Eurovision 2018

[Fox]

No ESC 2K18 thread yet?
Let's change that!



The second semi-final ran off yesterday, which means we now have the 26 finalists for the contest tomorrow.
In case you missed the first or second semi-final, here's a quick recap of all the songs through.

So... Who's gonna win?
You're all free to share your predictions, and make call out who you think did the best job!

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Cross-posting from last years thread..

I wonder what the reactions will be when the Russians are performing there since Putin occupied the Krim and the other trouble he caused in the east of the country

Mother Russia got karma served this year.
After the Ukrainian "ban" on Julia Samoylova last year, resulting in Russia not participating in Eurovision, they decided to play "smart" and send her again.
In case you haven't figured, it was a clear provocation towards Ukraine, since Russia was well aware that Julia was banned from entering Ukraine, but in their twisted minds they thought "But surely they wouldn't disallow a handicapped person, crushing her dreams..".
Well, the gig is up Russia.
By sending a disabled below-average singer - yet again - they broke their perfect streak of making it to the finals.

Watch for yourself, but don't cut her slack because she's in a wheelchair.
You should never be selected because of pity.

Oh, and in case you don't get the reference as to why she's sat so high up, check the official video:
https://youtu.be/bgBwbr_fUxA?t=170
(This is also a huge reason as to why pitch-correction is not allowed in ESC)

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UPDATE
The was the end result of the competition.

[The Mailbox]

Re: Eurovision 2018

everything is bad

[Fox]

Re: Eurovision 2018

everything is bad

That's a very negative approach to an otherwise positive event.

When judging the songs in the final, you have to take several factors into account.

First, and foremost, there's the song aspect.
Is it catchy? Is it radio-friendly? Is it a hit that will get stuck in your head?

Secondly there's the singing aspect.
Is the person a good singer? Can he/she actually sing without vocal correction? Is the person talented?

Lastly you need to judge the performance delivered by the artist on stage.
Were you entertained? Did it make an impression? Did the performance support the general message trying to be sent across?


Personally I have had the Israel contribution stuck in my head, ever since the first semi final.

It's catchy, it's groovy, it's foolish, and it sure will brighten your day.
But while these "funny songs" often are lacking the technical requirements needed to be a true winner, Netta shows that she sure has the voice of a top finalist [2:35].


When talking about strong voices, another important (and strong) competitor this year is Madame Monsieur.

French is a très belle language.
It's the only language where you can get away with literally singing "My name is Thank You" over and over in the chorus, and still have a top notch hit.
In case the "Mercy" song didn't catch your attention, go have a listen to the lead singer Emilie have a go with a French traslated Portuguese song.
Beware - this may make your heart melt.. :heartbounce:
https://youtu.be/NOuE9l2aWzI?t=7080


Another song which made a big impression on me, was without a doubt the Moldovian contribution.



The gypsie-esque upbeat melody, compared with an entertaining stage choreography hit a homerun in my heart.
Their vocals, though not the strongest, suits the style of the song very well, and I'm in absolute love with Sergiu Mîța's (Blue Guy) unique high-pitch voice, and his cute Eastern European accent.


My biggest luck goes out to all of these people, and while the Chypriote song, Fuego, is heavily tilted towards being the winner this year, it didn't make enough of an impression for me to list it here.
Maybe things will change in the Final.. :p

[LihiPorat1]

Re: Eurovision 2018

Y'all better talk nicely about our Chick from Israel. Celebrations are already being prepared!

[The Mailbox]

Re: Eurovision 2018

That's a very negative approach to an otherwise positive event.

i know its a very negative approach, ive listened to most of the songs i can honestly say i like almost none of them

[The Mailbox]

Re: Eurovision 2018

i may not like the music, but its still very exciting so see who will win. 6 hours until the finals start

[Fox]

Re: Eurovision 2018

Another important thing we have never discussed, is the fact that we're going to have a down-right awesome Scandinavian party tonight.
All of the three Scandinavian countries advanced through, upholding the Scandinavian dominance at the Eurovision.
Had Iceland advanced as well, we would've had the ultimate Nordic party, but, as stated earlier, their song just didn't stand.

