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Eurovision Song Contest 2022: The ESC victory cannot be taken away from Ukraine – or can it?

2022-05-14T13:34:37.447Z


A Ukrainian triumph at the Eurovision Song Contest is expected everywhere, also as a sign of solidarity. But is this how the European public ticks? There are many musical offerings in the finale - here they are.


Enlarge image

Ukrainian act Kalush Orchestra at the ESC semifinals in front of a blue and yellow background

Photo: ALESSANDRO DI MARCO / EPA

Race number 01: Czech Republic

We Are Domi – »Lights Off«

Two countries tried to reach the final in 2022 with danceable electronic music.

But while Austria's DJ Lumix failed due to a severely restrictive stage production and the somewhat uncertain performance by singer Pia Maria in the first semi-final, the Czech Republic prevailed on Thursday evening.

The eponymous singer Dominika Hašková was not lacking in self-confidence.

The daughter of the Czech ice hockey goalkeeper Dominik Hašek, who played in the NHL, handles the big gestures and the dramaturgically important “Where Are You Now?” screams confidently and expansively.

Her two fellow musicians, two Norwegians whom she met at Leeds University, radiate more inventor charm than David Guetta grandezza.

A lot of Norway in this year's ESC, is Norway developing into the new Sweden?

Large disco factor

: 5/10

Chances

of winning : 4/10

Race number 02: Romania

WRS – »Llamame«

Already Spain?

No, even if the frequently repeated refrain consists of the alternating Spanish lines "Hola, mi bebébé" and "Llámame, llámame" (Hello, my darling, call me): the singer Andrei Ionuț Ursu does not come from Seville, but from Buzău in Romania.

But the global success of Latin pop is of course not without consequences for the trend-processing machinery ESC.

However, the modern sounds of reggaeton or trap are left out here: musically we are dealing with castanet-driven Euro-Pop, to which Ursu, who has experience in boy bands, can demonstrate his dancing talent.

After all, he belonged to the television ballet of the Romanian private broadcaster Pro TV for a long time.

The good mood that his song exudes will last for a long time throughout the evening.

Bullfighter Factor

: 5/10

Odds

of winning : 3/10

Race number 03: Portugal

MARO - »Saudade, Saudade«

27-year-old Mariana Secca, who calls herself MARO as a singer, sings about something anyone who has ever vaguely studied Portugal has heard of: »Saudade«, that supposedly untranslatable feeling somewhere between longing, sadness and a bit of luck

Since the singer, who was trained in the USA, sings after her grandparents in the song, it is extremely easy to understand, even for non-Portuguese people.

MARO has a really beautiful voice, a bit like Sade from Britain.

Her song begins gently and gropingly - and then stays more or less like that, only a few handclaps and the choral singing of five women are added.

They stand in a circle with MARO on the Turin stage and sing to each other, which may seem strange to the audience, but comes across as convincingly therapeutic on television.

Support Group Factor:

7/10

Odds of winning:

5/10

Race number 04: Finland

The Rasmus - »Jezebel«

It had gotten a bit quiet around the Finnish rock band The Rasmus, who landed a world hit with »In the Shadows« in 2003 and then continued to appear regularly in the European charts for a few years.

Time to try something new: why not apply for the ESC?

Founding member Pauli Rantasalmi didn't want to take part and was replaced on guitar by Emppu Suhonen, who was known in The Rasmus' heyday as a member of the girl group Tik Tak in Finland.

Frontman Lauri Ylönen gives the guitarist a cheeky wink at the line “A girl who looks like she's a boy”.

Ylönen wrote the song together with a top expert in the field of anthemic rock songs: Desmond Child.

The man was on Kiss' I Was Made for Loving You, Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer and Livin'

la Vida Loca« by Ricky Martin, what could possibly go wrong?

Caution: Child also wrote on Bonnie Tyler's ESC attempt in 2013, when the attempt to score with a big name from the past failed terrifically.

