#duje

There were no jury votes in the semi finals and lo and behold we ended up with more non-english songs in the final than ever before. Käärijä won the popular vote by a landslide with a Finnish song.

It's clear that viewers are really open to (and excited about) songs in different languages. More than that: they embrace these songs with such enthusiasm. I've seen so many people learn to rap in Finnish so they can sing along with Käärijä. One of my friends fell in love with the Albanian language because she heard Duje and now wants to learn more of it. I could go on...

I'm not saying that the juries hate non-English songs, but the choice of such a 'safe' generic pop song in English when there were so many amazing songs in so many different languages rubs me the wrong way.

Eurovision is such a great celebration of different languages, cultures and lesser known musicians. That's why I watch it: to find great music that wouldnt be on my radar otherwise. This year showcased so much talent and that's worth celebrating.

Eurovision Song Contest + Costumes

10. PORTUGAL Mimicat - "Ai coração" 23rd place

Decade Ranking: 33/116 [Above Diljá, below VICTORIA]

Man, I wish Eurovision had better things in store for Mimicat than 23rd place. It feels like highway robbery? I'm pretty sure we all agree that "Ai coração" slaps? It's cute, whimsical, well performed, her voice is a temple, her dancers sublime.

This is one of the best choreographed bops in recent mothering. SERVER SERVED, MOTHER MOTHERED, as we all knew she would the second she won FdC.

However, I can't shake the feeling that the budget was cut drastically short between Lisboa and Liverpool. The whole ensemble looks more inexpensive? It's not even the missing couch, the camera work and backdrops are uninspired and look like they've been cobbled together last minute? At times, it feels like you're watching a rehearsal. Why is everything so DARK? Why are there SO MANY wideshots? So that we cannot appreciate how good the dancers are?

The issue is one of respect, or rather the lack thereof others had for Portugal. Not many, including RTP for some reason, seemed to believe Mimicat was an easy qualifier (HAVE YOU HEARD THE SONG?!) and even the newspapers here called her "a surprise revelation that came out nowhere to deservingly take a slot in the finale" ummmm.... At this point, you know the writing is on the wall and Mimi will be tossed into a death slot to serve as kindling for the Loreen coronation pyre.

However, I respect Mimicat and her heart, of which she has so much, so I still grant her the top 10 she deserves! 🙂 A suboptimal Mimicat is still a Mimicat, you know. Some people carry the Serve gene, and it is dominant in her.

"Ai coração" is -if nothing else- a wholesome, catchy earworm that is a joy to listen to and behold under any circumstance. Top shelf filler, eventhough it deserved more distinction. Mimi OWNS it, it's her song, and only she can perform it this well. Her vocal, the dancers, the build up it's all delectable and I savour it. It made for a fun and whimsical three minutes that definitely earned more than an unfair bottom five finish for the ultimate crime of not being a bookmaker's pet.

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09. ALBANIA Albina & Familija Kelmendi - "Duje"22nd place

Decade ranking: 31/116 [Above VICTORIA, below Albina (Tick Tock)]

MORPH! It's been YEARS since the last time I've had a positive whiplash between preshow and postshow, and here we are (and it's not the last one...x) I've done a complete 180 on Albania and have ZERO regrets. "Duje" flies in the face of every principle Eurovision 2023 stood for (a song that IMPROVED from the NF and was RESPECTED by its stage director), how could I not reward them with a generous, well-earned spot in my top 10?

But first things first - Yeah, "Duje" came into Eurovision with a lot of problems. It was outright bad in FiK. It was off-putting, cult-like, amateur and had no true identity beyond "Hi We Are The Kelmendi Family From Albania This Is Our Song Representing Albania". The only salient detail was that Albina wore a giant ass cloak that obscured half her face, as her family awkwardly shuffled around like cross-wired automatons. Everything about FiK "Duje" was lame and inept, and I was rooting against its qualification - This one, I concluded, was not for me.

How wrong I was.

I don't even know HOW OR WHY, but once in Liverpool, it clicked. I completely underestimated that Albina Kelmendi's is kind of an amazing talented performer, and good god this was a great performance. Both in the semi and in the final she delivered on the passion and the pathos, which the act put at the centre.

THE SCREAMINNNNG

THE DRAMA

The CHOREOS

Which brings me to the act which... SJB magic at its finest tbh. It respects the people on the stage. The Kelmenboys were recalibrated into competence, and Albina's dad, sister and sister in law all proved decently charismatic individuals that could serve as worthy foils to Albina.

Albina's mother and brother remained servephobic blocks of wood but that humanizes them, in a way - Mama Kelmendi is just Doing It As A Favour For Her Kids, just like how Mery Bas is doing Zorra for her 500.000 gay manwhore sons. which is earnest.

Alban otoh... hasn't improved at all, lmao. It's hard to discern whether its the complete inability to perform or just not giving a fuck because moving and singing is tedious yo, or both (also like Mery Bas). At a certain point you have to accept his role as one of comedic foil lurking in the background (notice how he's always directly behind Albina) and in that role, I can appreciate him. Missing his cues all the time with a bored look on his face amidst a group that was whipped into a style of discipline you only see at North Korean national parades, gives just enough personality to the performance to make it work, and not seem like Albina, and five androids.

I'm still figuring out how it all came together as well as it did, and where they Actually rank for me, so about 9th seems a good poiint to start? "Duje" was really good, and that's enough for me. If an act that I didn't like very much delivers the drams out of nowhere, I'm not going to ruin it by overthinking it. "Duje" may have gotten the typical Albanian result but through magical happenstance felt just that bit more special and earnest than the typical Albanian entry.

THE RANKING!!!

(feat. a new graphic since the old one wasn't clear enough imo)

Eurovision Song Contest 2023 countdown: 34 days left!

I’m back with part two. Part one can be found right here. Again, there will be some spoilers here. Anyways, let’s continue

Sanemi - Duje by Albina and Kelmendi Family (Albania)

A song regarding a broken family, does that remind y’all of a certain hashira and his brother? The episode from last week also really solidifies why I think Duje reminds me of Sanemi.

Giyu - Bridges by Alika (Estonia)

What made me choose this for Giyu is one of the songs messages: moving on to a better future. It goes hand in hand with the scene during the Hashira training arc where Tanjiro tells him to cherish his life instead of acting on his survivors guilt.

Obanai - Samo mi se Spava by Luke Black (Serbia)

I’m not sure what it is about this song, but it definitely makes me think of Obanai. Regardless, when the song picks up after the first “samo mi se spava” I can just picture Obanai in my head.

Muichiro - Aijā by Sudden Lights (Latvia)

Just like with Obanai, this is another one where I just think of Muichiro when I listen to this. I can’t help but think of Muichiro’s backstory specifically when I hear this (if it makes sense).

Gyomei - Watergun by Remo Forrer (Switzerland)

Not gonna lie, but picking a song that reminded me of Gyomei was a difficult one for me before I decided on Watergun. Honorable mentions include Soarale si Luna and Heart of Steel (the latter could also work for Tengen I discovered).