Over on my last blog, I mentioned how I’ve reviewed so many songs, I could only have a few reviews of songs of Western European entries. Funny things is that’s the case here for this blog of Eastern European entries. I’ve already done most of them. In fact when I did my blog of the Balkan entries, I already did more than half! Nevertheless I have a good three reviews of Eastern European entries and enough room to include the Australian entry for this year.
🇦🇹 AUSTRIA
Performer: Teya and Salena
Song: “Who The Hell Is Edgar?”
Some of you may wonder isn’t Austria Western Europe? Most likely so, but I figure Austria is east enough to be considered Eastern Europe. Some of you may also wonder a dance song about Edge Allan Poe? It does seem odd at first but if you give it a listen to, it will be infectious. I myself have found this song to be very catchy. Also the song may sound quirky, but it’s actually a song that talks about the difficulty of song writers to get rewarded lucratively for their music. Even the most creative and the most genius writers would have that difficulty nowadays. As if the music business isn’t cruel enough!
ESC Chances: Hard to believe the third-place from Cesar Sampson in 2018 was the last time Austria was in the Grand Final! We’re seeing something similar to last year where Austria has a catchy song with a dance beat. “Halo” fell short in its SemiFinal because the stage show didn’t go well. This song is already Top 10 in betting odds but it will still need a good stage show to go with it. I don’t think it should struggle too hard. It’s in the less-fierce Semi 2 and should qualify. If all goes right, I feel it has the Poe-tential for a Top 10 finish.
Listen to Teya ans Salena’s Eurovision 2023 song:
🇨🇿 CZECHIA
Performer: Vesna
Song: “My Sister’s Crown”
When Czechia started entering Eurovision in 2007, it really struggled to make the Grand Final. It finally did in 2016 and have returned three more times. Even without looking at betting odds, I can see this as their fifth. This song by the Czech vocal group Vesna is a song of female empowerment with an exciting beat to it, mixed with culture, some quirkiness and lots of attitude. And four languages are mixed in, including Ukrainian! Definitely an arresting song!
ESC Chances: Female empowerment is a popular theme of songs at Eurovision and can go very far when done right. We loved 2018’s “Toy” for its kookiness and 2019’s “Proud” for its seriousness. This song is a mix of quirky and serious that balances it well and is definitely catchy. It may be in SemiFinal 1 but it’s one of the reasons why Semi 1 is so competitive. Many people also feel this can clinch a Top 10 finish. That would only be Czechia’s second ever!
Listen to Vesna’s Eurovision 2023 song:
🇵🇱 POLAND
Performer: Blanka
Song: “Solo”
Poland is one nation that had its best-ever result when it debuted: runner-up in 1994. Poland is usually hit-or-miss. With this song, I find the reggae-light beat rather catchy and I like the message of the song, but I feel the song is too simple. It’s one of those songs that makes you ask “How did a simple song like this make it into Eurovision?”
ESC Chances: Poland does have the luck of being in the less fierce SemiFinal 2, but I don’t think even that will help its chances in qualifying. This is Eurovision and Eurocrowds expect as much of a big delight in the music as they expect in the stage show. Unless Blanka does the right revamping or two, I don’t even a big stage show can help it qualify.
Listen to Blanka’s Eurovision 2023 song:
and…
AUSTRALIA
Performer: Voyager
Song: “Promise“
Europe has enjoyed having Australia as part of Eurovision since it was a special guest in 2015. They’re back for the eighth time here in Liverpool. All of their previous entries have been solo singers. This time, they send a band. The song actually starts off weak, but its strength and energy definitely grow over time. This is a good hard rock song that includes hints of metal and techno rock.
ESC Chances: The excitement of Australia being part of Eurovision has died down since it started, but the Eurocrowd still likes their songs. This song is in SemiFinal 2 and is anticipated to be one of the stronger songs of that Semi. It does sound like a qualifier but a fitting stage show will definitely guarantee its qualification and even give it a good finish in the Grand Final. As long as they don’t do any of the wrong gimmicks.
Listen to Voyager’s Eurovision 2023 song:
And there you go. There’s my review of three songs from Eastern Europe and the Australian song. As each day gets closer to Eurovision, the excitement builds and builds!
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