Eurovision 2021

[MrCurry]

So Eurovision 2020 was a bit of a let down, but the organisers have come out with a definite statement that come what may, Eurovision 2021 will go ahead. Rotterdam, which missed out on their chance to host in 2020 will be the venue, and 4 different ways of hosting are being considered, as per video below.

A - normal Eurovision with a packed arena
B - semi-normal event, but with fewer spectators at the venue and social distancing precautions backstage
C - semi-virtual. Acts who can make it to Holland go there and perform, acts who cannot travel perform live from a stage in their home country. Press and national delegations have a presence in Rotterdam.
D - fully virtual. All acts stay in their home countries, and perform behind closed doors. No live audience anywhere of course. No one travels internally to Rotterdam.

I would have thought it’s going to have to be C or D. Maybe D is fairer as everyone’s on the same footing.



ps. They’re still using the same slogan Eurovision 2020 had “open up”. Is that wise?

 

[Reno]

I think option B might be possible by then.

 

[stavros]

So Eurovision 2020 was a bit of a let down,

There was nul point in holding it really.

 

[MrCurry]

I think option B might be possible by then.

Let’s hope so, but I’m not so optimistic personally.

 

[PR1Berske]

Eurovision 2021 selection season is in full swing, for whichever format of the Finals they come up with.

Here for your delight and delectation are the songs already selected. I'll deliver them one post at a time, in no particular order, but you know how random order works out, maybe there's a plan after all.

First song coming up!

 

[PR1Berske]

Germany.
"I Don't Feel Hate" - Jendrik

So the Germans are in the odd position of being one of the automatically selected Finalists, so they could throw caution to the wind and just see what sticks. However of late Germany has been doing TERRIBLY, with two last places, an infamous "Sorry, you got 0 points" when the presenters revealed the televote results, and an overall sense that they're a bit lost.

So enter TikTok, the natural place to find the next German entry. His name is Jendrik, a bundle of messy hair, ADHD, social media savvy, and tap-dancing. His song about defeating trolls by just ignoring them and not feeling hate is jaunty, quirky, kooky, and it's got a tap-dance break PLUS a spoken-word outro. It's divided the fans because it's got novelty written all the way through it like curry through wurst. But he is very social media savvy, charming, and seems to be an overall good kid, so maybe a toe-tapping piece of cheese is just what Germany needs. Of course it won't win.

Video:

 

[PR1Berske]

Albania
"Karma" - Anxhela Peristeri

Albania have a funny old relationship with Eurovision. They select their song in December (!!) using an old and trusted festival of music which has been part of Albanian culture for generations. It's also riddled with rumours, accusations, innuendo and the occasional blatant admission that it's all one great big fixed fudge but what are you going to do, democracy came late to the Balkans.

From their selection in 2020, the unexpected curtain raiser of the selection season, comes one of the most bonkers live performances you're going to see for a tidy while. They chose to film the entire thing in the open air, in December, in Albania, so every singer had to combat the -10 temperature on top of everything else. "Karma" is moderately distracting. The chorus is the best thing in it, the dancing bears will make you snigger, and by tradition the song will be remixed in time for Rotterdam. It won't win.


Video:

 

[PR1Berske]

Lithuania
"Discoteque" {{sic}}

The Roop scored last year's second place in terms of viral video moments. While Iceland's "Think About Things" went around the world hundreds of times and was crowned the unofficial winner of the cancelled contest, Lithuania seemed to sneak behind with an unusual, somewhat compelling, quirky dance-pop song with a TikTok-adjacent dance routine.

They had to win a national final to be selected again - and won over 80% of the televote in doing so - and there was no question in them doing so. "Discoteque" is a slice of dark pop brilliance, somehow on-trend for 2021 and utterly off-piste at the same time. Hypnotic chorus bringing to mind Hot Chip - kind of - and a dance sequence to get granny off her chair. Whether it's enough to grab Lithuania's first victory is quite the ask: they certainly have focused everything on carving the perfect Eurovision song and viral video, but the juries can be tricksy mistresses. Of course they could just win.

Video:

 

[PR1Berske]

Ireland
"Maps"

Lesley Roy is another 2020 entrant who has been allowed to come back to try "for real." Her entry last year was Katy Perry on space-dust and it didn't quite land with a wider audience. This time she's moved onto Carly Rae-via-Robyn with a foot-tapper full of inspirational lyrics and powerful drums. It's got "contrived Eurovision song" etched all the way through it, and who wouldn't want to prove that Ireland haven't lost their winning ways after a run of fairly terrible results?

