If you absolutely need to use a gimmick, use a gimmick. If you feel the need to use three gimmicks, then you have a problem.
Daria Kinzer - Celebrate (Croatia 2011)
The basic rule goes like this: if you believe in your song, you don't have to invent distractions to take the audience's focus away from the thing you are singing.
The Croatian song was written in order to suit two different performers and was a pretty anonymous song to start with. The disastrous re-write in English only did things even worse.
The final kiss of death was the introduction of a "show element" - a Willy Wonka look-alike magician, whose main occupation is looking creepy and assisting with not just the one, but two rather awkward dress changes.
A desperate attempt to amuse the masses when there was no song to be found. I hope Croatia has learned their lesson and will go back to relying on choruses again, like they did in the 90's.
My grade: 1 / 5