Denmark | Rasmussen - Higher Ground

Call me biased, but this song is extremely good.
It stands out from the rest of the bunch, and it has an important message to get across.
The song also contains some actual Icelandic lyrics. That should fall in good ground on this board! :)
I'm of course talking about the bit at [1:03] and [2:14] where the choir goes "Taka stökk til hærri jörð", which translated means "Take a leap to higher grounds".
Why Icelandic, you may ask. Well, simply because the language we spoke during the viking era (Old Norse) is closer to Icelandic than Danish now a days.
You could argue that Danish language has been too influenced by the neighbors England and Germany.
Anyways... The stage-show could probably be improved, but as others have pointed out at several other occasions - less is more. (sometimes)

Norway | Alexander Rybak - That's How You Write A Song

Alexander is a true Prince Charming. Would you believe he is almost 32?
He proved in 2009 that he's definitely a force to be reckoned with, when he won the competition with his song Fairytales.
Some would complain that it's a cheap shot to send him again, but hey, if it worked before why not try again.. ;)
Regarding the song this year, I think it's pretty good.
The happy tunes are always a favourite with the crowd, but even though you got a producer to write you some lovable beats, you shouldn't skip across the song-write aspect of things.
"Step one; believe in it, and sing it all day long.
Step two; just go with it, and that's how you write a song!"
Dear god, is writing songs really this easy now a days?
Don't take offence, but lyrics like these sounds like something LazyTown could come up with - that being in their late stage with Chloe and the "break it down" thingys.

He does score a few points back with his cheeky little violin trickeries, but hey, after 2009 he shouldn't rely on this party-trick any longer.

Sweden | Benjamin Ingrosso - Dance You Off



Another ladies man. Thank god they didn't send an immigrant.
Jokes aside, this song ticked almost all of the boxes for me.
Relaxed beat, cliché love-story lyrics, and a sweet stage-show to entertain the crowd.
The Daft Punk inspired melody makes for a good mix with his voice, and with looks like that he shouldn't be worried about issues here in life.
A small complain from my already sore butt could arguably be that Benjamin is relying a bit too heavily on the backing singers.
His dance moves are sure to melt any teen girls heart though, so prepare for underage votes to be dropped. :p

Finland | Saara Aalto - Monsters



This one I love.
You're free to call be biased, yet again, because as a Dane we've been fortunate enough to have this song blasted through the radio for the last couple of weeks already.
The beat is very contemporary, and therefor also very radio friendly.
Saara has already proved to everyone that she has an amazing voice, and with her second-place in X Factor UK 2016, there really isn't much to discuss here.

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I know I didn't state this earlier, when listing the most important aspects for a good winner song, but you certainly shouldn't forget about LYRICS.
The reason I didn't list it, is because it makes absolutely no difference to songs these days.
You can have a song with words combined that makes no sense, but a kick-ass melody and beat behind, and it will surely reach the top of the lists.
You can also have a meaningful and deep text, but a boring and uninspiring beat to back it up, and be sure to be placed in the bottom of things.

Keeping that in mind, I need to give my two bits on the text from a great song this year.

Freeze the arrow in the air
Make your mark and leave it hanging there
Be the first to turn around
Take the leap to land on higher ground

The lyrics are based on the tale of the viking Magnus Erlendsson, who during the brutal viking era, chose not to participate in raids, but rather seek for peaceful solutions to his conflics.
"Be the stronger one and walk away" is a really good rule to live your life by, and when this message comes from no other than VIKINGS, you know there's something about it.
You can read more about Magnus Erlendsson here: The strange case of the Viking who refused to fight

If this strong message alone did not make you fall even more in love with the Danish contribution, do me a favour and watch this video.
If you're only going to watch one single video from this post, make it this one. You will not be disappointed.


↑↑ CLICK HERE FOR BLUE EYES GALORE ↑↑

[Fox]

WTF
That guy stole the mic from her!
Didn't understand what he said, but it was probably some Brexit related..

[The Mailbox]

Re: Eurovision 2018

Didn't understand what he said, but it was probably some Brexit related..

sounded like "nazis of the uk media" and thats what people are saying was said

[The Mailbox]

Re: Eurovision 2018

According to the Australian fans fb page - it said something about Freedom in the media

some newspaper said its "Nazis of the UK media, we demand freedom."

[Fox]

Surie handled it so good. The song suddenly got so much more passion and meaning.
She got my vote.

[Fox]

Congratulations to Israel

[StingX]

Re: Eurovision 2018

This is the best that Europe has to offer? It has chicken clucking as part of the performance.
Also, Israel is European? :hmm..::hmm..::hmm..:

[Ludwig]

Re: Eurovision 2018

I liked the most Denmark, Austria, Norway, and Spain. Also Estonia was impressive with her voice and dress.
And congratulations Israel, although i don't really care who wins, i just enjoy the show :)

[Ludwig]

Re: Eurovision 2018

Eurovision has submitted way more ridiculous songs than this such as Dustin the Turkey.

Made me remember this

Amazing