But The Rasmus put great enthusiasm into the song, which was inspired by Old Testament Jezebel - and thanks to Lauri's yellow raincoat and his band's rubber boots they also attract attention visually.

Oilskin factor

: 8/10

Odds

of winning : 5/10

Start number 05: Switzerland

Marius Bear - "Boys Do Cry"

Ironically, at the Eurovision Song Contest, one shouldn't really emphasize it like this: »Boys do cry – and how they cry«.

There were plenty of pain boys here, in 2019 Duncan Laurence from the Netherlands even won one.

And Switzerland has had very good experiences with one in 2021, the wonderful Gjon's Tears from Romandy, third place after all.

So this time Marius Bear reveals his feelings, who of course isn't actually called Bear, but only looks like it.

In civil life, his name is Marius Hügli, he comes from Enggenhütten in the canton of Appenzell and worked seven kilometers away as a construction machinery mechanic.

That someone like that stands on the huge stage of the Pala Olimpico, in an embroidered leather jacket, and has a broken heart projected onto his cheek - to make that possible,

is an essence of pop in general, and of course in a particularly striking form of ESC.

Yes, others stage themselves more elegantly, others get more sparks out of their ballads, but Marius Bear fought, he made it to the final, he deserves applause.

Tear gland factor

: 8/10

Odds of winning:

2/10

Race number 06: France

Alvan & Ahez - »Fulenn«

Article 2 of the Constitution of the Fifth French Republic states: "The language of the Republic is French".

The sentence poses a problem for the implementation of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, which France has signed but not ratified.

For this reason, the Diwan schools that teach in Breton are not recognized by the French state.

The three singers from Ahez met in such a divan school and are telling a story based on a Breton myth about a kind of witches' dance with the devil.

It is the second ESC contribution in the endangered Breton language (after Dan Ar Braz & L'Heritage des Celtes 1996), and that it was able to prevail in the French preliminary round,

is certainly also due to the driving electro beat of the producer Alvan, who comes from Brittany but is actually not a native Breton speaker.

The combination of folk and electronic brought Ukraine 5th place in 2021 - but Alvan and Ahez don't seem to harmonize as smoothly as Go_A did a year ago.

After all: The regional television broadcasts the ESC for the first time with Breton commentary.

Linguistics factor:

8/10

Odds of winning:

5/10

Race number 07: Norway

Subwoolfer - »Give That Wolf a Banana«

If there is a title in this ESC year that is set to appear in every curiosity clip about the wonderfully crazy Eurovision in the years to come, then it is this: Two men are hiding behind wolf masks, they call themselves Keith and Jim , and the official backstory is that they are from the moon and it was there in 1969 that a certain Neil asked them to sing the greatest song in the universe in his native English.

So there we have it: The request to give the wolf a banana so he doesn't eat the grandmother - with choreography and "Yum Yum" choirs.

It's a song that probably amuses everyone at first contact - that's good for the audience vote.

But it's also a song where you quickly overhear yourself - the music professionals in the juries will complain about that.

That's why there will probably not be a victory including mask removal when the trophy is handed over.

Meanwhile, Norway's press is already speculating eagerly.

Here's a good thought (although the voices don't quite match): Could it be the follow-up hit by the Ylvis duo, who had a viral hit with The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) in 2013?

Little Red Riding Hood factor:

5/10

Odds of winning:

7/10

Race number 08: Armenia

Rosa Linn - »Snap«

Experienced Eurovision observers try to find out from the starting places, which the organizer can determine himself within a certain framework specified by drawing lots, who will be given special opportunities.

But sometimes the starting place simply has stage construction reasons.

In the first semi-final, the 21-year-old from Vanadzor, the third largest city in Armenia, sang in a very prominent starting position, namely the last one.

Maybe because she had set up a whole tiny house as a stage decoration, with a bed in the middle and countless post-it notes as wall decorations.

In the end, Rosa Linn breaks through a wall of the house, but all the rest has to be cleared away.

For the final we expect a switch to the Green Room after Armenia!

