Artist: Oto Nemsadze.
Song: Sul Tsin Iare.
Music and lyrics: Roman Giorgadze.
Tonight, Georgia became the next country to select its act for the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv. The Caucasus nation has had some moderate success in the competition since its debut in 2007, finshing in the top ten in 2009 and 2010. However, Georgia’s last appearance in a grand final was in 2016, and the current run of two non-qualifications is the country’s worst run of form in the contest to date.
The artist for the country this year was chosen via Georgian Idol. Over a number of weeks, the participants were reduced to just four this evening. Mariam Kakhelishvili, who represented Georgia in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2010, was kncoked out early. The acts included a dreary number from Oto and also Giorgi, while Liza had a low-key, somewhat classical entry, leaving another Giorgi (Pruidze) with the most upbeat and, in my opinion, best-sounding track of the bunch.
Once the votes had been counted, Oto was declared the winner with 44% of the vote, with Liza second and the two Giorgi’s third and fourth (the upbeat one came in last). Oto, who performed with his hair pulled into a bun, previously appeared on Ukraine’s edition of The Voice, finishing as the runner-up. His entry, ‘Sul Tsin Iare’, translates as ‘Go Ahead’. It’s the second Georgian language entry for the country in a row.
What a shame the track isn’t anything special. He performs the song while wearing a long coat, and he doesn’t move about much. The song is quite powerful though and it has a sort of menacing beat that builds up as things progress. The Georgian flag adorns the backdrop (it’s a patriotic song that asks for an end to war), while he belts the tune out – his gravelly voice may put viewers off, but if anything, the dullness is enough to suggest this may not do to well in Israel. A male choir kicks in at one point which is a nice touch, but it soon becomes a bit repetitive and despite the passion behind what he’s singing, it is hard to really become engaged. It’s over quickly, and I’m left wondering what a disappointment it has been.
There’s little else to add here; I cannot see Georgia qualifying again with this so-so entry. I’m sure far better songs could’ve been in the running, let alone more enticing musicians. Average and forgettable.
Early rating: D+.
Source: https://eurovision.tv/story/georgia-gives-oto-nemsadze-ticket-to-tel-aviv
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Artist: Nevena Božović
Song: Kruna.
Music and lyrics: Nevena Božović.
And after Georgia, Serbia. The Balkan nation debuted as an independent country in 2007, and won with ‘Moltiva’ performed by Marija Šerifović. Previously, Serbia had performed with Montenegro (finshing in the top ten in 2004 and 2005), and also as part of Yugoslavia well before that. Last year, Serbia qualified for the final but finished towards the bottom half.
Once again, the national final format, Beovizija, was used. Two semi-finals had reduced the number of competing acts to twelve. They included returning Beovizija act Saška Janks, also a former backing vocalist for Serbia at Eurovision, well-liked musician Dženan Lončarević, an uptempo track from Lord (also back for another try), and Nevena Božović, the eventual winner, plus others of course.
‘Kruna’ is the name of the song, translating unsurprisingly as ‘Crown.’ Nevena wrote it herself, and this is her second Eurovision attempt, having been part of Moje 3, a girl group back in 2013, who failed to qualify. The twenty-four year old has also performed at Junior Eurovision for Serbia, back in 2007 with ‘Piši Mi’, finishing third. She was also the runner-up on a TV singing competition, and was the first person to be the main performer in both the junior and adult competitions. Although a somewhat distant third with the public, the jury put her first, and she came out on top overall ahead of Dženan and Saška, with the public’s favourite coming in fourth (Nataša and Una’s ‘Samo Bez Straha’).
‘Kruna’ is a ballad, but a pretty decent one. Nevena performed it in a black dress, and the tune has a gentle, relaxing melody. She is a good singer, performing in Serbian and English. The verses are not the most gripping, but the chorus is stronger and packs more of a punch, and allows her to show off that great voice. There’s no need for too much movement here, but the visuals could be better somehow – something to work on for the performance in Tel Aviv.
There’s a pyro effect later on, and the song builds up nicely to a good finish. Maybe many will find this to drag on a little and not really go anywhere – I can see why some may believe that – but actually this is a credible ballad into the mix this year and it should qualify. The vocals are impressive, and with some work on the visual package, my opinion of ‘Kruna’ should improve. Right now, I feel some small tweaks need to be made.
The right choice I think. Mid-table for many fans at this stage I’d imagine.
Early rating: B-.
Reece A.J. Chambers 