aijamisespava
KitKat...or Aija...or a strange third thing
The American Eurovision fan that writes stories. She is also a Swiftie.
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One Nice Thing About Each Eurovision Country Part 2
Now that I have Semi-Final 1 (plus voting countries) in the previous post, here are the countries for Semi-Final 2!
Malta: Can we say RIGHT NOW that Sarah and everyone behind "Loop" is putting their all into this song? With that, the song is 110% a full package!
Albania: This song is a total fit for the hype playlist!
Greece: I don't know about you guys, but I REALLY want to go to Greece whenever I hear this song!
Switzerland: Speaking of full packages...Switzerland came to PLAY you guys!
Czechia: We all know your girl does in fact love a self-love anthem!
France: The vocals are flawless and work with the ballad!
Austria: This is the song of the summer. This one.
Denmark: The combination of powerful vocals and groovy music makes for a wonderful entry!
Armenia: This. Song. Is. So. Much. FUN!
Latvia: In a year with a LOT of higher energy songs (this can also be said about Serbia and Portugal in part 1), it's nice that Latvia is giving us a moment to catch our breath.
Spain: This is such a fun, empowering song that's easy to get stuck in my head!
San Marino: UNDERRATED! This song is just such a GREAT rock entry!
Georgia: Vocals are great, the song is easy to dance to as well!
Belgium: You already know...this song has a KICK!
Estonia: This is a banger. I've also had this song get stuck in my head a couple of times...
Italy: I never in my life thought that a song about boredom would be so fun and NOT BORING!
Norway: GOD THIS SONG IS EPIC. It's got cinematic quality!
Netherlands: This song is the definition of Eurovision. You can say that now.
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One Nice Thing About Each Eurovision Country Part 1
This post is rather self-explanatory. I just say one nice thing about the 35 entries I ranked. Spreading good vibes with this mini-series! *sorted by semi-final*
Cyprus: We all know when Cyprus brings a song like "Liar" that they are in their element! They know how to do their summer hits!
Serbia: This song is beauty as music. It's truly cinematic.
Lithuania: For some reason, I feel this is a great fit for a hype playlist. Am I the only one that thinks this?
Ireland: This is an EXPERIENCE. A full package, and it's great to see Ireland send something different!
United Kingdom: This is a very good bop and I can see why Olly Alexander is established!
Ukraine: When I listen to this song, I feel very empowered.
Poland: Underrated bop. It tickles my brain in a good way.
Croatia: It's funny, tickles my brain like Poland (cat lyrics)
Iceland: HERA QUEEN! It's a very easy song to get stuck in your head.
Germany: Great voice, deserved to win (but so did many other entries), and his LIVE VOCALS?
Slovenia: VOCALS VOCALS VOCALS! It's very cinematic!
Finland: A fun entry! Don't overthink it!
Moldova: I have a soft spot for instrument solos (and as an ex-violinist...). Plus the chorus (dudududududududuMWAH!)
Sweden: Another song that is easy to get in my head. Plus, the choreo is rather neat!
Australia: THE VOCALS! It feels like such a new song!
Portugal: This song has great ambiance!
Luxembourg: A powerful return to the contest and rather historical!
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My Eurovision 2024 Unpopular (?) Opinions
Hello everyone! And welcome to what's probably an anticipated post (which could get long), the part of the season where I put together my unpopular opinions (which could be popular, but also may be hot takes) and share them for y'all to disagree (or agree) with me passionately!
To begin, I have a couple of disclaimers. For one, I'm going to try and stay positive, but there is at least one that is going to sound negative (which I will get out of the way first). And second, I noticed that while I have a couple of opinions about the Eurovision songs, this may lean more toward National Final territory as I have some opinions about that. So let's get to it!
*The Negative One*: I didn't get the hype for "My AI" or "KABOOM!!!!" - As I was listening through the national final songs and looking at other people's rankings, one BIG contrast is that I would have ranked the two songs mentioned lower than others have. I don't know what it was, but those songs were not for me. However, I'm glad that people did like them.
Serbia NF: "Duga je noć" > "Novi Plan Drugi San" - Don't get me wrong, I liked NPDS (Filip Baloš' NF song last year). It's a very catchy bop that made #33 on my Wrapped last year. But I don't know what it is but I really REALLY liked Duga je noć. As in it was flip-flopping with "Ramonda" for my top spot in this year's NF ranking. Was it the hype I was feeling that Filip was going to give us another banger this year? I doubt it because the effects would have worn off by now and it...hasn't. Come to think of it, I also liked Konstrakta's song AND Zorja's song this year more than their previous songs...
I...don't think Croatia's going to win. As much as I've caught onto the "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" hype and would not be opposed to Baby Lasagna winning in May, I'm not entirely sure if that's going to happen. I'm just really worried about how the juries are going to treat him. Especially with a few jury friendly songs potentially in the mix. I see him getting a good finish though, maybe even getting close to or surpassing Croatia's best finish (with some help from televoting!).
