David Watt – 18/05/2020
The first semi-final of the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest concluded tonight with the reveal of the ten countries who had done enough to please Europe’s jurors and televoters.
Let’s remind ourselves of the competing songs:
- Lithuania: Discoteque – The Roop
- Slovenia: Amen – Ana Soklič
- Russia: Russian Woman – Manizha
- Sweden: Voices – Tusse
- Australia: Technicolour – Montaigne
- North Macedonia: Here I Stand – Vasil
- Ireland: Maps – Lesley Roy
- Cyprus: El Diablo – Elena Tsagrinou
- Norway: Fallen Angel – Tix
- Croatia: Tick-tock – Albina
- Belgium: The Wrong Place – Hooverphonic
- Israel: Set Me Free – Eden Alene
- Romania: Amnesia – Roxen
- Azerbaijan: Mata Hari – Efendi
- Ukraine: Shum – Go_A
- Malta: Je Me Casse – Destiny
The qualifiers were announce in random order, to maintain suspense on Saturday. Contestants drew the half they would perform in, in the grand final, at the qualifiers press conference immediately after the show. This was done by pointing at the desired raffle, which the hosts pulled out for them, in order to minimise risk.
Qualifying – Norway (Second half)
After delivering a very brave and powerful performance, where Tix showed his vulnerability by taking off his trademark glasses; Norway were the first country be announced as a qualifier. I have to say this was a deserved result and the performance was polished and memorable. Having this level of polish and vulnerability may well have helped him with the juries? Meanwhile, I am sure his extravagant wings and dancing devils will surely have helped his televote performance. Combining the extravagance with his inspirational and emotional power, made this a very powerful song indeed and I believe Tix got his message of determination and acceptance out there.
“Every ugly duckling out there, will eventually grow up to be a swan”
Tix
Qualifying – Israel (First half)
After successfully hitting those whistle notes (now the highest in ESC history) Eden bagged herself as spot in the final. I am pretty sure jurors will have been impressed by those and the easy-going radio pop song is bound to have clicked with both them and maybe also people just looking for a light-hearted number at home. If you thought Eden’s notes were out of this world, she was clearly over the moon at the Qualifier’s Press Conference, thanking her dancers and team for helping her keep her nerve and pull off a performance that won’t be forgotten quickly.
“I’m blessed, I’m so grateful”
Eden Alene
Qualifying – Russia (First half)
Manizha’s song Russian Woman is a protest of female empowerment. On stage she symbolised this in many different ways and created a real vibe of inclusivity and championing people to be who they want to be. This is a message which is clearly dear to Manizha herself, who has faced some opposition in Russia due to her Tajik heritage and support for female and LGBTQ+ rights. Clearly this message resonated across Europe with the rap song (a traditionally low scoring genre with jurors), taking a jubilant Manizha to Saturday’s final.
“The final will be like my wedding”
Manizha
Qualifying – Azerbaijan (Second half)
The first of the three up-tempo numbers closing the semi, Efendi had pyro, dancing and sex appeal. Her entry last year ‘Cleopatra’, blended chant with dance pop and based around a powerful historical female figure was a big fan favourite and why break a successful formula? ‘Mata Hari’ maintained all those key elements and really seemed to work well for Efendi. However, Efendi teased at mixing things up a bit more for her grand final performance, so who knows maybe this song will be even more powerful and dynamic on Saturday.
“We love to add new things”
Efendi
Qualifying – Malta (First half)
The big show closing number from Malta, which has been high on the betting odds since its announcement, of course qualified. Similar to Russia, Destiny’s song had a clear message of female empowerment that she wanted to bring to Europe. As a former Junior Eurovision champion, Destiny is well at home on the Eurovision stage and many will be asking if her powerful vocals, stage presence and message will be enough to give Malta their first win? I would say that dream is still very possible at this stage.
“It’s all about you beautiful women out there, feeling empowered, feeling strong, feeling powerful”
Destiny
Qualifying – Lithuania (Second half)
Last year’s song ‘On Fire’ was one of the favourites to win the contest and consequently there are many watching The Roop, with the expectation of them achieving Lithuania’s highest place in the contest this year (myself included). They certainly didn’t disappoint this year either. From bright yellow outfits, contrasting against a dynamic purple backdrop; to quirky dance routine; all the way to the catchy chorus – this song screams ‘crowd pleaser’. With traditional televote friendly countries Norway and Ireland also in this semi, I’m convinced this will have been a high televote scorer and it is frankly deserved. The Roop certainly gave their all and jokingly remarked following their qualification how their next goal was simply to rest and recover.
“I see you guys are very sleepy too, but it’s normal, we are people”
Vaidotas Valiukevičius (of the Roop)
Qualifying – Cyprus (First half)
You can’t have a ‘Fallen Angel’ in the final without ‘El Diablo’ making it himself! Cyprus certainly knew what they were doing sending another ethno-bop, that may well have had people burning up like the fires of Hell with its sensual nature. Her vocals were also spot on throughout, despite the choreography heavy song giving her plenty to do. Elena likely captivated both jury and televote as a result but just as importantly had a great time doing it all!
“I think I’m having the best time in my life”
Elena Tsagrinou
Qualifying – Sweden (Second half)
Can you hear a million voters, calling out to help you? Well lately Sweden have done better more with the juries than televoters and I would expect that to be the case here but the thing is you never really know. Tusse delivered another empowering performance that you could tell meant a lot to him, about letting people express themselves and live their lives no matter our differences. After coming back from surgery on his voice and having various technical performances during rehearsal – he did a solid job, overcoming many challenges to deliver Sweden’s 10th qualification in a row.
“I dedicate it to everyone who feels lonely or feels like their voice hasn’t been heard”
Tusse
Qualifying – Belgium (First half)
As the oldest act in the competition, Hooverphonic brought class and experience to the Eurovision stage. Offering a more melancholic vibe in amongst the ‘pop bangers’ this semi had to offer, Belgium stood out and likely appealed to other audiences who maybe were more impressed with their emotional and nostalgic approach then wanting to dance the night away. Geike’s vocal will probably have been a big draw for juries too. The band also appeared to have had a lot of fun performing in the contest and certainly didn’t seem to be in “The Wrong Place” and will be a welcome addition to the final.
“Just do it. It’s a lot of fun”
Alex Callier (of Hooverphonic)
Qualifying – Ukraine (Second half)
The final song to be announced as qualifying was Ukraine’s electro-folk dance number ‘Shum’. This song using the traditional white-voice style of singing has since been trending heavily on Spotify and YouTube around Europe and the public has clearly responded to the traditional Ukrainian sounds reworked for the 21st century. The juries may well have dragged this down a bit for all we know (they seemed to struggle to understand this style of music when Poland tried it in 2019) but the wider public clearly loved it to the band’s delight.
“I cannot scream anymore”
Taras Shevchenko (of Go_A)
This leaves the unfortunate fact that Slovenia, Australia (losing their 100% qualification record), North Macedonia, Ireland, Croatia and Romania all were eliminated following this show. I of course wish them all the best with their careers – they have been great ambassadors for their countries and I am sure will have gained many new fans across the continent. It’s interesting to note that none of the Balkan countries managed to progress from this semi. Hopefully, most of your favourites made it to the final. Did you enjoy the show as much as I did and do you agree with the qualifiers outcome? Feel free to discuss with us and we will be sure to keep you updated both on the Second Semi-final and also when the full split results of these shows are revealed.
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