The 2015 “Expert” Panel – GEORGIA

Warrior (Eurovision 2015 – Georgia)

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.

Next up is the Warrior from Georgia a.k.a. Nina Sublatti. Let’s see what the panel thinks about this song.

Anselm – The Alternative Guy
Warrior #1. The battle is on. This is a really interesting entry. While the song sounds rather unmelodic it still manages to be energetic and powerful. There’s something very in-your-face about it which corresponds with the general theme of the song. I’ve also checked out some of Nina Sublatti’s non-Eurovision stuff and she seems to be a great artist! The lyrics of the song are certainly… interesting. No doubt Georgia wins the award for the most creative word (“oximated”) used in entry lyrics this year.
Points: 8/10

Mike – The Smart One
Well, I’m not a fan of this year’s song.  The simple three-tone refrain in a 1/3/8 pattern leaves me pretty cold and it is repeated ad nauseum throughout the song.  The percussion is banal and the rest of the instrumental accompaniment is uninteresting.  If there are any other voices, I don’t remember hearing them.  While the title and subject are interesting the song does very little with either.  Frankly Malta does both much better in its song of the same name.  Nothing more to say.
Points: 4/10

Olivia – The Journalist
Georgia has come out fighting this year. It’s feisty, it’s bold and Nina, the lead singer, is firmly set on a war-path to take this song through qualifications into the final. It has a distinct warrior-like sound with its druid drums, which pace at the same rate as someone fighting with a sword. This will, I’m sure, be a real spectacle on stage. And it’s probably this year’s equivalent to Ukraine’s ‘Tick Tock’ from last year. However one, important thing that is lacking – the melody. It’s repetitive and really not very melodic.  So in all fairly strong, but not particularly a big fan.
Points: 6/10

Katja – The Schlager Queen
One of the female “riot” entries this year, also named “Warrior”. Georgian entry was revamped by Thomas G:son and performance will be done by Sasha Jean Baptiste, one of the choreographers in Melodifestivalen. The song has a certain hook, eventhough it’s a bit monotonous for my taste. I like Nina’s vocals and considering the running order, I think Georgia will qualify again. Eventhough… I prefer the other G:son’s Georgian entry to be honest, “Waterfall”. This one is less up my street musically, but I understand why some people like it.
Points: 6/10

Daniel – The Noob
Okay, I have to stop myself from adding too many entries to my list of favorites but Georgia made it anyway. That’s what I call a stunning song. Listening to this entry, I start feeling like a real warrior. I almost grabbed my imaginary samurai sword and started playing fruit ninja in real life. All jokes aside! There are songs which make you feel sad, happy or simply free. You virtually hear no song which makes you feel strong and brave. As I mentioned Georgia’s song made it and it’s almost unprecedented. That’s a total favorite count of four. Amazing job Georgia!
Points: 10/10

Arie – The Professional Musician
While the strong vocals, a well explored theme of triumph (what words that we can actually make out), and strong electronic orchestrations are aurally appealing, the song starts at a heightened point and just stays there for too long.  It never backs down, but it also never really steps up.  There’s little to it that I dislike, but I also can bet you that tomorrow I won’t give this song another thought.  I look forward to ignoring this song as I shop at H&M.
Points: 5/10

Overall: 39 Points

The first Warrior finishes with 39 points. That’s average in terms of ranking. Nina Sublatti ties with Edurne from Spain but wins the tiebreaker thanks to Daniel’s 10 points. Here’s the current ranking:

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