San Marino SLAPPED this year! If you read my first impression of San Marino's song this year, you may have seen this coming. While I am worried about their qualification chances, even understanding that they may not qualify, I'm not letting that rain on the fact that I LOVE "11:11." The song is chaotic in the best way possible, and I also just love the rock elements!
"The Tower" > "Witch-er Tarohoro" - Okay, now I've heard both of them and feel I should add this. The Tower just clicked with me more, although both songs would have great staging potential either way. *side note: this was an internal selection...and we were still ticked about it...? just something I wanted to get off my chest thank you moving on*
Spain had the best NF. While I can see arguments for a few other countries, I'm still set on Spain having the best National Final this year. I liked all the songs, and even if my least favorite won, I would still be like "ooh yes that's a good one!" Basically, if someone played the Benidorm Fest playlist when handed the aux cord, I'd let them play!
Semi Final 2 is the bloodbath. This probably toddles the line between unpopular opinion and not, but there are so many great songs that were put in Semi Final 2. I mean we have Switzerland, Austria, Greece, Belgium, Estonia, Norway, Netherlands, Armenia, Denmark, along with others that I've seen ranked higher than others. Someone in that list is going to shock NQ, and we will likely be talking about that on May 9 after the Second Semi is done. Of the hard-hitters in Semi Final 1, we have Croatia, Slovenia, Finland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Serbia, and Ireland. We may have a shock Q in that list (are these lists biased? Maybe a little. Apologies...).
As for my Shock NQ and Shock Q: I feel like the shock Q will be...Moldova. I just have a gut feeling about that one. I would say Luxembourg here, but I have the feeling people are going to be voting HARD for "Fighter" to welcome them back (which isn't a bad thing at all!). My Shock NQ is...Denmark. It pains me to say it as I like "Sand," but being right after "We Will Rave" which is a fan favorite, and then the super fun piece "Jako" coming right after, I worry that it could get lost in the mix. I've seen people worried about Estonia for some odd reason, but I don't see it. The only thing that could hinder their chances is going after "Before The Party's Over" (which reverse situation for why I'm worried about Belgium NQ'ing). IMO, both songs will qualify rather safely.
For my final one (9 is my lucky number): This year is ranking really high in my list of Eurovision years...like 2015 close. For those new here, 2015 is my favorite Eurovision year. I liked all the songs, even down to my least favorite. And funny enough, Belgium was also my winner that year, which then led to Belgium's representative becoming one of my favorite artists (if anyone has any Mustii song recs PLEASE DROP THEM! I heard "It's Happening Now" and am welcome to dive deeper!)! This year is so stacked with great songs where I could probably come up with a nice thing to say about each entry! Maybe I should try that sometime...
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I Have A Weird Request
So....I have this notebook where I put music rankings. With that, Eurovision has pages in the notebook. It's a super cool thing that I'm proud of.
Well, this year, I ranked them and doodled the flags and an emoji I saw on an Instagram post from ESC News.
However, because I needed the ranking to have 2 columns (35 songs in 25 lines), I have room for National Final favorites. Which is where you come in. I have some emoji ideas for a few songs but would love input.
The songs I put in were (with emoji idea in parenthesis like so):
Drowning In The Rain by Krick (rain cloud)
My Friend by Ollie
Red Flag Parade by MYDY (look at the title...RED FLAG)
Sé Quién Soy by Angy
Duga je noć by Filip Baloš (cigarette for lyric "Može cigareta")
Dreamer by Mélovin (thought bubble?)
Oh Boy by Ryk
Naiv by Marie Reim
FOMO by Cecilia
Wild Card by Gail (a card...title)
Dancing With Demons by Cyan Kicks (devil emoji?)
Believer by Joel Marques
Wild West by Bashar Murad
Suggestions are welcome, level of difficulty doesn't really matter because it's just a doodle and it has to fit on one line anyways, and I am always open to embellishments (my emoji drawings for 11:11 and The Code are embellished). I also don't know when I'll be getting back to it to actually draw these doodle so there's no solid deadline...just all in good fun!
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The Battle Of The Years (JESC Edition)
A couple weeks ago, I wrote a three-part post pitting the 2023 Eurovision entries against the 2024 entries by country. After talking to people (and by that I mean my sister) and coming up with ideas for fun posts leading up to the contest, I came up with the idea to do the exact same thing, but with the Junior Eurovision Songs!
Of course, I'm not able to do 2024 as the Junior Eurovision songs for this year won't be out until well after the contest is over. So, I'm gonna do the 2022 songs vs. the 2023 songs by country, divided by where they finished on the board. I'm also not going to do explanations as that will make an already long post longer and...yeah.
France: Oh Maman! vs. Cœur. Winner: Cœur.
Spain: Señorita vs. LOVIU. Winner: LOVIU.
