Greece: Stefania – Last Dance

Shi: My mantra this year has been reminding myself to not compare 2020 and 2021 entries from the same artists, but I’m going to ignore my own advice for a few paragraphs because it was Stefania’s 2020 entry that helped me understand why I struggle with her 2021 effort so much.

As a song, there’s nothing really wrong with “Last Dance”, despite doing little for me, and I can understand why many people like it. But the reason I liked 2020’s “Superg!rl” a lot more wasn’t just because of the musical merit of the song itself. What really worked last year was that the song and allowed Stefania to be her teenage self while also offering something to the younger audience, which is often ignored. 

In contrast, “Last Dance” feels old: not only due to its half-baked attempt at being retro, but because the entire package feels more like a song that Future Stefania might want to perform in a decade, but that isn’t a comfortable fit for her 18-year-old self.

It’s a decent song, and with a strong team and home support behind her as she represents Greece on her home soil, the Netherlands, “Last Dance” isn’t a lost cause. But it is a missed opportunity.

Martin: Whereas I have to admit I never got “Superg!rl” at all – but then I’m far more the target audience for “Last Dance” (which is a tune) due to myself being unashamedly retro. I know what Shi means, though; this year’s song calls for a brasher, less “girl-ish” personality to deliver it, and I wonder if that’s a good match for Stefania.

Felix: I don’t get the retro vibes that my colleagues are getting, but as a song, I like “Last Dance” a lot. Not sure either whether Stefania is the right artist to sing it, but she’s still new to me, so I will make my final verdict after the first rehearsals.

video and title image source: eurovision.tv