Eesti Laul Semifinal 2

Three songs for Eurovision 2021 will be chosen tonight, but my attention is firmly on Estonia's second semifinal! I thoroughly enjoyed semifinal 1 on Thursday, but I wasn't passionate enough about any of the songs to post about it. That's not the case tonight; there are precisely 3 songs I really hope qualify! 

Magus Melanhoolia - Jüri Pootsmann

While I loved Jüri's 2016 Eurovision entry, it's brilliant to see him back at Eesti Laul with a song that's much more his style! Despite its brief length, "Magus Melanhoolia" (Sweet Melancholy) packs an emotional punch, and I'm confident Jüri will deliver those awesome high notes tonight!

Lost in a Dance - Gram-Of-Fun

This song is such a joy, I was hooked from the first listen! The video is very entertaining too, and I'm intrigued to see whether any elements will be brought to the semifinal stage.

Sunday Night - Rahel

A rank outsider for qualification, I'll be ecstatic if this song makes it through tonight! The lyrics are very evocative and the song builds to a gorgeous chorus, which makes the most of the ability to feature additional backing vocals, while keeping Rahel at the forefront. 

Eurovision 2017 and me

It's been a long time coming, but the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 is finally upon us! My Eesti Laul 2017 post details the significance of one particular Eurovision preselection show in my life at the time (which occurred on the eve of a particularly eventful day!) but the entire pre-season has played an integral role in my life!

Albania kicked things off on 23 December, selecting my favourite from 2015, Lindita Halimi, on the same day as had a lovely reunion with my former volunteering co-worker! Fast forward four weeks, and fresh from getting the drunkest I'd ever been (which was superseded on Eesti Laul night) and singing U2's With Or Without You on karaoke, I went out for the second day in a row as Georgia and Belarus chose their entries. After several bars, a club, a kebab shop and a friend's house, I eventually found out the results at Waitrose at 4am, and was utterly delighted that Belarus had chosen their first ever Belarusian language entry by Naviband, which is still my favourite today! The UK's national final was next, and I witnessed Lucie Jones's majestic winning performance in person! The following day, as Finland decided, I was living it up at a U2 tribute concert, and even got to meet "Bono"! I watched the Swiss national final concurrently with the GB vs Canada Davis Cup reverse singles matches for no reason other than Sebalter performing during the interval, then forwent the German selection in favour of a Battle of the Bands competition. I prioritised Eesti Laul semifinals and chatting about eventful nights out over the other selections in mid-February, but got back into things with Latvia at the end of February, and was pleased when Line won, although the lyrics have since become a source of irritation. The Eesti Laul final made for the perfect pre-party to what became a twelve-hour bender, the last hour and a half of which I spent lost on the streets of Exeter. Finding out Verona won at about 10:00pm led me to ramp up the alcohol intake, and impair my memory from about 2:00am onwards, but one thing happened that was impossible to forget. Sunday 5th March was the calm after the storm, as well as the day that two of my favourite songs were chosen. Despite spending the whole day (well, from 08:30 onwards) at home. I tuned in to Romania's final extremely late, and at the exact moment Ilinca feat. Alex Florea emerge victorious, I was notified that I had a visitor, who thankfully was happy to sit through the victory performance of their yodel/pop/rap song. I was alone again by the time Portugal chose Salvador Sobral's sweet Amar Pelos Dois, and the two songs are now inexplicably linked to the memories of that visit.

That was as far as I got before Portugal won the Eurovision Song Contest 2017.

Eesti Laul 2017

I might not have missed a Eurovision Prediction deadline this Eurovision national final season (yet), but my dedication to the various preselections has waivered a fair amount, in so much that I've only watched 2 of them in full. Those were the United Kingdom (which I saw live!) and Switzerland (while watching a tennis match on TV, and only because Sebalter was the interval act!). Tonight, Eesti Laul brings the total to 3 (or 2.5, because I'll be going out around the time the results show starts)!

