EUROVISION 2019: TOP 41 AFTER-SHOW (20-11)

Welcome back to the blog!

Its time for part 3 of my Eurovision 2019 after-show rundown. This will focus on the entries that placed between 20 to 11 in the rundown, aka the songs I go back to often but didn't quite make the top 10. Let's continue!

20 - France

Bilal Hassani - Roi

Roi was another favourite from the off for me that has slipped after the show. I think the damage for this within the fandom was the overpowering hype the press gave for this staging. We all know Bilal and understand how this is how he wanted to stage this, but I reckon casual viewers just saw it as 'box-ticking'. I'm still personally gutted he never went with Fais Beleck.

19 - Spain

Miki - La Venda

Spain finally did what Spain should be doing and they got paid dust again. This type of song typically does nothing for me but I still ended up ranking it higher than its result at the contest. The colourful pop that the grand final really needed and although it had some questionable staging choices it didn't really matter when Miki and his backing dancers gave so much energy. One I've started going back to a lot more recently.

18 - Hungary

Joci Papai - Az en apam

Everyone seemed to believe with the return of Joci Papai that Hungary would be able to keep their impressive qualification record after his top 10 in 2017. However, I think that maybe the magic of Origo maybe made this fall flat on comparison. I've warmed to it more over the last few months and adore the golden staging but I can see why people maybe didn't feel it as much as we all originally imagined with Origo in mind.

17 - Switzerland

Luca Hanni - She Got Me

She Got Me has had a surprisingly positive turnaround for me. Sacha Jean Baptiste worked her magic creating a slick and modern stage show with perfect camerawork and lighting. Luca was still doing too much with the... interesting choreo but they paired it back significantly from the MV. They did what they had to do and I'm happy for Switzerland.

16 - Malta

Michela - Chameleon

I had so many concerns about Chameleon but Michela and the team delivered a slick, well produced entry to be proud of. Michela held up vocally and had just the right amount of charisma. I’m not a fan of the backing dancers and their ‘Chameleon dance’ as it was just childish and unecessary, but apart from that this looked and sounded great and I hope Malta keep it up in 2020.

15 - North Macedonia

Tamara Todevska - Proud

Remember the 4/10 I gave this in the pre-show review? Yeah, we try not to remember. Although I’m still not totally sold on the song this is how you elevate live. A strong story told from start to finish with Tamara giving a convincing and poweful performance, this exceeded the expecations of many and I’m so happy North Macedonia finally got the result they’ve been waiting for.

14 - Latvia

Carousel - That Night

I already know that a lot of people are going to be pressed about this one but this has (no pun intended) been a sleeper hit for me. Maybe its just so inoffensive that if never grew off me or its just a song that never gets old but i gravitate to That Night often and I think with the Supernova staging it would’ve been even higher in my top.

13 - Australia

Kate Miller Heidke - Zero Gravity

Kate showed us all how to win the staging game. Nobody has done this before and honestly nobody should do it again because the team deserve full marks for originality. I do think it peaked in the semi-final but its still one that people will be talking about for years to come and she delivered the moment we needed.

12 - Romania

Ester Peony - On A Sunday

How on earth On A Sunday didn’t get Romania back to the final I will never know. Such dynamic staging with the camera work, use of the bridge and Ester on stage serving looks and all the pyro, not to mention the crossover appeal with the transylvanian spooky edge that this had. People were going to put Lithuania and Denmark through over this? I’m tired.

11 - Poland

Tulia - Fire Of Love (Pali Sie)

Poland is another entry that grew on me as time has gone on and looking back on this one I’ve realised how dynamic this entry is. The fact the audience just start clapping during the final verse shows how rhythmic this song is, and it was amazing to see the cultural elements shine through in this.

That concludes part three of my new (and improved i hope) top 41! In the final post I'll run through my top 10 and give my comments. There's also LOTS of blog posts on the way following on from this so watch out!