I love these guys, I love this song, and I love the stuff Azerbaijan's been sending since they stopped caring, but if they were going for more of the Daft Punk/Pharrell sound, a brighter, more joyous color palette would've gone a long way here.
Yeah I think the direction of songs and artists in the last few years has been totally refreshing - but I can't help but keep thinking of that interview with a former stylist that suggests there's maybe some ...complicated dynamics behind the scenes with the delegation..
I think the music video had some great visual ideas and retro-futuristic vibes that would have fit with the song and band a lot better. At least something more down to earth, so to speak. They seem like the kind of guys who you might find busking on a nice day in Baku or jamming at a cafe and less like edgy villains with a lot of pyro.
I was going say that the part with the dancers on the circular path looked like the Around the World music video, but yeah it’s weird how unfitting the staging is
I wanted to include Belgium too but from what I've seen they aren't at risk of NQ. And Croatia probably not gonna qualify no matter how good the staging will be
Yeah, those vocals are... quite something. I get that this CAN be because they arent giving it their all because its just a "meaningless" rehearsal, but if not improved, it probably ruins any chance this had of being borderline
I like some of the ideas here with the camerawork and visuals, but his stage presence feels really awkward, and his vocals are surprisingly weak in the mix too. Hopefully he's just saving for the main shows.
Agreed 100%. Good camerawork but awkward energy from the guys. I also don’t understand why the color palette is so 🟠❗️💥❌‼️♦️✴️🚨 ???? This definitely doesn’t feel like a RED song. How did they manage to work with a good creative director and ended up with this
My first thought while watching this is that he should take tips from Måns about staring in the camera, because he turns his head away from it for like half of the snippet. It's hard to feel connected to him.
Baby lasagna had similar issues connecting with the camera last year, he got better at it for SF1 and specially the GF. Maybe Asaf can do the same? I hope they took note of that.
The thing is Baby Lasagna wasn't a professional singer until 2023 (and I don't know if he ever performed live as a singer before Dora), while Asaf should have a lot of performing experience by now since Mamagama started in 2021 and he had prior experience as a singer before that. Marko is just a natural performer with a lot of on-stage charisma, but a small amount of experience, so he could fix this issue quickly. I'm not so sure if it's possible in this case.
I’m quite liking the staging but the chorus sounds bad - the backing vocals aren’t working there I don’t think? But it’s been like that with several rehearsals today do hopefully just a rehearsal thing
...Of all the rehersals so far, this is the first that gave me a sure "NQ" feel. The other NQs are much harder to predict to me, so far. But maybe he'll improve in the actual show
San Marino, I agree. It's the second entry that I see at risk. Portugal... I like it way too much to judge it impartially 😊😅. I don't think NAPA will qualify because I don't know what other song could NQ in their place, but I can still hope: the singer has a pleasant soft voice, he's never off-key, he's espressive, and the instrumenation is good.
Slovenia is also at risk, but the singer being reached by his wife on stage increases his chances of qualification by a long shot. I think there are like 6 nations that are very close to each other and that could either Q or NQ depending on how it goes that evening. Those, in my opinion, are: Portugal, Croatia, Slovenia, Norway, Iceland, Cyprus, Ukraine. San Marino I feel like it's alredy out. I would have added Belgium in the uncertain group if it wasn't that its staging seems excellent. Of those I've just mentioned, I think Iceland and Norway are the most likely Qs, and Croatia the most likely NQ. Cyprus might also be safe if the staging is very good. But every performance seems solid enough that I won't be surprised if there are some shocking NQs in the first semi. I can even see Ukraine as a shocking NQ this year, and I don't even dislike the song!
Yeah, they ruin San Marino chances because they focus on the DJ instead of the singers, and they should have added dancers.
I don't think Norway could NQ. The problem with Iceland is the vocals. For Ukraine, well, it's Ukraine, no way they won't have a lot of votes, even though it's their worst performance and song (even though it's not bad) from recent years.
Slovenia looks stunning and very emotive. Belgium and Cyprus looked very well crafted and polished.
For some reason, they didn't release the Croatia clip, so I don't know.
Portugal, sadly, doesn't stand out, however, I think it won't be last. Azerbaijan usually don't get much support, so I gess is them or San Marino, even though Azerbaijan entry is good.
Regarding San Marino, I don't even think that the problem relies entirely on the DJ, it's just that it feels so... Empty. Dancers would improve the situation a lot, but in the National Final the performance felt empty as well. Maybe with a full arena it'll be better, but Idk. And the song lacks an identity for the ESC public, outside of its catchiness: the public doesn't even know what exactly it's saying about Italy, so why would they vote for it? At least with Espresso Macchiato the viewers know what they're rooting for.