But maybe the Norah Jones-style folk song is about

that suffering cannot be overcome with a snap of the fingers, even more so than one first realizes.

Several US songwriters contributed to it, directed by Tamar Kaprelian, an Armenian-American musician who was at ESC 2015 with multinational group Genealogy.

Another ESC tradition accessory: Rosa Linn plays a white guitar, just like Nicole did 40 years ago in Harrogate.

Interior decoration factor

: 6/10

Odds

of winning : 3/10

Race number 09: Italy

Mahmood & Blanco – »Brividi«

In 2019, the Milanese rapper Mahmood was a welcome shot of the present in the ESC soup, which was simmering in cherished traditions: His elegant yet tough song "Soldi" deserved second place and became an international hit.

Now, surprisingly, the son of an Egyptian father and a Sardinian mother returns as a veteran, in a duet with fellow 19-year-old Blanco, one of the top newcomers of 2021 in Italian rap and pop.

The two won the Sanremo Festival, the music competition that is even older and even more exuberant than the ESC, with »Brividi«, a ballad about a love with all the complexity of feelings between attraction and repulsion that can cause shudders.

The matter of course

with which the duet "puts the love between two men on the same level as the love between a man and a woman" was highly acclaimed in the Italian press.

In the betting shops, »Brividi« is seen as one of the possible winners if Ukraine doesn't.

For this, Mahmood and Blanco will have to radiate duet magic on stage - the song is there.

Goose bumps factor

: 9/10

Odds

of winning : 7/10

Race number 10: Spain

Chanel – »SloMo«

This title was originally written for Jennifer Lopez, as revealed by one of the numerous songwriters involved.

But perhaps a song too obvious for JLo, the chorus of which calls for rewatching the singer's movements in slow motion for "booty hypnotic" purposes.

On Spanish television, debates promptly erupted as to whether the winning song was sexist or meant to be feminist and self-empowering.

In any case, the 30-year-old Chanel Terrero uses her body very convincingly: the native Cuban, who came to Spain at the age of three, has primarily had a career as a dancer (for Shakira, among others), but also as a musical actress (» Flashdance«, »Mamma Mia«).

Now, with her debut single, she has asserted herself as a singer in the elaborately redesigned Spanish pre-selection process, at the center of which was a festival in Benidorm that was replicated in Sanremo.

The music video for "SloMo" is one of the most watched of the current year on YouTube.

Twerk factor:

9/10

Odds of winning:

6/10

Race number 11: Netherlands

S10 – »De diepte«

Stien den Hollander is the name of the Dutch interpreter;

her artist abbreviation alludes to her first name (pronounced S-Tien), and her last name is not a lie either: the 21-year-old comes from Hoorn, located in the province of Noord-Holland.

She sings the first ESC song in Dutch since Sieneke failed in the semi-finals in 2010 with "Ik ben verliefd (Sha-la-lie)".

Atmospherically, »De diepte« (the depth) is the complete opposite - you don't have to understand the language to understand that this is about depressive moods.

S10 has been open about the subject from the start of her singing career, speaking of her bipolar disorder, her first EPs were called »Antipsychotica« and »Lithium«.

The quiet song is reserved and yet intensely staged, it all fits together very well.

just in case

Mental Health Factor:

8/10

Odds of winning:

6/10

Race number 12: Ukraine

Kalush Orchestra - »Stefania«

In April, the culture department of Ukraine's public broadcaster, Suspilne, launched a series of articles that explained (partly in English here) why it is also significant from the perspective of contemporary culture that Ukraine should detach itself from the Russian sphere of influence .

Sometimes these essays exaggerate, overlook (perhaps consciously) some differentiation, but these are probably peacetime criteria.

Here essay writing is also part of the defensive struggle against a brutal aggressor.

And even the musicians at the Eurovision Song Contest see themselves in this context, the Kalush Orchestra spoke of wanting to be useful to their country, and at the end of their semi-final performance they thanked Ukraine for their support.

Or did the words "thanks for supporting Ukraine" have the character of a request?