Despite being terribly tired and a teensy bit hungover, I diligently watched the semifinals on 11th and 18th February, and even recorded a voice memo during the latter, with commentary on the performances interpolating my 2 hour long summary of the previous night's antics. Now I'd like to publish some of those comments on the internet (with fewer references to the Friday nights out)…

First up, a couple of honourable mentions to songs which didn't make the final, but did, at least, make it onto my iPod:

Leemet Onno - Hurricane 
Although I don't care much for the humming intro, I adore the gritty feel of this song, and the witty lyrics really appeal to me. One of my favourites to dance to when I'm alone in the lab, especially with the line "you're dancing round the room/I can’t let you escape!" Despite this, I wasn't too sad that it didn't qualify, for reasons I'll expand on further down…

Carl-Philip - Everything But You
Another song with lyrics I adore, the intro reminds me of the Robbie Williams song "Feel". I think the harmonies in the live version really lifted the song, and I was disappointed when it failed to qualify.

Now on to the finalists!

Liis Lemsalu - Keep Running
"Keep Running" was my initial favourite of Eesti Laul 2017, and I'd still be happy with it getting the ticket to Kyiv! With its evocative verses and infectious chorus, this song really appeals to my restless spirit, and it never fails to enter my head when I'm at a train station. (In fact, all the trains I've caught since I first heard this song have been "right on time!") As a fellow backpack aficionado, I'm particularly captivated by the line "I've got my backpack ready until the end"!

Koit Toome & Laura - Verona
This song is performed well, but I don't particularly care for the instrumentation or lyrics. It's quite pleasant, but I don't think it's engaging enough to do well at Eurovision. Also it couldn't tempt me to order a Verona pizza when we had Dominos deliver to the lab this Thursday…

Whogaux & Karl-Kristjan feat. Maian - Have You Now
This is a song I find myself singing at odd times in the lab, but I never make it much further than the chorus. I really like the way their voices sound together though!

Lenna Kuurmaa - Slingshot
I find this song quite bland, but the performance is pretty engaging at least. I would've preferred one of my honourable mentions to qualify instead.

Daniel Levi - All I Need
Daniel Levi were my winners in 2015, and while All I Need is no Burning Lights, I've grown to adore it, and will definitely download it once the dark and uninviting staging invariably prevents it winning the ticket to Kyiv! I'm very fond of the sweet lyrics, such as "it’s almost light/but the stars keep singing at our feet". I can't avoid mentioning the line "she told me/at random/at 4 am/I’m with you", because it inspired me to drag a couple of friends to Waitrose after a night out, so that I'd still be in their company at 4am! I won't go into what happened the following few Fridays between said friends, but suffice to say, the song reminds me of simpler times!

Elina Born - In Or Out
Another returnee from the 2015 selection, but Elina has the distinction of actually having made it to Eurovision that year, and "In Or Out" could well take her there again! I didn't immediately warm to the song and I think the staging could be improved, but it's certainly catchy and fun, and with Elina's dazzling vocals it would be a good choice for Eurovision.

Ivo Linna - Suur Loterii
The only Estonian language song to qualify, I become more and more fond of "Suur Loterii" each time I hear it! It has a lovely melody, not too dissimilar to his and Maarja Liis-Ilus' Eurovision entry from 21 years ago. Probably not the most sensible choice for Estonia in 2017, but not one I'd be annoyed at!

Rasmus Rändvee - This Love
This song is the reason I'm okay with "Hurricane" not qualifying, because I feared neither would reach its full potential had they been pitted against each other in the final. This song first got stuck in my head the day I needed rescuing from the lab (because of the line "baby don't come look for me"), and it has hardly left since! The lyrics are my favourite of the competition (and the standard is very high!) but the song is elevated further by Rasmus's flawless vocals and tremendous energy on stage! I really hope he delivers the song with as much gusto at tonight's final!

Ariadne - Feel Me Now
This is a very pleasant song with lovely vocals and simple yet effective staging, but I don't feel it's powerful enough to stand out at Eurovision.