Armenia: Dance! vs. Do I My Way. Winner: Do It My Way.
United Kingdom: Lose My Head vs. Back To Life. Winner: Back To Life.
Ukraine: Nezlamna vs. Kvitka. Winner: Kvitka.
Poland: To The Moon vs. I Just Need A Friend. Winner: To The Moon.
Netherlands: La Festa vs. Holding On To You. Winner: La Festa.
Albania: Pakëz diell vs. Bota Ime. Winner: Bota Ime.
Germany: Ohne Worte
Malta: Diamonds In The Skies vs. Stronger. Winner: Stronger.
Italy: Bla Bla Bla vs. Un mondo giusto. Winner: Bla Bla Bla
North Macedonia: Životot e pred mene vs. Kaži mi, kaži mi koj. Winner: Kaži mi, kaži mi koj
Portugal: Anos 70 vs. Where I Belong. Winner: Where I Belong
Georgia: I Believe vs. Over The Sky. Winner: I Believe.
Estonia: Hoiame Kokku
Ireland: Solas vs. Aisling. Winner: Solas.
Kazakhstan: Jer-Ana.
Serbia: Svet bez granica.
#eurovision song contest#esc#eurovision#junior eurovision 2023#junior eurovision#junior eurovision song contest#jesc2023#jesc2022#junior eurovision 2022
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Pre-Party Forecast
This will likely be the only post I do about the pre-parties, but it's fine because we got to see a good majority of the songs be performed live.
This is probably my favorite part of the season. While National Finals have the suspense of hoping your favorite gets to go to the big stage, you also have the joy of learning about new songs and artists that will fill up your playlist. But with the pre-parties, the artists hang out and so many wholesome moments come out of it, and for some of the internally selected songs, we get to hear them live for the first time ever.
Well, this past weekend, we got to see the first of a few pre-parties that occur during the month of April to build up to the contest in May. And while I didn't get to see all of the performances, I did see snippets through Instagram stories from eurovisionstarscom and saw some bits from the audience thanks to ESC Samuel's ranking of the songs. However, I did see the full performance of...you guessed it, Belgium's song (I still haven't been able to stop listening to it...in fact, I found reasons to listen to it MORE).
I will say that with what I saw, it's still an unpredictable year. And I can say that Nemo jumping to 1st in the odds is totally understandable. They've got an energy that will garner a LOT of votes on the stage.
To wrap up, I'm sorry that this fun post isn't super fun and is a one-time thing for something that is happening more. I've had so much work to do for school AND I'm allergic to pollen so that's been kicking my butt. I'll have something more fun next week!
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Something Really Cool Happened!
Normally on my Eurovision blog, I don't really talk about the other songs released by competing artists unless they're a returning artist and their previous song holds relevance, or it's an artist I've heard of or am getting a first impression of. Tonight, I make an exception.
If you know (or don't), let me refresh some memories. My favorite Latvian entries were "Aijā" by Sudden Lights from last year and "Love Injected" by Aminata from 2015. Okay. Now. What if they did a song together? Because that's what happened.
It's called "Ataust rīts" and it's really good! Feel free to give it a listen!
#eurovision song contest#esc#eurovision#latvia#eurovision 2015#eurovision 2023#esc2015#esc2023#aminata#sudden lights
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My Ideal Eurovision 2024
Well, we've had all of the competing songs for a while now. We've ranked them, we've pit them against the 2023 songs, we've even commiserated over the Semi-Final Running Orders.
But...there is one question that I've noticed is in most Eurovision fan's head, myself included: What if MY National Final Winners Won? And that's what I'm here to share. Below, as you can see from the title, is the Eurovision 2024 had all my National Final winners were selected.
DISCLAIMER: This is not a ranking. I'll have conclusions toward the end of the post. Countries are listed in alphabetical order. I won't change internal selections because that takes up way too much time that I really don't have. And, since this is FOR FUN, if a country has 2 songs that I liked equally, I include both. LET'S GO!
