My 2020 Vision, A Pif Paf Wishlist: Part 1

And suddenly Eurovision 2020 seems a whole lot closer. We have our host city, our show dates and any song released commercially as of tomorrow will be eligible for Rotterdam. Before the rumours and releases slowly start eeking out over the Winter I wanted to share my hopes for what each country brings to the Ahoy in May.

ALBANIA 🇦🇱

Whatever the song, whatever the style please keep it in Albanian. After years of lacklustre translations from the original FiK track it’s great we’ve had native language entries from Albania in recent years. Eugent Bushpepa in Lisbon and Jonida Maliqi in Tel Aviv both proved how successful Albanian can be with the former narrowly missing out on the Top 10. They’ve got a successful formula, let’s hope they stick to it!

ARMENIA 🇦🇲

Bring back the drama. After a bland couple of years it’s high time Armenia brought us something to emulate the performance of LoveWave. Or at a push just the utter batshit limelight grabbing nonsense that was Face The Shadow. Just something to capture the attention

AUSTRALIA 🇦🇺

We already know they’re bringing back Aus Decides so that’s me happy. We saw last year they can produce a bloody entertaining show with very high quality songs, it’s wonderful it’s coming back. Every faith they’ll find another banger.

AUSTRIA 🇦🇹

I’m not too sure what to hope for when it comes to Austria. All their successful entries of the recent past have been pretty different. Let’s just hope they can keep up the same quality with a whole new genre. Maybe some…guitars?

AZERBAIJAN 🇦🇿

Relight the fire. It’s all got a tad earnest from the Azeri camp in recent years. Time for a massive banger accompanied by all the bells and whistles one could imagine. From the land of fire, it’s time to reignite the pyro!

BELARUS 🇧🇾

Don’t, whatever you do, cancel the live broadcast auditions. Send whatever you want to send, rig the scoring system to choose your preferred entry, just please show us all your auditionees. We need Kinky Boots, we need Potato Acapulco, we need Angry Old Man in Jockey Cap!

BELGIUM 🇧🇪

Right VRT, this is your chance to steal a march on your neighbours. The Flemish broadcaster has seen their opposite number grow in stature from Roberto Bellarosa in 2013 to Loic Nottet & Blanche’s 4th place finishes in 2015 and 17 respectively. But now having put paid to that run with Eliot’s entry last year, VRT have a chance at being the heroes that get Belgium back into the final. Let’s just hope for something a little more ‘What’s the Pressure’ and a little less ‘Mother’.

BULGARIA 🇧🇬

Come back. Just come back.

CROATIA 🇭🇷

Don’t let Jacques Houdek anywhere near it. The novelty worked once, it ain’t gonna work again.

CYPRUS 🇨🇾

Fuego, Replay…something similar? I hope not on this occasion. I don’t want Cyprus to fall foul of the law of diminishing returns. Nothing’s going to emulate Fuego so maybe it’s time to stop trying. Yeah, yeah, f…ind something different this time.

CZECH REPUBLIC 🇨🇿

Cheeky, upbeat lads singing a song with bloody questionable lyrics. The Czechs have finally found their niche at the Contest. It’s turned perennial non-qualifiers into serious contenders. Keeping in mind the amount of sad boys at pianos we’re gonna get, we need the Czechs to bring the fun.

DENMARK 🇩🇰

Chanee & N’evergreen managed to reunite for the MGP 2019 interval act, why not bring ’em back proper? (Can you tell I’m struggling for inspiration now)

ESTONIA 🇪🇪

Find the weird. One of the biggest disappointments of the 2019 NF season was the bland mediocrity of Eesti Laul. A competition that’s built it’s reputation for providing the most eclectic of selections, fell totally flat in 2019. By the power of Winny Puuh, BRING BACK THE WEIRD AND WONDERFUL!

FINLAND 🇫🇮

In returning to an open submission we are at least going to get a little more variety from UMK this time round. Beyond that though? Who knows! Can Krista enter it and host it at the same time? If anyone can do it, Siegfrids can!

FRANCE 🇫🇷

Look to The Voice. Every few months I’ll find myself in a wormhole of a different country’s version of The Voice. Out of all these versions my favourite has been the French. The wealth of talent the country has, has cost me several nights’ sleep watching audition after audition, it’s only fair they pick one now. Personally? I’d go for Mennel Ibtissem. She has the voice