Kerli - Spirit Animal
Kerli certainly brings the power! I find the performance highly engaging and very suitable for Eurovision. However I have some reservations about the song: I struggle to remember the verses, and I think the repetition of the chorus gets a bit too much.

So there you have it, my take on the Eesti Laul 2017 finalists! The main show begins in 45 minutes, at 17:30 GMT, while the results show starts at 19:35 GMT, 5 minutes after the party I'm attending tonight starts!

Eurovision 2015: Countries I'm considering supporting

This time last year I hadn't heard any of the Eurovision 2014 songs, but after months of closely following the 2015 national final season, I'm now firmly in the Eurovision mindset, and already well on my way to deciding who I'll be rooting for this year. Due to uni commitments, Chris may not be able to host a Eurovision party this year or even continue his tradition of getting us to choose a country to support, but I want to get ahead in case it does happen! My last few years of predicting have gone like this:

2012: Estonia 6th place
2013: Austria failed to qualify, Belgium 12th place
2014: Malta 23rd place

I'd love to get another top 10 this year, but as with last year, I want to really get behind my choice rather than blindly choosing one of the favourites or a country that usually does well, especially after how Daisy fared with Azerbaijan last year...

Without further ado, here are my current opinions on the songs of the Eurovision Song Contest 2015!

Not really considering:

Automatic qualifiers: Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom
I haven't really warmed to these songs yet, plus I like the challenge of choosing a song that's not guaranteed to be in the final. The UK's entry still makes me cringe.

First semifinal:
Albania: Elhaida Dani - I'm Alive
I quite like I'm Alive, but not enough to support it.
Armenia: Genealogy - Face The Shadow
I really don't like the rhythm changes in the Armenian entry's chorus, and I don't feel that the voices mesh very nicely.
Belgium: Loïc Nottet - Rhythm Inside
It's very different and has grown on me since I first heard it, but I don't think I'll support it.
Denmark: The Way You Are - Anti Social Media
It was easily my favourite from Melodi Grand Prix, and I still like it, but I don't want to risk supporting it.
Finland: Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät - Aina Mun Pitää
Not as bad as I first thought, but it's never going to be my favourite.
Greece: Maria-Elena Kyriakou - One Last Breath
I didn't support this in the national final, but after the lacklustre vocals and/or songs of the other participants, One Last Breath was the clear winner, however I'm still not completely convinced by it.
Hungary: Boggie - Wars For Nothing
I really like the national final performance and the vocals, and I feel that it will qualify, but I'd like to support something more cheerful.
Moldova: Eduard Romanyuta - I Want Your Love
The song is okay, but I won't be supporting it.
Russia: Polina Gagarina - A Million Voices
It's not bad, but rather like their last two entries, it's not something I want to support.
Serbia: Bojana Stamenov - Beauty Never Lies
I find the first half okay, but I'm not a fan of the ending.
Netherlands: Trijntje Oosterhuis - Walk Along
Aside from the repetitive chorus it's quite pleasant.

Second semifinal:
Azerbaijan: Elnur Hüseynov - Hour of the Wolf
It doesn't really stand out to me and I can't really remember it after hearing it.
Cyprus: John Karagiannis - One Thing I Should Have Done
I do rather like this song, but I'd prefer it if it had more of a climax.
Czech Republic: Marta Jandová & Václav Noid Bárta - Hope Never Dies
It's my favourite Czech entry by far, but not enough so for me to support it.
Ireland: Molly Sterling - Playing with Numbers
I was kind of considering this song, until it got stuck in my head on Thursday. I still think it's pretty decent, and I'd like it to get to the final.
Israel: Nadav Guedj - Golden Boy
It's catchy and fun, there's not really anything I dislike about it.
Malta: Amber - Warrior
I don't find this Warrior particularly special, but I do prefer the new version of it.
Montenegro: Knez - Adio
For me Adio doesn't have the impact of Željko Joksimović's other Eurovision compositions, but it's still nice to listen to.
Norway: Mørland & Debrah Scarlett - A Monster Like Me
I'm not that fond this song, although I think their voices sound nice together.
Poland: Monika Kuszyńska - In The Name Of Love
For me it's one of the least interesting ballads, I find the chorus quite monotonous.
Portugal: Leonor Andrade - Há um Mar que nos Separa
The song starts off pretty powerful, but doesn't really go anywhere.
San Marino: Anita Simoncini & Michele Perniola - Chain of Lights
It starts off quite interesting, but gets cheesy very quickly. I had hoped San Marino would continue to improve, but I highly doubt this will qualify.
Switzerland: Mélanie René - Time to Shine
I had other favourites in Die Grosse Entschiedungsshow, but this song isn't bad, and I really like Mélanie's voice.

