#semifinal 2

Yuval Raphael representará a Israel en Eurovision 2025 con "New Day Will Rise"

La selección interna de Israel de la interprete Yuval Raphael al finl ha dado a conocer el tema con el que participará en el Festival de Eurovison 2025.

(if you see me reusing my jokes for the final no you didn't) and once again also just a general warning for mean gay bitchy judging ahead, this is my one time a year that im mean it's like lent or smth, you have been warned. if you're not into bitchy shady opinions then uuuhhh i recommend reading something else for your own peace of mind tbh.

skits at esc still are so painful dear god opening: well that's 5 minutes of my life i'm never getting back laura's biceps HELLO???? and this look?? FAB!! the ruffles! the wet hair look!!!! the deep lip!! officially obsessed mika has now decided to be a LEMON realtor popsicle, go off i guess the presenters giving licorice rasperry lemon fantasy. or the flag of germany, i guess? if it's not in the right order don't bother me i can't read the fucking clock correctly it's nothing personnel

Finland - what the fuck is this yellow IT moment??  i either end up super biased for finland or holding them to a higher standard and this time uuuuhh i expected better. also i don't think a song about a toxic woman who clearly isn't good for you is particularly feminist (idk if they claimed it was or if it's just my announcer but???? nor using a kind of degrading word in that context? so that's kinda weird) also i'm curious to see if the board is unhappy with this one bc i heard that they had issues with albania and latvia ( :// ) and while i obviously don't want any numbers punished or censored but i'm expecting an annoying double standard tbh where showing skin and suggestive text is fine if you're a man or doing it through a male perspective, i guess :/

Serbia - i wish i could understand the text so i could know what's happening but i also appreciate the non-english. it seems so interesting and fascinating, generally im confused but interested and intrigued, ART. genuinely so into this

Azerbaijan - i really do like his voice and his beard is very pretty. and i do really like this song tbh, it gets the ballad pass although it's just barely not quite engaging enough for eurovision imo. a fantastic vocal performance tho that sounds genuinely sincere and a good song.

Georgia - i fucking love this, ngl. the looks, the sound, the aesthetic. love how odd it sounds. totally a dnd party vibes. we've got officer druid, punk pirate man, glam goth plague doctor, and steampunk willy wonka. this is a psychadelic mess and i'm living

Malta - ig model? doing a power ballad? groundbreaking. *insert miranda presley*

San Marino - love the cowboy hat moment. the song is absolute ass. i do respect rhyming cowboy with sex toy i suppose. bit hypocritical for me to say this and obvs måneskin doesn't own rock gender fuckery (hello, have you SEEN rock?) and it could just be being yourself and trying to piggyback for that purpose but it feels just. a little too derivative maybe. but like a soft derivative, i don't think it's anything worth making some hubbub about

Australia - okay ART. the met gala could NEVER. it's personal, it's honest, it's art, it's fashion, it's vocals, it's real, it gets a ballad pass any fucking day from me. i'm THROWING ballad passes. legit love it genuinely love everything, it's art, it's fantastic, and i fucking love that the song's about his experiences as an autisic person, bc relate. one of my favs now

Cyprus - okay art reference, go off venus! kinda love it with the stage fountains. obviously not the most over-the-top energetic but i appreciate that, still very full of life and a bop with a more lowkey energy, a whole moment tbh. lovely vocals

Ireland - esc back at it again with the pop a whole decade too dated.

North Macedonia - i legit forgot a number was on

Estonia - i usually say that i'm into folk music but not country because country's sound is just too polished and that won't be changing today

Romania - started with what might be the gayest interpretive cow milking in history, which might not seem as a particularly spectacular achievement but with all the farming in stage musicals, it is fairly impressive. i was going to say that i was into the cutout jumpsuits but the pattern is truly horrendous.

Poland - we have now arrived at my least favourite esc genre, which is man in suit on empty stage with a single spotlight and the singer's moody face agressively imposed in the background. just agressive crooning, endless belting, and high notes. not even being about water can save this song for me, which says a lot because i am a complete sucker for water songs.

Montenegro - poor girl got impaled by an umbrella, no wonder she's in pain

Belgium - i mean it's fine. he's clearly a good singer. i wouldn't be mad if it moved on, but i also don't really care if it doesn't

Sweden - i know it's moving on but i fully cannot stand it. it's trying so hard to be robyn. but no one will ever be robyn.

Czech Republic - i'm not mad at it tbh. like her look and the vaporwave inspired background. slightly less dated than a lot of other eurovision pop, giving kinda 2018. I do appreciate the man with the bow on the electric guitar

the world always needs more Mika, i've been saying this for years. also laura looks stunning it's giving decadent vampire retiring for the evening posed casually on top of a decadent staircase. I do think these kinds of songs might not be what her voice needs though, it's very strong and clear and clearly needs a bit more circumstance and force, unfortunately. Mika is giving the exact same suit but now as a polar bear realtor that fell into a strawberry patch. he really saw that suit on the clearance rack and said yeah i'll take at least three of it, thanks

I Do Not Care about these men in leather suits. a sentence i never thought i would say but here we are, i suppose

Laura serving an even more dimitrescu-esque look i love

Spain - yeah it's a dance song. you can do a lil shimmy. don't super care. for being as energetic as it is it feels weirdly lethargic

UK - well we've got a camp stage, i am stealing his jumpsuit.

Germany - looking forward to another german bottom placement, this is tanking for sure.

Voting thoths: "We have a valid result" yeah we'll see about that buddy

my literal reaction to belgium's qualification was 'who the fuck is belgium' LMAOO azerbaijan may not be the most eurovision but it might be one of the actual best songs this year POLAND????? finland?? finland gets a spot but latvia didn't????? RIGGORY.. thamkg god australia made it because i would have rioted ugh serbia is art and im happy to see it here, so deserved!!! very sad about georgia. was kinda expecting it, but i'm still upset. i am def checking out their other stuff after this tho.