Now that we have gone through the first semi-final (you can find my review of it here), it is time to move on to the second one. It features 16 participating countries, 10 of which will advance to the Grand Final. But which countries are they going to be?
Just like in the first semi, I haven't really heard any of the songs beforehand so these reviews will be based on first impressions. The official live versions (from national pre-selection competitions or the like) will be used whenever possible. Each contestant is rated on a five-star scale and in the end, I will list the 10 entries that I consider the most likely finalists. Alright then, let's listen to some songs, shall we?
1. Reiley - Breaking My Heart (Denmark) 🇩🇰
First we have Denmark with Reiley and "Breaking My Heart". Emulating the synth-pop revival sound that's been very popular for the past couple of years, the song fits sonically right in the genre but sadly adds little to it. As a result, "Breaking My Heart" feels like a Carly Rae Jepsen or Allie X album filler rather than a memorable anthem in its own right.
I do not think it was a good songwriting decision to make the first half of the chorus completely a capella as it abruptly kills the momentum of the song. In the live version, it also highlights how meek the vocal performance is, with the vocoder-processed backing track – perhaps mercifully – overpowering the live singing. The weak vocals, together with the fact that the baby-faced singer looks unsettlingly like a human-sized porcelain doll, make it difficult for me to buy into his credibility as an artist. This feels more like pop star dress-up than an actual pop star. (On an unrelated note, is it just me or does he look like a gender-bent Ariana Grande?)
Fun fact: Reiley is the first person from the autonomous Faroe Islands to represent Denmark on the Eurovision stage. It would actually be pretty cool if the song was in Faroese instead, which would perhaps give it some uniqueness too.
★★
2. Brunette - Future Lover (Armenia) 🇦🇲
We then move on to Armenia. "Future Lover" is a melancholic ode to, well, a future lover of the narrator. Beginning with some gentle piano and layered harmonies, the song gradually introduces orchestral strings and then without a warning, launches into a fully unexpected rap verse of sorts. The latter oddly doesn't feel quite as out of place as you might think and serves to contribute to the anxious ambience of the lyrics. Some of the lyrics do feel like a Pinterest moodboard, though:
"I just wanna make art
Read books and just find someone
Who likes me enough to kiss my face
I wanna explore with him and visit old bookstores
And cute little things, like drink smoothies at near cafes"
"Future Lover" is an interesting, theatrical tune that reminds me a lot of the quirky cabaret pop of the Danish singer Oh Land. It has a strong musical identity that I'm sure will stand out nicely. With a successful staging, this entry has potential for a pretty dramatic performance.
★★★½
3. Theodor Andrei - D.G.T. (Off And On) (Romania) 🇷🇴
Next we have the Romanian representative, Theodor Andrei. "D.G.T. (Off And On)" is a jazzy rock song with bilingual lyrics about how the narrator is being toyed around (and wants to be toyed around) by his cruel lover. The message is then driven home with some semi-kinky visual imagery.
The track has a great, sultry instrumental but outside of that, the songwriting sadly falls apart. There is so much text in the lyrics that it's exhausting to listen to the singer spitting out one wordy verse after another, never really giving us (or himself) a moment to breathe. This results in an unfortunately patchy live vocal. The song is also largely devoid of catchy melodic hooks which means that it struggles to leave an impression. Sometimes less is more, and pruning the lyrics and giving them clearer, more refined melodies would take the song to another level.
Naturally, they can no longer alter the composition, but they can (and should) revamp the staging. The incessant choreo and unimpressive tearaways currently has the appearance of a low-budget musical theatre number which is not ideal. Even here less would be more, and a more streamlined, simplified staging would immediately read as more confident.
But considering that the singer is only 18(!) years of age, perhaps this is something that will simply come with age, knowing that you do not need to fill out every second of a song with another lyric, and every second of a live performance with another rehearsed move. It is just regrettable that "D.G.T. (Off And On)" is weighed down by an excess of half-baked ideas.
On an unrelated note, the official live clip seems to be spliced together from two (or more) takes. This makes for an inadvertently funny watch because one of the dancers has a different outfit in each of the takes, meaning that starting from around 2:10 in the video, she keeps switching between different clothes whenever the camera angle changes. Its called continuity and it matters!
