![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
So I used to have an annual tradition (and by "annual" I mean only lasting for 3 years) of posting write-ups of the Eurovision Song Contest online. These consist of my initial blind-reactions to the final songs, plus my faves, least faves, and top picks across five categories: lyrics, costumes, choreography, visuals, and gimmicks. You can find 2018 and 2019 on my Tumblr here and here respectively. I did 2021 on a short-lived livetweet Twitter acct that no longer exists, and I didn't do one for 2022 because I was watching it over Discord with a friend, so unfortunately I don't have those years write-ups. But here I am, bringing back the tradition on Dreamwidth (which is kind of a better place for long-winded writeups like these). So without further ado, here's my opinions under the cut.
AUSTRIA (Teya & Salena - "Who the Hell Is Edgar?"): First off, best title of the night. Also, the fic writer in me is pleased with the lyrical concept. VFX and choreo are both solid as well. However, music-wise, it gets a bit repetitive.
PORTUGAL (Mimicat - "Ai Coração"): Loving the Marilyn Monroe-esque staging and showtune/folk/trap hybrid BGM. Regrettably, I cannot understand a word of the lyrics, but I have a feeling I'll be looping this for a while.
SWITZERLAND (Remo Forrer - "Watergun"): Singer's cute, and the ribbon choreography is impressive. Unfortunately, this song's the first Boring Ballad(TM), so that loses points. Also, I had to avert my eyes because the lights were too flashy at one point.
POLAND (Blanka - "Solo"): Love the videotape overlay and worm's-eye angle in the beginning. Also like how all the dancers get their own time to shine in the first chorus. Visuals are vibrant and vaguely 80s-esque, which matches the Dua Lipa-esque sound perfectly. Also the dance break in the middle was *chef's kiss*.
SERBIA (Luke Black - "Samo mi se spava"): I don't know if it's just me, but he sounds kinda off key in the beginning. However, the visuals and backup dancers "plugged into" the centrepiece lend this number a dark edge which I love. also HOLY SHIT was not expecting the boss meter in the lower corner and the "unplugging" in the bridge alongside the singer's little mischievous laugh. Fock yes. (also something tells me the staging committee was a Metal Gear fan because I can totally see the MC's from that series taking on the robo-bug creature in the background.)
FRANCE (La Zarra – "Évidemment"): Holy shit that is a tall platform. Had it confused for a tall dress/stilts combo in the beginning. But I kinda wish that was the case, instead of just the platform. Song's all right.
CYPRUS (Andrew Lambrou - "Break a Broken Heart"): Not much to write home about. Ehh. I guess they tried to do something with the fire visuals in the last chorus, but it's not really doing anything for me.
SPAIN (Blanca Paloma - "Eaea"): Nice one-woman wait in the beginning. Also love the bead curtain/tilting/hand choreo at the beginning. Camera angles are also used to great effect. Choreography throughout the rest of the song is A+, and the main singer's voice is beautiful.
SWEDEN (Loreen - "Tattoo"): Love how her outfit's kind of a throwback to her "Euphoria" costume. Also interesting staging with the low ceiling/platform/box? thing she's on.
ALBANIA (Albina and Family Kelmendi – Duje): Loving the dark, moody lighting and traditional vocals. Reminds me of their 2019 entry, which was one of my faves from that year. Everyone's voice blends together beautifully, and the BGM is top-notch. SO FUCKIN INTENSE I LOVE IT
ITALY (Marco Mengoni - "Due Vite"): That mesh top looks great on him, and the trampoline/stairs choreo is impressive. I can only imagine how much practice it'd take to nail it. Also one of the better ballads of the night.
ESTONIA (Alika - "Bridges"): Interesting choice to haul a player-piano on stage. Unfortunately, it gives me the impression she's faking it when she turns to 'play' it. (I mean, there's always the chance that the backtrack cut out for that specific moment, but still) Still a decent gimmick, esp. for a ballad.