Not only in the war, but also at Eurovision, a Suspilne author recently demanded and conceded that Ukraine has "modern rap with a machine-gun recitative and mixed elements of Ukrainian folklore."

You, other favorites of the betting shops such as Sweden or Italy, have tearjerkers in a modern guise that are disingenuous.

After all, what can a peaceful Europe cry about when Ukraine is worried about Mariupol, Bucha, Irpin, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv?

- Isn't that going too far?

To ignore the fact that even in times of war there can be lovesickness and mourning for personal losses?

Or is that again thinking too much out of the privilege of the one who wasn't attacked?

The television viewers, the jury members,

they will have to decide such questions for themselves.

Or maybe just vote for a strong rap song with folk elements.

Solidarity Factor:

10/10

Odds of winning:

8/10

Start number 13: Germany

Malik Harris - »Rock Stars«

In a newspaper interview, the ARD commentator on the ESC, Peter Urban, recently admitted that his reputation had suffered "because I've always been loyal and loyal to the German contribution".

But that's his job as a German commentator, he thinks.

After all, if Urban were to say again that the German candidate Malik Harris personally cut a good figure in the days of Turin, he cannot be contradicted.

The son of the nineties afternoon talker Ricky Harris was always friendly and competent, but nothing really stuck.

This is also the case with his song "Rockstars", one of many introspective titles of the year, which ultimately cannot even stand out due to its rap part, because Kalush from the Ukraine succeeds in something like that more urgently.

So it is to be feared

Eminem factor:

5/10

Odds of winning:

3/10

Race number 14: Lithuania

Monika Liu – »Sentimentai«

Monika Liubinaitė's performance exudes classic elegance that is more reminiscent of the early days of the Grand Prix Eurovision.

The 34-year-old, who grew up in Klaipėda's fishing port district, recalls once waving to a seagull in the dunes of Nida - and doing so in Lithuanian, it's only the second time a post has been entirely in the Baltic language is.

With her backless, glittering dress and her Mireille Mathieu bob haircut, one could imagine Liubinaitė in a French nightclub, and the jazz ballad with slight electronic overtones would also fit there musically.

The staging concentrates entirely on the singer, which is plausible, but will probably let the performance go down a bit in the spectacle of the final evening.

Cabaret Factor

: 7/10

Odds of victory

: 1/10

Race number 15: Azerbaijan

Nadir Rustamli - »Fade To Black«

At least Azerbaijan is sticking to the strategy of having the ESC contribution written by experienced and probably well-paid professionals with Scandinavian nationality.

The team for "Fade To Black" also includes Thomas Stengaard, one of the authors of Michael Schulte's "You Let Me Walk Alone" - and the Azerbaijani contribution is also a longing ballad, in which the singer gets a lot of space, to excel vocally.

It's somehow about the end of a love, but it's not that clear, neither in lines like "you always go and blame the weather" nor through the expressive dance implementation, which takes place on two stairs reminiscent of rehearsal stages of the independent scene.

But what to say?

It was enough for the 13th final participation at the 14th attempt.

Theater workshop factor

: 5/10

Odds

of winning : 3/10

Race number 16: Belgium

Jeremie Makiese - »Miss You«

Among the rituals that are occasionally rumored from soccer players' locker rooms is that of the musical debut that newcomers have to give.

What embarrassments, what aesthetic abysses!

And yet we don't want to assume that Royal Excelsior Virton only signed the player Jérémie Makiese for his youth team to finally hear a decent debut.

After all, Makiese was the newly crowned winner of »The Voice Belgique« when the contract was signed in September 2021.

But the then 20-year-old also demonstrated his skills as a goalkeeper in trial sessions, as the newspaper "L'Avenir" learned in an interview.

He is entering the Eurovision Song Contest with a song influenced by soul and gospel, which may not stick in your head for a long time, but is undoubtedly sung competently.

With his double talent, Jérémie Makiese is of course spot on at an event like the ESC, which combines music with a sporting spirit of competition.

