EUROVISION 2019 REVIEW: UNITED KINGDOM - Michael Rice - Bigger Than Us

Time for a new review!

Today, we turn to my own country, the United Kingdom! After another edition of You Decide, we have chosen Michael Rice with 'Bigger Than Us'.

Here are my thoughts:

What I Like: Michael Rice is a VOCALIST, by far one of the best vocalists in a really strong year. I actually think he sings the song better than the clips of John Lundvik singing the song from what we've heard and his runs manage to get the balance just right. I also think that the song is really powerful and has the possibility to make a strong impression dependent on the running order and the right staging. Basically, there is potential here.

What I Don't Like: My problem with this is that I'm unsure how Michael will handle performing in such a large arena. We saw what happened with SuRie last year and how she handled the situation, and that really makes me put into perspective how polished and professional she is as a performer compared to Michael. His peformance in You Decide felt very amateur. It almost felt as if he was overselling a product he didn't have, which is annoying because vocally he is absolutely there. I just hope the UK continue their great run of stagings as of late and make sure he doesn't fall into this habit in Tel Aviv.

I also haven't really went back to 'Bigger Than Us' since it was chosen. It's pleasant but far too generic for me to connect to, which is an issue as people may seek out a more authentic version of this type of song, such as Sweden. This is another reason why they need to get the staging right!

Prediction: Hmm, now this is difficult. I think there are a lot of cases this year where people are saying 'this is jury friendly', which proves to me that a lot of songs will be battling and therefore sharing the jury vote this year. Therefore, although Michael's vocal is fantastic, I don't know if he'll be the priority over the other jury favourites and may struggle. I don't think we're touching left hand side this year, but anywhere between 16th-21st seems about right.

Final Score: 6/10

Summary: A fantastic singer with strong potential dependent on the staging. The song is a little overdramatic (bigger? bigger... bigger), and I'm unsure if it'll be at the top of people's lists when it comes to voting.

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