“I.M” by Michael Ben David
My opinion on this song hasn’t changed a huge amount since my brief review over the weekend, except that the context is now different. I felt Ben David was the best choice for Israel from what was regrettably a weak selection, so at least he managed to clear the first hurdle. Now he’s in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest, and while we still await the majority of songs for that show, I suspect he’ll be one of the most impressive performers on the night.

Musically “I.M” is fairly modern if unspectacular EDM: it has its moments, but the ones which will decide this entry’s fate will be Ben David’s, including: wiping his brow with a single finger, winking at one of his dancers, and asking the audience “you ready?” in the brief pause after his big note. I’m not sure about his performance history before X-Factor, but if he can keep up that confidence and ability to read the mood of the room, the televote should come for him, because I’m not sure the juries will as much, despite his vocal abilities. I’m basing this on the fact that I like this a lot more when I’m watching the visuals on YouTube as opposed to listening to the studio version when I’m washing the dishes.

Israel has a strong qualifying record over recent years, so I’d expect to see Ben David come the grand final, and going purely on what’s been released so far, I’d say he deserves it, too. However, as some in the Eurovision fandom seem to forget each year, the powerhouses of the competition tend to wait until late February/early March to decide upon or release their entries, so we could be due for some surprises yet.