FINLAND (Käärijä - "Cha Cha Cha"): One of my most anticipated acts of the night. And by god, does it deliver musically. Love how he's breaking out of the box at the beginning. And his pole-dancing? Love it! And the other dancers tethered around the pole are great as well. Overall, catchy as hell and visually entertaining. And apparently the lyrics are about gloryholes? Can't tell because my Finnish is rusty AF, but if so, that's funny.
CZECHIA (Vesna - "My Sister's Crown") Digging the vocal harmonies and long-ass braids. Probably one of the most in-sync groups I've seen in this competition so far.
AUSTRALIA (Voyager - "Promise"): Another one of my most anticipated, and they deliver as well. The car staging, the sparkly costumes, the flashy lights, the rock instrumentals, the breakdown, guitar/keyboard duo... it comes together SO FUCKING WELL AND I ADORE IT!!! AAAAAAAAA i fucking love this. Been looking for an excuse to check this band out for a while, and I guess this'll be it.
BELGIUM (Gustaph – "Because of You"): The sheer gay energy radiating off this guy HOLY FUCK. Can totally see this banging in a gay bar/drag show. ALso the chord progression before the synth hook is gold. Kind of a disappointment that the flashy costumes are relegated to the background visuals, though.
ARMENIA (Brunette - "Future Lover"): She's hot. Too bad the lyrics are kinda lacking/the music isn't anything to write home about.
MOLDOVA (Pasha Perfeni - "Soarele și Luna"): Dude's got moves, and the folk elements are top-notch. Also love the ladies' haistryles. Also flute guy is JAMMING the fuck out holy shit. Love the emulation of birds/buffalo/other creatures in the costumes and choreo. Great track overall!
UKRAINE (Tvorchi - "Heart of Steel"): VFX is absolutely STUNNING. The setup reminds me of My Lucky Day crossed with Heroes of Our Time. The costumes in themselves are also great, and the lyrics combined with the preamble and overall current-historical context are hella inspiring.
NORWAY (Alessandra - "Queen of Kings"): Digging the quasi-operatic vocals + "Six: The Musical"-esque costumes. Overall, a fun throwback to mid-2000s-to-2010s entries. Can deffo see myself banging this on repeat.
GERMANY (Lord of the Lost - "Blood and Glitter"): Yet another hotly anticipated act, this time from an act who I've also been meaning to get more into. The costumes weren't what I was expecting from this group, but they still look stunning. Infectious, headbang-worthy, excellently-staged, Chris Harms' vox are top-notch, lyrics are expectly what I expect from Lord of the Lost and are cheesy-yet-fun, it's overall FUCKIN SPECTACULAR. holy fuck. I have been sleeping on Lord of the Lost too much for my own good.
LITHUANIA (Monika Linkyte - "Stay"): Another ballad that's probably not much to write home about, but the backing vocal harmonies and background sigil design augment it a bit.
ISRAEL (Noa Kirel - "Unicorn"): Holy theatrical opening Batman. However, that energy doesn't really stay for the rest of the song. It kinda sounds like they're ripping off "Toy" at the beginning, only to lead into a kinda-meh chorus and beyond. Lyrics stink, and the "dance" section was kinda forced.
SLOVENIA (Joker Out - "Carpe Diem"): Love their infectious chemistry, the falling bassline in the prechorus, the guitar hook at the end of the chorus, and the fact that they're just plain having a good time. Heck yeah. You go boys.
CROATIA (Let 3 - "Mama ŠČ!"): Those costumes scream "Village People Part 2: This Time, We're Wearing Skirts". And I love that for them. I have zero idea what's going on, but I can't look away and I love it. Fuckin chaotic and hilarious. My one gripe is that the music is kinda shittily-mixed. Which probably isn't as big a deal because these guys are just here to be silly, but it does bring the performance down a bit more than I'd like.
UK (Mae Muller - "I Wrote A Song"): She's trying. That's all I can say. The music/lyrics are contrived as hell, and the choreo and VFX have already been done "better" by earlier entries.