★★½
4. Alika - Bridges (Estonia) 🇪🇪
In the next slot in the running order we have Estonia and Alika with her song "Bridges". This is a pretty singer-songwriter piano ballad that starts soft and then grows larger and louder with additional instruments, you know the drill. The song hardly reinvents the wheel, but Alika appears to be a solid performer who knows how to deliver a strong vocal. If I may be extremely nitpicky here, I do hope she will be a bit more cautious of the way she breathes into the microphone on the Eurovision stage. But other than that, "Bridges" is an altogether serviceable, if ultimately forgettable entry in its genre.
If I am absolutely honest, my favourite thing about this is the self-playing piano. Because who can afford a backup band in this economy?
★★★
5. Gustaph - Because Of You (Belgium) 🇧🇪
Belgium's 2023 entry is a delicious throwback to '90s diva house – think Robin S, CeCe Peniston, Crystal Waters... what an era! The influences are clearly there, but how does "Because Of You" stack up against its inspirations?
The excellent instrumental has any house fan bopping along in no time, while also remembering to give the song just enough of a modern finish to make sure that it doesn't read as a pastiche. But when you create a song that so heavily borrows from house divas, known for their powerhouse vocals... you kind of an expect a house diva with powerhouse vocals. And that Gustaph is sadly not.
Now do not get it twisted, he does give a perfectly adequate, reliable performance, and he does have a nice voice. However, to me personally, he just doesn't take it all the way there in this particular genre, you know? And now I kind of keep wondering how much more convincing the lead vocals would sound like if sung by the backing vocalists instead.
The lyrics are about self-empowerment and the importance of self-love, with the musical influences and the background visuals of drag queens and voguers giving them an obvious LGBT context:
"You told me to love myself a bit harder than yesterday
Cause life is too short and we sure got to celebrate
And when the world got me going crazy
I carry on 'cause I know I'm strong"
With its uplifting message about carrying on in the face of hardship, as well as with its '90s house influences, "Because Of You" even recalls Madonna's 2015 single "Living for Love" both thematically and musically. The staging is effective and supports the message of the song well, although Gustaph's outfit is a tad on the questionable side, looking a bit like if David Rose from Schitt's Creek was given a makeover by Boy George.
Either way, this is one infectious, if a tad referential entry from Belgium that should do well enough in Liverpool. Shantay, you stay.
★★★½
6. Andrew Lambrou - Break A Broken Heart (Cyprus) 🇨🇾
"You can't break a broken heart" sings this year's Cypriot representative Andrew Lambrou, and who am I to question that. It might not be the most novel lyric out there but it does immediately convey the message of the song so I guess it works. The narrator sings about the aftermath of a toxic, abusive relationship:
"You lift me up and leave me in the gutter
Tear me up and move on to another
I’m torn apart but I am a survivor
You can’t, you can’t break a broken heart"
"Break A Broken Heart" is a midtempo power ballad set to a pulsating drum machine beat. Lyrically it's neither here nor there, with the lyrics sounding exactly like what you'd expect after seeing the thematic prompt. What it comes to the singing, I quite like the howly bit in the chorus. However, considering how heavily the vocal track is processed on the studio version, and how there doesn't seem to be an available live version to compare to, I'm curious to see how well he can actually deliver live.
★★★
7. Diljá - Power (Iceland) 🇮🇸
With another song with a message of empowerment after an unhealthy relationship, we then move on to Iceland. "Power" is a synth-pop number about reclaiming your strength after a break-up: "But I got my power in my hand / You hold no power over me". It features some great, distinct melodies and singer Diljá delivers them with a great stage presence.
But for a song titled "Power", not to mention for a song with clear drum'n'bass influences, the chorus feels strangely lacking in energy. The decision to slow a drum'n'bass beat to such a (relatively) low tempo noticably waters down its impact, strips it of the urgency characteristic to the genre, and leaves the listener waiting for a take-off that never comes to be. This is a shame as a more explosive chorus would certainly elevate the song.
★★★
8. Victor Vernicos - What They Say (Greece) 🇬🇷
Following 2022's Greek-Norwegian singer Amanda Tenfjord and her song about a toxic relationship, Greece is now represented by the Greek-Danish singer Victor Vernicos and his song about mental health issues. What a peculiar trend alert. I'm already looking forward to next year's Greek-Swedish contestant singing about substance abuse.