It could light up the semi-finals through which Ireland must trudge. Making any kind of mark on the Final is a big ask. It is a bop. But it's a rapid delivery breathless song which needs a whammer of a liver performance to sell it and for all its banger qualities, doubts hang around it.

Video

 

[PR1Berske]

Norway
"Fallen Angel"

Now here's quite the song. Norway had done very well two years ago with a trio called Keiino, exactly the kind of cheesy sweet banger pop which Eurovision attracts. It won the televote, had a man chanting in Sami, and charmed the pants off the wider Eurovision fandom. Two years later, Keiino came back to try again. They had everything - a banger of a song, cheesy dance, ethnic rapping, a mountainous key-change. Enter TIX, and something which has opened up somewhat ugly consequences on social media.

TIX is a massive deal in Norway. He co-wrote the smash hit "Sweet But Psycho" and has been very open and honest about his mental health and suicidal tendencies. He has been mocked and bullied for years, and can come across as both insanely smug and clearly panicked and anxious. The challenge he set himself was to try the national selection process, fan-favourite Keiino be damned. His victory - a clear landslide one at that - caused chaos. His Instagram feed has been locked after weeks of abuse and threats, the YouTube video had a 'race' amongst warring factions played out on the likes/dislikes thumbs, and Twitter is still a-flame with negativity and criticism.

The song is rather mainstream, bland even, and the staging is almost at levels of parody. But there is something about him - his voice, his back-story, his honesty, his connectivity with younger fans. So he won't win, but he could set alight the build up to the Finals as he tries to calm down a fevered reaction to his song.


Video:

 

[PR1Berske]

Spain
"Voy a quedarme"

Automatically qualifying for the Finals mean Spain can, if they wished, throw caution to the wind. They don't, on the whole. While the commercial music scene seems to love Spanish and Latina-adjacent bangers at the moment, Spain tends to favour mid-tempo ballads and moderately upbeat noodling, perhaps wary about the chance of sending a club smash and needing to host the thing at some point.

Enter Blas, who is another returning entrant who had a song entered for last year. He has a good voice - although the high register might get on your nerves if you're not into that sort of Sam Smith register. The song really doesn't go anywhere. It builds for nearly 3 minutes and ends on one second. He might get a few album sales out of this though eh


Video

 

[PR1Berske]

Czech Republic
"omaga" {{sic}}

Another returnee from 2020's cancelled contest. Benny seems to be a cool customer indeed, and while his song is 'bop adjacent' for my tastes, I can see it going big in the hall as Wogan used to say. It's somewhere near the current trend for 80s influenced bass-heavy pop, he sings with charm, and the video is very well done.

The title is where the older members of the forum might wish to take a few breaths. "Oh my god..." he's saying, you see. The youth of today, eh?

Video

 

[PR1Berske]

Cyprus
"El Diablo"

So here's "Judas" by Lady Gaga. Well, look, it just is. No sugar coating here. It's "Judas". Anyway, so Cyprus almost won the thing a few years ago with a Beyoncé banger called "Fuego" and they've been trying to get over the near miss ever since. This is "Fuego v3", where the chorus is supposed to really lift you into a dancing frenzy on a sweaty dancefloor. Except, of course, it won't, because it's "Judas" by Lady Gaga.


Video

 

[PR1Berske]

Finland
"Dark Side"

There is a moment at every Eurovision Final where Twitter just knows that a good time is being had by all. And this might be the 2021 version. Because if you've ever wanted to time-travel, back to the days of baggy jeans, baggier fringes, star tattoos on thin wrists, and all the rest of it, can I present to you Blind Channel. They are so early 2000s I'm amazed they don't come with an AOL CD.

Now there is one controversy here. The lyrics make mention of the "27 club" and they seem to be ever-so edgy and ever-so daring that this won't be taken out the song unless the EBU flexes its muscles. You might want to laugh along as well as sing along. Of course they won't win.


Video

 

[PR1Berske]

France
"Voila"

The French automatically qualify for the Finals and my word, mon dieu!, have they thrown everything at the contest of late. It seems that the French genuinely want to do well, only to find that the rest of Europe doesn't quite understand what's happening. They try to be sincere and it doesn't quite translate. They try to be funny and it really doesn't translate at all.