Faves: Portugal, Serbia, Albania, Finland, Australia, Germany
Least faves: Switzerland, Cyprus, Israel, UK
Lyrics: Austria, Finland, Ukraine, Germany
Costumes: Serbia, Finland, Moldova, Germany, Croatia
Choreo: Portugal, Poland, Italy, Moldova
VFX: Poland, Serbia, Australia, Ukraine
Gimmick: Serbia, Estonia, Australia, Croatia
AUSTRIA (Teya & Salena - "Who the Hell Is Edgar?"): First off, best title of the night. Also, the fic writer in me is pleased with the lyrical concept. VFX and choreo are both solid as well. However, music-wise, it gets a bit repetitive.
PORTUGAL (Mimicat - "Ai Coração"): Loving the Marilyn Monroe-esque staging and showtune/folk/trap hybrid BGM. Regrettably, I cannot understand a word of the lyrics, but I have a feeling I'll be looping this for a while.
SWITZERLAND (Remo Forrer - "Watergun"): Singer's cute, and the ribbon choreography is impressive. Unfortunately, this song's the first Boring Ballad(TM), so that loses points. Also, I had to avert my eyes because the lights were too flashy at one point.
POLAND (Blanka - "Solo"): Love the videotape overlay and worm's-eye angle in the beginning. Also like how all the dancers get their own time to shine in the first chorus. Visuals are vibrant and vaguely 80s-esque, which matches the Dua Lipa-esque sound perfectly. Also the dance break in the middle was *chef's kiss*.
SERBIA (Luke Black - "Samo mi se spava"): I don't know if it's just me, but he sounds kinda off key in the beginning. However, the visuals and backup dancers "plugged into" the centrepiece lend this number a dark edge which I love. also HOLY SHIT was not expecting the boss meter in the lower corner and the "unplugging" in the bridge alongside the singer's little mischievous laugh. Fock yes. (also something tells me the staging committee was a Metal Gear fan because I can totally see the MC's from that series taking on the robo-bug creature in the background.)
FRANCE (La Zarra – "Évidemment"): Holy shit that is a tall platform. Had it confused for a tall dress/stilts combo in the beginning. But I kinda wish that was the case, instead of just the platform. Song's all right.
CYPRUS (Andrew Lambrou - "Break a Broken Heart"): Not much to write home about. Ehh. I guess they tried to do something with the fire visuals in the last chorus, but it's not really doing anything for me.
SPAIN (Blanca Paloma - "Eaea"): Nice one-woman wait in the beginning. Also love the bead curtain/tilting/hand choreo at the beginning. Camera angles are also used to great effect. Choreography throughout the rest of the song is A+, and the main singer's voice is beautiful.
SWEDEN (Loreen - "Tattoo"): Love how her outfit's kind of a throwback to her "Euphoria" costume. Also interesting staging with the low ceiling/platform/box? thing she's on.
ALBANIA (Albina and Family Kelmendi – Duje): Loving the dark, moody lighting and traditional vocals. Reminds me of their 2019 entry, which was one of my faves from that year. Everyone's voice blends together beautifully, and the BGM is top-notch. SO FUCKIN INTENSE I LOVE IT
ITALY (Marco Mengoni - "Due Vite"): That mesh top looks great on him, and the trampoline/stairs choreo is impressive. I can only imagine how much practice it'd take to nail it. Also one of the better ballads of the night.
ESTONIA (Alika - "Bridges"): Interesting choice to haul a player-piano on stage. Unfortunately, it gives me the impression she's faking it when she turns to 'play' it. (I mean, there's always the chance that the backtrack cut out for that specific moment, but still) Still a decent gimmick, esp. for a ballad.
FINLAND (Käärijä - "Cha Cha Cha"): One of my most anticipated acts of the night. And by god, does it deliver musically. Love how he's breaking out of the box at the beginning. And his pole-dancing? Love it! And the other dancers tethered around the pole are great as well. Overall, catchy as hell and visually entertaining. And apparently the lyrics are about gloryholes? Can't tell because my Finnish is rusty AF, but if so, that's funny.