Albania: "Jetën N'skaj" by Erina & The Elementals (unknown placement)
Armenia: "Jako" by Ladavina (Internally Selected)
Australia: "One Milkali (One Blood)" by Electric Fields (Internally Selected)
Austria: "We Will Rave" by Kaleen (Internally Selected)
Belgium: "Before The Party's Over" by Mustii (Internally Selected)
Croatia: "Rim Tim Tagi Dim' by Baby Lasagna (1st in NF)/"Voljena ženo" by Damir Kedžo (4th in NF)
Cyprus: "Liar" by Silia Kapsis (Internally Selected)
Czechia: "Red Flag Parade" by MYDY (3rd in NF)
Denmark: "Sand" by Saba (1st in NF)
Estonia: "My Friend" by Ollie (2nd in NF)
Finland: "Dancing With Demons" by Cyan Kicks (4th in NF)
France: "Mon Amour" by Slimane (Internally Selected)
Georgia: "Firefighter" by Nusta (Internally Selected)
Germany: "Naiv" by Marie Reim (6th in NF)
Greece: "Zari" by Marina Satti (Internally Selected)
Iceland: "Scared Of Heights" by Hera Björk (1st in NF)/"Wild West" by Bashar Murad (2nd in NF)
Ireland: "Love Me Like I Do" by Erica-Cody (4th in NF)
Italy: "Tu No" by Irama (5th in NF)
Latvia: "Heaven's Raining Down On Me" by Patrīcija Spale (NQ in NF Semi)
Lithuania: "Luktelk" by Silvester Belt (1st in NF)
Luxembourg: "Drowning In The Rain" by Krick (2nd in NF)
Malta: "Wild Card" by Gail (11th in NF)
Moldova: "In The Middle" by Natalia Barbu (1st in NF)
Netherlands: "Europapa" by Joost Klein (Internally Selected)
Norway: "Heart On Fire" by Myra (NQ in NF Semi)
Poland: "The Tower" by Luna (Internally Selected*) *I know some songs were released, but it was an internal selection*
Portugal: "You Can't Hide" by Filipa (10th in NF Semi, NQ)
San Marino: "11:11" by Megara (1st in NF*) *I didn't rank the NF songs since UVPSM happened in a literal blink*
Serbia: "Ramonda" by Teya Dora (1st in NF)/"Duga je noć" by Filip Baloš (10th in NF Semi, NQ)
Slovenia: "Veronika" by Raiven (Internally Selected)
Spain: "Sé quién soy" by Angy Fernández (3rd in NF)/"Here To Stay" by Sofia Coll (7th in NF)
Sweden: "Awful Liar" by Lisa Ajax (11th in NF)
Switzerland: "The Code" by Nemo (Internally Selected)
Ukraine: "Teresa & Maria" by alyona alyona/Jerry Heil (1st in NF)/"Dreamer" by Mélovin (3rd in NF)
United Kingdom: "Dizzy" by Olly Alexander (Internally Selected)
Conclusions: Even with my NF winners, it still would have been a stacked year (bad bias joke, you can laugh now). But being honest, I think out of all of these, Belgium still would have been my winner. Serbia still would have scored well. The only threat I see to Belgium would be if Luxembourg had chosen Krick.
#eurovision song contest#esc#eurovision#esc2024#eurovision 2024#national final#my ideal eurovision 2024
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Luxembourg Revamp
While I will never know for 100% sure if countries selected songs for Eurovision and revamped them 30 years ago (there may have been some I'm pretty sure), Luxembourg took onto revamping their next entry and released it today. So, let's hear it!
There's enough to make it sound different (the electronic sounds in the middle sounded really good). I really hope that it translates well on the Eurovision stage, especially considering Tali is closing the first semi. It's gonna need to be mind blowing!
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The Semi-Finals
Informal notes here, just want to get some thoughts out because I'm an opinionated Eurovision page and it's what I do. So here we go.
WHO'S BRIGHT IDEA WAS IT TO PUT SERBIA 2ND? bruhhhh
Belgium starting 12th is okay I guess. Little worried about it being in between Georgia and Estonia; two high energy songs, AND Estonia is pretty popular.
Slightly shocked that Estonia isn't closing SF2, but I'm sure the Netherlands will put on a good show
Also slightly shocked that Cyprus is opening the whole thing. Kinda wanted that to go to Croatia, but I'm sure starting 7th (and heavy popularity) will garner Baby Lasagna some votes
My sister's favorite (Armenia is her top 1) should be fine. Denmark is good and that's all I'm worried about, but I'm not sure how popular that is, and I'm not sure about Latvia's chances either.
These are my thoughts, I'm sure more will come as time progresses.
#eurovision song contest#esc#eurovision#esc2024#eurovision 2024#semi final running order#no seriously why did they put serbia 2nd#i'm just a girl who wants her top 3 to qualify
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2023 vs. 2024 Part 3: Semi-Final 2
Closing out our look at the 2024 songs, we have the songs performing in this year's second semi-final. And just like in the previous post with Luxembourg's entry, I will be discussing Romania's 2023 entry to balance things out and make sure all entries from countries I am willing to cover are covered.
Romania: D.G.T. (Off And On). We all know that I actually liked this song. The music is good, the vocals were great, and Theodor Andrei has great potential to be a star. TVR screwed him over and ruined his experience, so I can only hope that he returns and does really well as revenge for 2023.
Austria: Who The Hell Is Edgar? vs. We Will Rave. Winner: Who The Hell Is Edgar?. We Will Rave will absolutely be a summer hit this year. It is made for that, and Eurovision will give Kaleen the jumping board for the summer hit that her song will become. But, I have a soft spot for Who The Hell Is Edgar?. My sister and I still joke (over a year later) that we are Teya and Salena. Plus, I do love Edgar Allen Poe's work...and he's from Boston where I'm studying...so...yeah.
