Hello Eurovision fans! I know I’m a little late to the party, but I’m ready to revel in this year’s entries! Once again, I have changed the format of my articles from past years. This year, I will listen to 10 songs at a time (leaving 7 for last) and focus the article on my three favourites from each round. I will list my interim ranking at the bottom of the article, as well as my current top 10 from the ones I have already listened to. So who am I reviewing first?

Round 1:

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Zoë Më – Voyage

Looking to defend Switzerland’s title is Zoë Më with her song “Voyage.” It is a beautifully poetic song about enduring through hardship when others try to bring you down. Although it is never stated who is the “you” that Zoë Më is referring to in “Voyage,” I interpret it to be life itself, although it could very well be referring to an actual person.

The song starts off very delicately, highlighting the expressivity of Zoë Më’s voice. The accompanying orchestra moulds to her every note as she skips across a sonic path of stones. But it can’t be a Eurovision song without a flair for the dramatic, right? We get that flair in the bridge of “Voyage” with the banging of timpanis and stabbing of strings. The song accelerates in tempo before ending with a serene key change, like a sun breaking through stormy clouds. Let’s hope the skies are clear for Zoë Më’s voyage.

JJ – Wasted Love

Representing Austria is JJ, a countertenor from Vienna. While opera has been present since the early years of the Eurovision Song Contest, the incorporation of operatic singing in pop songs has become associated with Nemo’s winning entry last year. I’m sure many made comparisons between “Wasted Love” and “The Code,” especially since both songs blend disparate genres together. While Nemo’s entry was propelled by a drum and bass beat and included a rap verse, JJ turns his grand finale into an all-out rave party with vocal-chopped operatic singing.

Switzerland’s winning entry may have won with a triumphant tale of self-acceptance, but Austria hopes to win with a melancholic melodrama about unrequited love. In “Wasted Love,” JJ compares his love to an ocean in which he is drowning. For reasons not explained, the one he loves does not go to any lengths to save him, leaving him to fend for himself. I tend to be partial towards sad songs, so it’s no surprise to me that I like this song (although I don’t know how I feel about the abruptness of the techno ending). I can’t wait to see the big paper boat in the live performance!

ADONXS – Kiss Kiss Goodbye

Based on his name, I thought ADONXS was Greece’s representative, but he is actually representing Czechia in the Eurovision Song Contest. On top of his singing and dancing skills, he is also a model, so his name is quite appropriate. His entry, titled “Kiss Kiss Goodbye,” tells the story of two toxic people caught in a cycle of love and destruction. The song is built like a tower that crumbles the more you climb it.

“Kiss Kiss Goodbye” builds slowly, with the lazy drawl of ADONXS’s voice before dropping the listeners into a dramatic waltz. Every time the chorus comes around, it lands like an anvil to the ears as the song switches between triple and duple meter. ADONXS gets to demonstrate the full extent of his talents, from his low register to his high falsetto, and he even throws in a dance break. Personally, I could have done without the latter, but I understand why he would want to include it. In any case, I hope ADONXS will get much in return for how much he puts into this performance.

Rankings