Kind of considering:

First semifinal:
Estonia: Elina Born and Stig Rästa - Goodbye to Yesterday

If second place Burning Lights had won Eesti Laul 2015, I'd definitely be supporting Estonia, but this song is pretty worthy of the ticket to Vienna, and it's certainly popular. I may end up switching back to my original country!

Macedonia: Autumn Leaves - Daniel Kajmakoski

I preferred the tempo of the original Macedonian version, but I really like the lyrics and instrumentation of this one. Although I'm not sure it will, I'll be very happy if it qualifies.

Georgia: Nina Sublatti - Warrior
Another of my favourites from from the national final season, I love the power of this Warrior! At the moment my sister wants to support it, and I suppose I would let her.
Romania: Voltaj - De la capăt (All Over Again)
Normally the country my sister ends up with, I really love the melody of this song and the fact that it's mostly in Romanian. This is the one that might make me cry, like Finland did last year.

Second semifinal:
Iceland: María Ólafs - Unbroken
After only hearing the Icelandic version this was an easy choice in Eurovision Prediction, and the English version certainly didn't disappoint! I think it could do very well.
Sweden: Måns Zelmerlöw - Heroes
Another easy prediction, the song is very memorable and is likely to do well, especially with the innovative staging.

Strongly considering:

First semifinal:
Belarus: Uzari and Maimuna - Time
Despite choosing Milki for Eurovision Prediction Belarus, I thought Time was the best song from the Eurofest 2015, and the new version is even more captivating! It's probably my favourite entry from the country so far, and I especially love the prominence of the violin.

Second semifinal:
Latvia: Aminata - Love Injected
I really hope Love Injected gets Latvia back to the final, it's wonderfully unique and Aminata's vocals are amazing!
Lithuania: Monika Linkytė & Vaidas Baumila - This Time
There's no doubt that this is my favourite Lithuanian entry ever, it's so cheerful, but I don't find it too cheesy. As Attention almost made it to the final last year, I'm pretty confident This Time will qualify!
Slovenia: Maraaya - Here For You
I love the pace, lyrics and instrumentation of Slovenia's song this year, and I think the performance will look great on the Eurovision stage!

Resolutions

So, it's a week till March and I still haven't done my nails of 2014 post! I'll get round to it at some point, but first I thought it would be good to make some not-associated-with-a-time-of-year resolutions in order to get the most out of my life at the moment. Here they are, in no particular order:

• Get an earlier bus occasionally if I'm ready early
• Buy/make small gifts for people
• Appreciate the time I get to spend with people
• Work on assignments little and often

Developments since last time include receiving my January exam results (my feelings about which ranged from satisfied to ecstatic) and buying tickets for Eurovision's Greatest Hits in London, which is going to be amazing!

Eurovision 2014: Chris's Grand Final Party

Conchita, Queen of Eurovision!

