Review: Sergey Lazarev - Scream - Russia
1 Day YouTube Views: 300,711
1 Day YouTube Likes: 19,935
Russia purposely took their foot off the gas last year with Julia Samoylova who they pretty much abandoned. It seems they were preparing their real contestant, Sergey Lazarev for his triumphant return to avenge Ukraine robbing them of the Eurovision trophy in 2016. Sergey sings "Scream", an atmospheric number that could easily be found in a melancholic scene of a West End musical.
Sergey is a seasoned performer, he can recreate this song without difficulty - and it's likely that Russia have helped with a staging concept that only adds to the intensity of the song. I do feel however, that "Scream" is not only weaker than "You Are The Only One", but that it's not even that strong an entry altogether.
I personally found myself struggling to latch onto a part of the song where I could anticipate what would come next in order to sing along. Then you're hit with the chorus, it is sung well but lyrically it feels a little lazy and overly simplistic. I also feel the overall emotional message doesn't quite hit the mark compared to entries such as Austria and North Macedonia.
Russia are 2nd-favourite to win the entire competition this year. I personally feel that's unmerited, I would happily listen to Italy, Switzerland or Sweden over Russia's offering. Of course, it being Russia and the influence it holds with regards to its political neighbours means that you can never completely write it off. I just wasn't as impressed as I thought I'd be.
Once again, Russia's YouTube stats are very strong, they're the 2nd most charted track on the iTunes stats too. Curiously, Sergey has had a steady stream of new social media followers since we began monitoring on the 9th of March. Since then he's had over 200,000 new followers. His 7-day average increase has been impressive, around 3,800 new followers a day. By comparison, market leader The Netherlands gets around 800 new Instagram followers a day. Despite getting 3,800 new Instagram followers a day, his Twitter followers count looks completely different - he's actually lost almost 1,000 Twitter followers since the 9th of March - how very unsuspicious..!
I personally feel that Russia's price simply lacks merit. For me at least, of the 41 entries this year, this is simply not a go-to song, it isn't bad, it just isn't great. You'd be brave to lay Russia, especially at 6/1 but I won't be backing it unless it absolutely looks like it could win.
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Review: John Lundvik - Too Late For Love - Sweden
1 Day YouTube Views: 267,292
1 Day YouTube Likes: 9,468
With Benjamin disappointing in 2018, Sweden have selected John Lundvik to represent them in 2019 with "Too Late For Love". Lundvik also wrote the UK's entry so it's a safe bet he kept the better song for himself.
The entire thing feels very reminscent of Austria 2018, John is an excellent singer and he performs it very well. I think because Sweden take the contest perhaps a little too seriously, some might wish them not to do well. But surely nobody can deny that this uplifting track is a serious (potentially 'default') contender for the win. "Too Late For Love" starts slow but John is then joined on stage by gospel-esque singers in the chorus. Everyone loves gospel choirs, it's impossible to stay in a bad mood, the lights above look like sunlight and it really does just cheer up proceedings. Stick this after Iceland in the running order and you go from feeling depressed to joyful.
There's no question whatsoever that this will progress past it's semi. In my mind it's a Top 3 contender. If the Netherlands fails to hit the mark then Sweden's price could well plummet at the final hour. If I had to find fault, Sweden are such pros at this that to some it could feel a little contrived - but the average Eurovision viewer knows nothing of this sort of thing so I don't believe it will be a significant factor.
Sweden's YouTube stats are very strong and it's the 3rd-ranking act in terms of iTunes stats. They're currently around 10/1 in the outright, I think this could be a decent price to get on - the three acts ahead of it in the betting are Russia and Italy. Much of Russia's low price is because it's Russia, and Italy have a great song but it's very much untested waters with the style. Stick the Netherlands on early and Sweden stand a very good chance of winning.
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Review: Michela - Chameleon - Malta
1 Day YouTube Views: 301,821
1 Day YouTube Likes: 11,613
Failing to qualify last year, Malta return with Michela Pace singing "Chameleon", a contemporary dance track that appears to be taking the same tactical approach as other entries this year.
Malta tend to punch above their weight at Eurovision, they've certainly thrown some money at their entry this year, the music video for "Chameleon" is likely the slickest production of the all entries in 2019. In terms of song, they've made the right move in going for a contemporary track with a strong hook - but there are serious problems that need to be addressed.
The first major issue is that Malta is very much drinking from the same well as Cyprus, and in my view, Cyprus does it better. Both tracks seem to have been influenced by last year's "Fuego" and it shows - "Chameleon"'s "We are technicolour" lyric sounds very similar to the "Cos I'm burnin' up" section from "Fuego". Cyprus is a full-scale rip-off, but even so, it's still more enjoyable than Malta's entry.
The other, even more significant issue - that I can't believe has been allowed to slip through the net - is the absolutely terrible drop. The verses promise so much, the beat builds and then...not a lot, it falls flat on it's face and then moves onto the next verse as if nothing happened. Where's the chorus? Maybe the lyrics save it? No, it's just a lazy "Chama-chamelon" repeated a few times. What a waste.