Malta: Dance (Our Own Party) vs. Loop. Winner: Dance (Our Own Party). Loop is a party song. I could see myself going out with my friends and dancing and singing to this song (we're not professionals, and drinks are involved. Do with that what you will). But Dance (Our Own Party) is an introvert anthem. Much so that as an introvert myself, I added this song to my playlist!
Switzerland: Watergun vs. The Code. Winner: The Code. Switzerland gets off the male ballad train that they've been on and sends a banger, send post. In all seriousness, The Code is an EXPERIENCE when listening. Nemo's mix of so many genres, in my opinion, is an appeal to everyone. I will say that Watergun is beautiful, and a great way to end Switzerland's male ballad era.
Greece: What They Say vs. Zari. Winner: Zari. What They Say and Victor Vernicos deserve a lot more love than the fandom (including myself) give it. It's a wonderful song about anxiety that anyone can relate to. Yet, there's a theme to some of the songs this year where more ethnic pieces. We have a lot of languages returning after not appearing in the contest ever or years before. And Zari adds to the list. While we last saw Greek in 2022, the song (and video) is an ode to Greece.
Czechia: My Sister's Crown vs. Pedestal. Winner: My Sister's Crown. Pedestal has been a steady grower on me for a while. It's got quite the punch, that the revamp didn't kill when it came out earlier this week. But keeping a theme of songs with personal meaning, My Sister's Crown has that between the two.
Albania: Duje vs. Titan. Winner: Duje. Now if we were talking about the Albanian version of Titan, then we may be having a different conversation. Titan is good, but I feel the charm of the original version got a little lost in the song. Maybe that version needs to grow on me a little more. Then with Duje, keeping the song in Albanian worked. The revamp was more of a cleanup to make it sound a little better, which certainly helped.
Denmark: Breaking My Heart vs. Sand. Winner: Sand. Breaking My Heart wasn't as horrible as some may recall. It had a fun hook and was a great song to dance to. But Sand is amazing. The music has a groove, the lyrics hit, it's a complete package! It's a song that I really hope qualifies as some may see it as a glow up for Denmark.
Armenia: Future Lover vs. Jako. Winner: Future Lover. Both Future Lover and Jako prove great arguments either way. Jako is a fun song that feels like I'm at an Armenian party and Ladavina pulled me in to dance with them. Future Lover is a powerful ballad with a gentle mix of genres that I still joke about my future lover listening to.
Estonia: Bridges vs. (N)NETM(K)M *I'm not typing that*. Winner: Bridges. Yeah, no. I'm not typing that title. It's been steadily growing since I first heard it with the Eesti Laul songs. It's catchy, has a dance, and still should close the 2nd semi-final. Plus, the translation of the title alone is enough to send me. But my heart goes out to Bridges. I do love my ballads, and between the two I like Bridges more. But 5MIINUST and PUULUUP definitely have a point.
Georgia: Echo vs. Firefighter. Winner: Firefighter. Yet another tough decision as I liked both Echo and Firefighter. The songs are both iconic and sung really well, which only adds to the difficulty that it is picking. But Firefighter is another one of those songs that have been stuck in my head for a while now, which is great considering it was one of the last songs to be released.
Netherlands: Burning Daylight vs. Europapa. Winner: Europapa. Europapa is the Eurovision song this year. Every year, there is one Eurovision song that SCREAMS Eurovision, and Joost made it his mission for that to be his song. And his mission was succeeded, and the reward is this win. Burning Daylight was a great song that saw a lot of fans disappointed when it failed to qualify. But when choosing between that and Europapa, Europapa is it.
Norway: Queen Of Kings vs. Ulveham. Winner: Ulveham. This was yet another tough choice as I love both of these songs. Queen Of Kings is a powerful anthem that deserved its spot in the top 5. But as I mentioned when the National Final happened, Ulveham sounds so much like stuff I listen to outside of Eurovision. And I'm still in awe every time I hear it that it is real and it is happening!
Latvia: Aijā vs. Hollow. Winner: Aijā. We all knew this was going to happen. Sudden Lights put me under a trance which ended in my becoming a fan of their other music as well. It topped my Spotify Wrapped, it was my everything in 2023. They're a tough act to follow. Dons does this with Hollow. While it was a good choice for Latvia, I worry still that it may be too safe an entry. But it is a good, slower song in a year of high-energy bops.
San Marino: Like An Animal vs. 11:11. Winner: 11:11. Like An Animal was one of the entries that I didn't like at first, but by the end of 2023, I would be content if someone played it. But 11:11 is quite literally up my alley in the music world. I love rock (especially women-led rock), and I really hope that they get enough votes to bring San Marino to the Grand Final.
