Finland FINLAND 2018 - Saara Aalto - Monsters

[Remembrance]

I expected Monsters would win, and it was the best of the three.
Still doesn't gel with me, though.

4 points.

 

[Ezio]

The performance was so tacky, like the worst of Austria 2012, UK 2015, Germany 2015 and Latvia 2017 in the mix...

 

[ag89]

So much hype around an average song and an ok singer with no charisma needed if you want to be a proper music star. Or there is something wrong with me? I don't get it.

 

[Scooby]

Average song, average singer, muddled performance, don't get all that hype around here
Only 2 points for this performance

 

[blein]

I will be shocked if she will perform same in eurovision and juries will put her on top.... Monsters is rly good studio track.. but live... it was 2018 level or even worse...

 

[Femmina]

There's a reason why people here love her, and why YLE chose her internally. It certainly isn't for her music, despite doing music for years she haven't had any hit. People going for her concerts despite her performing mostly covers. Her coming 2nd in the X-Factor. Performing with Andrea Bocelli. It's because she can sing. What I do admit is that yesterday wasn't good, but people who say she's average clearly haven't seen her other X-Factor performances or just hate her voice. It is quite love/hate afterall. She was just nervous yesterday for some reason.

Anyway, for example;

 

[aef]

For now Saara gets 7 points from me.. It's a good song but I don't know... Something is missing! And the most important problem is the staging: The performance in the NF wasn't as strong as I expected... She definitely needs a more consistent concept to slay at Eurovision!

 

[Anthony Tesla]

This will get to the final, but beyond that...?

The song is catchy but the lyrics are pretty predictible, and it feels underproduced, like an incomplete work. She doesn't even sing that spectacularly as you would expect, and the whole staging seems pretty tacky, I mean... this was, all? I guess it was unavoidable, when there's so much hype sometimes you'll get dissapointed, and even by that curve, this was underwhelming.

6 points.

 

[WhoKnows]

There's a reason why people here love her, and why YLE chose her internally. It certainly isn't for her music, despite doing music for years she haven't had any hit. People going for her concerts despite her performing mostly covers. Her coming 2nd in the X-Factor. Performing with Andrea Bocelli. It's because she can sing. What I do admit is that yesterday wasn't good, but people who say she's average clearly haven't seen her other X-Factor performances or just hate her voice. It is quite love/hate afterall. She was just nervous yesterday for some reason.

Anyway, for example;

Maybe you're right. Maybe she can sing. But she needs to show it when it matters. Not everyone has time to go looking for her XFactor videos. And it doesn't even matter how she performs elsewhere. If she wants to do well at ESC, she needs to sing Monsters well. Last night she didn't.

 

[Fierro]

This is probably the best song chosen so far. As for performances and outfits... well, let them die where they appeared - in UMK Not that I don' like bright colourful costumes - they just will look too campy on TV screens in May

 

[ag89]

People are talking "Problem is the staging", "Problem is the outifit" and I would say problem is THE SONG. This cannot win or do well at Eurovision in 2018 as people expect. But I guess most people disagree with me, but let's see what happens in May.

 

[wtf]

Maybe you're right. Maybe she can sing. But she needs to show it when it matters. Not everyone has time to go looking for her XFactor videos. And it doesn't even matter how she performs elsewhere. If she wants to do well at ESC, she needs to sing Monsters well. Last night she didn't.

I think she sang Monsters very well. The song is the problem. It gives her no material to showcase her vocals. If you start to improvise too much there is a high chance you'll overdo it.

This is why Domino would have been a better choice - last night proved it well. She sounded amazing in that one, despite the song being basic and bland.

 

[ayzelto]

I think it’s a great song tbh. And she’s a great singer. Maybe the performance was a bit messy but she will qualify, she must of after seeing so many bad songs chosen. 10 points in the poll.

 

[henhu]

This is great in studio, but live performance is shockingly bad and would be a non-qualifier at current state. I give

 

[sapsan]

Very dissapointed with that choice. second song was the best for me. it would be 12 points with that but I must evaluate the worst song instead.

 

[apasionata]

The live performance made the song grow on me tremendously.

I ain't, I ain't, I ain't scared no more

 

[Chorizo]

I like the song, the staging looks great and it's delightfully gay. 12 points from me.

 

[sharkan]

 

[cegs5]

Saara is facing a lot of criticism in the media right now, they are reporting all the international shade on her live peformance. So, hopefully this will shake her and her team and do something about it, they cannot live in the bubble she actually mentioned in the video posted above. There is indeed a lot of pressure for her right now, I think Finns can deal with another elimination or bottom place in the Final, but not a bad performance after YLE cancelled UMK somehow and affecting many artists who submitted their demos because of her.
She has to make the whole thing worth it.

 

[Tsunami]

Hi from a lurker appearing from the shadows (not unlike those pesky monsters who pop up from under your bed as soon as you turn off the lights �&#56841.
I followed Saara during her x factor adventure, and came to love her performances, so obviously I was super excited to learn she would be Finland's Eurovision entry this year.
Much like most of you I was horrified by the live performances on Saturday. Couldn't believe she could look and sound so bad - I truly hated the staging of Queens (my personal favourite), even if most people don't seem to mind it.
For me, Monsters is a bit of a "meh" song, but still preferable over Domino (although D live was surprisingly nice).
I still couldn't get over Saara/the backup singers sounding so crap, so after reading a few comments by people who were there saying that the actual live performance sounded fine, I did a bit of digging and found this:
https://youtu.be/MeSiit2q8Oo
Shot with a mobile phone it seems, yet it sounds a million times better? What on earth did they do with the broadcast sound?