The 2015 “Expert” Panel – CYPRUS

One Thing I Should Have Done (Eurovision 2015 – Cyprus)

The ESC United “Expert” Panel is back once again reviewing all Eurovision songs and rank them accordingly.

You are probably asking yourself on how we pick our panel and the criteria. We looked at people from all walks of life to bring together a unique group of panelists with a wide range in taste. They all bring different skills and tastes to the table so who are they?

Anselm – The Alternative Guy
Arie – The Professional Musician
Daniel – The Noob
Katja – The Schlager Queen
Mike – The Smart One
Olivia – The Journalist

You can read more about them HERE

Disclaimer: While we picked, what we perceived individuals with a wide range in taste, it is subjective to a certain degree so just enjoy their thoughts and if you don’t agree, feel free to post your comments below.

John Karayiannis from Cyprus is going to Vienna with song One thing I should have done. Let’s find out if our panel likes the song.

Arie – The Professional Musican
Dang it all if this song isn’t catchy as all get out!  Not only that, but it’s beautiful descending melody line in the chorus is accentuated by gorgeous, rich chords. The “I should have been there for you” bridge is unexpected and therefore extremely effective.  There is an odd synthesizer that sounds like my ear is ringing at the end, but other than that, I love the simple orchestration that makes this song feel all the more heartfelt and personal.  It still needs some massaging, but honestly I just feel this is a winner.
Points: 10/10

Anselm – The Alternative Guy
Aww, this is so cute. It may be a bit sugary but it just creates such a cosy and warm atmosphere on stage. The tone colour of John Karagiannis’ voice clearly adds to that as well. I think this would do very well in a more uptempo-heavy year – since that’s clearly not the case I can unfortunately see it missing out since it won’t manage to stand out that much.
Points: 7/10

Daniel – The Smart One
Boy, oh boy. Who would have thought it? A boring ballad. I’m relieved that there are many entries maintaining my excitement and interest for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. I mean the balladeers (like John) are usually good singers with great voices but I’m looking forward to the ESC because I want to get electrified. I want an overwhelming show and no sentimental ceremony. So I’m asking Europe not to vote for the soporific entries. Not my cup of tea!
Points: 2/10

Olivia – The Journalist
Ah listen to that acoustic guitar – bliss. I could happily sit to this, kick back, with an ice cold Gin and Tonic, taking in the sunshine. Cyprus does have a tradition of sending delicate, romantic numbers – such as Firefly in 2009. And this song is equally as beautiful. It moves and changes in all the right places, and is exactly what you would expect from an acoustic ballad. But – the only issue is, I feel like we’ve heard this all before. It acts almost as a three minute summary of some of the best love songs of the 21st century, and doesn’t really go beyond that. It’s nice, it’s melodic – but if Europe wants something a bit more edgy, something with a ‘je ne sais quoi’ then alas, this does not fill the bill.. Nevertheless, I think this will get easy votes.
Points: 7/10

Mike – The Smart One
Well, this is a change from “La, la la”, but unfortunately, not a good change.  Sometimes softer ballads work well in ESC.  Belgium’s Tom Dice is a good example.  However the male performer has none of Dice’s charm and good looks.  Nor does he have Dice’s voice and guitar skill.  This is a rather unattractive person (at least to me) whose song is boring.  I glanced at the time line on the video more than once, hoping it would be almost finished.  Once again, not a good thing.  At least the song is different.  However, as we saw with Finland, not always a good thing either.
Points: 3/10

Katja – The Schlager fan
Attention, Ed Sheeran-fans! This should be right up your street! It’s a ByeAlex-lookalike singning an Ed Sheeran-soundalike! Amazing! And unlike singer-songwriter girls, the singer-songwriter guys have an advantage. I think loads of t(w)een girls will be buying this song on iTunes in drones, when the semi is over. And you know what – I’m OK with it. A very likely qualifier and I think Cypriots can expect a fine result in the final.
Points: 8/10

Overall: 37 Points

37 points put Cyprus somewhere in the middle. Based on the points, the song could be another love or hate kinda song.

Do you think that the panel got this right?!? Share your thoughts below and join the convo on our Forum. See yah soon!