Review: ZENA - Like It - Belarus
1 Day YouTube Views: 82,073
1 Day YouTube Likes: 2,521
After failing to qualify last year, Belarus return with Zena singing "Like It". Unfortunately, liking it is easier said than done.
Perhaps in the 90s, this song could have been considered current and had a small amount of success at Eurovision but even then - it's very featureless as a pop song with no catchy hook to draw people in. The track does start well, the first verse suggests it could lead into a great chorus but no, the "Yes, you gonna like it" fails to have an impact and becomes overly repetitive by the end of the song.
I personally found myself switching off, even on my first listen and I suspect the Eurovision audience might do the same. Belarus perform halfway through the first semi-final, whilst this is considered the easier of the two, it's still highly unlikely that Belarus will find a place in the Top 10 with this offering.
In terms of stats, Belarus are unusual in that their YouTube Likes to Views is extremely low, that is to say, an unusually low percentage of people clicked the 'Like' button on watching the video. Belarus has had no iTunes activity and mediocre social media follower figures. All in all, a likely non-qualifier.
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Review: Nevena Bozovic - Kruna - Serbia
1 Day YouTube Views: 73,875
1 Day YouTube Likes: 3,221
After last year's curious and suspicious qualification in the grand final by Serbia, they return in 2019 with Nevena Bozovic singing "Kruna", a bog-standard Eurovision ballad with an ethno-rock edge.
A few English words splashed in is the only clue the rest of Europe will get regarding the meaning behind this track - tracks sung in native languages must be able to convey the message to non-native speakers and unfortunately, Kruna doesn't achieve this - luckily though, Nevena is a lovely singer so we must hope that her live performances can match the vocals from the music video.
There's nothing wrong with the track per-se, but there's nothing to get excited about either. "Kruna" should go down relatively well in the Balkans but generally, the over-emoting solo female ballad feels very paint-by-numbers as a Eurovision track. Luckily for Serbia, they sing in the first semi-final, the weaker of the two, giving their chances a significant boost. I think this song should just about qualify but it will be close at the bottom of that Top 10.
With no significant social media followers, no real traction on iTunes and low YouTube stats, Serbia will very much be an also-ran on the night. My guess is "Kruna will be around 8th to 12th place in the semis and if it does qualify, won't be anywhere near the left-hand side of the board.
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Review: Eliot - Wake Up - Belgium
1 Day YouTube Views: 189,080
1 Day YouTube Likes: 7,209
Fighting with Lake Malawi for the young-male hearththrob singing an alternative song market, Belgium present Eliot for Eurovision 2019 singing "Wake Up". An unfortunate title really, and an unfortunate comparison. While "Friend Of A Friend" is instantly catchy and will bring you with it throughout - with a few exceptions, Wake Up will gently lull you to sleep.
"Wake Up" never really goes anywhere as a track, likely to be dismissed by the Eurovision audience as 'toilet' or 'cuppa' song. It's not edgy enough to be interesting and not emotionally charged enough to be relatable. The way the track progresses beyond he halfway point brought to my mind the image of a pendulum slowly swinging, it really was sending me to sleep. To add insult to injury, the song ends abruptly with no apparent attempt to close it off or raise it up in any way.
To compound the issue, concerns have been raised about Eliot's singing voice, I personally find his style rather irritating - and it's common among the likes of X-Factor-type contestants. It's "singing" in quotation marks, there is a tune, but there's no effort to flesh it out with a unique and rare talent. Sounds perhaps marginally better than what you'd hear from a local band in East London.
With all this in mind, it's beyond me why this track's YouTube stats are so strong, there is likely a reason but I don't believe it's because of the quality of the song itself. "Wake Up" appears towards the top of the tables in both Views and Likes in 24 hours. As might be expected from a handsome young man, his social media followers figures are relatively strong too.
Belgium perform in the weaker first semi-final, it's difficult to see audiences mustering much enthusiasm for this snoozefest but with such an absence of top-tier tracks in that semi, there is a possibility it could actually qualify. Very borderline but I'll say it qualifies by a whisker.
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Review: Oto Nemsadze - Keep On Going - Georgia
1 Day YouTube Views: 22,475
1 Day YouTube Likes: 1,598
Georgia are really just not getting it, after a last-place finish in 2018's semi, it seems they may be gunning for last-place again, in fact, if I had to recommend a bet - Georgia for last place would be a very solid punt indeed. Not to mention that this is a semi-final featuring D-Mol's "Heaven", so it really is saying something to make that call.
Sung in Georgian, the track starts in a low-whisper, sure to get the Eurovision audience pumped up - the track moves into some kind of quasi-military/religious chant which it never seems to break out of. The drum track appears to have little-to-no relation to the words.
Although the staging will of course be different on the night, the music video is noteworthy, Oto sings with a 1000-yard stare throughout before apparently goading people behind a barbed wire fence. After summoning strength from a few friends, Oto pulls down the fence and walks straight past the people like nothing happened. It's a depressing and confusing music video that compliments the depressing and confusing audio.
It's quite bizarre that this track was even considered as an entry, the Georgians must know this will have no appeal anywhere. "Keep On Going" has received the lowest YouTube stats in 24 hours of any track released thus far - in both Views and Likes. Social media and iTunes impact is non-existent. The easiest no-qualifier call of this year's competition.
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Review: Srbuk - Walking Out - Armenia
1 Day YouTube Views: 326,549
1 Day YouTube Likes: 14,753
Failing to qualify in 2018 with a good but not-spectacular song in "Qami", Armenia have pivoted in 2019 to a highly contemporary track suggesting that they may have their eye on the prize this time around.
"Walking Out" begins in a building, beating, brooding tone leading the whimsical "Wait for..." section before slapping the listener with the powerful chorus. The chorus really is the main event of "Walking Out" and it's easy to imagine how the staging could elevate it further to become a real spectacle. If Srbuk is able to successfully replicate the vocal gymnastics of the video - particularly in the final key-change - Armenia could be an explosive entry.
To reel it in a little - the verses are definitely a weak point, mostly in a spoken tone, they lack any sort of melody or hook. As such, "Walking Out" takes longer than it should to get going, it exceeds it's 'elevator pitch' timeframe for the Eurovision audience which is a shame, on first listen I found my attention wandering before it really began to kick off.
Armenia have received an unfortunate draw, singing first in the second semi where around 5 or 6 entries are more-or-less guaranteed. Will the audience still remember "Walking Out" 17 songs later in a semi where many of the heavy-hitters are performing in the second-half? I'm unsure and won't be betting on the To Qualify markets at this point - it'll definitely be worth monitoring the stats on the night, making sure to account for the disadvantage Armenia is like to receive as a result of the recency bias of the audience.
On the other hand, Armenia's YouTube stats are some of the strongest of all countries, over 300,000 views and almost 15,000 Likes in 24 hours is seriously good. Armenia also have one of the highest average increases in social media followers of any competitor, though this appears to have slowed down significantly in the past few weeks. Curiously, "Walking Out" hasn't featured on the iTunes chart of any country since we began monitoring.
Stats-wise, Armenia appears to be a mixed bag, only confounding the running order situation further. I'd strongly advise against anyone taking a strong position on this entry until more details are made clear such as staging and vocals. On the night of the semi-final itself you have the advantage that Srbuk will be singing first - making it easy to then compare her social media results to others.
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