So, here we are! Saturday 23 May 2015. The day of the GRAND FINAL of Eurovision! A day that hardcore fans have been waiting for with great anticipation and intrigue since Conchita took home the trophy just over a year ago.
The Swedish meatballs, Daim cake, Mozart balls and Tim Tams (+ lots of vino!) are at the ready for this evening’s shenanigans. I am yet to see the contest live but do the best I can watching from home, with the added benefit of a comfy sofa and loo!
Here are the 10 countries and performances that I would award my points to, if I was a nation and allowed to contribute.
*drumroll please*
1) My favourite entry for 2015 that deserves twelve points is….BELGIUM!
I LOVE this! It is the most contemporary song in the contest, wonderfully sung and wonderfully staged. Loic is extremely talented for such a young performer and I would absolutely love him to win tonight. Regardless of the result though, this will be a hit across Europe (it has already featured across the continent in iTunes charts since the first semi final). I have liked this since I started listening to all the entries, and I was very impressed that Belgium had chosen something so relevant to today’s music scene. Douze points and a lot of love from London to Belgium!
2) 10 points to….LATVIA!
Well done Aminata. The staging of this was so captivating when I saw it on Thursday. I was drawn to it from start to finish, and it was just so fresh and original. I wasn’t really a fan of it until seeing it on the stage but now it is right up there! This is a dark horse tonight, especially performing 19th and offering something a bit different to the drearier ballads surrounding it. I think Top 5 is possible if the audience at home connects with it like I did.
3) Eight points to…..ISRAEL!
It’s such a shame Nadav is performing 3rd tonight, as this would have been perfect to rejuvenate the tired audience in the 2nd half of the show. This is the funnest act of the night, and I love the ethnic, middle Eastern vibe throughout. 10 years ago or so, there was a lot of this type of song and now this is the only one so it really stands out. The lyrics are great fun, and it always has me singing along so yes, I’m putting it above Sweden!
4) Seven points to…SWEDEN!
Sweden is the heavy favourite to win tonight and I fully expect it to do so. The staging is ace and makes clever use of the back screen and camera angles. It’s a great anthemic Euro pop song, and is the most generic entry to garner votes from across Europe. For that reason, I am less of a fan of Sweden than the more individual performances we are graced with from Belgium and Latvia. However, it will be a worthy winner of the contest and if Malmo 2013 is anything to go by, they will host a bloody good show next year!
5) Six points to….SLOVENIA!
I really like the Slovenian entry this year and this could give them their best ever result at Eurovision. Marjetka and Raay seem such a sweet couple, and the song they have come up with is modern, fresh and catchy. The staging is pretty low key but not bad. I like the white dress and headphones combo! Performing first will set the potential of this to do well back a bit but in my opinion, Top 10 is achievable and well deserved.
6) Five points to…..AUSTRALIA!
I have liked this song from the beginning, and in fact it was top of my list for a long time. I love the strength and tone of Guy’s voice, and the soul vibe of this song. What prevents me from giving it a higher number of points is the somewhat disappointing staging. From watching rehearsal footage, Guy just looks awkward wearing the blazer,and the backing dancers add very little to the ensemble. A proper band would’ve been more suitable. I have also not been sure of how most of the European audience would react to Australia being in it. Will people embrace them and vote, or will they resent their participation? Who knows. I think they deserve points because it is a bloody good song and instantly catchy.
7) Four points to….. AUSTRIA!
I didn’t like this one originally but when I properly gave my attention to it, I was very impressed with the classiness of the song. It is backed up by an understated yet stylish performance, and it will be performed just before the plethora of ballads so may just escape the viewer fatigue syndrome. I don’t think Austria will place any higher than mid table but they are one of the only groups in the final so this may work in their favour.
8) Three points to…GERMANY!
Ann Sophie has a great voice, and this is a classic pop sing with a quirky twist. I have liked this since I first heard it, however I doubt it will do that well tonight as it isn’t really different or memorable enough to really stand out. From rehearsals, I have seen that this song has been delivered strongly which should stand well with the juries. That is more than you can say for the weak live performances from Azerbaijan and Albania in their semi finals (they would have been on this list prior to seeing them perform) which made me reassess my top 10 somewhat!
9) Two points to…. CYPRUS!
I am a big fan of songs that are simple and delightful amidst a host of cluttered and colourful ones! John Karayiannis gave us 3 minutes of pure sophistication and charm on Thursday night. It is a cute song and he sang it very well, so here’s hoping he picks up more than a few points tonight!
10) One point to…..NORWAY!
I’m generally not keen on duets in Eurovision (of course, Slovenia are technically a duet too) but when they have a superb song and a strong performance like Morland and Debrah Scarlett have then it is hard to ignore. This is really a beautiful and a dramatic song, ideal for the Eurovision stage. No fuss has been made of the staging, it is simple to allow the singers to do what they do best. Well done Norway. This should be Top 10.
Alas, there are other songs that I rather like. Russia and Greece are both performed very well with excellent staging. Azerbaijan and Albania are songs I like but I have cooled on them since their dire performances in the semi’s. I like the tune of the UK entry (just not the actual performance!) and Serbia are good fun!!
Whilst Russia and Italy are up there in the bookies faves, I am less keen on them both as winners. But we will see tonight what occurs. I expect Sweden to come away with it, and if so, bring on the dancing meatballs and Petra Mede in 2016!
Eurovisionation 