Kyiv who will be using their full name!  Although she and Blanche do look a bit alike:
A product of the Pop Idol franchise (5th in the first Macedonian series in 2010), she has appeared at Skopje Fest too, so she is a seasoned live performer.  Schooled in multiple singing genres, she appears to be a versatile live performer, judging by this acoustic session:



She also has sung with the rock band Mizar, in particular on the song "Nebo":



It'll be interesting to see which, if either, of these styles Jana chooses to sing! Given Macedonia's fairly dire recent Eurovision history (only one Final appearance in the last nine attempts), the only way is up but much like Belgium, a true picture cannot be gleamed until we hear what Jana is going to perform in Kyiv.


Depi Evratesil gets serious...

The Armenian selection process appears to be mix and matching the best bits of X Factor and The Voice, pressing buttons for the audition stage and now having a duel round entitled 'One Of Two'.  All the 'battles' were shown over the last two weekends and all of my four favourites were up in show one - three made it, one didn't:

Most of these provided a obvious conclusion, even where the previously amazing voice of Karine Harutyunyan was knocked out by Gevorg with the same surname.  What I could work out was that the act's coach had three votes, the other judges one each - theoretically, the coach could overrule the others but only if there was a 3-2 or 4-1 split.  My thoughts on the duels (judges scores in brackets)?
Saro Gevogyan vs Lucy (3-5):the first of my favs made it through with a street look (okay, a hoodie) and by covering Euphoria.  Not amazingly well, to be honest, lots of translation issues were noticeable but she sung it well enough to get through.  My tip would be NOT to cover such a well known song in future.  Saro had decent energy and stagecraft but his voice was a little strained at times and a lot of the lines of the song tailed off and were clipped.  I felt he was the sacrificial lamb here - Lucy needs to up her game if she wants to win this competition.
Karine Harutyunyan vs Gevorg Harutyunyan (1-7): Karine was the one of my four to drop out at this stage.  She covered yet another iconic song in "Think" and that was probably the reason for her failure - you get compared against Aretha Franklin and you are going to lose!  The fast paced lyrical content of this song would be difficult for most singers where English is their first language, let alone Karine trying it as her second.  Her attempt at it was credible but became a mess towards the end.  Gevorg, on the other hand, went in totally the other direction by performing his own composition, it being very controlled, nicely paced and allowing his voice to be shown off to its fullest throughout.  He connected well with the cameras and crowd, something that Karine failed to do and he even threw in some performance art!  I totally agreed with the judges - a shame that Karine chose the wrong song.
Amalya Margaryan vs Anna Danielyan (1-7): Possessing a nice floral head ring will fit in well in Kyiv, as would the lovely acapella start to her song, Anna showed that singing a simple song with basic arrangements well can help you progress in this sort of talent show.  She sung superbly well, put lots of facial emotion into her delivery and it was a delight to listen to.  Amalya unfortunately didn't really connect with anyone, spending most of her entry, albeit sung on a par with Anna, with her eyes closed.  In the end, Anna's overall controlled and listenable song won the day with me.
Marta vs Stepan Hovhannisyan (7-1):  Marta is always striking to look at and dresses to impress.  She connected with the camera better than anyone else in this competition so far and gave a very sensual vocal style, almost jazz like.  She also has bags of attitude which balanced out her vocal gymnastics that were just on the right side of annoying.  Stepan sung a very pleasant ballad but it was just, well, nice.  There was only one level of emotional delivery here and there was only one winner between these two for me, Marta took it onto the next round.
Only Girls vs Artsvik (0-8): The most clear cut win of the night, made more so in my opinion by Essaï styling the girl group as classically dressed young women, ready to go to a ball or an opera, rather than as the young girls they were in the audition stages, where their innocent charm and possibly the reason for them getting to this stage was prominent.  Granted, they looked amazing and they sung superbly with lovely harmonies but it was all so "My Fair Lady", with Essaï as Professor Higgins and Only Girls as his 'Eliza Doolittle's'!  Artsvik is definitely one of the ones to beat at Depi Evratesil, with her voice of pure gold, her professionalism shining through, connecting with everyone watching and her loving what she was singing.  There was maybe a little bit too much vibrato in her voice but easily the better prospect to go forward - it was also clear that ALL the jurors wanted her to sing for them...
Christina Mangasaryan vs Hasmik Shiroyan (2-6): The closest of the duels on day one as far as the 'other judges' were concerned, with a 3-2 split, saw Iveta have to dump her 2016 backing singer out of the Contest in favour of one of my favs.  Christina sung "I Put A Spell On You" in almost a lower key than Screamin' Jay Hawkins!  She had loads of emotional depth in her voice and bags of power but did spend a lot of the performance bent over double, Justs style.  It was the best I had heard her sing but she was up against possibly one of the winners of the selection process, Hasmik.  She presented a different side to her character - instead of playing the classy and stylish singer, she went very street and belted out her song.  She also moved around a lot more and for me showed her versatility to go with that amazing voice.  Still the best on the night and I think that this contest could end up being a show down between her and Artsvik.