I appreciate that "What They Say" is a lyrically driven entry, but once you listen to them more closely, it turns out to be a much more downbeat affair than the instrumental might suggest, with the narrator trying to be there for others while having given up on himself:
"Well you know what they say
Lost souls make sure no one loses their way
Hurt ones can’t stand seeing others in pain
Oh I am both now I got too much on my plate
And I save all the others cause for me it’s too late"
But you know what they actually say? Put on your own oxygen mask first before helping others. For two years in a row, Greece has been romanticising self-destructive behaviour and I'm not here for it. Also, a 16-year-old (yes, sixteen – certainly doesn't look it, huh?) singing about how "it's too late"? The only thing you're too late for at that age is travelling on a child ticket. Geez.
The singer's vocal delivery is also doing nothing to me – it sounds as if he was taken to the recording studio five minutes from waking up after a heavy night out. I am interested to hear how he sounds live without any of the post-production that has taken place on the vocal track.
After two consecutive top-10 finishes in 2021 and 2022, I'm afraid Greece is probably looking at a considerably weaker result this year.
★★½
9. Blanka - Solo (Poland) 🇵🇱
After a bit of a controversy, Poland chose to be ended up represented by Blanka and "Solo". Accompanied by a music video coming at you with all the authenticity of an Instagram photoshoot, Blanka fittingly sounds like what a social media influencer deciding to 'be a singer' would sound like. Very rough, that is.
The live vocal from the national final performance is atrocious enough to give you second-hand embarrassment and the occasional brief moments where she simply stops singing the lead vocal and lets the pre-recorded backing track take over feel like an act of mercy.
Which is a shame, since the instrumental itself is fairly decent and has a nice, summery vibe, and I could imagine having a strawberry margarita or two to it on a sunny terrace by the water come July. Too bad it's wasted on such a mess of a song.
Bejba, it's kinda krejza (how this won).
★½
10. Joker Out - Carpe Diem (Slovenia) 🇸🇮
Next we have this year's Slovenian entry and boy is it a welcome palate cleanser. "Carpe Diem" is an uptempo indie rock number that sounds like it could've been a dance floor staple at any late-noughties alternative club. It's a great, memorable tune that has you hooked from the get-go, and feels delightfully nostalgic but still not derivative.
The live performance is excellent, too. The lead singer has a magnetic stage presence, the chemistry between the band members shows, and they all deliver the song with an infectious energy. They are there to enjoy themselves and they're inviting you to have fun with them, too. Also, props to them for singing in their native language.
For me, "Carpe Diem" is easily one of the strongest entries so far this year, and I expect that we might be looking at the best result Slovenia has had in years. Come on Europe, seize the moment and make it happen!
★★★★
11. Iru - Echo (Georgia) 🇬🇪
Georgia is one of my favourite Eurovision countries due to their uncompromising approach to the contest. From pyschedelic indie rock and culty new-wave folk to whatever "Lock Me In" was, you never know what to expect and I. Love. That. And even after 16 years, the futuristic ethno-electronica masterpiece that is "Visionary Dream" remains untoppled as my absolute favourite ESC entry of all time. So, how do Iru and "Echo" compare in my book?
Despite her young age, Iru is no stranger to performing on an international change – twelve years ago, she was in a group called Candy that went on to win the 2011 Junior Eurovision Song Contest. There does not seem to be an available live version, but the above-mentioned fact should bode well for her vocal prowess.
Blending traditional folk elements, electronic sounds, and choral backing vocals, and propelled by frenetic percussion, "Echo" has a grand sound and definitely a flair for the drama. Musically speaking, it has uniqueness that should help it stand out in a crowd (although a song like this is more likely to do better with the juries than with the televote, which could be worrying with the new televote-only semis). However, the less attention you pay to the lyrics, the better: "Life is love / Thing is known / Like in dreams". A botched Google translation or an AI outsourcing by the Georgian delegation? Your guess is as good as mine.
Either way, "Echo" is an entry that takes you on a fascinating journey. I just wished that it had better (or even, you know, comprehensible) lyrics to go with it.