Malta perform in the second half of the competitive second semi-final. They perform in the middle of a fairly dull spell of the semi between Croatia and Lithuania - both of whom I have down as non-qualifiers. Despite my misgivings about the track, it's probably contemporary enough to see them through to the finals.
The market currently has Malta as 6th favourite to win the entire competition, this feels way off in my estimation and stinks to me of Malta perhaps using dirty tactics to make it seem like more of a runner than it is. Saying that though, the YouTube hits for the official video are impressive, breaking the 300k mark with a decent Views to Likes ratio. Strangely, we don't seem to have "Chameleon" charting in any country on the iTunes charts. Something about this isn't right, we'll be watching Malta's rehearsal stats with interest.
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Review: Mahmood - Soldi - Italy
1 Day YouTube Views: 124,111
1 Day YouTube Likes: 9,727
Italy love to bring rap to Eurovision - and it seems to serve them very well indeed. The Italian language creates so much more of a seamless flow for rap than any other. Italy showed this in 2018 and now once again in 2019 with Mahmood singing "Soldi". As with last year, the song comes with a strong message and I recommend checking out our Lyrics page to get the English translation. Anyway, how will this song fare at Eurovision?
Admittedly, I didn't really get this song on the first listen but found the "Soldi" and "come va" sections stuck in my head as soon as it finished - I went in for another listen, my enjoyment increasing each time from there. This is a bold and risky choice for Eurovision - it certainly stands out among other entries in just about every way. Released as a song I think this could be a hit in the charts anywhere, the transition from spoken rap to a solid, hypnotic beat in the "Soldi" sections gives it a great contemporary feel (reminds me of the beat in Sweden's "Dance You Off").
My concern is that although it sounds great in the studio version, at Eurovision it'll be one man alone on a big stage babbling away in Italian which most of the audience won't understand - can "Soldi" make enough of an impact to form a lasting impression on the viewing public?
It's rap so we can't expect much from the melody, Mahmood is going to have to sell this himself so up-close camera angles showing his facial expressions are a must. Although this is definitely one of my favourite tracks this year, I'm not sure I agree with the betting market's assessment that places "Soldi" as 3rd favourite to win the entire competition. Juries should latch onto this and reward it adequately, but the televote is the real conundrum for me, "Soldi" even underperformed in that respect at Italy's National Final. Italy closed Eurovision last year in the pimp slot so it's unlikely they'll get that advantage for the second year running, but the ideal situation would be for the Eurovision audience to sit through 2 hours of ballads from other entrants and then for Mahmood to come on stage bringing a track that is both unique and credible.
Italy don't need to worry about semi-finals as they're a member of the 'Big 5'. In terms of a Top Big 5 market, Italy and Spain are in my opinion, the only two countries in contention. Italy have a good record with this kind of track but Spain's "La Venda" is more accessible - even so, I'd still make the call that Italy come out on top. Can Italy win though? I just don't see it, I think 3rd favourite is a little ambitious too, if the cards fall the right way on the running order draw, the staging is done right and the vocals are on point, we might possibly see a top 5 finish for Italy.
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Review: Luca Hanni - She Got Me - Switzerland
1 Day YouTube Views: 232,611
1 Day YouTube Likes: 11,832
With Zibbz failing to qualify last year, Switzerland are back with a vengeance. Luca Hanni sings "She Got Me" - an upbeat pop track that wouldn't sound out of place on an Olly Murs album...Luca even looks like Olly Murs.
As with many tracks this year, you can feel a bit of the "Fuego" in "She Got Me" but it's unique enough that it's not easy to discern exactly where. The verses build to a fabulous chorus that you can easily see being an explosive showpiece on the Eurovision stage. Luca is a seasoned professional and an excellent dancer - this track cries out for good camera work to capture the performance that he's bound to put on.
Just in terms of Eurovision-appropriateness, "She Got Me" feels like a real pick-me-up, play Slovenia and Austria a couple of times and then stick on this track and you suddenly feel alive again. Is it the most original song ever? Not really, but it toes the line between being cheap, throwaway pop and being something you can't wait to listen to. I feel that Luca is going to do a great job in Tel Aviv.
Of all the "Fuego"-influenced tracks this year, Switzerland bring the best offering. The market currently places them as 5th favourite to win - that feels fair. Top 5 should be achievable, particularly if the running order works in their favour. "She Got Me" should have no problem doing well on the televote judging by quality of the song, the stats we've gathered even at this early stage back this up. The juries, however, are a little more of an unknown, Switzerland tends to be let down by it's neighbours when it comes to garnering support.
As for the stats, Switzerland's social media follower stats are up there among the highest of all entrants. YouTube stats for the official video are strong too with a higher-than-average Views to Likes ratio. iTunes is where Switzerland has really shone though, "She Got Me" has charted in 13 countries, 7 of them in the Top 40. That's a remarkable achievement, Russia and Sweden have only charted in 9 and 8 countries respectively. Switzerland will sail through their semi-final without any problems, but will they reach their potential come the final?
Let us know what you think in the comments below.