It all comes down to this -- my Top 5 choices for this year's Eurovision contest which comes to its epic finale on Saturday May 26 in Baku, Azerbaijan. If you missed my picks for the bottom half of the Top 10 then head over to the first post.
The top picks I chose are, I think, diverse, interesting, creative and all worthy of attention.
May the best one win!
5. Anggun - Echo (You and I)
France's entry from Anggun was another prequalifier which makes it difficult to gauge how well she will do at the finals. She's a veteran of the music industry having spent the past 25 years as a charting performer, and she has the chops to impress, while the quality of the song also gives her the potential to rank high. In interviews she expressed her disappointment with the rehearsals, so perhaps she'll step up her performance on game night.
4. Soluna Samay - Should've Known Better
As I've said previously, Soluna's entry for Denmark is probably the best song from this year's competition. I could see it being a hit on North American radio stations, and it reminds me of the Lilith Fair era of music that defined the late '90s. Unfortunately, her stage presence is a little underwhelming and it'll cost her a top position. Really, the main problem is that this song doesn't deserve to be in Eurovision. To put it lightly, it's better than this contest. Eurovision is more about being showy and over the top to a perfection, if not just plain silly. Soluna has a competent track that isn't improved by her silly military uniform.
3. Tooji - Stay
A couple months ago I was rooting for Tooji to take the top prize. The song was shut out of Sweden and wound up migrating over to represent Norway. In its infancy, Stay was an energetic, pulsing club track that Tooji took to the stage with wide-eyed wonder and a surprising amount of precision. When he performed it again earlier this week at the semi-finals his vocals were flat, he looked like he'd overpracticed and the whole performance had lost its spark. I wish he was still my number one pick, but he's slid, and slid fast.
2. Roman Lob - Standing Still
This isn't one of my favourite songs in the competition, but it gets a higher rank because I understand just how strong the entry is, and that its exactly the kind of song that could sneak a win. Roman Lob is cute, he has a presence and the track goes down smooth. Standing Still is the kind of song that would have a home on American Idol or any other singing contest show. All of these factors could play into him scoring high or taking the top spot for Germany. Unfortunately it's a little hard to say in advance because he was another prequalifier so we haven't seen his full live performance.
1. Loreen - Euphoria
Sweden has a stunning opportunity to come out as the winner with this powerful track from Loreen who showed real potential early in the game, but has emerged as a force to be reckoned with this past week in the semifinals. The dance track could've been written for Celine Dion if she went the direction of dance diva, but Loreen owns it quite well with a geisha-inspired dance sequence. If she can flutter around, lessen that slurred speech and keep a tune, I think she'll take this one home.
So what do you think? What are your Top 5 picks?
Don't forget to log onto the Eurovision website at 3 p.m. EST (9 p.m. CET) on Saturday to stream the show live. And have fun!
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