Held last night, Chris's 3rd Annual Eurovision Party was certainly the best ever! The twelve attendees cheered, squealed, grooved, joked, and sang our hearts out during the three-and-a-half hour extravaganza. Chris's decorations were second to none, with brightly coloured bunting, #TeamMolly posters and #JoinUs diamonds adorning the ceiling, walls and floor. When Austria's Conchita Wurst was announced as the victor, we were all delighted, especially Chris, who supported her from the start. We were also pleased with the UK's score, a respectable 40 points, which put us in 17th place. Here are the final standings in our group competition:

1. Chris - Austria - 1st place
2. Chelsea - Sweden - 3rd place
3. Jess - Armenia - 4th place
4. Wendy - Ukraine - 6th place
5. Steph - Denmark - 9th place
6. Jade - Finland -11th place
7. Emily - Romania - 12th place
8. Georgina - Switzerland - 13th place
9. Megan - United Kingdom - 17th place
10. Daisy - Azerbaijan - 22nd place
11. me - Malta - 23rd place
12. Rosie - Slovenia - 25th place

Yes, my beloved Firelight ended up four places above the bottom of the leaderboard, but I wasn't at all dispirited. Their performance was delightful, and I somehow managed to vote for them 50 times during the short interval. Amazingly, they were awarded 10 points by the UK, so the binge voting was well worth it! In total, they were given 32 points, which meant my pledge to eat one Malteser for each point they received was significant, yet easily doable.

32 maltesers

Daisy's tactical choice of Azerbaijan sadly failed to pay off; their 22nd place finish is the first time they've ever placed outside the top 8. After her win last year, Rosie was relegated to last place this time around. Chelsea and Chris both improved by 13 places on last year, and my first choice actually qualified this time around! The UK didn't do too badly, and the rest of the attendees' countries finished on the left hand side of the leaderboard. After the excitement of the contest, today I've felt rather melancholy, but I will look forward to Austria 2015!

Some of Chris's decoration

The artists we supported

Eurovision Grand Final: Initial reaction

Congratulations to Conchita Wurst!!! Chris's choice won Eurovision 2014, which meant he got to keep first prize - juggling balls! Conchita's performance was astounding and I was thrilled when her victory was announced! I managed to vote for Malta exactly 50 times, and in the end they came 23rd, but they received 10 points from the UK, so I feel like I did my bit! 

Eurovision 2014: Second Semi-Final

It's Eurovision Final day! But before the festivities begin, here are my thoughts on the second semi-final, which saw 10 more countries make it through to the final.

These were:
Malta (yay!)
Norway
Poland
Austria
Finland
Belarus
Switzerland
Greece
Slovenia
Romania

Only my sister's choice, Ireland, failed to qualify, but she wasn't too downcast, because she will now support Romania. I was worried that Malta's performance would be overshadowed by the later acts, but thankfully it wasn't! Israel's failure to qualify surprised me; I really liked Mei Finegold's "Same Heart", but it's position at second in the running order probably harmed it's chances. Belarus's success was also unexpected, but I do have a soft spot for Teo's "Cheesecake". I thought the Greek entry "Rise Up" came across really well on the show, and the trampoline was an effective gimmick. I was also happy that Austria, Finland, Switzerland and Slovenia got through!

It's now only 1 hour and 10 minutes till the Grand Final begins!

Eurovision Semi-Final 2: Initial reaction

MALTA QUALIFIED!!! I did not paint my nails and vote 27 times in vain!

Eurovision 2014: First Semi-Final

I intended to post this yesterday, but hey ho.

On Tuesday night 16 became 10 as the first Eurovision semi-final of 2014 took place.

The qualifiers were:
Armenia
Sweden
Iceland
Russia
Azerbaijan
Ukraine
San Marino
The Netherlands
Montenegro
Hungary

This means that Latvia, Estonia, Albania, Belgium, Moldova and Portugal failed to qualify. Latvia's song, "Cake To Bake", was very cheerful, but I think the stark contrast between it and the song performed before it (Armenia's "Not Alone", which featured a plethora of pyrotechnics) seriously harmed its chances. I was quite surprised about Estonia's fate, because the song is very Eurovision-y (it's title is "Amazing") and Tanja's vocals didn't falter at all, in spite of her acrobatic choreography. However, I felt that the dancing detracted from the song somewhat, and it was third in the running order, which wouldn't have helped it stay in the minds of the voting public. Albania and Moldova produced pleasant songs, but they were ultimately overshadowed by the other songs, many of which are favourites to win. Belgium's representative, Axel Hirsoux has a brilliant voice, but I wasn't fond of his song, "Mother". I enjoyed Portugal's performance, but the more modern songs were favoured by the voters.

