Eurovision 2013: Semi-final 1
16 May, 2013 10:42 PM
Baku called last year after Ell & Nikki won the contest with their duet "Running Scared" in Düsseldorf. 42 acts competed on Azerbaijan's hosted contest last year yet it was Loreen's epic "Euphoria" which was awarded with the title, collecting 372 points, the second-highest point total in the contest's history, just below Alexander Rybak's 387 points for "Fairytale". This year, 38 countries have flown to Malmö to join Idol Sweden's Robin Stjernberg. 16 acts will be performing tonight, with only 10 of them making it to the Final. Important to note, the following post only features 8 performers, with 3 additional honorable mentions. Did your favourite made it?
Videos after the jump ...
8 - Roberto Bellarosa
(Belgium)
"Love Kills" - Through to the Final - You may recognize him from the site's header. Roberto won the first season of The Voice Belgium and judging by his performance, it's hard to know why. His creepy look and aged Justin Bieber style put me off. What he's got in his favour is his song, while not an instant hit, it's got a nice hook and catchy chorus, if not cheesy, very suitable for Eurovision. The beginning had to be the best part, it almost sounded like Swedish House Mafia's "Save the World". Could The Voice winner take the prize home? Unlikely.
7 - Birgit
(Estonia)
"Et uus saaks alguse" - Through to the Final - Birgit Õigemeel is Eesti otsib superstaari (Estonian Idol) first winner and probably the most successful contestant from the Estonian franchise. The song, which translates to "So there can be a new beginning", doesn't go anywhere but her delivery is so pretty that it's hard not to like it. Unfortunately, her masterful vocals aren't enough to carry it and it's sad to see her getting such a middler song considering how talented she is.
6 - Aliona Moon
(Moldova)
"O mie" - Through to the Final - She went from backing vocalist of 2012's Pasha Parfeny to taking center stage with a song composed by her predecessor. The beautiful song is in Romanian and translates to "A thousand". I never realized how pretty this language sounds, it's incredibly melodic, yet there's something quite captivating about it. It has some issues, there's a little too much of almost everything, but Aliona's great vocal performance sells the tune. The Samantha Jade borrowed dress still looks pretty cool the second time around.
5 - Natália Kelly
(Austria)
"Shine" - Eliminated - Natália, born in the USA, is no stranger to the musical business. When she was younger, she got signed to Universal as part of children group Gimme 5, some years later, she received a recording contract from Alexander Kahr after winning The Voice, a singing competition not related to the international franchise. The first song with hit potential of the night. Her soulful, slightly jazzy, voice works perfectly with the dark-ish song. Unfortunately, it's hard for such a gem to shine on Eurovision . "Shine" didn't shine. It got nothing to do with the performance, Natália did a terrific job with it, but it was a tad forgettable and performing first didn't help her cause.
4 - Dina Garipova
(Russia)
"What If" - Through to the Final - Another recognizable face. Dina was the first winner of Голос (The Voice of Russia), a show we tried to cover on the site, yet failed at it (there's always next year though!). She's singing the mandatory Eurovision ballad. Don't get me wrong, it's perfectly executed and exactly the way I envisioned her career after the show. Yes, it's lyrics are cheesy but the anthemic feel of it is exactly what this show is all about. I could see this song among the Top 5.
3 - Who See
(Montenegro)
"Igranka" (Игранка) - Eliminated - WTF I have just witnessed? One of the greatest performances in Eurovision history? Or one of the worst? It certainly was genius. The two rappers are dressed as astronauts while the singer, Nina Žižić, kills every single note. Someone get her a record deal already! More importantly, the song sounds like a hit, something that can be actually marketed on radio. Only reason I didn't charted it #1 was because the rappers weren't great, had they been better, they'd be higher. Of course, a dubstep song fronted by a hip hop duo does not appeal to the Eurovision public, who eliminated this highly entertaining act.
2 - Anouk
(The Netherlands)
"Birds" - Through to the Final - Just like Who See's "Igranka" this isn't a typical Eurovision performance. Anouk is one of the biggest Dutch stars and it's always a pleasure seeing this uberly talented woman perform. Tonight, she marked the Netherlands' first qualification in 9 years to the Final with her unique co-write, which was more of a story than a song. Gorgeously written and performed very passionately, this is the type of songs that should be awarded a win, not the ones with the catchiest melody. She made me feel inside a 19th century London set movie, impressive.
1 - Emmelie de Forest
(Denmark)
"Only Teardrops" - Through to the Final - At this point, Emmelie is the front runner. She's not only the odds-on fave but also the one earning more fan praise. And rightfully so. Just like Loreen's "Euphoria" last year, her song is fantastic. It's perfectly written, it's got a killer chorus and her delivery is pretty epic. Plus it's super catchy, in a good way. The flute adds a lot to the melody and despite barely audible, it makes it sound a lot better. Props for Denmark, their songs always have great quality but I think they topped themselves this time.
Honorable Mentions
Moje 3
(Serbia)
"Ljubav je svuda" (Љубав је свуда) - Eliminated
Zlata Ognevich
(Ukraine)
"Gravity" - Through to the Final
Despina Olympiou
(Cyprus)
"An me thimasai" (Aν με θυμάσαι) - Eliminated
Eliminated
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May 29, 2013 at 3:16 AM
I went nuts over Nina's performance as well, actually going as far as trying to find any music by her. I eventually found some stuff from 2009, and I was a bit surprised: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=limnUcN3_XA
It's very good, but her Igranka performance was better because it was so original and stood out (and she wasn't off-key at all unlike some of the ballad singers).