Slovenia: Zala Kralj & Gašper Šantl – Sebi

Shi: So here’s the thing. I like this one quite a bit, but I also didn’t notice it at all when I watched EMA. It didn’t register with me in the superfinal either, and when it was time for their winning reprise I still had no recollection of how it sounded. It’s one of those subdued and atmospheric songs that can be very captivating when you listen to them, but that are really difficult to sell on stage when surrounded by all the usual Eurovision cacophony.

It’s not that it can’t work, but it needs to not only work well where it is in the running order (and I’m not sure the songs before and after are helping anyone to notice anything in this sequence), but also have a performance and staging that really captures the essence and feel of the song – and, well, it’s Slovenia. Let’s just say, strong stagings are not their forte. Not even mediocre stagings, really.

Luckily for them, this semi is so diverse the points could go pretty much anywhere, so maybe, just maybe, they might escape the “Blackbird” fate.

Martin: I haven’t run Mr. Gerbear’s sorter yet, but I have a strong suspicion this will be my 2019 favourite. I love the atmosphere it conjures, I love the language, I even love the curious stage performance from EMA – and it doesn’t matter whether Europe agrees.

Felix: Well, I’m not gonna lie, I enjoy this. It would be nice background music for the hairdresser. As a competing entry for Eurovision, however, there is nothing about it that would make me vote for it. A song to breathe in and out to, but nothing to make you breathless.

video and title image source: eurovision.tv