And he also knows that defeats are part of it.

Brilliant Save Factor

: 3/10

Chances

of winning : 4/10

Race number 17: Greece

Amanda Georgiadis Tenfjord - »Die Together«

The singer, who represents Greece, was born 25 years ago in Ioannina, northwest Greece, but moved to her mother's country, Norway, when she was three.

There she was a classmate of Sigrid at high school in Ålesund.

But while she focused on music and had international pop hits like "Don't Kill My Vibe" or "Strangers," Amanda preferred the security of medical school for now.

Since 2019, however, music has also played the most important role for her, and Greek television again decided in the internal nomination process after 2021 for a candidate from the diaspora with the Dutch-Greek singer Stefania.

Tenfjord wrote her dramatic pop song, the lyrics of which one could, with a bit of ill will, interpret as contemplating a suicide pact.

supported by their Norwegian producer.

Somewhat enigmatic, but staged effectively (What's up with the chairs?) she brings him vocally strong on stage.

Trigger Warning Factor

: 6/10

Odds

of winning : 5/10

Race number 18: Iceland

Systur – »Með Hækkandi Sol«

Unlike the German duo S!sters, which were specially cast together for ESC 2019, the three women from Systur are actually sisters, and they also have their brother on drums to support them.

But what is really a thing: They are the children of Eyþór Gunnarsson, who in turn is the keyboardist of Mezzoforte.

Mezzoforte, that was the jazz rock band whose instrumental »Garden Party« became a surprise hit in 1983 (and which many hit parade presenters used to moderate at the time).

The three daughters share a slightly confusing smile and look like the Icelandic version of Haim - but much closer to nature than the Californians.

Its title means »With the rising sun«,

has about the same content as the children's book "Frederik" by Leo Lionni and is very unobtrusive.

That, too, is different from the German S!sters.

Familien-Faktor: 8/10

Siegchancen: 2/10

Startnummer 19: Moldau

Zdob şi Zdub & Advahov Brothers – Trenulețul

Da offenbar das Sunstroke Project dieses Jahr keine Zeit hatte, wird die Republik Moldau zum dritten Mal durch die Gruppe Zdob și Zdub vertreten. Und sie schafft es auch zum dritten Mal ins Finale. Nach der trommelnden Oma von 2005  und der Einradfahrerin 2011  haben sie diesmal zwei Folkloremusiker mitgebracht, die Advahov-Brüder, Leiter eines national bekannten Volksmusik-Orchesters. »Hey ho, let's go, Folklore and Rock 'n' Roll«, zitieren die einstigen Hardcore-Punks von Zdob și Zdub auf irritierende Weise die Ramones herbei. Der Song handelt von einer Zugfahrt von der moldauischen Hauptstadt Chișinău in die rumänische Hauptstadt Bukarest und hat, wie so vieles in diesen Tagen seine Unschuld ziemlich verloren. Schließlich muss eine Zugfahrt nach Westen ins historisch wie sprachlich eng verbundene EU-Land symbolisch wirken – jedenfalls führt die Fahrt nicht durchs Russland-freundliche Transnistrien. Aber der Songtext ironisiert die Verhältnisse durchaus und fragt: »Fahren wir wirklich von einem Land ins andere? Es wirkt wie eins, und doch wie zwei, gemeinsam und vereint«. Zu empfehlen ist auch das Musikvideo zu »Trenulețul«  – Scheunenparty im Überlandzug, sehr schön.

