Three candidates for France

France will select its candidate for Copenhagen in an open selection - meaning this is the first time the French public is involved in the selection since 2007.

The selection is not the most ambitious project ever produced, but three acts were chosen to perform one song each on Natasha St-Pier's "Les chansons d'abord" tv-show and now people will have a whole month to vote for their favourite.

One month is a very long time. I'm not sure this was a brilliant move. Either way - these are the songs in the running:



1. DESTAN - Sans toi (Without You)

It has been sixteen years since I lived in France. Already then, every French boyband in existence sounded exactly like this and already then, they loved singing half the lyrics in French, half in English. This entry brings nothing new to the formula and although the boys sing well and are more than capable of carrying a tune, the tune in question never develops or comes to any kind of climax. Pleasant but forgettable.



2. JOANNA - Ma liberté

The second song is also an old-fashioned ballad that could have been an entry in a Belgian or Swiss national final already in the early 90's. It builds a lot better than the first song but Joanna gave a nervous performance and seemed not to be in complete control of her vocals. That does perhaps not bode too well for her chances in a big international event.



3. TWIN TWIN - Moustache

By far the quirkiest and catchiest of the three songs in the running and sending a memorable entry is never a bad idea. Just too bad that the verse bears a stronger resemblance to Stromae's "Papaoutai" than what is really suitable (and in my head, the chorus echoes this classic track by Jordy). You should always be careful how much you can allow yourself to borrow from others, but I guess this is nothing that a quick re-write could not fix.

So who should win, then? The big female ballad always seems to be a strong contender in any national final, but the only one I deem worthy of sending off to any kind of competition is Twin Twin who at least have the oddball factor.

Regardless, I doubt very much that Eurovision 2015 will be held anywhere near Paris.