Belgium: Because Of You vs. Before The Party's Over. Winner: Before The Party's Over: We end this journey with one of the most obvious choices in the list. Don't get me wrong, Gustaph brought a great song that showed all of Europe (and the world) that Belgium is back to the way it was back in 2015-2017. But HOLY CRAP. I knew I was in for a treat when getting Mustii's first impression, and I was so blown away by Before The Party's Over. I still haven't been able to stop listening to it quite yet!
#eurovision song contest#esc#eurovision#esc2024#eurovision 2024#2023 vs. 2024#romania#austria#malta#switzerland#greece#czechia#albania#denmark#armenia#estonia#georgia#netherlands#norway#latvia#san marino#belgium
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2023 vs. 2024 Part 2: Semi-Final 1 Countries
Continuing on our little adventure into the competing countries, we now look at the countries performing in the first Semi-Final in this year's contest and determining which entry I liked better...their 2023 entry or their 2024 entry.
Also, while there is one returning country and one non-returning country, I will go into those countries first before moving on to the countries with a 2023 and 2024 entry.
Luxembourg: Fighter. Okay. Yes, I am still sad about Drowning In The Rain not being the song talked about. But we are here to talk about Fighter, so let's do that. It's a cute lil' song that with right staging and running order could be a great performance! BUT, the reason it ranked low is the fact that with all the other shiny songs that came after it, it got lost in the shuffle a little. I do know we are getting a revamp, so maybe that will help the song a little more, we will have to wait and see.
Ukraine: Heart Of Steel vs. Teresa & Maria. Winner: Teresa & Maria. While Heart Of Steel is a wonderful song and great addition to my playlist, it had to grow on me a little bit before I could really appreciate it (thank the revamp too). But Teresa & Maria stays with me. I've seen so many reels of alyona and Jerry singing the song on Youtube reels (per algorithm), so I guess that's fate saying something.
Cyprus: Break A Broken Heart vs. Liar. Winner: Break A Broken Heart. Both are kinda sorta breakup songs. While Liar takes the sassy approach to the end of a relationship, I loved the melancholic feel that Break A Broken Heart has. I'm also a real sucker for high notes (need I remind you that I'm a Gjon's Tears fan?), which Andrew Lambrou does so well too.
Poland: Solo vs. The Tower. Winner: The Tower. There is no denying that Solo has cemented its place in the Eurovision meme world. And while it has grown on me enough to listen to it when someone put it on the aux cord, The Tower just sounds so good. I would literally be sitting around as the song starts and I'm like "wait, what song is this?" and then Luna starts singing and I'm like "ooooo yes!" Needless to say, I haven't tired of The Tower yet and still feel like I'm listening to it for the first time.
Serbia: Samo Mi Se Spava vs. Ramonda. Winner: Samo Mi Se Spava. This was so hard for me to decide as I actually really love both of them (I mean they both ranked 2nd). Ramonda is so beautiful and emotional, and may have changed what my favorite flower is. And Samo Mi Se Spava is an auditory experience. It went onto a WIP soundtrack within MINUTES after first listen, which is really the only thing making the decision. This will certainly fluctuate over time.
Lithuania: Stay vs. Luktelk. Winner: Stay. Luktelk, a great entry in full Lithuanian, a bop, a total dance song with great staging potential. I've liked it since I ranked the Lithuania songs in the NF. But with Stay, it's one of those songs that really came out at the right time, so I'm in emotional debt to that. But it was another tough decision for this country.
Croatia: Mama ŠČ! vs. Rim Tim Tagi Dim. Winner: Rim Tim Tagi Dim. Let 3 brought forth a piece last year that was also an experience. It was certainly an acquired taste, garnering as many fans as people who ranked the song dead last. But Baby Lasagna and Rim Tim Tagi Dim scratches that itch in my brain that I didn't know I had. Listening to it is fun, plus the lyrics kind of resonate with me (as a college student that moves out of her hometown to attend school).
Ireland: We Are One vs. Doomsday Blue. Winner: Doomsday Blue. I don't think there is another country that took such a drastic turn between what they sent in 2023 and what they send in 2024 as Ireland. We Are One was a great safe entry that fell victim to early selection and a bloodbath semi. Doomsday Blue, however, has something more. My biggest complaint with We Are One is that I felt something was missing. Doomsday Blue feels like a complete package that I know Bambie will bring to life on the stage.
Slovenia: Carpe Diem vs. Veronika. Winner: Veronika. Another tough decision here. Carpe Diem is up my alley musically with rock elements mixed with a spice of pop with an infectious attitude that makes me want to get up and dance. But Veronika? That song puts me in such a trance when I listen to it. The operatic spice adds a cinematic feel to it too.
Iceland: Power vs. Scared Of Heights. Winner: Power. Similar to Lithuania, Power came to me at a time where I might have really needed it. It's still such a great song (listened to it just the other day). Scared Of Heights has great energy which should garner some votes too, but only time will tell.
