1) The Result WRS and his song “Llámame” was one of the surprise qualifiers, but one that I think many people welcomed. Despite being placed 2nd in the running order he finished 18th overall, not a bad result given what he was up against. 2) The Process After the controversy of last year’s Selecția Națională … More ESC 2023 Song Review: “D.G.T. (Off and On) by Theodor Andrei (Romania)
1) The Result When Ochman’s song “River” was released, there were some who dared to dream about Poland winning the contest for the first time. Then we all saw him perform it live, where he kept his eyes closed for the most part, and that was the end of the hype. Nevertheless, the entry finished … More ESC 2023 Song Review: “Solo” by Blanka (Poland)
Disclaimer: I’m a Dutch citizen by birth and lived there for several years in as a teenager/in my early twenties. I’m sure there will be some favourable bias. 1) The Result Sending in an entry sung in Dutch for the first time in over a decade paid dividends, as S10’s “De diepte” finished in 11th … More ESC 2023 Song Review: “Burning Daylight” by Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper (The Netherlands)
1) The Result Thanks in part to an excellent position in the running order, the combination of Zdob și Zdub and Frații Advahov with their catchy, uplifting and uniting song “Trenulețul” finished 7th overall, boosted by 2nd place in the televote. 2) The Process Moldova’s national selections have been fairly dodgy at times, but this … More ESC 2023 Song Review: “Soarele și luna” by Pasha Parfeny (Moldova)
1) The Result We Are Domi were in the unfortunate position of closing the second semi and then immediately opening the final the next day. They ended up in 22nd place. 2) The Process ESCZ moved from an online-only to an in-studio session, and perhaps they shouldn’t have. While it’s always good to see how … More ESC 2023 Song Review: “My Sister’s Crown” by Vesna (Czechia)
1) The Result Somewhat of a surprise qualification last year, Belgium’s entry Jérémie Makiese with his song “Miss You” ended up in 19th place in the final. 2) The Process Belgium (the Flemish broadcaster this year) returned to a national selection also named Eurosong to confuse fans with the Irish Eurosong, maybe? Despite placing 3rd … More ESC 2023 Song Review: “Because of You” by Gustaph (Belgium)
1) The Result Despite the hype of having Italian superstar Achille Lauro represent the country after his failed attempt at Sanremo, and despite putting on an elaborate and provocative staging, the song placed 14th in the second semi, foiling San Marino’s attempt at three consecutive qualifications. 2) The Process The smallest country in the contest … More ESC 2023 Song Review: “Like an Animal” by Piqued Jacks (San Marino)
1) The Result Maro’s “Saudade, saudade” continued the excellent run Portugal has had since its first Eurovision win in 2017. She finished 5th in the jury vote and 15th in the televote for 9th overall. 2) The Process As always, Portugal’s Festival da Canção is a bewildering, fascinating and quirky highlight of the national selection … More ESC 2023 Song Review: “Ai coração” by Mimicat (Portugal)
1) The Result “I Am What I Am” by Emma Muscat was never strong enough to stand a chance in the second semi — it finished 16th. 2) The Process Malta and Iceland are the most pro-Eurovision countries in the contest, but while Iceland keeps things fairly simple for their selection process, Malta turns their … More ESC 2023 Song Review: “Dance (Our Own Party)” by The Busker (Malta)
1) The Result There were high hopes among fans that Brooke would be able to return the Irish to the final after a couple of misses, but 15th place in the second semi was a long way away from this goal. 2) The Process Eurosong returned to the Late Late Show — a lot of … More ESC 2023 Song Review: “We Are One” by Wild Youth (Ireland)
EUROVISION, SERIOUSLY 