Georgia: Oto Nemsadze – Keep On Going

Martin: I bloody love Georgia at ESC. You have no idea what they’re going to do next.

Who else would go home after a miserable last-place finish, lick their wounds, and decide that the best thing to come back with is a borderline aggressive, politically loaded rock ballad in their native language?

The oh-so-subtle placement of the Georgian flag in the preview video hints at the inspiration behind the lyrics, although in isolation they seem to be more poetic than polemical, which is presumably why they’ve been allowed to get away with it. While the song itself remains something of a call to the diaspora, I’m assuming the staging in Tel Aviv will be decidedly flag-free (inflatable hammers in the audience not included).

But what will the non-diaspora audience make of it? “Sul tsin iare”, which will go by its English title in Tel Aviv, is dark. And difficult. And growly. And definitely my kind of thing. And probably no one else’s.

A typically atypical entry from this always intriguing country, in other words. Don’t go changing to try and please me, Georgia – I’ll take you just the way you are.

Felix: The corners of Martin’s and my mouths are going opposite directions on this one. It’s my last place in an already horrid line-up, and the two songs coming afterwards don’t make me want to return to my TV either. At least I hope the ecstatic golden lady from the video will be joining him on stage.

Shi: Read Martin’s review, take it down a notch, and that’s where I am. I’ll add one compliment which Martin neglected to include: Oto’s voice is amazing. That aside, I hope the other qualifiers will get him a thank-you gift for freeing up a qualification spot.

video and title image source: eurovision.tv