No more faceoffs! Five countries will go head to head to try and stand out among the rest. In this article, we have:
- “Shum” by Go_A (Ukraine)
- “Voy A Quedarme” by Blas Cantó (Spain)
- “Amen” by Vincent Bueno (Austria)
- “Tout l’Univers” by Gjon’s Tears (Switzerland)
- “The Lucky One” by Uku Suviste (Estonia)
PHOTO CREDIT: EBU/UA:PBC/ANASTASIIA MANTACH/STEVEN BERNHARD/ORF/ROMAN ZACH-KIESLING/SRF/OSCAR ALESSIO/KERSTI NIGLAS
Go_A – SHUM
I think “Solovey” was the weirdest song I liked from last year’s entries. “Shum” is definitely in the running to be the weirdest song this year as well. One of the many things that stands out about this entry is the increase in tempo which is bound to get the crowd excited when it is performed live. And that last note was an interesting music choice. I don’t know if I like it, but the rest of the song was great, so what does it matter?
Blas Cantó – Voy A Quedarme
This is the second time Spain has captured my heart with an emotional ballad. The last entry from Spain that I liked was “Tu Canción” by Amaia y Alfred. Both times you had people in the comments calling the Spanish language beautiful, which I totally agree with. You can hear more heart with “Voy A Quedarme” than with last year’s entry. I also find his high notes less distracting this time. Overall, this song is lovely.
Vincent Bueno – Amen
Personally, I think more energetic songs suit Vincent Bueno’s voice. I prefer his entry from last year, but having funk elements in a song is one of my weaknesses (refer to Eden Alene’s entry). Alternatively, one of my pet peeves in a song is when one lyric is repeated over and over. I wonder if Vincent Bueno ever found out what they wanted. I’m also not sure what the word “Amen” has to do with the song. When most of a song consists of the same line, it just leaves less room for more meaningful lyrics. Sadly, I was not a fan of this entry.
Gjon’s Tears – Tout l’Univers
When it comes to his entries, Gjon’s Tears definitely has a flair for the dramatic. The music video did a great job capturing how cinematic this song sounds. I like the melodies in this entry better than last year’s. I can see why this one was a favourite to win early on in the contest. If you like “Arcade” by Duncan Laurence, I would give this song a listen. But I would argue that there is more happening in terms of harmony in this entry.
Uku Suviste – The Lucky One
While I think this song suits Uku Suviste more than “What Love Is,” I can’t see him winning with a song like this. It sounds like something you would casually hear on the radio, not a song you would submit if you wanted to win a contest. There wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about this song. To be honest, I don’t mind the lyrics too much. Though, I typically don’t enjoy listening to spiteful breakup songs (or spiteful songs in general).
Who has my vote (for now)?
I’m voting for Blas Cantó this time. That’s right. The sappy love song gets the vote. What can I say? I’ve heard that a little bit of cheese is good for the soul. At this point, I have no idea who’s going to win the contest. Maybe everyone else is just as confused as I am. But maybe that’s also a good thing.