- “Ela” by Andromache (Cyprus)
- “Snap” by Rosa Linn (Armenia)
- “Lights Off” by We Are Domi (Czech Republic)
- “Fade To Black” by Nadir Rustamli (Azerbaijan)
- “Eat Your Salad” by Citi Zēni (Latvia)
Ela – Andromache
It’s the return of the dembow rhythm! “Ela” has to fight against a lot of comparisons with past Latin pop entries, but I think it holds its own fairly well. I love the sound of plucked instruments and the Greek language when sung. Honestly, the warbly timbre of Andromache’s voice isn’t as enjoyable for me to listen to, but I understand that that’s just a personal preference. Can’t wait to see her perform!
Snap – Rosa Linn
My first Armenian entry review! If I could describe this entry with one word, it would be “cozy.” From Rosa Linn’s gentle voice to the friendly guitar, “Snap” feels like a warm hug on a cold day (I may have stolen that phrase from a can of hot chocolate powder). I find the lyrics to be very evocative. Especially this line:
Since June 22
My heart‘s been on fire
I‘ve been spending my nights
In the rain trying to put it out
I’m not sure how far she’ll get in the competition, but this song is a quiet favourite of mine.
Lights Off – We Are Domi
Although the drop doesn’t feel as original, I do like how deep the bass sounds. The build-up of “Lights Off’ is subtle but nice. I like how the second verse picks up in energy, and by the pre-chorus, the song takes an alternate route to get to the drop. Even then, I feel like the energy plateaus at the chorus. After listening to so many songs that vary in form, I can’t help feeling a little bored when the third chorus sounds like the first two. In the end, I can’t say anything bad about We Are Domi but they didn’t wow me.
Fade To Black – Nadir Rustamli
Unfortunately, not much of “Fade to Black” stood out to me. Something about the cadence of the song feels too familiar. The melody when Nadir Rustamli sings “numb” is the only part of the song that’s memorable to me. I’ll still be impressed if he nails that high note at the end, though! I’ve voiced in the past that it takes a lot for ballads to impress me, so this could be one of those cases. Besides, how are you going to top Gjon’s Tears from last year?
Eat Your Salad – Citi Zēni
That’s quite the opening line! I’m honestly torn. If it weren’t for the lyrics, “Eat Your Salad” would probably be higher in my rankings. I’m too much of a prude not to get embarrassed when listening to this song. Otherwise, I love hearing brass instruments in songs, and the lyrics are pretty catchy. My favourite part is probably:
Oh, when you eat your veggies
Baby, think of me
Little kitty, don‘t you know that
Being green is cool?
I will probably be singing along with that part when Citi Zēni perform. A good way to sum up Latvia’s entry would be the quirkiness of Iceland’s entry last year paired with the lewdness of Czech Republic in 2018. I hope they get far in the competition.
Who has my vote (for now)?
I have to go with hot chocolate- I mean Rosa Linn for this round. I feel like her entry is just what I need these days. The competition is coming dangerously close and I still have five more entries to check out. Will I review them in time? Tune in to find out!