EUROVISION 2019 REVIEW: BELARUS - Zena - Like It

Time for a new review, and yes you're gonna like it.

Today we turn to Belarus, where ZENA won the very stranger jury-only national final with 'Like It'.

Here are my thoughts:

What I Like: Well... I like it! This is a real guilty pleasure. The song is super catchy and a dosage of upbeat joy that we all need and deserve in this year's contest. The brass production in the chorus of Like It actually adds an extra element that the song needs and makes it sound actually very well produced. In the national final they didn't overstage the entry and make it seem more advanced than it actually is, as it would seem ridiculous if such a simple song has such a technically advanced stage show.

Zena is also a bit strong point to this entry. For only 16 years old she is oozing charisma and is a really good vocalist, which is even more impressive considering the fact she's singing an upbeat number. She really is the new pop girly and I'm living for it.

What I Don't Like: Okay, we need to talk lyrical content. I must have heard this song around 20 times since it got selected (because I genuinely really like the song), and I still have no idea what half the lyrics are. Something about hashtag the vibe, yeah? Seriously, I've got no clue, but from what I can understand I'm probably not missing out on much because it seems this song is about nothing, which in itself is something. The weird 'karma' parts send me everytime, and the wordy 'Yes you're gonna like it' hook almost feels demonic, like she's going to brainwashing us into liking it or else before the song ends. Maybe her ritual will convince people to pick up the phone?

All jokes aside, I don't know if I hate the lyrics or if they're iconic, but let's face it the jurors aren't voting for the guilty pleasure of the night so it's not exactly a positive. The song just feels like she wrote it for JESC but then was too old to enter it to the Junior contest so just sent it to the adult version instead at times, because it has that basic teen-girl bop aesthetic, but I don't know if its being executed well enough to appeal to that demographic over some of the other contestants.

Prediction: Well I'd love for this to qualify personally but I actually have this on the list of no-hopers for this year's contest. There is no way jurors are going to see this and respect its musicality, and Belarus don't have many neighbours outside of Poland for any televote support either. It will be a nice party moment on the night, but I don't see it advancing to the finals.

Final Score: 7.5/10

Summary: A cute little pop bop from our new pop girly. I'm really happy to see ZENA at the contest as she has a lot to offer and has contributed to the Junior contest many times over the years, and although I think 'Like It' is going nowhere I'm glad we have it in this year's contest.

Thank you for reading! Please leave a like on this post and check out my other blog posts. Also, feel free to follow me @ESCTBy for more Eurovision ramblings!