I enjoyed this semi a lot, but that was down to taste. I was a big fan of most of the experimental entries and ballads in this semi, so I was always going to enjoy it. Moreover, I thought tonight's show was well-produced considering all the shit KAN has gotten. The entire show ran smoothly, the hosts were decent, and graphics/postcards were on point.
I amended my prediction from earlier today after seeing all the live performances (which I posted on Skype), so I technically got 8/10 qualifiers. I swapped out Poland for Belarus at the last minute, making it 8/10. I only had Hungary and Portugal through over Estonia and San Marino.
QUALIFIERS:
🇬🇷 : I thought the performance was messy but Katerine sounded fantastic. I think lower top ten in the final is realistic at this point. I think they blew a chance at top five.
🇧🇾 : I don't love the song but Zena sold the hell out of it. It was a great show.
🇷🇸 : Vocally fantastic. I think this was top three with the juries, and is a potential dark horse for lower top ten in the final especially considering their diaspora.
🇨🇾 : Some people thought it underwhelmed but I thought it was good. Granted, Cyprus probably aren't going to end as high as people expected weeks ago, but it's obviously a welcome addition to the final.
🇪🇪 : A nightmare. I actually like the song but it has no business being in the final. I guess the radio-friendliness/'blandness' of it actually worked in its favour, given the songs that surrounded them in the running order.
🇨🇿 : Albert is a fantastic leading man. This was fun and high-energy, and I even enjoyed it for a moment. Deserved qualifier.
🇦🇺 : This was legitimately one of the best things I had ever seen on the Eurovision stage. I think Kate won the semi, and Australia are contending for victory.
🇮🇸 : So relieved that this got through. They were fantastic live. I loved how red it was. It gave the performance a truly sinister and devilish vibe.
🇸🇲 : They weren't in my final but I can't be mad at them for advancing. However, I do imagine that this must have gotten 100+ points from the televote, because I don't think juries would have rated this, especially if his vocals were as poor during the jury show as they were tonight.
🇸🇮 : A relief. I thought this looked beautiful and sophisticated. It's so calming, and I do think it's another dark horse to do well though I'm inclined to believe that juries pushed this through.
NON-QUALIFIERS:
🇲🇪 : Hot mess. I'll be shocked if this wasn't 17th.
🇫🇮 : Visually I thought this was impressive, but the song was clearly lacking. Deserved NQ.
🇵🇱 : Heartbroken, but I immediately got NQ vibes after the performance. Something felt off tonight, and I don't know why.
🇭🇺 : I'm disappointed that this didn't get through because I really enjoyed the song, and I thought Joci looked and sounded great. My fear that Serbia would cancel this out came to fruition.
🇧🇪 : This song had a lot of potential with staging, but it just felt limp. It didn't help that Eliot's vocals weren't great either. Deserved NQ.
🇬🇪 : I thought the performance was great and dramatic as hell, but I can't be surprised that this didn't get through. The song must not have resonated with people after all.
🇵🇹 : THE BIGGEST CRIME OF EUROVISION 2019. I'll sorely miss this song in Saturday's final.
I'm still shocked Estonia made it, I thought it looked and sounded terrible l0l
I'm really interested to see the jury/televote split when it's out, because I can already tell there's going to be large discrepancies between the two
mymilkshakes actually Jon Ola tweeted they only disagreed on 2 countries which happens in most cases. Also difference between 10th and 11th was 2 points lol
I’m actually shocked they only disagreed on 2 countries. I feel like the 2 point difference is between San Marino and Portugal though, which would be ironic since that’s exactly what happened in 2014 too