Finland: Cha Cha Cha vs. No Rules!. Winner: Cha Cha Cha. I don't think any entry can top the iconic energy that Käärijä and Cha Cha Cha had. No Rules! is a good follow-up to try and mimic (or better) the success their predecessor had. But I still dance around my room to Cha Cha Cha once in a while.
Portugal: Ai Coração vs. Grito. Winner: Ai Coração. This is my reminder to listen to Grito some more. Ai Coração jumps around my mind. It's fun, the performance was sassy. It is one of the best Portugese entries I have seen. Grito, however, has a very beautiful tone that should not be slept on either.
Australia: Promise vs. One Milkali (One Blood). Winner: Promise. One thing about me is that I love my ballads, and I love my rock entries. Promise is just that. It's a thrill from start to finish that I enjoy listening to whenever it plays on my playlist. However, I really liked the feel that One Milkali (One Blood) had when I listened to it. For my take, it's best described in the post I made about the song when it came out.
Moldova: Soarele Și Luna vs. In The Middle. Winner: Soarele Și Luna. This feels like an All-Star battle. We have Pasha Parfeni from 2012 and 2023 vs. Natalia Barbu from 2007 and 2024. And while In The Middle has one of the CATCHIEST hooks of this year's selection, Soarele Și Luna was my sister's winner last year. So whenever I hear this one, I tell her and it makes us happy.
#eurovision song contest#esc#eurovision#esc2024#eurovision 2024#2023 vs. 2024#luxembourg#ukraine#cyprus#poland#serbia#lithuania#croatia#ireland#slovenia#iceland#finland#portugal#australia#moldova
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2023 vs. 2024 Part 1: The Big 5 And Sweden
Now that I've ranked the songs, it's time we go through the songs and decide which is better, the previous entry, or the current entry. This is where I will explain myself a little bit since I'm giving myself more space to explain.
To begin, I'm separating the entries by Big 5/Host (this post), Semi-Final 1, and Semi-Final 2. I will also try my hardest to determine ONE year (although there are some years where I like both the same). So, here goes! The Big 5 and Sweden edition of 2023 vs. 2024!
Sweden: "Tattoo" vs. "Unforgettable". Winner: Tattoo. Kicking off with the previous winner and current host, we have the 2023 MelFest Rematch! While I ranked "Unforgettable" in 7th in my MelFest Ranking, I still think the song is a great choice to be a host. However, I've had Tattoo stuck in my head a LOT lately for some random reason. I'm sure this will fluctuate though as both these songs are quality pop.
Italy: "Due Vite" vs. "La Noia". Winner: La Noia. One thing that I have made rather clear during my time as Aijamisespava is that Italy is my favorite country in Eurovision. And this year, they did not disappoint! "La Noia" is such a bop that I would totally dance around a room to. It's so different from "Due Vite" (which is also an amazing song), and adds such a spice that leaves me wondering yet again if Italy will outdo themselves next year!
France: "Évidemment" vs. "Mon Amour". Winner: Évidemment. Ouch. "Mon Amour" is a beautiful piece which while it was the first Eurovision song we got this year, it still managed to rank 10th overall. But my heart goes out to "Évidemment". It's such a bop and I love the ballad like opening then the switch to the dance beat.
Spain: "EAEA" vs. "Zorra". Winner: Zorra. I wasn't going to say it, but here we go: Battle Of The Mothers. Both "EAEA" and "Zorra" are wonderful, and it feels like a crime to pit these two against each other. But for the sake of this post, I had to choose. While "EAEA" is an ethnic masterpiece, "Zorra" is a song that still gets stuck in my head. But at the end, I still like both.
United Kingdom: "I Wrote A Song" vs. "Dizzy". Winner: I Wrote A Song. I don't know if this is a hot take or not. "Dizzy" is a great, fun song that is perfect for Eurovision and the radio. But I just have this emotional attatchment to "I Wrote A Song". I'm an emotional writer, and I have joked about "I Wrote A Song" being written for me.
Germany: "Blood And Glitter" vs. "Always On The Run" Winner: Always On The Run. "Blood And Glitter" was a great choice for Germany last year, having decided to send something different from what they had been sending. But "Always On The Run" is a tad underrated right now. The vocals are great, the beat is contagious, and I really hope that it breaks the curse in May!
#eurovision song contest#esc#eurovision#esc2024#eurovision 2024#2023 vs. 2024#sweden#italy#france#spain#united kingdom#germany
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Quick Aijamisespava Update!
So...my sister listened to the Eurovision songs this year. She mentioned that she liked Germany and that Switzerland slapped.
Among all the songs, her favorites lean towards Armenia, Ukraine, and Croatia.
As for my top 3 (excluding Croatia here because she said it was one of her favorites), she said Belgium was pretty good and in her words, "Serbia more like SERVIA."
She didn't do a ranking, nor will I ask for it. Not gonna lie, she's got taste.
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Czechia Comes Back!