Westbindungs-Faktor: 4/10

Siegchancen: 6/10

Startnummer 20: Schweden

Cornelia Jakobs – »Hold Me Closer«

In Schweden wurde der Sieg von Cornelia Jakobs beim Melodifestivalen, der mehrwöchigen ESC-Vorentscheidshow, als Rache interpretiert. Denn auf Platz zwei kam Anders Bagge, der 2008 in der Jury der schwedischen »DSDS«-Version »Idol« saß, die seinerzeit die 16-jährige Cornelia Jakobs ziemlich heruntermachte. Bagge entschuldigte sich bei ihr, die wirklich harschen Worte hatte aber der Produzent Andreas Carlsson gesprochen, in der Rolle des schwedischen Dieter Bohlen sozusagen. Auch Carlsson äußerte sich , gratulierte Jakobs zum Melodifestivalen-Sieg und sagte, er sei froh, dass sich der Ton in solchen Fernsehshows seither geändert habe. Gerade wurde ein von Carlsson mitkomponierter Titel der erste Gewinner des American Song Contest. Die von ihm einst so kritisierte Cornelia Jakobs zählt mit dem spannungsvoll aufgebauten Titel »Hold Me Closer« zum engeren Favoritenkreis beim Eurovision Song Contest: Erst scheint es eine weitere sanfte Ballade zu sein, dann kommt ein Elektro-Groove hinzu, und am Schluss hat Jakobs plötzlich ein raues Timbre in der Stimme, wie es Ältere von Bonnie Tyler oder Gianna Nannini kennen dürften. Stark auch, wie sie ihr Haar ganz ohne Windmaschine in drei Minuten verstrubbelt.

Reibeisen-Faktor: 6/10

Siegchancen: 6/10

Startnummer 21: Australien

Sheldon Riley – »Not The Same«

»Eine dramatische Ballade aus dem Frühwerk von Lady Gaga, wie sie in der TV-Serie ›Glee« inszeniert wäre«: So bringt ein britischer Blogger  den musikalischen Reiz des australischen Beitrags korrekt auf den Punkt. Doch wer wird auf die Musik achten, wenn die Aufmerksamkeit von der Maske! der Treppe!! der Schleppe!!! eingenommen sein wird. In Auftritten bei den australischen Fassungen von »X-Factor« und »The Voice« sowie bei »America's Got Talent« konnte Sheldon Riley seine Performancekünste perfektionieren und seine Botschaft schärfen: Bei dem Sohn eines philippinischen Vaters und einer schottisch-irischen Australierin wurde mit sechs Jahren das Asperger-Syndrom diagnostiziert, er litt unter dem Mobbing seiner Mitschüler und fand auf der Bühne zu dem Selbstbewusstsein, das ihn zu seinem Anderssein stehen ließ. Eine Botschaft, die bei diesem Anlass in ähnlicher Form schon mehrfach überbracht wurde, die aber in angemessen dramatischer Darstellung ihre Wirkung selten verfehlt.

Außenseiter-Faktor: 7/10

Siegchancen: 5/10

Startnummer 22: Großbritannien

Sam Ryder – »Space Man«

Was hätte dem Vereinigten Königreich, im ESC zuletzt vergleichbar leidgeprüft wie Deutschland, Besseres passieren können, als auf Sam Ryder zu stoßen? Da ist dieser Mann mit blondem langem Haar, blauen Augen und braunem Bart, der jahrelang in den Niederungen des Musikgeschäfts herumgewerkelt hat, ein veganes Restaurant auf Hawaii eröffnet und wieder geschlossen hat und in all dieser Zeit weder zynisch noch wunderlich geworden zu sein scheint. Der im Lockdown einen TikTok-Account  eröffnet hat und Lieder von Rihanna und George Michael und, am beliebtesten, Queen nachsingt, plötzlich Millionen Hörer, Follower, Likes findet. Und mit einem ungekünstelten Enthusiasmus an die ESC-Sache herangeht, dass es eine Freude ist. Aber dabei bleibt es nicht: Die BBC hat die Chance erkannt, keine Amateurhaftigkeit diesmal, die Co-Songwriterin hat mit Ed Sheeran gearbeitet, der Produzent mit Dua Lipa. Und der Song klingt wie eine Hommage an die Blütephase des britischen Pop, in der Elton John oder David Bowie nur den Weltraum als Grenze kannten, und in ihren Liedern nicht mal den. Congratulations, UK!