This year they seem to have worked out that if they just go FULL France, complete cheese-and-wine, complete Amelie, they could do better than they've done in 30-40 years. "Voila" is almost dictionary definition France. It ticks every box. And the fans have reacted favourably. So this could be their first victory in 45 years. Or it could just be misunderstood once more and god knows what they'd try next time. French rap? Don't dare to dream.

Video:

 

[PR1Berske]

Croatia
"Tick Tock"

Yes, really. It's the biggest thing in social media, culture, the world in general at the moment, so why not call a song "Tick Tock" and try to get the votes pouring in?

Well here's the thing. It's not that great a song, all told, so the title seems very cynical, even desperate. And when the song gets to its chorus, the similarities with both Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa can't be ignored. So not that original, not that good, could Croatia be looking at a flop here? Well I will say that their selection programme "Dora" ended with one defeated singer so obviously pissed-off at not winning that she swigged wine with eyes fixed to the camera and then spent 48 hours on Instagram calling the entire show a fix. So while Albina tries to sell her song to Europe, at least one defeated rival is quietly hoping for a "nul points"


Video

 

[PR1Berske]

Ukraine
"Шум"

So who wants three minutes of Slavic techno-rave-folk? Anyone?

It's a folk song which turns, with each verse, into a 90s revivalist rave moment, building and building into an all-out techno assault. It's utterly magnetising and unforgettable. It might win the thing. Remember to drink water and look out for your friends. And 'av it large, etc.


Video

 

[PR1Berske]

Israel
"Set Me Free"

Having won recently with viral cartoon pop sensation "Toy", Israel is in the post-coital period where they select songs that are not necessarily obvious throws or duds, but, you know, it's better to avoid winning when it costs so much. And you paid for Madonna for your interval act. To do whatever the heck she did. Anyway, Israel, knowing that they have to choose songs that are credible enough to keep up the idea that they want to participate. So here's "Set Me Free". It's influenced by Dua Lipa in the way that so many pop songs are of late, and Eurovision 2021 seems to be the year of 80s vibes sewed through a fair few songs.

It's not that bad a song, to be fair, and she sells it pretty well, but there's a hook missing, a vibe which suggests a climax which never happens. I think a remix is in order. It needs the chorus having a lift and the music a shake-up. Something to deliver on its promise. But not too much, they don't want to win, remember.

 

[PR1Berske]

Slovenia
"Amen"

Ana has some pipes on her, let's be fair. She was chosen for the 2020 contest with one of those "just before the interval" ballads that would have rattled the popcorn from your hand even if you're sitting in the cheap seats. For this year she's gone to English - she had been set for Slovene but maybe someone at the local television station thought there was a winner on the horizon - but kept the vocals turned up to 110%. It's not the most inspiring number, once you've gone around the circuit once she won't surprise you for the next 2½ minutes.

Slovenia has yet to win since they entered as an independent nation, and that goes all the way back to 1993, so if you fancied a dark horse candidate this wouldn't be a waste of a cheeky fiver. But sometimes the big whammer of a number tends to only attract the juries, rather than the televoters, so they might still be waiting.

 

[rutabowa]

Ukraine
"Шум"

So who wants three minutes of Slavic techno-rave-folk? Anyone?

It's a folk song which turns, with each verse, into a 90s revivalist rave moment, building and building into an all-out techno assault. It's utterly magnetising and unforgettable. It might win the thing. Remember to drink water and look out for your friends. And 'av it large, etc.


Video

Yeh this is very fine.

 

[MrCurry]

Loving the curated rundown of entrants from PR1Berske. Ukraine and Lithuania have fine entries, but my pick of the ones presented so far is Norway. Something very magnetic and charismatic about that TIX guy.

I’ve been following the Swedish Mello contest which picks their entry and although the results won’t be known for three weeks, I reckon either Tusse with Voices or Eric Saade with Every Minute will win.

 

[PR1Berske]

Thank you MrCurry , I did hesitate before contributing because there was always a danger of the thread being hijacked by my drive-by posting

I will just wait for Rema Rama Ding Dong to win MelFest, thanks

 

[MrCurry]

Thank you MrCurry , I did hesitate before contributing because there was always a danger of the thread being hijacked by my drive-by posting

I will just wait for Rema Rama Ding Dong to win MelFest, thanks

I‘ve listened to Fallen Angel a few more times and managed to convince myself it most certainly will win ESC, despite what you said. If only I could be bothered I’d be putting money on it.

