#esc challenge

Shamelessly picking Portugal again because Mimicat deserves all the awards. There really wasn’t much talk about this performance before the show so that along with the “death slot” meant I wasn’t overly surprised at the televote but the fact the jury also slept on it?? Excuse me while I go play Ai Coracao again for the thousandth time in mourning

ABBA - “Waterloo”

ok so back in 2014 i thought this was the most overrated thing. i heard the song in the lead up to the contest and i thought it was a massive skyfall ripoff. i literally couldn’t understand why it was so hyped and i figured it was cause it was a woman with a beard. BUT THEN i saw it on the stage and conchita’s performance SOLD it for me. didn’t like it in the lead up, but i still go back to this now.

I also have to give a shoutout to Alika because damn can that woman sing.

Finally I can give Moldova some love! 9 times out of 10 I will be hypnotized by a Eurovision pagan ritual and hope it receives plenty of points so I’m very happy Moldova took over that helm this year. Pasha isn’t the strongest vocalist compared to some others but his energy is just so on point. I felt like I stumbled upon a spell being cast in the middle of the woods which I could watch for hours and hours. Eurovision wouldn’t be Eurovision etc etc… He’s absolutely still in my top 5 from the final if not top 3.

Malta had nowhere to go but up after 2022 and go up they did! The Busker aren’t lyrical geniuses or anything but they came to party and I genuinely love that for them. A dance number with a saxophone can never go wrong. The staging was a bit chaotic but at Eurovision there’s no reason not to go full out. Malta wasn’t a particular favorite of mine this year but I would have SO much preferred to see them in the final than … some others. After years of varying quality girl bops, it was refreshing to see a different direction for this small island nation.

I just don’t get it. How is this remotely qualified to place 3rd overall. What started off as a mild “not for me” reaction on first listen grew to full disdain for everything in this performance. My jaw basically hit the floor when I saw the tele-votes come in. Unicorn is maybe fit for a 9 year old’s birthday party but for the biggest song competition in the world? The lyrics are genuinely so dumb and imo the dance break/flashy staging doesn’t fix that.

Knowing it wasn’t just a meme entry though and actually talking about corruption in the music industry? Amazing. Star quality. Forever an iconic piece of Eurovision history and I really hope these two continue to collaborate in the future!