After holding their national final ESCZ, Czechia chose Aiko to represent the country with her song "Pedestal" for Sweden in May. However, that was all the way back in December, and with that time, they decided to revamp the song a little bit more.
Of course, with this revamp, there were some stark changes that needed to be made to make sure the song is appropriate for Eurovision (example, the line "Love me more than your bullshit"). So, let's hear the Eurovision version and recap what we think of the song as a whole.
At first glance, I was ready to say that I liked how the cleaned up the song both sonically and lyrically, making a package that is great for Eurovision. Then the psych out ending where she gets into the "I told you a million times..." happened, and it WORKED! I need that part on stage as it will certainly be memorable (also wouldn't mind the ESCZ scream since she kept that in the song just saying...)
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THE EUROVISION 2024 RANKING!
The time has finally come for me to rank the Eurovision songs we have this year. But before I do, I do want to make a couple of points because there are, I feel, a couple important comments that need to be made.
For one, you'll notice that I ranked only 35 countries while the list has 37 songs. There are 2 countries that should not be competing this year, and I decided not to include them in my ranking or any other posts I make here on Aijamisespava, especially as a heavily opinion-based platform. Second, this was a REALLY hard year to rank. So if you see a song ranked super low, it's not that I hate it (I don't really hate any of these songs), it's just I liked some more than others. And finally, I won't be providing explanations for my rankings quite yet. I have a fun 2023 vs. 2024 post for next week planned where I will explain things.
Ready? Set? Here are the first Aijamisespava Eurovision Rankings!
35. Finland: "No Rules!" by Windows95Man
34. Latvia: "Hollow" by Dons
33. Albania: "Titan" by Besa
32. Cyprus: "Liar" by Silia Kapsis
31. Ireland: "Doomsday Blue" by Bambie Thug
30. Luxembourg: "Fighter" by Tali
29. Sweden: "Unforgettable" by Marcus & Martinus
28. Netherlands: "Europapa" by Joost Klein
27. Austria: "We Will Rave" by Kaleen
26. Australia: "One Milkali (One Blood)" by Electric Fields
25. Iceland: "Scared Of Heights" by Hera Björk
24. Germany: "Always On The Run" by Isaak
23. Malta: "Loop" by Sarah Bonnici
22. Czechia: "Pedestal" by Aiko
21. Moldova: "In The Middle" by Natalia Barbu
20. United Kingdom: "Dizzy" by Olly Alexander
19. Spain: "Zorra" by Nebulossa
18. Greece: "Zari" by Marina Satti
17. Portugal: "Grito" by Iolanda
16. Armenia: "Jako" by Ladaniva
15. Estonia: "(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi" by 5MIINUST & PUULUUP
14. Italy: "La Noia" by Angelina Mango
13. Ukraine: "Teresa & Maria" by alyona alyona/Jerry Heil
12. Denmark: "Sand" by Saba
11. Switzerland: "The Code" by Nemo
10. France: "Mon Amour" by Slimane
9. Poland: "The Tower" by Luna
8. Lithuania: "Luktelk" by Silvester Belt
7. Georgia: "Firefighter" by Nusta
6. Slovenia: "Veronika" by Raiven
5. San Marino: "11:11" by Megara
4. Norway: "Ulveham" by Gåte
3. Croatia: "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" by Baby Lasagna
2. Serbia: "Ramonda" by Teya Dora
1. Belgium: "Before The Party's Over" by Mustii
Final Verdict: This year started off a tad underwhelming. Maybe this was my saltiness at my national final winners not winning. However, as I listened to some songs more and more, I started really liking a lot of the entries. And then the internally selected songs came out and I was utterly blown away by some of the songs we got. Was this a good year? Absolutely. I can't wait to see all these songs fight it all out in May! *oh yeah, may I note that my opinions may change? My winner has been flip flopping between Serbia and Belgium for a while and may continue to do so until the end of time*
Congrats to Belgium for winning my personal Eurovision so far, and scoring their 2nd victory in my rankings (having been my winner for 2015).
Okay, I'm gonna go now, bye!
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Malta's Revamp
As we get closer to my ranking (I just need to find a time to rank the songs is all), we have a couple more potential revamps that might be covered on this page. As I mentioned in my post about Albania's revamp, if I get a date of release with time to spare, then I will be more than happy to cover the revamp.
Malta was one of the countries with a revamp release date, that obviously being today. While unlike Albania, Sarah Bonnici kept the title, I'm expecting to only see minor alterations to the song, so let's listen to it!
That really kind a slapped, not going to lie. It stuck with the general idea of the song that a lot of us may have already met during all the way back in October (being the 2nd oldest Eurovision song this year by release date behind "Jako" from Armenia). It gave new life to the song which should help fans discover how much they may like the song. I like it, and I hope it's on Spotify super soon because like I alluded to earlier...the Aijamisespava ranking is coming SOON!
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