In terms of qualifiers, I was delighted to see San Marino get through! This year is Valentina Monetta's third time representing her country, and her qualification with the song "Maybe" is the first time her country has reached the final. Likewise, Sergej Ćetković's "Moj Svjet" marks Montenegro's first qualification as a standalone nation. I really enjoyed this rousing Balkan ballad; I'll probably support it if Malta fails to qualify from the second semi-final (which I hope doesn't happen). Iceland's qualification surprised me, but Pollapönk's "No Prejudice" is a very catchy song with a good message, and I'll be happy to hear it again in the final.

The other seven songs were widely expected to qualify, and I'm especially happy that Armenia, Sweden, Azerbaijan and Ukraine made it through, because it means that four more of Chris's partygoers will have songs to support in the grand final. Now all we need is Malta, Austria, Finland, Ireland, Switzerland and Slovenia to qualify tonight!

Eurovision 2014: Country choices

Chris has continued his yearly tradition of getting each of us to choose a country to support, and this year, after much contemplation and soul-searching, I've gone for Malta! The song is called "Coming Home", and it's performed by the group Firelight, most of whom are siblings. I really like it's folky vibe and it reminds me of "Let Me Go" by Gary Barlow, a song I heard live at Gary's concert on the day we chose our countries. In truth, I can't see it winning, but I'm passionate about supporting it, which is ultimately the reason why I chose it, rather than one of the favourites like Armenia or Norway. I do think it deserves a spot in the final, and I shall definitely vote for it in the second semifinal on Thursday 8th May. However, as with last year, my choice will open the semifinal, which did not fare well for Austria's 2013 campaign, as the country did not qualify. Nonetheless, I believe Firelight has what it takes to earn a place in the 2014 final. I hope I'm correct!

Everyone else's choices are as follows:
Chris: Austria
Emily: Ireland
Georgina: Switzerland
Rosie: Slovenia
Chelsea: Sweden
Steph: Denmark
Wendy: Ukraine
Jade: Finland
Jess: Armenia
Megan: United Kingdom

May the best song win!

Well done Estonia!

Yesterday was the final of Eurovision 2012 from Baku, Azerbaijan and Chris decided to host a party, with each attendee picking a country to support. You may be able to tell from my nails (or from the title of this post), which country I chose... ESTONIA!! My decision was based on the fact that I enjoyed the country's effort last year (Rockefeller Street by Getter Jaani) and that I knew I'd be able to paint the country's flag on my fingernails.

My Estonia flag nails

Despite being (according to Donati) 19th favourite to win out of the 26 finalists, this year's contestant, Ott Lepland, ended up in sixth place, with 120 points! Congratulations Ott and Estonia!

Jedward's Eurovision triumph!

They may not have won it, but Irish twins Jedward (John and Edward Grimes) certainly enjoyed their stint on the Eurovision Song Contest. “We loved taking part in the Eurovision”, they said after the result was announced. “Our aim was to bring fun and happiness to Eurovision and make Ireland proud. And we hope we succeeded.” (via http://www.irishtimes.com/).

 

Jedward performing Lipstick (See the original picture here.)



Jedward came 8th overall with 119, beating the UK's entry Blue by 3 places and 19 points. Azerbaijan were the surprise winners of the contest, scoring a grand total of 221 points for their effort "Running Scared".



Winners: Ell and Nikki of Azerbaijan (See pic here.)

Other songs I rather enjoyed included: Change by Hotel FM (Romania, 17th, 77 points); Da Da Dam by Paradise Oskar (Finland, 21st, 57 points); and Rockefeller Street by Getter Jaani (Estonia, 24th, 44 points).


Romania - Change



Finland - Da Da Dam



Estonia - Rockefeller Street



 See more at www.eurovision.tv/.