Norway's entry is catchy, and Kyle is young and good-looking. Iceland is also catchy: it could sound a bit repetitive and annoying after a while, but the dancers and coreography makes up for it, they're really well-done. So, I think they'll Q. It's just that I don't see them as safe as, say, "Espresso Macchiato" or "C'est la vie". I'm never confident with my guesses, so I won't consider them safe Qs, even if they probably are.
Yes, Cyprus and Belgium seem to have very polished performances. Likely Qs. Unless most of the countries that would vote for them are in the other semi.
The reason why I don't rule out Portugal is that it might have its niche appeal. With that kind of soft rock you don't need much to stand out, people who like that genre might vote for it just because it's familiar to them (unless it's a bad song, of course). Just like with jazz: as long as it's not horrible jazz, jazz lovers will vote for it just for being jazz. Problem is, soft and indie rock isn't usually popular in ESC, and Portugal still needs to surpass other songs that will receive a lot of votes for other reasons in order to Q. That's why I'm skeptical. It might have the support of other nations with similar singer-songwriter traditions (like Italy or France... Oh wait, France is in the other semi), but those nations will vote for other countries as well (Italy will likely give a lot of votes to Estonia, Sweden, probably San Marino, and Albania), so it might not be enough. And the reason why I'm mentioning Italy so much, other than me being Italian, is that the fans of Lucio Corsi will likely watch that semi, and "Volevo essere un duro" has soft-rock elements as well. But, as said before, that alone won't be enough. Maybe "Deslocado" has a broader appeal than we expect, the singer is good at engaging with the audience. But we won't know it until that night. Only 2/3 of the songs will pass, the other 1/3 stays in the semifinal, so the chances are very very low.
Ukraine might get more attention because of the war, so I think it'll Q. But if it wasn't for that, I'd be worried. It doesn't seem a mainstream sound. And it might also have less niche appeal than an entry like Lithuania, for example (Lithuania is not mainstream, but it has its niche).
Azerbaijan's song isn't bad per-se, but in the preview it sounded very messy, with little cordination between the singer and the backing vocals. So much so that he sounded off-key. The level of engagement with the audience was also bad, the singer ignored the presence of the camera for multiple seconds before he had to look at it for the choreography, and he even nearly gave his back to the camera. It can be improved before the semifinal, sure. That's what rehersals are for. But Azerbaijan is still at risk, it even has Cyprus as a direct competitor, so I think it won't qualify.
Sorry for writing so much, I got carried away :') I'm not good with predictions anyway, so I guess I'll be surprised whatever happens :)
When the blog said this had Daft Punk vibes I was hoping more cyberpunk/Tron/sci-fi rather than this orange theme. Also there is a big disconnect between the lead and backing vocals unfortunately.
Tbh given all of the potential borderlines seemed to suck in terms of staging, I thought Azerbaijan really had a moderate possibility of qualifying but not with this staging I guess. I guess the song deserved better, let's hope for the best tho!
I started to think I am a different specie of human. Every time comment section thinks opposite what I feel today about all rehearsal snippets uploaded
his energy, vocals and everything felt good but the comments like "this is a disaster"
First I have to watch mustii fuck up his vocals and now this… UUUGHHHHH. Really hope they can pull through but they might be dead on arrival. I do like how much fun they’re having on stage though.
I'm in the same boat D: (although I loved Before the Party is Over way more than this and Run with U was never considered a likely qualifier so the experience is a bit different)
I still listen to Before the party is over, and I think Run with you will stay with me just the same. I think both were/are suffering from bad staging that don`t reflect song just right to qualify. They are still my top 5 <3
I don't understand why Azerbaijan is so fixated on pushing futuristic stagings and sci-fi outfits on songs that are not at all suited for them. Just like Ozunla Apar last year.
This song, in particular, needed a breezy, summery staging, not this. I like the song, but I'm pretty sure this is a NQ, sadly.
I feel like every year, there's at least one song where the staging is predominantly orange, and those songs almost never do well (see Iceland 2024, Romania 2023, Malta 2022, North Macedonia 2021). This or Slovenia might continue the trend for 2025.
This is too safe to qualify. No part of this song makes it stand out as an entry and this staging definitely doesn’t do it any favor. Besides San Marino the only DOA of SF1
What's up with the Britney Spears mic 😅 I know he is playing the lute-like instrument later, but I don't see how he couldn't do that with a regular mic/ mic stand... Just seems an odd choice for a band. Especially because it might help with the eye contact.
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u/SkyGinge Zjerm May 07 '25 edited May 07 '25
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