Day 2 saw the other six pairs, with Hayko's 'sirens' and the Joan Franka tribute artist Jujo included - who made it out of those?  One thing to say apart from the duels - I loved the 1960s 'Carnaby Street' look of host Gohar Gasparyan:



Only one of the duels on day two was close and needed the coach to call it but there was one result that I didn't really agree with - it took up until duel twelve for that to happen...
Lilit Harutyunyan vs Jujo (5-3): Lilit was the clear winner here with her superb voice working the room much in the same way as it had done in the previous shows.  Her OTT facial impressions and 'Justs double over' body positioning did not detract from the great show she put on for all present on day 2.  Her exuberance suited "Price Tag" and blew any challenge that Jujo had out of the water.  Jujo again displayed unusual head attire and had great attitude but her voice was nowhere near as good as Lilit's, which really was all that mattered here.  The song she was given also did not match the former's and so she was hamstrung by the staging too.  Lilit was a clear winner for me and all the judges.
Narine Jinanyan vs Syuzanna Melqonyan (3-5): Narine looked very classy in her trouser suit but made the "Ann-Sophie" error of spending 30 seconds with her back to the audience and not really singing.  She also didn't look like she was believing what she was singing and she was doing the annoying "how high my arm is positioned matches the pitch of the note I am singing".  Syuzanna, previously of solid "stand still and sing" fame, went all Blues Brothers on us to show that she could do something different but this took her way out of her comfort zone and way into the 'never staying in one place' zone!  Luckily Narine was just good vocally whereas Syuzanna was still her excellent self and I agreed with the majority that she should go through.  I felt that maybe she should return to what she felt happiest with though, staging wise...
Eva Kans vs Egine (1-7): Neither of these ladies are that hot vocally but one put on an amazing stage show that would have had all the men in the audience entranced!  Eva went for the Anastacia classic "I'm Outta Love" but without the same standard of vocal range or tuning, so it all sounded very poor compared to the rest of the other artists at this stage.  Egine was the act of this pair to watch, dressed in an outfit that allowed ethnic dancing and showed off her superb figure and legs.  She gave her effort everything with lots of emotion, oodles of movement and she wasn't afraid to give it her all.  It was miles better than Eva's one dimensional cover - an easy win.
Anna Sedrakyan vs Alexander Plato (0-8): The unconventional style of Mr Plato continues on and on!  Guitar lady Anna tried to woo the judges with a 'straight cover' of "Seven Nation Army" which didn't really work that well due to her warbling voice and the fact she clipped a lot of the English words in the song, making it quite unintelligible.  Alexander on the other hand sung the Armenian song "Lily" full pelt, dancing, wide eyes and all.  This actual song would possibly only appeal to nations in the same region but the crowd loved his performance and it got Aram and Inga arguing!  A definite love/hate artist - how much further can he go?  Another that on the day I agreed with.
Opera Viva vs Marissa (6-2): The closest duel of the day that needed the act's coach to decide who would progress.  It was probably obvious who that would be when the camera focussed on Essaï to see him almost conducting the group as they were singing!  Opera Viva lead with the two men this song - still absolutely amazing vocals but of course the staging was minimal.  The main downside would have been dressing the ladies in what could be described as 'teenager chic'.  Marissa gave them a decent run for their money in that, instead of the surly goth look that she had in previous rounds, she now looked like a sultry nightclub singer in a red outfit and slicked back hair.  Unfortunately her voice still had the downbeat depressed vibe to it which suited the song but she didn't have much in the way in staging, so the classical singers were always going to win this one.
Sona Dunoyan vs Vahe Aleksanyan (1-7): Of all the duels staged at Depi Evratesil, this was the one that I felt should have gone the other way but I could see why the judges chose the winner they did.  Sona gave her performance everything - great vocals, lots of attitude,  spot on connection, lots of smiles, nice 'girl next door' styling and she got the crowd right behind her.  She would have won most duels but Vahe is probably the best male contestant left and was as good in a different way:
He has a superb voice and although understated, he poured out loads of emotion in his delivery and it was a very powerful performance.  I personally would have gone for Sona but only Aram agreed with me.

And so we are now down to twelve artists - Artsvik and Hasmik are still the standouts for me but as I have no idea what the format of the next round holds, it is still all to play for in Armenia.


UMK 2017 presents its artists...

And so onto Finland and Wednesday 23rd November saw the reveal of the ten artists that will perform at UMK.  The day before, Krista gave a hint at what she thought of the entries:



But only if you understand Finnish!  It is still fun to watch Krista go through all the entries and see her wonderful expressions and motions, perhaps more so than watching the big reveal of the artists during the streamed press conference (FF to 9:50 and you will pick up the actual start):



Well, there are some characters at this year's UMK, aren't there?  Not including the delightful description of Krista being the "Queen of What The F*cking Everything" as she was carried onto the stage as per her promo video but dressed as herself, not Hillary Clinton, we had 'serious artists' through to the downright comic onto the OMFG.  The standouts for me just on interaction on stage was the Krista mini-me Alva, the imposing figure of Zühlke, the 'Jack Black tribute act' that is Knucklebone Oscar and the downright 'what on earth are they' vision that was Club La Persé.  As for the songs themselves, a lot of it will obviously depend on the live show and there are some of what I would describe as 'comedy entries' that will actually stand out pretty well (Club and Oscar primarily) whilst some of the decent vocals might need some visual help.  My brief thoughts on them all?  Well, in the order that they appeared in the press conference...


