Semi 1: 07 Estonia

Estonia at Eurovision is often like a tiny planet of their own, doing very much their own thing, seemingly without even contemplating whether the rest of the world will enjoy their songs or not.

Not seldom, the world ends up quite appreciating the quirks of Estonia. And not seldom, their songs are really melodic, easy-going and truly likeable.

This year they really hit the bullseye, managing to be catchy, modern and original at the same time. The fact that it's a duet singing about a broken relationship made several people compare it to the successful Dutch entry of last year, but that's a bit of a lazy comparison. If anything, it is a bit similar to this classy duet between Ville Valo & Natalia Avelon a few years ago.

An early favourite to win the entire contest, but I doubt it will go all that way. The live performance is strong but reflects the distance and coldness of the lyrics, and perhaps a large enough portion of the audience won't get it or will feel rejected in turn.

Qualifier:
Yes. This is the first song of the first semi where I feel fully confident that this is a sure qualifier. And then my guess is that Estonia will have its first top five showing since Tallinn 2002.

Grade: 4/5



Stig Rästa & Elina Born - Goodbye To Yesterday (Estonia 2015)

Semi 1: 06 Greece

For many years it seemed the Greek party would never end. Come what may, the Greek entries would keep dancing on their beach all through the warm night and the points would keep coming in.

Lately they have strayed a bit from the formula which, for me, has meant more interesting songs but not the same amount of success as Greece has enjoyed since the introduction of the semi finals. Last year saw the lowest placing ever for a Greek entry.

This year, the Greek audience had a complete change of track and selected the most typical ESC ballad they've shown the world since Mandó's less than successful attempt in 2003. This song is a close relative to that one in style as well as in performance.

Maria-Elena sings really well and belts it out convincingly, placing all the notes in their right places, but the song never evolves beyond being a clean-cut piece of machinery. It doesn't seem to mean anything to anyone, not even the singer. No emotion, no depth, only one huge, polished surface. As soon as it's over, you'll struggle to remember what it sounded like.

Qualifier:
Borderline. Greece has never failed in a semi final but there must be a first for everything. Unless this turns into an explosion of earnest raw emotion in Vienna, the Greeks could be up for a very unpleasant surprise.

Grade: 1/5



Maria-Elena Kyriakou - One Last Breath (Greece 2015)

Semi 1: 05 Finland

In case you haven't noticed, let me tell you that Finland is fearless when it comes to Eurovision. Having no fear is the positive side-effect of noticing you have generally very little to lose, allowing you to gamble a bit more than - say - Sweden or any other country with a large chunk of expectations on their backs.

It manifested itself firmly when Finland finally won with possibly the most off-beat winner of all time. If you dare be different, sooner or later you will get rewarded. (Keep this in mind, Portugal!)

Also this year, Finland chose a slightly different path by entering 87 seconds of punk rock dealing with the nuisance of living in a home for people with intellectual disabilities, constantly getting told what to do and what not to do. Hardly an exhausted subject in the ESC.

It is my firm belief that this is a song contest and that entries should be judged on some sort of musical merit, but this band touched the Finnish audience and have been vocal and present and making quite a point of their participation. Chances are they will break through the great wall of sound also in Vienna.

Qualifier:
Yes. Most probably. If there is one thing I have learned is that it is less important to be good and more important to be memorable, especially in the semi finals. And unlike several songs in the same semi, there is a fair amount of personality going on in this entry. Whether it is to your liking or not.

Grade: 2/5



Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät - Aina mun pitää (Finland 2015)

Semi 1: 04 Netherlands

It seems to me that many people are very keen to like the Dutch entries after they finally became successful again after many years of consecutive semi final failures. I'm the same, I've been listening with very forgiving ears, really wanting to like this one.

I do like this one. It's a breezy and pleasant little song, well sung and with an easily retainable hook.

But I can't shake the feeling that the Dutch really expected us to like whatever they served us this time around, making it rather easy for themselves. The song is good but never lives up to its full potential. Under-produced and under-developed.

A snappier arrangement could have made a big difference, now it feels like it isn't progressing much or building up to anything special. The chorus is good but very repetitive and leaves poor Trijntje with pretty little to work with.

