10) Gaja-Justyna Steczkowska| Poland 🇵🇱
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXHHDjiclxA
This year, Poland struck hard (didn't they, Luna?) by sending Justyna Steczkowska (30 years after her first participation). The song is captivating and very dynamic. On top of that, Justyna has an extraordinary, powerful voice. Her range spans 4 octaves! From start to finish, the song keeps me on the edge of my seat, and the live version is better than the studio version (that's an excellent point!) The staging is perfect (it's a bit too much of a mess) BUT Justyna screams too much for my taste... and it wouldn't be asking too much of her to make an effort with her articulation - you can't understand a thing!
We've got to do something about that before we're overtaken by Albania!
9) maman-Louane| France 🇨🇵
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj2DTSLcNnI
France continues to play it safe with Louane this year! As usual, Louane delivers a powerful and moving ballad in tribute to her mother! A gentle but dynamic song that gets the job done! But it's not catchy enough (it's still just Louane), and it's surprising, despite her stunning entrance at the Stade de France!
8) Strobe Lights-Red Sebastian| Belgium 🇧🇪
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScupiVTosHU
Belgium has got the message! The song, with its electro-pop style, is a real crowd-pleaser! Red Sebastian's powerful vocals combine perfectly with the mood of the song! Unfortunately, it's always the same thing: it's not very surprising. Once you've heard the first verse, you already know the whole song!
7) Serving-Miriana Conte|Malta 🇲🇹
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLVSwfRRvMA
It's a lovely song, very catchy and Miriana has a beautiful voice. The lyrics are both funny and COMPLETELY WRONG because of the BBC! The BBC decided to piss us off and demanded that they replace ‘Kant’ (the original title) with something else because ‘serving kant (singing in Maltese)’ sounds like ‘serving c*nt’ (which means something else) BUT IT'S NOT THE CASE! THE WORDS WERE NOT THAT; Now the sound is ruined and if you don't have the reference for the whole thing you can't understand the video clip, even if it's very well done.
6) Espresso Macchiato-Tommy Cash| Estonia 🇪🇪
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MS_Fczs_98
I know I'm going to make some enemies on this one... But it's bloody funny! Tommy Cash, the Estonian king of Eurovision, I've been looking forward to this moment! The song is very funny, very captivating and makes me want to dance. The lyrics are just right, a perfect Italian cliché, and whatever the RAI says, for me it's a YES! Well, the vocals just need a bit of work (live) otherwise it won't go down too well ....
