I don't know how I feel about this lineup: I like a bunch of snippets here, yet nothing screams "
Wow! Winner! Periodt! I said what I said! XO Thanx bye" on paper like in previous years to me. The order of the snippets indicates the running order btw.
Simon Vadnjal – Nisi sam: I expected a joke entry or something really cheap, but it's actually not that bad. Can he sing live though? The chorus might be painful. It's not going to the superfinal, and it's okay.
Saška – Še kar lovim tvoj nasmeh: Girl took the place of Pia Nina. This song embodies the concept of nothingness. Her luck ends here.
Gaja Prestor – Verjamem vase: now this one is the frontrunner I was expecting. It doesn't blow me away as of now, but I could root for this if there aren't too many oh-ohs and the full version lives up to this snippet. I like that it's in Slovenian.
Ana Soklič – Voda: Ana Raquel won't like this
Unexpected deep voice. It sounds very slow, but the beginning of the chorus makes me want to listen to the entire thing. At this point, I'm not sure if it's just a typical ballad or it could build up to something more interesting. I'm intrigued.
Inmate – The Salt: I preferred "Atma" that had more drive and power imo. It's not bad, but probably not among my faves either. I hope the singer will clean up his vocals this time.
Manca Berlec – Večnost: Manca is chanceless in every possible universe, but I like what she's bringing to the table. I expected her to give me bossa nova vibes a la "Sama" and it turns out she gave me just that. A pleasant song that has no other ambition than to be showcased in EMA.
Tinkara Kovač – Forever: Ok, so Tinkara decided to blatantly troll with a Maltese ballad. This is not the tea girl. Lemme stay on the good memory that "Round And Round" was.
Božidar Wolfand - Wolf – Maybe Someday: Ok, this guy came through, he exactly served the "Melfest-fodder-for-60+-audiences" tea I expected. Enduring both this and "Forever" one after the other will be an experience.
Parvani Violet – Cupid: And the other EMA RUST finalist I don't care for. Should have been Astrid there. Random noises don't make a song. Sorry.
Klara Jazbec – Stop the World: Ok, not gonna lie, this one sounds generic arrangement-wise and all, but I can't help liking the lil' melody and vocal delivery here. It sounds sweet to me. I want to hear to the full version.
IMSET – Femme fatale: I didn't expect that kind of Moldovan sound on a budget. I don't like the voices, they cheapen the composition imo. Meh.
Lina Kuduzović – man like u: oh I expected something uptempo from Ariana. It's okay but a tad forgettable I fear.
Here's my ranking based on them snippets:
1. Gaja
2. Klara
3. Ana
4. Manca
5. Lina
6. INMATE
7. Simon
8. IMSET
9. Parvani Violet
10. Saška
11. Božidar
12. Tinkara
I think Gaja Prestor is the one with the highest potential honestly and possibly the only one I could root for really. The lineup is super weak overall imo.