EUROVISION 2019 REVIEW: GREECE - Katerine Duska - Better Love

Its a new day so time for a new review!

Today, we turn to one of my favourite countries, both in general and in Eurovision, Greece, who this year internally selected 'Better Love' by Katerine Duska.

Here are my thoughts:

What I Like: This is a real fantastic entry for Greece. Growing up in Montreal and residing in Athens, Katerine has that continental sound that is going to be respected across Europe, and 'Better Love' is just the song to show off this. It has that booming pop production and fits Katerine's vocal perfectly. Some have compared her to Florence + The Machine, Kimbra, Jess Glynne etc, but I only hear Katerine. She has her own thing going on and she fits this just perfectly. I love the music video and the idea that they have went for an art piece and a concept alongside the video, especially that stunning pink dress. I hope they keep the live performance in a similar vein to this video.

The middle 8 is definitely the best part of this song for me. The repetition of 'go deep with me' is really quite stirring and makes you realise how much this song has built up as Katerine goes into that stunning high note. This is a real credible track that I could easily hear on UK radio and I think it fits well with Katerine's own sound. She feels like an artist and I feel a connection between her and this song and that's what I enjoy here.

Of course we have to mention the obvious risk of her Amsterdam performance which wasn't really hitting it vocally, but for me that's no issue. We've heard her in many other instances sing incredible live and she's posted clips of her performing that high note, and we know her backing vocalists also hold a lot of vocal capability, so this will sound perfect for when we land in Tel Aviv.

What I Don't Like: I will say that 'Better Love' is an entry that sounds best on first listen. Maybe I overplayed it but the days of having a Better Love for this song (lol comedy genius or wot!) are fading away and haven't really stood the test of time, and maybe that's because the song does feel a little familiar? This holds no issues when we head to Tel Aviv though, as most viewers won't have heard this before and its my stupid fault for stanning too hard initially. I'm also slightly nervous about the staging for this one. Its much more difficult to create that world they created in the music video on stage, and Greece sadly missed out on the grand final for only the second time ever in their Eurovision history which I believe mostly had to do with the staging, so I hope they can get that sorted for 'Better Love' this year.

Prediction: I think I can confidently say that Greece are back in the final this year. This song has the potential to really grip the jurors in Semi-Final 1, a semi-final with more televoter bait entries, while still appealing to the televote with its international sound. Get this right and it might even win the semi and give Greece a top 10 placing this year, I have faith!

Final Score: 9/10

Summary: An expensive entry performed by one of my favourite artists this year. This has identity while being really contemporary and radio-friendly. A true contender as long as we get the right staging. The staging is my only concern, so don't mess it up Greece!

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