Jessie — “Regret”
Solid synth-pop track that manages to balance traditional and modern sounds, giving off the vibes of a summer evening. Fortuitously, Romanians also use “regret”, meaning that this track suggests the appearance of some English without actually having any (but allowing for some connection with English speakers regardless). While I suspect this may end up being too low-key to win, Jessie sounds like she could give a good vocal performance on stage and the melody after she sings “regret” is a bit of an ear-worm if you give it the chance. It would be good to see this progress and gain more exposure.

Kyrie Mendél — “Hurricane”
Piano ballad which doesn’t really go anywhere. At least, not enough for my liking. Mendel makes full use of his delicate voice, which is obviously the main attraction here. We have to wait until the last 40 seconds for a real change — namely, the addition of a collection of backing vocals which liven up the track for the next 20 seconds before the song more or less wraps up. It’s a long wait; the addition of soft percussion and a few bursts of backing vocals in the second minute isn’t enough.