Major-Tom-Faktor: 9/10

Siegchancen: 8/10

Startnummer 23: Polen

Ochman – River

Krystian Ochman fällt auf im Teilnehmerfeld des Eurovision Song Contest 2022 – durch seinen klassischen Kleidungsstil, sein zurückhaltendes Auftreten und seine große Stimme. Letzteres brachte ihm den Sieg bei der polnischen Version von »The Voice« ein, wo er im Finale im Duett mit Michał Szpak sang, dem letzten Interpreten, der für Polen ein Top-Ten-Ergebnis beim ESC errang (2016). Das Gesangstalent liegt bei den Ochmans in der Familie: Großvater Wiesław Ochman hat als Tenor an der Berliner Staatsoper, in Wien und Hamburg und an der Met gesungen. Krystian Ochman kam in den USA zur Welt, ging aber nach dem High-School-Abschluss nach Polen. Seine dramatische Ballade »River« ist mit allem, was der Bühnentrickkasten hergibt, inszeniert: Tropfen scheinen den Bildschirm herabzulaufen, der Wasserfall in der Turiner Halle kommt voll zur Geltung, und Wassergeister hüpfen auf der Bühne herum. Alles, damit sich Ochman ganz auf seine Stimme konzentrieren kann.

Opern-Faktor: 5/10

Siegchancen: 6/10

Startnummer 24: Serbien

Konstrakta – In Corpore Sano

Es ist der Irritationseffekt, der den Eurovision Song Contest so unvergleichlich macht, das staunende »Was ist DAS denn?« vor dem Bildschirm. Oft genug ist das mehr oder minder kalkulierter Quatsch, aber immer mal ahnt man: Da steckt mehr dahinter. Ästhetisch erinnert die Irritation, die der serbische Beitrag auslöst, ein wenig an Sébastien Telliers Auftritt für Frankreich 2008 , doch es gibt offenkundig eine politische Dimension: Wie die diplomierte Architektin Ana Đurić, die sich Konstrakta nennt, dasitzt, sich die Hände wäscht, sie rituell trocknen lässt und davon sprechsingt, wie Künstler Gott um Gesundheit bitten müssen, weil sie keine Krankenversicherung bekommen. »In Corpore Sano« ist der Mittelteil eines Songzyklus namens »Triptych« (hier das Video ), der ziemlich umfassend Gegenwartskritik übt, mit Bezügen auf Philosophie und Popkultur – so wie im ESC-Song auf Meghan Markle. Nicht alle Rätsel lösen sich auf, aber am Ende hat sich Konstrakta im Halbfinale qualifiziert und darf nun im Finale das große Publikum irritieren – und das klatscht vielleicht einfach mit.

Hygiene-Faktor: 9/10

Siegchancen: 5/10

Startnummer 25: Estland

Stefan – Hope

Seltsames Europa: Stefan Airapetjan ist als Sohn einer armenischstämmigen Familie in Estland zur Welt gekommen. Er hat von Kind auf immer wieder an Wettbewerben teilgenommen, mal für Denkspiele, oft für Musik. »Hope« war bereits sein vierter Versuch, sich für den ESC zu qualifizieren – und passenderweise hat es geklappt mit einem Song, der von den Soundtracks eines Ennio Morricone zu Spaghetti-Western beeinflusst ist; also der italienischen Version des uramerikanischen Western-Genres. Bevor jemand »kulturelle Aneignung« schreien möchte: Der Einfluss ist zwar nicht gerade subtil, aber es ist eben nur ein Einfluss. Vor allem läuft Stefan mit der Gitarre auf dem Rücken über die große Bühne und singt sein Hoffnungslied. Sehr viel Bewegung in einem Jahrgang der verharrenden Schmerzensmänner – vielleicht brachte ihn das ins Finale.

Spaghetti Western Factor

: 8/10

Odds

of winning : 3/10

Eurovision Song Contest

, Saturday May 14, The First.

From 8.15 p.m. “

Countdown for Turin

”, from 9 p.m. the

final

.

Live ticker on SPIEGEL.de

Source: spiegel

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