PS. I’m always wrong

 

[MrCurry]

I think option B might be possible by then.

Looks like you get the prize, as they’ve come out and said option B is confirmed and even looking for ways to get a live audience there, which I think is crazy personally.

 

[PR1Berske]

Romania
"Amnesia"

Yet to win the show, and they've been trying since 1994, Romania are holding out for a victory this year with a kind of power-pop/creaky-voiced-pop hybrid, and I wonder if this call against "self-love amnesia" could be the dark horse. It's very on trend, vocally and production-wise, so it might win over the juries if not the televoters.

I am struggling to get a "hook" into the song personally, I think it's a bit lopsided in terms of its construction, which might sound like I'm giving the piecing together of a Eurovision song more credit than it perhaps deserves. She has the vocals, and this song has promise. My ears are just not there yet.

 

[PR1Berske]

Belgium
"The Wrong Place"

Now here's a thing. Hooverphonic are quite the band, they've got some indie cred and street smarts. And then last year happened, when their proposed entry was a bit dull and generic, and then the singer confirmed that she didn't like "Love Shine A Light" so while the rest of Europe sang that during the cobbled together Eurovision substitute last year, Belgium was absent. And that didn't go down very well. Anyway, she was replaced by another singer, and here we are.

So....I mean, it's slick It's very "wordy" and I can't get Shakespeare's Sister/Alisha's Attic out of my mind (these are references for younger people). It's MOR, Radio-2 pop, and maybe that's a good thing, and I quite like the direction it takes. But if you're not quite attuned to songs which wander around without a clear destination, then this might not gel. Watch out for the live performance, Belgium are not always guaranteed qualifiers.

 

[Dr. Furface]

Romania
"Amnesia"

Yet to win the show, and they've been trying since 1994, Romania are holding out for a victory this year with a kind of power-pop/creaky-voiced-pop hybrid, and I wonder if this call against "self-love amnesia" could be the dark horse. It's very on trend, vocally and production-wise, so it might win over the juries if not the televoters.

I am struggling to get a "hook" into the song personally, I think it's a bit lopsided in terms of its construction, which might sound like I'm giving the piecing together of a Eurovision song more credit than it perhaps deserves. She has the vocals, and this song has promise. My ears are just not there yet.

This is really good but I don't see it winning - the TIX one looks like the one to beat so far, a bit corny but has a killer chorus and key change, as well as that costume!

 

[PR1Berske]

Australia
"Technicolour"

Well, we're a long way from "Boom Bang a Bang" levels of Eurovision here. Montaigne is her own person to a tee, a fiercely independent creative force who seems to stand to the edge of pop rather than right in the middle, and doesn't quite win everybody over in being so. This is clearly a different take on the 3-minute pop song. Slightly wonky and off-beat, and more aligned with Billie Eilish or SOPHIE perhaps, then commercial radio.

It has taken me a few listens and I still don't quite get what's happening. Some Twitter voices are suggesting Australia will not qualify for the first time, and I can't say that's completely bonkers a suggestion. Because the song certainly is.

 

[PR1Berske]

Netherlands
"Birth of a New Age"

So the curse of Eurovision is, of course, that you have the joy of hosting the thing the year after. And some countries do their best to choose a song which is good enough to take part, but not good enough to win. Some countries are very good at essentially throwing the show and getting away with it, perhaps with a big theatrical wink to the camera. The Dutch have decided this year to be far less cynical, with three minutes of gospel-pop with Jeangu's Surinamese heritage sewn throughout.

Lyrically, it's very on-point for our age. The lived reality of black and marginalised peoples, with a musical theatre character, and ear-worm gospel refrain. Maybe it's a bit "Baby's First Empowerment Song" for some people, but any door into protests is good, yeah?

 

[PR1Berske]

Moldova
"Sugar"

You learn lots about other countries being a Eurovision fan. Moldova, for example, would just be a strip of land between Romania and the former USSR were it not for their constantly bonkers attempts at taking part in the greatest gameshow in the world (to quote the presenters of Eurovision 1992). They have tried pop-rock, traditional vibes, "popera", and they were responsible for THAT epic sax guy moment. Twice.

Here's this year's version of Moldova's dartboard approach to the contest: a full-on dancefloor filling high-NRG gay as badgers pop banger. It might not make any commercial radio playlists over here but I can imagine it will have pride of place on Spotify lists for a while. Take things too seriously and you might not fall for the candyfloss charms. I'm up to my armpits.