In a parallel universe - like on the radio - this isn't a problem at all. Instead it makes a song easy to fit into a playlist, you can fade up or fade out at any point and it will suit most kinds of programming. At Eurovision you have exactly three minutes to impress people and that would be easier with a more outstanding song.

Qualifier:
Borderline. I would want to see it in the final, but it could easily end up in 12th place with some medium points from here and there, without being anyone's favourite.

Grade: 3/5



Trijntje Oosterhuis - Walk Along (Netherlands 2015)

Semi 1: 03 Belgium

Ever since I saw his video clip cover of Sia's "Chandelier", I have been pretty excited about Loïc Nottet representing Belgium. I love that scent of raw talent paired with a touch of weird and an unpredictable sense of the unexpected.

The Chandelier clip made me think of some of the more choreographed pieces Kate Bush made in her early career and that can never be a bad thing.

All I feared was that RTBF - rumoured not to want to win ever since Urban Trad almost did just that back in Riga in 2003 - would set the young talent up with an average song in order to do quite well but not too well. Instead they had Wonder Boy write his own song and the outcome isn't bad at all.

Personally, I'm over the moon with this entry and its vibe, seldom heard at the ESC. Unfortunately it reminds me that Eurovision isn't always the best place to showcase talent. You can be original and unusual but only in a way the larger audience can digest within three minutes. How user-friendly is this song really? And will it be doomed by its really unfortunate early slot in the running order?

I think this song - given a solid performance and a better starting position - could score quite well in the final, possibly even make it into the top five. If it gets to the final, that is. I'm not at all certain it will survive its semi.

Qualifier:
Yes. I want this one to qualify. I need this one to qualify. Loïc is a terrific little pop star and my hope is that all Europe will be as smitten with him as I am. I'm just not ready to bet my house on it.

Grade: 4/5



Loïc Nottet - Rhythm Inside (Belgium 2015)

Semi 1: 02 Armenia

One of Armenia's major tasks in the world is to advocate international recognition of the Armenian genocide taking place under the end of the Ottoman Empire, marking the creation of the modern Armenian diaspora. Since 2015 marks 100 years since the events took place, it isn't a huge surprise that Armenia decided to highlight this in their Eurovision entry.

Armenian television has insisted that their entry is in no way political, but it is very easy to connect the dots here: the group highlighting that Armenians now live on all continents, the video clip showing families thinning out and - most of all - the original song title "Don't Deny", still being the key phrase of the chorus.

Honestly, I don't care if this one could be considered political or not. In my ears it contains no message that could be seen as offensive or not acceptable.

The problem is rather that the team got so caught up in their own message that they forgot to write a decent song to present it with. The final result is busy and confusing - with a surprising lack of melody - and the great danger that all members of the group will end up doing their best to out-perform the others. Chances are this could end up as shouty as when Saraleh Sharon and her group reached hurricane levels in Millstreet back in 1993.

Qualifier:
No. The competition for the ballad points on offer is severe and I can't see people warming to this one or even remember it by the end of the song presentation.

Grade: 1/5



Genealogy - Face The Shadows (Armenia 2015)

Semi 1: 01 Moldova

What every Eurovision needs is something powerful and energetic to kick the whole competition off. In that sense, the Moldovan entry is a close to perfect opener. It is up-tempo, sort-of contemporary and is perhaps the most straight-forward attempt at a classic pop hit in this entire semi final.

Being first could unfortunately also prove to be its downfall. There are huge amounts of ballads and mid-tempo entries coming up - not only in this first semi but in the entire line-up - and a stomper like this one would have been a welcome sight in the final. Chances are that it will pass the viewers by in a way it wouldn't have done had it performed as, say, number 14.

Another problem is the song itself. While stupidly catchy it is also pretty under-composed and lacks any kind of development throughout. Three minutes later, it is still stomping in the same spot where it began. Judging from his performance in the Moldovan final, young Eduard isn't really enough of a performer to inject the life and presence needed.

Having said that, one needs to remember that this is Moldova and Eduard is from Ukraine: two of the masters when it comes to turning mediocre songs brilliant when it really matters. But this is Eurovision, not Hogwarts. Everyone has their limitations.

Qualifier:
No. My guess is that all songs in the first half of this semi will struggle. Moldova will get high points from Romania but I doubt that is enough.

Grade: 2/5



Eduard Romanyuta - I Want Your Love (Moldova 2015)