Well, this is it. We are now a day away from rehearsals getting underway in Liverpool for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. Still can’t quite believe that’s a sentence I’ve written. Wonder when it will actually start to feel real?
Anyway, before the fun and games begin it’s time to reveal my tip top pick of the pops for 2023. This is quite the bunch.
5. Australia 🇦🇺
Voyager – Promise
Earlier this week I waxed lyrical about my love of the rock genre at Eurovision. Now take all that love and adoration and add…KEYTARS!
YES. EFFING. PLEASE.
Voyager came awfully close to reppin’ the Aussies in 2022 but in the words of a pint of Guinness, good things come to those who wait. If they Promise a lot, boy do they deliver. That blend of rock and electronica is utterly beguiling and it’s more than deserving of the show closing slot in semi two.
And did I mention?
KEYTARS!
4. Lithuania 🇱🇹
Monika Linkyté – Stay
Every year there’s a song in the bunch that just cuts me to the core. Sweden last year, France in 2021, The Netherlands in 2020…there’s always one entry that gets me in the feels. The last time I attended a Contest in 2018, it was Lithuania. So fitting now I’m returning it’s Lithuania doing the job once again.
Monika has the most sublime vocal, perfectly blending the strength of her voice with the required vulnerability to convey the moments of pain within the song. In English, it will hit home with viewers across the Continent but with the repeated refrain of “Čiūto tūto” there’s still a connect to the Lithuanian roots.
I do think some more could be done with the staging of this song to help convey the mood, similar to that entry back in 2018. Otherwise, this is a gorgeous, underrated diamond of a song and will no doubt make the grand final come May 13th.
3. Sweden 🇸🇪
Loreen – Tattoo
Well, here we are. This is the winner. Loreen’s back, she’s still sublime and the song’s a belter.
We’re going back to Stockholm lads.
2. Austria 🇦🇹
Teya & Salena – Who the Hell is Edgar?
Having said that, if we don’t end up returning to our hosts of 2016 then why not our hosts of 2015 instead? When part of the demo of this song was leaked back in January the repeated contextless exclamations of Edgar Allan Poe were much deried. Now? It’s a firm favourite all round.
Using the “ghost” of a long dead writer to brutally take down the music industry and the experience of being a woman therein, is nothing short of genius. In three minutes Teya & Salena make these serious points at the same time as producing an out-and-out banger.
How they’ll convey these points in their staging remains to be seen but if they bring all the charisma we’ve seen in the build up this will be a genuine contender.
Poe Poe Poe could be the three letter refrain stuck in everyone’s head the next day. If it’s not that, then it’ll probably be…
1 Finland 🇫🇮
Käärijä – Cha Cha Cha
To quote the man himself, “It’s crazy, it’s party”. That’s Euroivsion. That’s Cha Cha Cha. That’s my winner. It’s really very close between this top two and I’d love to see either take home the win, but Finland’s Käärijä just edges it.
How on earth does one describe this? There’s elements of boxing, elements of Strictly Come Dancing and elements of The Human Centipede all on the same stage. Käärijä himself flits from being intense and possessed at points to laugh out loud hilarious at others. As for the song? Well…it’s crazy and it’s party. Like the fella said.
Eurovision has never seen a song like Cha Cha Cha before, nor a performer like Käärijä. Finland changed the game with their last win from Lordi. The history book on the shelf could well be repeating itself…
And there we have it. Now there’s just the small matter of a week of rehearsals, two semi finals and a final to find the winner. Euroivsion in the United Kingdom…IT’S ON.
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