★★★½
12. Piqued Jacks - Like An Animal (San Marino) 🇸🇲
I really like the amount of the indie/alternative rock in this year's song selection, with San Marino adding another entry in that category. Gone are the days of only one or two token rock songs per year, I should hope!
Having said that, of the ones I've heard so far, San Marino's is sadly the weakest one. Already during my first listen, I found myself bored of the song by the end. The lyrics are highly repetitive, nearly as so as the main guitar riff, and the song just doesn't go anywhere. What's more, the lead singer's voice sounds thin and strained in the chorus, as if he was putting on an affected voice or singing in a register he's not comfortable with. In contrast, he sounds noticeably better during the verses.
And surely it's not just me who finds the lyrics a fair bit on the predatory side?
"Come on baby, come and find me
I can smell you like an animal
Bring the party, Aphrodite
And I’ll chase you on the dance floor"
The creepy faces the lead singer pulls while performing do not help.
I don't know, "Like An Animal" is an uninteresting indie-rock-by-the-numbers track and there's just something about the chorus and the outro that really make me want to click the next song button. And you know what, I think I might do just that now.
★★
13. Teya & Salena - Who The Hell Is Edgar? (Austria) 🇦🇹
Bringing us that trademark Eurovision eccentricity, we then have Austria with "Who The Hell Is Edgar", a hilarious story about a songwriter who is possessed by the spirit of Edgar Allan Poe:
"There’s a ghost in my body
And he is a lyricist
It is Edgar Allan Poe
And I think he can’t resist"
The deadpan delivery over a dancey beat and the hymn-like backing vocals provide a humorous juxtaposition with the absurdity of the lyrics and a silly repeated hook line. In that sense, I would place this in the same box as for example last year's "Give That Wolf A Banana".
Some shade is also thrown at the frequently contested music streaming royalties: "Zero dot zero zero three / Give me two years and your dinner will be free". Taken further, perhaps the whole thing is a witty allegory for ghostwriters so commonly used in music? Ooh, layers.
Thankfully, "Who The Hell Is Edgar?" is a solid tune as well, with an uptempo electropop instrumental that slaps and makes the song a potent earworm. I can already imagine hearing the entire arena join the "Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe" chant!
★★★★
14. Albina & Familja Kelmendi - Duje (Albania) 🇦🇱
If there is one thing that Albania loves (and we love Albania for), it's a female powerhouse vocalist belting out a good old Balkan ballad. And this is exactly what we're getting this year as well – except this time, the singer brought her entire family onstage with her! Fittingly so, as the song is apparently about a family struggling to stay together in a difficult time.
The Kelmendis sound like a family of seasoned performers and you feel comfortable as a viewer watching them. There's no need to worry about whether they hit the right notes and deliver them well or not which, quite frankly, cannot always be taken for granted on the Eurovision stage. Not even in this semi-final...
What does worry me, however, is that "Duje" is not an immediate song. It grows, and it takes several of listens to do so. It doesn't offer the listener many catchy hooks to latch onto. That is naturally a risk in a setting where the average viewer will hear the majority of the songs for the first time when watching the show. It is also very traditional in sound, some might even say 'old-fashioned', which will probably hamper its chances to a great extent.
Regardless, what makes the Eurovision Song Contest so special every year is its celebration of musical and cultural diversity, and it is precisely because of this that I think we should welcome entries like this; entries that genuinely give us a taste of the local flavours and languages. I'd much rather have that over a homogenous wall of indistinguishable English-language radio pop.
★★★
15. Monika Linkytė - Stay (Lithuania) 🇱🇹
Following 2022's phenomenal Monika Liu, Lithuania has now chosen to send a rather similarly-named Monika Linkytė and her song "Stay". It starts as a piano ballad but starting from the first chorus onwards, incorporates some percussion and beautiful backing vocals that inject life into the track. The "Čiūto tūto" line recited throughout is a sort of meditative line drawn from Lithuanian folk music and the way it is chanted in a semicircle during the outro is reminiscent of last year's mesmerising "Saudade, saudade".
"Stay" is a mellow mid-tempo pop song with gospel influences and it makes for a pleasant listen. Singer Monika Linkytė gives a proficient performance, as do the soulful backing vocalists. The entry does not reinvent the wheel and is probably not distinctive enough to end up fighting for the top spots, but it should still be a decently comfortable qualifier all the same.