Liking the premise for the song, even though the Superhero references are mixed (X-Men and Superman?) and  "Perfect Villain" potentially might need a rewrite due to the good old advertising rules of Eurovision.  I found the music quite hypnotic, the lyrics clever and her look holds your attention!  I like this one and I'm wondering if this could be the most powerful performance at UMK this year - its only downside is that the chorus seems to be repeated just too much towards the end.  Having said that, if this is staged right and positioned well in the Final, I think this could be a winner.  8.0


Now this has captured social media big time and it is already a fan favourite, probably due to the thumping bass beat throughout screaming out 'club anthem'.  Emma has a nice voice and it is a decent entry but it is all very basic to my ear, repetitive and reminds me of how The KLF operated in the 80s and 90s - get the DJ to put down some great tracks and get a random anonymous woman to sing repeated lyrics to it.  I'm not sure it has enough punch or distinctiveness to do that well at UMK.  6.5

The first of two songs laden with double entendres aplenty in this year's UMK - watch the video and you'll start to yawn as much as I did.  I really like the music as it has heavy club beats but the lyrics are so obviously tongue in cheek (that's NOT a euphemism, by the way) that they detract from anything good that this entry night have had.  Combine that with Günther's whole persona and you get one of the comedy tracks, as picked up on by Roy D Hacksaw's piece in his blog Eurovision Apocalypse.  Barely worthy of a 5.0

What is it with Finland and erogenous zones?  Come on, what else can "Paradise" refer to?  And is it a good thing to work so hard on it that you cause paralysis?  Having said all that, this is the local favourite so far and if it wasn't so damn cringy and cheesy lyric wise, this would be my favourite too.  It has a superb musical hook, it's very listenable and the lead singer Antii has a great voice.  I was tapping my feet throughout this - if the lyrics weren't so awful, this would be up there as a possible winner for me.  7.0

Described by the voice-over man during the Press Conference as 'a mini Krista', Alva was up for being photographed and looked quite hyper but she was quite watchable - a good comparison perhaps?  As for "Arrows", Alva has a very nice faraway quality to her voice but the lyrics are all a little bit meaningless, none of which stuck in my head at all.  This is very pleasant chill music but I could imagine that this fades into the pack and I could imagine it might struggle to get votes in the Final purely for lack of memorability.  6.5

Everytime I hear this song, I stop what I am doing and listen, really listen to the lyrics as they are beautiful and so emotional.  Everything about this entry is stripped down to the bare bones - Leena has a truly bewitching voice and it is wonderfully haunting when put together with the minimal musical accompaniment.  The words tell of a true emotional void and how such a little thing such as a bird outside her window can bring back such hurtful memories - if this can be staged correctly and all the camerawork is perfect, I think that this could not only win UMK, this could produce one of those rare WOW moments at Eurovision.  9.5

Hats off to Lauri for putting forward the only native language song at UMK this year but that might be his downfall, seeing that most nations are now sending English language entries, either in part or totality.  The music is great and seems to have some Aminata influences running through it but his voice becomes annoying the longer the song goes on, as his continual changes on tone take this song all over the place.  It got a bit boring for me towards the end.  6.0

This made me smile but possibly not in a good way!  It sounded very film/sitcom theme based - I could imagine this playing at the start of a US show about a guy who has won the lottery and thinks he's a 'player' and a rock 'n' roll star, played by Jack Black.  Come on, you must see the resemblance!  The music is quite memorable but this whole entry is so comedy driven that it can't be taken seriously...having said that, I suspect this will be one of the acts to watch as it could look amazing and pick up votes purely based on the show.  The song itself?  Not so good but whatever happens, this will still be entertaining.  5.5

It has to be said that Anni has a beautiful voice, perhaps second only to Leena of Norma John in this line-up.  She provides wonderful emotional delivery of this delightful love song and gives "Reach Out For The Sun" lots of light and shade, matching the thoughtful lyrics.  How well this does might depend on where this is positioned by UMK's producers in the running order - if placed amongst the 'comedy acts', this delicate song might be forgotten too soon and that might be the reason for this not winning this year.  7.5

First the positive - I love the music as this sounds so Röyksopp, reminding me of "Remind Me" (sorry!).  That's where it ends I'm afraid - the vocals are dire and lyrics so basic that even as a comedy entry this doesn't work.  OTT styling or not, this does nothing for me and it might be time for a toilet break when it is on, depending on placement within the running order.  Respect due to Mr C*nt for having that name though.  3.5

Norma John is my standout song in UMK but promo vidz never tell the whole story and only when we watch on 28 January 2017 will the true winner shine out on the Metro Arena stage...


Lidia for Switzerland rather than Moldova?