I blame Sakis Rouvas’ travelator and magnetic boots. And the dreadful mixing that appeared to blight every song in last night’s Eurovision 2009 second semi-final. Far from being the better qualifying heat, all if did was to highlight songs which didn’t rely too much on an electronic sound. Yes, just as with the first semi on Tuesday there was spectacle, but for the second time, one of my favourites didn’t make it through.
Zoli Adok representing Hungary really should be there on Saturday evening. Last night, the song was still one of the best, but the backing track seemed all over the place, with the weak vocal levels which had blighted the night’s proceedings up to that point suddenly too strong. The result wasn’t flattering; his vocals were just audible, the backing vocals too overpowering, and the backing track sounded lost in the fabled disco that he sings about in Dance With Me.
Before the last qualifier was announced, the fight was thought to be between Adok and Rouvas from Greece, and, unsurprisingly, it was Rouvas who got through. With countless singles and albums to his name, once more it shows that an artist’s pop status in Europe plays a part in the competition. His performance wasn’t any better than Adok’s, and although he used more stage craft for his weaker song, he’s a Eurovision legend, and that’s more than likely what cemented his place in the final.
But, my other favourites Moldova and Estonia qualified, as did likely winner Alexander Rybak from Norway. Fiddling for all he was worth, Fairytale was popular in the arena, and seeing it among all the other 41 songs last week at preview night, it does have victory written all over it. It’s not my overall favourite, though; Svetlana Loboda and Ukraine have the best song in the competition, and the disjointed but excellent Be My Valentine (Anti-Crisis Girl) will be there on Saturday, too, Loboda’s spectacle last night guaranteeing her a place.
Just as on Tuesday, though, there were some real qualifying surprises. Slow songs from Croatia and Lithuania are through, as are Albania, Azerbaijan and Denmark with their more uptempo numbers. So, the stage is set for one of the most intriguing Eurovision finals since my love for the contest was reignited, with enough of my favourites left in the competition to make it genuinely exciting.
Top five? It’s no use ignoring Rybak and his fiddle; he must be unstoppable now, but second place deserves to go to Loboda and Ukraine (for the third consecutive year), with Malena Ernman and Sweden a close third. I predict Sakis Rouvas and Greece in fourth – he’ll be a strong contender – with Hadise and Turkey in fifth.
Estonia and Spain will also do well, even though we’ve not seen the latter’s performance yet, and the former will be performed in native tongue. The best balladeers are Iceland’s Johanna and Malta’s Chiara who may score highly, such is the usually erratic Eurovision voting. All this will be wholly inaccurate of course; to find out who sings to victory, tune in tomorrow night.
Tags: Culture, Eurovision, Music