★★★
16. Voyager - Promise (Australia) 🇦🇺
Finally we have Australia, whose current five-year participation deal in the contest is on its last year. Gasp! Although considering Australia's good track record in the past eight years since their 2015 debut (and on the other hand, the contest's demonstrated desire to go more global), I think it's fairly safe to say that it's only a matter of time before they either renew Australia's participation for another set period, or simply give them a permanent slot in the roster altogether.
This year even Australia has been bitten by the rock bug, having internally selected the progressive metal band Voyager to represent them in Liverpool. Opening with a plucky synth riff and finger snapping, "Promise" really takes off in the guitar-heavy chorus true to its genre. There's an element of unpredictability to the song, with somewhat erratic melodies often changing direction and pace mid-line. For example, the demonic "Promise me it’s gonna be al-RIGHT" at the beginning of the bridge caught me off-guard got a chuckle out of me.
Having been assigned the last spot in the running order, Australia has been given a prime opportunity to close the second semi-final with a bang, and I have no doubts about their ability to do just that. The wailing guitar/keytar solos leading into the final chorus in particular have an extremely anthemic feel to them and I can't wait to see and hear how hard "Promise" goes off on the Eurovision stage.
★★★★
Prediction time
Okay, now that we've gone through all 16 semi-finalists, it is time to make some predictions about who we will be seeing more of come Grand Final. There is one more contestant in this semi-final than in the first one but even then, the total number of participants is at its lowest since 2014, which means that mathematically, the odds for qualifying are slightly better for everyone than usually.
These are entries that I consider shoo-ins for the final:
- Australia's explosive prog-metal number gets to close the show and will do show on such a high note that they are pretty much automatically in the final. I promise.
- Austria has an infectious banger that is a serious contender for the semi-final winner with the newly introduced televote-only voting.
- Rounding off the A team is Armenia, whose theatrical entry should stand out nicely. A future winner? Nah, but a finalist for sure.
These are likely safe qualifiers:
- I can see Europe lapping up what Greece is serving. And you know what they say? 12 points from Cyprus go to Greece!
- I think Slovenia will qualify to seize another day. They have a solid indie rock number and a charismatic group of performers, which should be more than enough. This is perhaps my favourite entry of the second semi-final.
- Belgium has a fun, catchy tune that will probably duckwalk right through to the final.
Then we get to the borderline qualifiers, which is frankly half of the line-up:
- If the singer can deliver a serviceable vocal performance, I could see Cyprus qualifying. But those high notes do need to be on point. The guaranteed 12 points from Greece will not hurt.
- Lithuania could honestly go both ways, but it should benefit from its fairly favourable slot in the running order.
- I quite like Albania, but it could be too traditional for the general public. On the other hand, there's not all that much competition in the ethno/folk category, which might play in their favour.
- Georgia is a total wildcard for me. It's sonically exciting but lyrically absolutely nonsensical. I feel like its chances come entirely down to the staging that we are yet to see.
- Denmark has a cute little synth-pop number but I do not feel confident in singer Reiley's vocals.
- Iceland's drum'n'bass-lite entry "Power", on the other hand, is vocally strong, but instrumentally speaking the song fails to live up to its name.
- Estonia has an adequate piano ballad that will sadly be overshadowed by the similar but much more memorable Armenian entry.
- Romania has a nice instrumental but it's lyrically too overstuffed, vocally too inconsistent, and staging-wise too lacklustre.
And finally, it's an exit through the gift shop for these:
- In the rock category, San Marino pales in comparison to both Australia and Slovenia.
- Poland will be sitting this year's final out solo, to nobody's chagrin.
Hmm, that was surprisingly hard... but mainly because to me, the most competitive bracket here were unfortunately the borderline qualifiers. Only a few of the entries here properly stand out and I can't help feeling that a sizable share of them, should they qualify, will simply sink to the right side of the scoreboard in the final. But as we well know, it all ultimately comes down to the live performances, so everything could still change.
Anyway, those were my thoughts – thank you for reading! I'm already looking forward to seeing how our Grand Final line-up will look like. Make sure to tune in!
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