CZECHIA (Vesna - "My Sister's Crown") Digging the vocal harmonies and long-ass braids. Probably one of the most in-sync groups I've seen in this competition so far.
AUSTRALIA (Voyager - "Promise"): Another one of my most anticipated, and they deliver as well. The car staging, the sparkly costumes, the flashy lights, the rock instrumentals, the breakdown, guitar/keyboard duo... it comes together SO FUCKING WELL AND I ADORE IT!!! AAAAAAAAA i fucking love this. Been looking for an excuse to check this band out for a while, and I guess this'll be it.
BELGIUM (Gustaph – "Because of You"): The sheer gay energy radiating off this guy HOLY FUCK. Can totally see this banging in a gay bar/drag show. ALso the chord progression before the synth hook is gold. Kind of a disappointment that the flashy costumes are relegated to the background visuals, though.
ARMENIA (Brunette - "Future Lover"): She's hot. Too bad the lyrics are kinda lacking/the music isn't anything to write home about.
MOLDOVA (Pasha Perfeni - "Soarele și Luna"): Dude's got moves, and the folk elements are top-notch. Also love the ladies' haistryles. Also flute guy is JAMMING the fuck out holy shit. Love the emulation of birds/buffalo/other creatures in the costumes and choreo. Great track overall!
UKRAINE (Tvorchi - "Heart of Steel"): VFX is absolutely STUNNING. The setup reminds me of My Lucky Day crossed with Heroes of Our Time. The costumes in themselves are also great, and the lyrics combined with the preamble and overall current-historical context are hella inspiring.
NORWAY (Alessandra - "Queen of Kings"): Digging the quasi-operatic vocals + "Six: The Musical"-esque costumes. Overall, a fun throwback to mid-2000s-to-2010s entries. Can deffo see myself banging this on repeat.
GERMANY (Lord of the Lost - "Blood and Glitter"): Yet another hotly anticipated act, this time from an act who I've also been meaning to get more into. The costumes weren't what I was expecting from this group, but they still look stunning. Infectious, headbang-worthy, excellently-staged, Chris Harms' vox are top-notch, lyrics are expectly what I expect from Lord of the Lost and are cheesy-yet-fun, it's overall FUCKIN SPECTACULAR. holy fuck. I have been sleeping on Lord of the Lost too much for my own good.
LITHUANIA (Monika Linkyte - "Stay"): Another ballad that's probably not much to write home about, but the backing vocal harmonies and background sigil design augment it a bit.
ISRAEL (Noa Kirel - "Unicorn"): Holy theatrical opening Batman. However, that energy doesn't really stay for the rest of the song. It kinda sounds like they're ripping off "Toy" at the beginning, only to lead into a kinda-meh chorus and beyond. Lyrics stink, and the "dance" section was kinda forced.
SLOVENIA (Joker Out - "Carpe Diem"): Love their infectious chemistry, the falling bassline in the prechorus, the guitar hook at the end of the chorus, and the fact that they're just plain having a good time. Heck yeah. You go boys.
CROATIA (Let 3 - "Mama ŠČ!"): Those costumes scream "Village People Part 2: This Time, We're Wearing Skirts". And I love that for them. I have zero idea what's going on, but I can't look away and I love it. Fuckin chaotic and hilarious. My one gripe is that the music is kinda shittily-mixed. Which probably isn't as big a deal because these guys are just here to be silly, but it does bring the performance down a bit more than I'd like.
UK (Mae Muller - "I Wrote A Song"): She's trying. That's all I can say. The music/lyrics are contrived as hell, and the choreo and VFX have already been done "better" by earlier entries.
Faves: Portugal, Serbia, Albania, Finland, Australia, Germany
Least faves: Switzerland, Cyprus, Israel, UK
Lyrics: Austria, Finland, Ukraine, Germany
Costumes: Serbia, Finland, Moldova, Germany, Croatia
Choreo: Portugal, Poland, Italy, Moldova
VFX: Poland, Serbia, Australia, Ukraine
Gimmick: Serbia, Estonia, Australia, Croatia
